Chapter 1 – The Black Ox Speaks
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Chapter 1 – The Black Ox Speaks
Under the pitch-black sky, an uninterrupted chain of mountains lay there like a huge beast, quietly awaiting the break of dawn.
A hamlet sat below a small hill shaped like a crouching ox.
“Li Er, get up and get to work!” A loud shout broke the silence. A middle-aged farmwife with a somewhat wide waist yelled at a cowshed.
Within a pile of straw in the cowshed, a skinny young man immediately jerked awake from his dream. He wondered in a daze, Where am I?
He had that dream again. In the dream, he lived in a city filled with towering skyscrapers; he would play with a mystical object called a computer, and the place had monsters of steel running amuck in the streets.
Finally, a monster called a BMW would run over him one day.
Afterwards, he jerked awake. That was right, he had transmigrated.
Over a dozen years later, the matters of his past life had seemingly become a dream.
Looking around the dirty cowshed and sensing the itch from mosquito bites, this clearly was not a good place. Probably no transmigrator was worse off than him.
Speaking of which, fifteen years should have passed already!
His parents of this life were the most ordinary of farmers in Crouching Ox village. Both of them had passed away when he was young, and his older brother had raised him. His elder brother was Li Da, so he was Li Er.1
The village was not very sophisticated, so many villagers would spend their entire lives without a proper name. He only managed to give himself a proper name thanks to his knowledge from his previous life. He was called Li Qingshan.2
“Must you be buried in your place of home? Sufficient are the green mountains overgrown.” Since he had transmigrated, he needed to live a good life, no, a better life than his last. Only then would he not waste his second life.3
At this moment, he thought back to his childhood. He had recovered from the fear and confusion from his recent transmigration, and the grand ambitions of a transmigrator filled him. However, he soon discovered that he was hungry and had not eaten.
His brother and sister-in-law only treated him as a deadweight. They left all the tiresome and dirty work to him. He always ate the worst as well. They did not treat him like family at all.
At such a young age, he had nowhere to go. He could only attempt to behave like a child prodigy, but the local witch deemed ghosts to have possessed him, so she filled him with purging water against his will. Consequently, he never dared to act like that again.
As a result, the villagers continued to refer to him as Li Er. Li Qingshan was just a joke.
Li Qingshan’s sister-in-law shouted for a while. Upon noticing the lack of reaction, she rushed in and began swinging her bamboo stick, striking him mercilessly. “Lazy bones, why don’t you keep playing dead? Why don’t you keep playing dead!”
Li Qingshan was thinking about his past life, so his thoughts were momentarily a mess. He suddenly stood up and snatched the bamboo stick, glaring at the farmwife.
Seeing how the child from before was already a head taller than her, sister-in-law Li became slightly afraid. However, she remained as imposing as before. “Alright, Li Er. We’ve raised you after so much difficulty, yet you still want to be unreasonable! I’ll wait for your brother to get up. He’ll deal with you. If you don’t work, you can’t eat!” With that, she turned around and left.
After she left, Li Qingshan tossed aside the bamboo stick and sighed heavily. He arrived by the trough and said to a black ox, “Brother ox; oh, brother ox. I’ve already grown up. I don’t want to stay here any longer. However, I just can’t part with you.”
Before his parents passed away, they had split up the family property. His elder brother and sister-in-law had forcibly taken away the cottage and field. Now, he only had this black ox left.
Thanks to the ox, he could often help out the landowner, which was just enough for him to receive a full meal. If he only ate the pitiful remains from home, who knows how thin he would be. As a result, not only was he reluctant to treat it as simply an animal, he even referred to it with respect as ‘brother ox’.
The villagers all knew that Li Er could go without his big brother Li, but he could not go without his big brother ox.
The black ox had a glossy hide and was sturdily built. The care that Li Qingshan had given it was evident. However, it also seemed a little old and sickly. It was missing a horn as well, and the surface of the breakage was extremely smooth. It was like a sharp knife had cut it off.
The black ox looked at Li Qingshan with its moist eyes before standing up with vigour as if it could understand him. Li Qingshan mounted the ox in a proficient manner, and the black ox slowly made its way towards Crouching Ox hill.
Atop the ox, Li Qingshan raised his head. The many stars shone brilliantly with resplendence that the world lacked. Like an ordinary cowherd, he began playing a loud, clear reed flute.
The sounds of the flute echoed through the morning mist. Behind him, the village gradually woke up from its slumber.
Below Crouching Ox hill, the vegetation was lush and vibrant, and the green grass covered the ground like a mattress.
Using the first glimmers of daylight in the east, Li Qingshan looked west. The mountains rose and fell in an unending fashion, and the myriad mountains stood in the distance. It was said that not only were there wolves, tigers, and leopards, but there were even spirits and monsters. Even hunters dared not enter too deeply.
Li Qingshan had never seen a proper map in the village, so he was clueless of the geography of this world. He only knew that the mountains and valleys were towering, and the rivers and waterways were vast. Danger would fill these places, but there was also a great new world out there waiting for him to explore.
Li Qingshan had already made up his mind. He wanted to leave. In the end, he patted the ox’s back.
“Brother ox; oh, brother ox. You’ve grown old. If I sell you, they’ll definitely butcher you for your meat. The world is huge, so you should go. There are many wolves and tigers in the mountains, so do be careful.”
At a time like this, the smartest decision would be to sell the black ox and gather some money for travelling. He would have something to rely on once he arrived at Qingyang city. At the very least, he would not just starve to death on the streets. However, he refused to do that.
Any farmer would laugh if they heard such an immature decision, but he insisted on doing so.
“You call me big brother, so how can I bear to part ways with you?”
“I can accompany you for a thousand kilometres, but there will always be a time… when we must part…” Li Qingshan answered instinctively, but his voice gradually trailed off. He looked at the black ox with widened eyes as he felt all the hairs on his body stand up. He took a step back. “Monster!”
The black ox said, “Don’t be afraid; I won’t harm you.”
They had spent all these years together after all. Li Qingshan was not particularly afraid; he was just temporarily unable to take in this surreal situation. However, when he thought about everything he had been through, he calmed down. He probed with a frown. “Are you really brother ox?”
The black ox nodded in approval when he saw how Li Qingshan had calmed down so quickly. “Truly someone with innate knowledge.”
“What’s innate knowledge?” Li Qingshan immediately raised his guard. He did not want anyone to know that he had transmigrated. He could put up an act before other people, but he was not as cautious around the black ox. His behaviour that contradicted his identity and age at certain times must have caught its eye.
“Amongst the six realms of saṃsāra, beings that retain the memories of their past lives appear from time to time. That’s what innate knowledge is. You and I both have the memories of another identity. We’re not a regular farmer and ox. For us to be able to meet can be regarded as a form of destiny.”
“I see.” Li Qingshan eased up slightly inside. He had heard of something like this before, but at least the ox never exposed his identity as a transmigrator. “I never thought that this world would actually have monsters, and to think that I’ve raised one for over a decade. Why didn’t you talk in the past?”
“There wasn’t anything to talk about. I’ve never asked about where you come from, so don’t ask me where I come from either. All you need to know is what I can give you.”
“Give me… what?”
“Have you heard of superhuman abilities before?”
Before Li Qingshan could ask anything, the black ox continued, “These so-called superhuman abilities are the mighty abilities of demons and gods, ranging from moving mountains to filling seas to picking the stars and moon from the sky. Those who seek longevity can attain longevity, while those who seek eternal life will attain eternal life. Moreover, things like glory, wealth, money, and women can be brought to you with a simple flick. Does that interest you?”
The two words, superhuman abilities, basically encapsulated the desires of all living beings. Li Qingshan was only one of these living beings, so how could he not be interested?
His deeper feelings included disbelief; he was like someone who had spent over a decade blind before suddenly opening his eyes. Everything before him was so dazzling; all of it just seemed so surreal.
Li Qingshan restrained his excitement. “Brother ox, what kind of superhuman abilities do you want to teach me?”
The black ox shook his head. “You still don’t have the right to learn as of now.” He changed the topic. “If you want to practise superhuman abilities, you need to eat meat first!”
“What?” Li Qingshan doubted his ears. He felt that it was absurd. Why would the great abilities that could move mountains, fill seas, and pick the stars and moon from the sky be related to something so ordinary?
“The first step to cultivation is ‘refining vitality into qi’. You have to refine the vitality in your body into true qi. With how sallow you are right now, is there any vitality to be refined?”
Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. It was impossible for anyone with a childhood like his to grow up to be strong and sturdy. Was it not a joke for someone who even struggled when lifting a bucket of water to talk about moving mountains and filling seas?
“May I ask where the meat will come from?” It was not like Li Qingshan did not want to eat meat. Compared to those imaginary immortal pills and spiritual medicines, the taste of meat had been firmly embedded in his head. It was enough for him to think of it in his dreams, and he still cherished the memories even now.
However, for a poor kid who could not even stuff himself with coarse grains, where would the meat even come from? He could not help but stare at brother ox’s sturdy body, subconsciously carving it up into tenderloins, t-bone steaks, ribs, and all the different bits and pieces. His eyes shone green with gluttony.
The black ox smacked him over the head. “Don’t look at me like that.” He extended a hoof boldly at the myriad mountains in the west. “The meat is right there.”
Li Qingshan became alarmed instead of joyful. Being a hunter in this world was no easy job. None of the wolves, tigers, and leopards in the mountains could be trifled with. Additionally, with the black ox being a living example, the legends of supernatural creatures did not seem to be all tall tales. If he accidentally came across one, his life would basically be over.
However, the black ox only told him to not worry, telling him to go home and wait before running off and vanishing.
Li Qingshan made his way down the hill by himself. He was still unable to calm himself down from all the excitement. This was actually such a bizarre, colourful, and dazzling world. If he really could practise cultivation and attain enlightenment, traversing the entire world with all of its mountains green, the name he gave himself would not be wasted.
Li Qingshan returned home. His big brother had already gone to the fields, leaving his sister-in-law leaning against the entrance and eating melon seeds. She rolled her eyes a few times upon seeing him. The wives of other people would all begin the household chores or do some weaving to cover the costs of basic necessities when their husbands went out to work. However, she was renowned within the village for being a lazy wife. She tossed all the chores to Li Qingshan, and she had never touched a loom before either.
Li Qingshan just ignored her and directly entered the house. He lifted the lid of the pot to have a look. Let alone a hot meal, there were not even cold leftovers.
The sister-in-law said dripping with ambiguity, “Our house has no rice to spare for idlers. Why don’t you take the ox with you to caretaker Li for work?” Suddenly, she noticed that the ox was not present and asked, “Where’s the ox?”
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1. Li Da basically translates to Li the First or Li the Older and Li Er to Li the Second or Li the Younger. A slightly more formal way of referring to them would be Li Dalang and Li Erlang, but it means the same.
2. Qingshan means green mountains.
3. This is part of a poem written by either the famed samurai Saigō Takamori or Qing dynasty official Zhang Tingyu; this was popularised by chairman Mao Zedong, whose father had written for him when he set out to study. In any case, the ‘green mountains (overgrown)’ refer to any old place in the world. It implies that men should venture out in the world bravely and attempt to attain greatness instead of being held back by their attachment to home.
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Chapter 2 – Cultivating by Eating Meat
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Chapter 2 – Cultivating by Eating Meat
“I lost it,” Li Qingshan replied in a detached manner as if he had just been pulled out of a fantasy world to a cruel reality.
“Then go look! If you lose our ox, it’ll be a miracle if your brother doesn’t beat you to death when he comes home, you wastrel of a thing. If the ox is gone, you can go too!”
“That’s my ox!” Li Qingshan strided out from the house. If he still did not leave, he would probably fail to hold himself back from teaching this woman a lesson. However, if he really did that, he would no longer be able to remain in the house. As such, he could only yield.
It was not until dusk did he return to the cowshed in exhaustion. His eyes shone as he looked around the empty cowshed before gloominess overcame him again.
Aside from letting the ox out to graze and cleaning, Li Qingshan’s daily job was to lead the cattle to the landowner’s home to help out so that he could cover the expenses of some necessities.
Without the ox, he could only work like the other farm hands today; this was work that even adults found tiring, let alone a growing child like him. He had not even eaten breakfast.
Compared to his exhaustion, the insults and scolding from the farm head only seemed like an insignificant daily matter. Falling into the straw head-first, he no longer wanted to think about anything else, but his belly began to rumble.
It was obvious. In an environment like this, any aspirations he had would have been worn away completely, only leaving behind the instincts needed for survival.
Just when Li Qingshan was bleary-eyed, the thud of something heavy hitting the ground sounded. He opened his eyes and came face to face with something strange with a pair of long, white tusks. He could not help but jump in fright. Only when his head cleared up did he see that it was a wild boar. It had died recently, so it still emitted warmth.
The black ox crouched down before the trough and ‘smiled’ at him. Li Qingshan could already distinguish the expressions of the black ox to some degree.
Night fell. In the house, the sister-in-law grumbled to Li Qingshan’s elder brother, “That little bastard is completely hopeless. He actually managed to lose such a large ox. No, he must have sold it secretly. Nope, we have to split the property and break up the family. If this continues, he’ll bring ruin upon us.”
The elder brother was in his thirties. He had a large build and was known for being unreasonable and insolent in the village, but he was extremely submissive to his wife. “But if we do split, all that good land had been allocated to him before the village elders.” He had used Li Qingshan’s young age and inability to farm as an excuse to claim the land. He had no plans to return it, but if they planned on breaking up the family, they would be forced to.
“Hasn’t caretaker Liu been constantly eyeing that piece of land? Just sell it to him. If that little bastard is bold enough, he would go to caretaker Liu for his share.”
“But what if he doesn’t want to go forward with this?”
“Starve him for three days. Will disagreeing still be an issue then?”
As the two discussed, the sister-in-law suddenly sniffed. “Do you smell something?”
“How fragrant! Seems like someone is cooking meat!”
“There’s no festival right now, so what’re they cooking meat for? It seems… it seems to be near us.”
The two of them followed the smell and arrived inside the cowshed. All they saw was a propped up pot inside with a bonfire below. The pot bubbled as a delicious smell permeated the surroundings.
The fire flickered about in the darkness, projecting Li Qingshan’s shadow onto the walls.
The sister-in-law gulped. “Brat, where’d you steal the meat from?” Not only was she lazy, but she was even gluttonous as well. Looking at the pot of meat soup, she even forgot about how Li Qingshan had offended her. She went up and picked up the ladle, stirring the soup.
On the other hand, the elder brother had sharper eyes. He immediately spotted what Li Qingshan was sitting on and cried out, “A wild boar!”
Wild boars could be described as extremely dangerous amongst the creatures that roamed the mountains. Their hides were so thick and tough that they were difficult to wound even with blades. Even regular hunters would avoid them like the plague upon encountering them, so capturing one went without saying.
“When I was looking for the ox, I came across it at the foot of the mountain. It was injured, probably chased to its last breath by hunters,” Li Qingshan answered with the story he had prepared beforehand. He had to keep the black ox’s intelligence an absolute secret. Otherwise, once news of a daemon ox made its way out, who knows when the forces of heaven would come knocking.
The elder brother was half-convinced. He also began to smile. “Brother, you sure have a fool’s luck. Once I take this boar to the market, it’ll definitely fetch a good price. We’ll stow it away for when you get married.” He also took note of the black ox. Thinking to himself, Perhaps there is no need to be in such a hurry to break him off from the family. The ox can do some farm work, right?
Li Qingshan saw the sister-in-law stir the pot in a manner where she only wanted to try a piece of the meat. His good mood from cooking the meat immediately vanished. With a smack, he knocked away the sister-in-law’s hand. “Don’t fiddle around.”
The sister-in-law backed away while clutching her hand. She wailed, “Look at your younger brother. I said that he would harass a woman like me while you’re not home, and you didn’t even believe me. Now that it has all happened right before you, you’ve clearly witnessed it all.”
Harass you? Li Qingshan only felt his stomach lurch. If your surname is Pan, I guess I could be worse off.1
The elder brother’s face immediately sank. “Is this how a brother-in-law’s supposed to act?”
Li Qingshan lowered his head. “I have my plans for this meat. I’m not young anymore. It’s time for us to separate.” This was something he had been considering while cooking the meat. He no longer wanted to yield in the face of constant abuse just to keep a roof over his head.
The elder brother never anticipated Li Qingshan to mention this matter before he could even bring it up. He was stunned at first before anger overcame him. A simple farmer like him was not a person who could hold back his anger. He clenched his fist and made his way up, planning to beat up Li Qingshan and drag away the wild boar before making any further decisions.
Sensing his hostility, Li Qingshan stood up as well. He was stern, but he felt rather afraid inside. His body had yet to develop completely, and after a day of tiresome work, he had not eaten. How was he supposed to face off against an adult man? He glanced at the black ox, but the bull only watched on like it was all a show, displaying no intention of helping out.
Just as he felt pained inside as he prepared himself for a beating, the elder brother stopped in his tracks and looked at Li Qingshan’s right hand.
His large, rough hands held a similarly crude knife. Since it was filled with impurities, it would still seem dull even if the blade was polished with care.
This was a knife that Li Qingshan had bought from the market with the money he had pinched and scraped together through the years. It had many uses. Earlier, he had used it to cut the meat.
Li Qingshan immediately understood that his elder brother was nervous. He was not nervous about himself but the knife. Before this moment, he had never realised that the low quality knife in his hands actually had the power to deter people.
Li Qingshan was only the average student in his past life. While he had been involved in a few fights before, they were merely disputes with fellow students. Even in his two lives combined, he had never pointed a weapon at someone.
Understanding this, Li Qingshan tightened his grip on the knife and purposefully waved it around like a wild beast baring its fangs; he did this despite being afraid of using it.
The elder brother immediately took a step back, and the sister-in-law stopped wailing about. In the end, the two of them actually backed out of the cowshed in great disappointment. They cursed him outside before returning to the house to discuss their ‘grand plan’.
Li Qingshan turned a deaf ear to it all. He even forgot about the smell of the meat. He only stared at his knife in a daze, which reflected a blurry face back at him. This piece of cheap junk that had cost him a few pieces of silver had just saved him from a physical beating. It had protected him from a series of humiliation and had protected his spoils.
While this was a principle that was as clear as day, he made him feel enlightened.
The black ox crouched before the trough and smiled at him.
The fire swayed, and a huge figure stood with a knife on the wall. At that moment, a youth had understood the exact value of strength.
Quite a while later, Li Qingshan sat back down and scratched his cheek in embarrassment as he looked at the pot. “Just how much longer does the meat need to cook for?” He had always been a person who liked meat with his meals. The past few years had really been tough for him. When their parents were still with them, he could get a few mouthfuls whenever there were festivities. Ever since their passing, he could only forget about it. The amount of meat they had was not even enough to feed the sister-in-law alone.
Even if a bottle of immortal pills were placed before him right now, it would not make him care as much as the pot of meat.
The boar was rather large. The pot of meat took half the night to cook.
The rising flames, the permeating fragrance, the hissing sounds, and the absorbed teenager formed an extremely simple and primitive scene despite the absence of a sentimental and poetic nature.
In the end, there was not even a grain of salt, let alone other seasonings, but Li Qingshan wolfed it down so fast that he almost swallowed his tongue. Without the slightest care about how fatty or lean the pieces were, several pounds of meat entered his belly. Finally, he even polished off the meat soup completely.
If someone were to ask Li Qingshan right now what happiness was, he would definitely reply that happiness was a pot of meat soup.
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1. The latter sentence is a reference to one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Water Margin. Within the story, there is a character by the name of Wu Song. His elder brother, Wu Dalang (Essentially translates to Wu the Elder), ends up marrying a beauty, Pan Jinlian, despite his own dwarf stature and unimpressive appearance. Before long, Pan Jinlian commits adultery with a local merchant by the name of Ximen Qing. Wu Dalang ends up finding the two of them in bed, before being injured by a kick to the abdomen. Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing end up poisoning Wu Dalang to his death before bribing the coroner for a quick cremation and keeping his silence about Wu Dalang’s true cause of death, as well as the magistrate. You can keep reading about it here, but in short, the author’s implying that while the sister-in-law’s a two-sided bitch, she’s still better off than the treacherous Pan Jinlian, but she’s still being compared to Pan Jinlian at the end of the day.
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Chapter 3 – An Insulting Separation
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Chapter 3 – An Insulting Separation
Li Qingshan lay in the straw in complete satisfaction. He spread out his arms and legs, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
He did not dream of his past life that night.
In the house near the cowshed, the couple tossed and turned under the torment of the smell of meat. They only fell asleep in the dead of the night.
The next morning, as soon as the roosters had crowed thrice, a short fatty in emerald-green silk garments arrived at the edge of the fields. He was none other than the greatest landowner in the tiny Crouching Ox village, master Liu. He was also the caretaker Liu that the elder brother and sister-in-law had mentioned. He had worked as a caretaker for a wealthy clan in the past. Eventually, he was excused due to his age, returning home with wealth.
However, he still wanted others to refer to him as caretaker Liu to stress his vastly different status and identity compared to these bumpkins; he also used this title to differentiate himself from the regular landowners. At the same time, since he had used various methods to swallow up most of the land in the village, he gained another elegant name, Half-village Liu.
If Half-village Liu had any ambitions, it would obviously be becoming Whole-village Liu. However, the matter could not be hurried. As his old master in the city would have described it, this ambition required gradual scheming to fulfil. He believed that he could complete this dream in the remaining years of his life. By then, everyone in the village would be his workers, and he would be the local despot. He would be able to do whatever he wanted.
However, caretaker Liu currently felt rather displeased. There were not a lot of workers on his land right now. He waved his plump hand. “Why’re there only these people? Where are the others?”
A worker wore a smile. “Caretaker Liu, they’ve gone to help Li Er build a house.”
“Li Er? Which Li Er?”
“That cowherd!”
“Of course I know who it is. Where’d he get the money from?”
“The kid’s got dumb luck. He just came across a huge wild boar. He’s giving a huge chunk of boar meat to everyone in the village who’s willing to help him build a house. They’re at the bottom of Crouching Ox hill right now. It’s quite the news currently.”
“Then why aren’t you going?”
“I’ve fallen out with him in the past,” the worker said in an embarrassed manner. He regretted this deeply. That was meat, for god’s sake! When did he normally get to eat meat?
Caretaker Liu twiddled his mustache. “Let’s go. Let’s take a look as well.”
After waking up, Li Qingshan began to busy himself with the matter of separating from the family. The priority right now was to build a proper house for himself. He could not depend on others anymore.
In the past, he lacked the ability to do so, but many issues could be readily solved with the boar. With just a call, many people would be willing to help him. He had essentially witnessed the wonders of pork in this world.
Below the Crouching Ox hill, the willow trees offered shade, and the flowers bloomed brightly. It offered wonderful scenery. In his previous life, such a place would either be a tourist attraction or part of a wealthy person’s estate. He would never be able to claim it for himself. Moreover, this place was far away from the village, so it was suitable for him to keep secrets here. He could converse with the black ox at ease.
Li Qingshan stood within the crowd of people and directed them around. He felt an indescribable sense of joy. He slightly understood why the black ox had told him to eat meat. It was not just to strengthen his body.
If an impoverished person had to busy themselves all day long just to fill their bellies, how could they still be interested in doing anything else, much less seek enlightenment?
Caretaker Liu stood in the distance and glanced at it all. He muttered to himself, “That means the brothers are separating.” He happened to see the Li couple watching from afar. As they watched their own family build a new house, not only did they show no joy, but even they ground their teeth in resentment instead. As a result, caretaker Liu came up with a plan and walked over with a smile.
In just a dozen or so days, a new house was built, and everyone dispersed with their boar meat.
Li Qingshan looked at his new house in satisfaction as he stood within the small courtyard surrounded by a fence. It was just a regular mudbrick house with a thatched roof, but this was both his new home and his first step to settling down and pursuing his interests in this new world.
In the past few days, he ate meat everyday, recovering a healthy glow. He felt more confident just by standing there. It had only been around half a month, but he seemed to have grown by a few centimeters.
Just as Li Qingshan felt delighted, a grey-haired and wrinkled old woman strolled into the courtyard. She said as if she were leaping in fright, “Li Erlang, your house is badly built. It’s highly ominous!”
Li Qingshan frowned. This person was the local witch. When he was young, she had filled him up with purging water. She would act in a mystifying, deluding manner all day long to deceive the ignorant and unsophisticated villagers. He had never felt any goodwill towards her, but she held great prestige in the village. People would ask for her fortunes for events that happened in the village such as funerals and weddings. Obviously, there would always be many offerings to the gods when she did divine for them.
Li Qingshan did not want to give her the cold shoulder either. He bowed towards her. “What brings you here?”
The witch did not even look at him. She glanced around the house’s interior and said, “There’s yin qi. There’s evil in there. Fortunately, I’ve come prepared.” She held a clay jar of water in one hand and a willow branch in the other. She dipped the willow branch in the water and sprinkled it through the house and courtyard randomly as she called out a mess of things, “Begone, begone…”
Li Qingshan was unable to stop her, having no other choice than to let her do her thing. He was already convinced about the existence of ghosts and gods, but he highly doubted the existence of some yin qi or evil here. After all, there was an actual daemon with him. If something were wrong, the black ox would obviously tell him. There would be no need for her.
After sprinkling the water, the witch acted like she had just helped Li Qingshan tremendously, babbling a great deal once again. She went on about how Li Qingshan was fortunate enough and all of this had been granted by the god, and how now was the time to send the god off. As for the best item to offer to the god, it was obviously the huge head that had remained from the wild boar.
Only then did Li Qingshan understand the reason for her appearance. “It’s probably not to feed the god but to feed you, right?”
The witch flew into a great rage over Li Qingshan’s snide comment. She straightened herself up and said in a different voice, “Li Qingshan, ignoring the advice of this god will bring calamity unto you.”
Li Qingshan knew this was her act of inviting a god to possess her body. When regular villagers were met with this move, even the brave ones would pale in fright and kneel down and smack their heads against the ground. Even the Li Qingshan of the past dared not take her lightly, but it was all different now. He crossed his arms like he was looking at a joke. “Everything, whether good or bad, is brought on by man himself. What’s it got to do with gods? Please leave!”
Seeing how this move of hers was actually ineffective, the witch awkwardly turned back to normal. She said sinisterly, “Just you wait!”
Soon after the witch’s departure, calamity arrived as expected.
A villager came to tell Li Qingshan to pay a visit to the ancestral hall. The village was small, but it had many rules. In order to separate from his brother’s family, he needed to go to the ancestral hall to split the property before the village elders. However, that would only happen when one side proposed separation. Did his elder brother beat him to it?
Li Qingshan felt slightly uneasy, but the black ox had vanished off somewhere. He could only go with reluctance.
The so-called ancestral hall was just a small room at the end of a very long entrance, but it was one of the few masonry structures in the village. It enshrined the memorial tablets of the ancestors of the Li and Liu families.
A few elderly folk sat to the two sides of the pitch-black house. The one in charge was the village head of Crouching Ox village. He was in his sixties and was completely hunched over. He was also a member of the Li family. In terms of seniority, Li Qingshan even had to refer to him as grandfather.
The couple had already been waiting there. As soon as they saw Li Qingshan, they glared at him viciously, as if he would be afraid of them, with a slight pleasure of payback.
Li Qingshan ignored them, only greeting the various elders. Afterwards, they began to divide the family property with the village head presiding over the process.
Originally, Li Qingshan thought that all he had was a black ox and some land. However, the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.
The village head was solemn and impartial, issuing Li Qingshan with many miscellaneous items. It was so elaborate that it came down to a single spoon, a pair of chopsticks, and so on.
Whenever an item was mentioned, the sister-in-law would twitch painfully, and her gaze towards Li Qingshan would grow more and more vicious.
Li Qingshan remained unfazed and composed. These day-to-day objects could all be used. It would save him repurchasing them all.
After a whole hour, the village head finally stopped and looked at both sides with his cloudy eyes. “Do you have any issues with this?”
The elder brother and sister-in-law both agreed to it, but Li Qingshan felt that something was off. “Grandfather, what about the bit of farmland?”
“What farmland?”
Li Qingshan was stunned. When his parents were about to pass away, they had been crystal clear about this right in front of the village head, as they were afraid that his elder brother would harass him. They wanted this elder of high prestige in the village to ensure fairness.
The sister-in-law had already started explaining it all, “You were young, so you didn’t know. The two old fogies borrowed money without returning it. It has been given away as compensation a long time ago.”
Li Qingshan was enraged. “What did you just call my parents? Why don’t you say it again?” His feelings for his parents were not particularly deep, but they were still the parents who had given birth to him in this life. How could he allow someone to insult them casually in public?
However, the elder brother had already shielded the sister-in-law, and a few men had walked in from outside too. Clearly, they had made preparations beforehand.
Li Qingshan noticed that these men were all scoundrels and ruffians of the village. Normally, they would just mess around, harassing men and seizing women. They were not people who would value their ties as fellow villagers. They would show no mercy if they took action.
The village head secretly cursed the stupid woman and sighed. “I’ve already checked the promissory note.”
“Where’s the note?”
The elder brother said, “We’ve already burnt it after taking it back.”
“May I ask who the money was owed to?”
The sister-in-law said complacently, “The village’s caretaker Liu. If you’re brave enough, go ask for it. I would like to see whether caretaker Liu will skin you alive or not. That’s right, I just want to harass you, you little ungrateful bastard.” The bit of land was good farmland. It sold very well, basically making up for them not getting any boar meat. She had made up her mind. She would buy a chicken to eat as soon as she got home.
Li Qingshan shook all over from anger. His nails dug into his palm.
With his experiences across his two lives, how could he not know the inside story? Farmers treated their land as their lifeblood. Why would they give it away as compensation so easily? Their parents had lived off the land for their entire lives, so why would they have to borrow money?
They were clearly working together against him. Having lost the land, he could only go work on caretaker Liu’s farmland if he wanted to be fed. No matter how furious he became, he had to endure it. It was truly well-schemed.
At home, Li Qingshan was treated coldly by his elder brother and sister-in-law, but at most, he was just slightly worse off for food and clothing. It was still acceptable, but it was nowhere near as twisted as right now. In his past life, he frequently browsed the internet and thought he had seen all the darkness society that had to offer. He even fumed and cursed over it. However, now that it all happened to him, he truly found it incredibly indignant.
If he yielded, even if it were just to follow the village’s arrangements, he would lose the opportunity to appeal the matter forever.
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Chapter 4 – Drunken Murder
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Chapter 4 – Drunken Murder
The atmosphere in the ancestral hall grew tense. The village head’s expression sank. “What, Li Erlang, you’re not satisfied with my arrangements?” The ruffians began to rub their hands, eager for action, while the leader with patchy hair held a woodcutter.
The other elders either closed their eyes or tried to persuade him, “Xiao Er, don’t act rashly.” “You’re no match for them.” “Caretaker Liu is permitting you to keep helping out with work on his land. He’ll pay you a little more. Won’t you still be fed?”
Li Qingshan responded vaguely and left the ancestral hall somehow. As left, he was even tripped by the patchy-haired leader, almost falling over and leading to a roar of laughter from behind.
Along the way, he came across the witch. She smiled complacently. “A calamity, a calamity. It’s still not too late to give offerings to the god right now.”
Li Qingshan returned to his new house below Crouching Ox hill and lied down. He felt no happiness at all.
The sun set in the west, and the sky darkened. The crows of chickens and the barking of dogs gradually died down, and the village recovered its peace.
The black ox strolled in from outside. Li Qingshan sat up, and just when he was about to speak, the black ox said, “I saw it all, but I didn’t help you.”
“I didn’t want you to help me. I don’t care about that bit of land either. It’s just that I…”
“Just can’t let it go?”
“Yes.”
“There are plenty of matters in the world where right and wrong are twisted and distorted. Let alone the indignation that you, a mere mortal, experiences, even immortals, buddhas, and great sages of tremendous power will have times when they feel wronged and insulted. How can your little bit of anger be compared to theirs?”
Li Qingshan’s eyes widened. “But I don’t want to just take it lying down.” He suddenly thought of the knife again.
The black ox stared at him silently for quite a while before suddenly laughing aloud. “Good, good, good. As long as you can’t accept it. When a real man goes about his matters, he is clear with his debts of gratitude and revenge. Even the debt of a single meal must be returned, while the grievance of a hostile glare must be resolved. I originally thought your resolve had been worn down through the years, but you actually still have some manliness. And only like that are you worthy of me teaching you.”
Li Qingshan was dazed. “You were testing me?”
The black ox sniffed. “That’s a test? I just wanted to ask you which path you wanted to take.”
“Which path?” Li Qingshan was
“There is a myriad of paths in this world. There are paths where you swallow your anger and play safe, as well as paths where you stick by your weapon and die for a righteous cause. Humans have human paths, daemons have daemon paths, gods have god paths, and ghosts have ghost paths. Each path is glorious in its own way, and each path has its own trade-offs…”
As Li Qingshan listened to the ox go on about paths, he felt overwhelmed. Are you trying to sing that ‘path path path’ song to me? Reaching there, he interrupted the black ox, “I seek my own path!”1
The black ox was taken by surprise before being overcome with joy. “You actually understood. That’s right. Among the myriad paths, you must seek your own path.” He pulled out a large gourd from somewhere, and it flew into Li Qingshan’s hands by itself. “Since you don’t want to take things lying down, I will teach you the way to not take things lying down.”
Li Qingshan only felt his hand droop. There was some sort of liquid sloshing around inside. After opening the gourd, the smell of alcohol assaulted him.
Li Qingshan smiled wryly. After eating meat, was he supposed to drink? This sequence of events seemed perfectly reasonable, but was there anyone who cultivated just by relying on these two items? If people could become immortals by eating meat and drinking alcohol, all the wealthy people in the world would have become immortals already.Were immortals all just useless gluttons?
The black ox only said eight words, “Meat strengthens the body. Alcohol gives you courage.”
Li Qingshan made up his mind and tilted his head, gulping down all the alcohol. It was just unfiltered alcohol from the village. However, with the gourd of alcohol in his belly, he felt the world spin around him. He stared at the black ox in a daze. Did the ox want him to drink away his anger?
“Go kill someone, and I’ll teach you how to cultivate.” The black ox said flatly, acting like it had just mentioned something insignificant. With that, it crouched down.
Li Qingshan only felt a chill rise up from his back. He suddenly realised that before him was not a diligent old ox who had ploughed the land across all these years with him, but an actual ox monster. It would not be guiding him on a tranquil, peaceful path of immortals and buddhas, but a malicious, brutal path of daemons and demons.
Before it had even taught him any great abilities, it wanted him to eat meat, drink alcohol, and kill someone.
Was he really supposed to go kill someone? Faces flashed before him. He hated these people, to the point where he wanted to kill them, but he knew that he was not brave enough to do so. The black ox had seen through this, which was why it made him drink to gain courage.
Was this to demonstrate his loyalty or a formality for accepting him as a disciple?
Recalling what had happened today, a sense of tipsiness swelled up and anger flowed out. Li Qingshan raised his head and took in a deep breath. He lowered his head. “Kill whom?”
“That’s your problem. Let me just say this first. I won’t help you, nor will I save you. I am just an ordinary ox.”
The moon was bright that night, scattering a frosty light on the ground. Li Qingshan walked under the moonlight alone, only to find that the moon was dazzling. He would much rather it be shrouded by a dark cloud.
The village was quiet. Li Qingshan swayed about in the village as he felt at a loss.
Arriving before a run-down house, he heard a hubbub from inside. Li Qingshan recognised them clearly. They were the ruffians from the ancestral hall today. He quickly pressed against the wall and crouched down, eavesdropping on what they were saying.
“Today’s alcohol came far too easily. We just stood around in the ancestral hall and caretaker Liu rewarded us with so much.”
Li Qingshan immediately recognised the voice. Patch-haired Liu was a renowned ruffian in the village. He would loaf around and be up to no good everyday. He had a vicious and twisted personality, often carrying a woodcutter around with him. The villagers were all rather afraid of him. Even when they found him stealing things, they were afraid to do anything to him. The other scoundrels followed him as their leader.
“This is all thanks to your might, big brother. Didn’t you see that kid’s face? He even turned pale from fright.” A roar of laughter rang out from inside.
Li Qingshan had no idea how he looked back then, but he was definitely bright red now. The tipsiness mixed with his anger and rushed to his head.
“It’s just a pity that the coward didn’t try to pick a fight. I haven’t used my arms and legs in a long time. Originally, I planned on using him for some practise. That kid never takes me seriously.”
Having experienced two lives, Li Qingshan was not as afraid of him as the ordinary villagers were. He had never thought that it would lead to hostility.
“Big brother, if you want to beat him up, it can’t be any easier. That idiot built his house outside the village. We can throw something over his head and give him a bashing. How simple is that? We might as well lead his ox away and sell it on the market. We’ll be able to get some money for drinking too.”
The other scoundrels all played along and agreed.
Li Qingshan let out a breath of alcohol and grasped the knife in his bosom.
Patch-haired Liu had been filled up with alcohol. He came outside to take outside, but he did not return inside afterwards. Instead, he made his way south of the village along a path.
Li Qingshan found this to be strange. He immediately followed along and saw him arrive before the house of the renowned widow Liu of the village, calling out for her to open the door. Only then did he understand what he wanted to do.
The door remained firmly shut, and not a single lamp had been lit up either. She was clearly afraid of him. There were a few cottages nearby, but everyone actually ignored him.
Under the influence of alcohol, patch-haired Liu let loose a great string of profanity and kicked the door viciously a few times. His swearing led to a series of dog barks around the village before he finally turned around and left.
The widow inside eased up a little and silently peeked outside through the door slit. As expected, patch-haired Liu had left, causing her to finally relax. Suddenly, there was a flash right before her, and she saw a figure following patch-haired Liu closely. It was dark, so she was unable to make out the figure’s appearance or attire. She only thought he was one of patch-haired Liu’s followers, but she could feel that something was rather off.
Li Qingshan followed patch-haired Liu to a remote area. Making up his mind, he yelled out and suddenly lunged forward.
Patch-haired Liu turned around in surprise, but all he saw was a dull knife stab towards him. He immediately became half-sober. He wanted to escape or fight back, but his arms and legs were powerless. Normally, he only used a blade to scare some villagers and would get involved in some scuffles. When did he truly experience an actual battle for his life? The assailant was just a teenager, but when his killing intent and determination flooded over, he was like a wild beast from the mountains.
Without any obstruction, the knife plunged into his body. Even Li Qingshan himself had never expected patch-haired Liu who swaggered around daily to be so useless. Looking at patch-haired Liu’s terrified, begging expression, he seemed to become even more drunk. His eyes shone with a dim redness as his head seemed to stop working. Only his hands continued to move constantly.
The sheen of the knife and the colour of blood danced about in the darkness.
By the time that Li Qingshan had calmed down, patch-haired Liu had already collapsed in a pool of his own blood. He could not be more dead than that. The heavy smell of blood under this moonlit night was slightly chilling.
Li Qingshan forcefully composed himself and left in a hurry. He ran all the way to the stream below the Crouching Ox hill in one breath before stopping. He looked at himself in the reflection of the water and could not help but leap in fright. “Is this still me?”
The water reflected a bloodied teenager, his mouth tightly shut and his eyes wide open with an undispersed sense of murderousness. It was extremely terrifying.
Li Qingshan cupped the cool stream water and washed all the blood off himself before returning to the cottage. He did not pay any attention to the black ox beside him. Instead, he directly collapsed on his bed.
Only now did his hands begin to shake; they were suddenly covered in cold sweat, drenching his clothes. He had completely sobered up now.
The black ox asked with a smile. “Aren’t you going to run away?” It was as if it were not the reason why Li Qingshan had gone and killed someone.
Li Qingshan replied, “I need to run away after killing someone like that?” He had not chosen patch-haired Liu on impulse. He was utterly wretched in the village. No one would stand forward for him. If no one reported the matter, there would be no investigation. As long as he did not leave behind any evidence that was far too obvious, nothing definite would probably come up over the death of such a person.
The approval in the black ox’s eyes deepened. Finding a common person who killed once angered was very easy, but finding someone who knew who to kill, who not to kill, and how to remain safe while killing was not. Moreover, even if his current composure were all fake, it would only demonstrate his willpower.
Li Qingshan could not hide his trembling hands from the black ox, but in its eyes, there was no shame in this. There were plenty of people who were so fierce and cruel that murder was nothing in their eyes, but to be able to suppress this nervousness and fear until now was truly impressive.
Quite a while later, the black ox asked, “How do you feel?”
“Utterly terrified and utterly exhilarated!” Li Qingshan was speaking from the bottom of his heart. After the fear passed by, there was actually a sense of indescribable delight. Most of his pent-up anger had vanished. Thinking back to when he read ‘Water Margin’, it was the same feeling from the chapters of Lin Chong Shelters from the Snowstorm in the Mountain God Temple and General Zhang’s Blood Spatters the Duck and Drake Bower.2
The black ox chuckled. “Get some sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow!”
Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. He was overjoyed. “You mean…”
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1. The song might be referring to this.
2. Lin Chong Shelters from the Snowstorm in the Mountain God Temple is the name of chapter 10 of Water Margin, while General Zhang’s Blood Spatters the Duck and Drake Bower is the name of chapter 31. The translations for these chapter names are loosely borrowed from Sidney Shapiro’s translation of Water Margin, which you are more than welcome to check out and read.
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Chapter 5 – Nine Oxen and Two Tigers
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Chapter 5 – Nine Oxen and Two Tigers
The black ox did not reply. Instead, it closed its eyes.
Li Qingshan laid flat on the bed. He remained calm on the surface, but his emotions were surging uncontrollably on the inside. As a result, he was unable to fall asleep even till the early hours of the morning. However, once his heart that had been stretched tight by excitement finally eased up, he felt even more exhausted than after working an entire day on the farm. He immediately sank into a deep sleep.
That night, he dreamed of becoming the enemy of thousands, killing until mountains of corpses blotted out the sun and seas of blood swallowed the stars.
Waking up, his dream receded like the tides. Sunlight poured in brilliantly. It was already late in the morning.
Patch-haired Liu’s death was like a droplet of water to a pot of oil. It caused a great disturbance in the village. He had always been making trouble in the village, and now, he was finally dead. Basically all the villagers clapped and cheered, saying that it was retribution.
However, they then began to speculate about the person responsible for this. There were many people who had grievances with patch-haired Liu, but there were not many who were bold enough to settle it. There were no secrets in this tiny village. As soon as the villagers thought about what had happened in the ancestral hall the day before and how the person in question did not come to check out such a major event, they only became further convinced about their speculation.
“Li Erlang has committed murder.”
“He seems quiet most of the time, but he actually possesses such bravery.”
“He has probably fled already.”
As the quiet discussion continued, the elder brother and sister-in-law turned pale-white, while caretaker Liu and village head Li had sunken expressions. The scoundrels became so frightened that they were weak in the knees. If they had been the one who had gone out last night, wouldn’t they be lying there right now instead?
Someone called out, “Li Erlang is here.” The crowd automatically parted to form a path. Under everyone’s gazes, Li Qingshan strode over to patch-haired Liu’s corpse. He could not tell last night due to the darkness, but looking at it now, he also felt that patch-haired Liu had suffered a horrific death. However, he showed none of it on his face. All he said was, “Good riddance.” He glanced around at the crowd.
They all felt that Li Qingshan seemed to have become a completely different person overnight. He had become rather fearful. Everyone his gaze brushed past felt a chill run down their spines, while those who had been directly involved with him leaped in fright.
Village head Li said, “Tie up Li Er and take him to the ancestral hall.”
Crouching Ox village was simply too remote, so they were basically autonomous. A discussion among the village elders would decide everything. Even for murders, they had to capture the person first and then send them to the government offices. It was impossible to rely on the government officials to make an arduous journey of several dozen kilometres across mountains and rivers to a place like this to capture someone. As a result, the village basically never had any contact with the government, and people were directly judged in the village.
There was a disturbance among the crowd of villagers. Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows. “Who dares to?” Even without a weapon in hand, he possessed the deterrent of the murder, so he was like a drawn sword, shining with a cold edge.
Not a single villager stepped forward, and it was not only because they feared Li Qingshan. All people had a concept of right and wrong, and the thoughts of the villagers were simple. Village head, you’ve been colluding with tyrants to harass the kind-hearted, so what right do you have to order us around? We’ve all watched Erlang grow up as well. He even calls you grandfather, yet you can still bring yourself to do this. Patch-haired Liu deserved to die. Erlang has gotten rid of a menace for us.
“Patch-haired Liu drank too much and tripped to his death. What’s it got to do with Erlang?” The speaker was Zhang Wuge, who had a grievance with patch-haired Liu. Patch-haired Liu had tried to harass his wife while he was in the fields. Back then, he was tempted to throw his life at patch-haired Liu, and he only stopped under the bitter pleadings of his wife. Now that he saw this fellow’s corpse, he felt an indescribable sense of delight.
Someone added immediately, “Yeah, yeah. He fell to his death. This is heaven’s retribution.”
There was a hubbub of agreement as they echoed the sentiment that patch-haired Liu’s death was purely accidental. They completely ignored patch-haired Liu’s constricted pupils. Additionally, their gazes towards Li Qingshan bore some respect now.
Li Qingshan suddenly felt rather moved. This was the so-called will of the people.
Village head Li knew that if this continued, his authority in the village would be heavily affected. More importantly, he was truly afraid of Li Qingshan’s revenge. If he had known that this kid was so vicious, he never would have twisted his words for a few pieces of silver. Currently, none of the villagers heeded his order, while the other scoundrels were even worse than the villagers, having secretly slipped away already.
He could only glance at caretaker Liu. Caretaker Liu should have been able to order around the servants and workers of his home, but he pretended to not notice. It was the sister-in-law who insisted on selling the land to him anyway, and he was never directly involved in the matter either. He had a lot of matters to attend to, so why would he go up against such a vicious and brutal person over such a small affair? Moreover, it would be his loss if he accidentally aggravated the villagers.
Unknowingly, he had already begun treating Li Qingshan as a vicious and brutal person.
“Possessed by demons, possessed by demons. I’ve said so before, I’ve said so before.” The witch suddenly pointed at Li Qingshan and began wailing.
Her words fazed all of the villagers, causing them to move away from Li Qingshan involuntarily.
Li Qingshan went up and kicked her to the ground. “You old hag, how much longer are you going to falsely accuse me? If you utter another word, I’ll rip your mouth to pieces.”
The witch uttered an ‘Ouch’ before shutting up. She only stared at him in resentment.
Li Qingshan was composed and unafraid. “If you truly possess supernatural abilities, then you better get those gods and ghosts to come look for me. Let’s see whether I’ll be afraid or not.” With that, he left the crowd with his head held high. After he arrived at an area without any people, his imposing manner finally deflated. He only felt his heart thump heavily, but he knew that he had made the right move.
If he hid at home due to fear and gave village head Li time to mobilise the villagers, people would probably come for him before nighttime had even arrived. With his current stature, he was truly in no shape to take on a few adult men. He could only truly be safe and sound by making a risky move, overwhelming the others in terms of presence and swaying the public opinion to his side.
Returning to the cottage, the black ox had already been waiting. It examined Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan also noticed the strange atmosphere. He went up and bowed politely, raising his head and asking with a smile, “Brother ox, do you still want to hold a banquet for the acceptance of a disciple?”
The black ox said, “Hasn’t all of your wine and meat been acquired by me? Yetyou still want to hold a banquet for the acceptance of a disciple.”
Li Qingshan shrugged. “Then I’ll help you harvest some tender grass instead?”
The gaze of the black ox darkened. “Let’s stop kidding around. You have the heart to kill, which is why I will teach you the art of killing. In the future, you’ll have to contend and fight against a lot of people, so you won’t get another day of peace. If you aren’t skillful enough and end up getting killed instead, then you’ll only be able to die with no objections.”
“The strong prey on the weak. It’s the same no matter where you go. I can’t say no objections, only no regrets.”
The black ox replied, “Well put, no regrets. Since you’ve made up your mind, I will pass onto you the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. Once you attain the strength of an ox and have established a foundation, I’ll then pass onto you the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. By practising them together, you will be able to attain a supernatural ability from daoism, the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers. By then, you will be able to wander the world unopposed.”
“The Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers?” When Li Qingshan first heard that, it seemed like nothing special. What was so extraordinary about nine oxen and two tigers? They were just the most ordinary of livestock and wild beast, yet they were worthy of being called a supernatural ability, enough for him to wander the world unopposed?
However, after further thought, he felt shocked. He had tended to an ox for more than a decade, so he understood just how strong an ox was. A bull had the strength of ten fit men. As long as he achieved the strength of an ox, he could don a suit of armour, and with a weapon in hand, he could charge onto the battlefield and earn the title of a valiant general.
There was nothing extraordinary about nine oxen and two tigers, but if all of their strength were gathered on a single person, the person’s every single action would bear the weight of thousands of kilograms. Would there still be anyone who could stop him? Even if Lü Bu was reborn and Li Yuanba was still alive, they would also struggle to block a gentle punch of his.
“But since it’s a daoist ability, why’s there ‘ox demon’ and ‘tiger demon’ in the name?”
“The ability originated from times of antiquity. It has already been lost now.”
Li Qingshan became excited after hearing the ox mention times of antiquity. Based on his knowledge, any kind of pill, medicine, esoteric manual, or treasure that had anything to do with that phrase would be unmatched.
However, the black ox’s following explanation disappointed him greatly, as the ability had been lost due to being too hard to use. It had been replaced by other abilities and skills created by later prodigies and masters. In other words, it had fallen obsolete.
The wise men of antiquity were impressive, but the people who came after them might have been just as great as them. Besides, they would be standing on the shoulders of these wise men of antiquity.
“Cultivators of the current age focus on practising qi and neglect practising the body. They even call their bodies vile skin-bags. This ability that pursues brute strength will obviously be looked down upon.”
“Heh, but there’s no need for you to be too disappointed. The ability I’m teaching you is no longer the original version. Instead, it has been improved by an almighty daemon, which is why it has ‘ox demon’ and ‘tiger’ demon in its name. The ox demon refines its body, while the tiger demon forges its bones. You will be entering cultivation through demonic means. Just like how the righteous grows by a foot while the demonic grows by ten, it’ll be much more powerful.”
“Are there any side effects to practising this ability as a human?”
“I don’t know, as nobody has tried it before. You might suffer from cultivation deviation and become a daemon or demon.”
The black ox said it easily, but Li Qingshan could only smile wryly. If it were just practising a long lost ability from times of antiquity, then so be it. At most, he would just be a freak and be laughed at by other cultivators. However, practising this ability that had been modified through daemonic methods might turn him into a monster. He might end up getting purged.
However, now was not the time for him to be picky. After a while of consideration, Li Qingshan inhaled deeply. “Please teach me this ability, brother ox.” If someone could understand his desire to change his fate right now, they would understand that even if a demon gave him an offer, he would have accepted it.
The black ox explained the essentials of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength to him in detail, and Li Qingshan immediately began to practise it. He tried every gesture and motion, exercising his body and moving his limbs around.
Under the dazzling sun, there was an old ox and a young man under the swaying tree shade. The old ox crouched down leisurely and gave guidance as the young man remained solemn and respectful, listening quietly and attentively.
Although the black ox was unable to personally demonstrate the moves, its every single sentence would always hit the mark, enlightening Li Qingshan and deepening his understanding of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. His movements would grow more vigorous as a result.
The black ox seemed unconcerned, but it was very satisfied with this disciple’s comprehension ability. He was truly a person with innate knowledge. Someone like him would never remain in the underbrush for long. He was unfortunate to be born in a village deep in the mountains, which was quite a mishap. He was a dragon in shallow water, a tiger in the plains.
If he had been born in a prosperous city, his talent for both martial arts and literary pursuits would have demonstrated itself already. He would have become a man of outstanding talent, without the need to be indicated by a few foolish villagers.
However, exactly because of this, the ox was able to get its hands on such a great diamond in the rough. Moreover, it was not like it only wanted to raise him into a man of talent.
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Chapter 6 – Settling a Small Grievance
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Chapter 6 – Settling a Small Grievance
Who knows how many so-called prodigies of startling talent the black ox had seen before. Every single one of them would be naturally endowed with talent and divine fortune, but only a handful would actually achieve something in the end. Instead, many ordinary, nameless folk would spring into prominence overnight, making themselves known through the world as they reached the pinnacle of this path of cultivation.
Throughout these years, it had purposefully stood aside and watched on coldly, letting Li Qingshan be strengthened through hardships. It had only spoken out at the most crucial moment. It was like a blacksmith, slowly refining and tempering its material. Only then could a supreme weapon be forged.
Ordinary people cared about foreign aspects like talent, fortuitous encounter, and so on, but the ox looked at a person’s willpower. If you were someone with a weak will, even if you were given a colossal fortune, could you bear the weight that came with it?
So and so, one was willing to teach and the other was willing to learn, so they obviously made rapid progress. In under two hours, Li Qingshan gained a rough understanding of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He had vaguely grasped its essentials.
Although the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was a set of punching moves, it focused on forging the muscle and the bones, the skin and the flesh, strengthening the body. The actual way of punching was secondary. There were only three forms, which were ‘The Ox Demon Butts its Horns’, ‘The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves”, “The Ox Demon Forges its Hide”. They were all the foundational forms of the fist style, able to unleash complexity with its simplicity and lead into countless moves.
Of course, grasping it was one matter, while practising it was something else. If he wanted to achieve something with it, he would need an accumulation of practice over time. As for the two basic items required to practise this ability, Li Qingshan had already seen them. They were meat and alcohol.
Regardless of the ability or technique, it was impossible to create something from nothing. It could not grant people with tremendous strength and might for no reason. There had to be a process of absorption and conversion, whether it be through gathering the essence of the sun and moon or by absorbing spiritual qi of the world. Once a profound level was attained, they would be able to feed off the wind and dew and stop eating. It would be replacing normal food with the spiritual qi of the world.
Li Qingshan was just a mortal, so how was he supposed to connect with the spiritual qi of the world? He could not find immortal pills or medicines either, so he could only start with the most ordinary of items to rapidly replenish and refine his vitality.
Even though Li Qingshan had eaten a few days of meat, his body was still not strong. He barely managed to go through the three forms. Afterwards, he was dripping in sweat and panting hard as his stomach grumbled.
Enduring until midday, he felt like he had been starved for three days. He wolfed down all of the remaining wild boar meat in a single stroke. His appetite was actually even greater than when he ate the boar meat for the first time.
He was not allowed to lie down and rest at midday either. Instead, he had to meditate and nurture his vitality, sensing for some feeling of qi that was supposed to exist. He did this until his body had mostly recovered. After that, he would practise the fist style again. He repeated this several times. By dusk, Li Qingshan was utterly exhausted. He did not even have the willpower to lift another finger.
Three figures secretly stumbled their way to the outside of Li Qingshan’s house. Li Qingshan heard the activity and made his way out, only to see the three scoundrels who frequently messed around with patch-haired Liu. He was afraid that they had come to avenge their brother, so he could not help but groan inside. Currently, he was completely spent, so how could he take them on? Even if it were some other time, he would not be able to match three people working together.
However, he never expected the three of them to react like rats to a cat as soon as they saw him. They all lowered their heads and exclaimed, “Spare us!”
This surprised Li Qingshan. It made him ask, “Why have you come here?”
He had never imagined that the three rascals would be utterly frightened after witnessing patch-haired Liu’s corpse. They were afraid that Li Qingshan was still not satisfied after killing patch-haired Liu and wanted to come for them tonight, which was why they had reluctantly come to explain themselves. They said that all of their actions had been urged and impelled on by patch-haired Liu, so it was all his fault as the leader. They also added that caretaker Liu was behind it all.
Li Qingshan said, “Say no more. I already know all about this.” That night, he had heard it loud and clear, but of course, he could not admit he was patch-haired Liu’s murderer.
The three scoundrels shivered inside. Thinking of how this fiend was right outside the window that night, they felt more and more afraid.
Li Qingshan could understand why these three were so afraid to a certain degree. In his past life, there had once been an escaped murderer on the loose in the small city he lived in. Various rumors sprang up everywhere, scaring everyone from staying out at night. He had now gained the influence of a murderer.
There were different levels to bad people too. The three scoundrels were just ‘small evils’ who committed theft. Against a ‘great evil’ like him, they could only follow him around obediently and submissively. His expression remained the same, but he felt rather strange inside. He had yet to gain any supernatural abilities. However, from a few mental changes, his status in the village had undergone an overwhelming upheaval.
These changes had all been caused by the black ox. Perhaps this was changing the bad for good as well!
Li Qingshan ignored them. He barely managed to go through the entirety of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength once more. This time, the three of them were present, so he practised especially diligently. He knew that he was only putting on a bravado right now. Once people discovered that he was at the end of his rope, the consequences would be inconceivable.
The three scoundrels watched on from the side carefully. In all the years they had spent in the village, they had never heard that Li Qingshan knew martial arts. In the setting sun, Li Qingshan’s movements were valiant and filled with force, so he clearly was not fooling with them. They could not help but think about what the local witch had said. Perhaps a demon had truly possessed Li Qingshan.
They watched the sky grow darker and darker, becoming so frightened that their calves twitched from fear. They wanted to leave, yet they were unable to bring themselves to mention it. They were afraid Li Qingshan would suddenly reveal his true form and swallow them all in a single gulp.
Li Qingshan finished practising and ordered, “Come with me.” He made his way out of the courtyard by himself. The three scoundrels looked at each other and had no other choice but to follow him.
Right now, there were many villagers eating at the entrance of their houses. Those who were familiar with Li Qingshan greeted him carefully, while those who were not fled back into their houses in a hurry to hide. Even though they had protected Li Qingshan during the day out of righteous anger, there was not a single person who did not feel fear when they faced this murderer.
The three scoundrels usually hung out with patch-haired Liu. Patch-haired Liu used his cruelty to earn some respect in the village, but they were disliked by all, so when had they ever been so imposing before? They temporarily forgot about their fear and instead became complacent. If they could follow Li Erlang, they would have far more glory than before.
There were also old people who sighed. Although the scourge patch-haired Liu was gone, there was probably an even greater scourge now. At least patch-haired Liu had not claimed the life of someone. Everyone had not been as afraid of him.
Li Qingshan experienced an almost novel feeling as well as he walked down this path he had taken countless times in the past. He had clearly realised that he was no longer the Li Qingshan of the past. Arriving before a cottage, he thought about how he had been frustrated by poverty right here just a while ago, and emotions temporarily overcame him.
Inside, the elder brother and sister-in-law pressed against the door as they shook in fear. The elder brother held a thick stick, while the sister-in-law held a kitchen knife. How could they not fear the same thing that the scoundrels had been worried about? However, compared to the scoundrels, they held the money from selling the land. If they yielded to Li Qingshan, the money would no longer be theirs.
As a result, they did not even do farmwork today. They only remained home and discussed between themselves for the whole day. In the end, it was still the elder brother who made the decision. “He’s just a single person. Are we supposed to be afraid of him? If he comes, I’ll eliminate this vile spawn for the sake of the Li family.” However, soon after he uttered those bold words, he saw Li Qingshan arrive with the three scoundrels, and he immediately fled back into the house to hide.
Li Qingshan said, “Drag them out.”
The three scoundrels were frightened by his might, so they dared not disobey him. They had plenty of experience in harassing ordinary people like them. They barged in and made a ruckus, and the couple immediately laid down their weapons and surrendered. They did not dare to fight back. They only ended up becoming ashen from fright as they trembled uncontrollably.
“Brother, brother, what are you trying to do?” The elder brother forced out a smile that was even uglier than weeping.
Li Qingshan said, “I haven’t come for you. He said to the sister-in-law, “You accursed bitch, I can turn a blind eye to how you insult me normally, but how dare you insult my parents yesterday? You won’t be spared today.”
After he glared at her, the sister-in-law’s legs shook like jelly. She lost her usual impudence completely. “Xiao Er, I was just blabbering nonsense. I’ve looked after you for all these years. We’re a family.”
Li Qingshan sneered. “A family? It wouldn’t have mattered if you hadn’t mentioned that, but now that you have, we still have debts to settle. Let’s talk about the rubbish you said yesterday. What should we do about that?”
A skinny, monkey-like scoundrel sucked up to him. “Is there any need for big brother to personally take action? I know exactly what to do.” As he said that, he rolled up his sleeve and swung his hand toward the sister-in-law’s face.
Li Qingshan caught the scoundrel’s arm. He was truly tempted to do this in the ancestral hall yesterday, but looking at them tremble, he was slightly unable to bring himself to. He thought about how the two of them were still his elder brother and sister-in-law after all. How could he let them be harassed by the hand of a scoundrel?
However, what had to be done, had to be done. He came up with a good idea and said to his elder brother, “Weren’t the people she cursed your parents as well? Don’t you know that you should teach her a lesson?”
The elder brother came to a realisation. “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Afraid that Li Qingshan would be unsatisfied, he slapped his wife a few times viciously with enough force. The sister-in-law’s cheeks immediately began to swell.
Li Qingshan instead felt that his elder brother took great satisfaction in hitting her. Perhaps he was using this opportunity for revenge. Anyways, most of his anger had subsided. He asked, “You say we’re a family, so let me ask you, where is the money from selling the land?”
The sister-in-law’s face that had become red from the swelling immediately paled, while the elder brother fell silent. That money was their flesh and blood. Li Qingshan was slicing away at their flesh this time! Compared to returning the money, they would much rather suffer a beating instead.
The sister-in-law suddenly became unreasonable and tried to make a scene. “Just beat me to death. If you beat your sister-in-law to death, I would like to see whether the government will come for you or not. I don’t know what this money is about. If you want it, go ask caretaker Liu for it!”
Li Qingshan roared. “Do you really think I would be afraid to do so?” He was no longer putting on an act. The murderous aura from killing patch-haired Liu last night seemed to have returned to him with nightfall. The bloodied, wide-eyed teenager in the reflection of the stream had already become part of him.
The three scoundrels on the side only felt a chill and could not help but take a step back. They looked at Li Qingshan fearfully.
Having to face the roar directly, the couple were petrified. They had never seen someone so terrifying before in their lives. They struggled to imagine that this was the Li Erlang who had lived with them for over a decade.
In the end, a bag of silver pieces was handed to Li Qingshan. He weighed it in his hand and looked at the ghastly pale couple. He sighed inside. Just for the sake of this pitiful amount of silver, Li Qingshan ended up coercing his own brother so much. He turned around and left, and the three scoundrels followed him in a hurry.
Just when the sister-in-law wanted to sob painfully, the bag of silver flew through the air in an arc, landing before them with a thud.
Li Qingshan’s voice rang out from afar. “You might have treated me like a slave, harassing and degrading me, but exactly because of you, I was able to live until now. From today onwards, our slate is cleaned. We no longer have any connection.”
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Chapter 7 – Swearing a Great Oath
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Chapter 7 – Swearing a Great Oath
With the silver recovered, the couple was pleasantly surprised. The sister-in-law even ignored the pain from her face and stuffed the bag of silver into her clothes in a hurry.
The three scoundrels looked at one another speechlessly with faces of admiration. That was quite a lot of silver, enough for them to squander for quite some time, yet it had actually been tossed aside so easily. Originally, they had only felt fear, but there was now much more respect in their gazes towards Li Qingshan’s back.
Previously, they had thought a real man who kept his debts of gratitude and revenge so clearly distinguished was only something storytellers had cooked up. They had never thought they would actually be able to witness someone like that. He was able to do this despite being at such a young age, so he would definitely become a great man in the future. Their feelings of despisal towards Li Qingshan due to his young age had completely vanished now.
Li Qingshan strode at the front. As the sun set in the west, the green mountains stood alone. He felt extremely relaxed and at ease, as if an invisible burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Energy filled his body out of nowhere such that even his exhaustion disappeared. He could vaguely feel that if he practised the Ox Demon’s Strength of Fist right now, it would definitely flow much smoother than usual.
In reality, this was not a mere feeling. Whether it be abilities of daoism or regular martial arts, it had to conform with the practitioner’s mood. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Strength was a cultivation method of being unencumbered. It required a clear mind, requiring him to advance courageously and diligently.
Li Qingshan had settled this debt in a satisfying manner, so it no longer cast a shade over his heart. Evidently, it had coincided with key aspects of the cultivation method.
Returning to his house, Li Qingshan looked at the three scoundrels with shining eyes. “Thank you for earlier.” If it were not for the pressure from the three scoundrels, his elder brother and sister-in-law would have never yielded so easily. If they began to use violence with the stick and the knife, there really would not have been anything he could have done. He might have ended up suffering instead.
He came to a realisation. He had never thought that his trip would be so successful, and he also understood the benefit that came with a numerical advantage. Even the Ox Demon King needed six sworn siblings, let alone him! Of course, the three scoundrels were not worthy of becoming his sworn brothers.1
The three scoundrels replied hastily, “How can you say that, big brother? You are the bigger man, not bickering with us. We cannot thank you enough. Patch-haired Liu, that ungrateful wretch, deserved far more than just death. When we followed him in the past, we were so offensive…”
Li Qingshan waved his hand and interrupted them. “The past is the past.”
With Li Qingshan’s word of honour, the three scoundrels all felt at ease. Ideas began to spring forth in their heads, and they all began to fawn over him. They became emotional to the point that they went on to say they basically wanted to burn a few blades of grass with him and become sworn brothers.
Across both of his lives, Li Qingshan had never been sucked up to and spoken so highly of like this. Although it all came from the mouths of three scoundrels he looked down on, he could not help but feel flattered and proud of himself. However, becoming sworn brothers was impossible. After averting their requests in a perfunctory manner, he sent them off.
The black ox that crouched to one side asked, “Why didn’t you agree? They’re willing to follow you as their leader. You can form your own group, and the village will only become safer and safer to you. If anything happens, there’ll be people who’ll report to you as well.”
Within small villages, strength in numbers was key. Most of the time, people would tend to avoid harassing families with more siblings. As a matter of fact, these siblings could go and harass others.
Li Qingshan said proudly and boldly, “Even if the friends that I, Li Qingshan, make are not the outstanding heroes and figures of the world, they will be men with backbone who value their bonds and ties of friendship. How can I be associated with people like them?” His voice was resonant, such that it disturbed a few roosting crows, making them fly around among the trees.
The black ox remained silent. It looked at how high-spirited and enthusiastic Li Qingshan was and sank into its thoughts.
Li Qingshan felt embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head. “Brother ox, you must be laughing at my bold and boastful words, but that’s how I feel inside. I’ve only told you as well.”
The black ox pulled out a gourd of alcohol from somewhere once again and tossed it to Li Qingshan. “If you’re even afraid of saying some bold words, you might as well go back to farming. What other bold things do you want to say? Let’s hear it.”
Li Qingshan removed the stopper deftly, tilted his back, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. He casually wiped his mouth and grinned. “I want to travel through all corners of the world, across the entire universe! I want to taste all of the delicacies and drink all of the finest alcohol the world has to offer! I want to practise the fiercest abilities, fight the strongest foes, and sleep with the most beautiful women! Only then will this life not be a waste! Brother ox, do you think my dream can come true?”
“Definitely!”
“Alright, I’ll be counting on that!”
The youth’s great dream resounded through the tiny courtyard. Perhaps right now, he did not take it seriously at all, but a spark had already been embedded in his heart, ready to become a roaring fire some day.
Using his high spirits from drinking, he practised the three forms of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength once more. In a drunken stupor, he had no idea whether his movements were correct, swinging his arms and legs however he liked it. The black ox drank to the side, saying nothing.
In the end, Li Qingshan collapsed on the ground due to intoxication.
The next day, through the three scoundrels, the news of Li Qingshan returning the money to his elder brother and sister-in-law spread through the entire village very quickly. In regard to his choice, some people felt admiration, praising him for his extraordinary spirit. There were also others who mocked him. How was he supposed to eat without the land? He would still be forced to work for caretaker Liu. Would he still have any spirit then?
However, they were afraid of saying it so openly either. Unbeknownst to most people, Li Erlang had already begun to establish a reputation in the village.
Caretaker Liu experienced a mix of joy and worry because of this. He was obviously joyful that Li Erlang would no longer bicker with him over the piece of land, but he was worried over how closely he kept watch over his debts of gratitude and revenge. Perhaps he was only biding his time, waiting for a time for revenge. After all, patch-haired Liu had been acting under his orders prior to this.
If Li Erlang came looking for trouble right now, he would be better off instead. He personally had a myriad of ways to deal with him if that did happen, but he could not afford to remain on guard every day and night. It was just like the saying, “Better to harass the old than the poor but young.”
As caretaker Liu considered this in a hall, a hunched old man arrived in front of the gate under the support of a young man. The guards there stopped them.
Caretaker Liu immediately went to receive them. His chubby face formed a smile. “Village head Li, what brings you here today?”
Village head Li said sternly, “Since when did you have guards here? May I ask what you are guarding against?”
Caretaker Liu smiled awkwardly. He was a landowner, but this was only a small mountain village afterall. It was obviously impossible for his family to hold as much status as the large clans in the cities. Normally, he only had an old attendant. He never had anyone guarding the entrance.
Although he had done everything he could to possess the land in the village, it was still mostly done through legitimate transactions. Even if it involved coercion, he was coercing people who could not fight back, so he did not have that many enemies. He was obviously guarding against Li Qingshan right now. In his eyes, the kid was originally someone who could not fight back, but his response in the end had taken him by surprise.
The two of them went inside to talk. Village head Li cut right to the chase and said, “Caretaker Liu, you are someone who has seen the world. Tell me, how do you plan on dealing with Li Erlang?”
His eyes were completely bloodshot. The villagers were afraid of Li Qingshan and so was he. As people grew older, their fear towards death would increase. Last night, he had laid in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Any disturbance would make him sit up in a hurry, afraid that Li Qingshan had snuck in to take his old life. He basically did not catch a wink of sleep.
He rose from bed early in the morning and made up his mind. If he did not eliminate this potential problem that haunted him, he could not live properly anymore. As a result, he came to caretaker Liu.
Caretaker Liu spread his hands. “How do I deal with him? Everyone in the village respects him as a brave man. Besides, there’s no evidence that he killed patch-haired Liu.”
“Why wouldn’t he be the murderer? It’s basically written on his face,” said the young man beside the village head. He was the village head’s son, Li Hu. He had also been a dominating fellow of the village, but he now paled in comparison to Li Qingshan. He was unwilling to accept it.
“It’s not like you would be able to read it even if it were written across his face.” caretaker Liu shot a glance at him. Just a brat like you wants to try to act tough in front of me? He glanced at village head Li and slowed down. “Do you know what he did last night?”
“Of course I know. Everyone thinks he’s a brave man, which makes it even more impossible for me to order people around. That’s why I’ve come to you.” As the person with the greatest authority in the village, village head Li had already grown accustomed to utter obedience. Now, a kid had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and challenged his dignity. He felt infuriated and very hurt. He had made up his mind about redeeming his pride, paying no regard to who had twisted reality and distorted what was right and wrong in the first place.
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1. The Ox Demon King is a reference to Journey to the West. One of the main characters, Sun Wukong, is the seventh brother out of the sworn siblings. The Ox Demon King is the first brother.
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Chapter 8 – Attending a Feast of Treachery
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Chapter 8 – Attending a Feast of Treachery
Caretaker Liu said, “But he has to eat.”
Liu Hu said, “Who doesn’t have to eat?”
Just like how sophistication came with age, village head Li had yet to grow senile. His eyes lit up. “You mean?”
“If he wants to eat, he has to work. Is there still anyone in the village who can afford to employ him? If he works for me, then wouldn’t I be able to make whatever arrangements I need to make?”
Caretaker Li saw the admiration on the father and son’s face and felt complacent. Food was the most basic necessity of people. It was impossible for food to rain from the sky. It all had to be grown from the ground. Controlling the land was equivalent to grasping the lifeblood of people. Even a brave man would be reduced to a wimp if he went three days without food.
Caretaker Liu had already come up with a countermeasure. There was actually no need to kill Li Erlang. He only needed to deal a blow to him and see what would happen. If he became usable after that, it would not be a bad outcome.
Li Qingshan woke up from a dream. He had no idea about these schemes. All he saw was a water deer lying in the courtyard. He chuckled. Without even thanking the black ox, he skinned and boned the water deer. This time, he had prepared salt to preserve the meat, just in case he could not finish it all before it went off.
After doing all that, he arrived by the side of the stream, washing his face and rinsing his mouth before beginning a day of cultivation.
For the next few days, he woke up when it was still dark and only went to sleep when it was pitch-black. He basically did not take a single step out of his home, completely cutting himself off from the outside world. He would be utterly dead beat from the training everyday such that he did not find it boring.
He was working hard for his dream. With every step forward he took, with every bit of progress he made, a whole new world seemed to be unfolding before him.
Over a dozen days passed, and Li Qingshan just happened to have finished the water deer when the village head had run out of patience. He had not managed to get even a single night of proper sleep in the past few days. Every night, he would have his two sons keep watch over him by his bedside, and only then would he barely be able to catch some sleep. At such an advanced age, there was no way for him to endure all of this. He was close to developing a serious illness, so he quickly went to discuss matters with caretaker Liu.
Caretaker Liu had become terribly worried from the waiting as well. He would send his guards to Li Qingshan’s house to check on him. The first guard reported back that Li Qingshan had been drinking and eating meat everyday, and he had even started practising martial arts. He originally was not convinced but several other guards reported the same news. Afterwards, no one dared to check on him anymore.
The witch saying that demons had possessed him crossed their minds once more, which added a stern layer of mystery and terror to Li Qingshan’s courtyard. However, some people believed that Li Qingshan was diligently practising martial arts in order to prepare for revenge.
Seeing how village head Li was close to breaking down in tears, caretaker Liu frowned and made up his mind. “Invite him to a feast. If he comes, then he’s a brave man. If he doesn’t, then he’s just a coward putting on an act.”
An invitation card was delivered to Li Qingshan. He fiddled around with the large, red invitation. In a small village like this, marriages and funerals were normally notified of by sending a person. Rarely would they ever send a formal invitation like this, so he could not help but find this to be rather novel.
He sank into his thoughts. Nothing good could come out of this feast. If he went, he would be essentially walking head-first into a trap. He had only practised for around a dozen days. He had benefited greatly, but it was still difficult to take on multiple people with just two hands.
However, if he did not go, the reputation he had established after so much difficulty would all go to waste. If other people mentioned him, they would definitely talk about how he was afraid of going to a mere feast. It would ruin his name.
Once he showed weakness, the blows to him would be endless. Caretaker Liu’s move was truly well-schemed, forcing him between a rock and a hard place.
The black ox asked, “Are you going?”
“I just happened to have run out of food to eat. There’s someone treating me to a meal, so why wouldn’t I go? Armed with a single blade, Guan Yunchang attended a feast alone. Am I supposed to be afraid of attending this village feast?” Li Qingshan laughed aloud as a heroic spirit developed within him.1
“Who’s Guan Yunchang?”
“Just a hero I’ve heard of.” Li Qingshan stood up and poured his strength into his two arms, performing the Ox Demon Bucks its Horns. At the same time, he began to exhale deeply, gently emitting a sound similar to the moo of a cow from his lungs. He was like a huge water buffalo swinging its horns, ready to confront an opponent in battle.
The black ox nodded in satisfaction. Li Qingshan’s Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength had already touched on the correct path, and he had been progressing with amazing speed the entire time. If he carefully evaded this bit of danger now, it would definitely be detrimental to his cultivation.
“I just happen to have some existing debts to settle with someone, and the matter still encumbers me. Now’s an opportunity.” Ever since the day Li Qingshan settled his debts with his elder brother and sister-in-law, he had indeed made rapid progress with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, which proved his guess was not just a feeling.
Summer was about to end, but the sunlight was still dazzling. Under a few elm trees in caretaker Liu’s courtyard, tables had already been set up for the feast.
A group of men in their prime occupied a few of the tables, gulping as they stared at the tables of alcohol and dishes. Only caretaker Liu could afford to hold a feast like this! However, even with how simple-minded they were as farmers, they knew this feast would not be held for free. Caretaker Liu had already explained many things beforehand.
Something… something to do with smashing a cup as a signal? They did not understand too well anyway. They only knew that once caretaker Liu suddenly turned hostile, they would have to begin using their fists.
Although they were somewhat reluctant to fight Li Qingshan, they were all caretaker Liu’s farmworkers. They could not afford to offend this person they relied on to make a living. Li Erlang was only fifteen anyway, so how could he take on so many people? As a result, all the workers who could come came, occupying several large tables.
Even for some of them who could not bear to lay their hands on Li Qingshan, they could only just do it with slightly less force to play along. After that, they would get Erlang to kneel before caretaker Liu and apologise so that they themselves could suffer a little less.
The cicadas buzzed weakly in the trees as everyone became rather impatient from the wait. With such great alcohol and food placed before them that they could not touch, it was quite a test for them. The discussion drowned out the cicada cries,
“It’s about time. He’s afraid. He won’t come. Let’s just eat!”
“But when it comes to you, you wouldn’t be afraid. Not coming is the right decision. He’d be an idiot if he did.”
Caretaker Liu seemed to turn a deaf ear to it all. He only smiled as he thought to himself, As long as he knows he’s afraid. He’s still just a half-grown kid at the end of the day.
“He’s here! He’s here!” A young walker jogged into the courtyard, covered in sweat. “Li Erlang is here!”
As if everyone in the courtyard had been grabbed by the neck at the same time, all of them fell silent. The cries of the cicadas seemed to grow resonant at that moment.
Li Qingshan stood in front of caretaker Liu’s gate. His nerves were also on the edge. Everything was always easier said than done. The courtyard of white walls and black tiles seriously seemed like a tiny lair of danger. If he were careless, he could end up losing his life inside there.
He began to consider retreating. He thought about how it was never too late for a real man to take revenge, whether it be a day or ten years. With his current rate of progress, as long as he had some time—one year, no, half a year, or maybe even three months—and managed to achieve something with his Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, he would have no need to fear anyone in the courtyard.
He suddenly jolted his mind and dismissed those thoughts. He questioned himself, “Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan, were you just talking nonsense with what you said before? Only bold enough to turn against those weaker than you? Then even if you attain abilities of paramount might, you’re really just a coward inside.”
All of these thoughts occurred to him in only but an instant. Li Qingshan inhaled deeply and clenched his fists. His gaze became determined as he entered the courtyard with resolve.
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1. Guan Yunchang attending a feast alone refers to what Guan Yu did in chapter 66 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Again, you are welcome to check it out.
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Chapter 9 – The Rage of a Common Person
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Chapter 9 – The Rage of a Common Person
The gate closed behind him. Li Qingshan looked around as if he had not noticed the tense atmosphere in the courtyard. Instead, he made his way over to caretaker Liu’s table. It was located right before the hall, located under the largest elm tree in the centre of the courtyard. It was the main table, and everyone who sat at that table had status in the village.
To caretaker Liu’s left and right were village head Li and the witch. They were the three people with the most authority in the village. There were also some elders of the village seated there too, with the only young people being village head Li’s two sons, Li Hu and Li Bao. They were both broad-shouldered and stalwart. They glared at Li Qingshan.
Caretaker Liu’s gaze shifted away slightly. After just a dozen or so days, Li Qingshan seemed to have become a different person. Caretaker Liu was unable to pinpoint exactly where Li Qingshan was different, but he was simply different from before. He just had an additional aura about him.
Village head Li remained dignified but his gaze was hostile, while the witch was filled with undisguised hatred.
Normal villagers would no longer be able to remain within the village if they had offended any single one of them, let alone all three at the same time. Their only choice would be to lower their heads and apologise. However, Li Qingshan would never lower his head.
There were many rules to a feast within the village, stressing everything from seating arrangement to sitting posture. Li Qingshan saw how the other tables were full and only this table had some room, so he sat there boldly. He said, “Why aren’t you eating? Have you all been waiting for me?”
No one answered him. Li Hu and Li Bao squeezed over from the left and the right, each grabbing one of Li Qingshan’s shoulders and pressing down on it.
Although Li Qingshan was young and had a tall stature just like the two of them, he was skinny, nowhere near as wide as the two of them. If it were in the past, just one of them could have easily dealt with him. Even now, Li Qingshan would only be able to handle one of them at a time, with two being potentially too difficult.
Li Qingshan frowned and grabbed their wrists. He tore them off his shoulders while using the Ox Demon Forges its Hide. Like a huge water buffalo stretching its muscles and bones, he moved left and right.
Li Hu and Li Bao only felt an intense pain from their wrists before they collided with Li Qingshan. They immediately lost their balance and fell off the bench.
The two of them were furious from the humiliation. They did not even care about the dust on them as they leaped to their feet.
Originally, caretaker Liu wanted to say some general pleasantries and probe Li Qingshan’s thoughts. He wanted to see if Li Qingshan planned on submitting to them or not. He never expected Li Hu and Li Bao to be so rash. He could not afford to scold them either. He was just about to smash the cup in his hand and have the workers get him.
Clang! A knife had been stabbed into the table, and everyone’s movements halted as well. Under the sunlight that filtered through the leaves, the blade of the knife flickered with a hazy light.
Li Hu and Li Bao immediately became afraid of approaching him. They were both sons of the village head, and they were pampered because of that. They could use their personal strength to harass the meek, but it was not worthwhile for them to risk their lives.
Li Qingshan gripped the knife with one hand as he rested a foot on the bench, leaning forward and looking at caretaker Liu as he chuckled. “Caretaker Liu, that’s not how you receive a guest. Even if there are any grievances of life and death that must be settled, it’s not like it can’t be settled after being fed. Don’t waste this table full of food.” When he reached there, he actually stopped feeling nervous.
Before caretaker Liu could respond, the workers at the tables in the surroundings all agreed with him. To them, eating was obviously the most important matter! If they began fighting, who knows how many dishes and bottles of alcohol would go to waste. They did not believe the stingy caretaker Liu would prepare another table of food and wine for them.
“Yeah, yeah. Caretaker Liu, we haven’t even eaten breakfast yet! We’ve been utterly starving since a long time ago. Where would we get the energy to fight?”
“I didn’t even get to eat last night. If I don’t eat some now, I won’t be able to last any longer.” As a worker added as he gulped forcefully.
The tense atmosphere immediately became rather strange. Even Li Qingshan had no idea how to react. He started to wonder why he had been afraid of these people.
Caretaker Liu became bright red. He had set up this feast for two reasons. First, to stun Li Qingshan, and secondly, to give some benefits to the workers just in case they would not exert themselves.
He was determined to replicate what the stories had detailed, planting five hundred armed men and signalling them to take down Li Qingshan at the smash of a cup. However, he forgot that the people at his command were not disposable guards or soldiers, but farmers down to the very core.
Li Qingshan looked at caretaker Liu with a happy smile. “What a coincidence! I happened to have not eaten anything last night either, so I’ll just be candid now.” He grabbed a roast chicken and began eating.
Ever since he began practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, his appetite had become astonishing. He only used around a dozen or so days to finish off a water deer that weighed over fifty kilograms. The black ox had not even managed to catch something new in time.
The roast chicken disappeared into his mouth in the blink of an eye. With him at the lead, the workers could not care anymore. They all lifted their chopsticks and buried their faces in the food. For a moment, the only sound left in the courtyard was the sound of eating.
Village head Li was both furious and afraid. He trembled all over as he shot a glance at caretaker Liu. Aren’t you supposed to be very clever? Hurry up and come up with something.
Was there anything that caretaker Liu could come up with? He only shot a glance back. If I get the workers to act right now, they would hate to put down what is in their mouths right now. If Li Qingshan charged over and attacks me first with his knife, what am I supposed to do? Your sons look pretty tough most of the time, so why’d they become so soft now?
On that table, they only had caretaker Liu and a group of old people, so they could probably all be knocked over by a single kick from Li Qingshan. They felt like they had suddenly become stranded on a lone island, forced to face this vicious person alone. They were all trembling in fear.
With the rage of a common person, blood splashes five steps away.1
Li Qingshan behaved like there was no one around him. He enjoyed the jug of alcohol all by himself. The village alcohol was weak in the first place, so there was basically no taste to it. As a result, he called out, “Bring me a big bowl!”
However, no one answered him. Li Qingshan produced a displeasured ‘hmm?’ and caretaker Liu quickly ordered someone to bring a big bowl. Li Qingshan filled it up and downed the whole thing in one stroke, “Satisfying!”
When the workers saw how he drank so brazenly, they admired his courage, so there were actually quite a few cheers for him.
Li Qingshan had eaten quite a lot of oily and greasy food in the past few days, so now that he downed this scorching booze, he felt extremely satisfied. He did not stop, drinking three bowls in succession.
When the third bowl of alcohol flowed down his throat, the courtyard had already been filled by loud cheers, causing quite the ruckus. It was as if caretaker Liu was not the one who had invited them, and they had instead come to cheer Li Qingshan on.
Li Qingshan let out a drunken burp and clasped his hands at everyone. “Everyone has eaten and drunk well, so don’t forget about caretaker Liu’s kindness. Any grievances can be settled after eating. Even if you end up on the path to the netherworld, you can’t be a starving ghost.”
Afterwards, his gaze turned into a glare, and he looked at the people on the main table. “Why aren’t you eating?” With the rush of drunkenness, his killing intent was roused as well. If people kept looking to make things difficult for him, he would no longer have any peace in the Crouching Ox village. He might even fall for a plot concocted by them sometime. As a result, he might as well kill a few of them now, seize some of their belongings, and travel far away. There was probably no one in the village who would be bold enough to stop him.
Originally, Li Qingshan was only risking his own life to come to this banquet. There was even some bravado to this, yet he ended up calling caretaker Liu’s bluff and bravado. He had temporarily reversed the situation in his favour, altering his intentions drastically in the process. He could not help but think of what uncle Lei Feng had said, “Difficulties are like a spring. They are strong when you are weak.” He also thought of what the founding ancestor Mao had said, “Imperialism is all but a paper tiger.” Yep, landowners were all but a paper tiger.
While caretaker Liu was rather bad at scheming, he was good at reading people. As soon as he saw Li Qingshan’s expression, he knew that the young man was ready to kill. He could no longer maintain his act of shrewdness and sweat began to cover his forehead.
A few of the village elders were utterly terrified. They did not want to be glutted ghosts either! They explained to Li Qingshan in a hurry that regarding the family separation, all they did was show up as a formality. They had no idea about the inside story. Some of them stood up trembling, wanting to bid farewell and leave.
Li Qingshan shouted out coldly, “Stop, all of you! You have all witnessed what happened a few days before, so don’t leave in such a hurry. If you’ve eaten enough, you better stay here and serve as a witness. If you insist on leaving, that means you have something to hide, so you better not blame a certain person for showing no mercy.”
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1. It means that when an ordinary person loses their temper, they will fight or kill regardless of the consequences. The part to stress here is regardless of the consequences, which means that while a horrible judgement would await this ordinary person, those who provoke him will probably be killed anyway.
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Chapter 10 – There are No Gods Watching Over Up Above
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Chapter 10 – There are No Gods Watching Over Up Above
The elders all sat back down while trembling. Li Qingshan buried his face in the food and alcohol, eating and drinking to his heart’s content. In the past few days, all he had to eat was river deer meat, which he had gotten tired of as well. He wanted to change up his diet, so he polished off the entire table of alcohol and dishes. He rubbed his bulging belly.
“Everyone in this courtyard is technically my elders. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration if you said some of you watched me grow up. However, some people give no consideration to this, harrassing me for the sake of a bit of land. If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll give you an explanation instead. Even if it costs me my life, I won’t hesitate.”
As Li Qingshan spoke, he picked up the knife. “Caretaker Liu, village head Li, don’t you agree?”
Caretaker Liu was determined to avert the imminent danger. He yielded and said, “Erlang, if you want to farm on the land, take it then!”
Li Qingshan replied, “I don’t want the land. You bought that by spending your own money. I have no interest in taking advantage of you. I just want justice. You do whatever you want in the village, but never forget that the gods are watching over up above and justice lies in the heart of people.” Towards the end, he had become harsh in both tone and expression.
Awkwardly enough, caretaker Liu had no idea how to respond. Village head Li responded in his stead, “This was our fault for believing in your brother…”
“That’s not my brother.” Li Qingshan interrupted coldly.
“Li Da and the others have been talking nonsense. They were blinded by greed, which was why they managed to commit such stupidity. These days, I haven’t been able to catch a wink of sleep. I’m just afraid that once I pass away someday, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to face your parents.” When the village head reached the end, he had already broken down into sobs as tears streaked across his face, but he was thinking about how he had suffered these past few days.
Li Qingshan then turned to a few elders. “Then do you think that I deserved a share of the land?”
“You did, you did!” Was there still anyone who dared to say ‘no’ right now?
Li Qingshan managed to get everything he had come out for. He tilted his head back and laughed aloud. “So there’s still justice in this world!” His laughter suddenly halted; he lowered his head as his expression changed constantly. He was stern at times and relieved at others. There was a hint of indescribable sorrow among all of it. He looked at the knife in his hands. “Turns out, justice lies here.”
He furrowed his brows and muttered, “There are no gods watching over up above. Justice lies within the knife. There are no gods watching over up above. Justice lies within the knife…” He could not help but let his voice grow louder and louder. Eventually, it boomed through the entire residence.
He was originally indignant, determined to vent it all out. He was even ready to kill, but now, he felt that it was pointless. He stowed the knife away and no longer paid any attention to the people seated there. He turned around and made his way out, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The workers had enjoyed a free fast, and they had just seen a good show as well, so they dispersed in satisfaction. All of them talked about Li Qingshan with faces filled with admiration.
Caretaker Liu wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead. He knew that if he still wanted to gather people to deal with Li Qingshan, it would be extremely difficult. Even though he possessed land, the workers were not his slaves. They could not be ordered around by him. Even if they were slaves, they could rebel. If he aggravated all the workers into opposing him, it would be absolutely terrible.
Fortunately, Li Erlang was a person who held clear debts of gratitude and revenge. Since he had mentioned it all today, he would not be scheming for revenge anymore, so caretaker Liu could get some peace at the very least. While the feast was not a success, he had managed to achieve his objectives. He saw village head Li’s two sons help him to his feet. While the village head still felt embarrassed, he seemed relieved as well, probably thinking of the same thing as him.
The two of them made eye contact and both felt awkward.
Li Hu refused to leave the matter like this. “Father, why don’t we get elder brother to come back? With his martial arts, I refuse to believe that he can’t handle Li Erlang.”
Li Bao added, “Uncle Liu, isn’t brother Liu in Qingyang city?”
Village head Li just happened to be fuming, so he said viciously, “All of you shut up! How did I manage to give birth to people as useless as you?”
Meanwhile, Caretaker Liu said nothing. They had both been through quite a lot, so they understood the benefits of playing it safe very well. They would never take this risk for the sake of just their pride.
“You bunch of useless people, the gods have already become furious. His days are numbered,” the witch who had remained silent the entire time suddenly said with an air of malice and mystery.
Despite being right underneath the sun, many people could not help but shiver. In this day and age, everyone revered ghosts and gods, and the witch was the person communicated with the gods. Li Qingshan had actually just said that there were actually no gods watching over up above, so he really might have infuriated the gods.
Some people even thought of how there was once a child in the village who had fallen ill, and his family had sought out the witch to cure him. The witch said that the child had been possessed by a monster, so she burnt him with fire and drowned him with water before smothering him with blankets, saying that she was forcing out the monster. Yet in the end, she had smothered the child to death.
The witch only said that the kings of hell wanted to see him, claiming that no one could save him. However, the parents of the child refused to accept this. The child’s mother would shout abuses outside the witch’s home everyday, which severely damaged the witch’s prestige in the village. However, after just a few days, the child’s mother suddenly passed away from an illness. Her death was quite baffling.
All the witch said was that the child missed his mother in the netherworld. After that, nobody ever dared to disrespect her again. By kicking and shouting at her in public, Li Qingshan had already offended her completely.
“Caretaker Liu, this child is one of the unavoidable calamities in your life. Now that the gods have removed this calamity for you…”
Caretaker Liu quickly ordered some people to pack some incense, candles, alcohol, and food for the witch. The witch then looked at village head Li. He also produced a small piece of silver reluctantly, sending the witch off with that.
A worker carried these items and followed closely behind the witch, afraid of uttering anything unnecessary. They arrived in front of a house with black tiles. Aside from caretaker Liu and village head Li, she was the only person in the village who could afford a house of brick and tiles.
There was an altar table and an incense burner in the hall. The air was filled with incense smoke. It was both a residence and a shrine.
“Xiao An, Xiao An, granny is back,” the witch suddenly croaked. Her wrinkly face formed a mysterious smile. It was anything but amiable.
The worker knew the witch did not have any grandchildren, so he was frightened out of his wits. He placed everything down in a hurry. Suddenly, he felt like someone was tugging his pants, but looking back, there was no one there at all. He cried out, “Mother of heaven!” and scrambled away. Sharp laughter rang out behind him.
“Xiao An, granny is speaking to you. Someone has harassed granny.”
No one answered her in the empty hall.
“What? How dare you not listen to granny…” The witch’s face suddenly became vicious, and she launched a series of insults and scolds. She shook a bronze bell in her hand.
A cold wind immediately arose in the room.
A long time later, the witch became gentle once more. “Good, that’s more like it. Granny doesn’t want to hit you either, my good grandson.”
From the beginning till the end, she had only been talking to herself.
Li Qingshan returned to his house. He had no idea where the black ox had run off to. It had probably gone to hunt for him again.
Using his high spirits from drinking, he began to practise the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength again. He had already become as familiar as he could with the basic stance of the three forms, so his body moved automatically. He thought about everything he had gone through today. Something that seemed so terrifying was actually so flimsy. If he had fled out of fear when he was in front of caretaker Liu’s house, how was he supposed to realise the façade of the entire situation.
Regarding this matter, his true opponent was not caretaker Liu or village head Li, but the fear in his heart. What was true strength? The Dao De Jing had already provided an answer to that question. “Those who dominate others are strong, but those who overcome themselves have strength.”
“The courageous are fearless!” Li Qingshan roared out these four words as if he had overcome an invisible barrier. His movements suddenly gained an indomitable aura. No matter what difficulties or dangers lay ahead, he would overcome them with his head held high. He would never lower his head and retreat.
There are no gods watching over up above. I am the god. Justice does not lie in the hearts of people. It lies in my hands.
In his limbs, chest, and abdomen, every single muscle across his body seemed to be linked together by this determination. He could unleash the strength of his entire body through a single punch. He had a feeling that even if he did not use a weapon, he was confident about defeating Li Hu and Li Bao together in a direct confrontation right now.
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Chapter 11 – Haunted by an Evil Spirit
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Chapter 11 – Haunted by an Evil Spirit
His courage increased his power, and his power increased his courage. It was a positive feedback loop.
He trained until sunset and actually felt hungry again. Right now, he was still very skinny, nowhere near as wide as Li Hu or Li Bao. Only he knew that none of the essences from the water deer meat had gone to waste. It had all merged with his body.
His body was like a bottomless hole, draining and absorbing all the alcohol and meat greedily, converting it into power.
After training, Li Qingshan sat down on the spot, closed his eyes, and settled down, feeling all the changes to his body. Overexerting his muscles and bones was extremely painful. He could still remember how he almost could not get out of bed from the pain on the second day of practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
On that day, the black ox had not urged him on either. He had forcefully endured the pain and gotten up to train. Only after a dozen or so days of consecutive training did it get slightly better. No, it should be that his tolerance had increased. Logically, his body should have gradually grown accustomed to it all after making it through the first few days, but the pain he experienced did not lessen at all. He still felt like he had only begun training every day.
Every single change his body went through was reflected in his heart with great clarity. Unfortunately, he could not sense any of the so-called qi. According to the black ox, only when one sensed the flow of qi and produced a trace of true qi would a grasp of the basics for any ability or technique be achieved. He had been cultivating for far too short a period.
At this moment, he suddenly felt a chill. It moved about behind his neck like a cold breeze.
However, there was no breeze at all, much less a cold breeze.
Is this the so-called qi?
Li Qingshan was elated. He concentrated on the cold sensation, but he gradually felt the chill penetrate his skin and enter deeper and deeper, reaching his bone marrow and even his soul. It was extremely cold and very unpleasant.
Li Qingshan shook his head. He stood up and practised a little more. The chill dispersed slightly, but it pestered him once again when he sat back down.
He had no idea what went wrong, so he went to the stream by his house to wash himself. The moon shone brilliantly that night. When he glanced at his reflection in the water, he saw a pale-white child with a stiff expression perched on him.
Even with his increased courage, he became covered in cold sweat from fright. Immediately, he thought about a movie from his past life called The Grudge.
If it were someone else, they would have definitely become stupefied, but Li Qingshan had lived with an ox daemon for so long after all. Using the reflection, he made eye contact with the child. The child only seemed to be seven or eight years old. His expression was dull and stiff. Li Qingshan said to the child, “What are you? Why’re you on me?”
However, the child only moved its head. The surface of the water rippled at this moment, and the reflection of the child vanished. However, the chill clearly remained.
Li Qingshan did his best to remain composed. I’ve run into a ghost. Why is this little ghost haunting me? I have to wait for brother ox to return so that I can talk to him. Fortunately, I won’t be losing my life anytime soon.
However, he felt no confidence, only feeling fear. The coldness ate away at him faster and faster, so he began practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength again in a hurry. Only then would the cold sensation vanish. However, he was not a machine that knew no fatigue. He still needed to sit down and rest, which felt especially tormenting whenever it happened.
This lasted until the middle of the night, a time when yin qi was the heaviest.
The cold sensation had already invaded most of Li Qingshan’s body. He felt no obvious pain. However, his arms and legs gradually grew numb, and his senses felt blurred.
An intense sense of danger made him wrack his brains as hard as he could.
He had heard that all people possessed yang qi, which could restrain creatures of the dead. He thought about how his blood vessels swelled as blood rushed through them when he practised the ability, which was why the little ghost had been afraid of approaching him. As a result, whenever he meditated, he did his best to replicate the feeling of when he practised. He closed his eyes, used his thoughts, and tensed his muscles. As expected, it was somewhat effective, allowing him to barely stop the attack of yin qi.
He lasted the night like that. His mind would be clear at times and sleepy at others, which was a vicious exercise on his mind and willpower. This situation continued until his willpower was close to collapsing.
With a rooster’s crow, the sun began to rise, and Li Qingshan’s eyes snapped open. Sunlight landed on his face through the trees, which was rather dazzling. The coldness on his body had vanished. The black ox looked at him from nearby with great fascination.
Li Qingshan said, “Where’d you go, brother ox? Did you know what I came across last night?”
“I came back a long time ago. Isn’t it just a little ghost on you?”
“And you just watched on?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Li Qingshan grimaced and said nothing. The black ox had told him a long time ago. “No matter what danger you come across, you better not rely on me, as I’m not even going to lift a finger to help out.” Right from the beginning, the ox had never given him the opportunity to rely on it. Li Qingshan glanced at the gazelle by the ox’s foot, which prohibited him from complaining even more. The black ox had already provided him with the most crucial assistance. He could not rely on the black ox for everything.
Under the warm sunlight of the rising sun, Li Qingshan stood up and loosened up. “Fortunately the little ghost won’t come out during the day, as I really can’t last much longer than that. Brother ox, I’m practising a daoist ability after all, yet I can’t even deal with a mere ghost?”
“If it were not for the ability you practised, you wouldn’t have even been able to last through the night. Once you achieve the strength of one ox, you’ll be brimming with vigour, and you obviously won’t be afraid of a mere ghost.”
“Then how much longer do I have to wait?”
“Apart from that, I have another idea.”
“What idea?”
“Ghosts are afraid of murderous and vicious auras the most. If you claim a hundred or so lives with your hands, I’ll guarantee you that anything evil will avoid you like the plague. That little ghost won’t even be able to get in a range of ten steps from you.”
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. “Am I supposed to massacre the entire village?”
“It’s not like that’s impossible. What, you want to try it?” The black ox sniggered.
“Why don’t I butcher you into steaks first!” Li Qingshan ignored it. He dealt with the gazelle first. After eating breakfast, he tossed this matter aside for now and ignored his fatigue before applying himself to another day of cultivation.
However, as soon as he began cultivating, he felt that it was rather different from before. A thin, weak sliver of ‘qi’ flowed through his body. He would have never discovered it had he not been careful.
The qi was not like the true qi mentioned in those wuxia novels, stored within the dantian and flowing along the meridians. Instead, it flowed freely like a fish, passing through every part of his body. Whenever he punched out hard, the sliver would flow through his arms and into his fist. All of it would happen in a single moment.
His mind eased up, and the sliver flowed off somewhere. It was like a misbehaving child, basically beyond his control. He told the black ox about this.
The black ox was not surprised. Instead, it said meaningfully, “It’s all thanks to that little ghost that you were able to sense the existence of qi so soon. You can say that it’s a blessing in disguise.”
On the edge of life and death, Li Qingshan had used everything that his mind and willpower could offer to fend off the yin qi. The little ghost had departed, but the willpower lingered, turning into a trace of true qi.
“So this is true qi?” Li Qingshan gazed at his palm. “What exactly do you use true qi for?”
“Refining vitality into qi, refining vitality into qi. Is it just for this qi? What do you think its uses are? If you can’t sense qi, it’ll just be some peasant’s tricks even if you practise for your entire life. You won’t be able to achieve anything. As for the benefits, they are truly innumerable. You’ll just have to experience it yourself slowly.”
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Chapter 12 – A Long Blade in Hand
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Chapter 12 – A Long Blade in Hand
Li Qingshan felt like the black ox was not telling him everything; it was as if it were hiding something. However, he could not be bothered thinking too much about it in his joy. He immediately began to practise again, sensing the uses of this true qi.
Indeed, he found a knack for it before long. Today, he practised the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength more smoothly than ever before. He was like an old machine that had been freshly lubricated. It was indescribably satisfying.
Additionally, his strength recovered much faster than before. At a glance, this seemed insignificant. However, normal people would never be bold enough to use their full strength in their attacks when they fought. They would always hold back a little. After all, if the opponent dodged the attack, they would seize up momentarily and leave a huge opening.
He did not have to worry about that. In the time that others would take to throw a punch, he could throw three punches at full strength. It would be impossible for them to match his power either.
After all these days of hard cultivation, he finally achieved a sliver of result. He could not help but feel overjoyed. He felt like he was another step closer to his objective.
However, when he remembered the danger and difficulties he went through last night, his face turned cold. “But I do want to know who gave me this blessing.”
The black ox said seemingly carelessly, “Everything, whether good or bad, is brought on by man himself.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. This was what he had said when the witch had come for the boar’s head. The little ghost was definitely haunting him for a reason. Upon closer thought, he immediately found some clues.
He had been born and raised in this tiny mountain village, so he did know a little about the few major matters that had happened in the village. In such a remote, little village, major matters barely ever happened in the first place.
One of these included the ruin of a family in the village due to a child’s death a few years ago.
Back then, Li Qingshan was a child as well. He even knew the child, Xiao Mao. He had never thought the child would actually die because of this, and this was also the reason why Li Qingshan had ‘turned back to normal’ after drinking the purging water, afraid of revealing any surprising aspects anymore. It was also when he had developed his great abhorrence towards the local witch.
The death of Xiao Mao’s mother was very fishy. She had died all of a sudden one night for no particular reason.
Originally, Li Qingshan had believed she was unable to endure the grief of the loss of her son. However, looking at it now, she had clearly been killed by the yin qi. He suddenly stood up; a cold light flashed through his eyes. “I see. I can’t spare her!”
The black ox said, “Then go kill her!”
“It’s not that simple.” Li Qingshan sat down with his legs crossed and sank into his thoughts.
The local witch was not a ruffian like patch-haired Liu. Not only did she possess great status in the village, but she even had some renown in the local region as well. Non-locals would often come to the village for her fortunes.
He could only flee the village after killing her. It was even possible that he would be reported to the government and be deemed as a fugitive. He had no evidence or witnesses either, so he could not jump to the conclusion that she was behind everything. Most importantly, since she could control the little ghost, who knows whether she had other things that she could use against him.
The black ox did not chip in from the side, but it approved of him very much. If Li Qingshan wanted to use his might from yesterday and confronted the witch in a rash manner, all of the painstaking effort he had gone through would have gone to waste.
Rarely was anything perfect in the world. Courageous people would often be rash and careless, while clever people would often be hesitant, lacking resolve and courage. To have the courage of a swordsman and the heart and patience of a zitherist—now that was rare.
Li Qingshan made up his mind and made his way over to the village.
“Oh, it’s Erlang. Have you eaten? If you haven’t, you can come to my house.” At the entrance, an old man plowed a vegetable garden with his hoe. He greeted Li Qingshan warmly as soon as he saw him.
What happened yesterday in caretaker Liu’s courtyard had already spread across the entire village. The unrecognised second son of the Li family had already become someone famous. Both the young and old felt some respect towards this young man.
Li Qingshan responded to all the greetings he received. He passed through most of the village until he eventually arrived before a small yard that had a few willow trees planted in front. A small, old man in rags leaned against the tree. He was already as drunk as a fiddler despite it being the morning, which surprisingly, made him seem a little like a great hermit beyond worldly affairs.
Li Qingshan knew that this was no hermit. He was an ordinary farmer and Xiao Mao’s father. His name was Li Fugui. He was actually still in his thirties, but he seemed like he was in his fifties or sixties already. Ever since his wife passed away, he had basically stopped doing farmwork. He would drink away his sorrows everyday and act in a deranged manner.
Seeing Li Qingshan approach him, Li Fugui slurred, “Come, drink, drink.” The stink of alcohol assaulted Li Qingshan’s nose.
Li Qingshan frowned and grabbed Li Fugui, dragging him into the courtyard. Without a single word, Li Qingshan scooped up a ladle of water and poured it into his mouth, which choked him into a coughing fit. He leaned over the threshold of the door and vomited.
Li Qingshan studied the courtyard and the house. It was a mess everywhere. Spider webs covered all the window lattices. It was truly run-down. In the past, Li Fugui’s family had been renowned in the village for their wealth, and the amount of fertile farmland in their possession was second to only caretaker Liu’s family. He had lived up to the name his parents had given to him.1 The whole family lived happily.
However, who could help that the world was unpredictable? It had all been reduced to this after sudden misfortune, which made Li Qingshan sigh emotionally. The mere happiness of ordinary people was just too fragile. However, with his unswerving determination and great ambitions, he despised people who sank into depravity and dejection and let themselves go the most. As a result, he was not particularly kind to people like this either.
Li Fugui was furious. “W- w- what are you doing?”
“Uncle Li, are you sober?”
Li Fugui saw Li Qingshan’s hostile gaze and shivered all over. He was not blind or deaf. He knew exactly what Li Qingshan had done in the village over the past few days. He was a real person of misfortune. “W- what’s the matter?”
“Do you know how Xiao Mao’s mother died?” Li Qingshan got straight to the paint.
“I don’t know, I know nothing.” Li Fugui paled from fright as soon as he heard that, making his way out quickly.
Li Qingshan grabbed his skinny wrist. “Is this what your wife would have wanted you to become?”
Li Fugui halted. “Erlang, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. That’s trouble that you can’t afford to get involved with. Do you want to just lose your life for nothing?”
“I don’t want trouble either, but the trouble has already come knocking. If I have to live like you, I would much rather lose my life. I just want you to tell me what happened in the past.”
Li Fugui was startled by that. “What? It has already come knocking?” After quite a while of hesitance, he exhaled deeply and began narrating.
“After Xiao Mao’s mother shouted abuses in the streets outside the witch’s home, she came home and went to sleep. She was unable to get up the next day. Her body became cold and blue. So many strange things happened that night, a- and I saw…”
“What did you see?”
“A child!”
Li Qingshan finally confirmed that the murderer really was the witch.
Moreover, the witch had even said to Li Fugui sinisterly that not only did Xiao Mao miss his mother, but he also missed his father as well. It scared Li Fugui into giving a huge offering.
Li Qingshan slammed the wall with his hand. “She has gone too far. Haven’t you ever considered avenging your wife?”
Li Fugui reddened from frustration due to the contempt in Li Qingshan’s voice. He rushed into the house and pulled out a long, wrapped package from the bottom of a great big wooden box.
He opened the package and inside was a blade, a well-made blade of steel.
Li Qingshan drew the blade from its sheath and a certain coldness flooded out. The blade reflected his face perfectly.
The hilt was around a foot long, slightly curved and wrapped in black silk. It felt extremely pleasant in his hand. The single-edged blade was around two feet long and four inches wide. Compared to Li Qingshan’s knife that was only a foot long and had been made with shoddy craftsmanship, this blade was far superior.
The back of the blade was very thick, and it felt heavy in his hand. It was fantastic for hacking and chopping. He casually swung it and the whistling of air rang out. He could not help but praise it, “Good blade!” He had never seen such a good blade on the market. If it were sold, it probably would have cost quite a bit of fertile farmland.
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1. Li Fugui—Li is his surname and Fugui is his given name. Fugui also means wealthy. It’s a rather crude name.
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Chapter 13 – Seeing Ghosts with an Ox’s Tears
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Chapter 13 – Seeing Ghosts with an Ox’s Tears
Li Fugui said, “This is a blade forged from hundred-folded steel I bought from the Arsenal of Arms.” He was not an idiot. How could his wife’s death not affect him, and how could he not develop any hatred for the witch? This blade was evidence, evidence that he was still a man.
However, he was still a regular farmer at the end of the day. One side was alcohol and the other side was a blade, but he never managed to make up his mind to lift the blade. Instead, he passed each day drunk and dejected. In the end, he discovered he even lacked the strength to wield the blade. However, he had always kept it. He never exchanged it for alcohol.
Li Fugui thought of the past and became covered in tears. “I don’t have the courage to sell this blade, nor do I want to sell it. If I sell it, I have nothing.”
Li Qingshan’s emotions surged, but he showed none of it. He silently sheathed the blade again. “If you trust me, then give the blade to me. I will definitely settle this matter.”
Li Fugui turned around and waved his hand. Li Qingshan made his way out of the courtyard and walked rapidly. He was tempted to just go up and cut down the witch. Only when he returned to his house and practised a little did he manage to calm down.
“What level of ability do you need to control ghosts? How does it compare to my Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers?”
“The powerful can be revered by a myriad of ghosts, claiming the title of emperor of ghosts, able to associate with gods and demons. The weak can only harass some ordinary people, not only bringing no benefit to themselves, but even bringing detriments instead. Yin qi will eat away at their bodies, leading to a clouded mind and eccentricity.”
“The witch is obviously the latter.” Li Qingshan eased up. Such a situation was what he had been anticipating as well, or the witch would have never taken so long to seek revenge after he kicked her to the ground.
“But don’t underestimate him. A ghost you cannot see can easily catch you off-guard.”
Li Qingshan came up with an idea. “Brother ox, I’ve heard that it’s possible to see ghosts if you drip the tears of cows into your eyes. Is it true?”
“Don’t look at me. This old ox has never shed any tears before.”
“They say a man sheds no tears, but that’s only when they’re not grief-stricken. Brother ox, haven’t you ever been grief-stricken before?”
The black ox turned away its head and began to ignore him.
Li Qingshan knew that brother ox truly possessed the stubbornness of an ox, so he did not say anything more. Over the past few days, they had conversed quite a lot. He could sense the black ox’s intentions to a certain degree. It did not want Li Qingshan to rely on it. He had his own path to walk. He had to handle his own matters.
Around sunset, the black ox suddenly handed a small, porcelain bottle to Li Qingshan. It did not provide any explanation and left straight through the gate, climbing up the Crouching Ox hill and gazing at the myriad mountains below the setting sun.
Li Qingshan opened the bottle and looked inside. There was a transparent, bluish liquid inside. He realised what it was and smiled brilliantly, thanking the black ox while looking at its back. He dipped a stalk of wormwood into the bottle and carefully dripped the liquid into his two eyes.
He felt nothing at the beginning, but afterwards, his eyes became hotter and hotter, swelling and becoming burning-hot. If it were not for the difficult training he had gone through in the past few days, he basically would have cried out in pain.
In a house of brick and tiles covered in smoke, a group of outsiders who had come to have their fortunes told watched in stupefaction as a piece of talisman paper flew up in the air before suddenly lighting on fire. It even burned with blue flames.
What they could not see was a pale-faced child holding up the talisman paper strenuously. All they did was lower their heads and hand all of their silver and money to the witch out of fear and awe before backing away.
The witch carefully accepted the money, and her expression suddenly twisted. “What’s the matter? Why is Li Er still alive? Have you been slacking off when you handled it? Do I have to teach you a lesson?”
The child’s stiff and blank face revealed fear as well, and he shook his head desperately.
The witch suddenly lifted the bell in her hand, and the child rampaged through the house in pain with gusts of chilling wind, dispersing the curling smoke.
Only after quite a while did the witch place down her bell. “Good, listen to granny. Granny would never treat you badly.” She handed an embroidery needle that was as thin as a strand of hair to the child. “Take this and stab out his eyes.”
The child held the needle with great difficulty and flew towards the Crouching Ox hill with the night wind.
In the gathering darkness, Li Qingshan continued to meditate with his eyes closed in the courtyard.
The child walked over and lifted the needle, slowly stabbing it towards Li Qingshan’s eyes. An ordinary person would only see a needle flying through the air. Moreover, with how thin the needle was, it was almost impossible to see it during the day, let alone during the night.
Li Qingshan seemed to sense something, and his eyes snapped open. He ignored the needle that was only inches away and stared into the child’s pitch-black pupils with his sharp gaze. “What are you trying to do?” His eyes shone brightly like two balls of flames.
Around nightfall, just as Li Qingshan was in pain, the strand of almost non-existent qi suddenly began to flow. It flowed to his eyes, and the pain immediately lessened significantly.
By the time the scorching pain had vanished, a cool sensation filled his eyes, which he found to be extremely pleasant. It was also at this moment that he suddenly experienced an omen of warning, so he opened his eyes. He happened to see the little ghost from last night, holding the needle right in front of him.
He was also surprised, experiencing some lingering fear from what had happened yesterday. Originally, he thought the witch would just use some evil schemes and that she would never confront him directly. It was not like the little ghost’s yin qi could harm him, so he could afford to be careless and underestimate this opponent. However, if it were not for the fact that he could suddenly see ghosts, he might have fallen for the sneak attack and lost his eyes, which would have made him worse off than just trying to kill her off nice and early.
The child was even more surprised. Having been glared at by Li Qingshan, he trembled all over and dropped the needle, drifting far away to avoid him.
Li Qingshan studied the little ghost carefully and discovered that he was only six or seven years old. His facial features were extremely delicate. If it were not for his overly-pale face, he really would have seemed pure and innocent. He wore robes made from silk, which should have been his attire before death. He did not seem like a ghost under control; he looked more like a little young master of a large clan.
Seeing how Li Qingshan could actually see him, the child immediately became afraid of approaching him, but he was also afraid of failing the mission and being punished by the witch, so he dared not leave. He froze up there.
Li Qingshan no longer felt any fear. Invisible things were always the most terrifying. Now that he could see it all clearly, he discovered that the little ghost was even more afraid than him. As a result, he asked, “What’s your name? Where do you come from?”
However, no matter how he asked, the child never replied with his dull face. Li Qingshan thought of something. “You can’t speak?”
The child hesitated for a while before nodding.
Li Qingshan thought about how this child was only being used by the witch. He had passed away unfortunately at such a young age, and perhaps the witch was behind his death as well. As a result, Li Qingshan felt rather sympathetic, and his tone warmed up slightly.
“You stuck to me so close last night, so what’re you hiding for now? Come over here. There are things I want to ask you.”
The child saw how his expression was no longer as frightening and took a few steps forward like a timid little animal.
Li Qingshan asked, “Since you can’t speak, then you can nod or shake your head to answer me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The child nodded.
A man and a ghost began to communicate with each other just like this.
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Chapter 14 – Bursting Through the Door
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Chapter 14 – Bursting Through the Door
Li Qingshan asked many questions, and the child answered all of them as if he did not know how to lie. He either nodded or shook his head, but he could only answer simple questions. Complicated questions would only leave him dazed.
When Li Qingshan asked for his name and where he came from, he shook his head for both of them. When he asked whether the witch was still hiding any tricks, the child stood there blankly.
Despite that, Li Qingshan managed to understand many things. The witch really was behind the child’s death after all, refining him into a little ghost to serve her. Originally, he could speak as well, but the witch had fed him a bowl of medicinal soup that turned him into a mute.
Li Qingshan guessed that the witch had abducted this child and was afraid he would blabber along the way, so she had turned him into a mute. However, whenever he mentioned the witch, the child’s face would become filled with fear.
Li Qingshan said gently, “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you. I will kill that old hag and set you free.”
Unknowingly, the child had approached Li Qingshan, and there was now attachment on his little raised head.
Li Qingshan revealed a comforting smile and wanted to touch his head, but Li Qingshan’s hand passed through his body, and he immediately froze.
The child became depressed, lowering his head and silently crying.
Li Qingshan suddenly felt sorrow well up inside. He roared at the sky. Why were there so many injustices in the world? When humans harmed each other, they were no less brutal than demons and monsters.
On the other hand, the child was stunned, looking at Li Qingshan in surprise.
Under the moonlight, the young man with unswerving determination actually had something sparkle at the corner of his eyes.
Li Qingshan mocked himself. “Looks like men really shed no tears unless they’re grief-stricken. I’ve embarrassed myself.”
The child stood on his toes and extended his hand to touch Li Qingshan’s face. He removed a tear droplet and cradled it in both hands. It seemed rather heavy to him.
“Don’t take that!” Li Qingshan turned red and suddenly understood the black ox’s difficulties slightly. How could the tears of a man be handed to someone else so casually?
He thought of what the ox had said again. Weak ghosts were incorporeal. Only when they had cultivated to a certain degree could they gradually become tangible and lift real objects. With how weak this child was, he must have only been able to carry extremely light things.
The child only lowered his head and gazed at the transparent liquid in his hands.
Li Qingshan was helpless. He looked around and felt rather strange. Why had darkness descended at such a late time tonight? The landscape around the house was somewhat gloomy, but things were still clearly visible.
However, when he raised his head to look at the moon, he suddenly realised that the night had not been delayed; rather, it was because his eyes could see better in the dark. Not only did he have night vision, but his eyes also felt like windows that had recently been wiped of dust. Everything was extremely clear.
Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “Brother ox really is a monster. His tears even have such miraculous usage.”
“It’s late. I need to go to sleep. Because of you, I wasn’t able to rest up properly last night. I still have things to do tomorrow. I need to recover my strength.”
Li Qingshan returned to his house to sleep, while the child crouched down at the entrance. Under the moonlight, he was half-transparent, just like the tear droplet in his hands.
Li Qingshan slept extremely heavily that night, only waking up when the sun was well and truly up. The child had already left, probably unwilling to move about during the day.
He washed his face and rinsed his mouth before practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength a little. Then he picked up the thick steel blade he had received from Li Fugui, went through his thoughts, picked up a few pieces of gazelle meat, and left through the door.
The three scoundrels were currently sitting together with worried looks. With patch-haired Liu’s death, their group had lost its backbone. Their time in the village became tougher and tougher, and they were basically detested by everyone as lowlives.
They wanted to copy patch-haired Liu’s brutality or Li Qingshan’s viciousness, but how could they manage? Even filling their bellies became an immediate problem, let alone drinking alcohol and eating meat. They could only work for caretaker Liu and barely earn a meal to eat. They were nowhere close to having it as easy as before.
At this moment, Li Qingshan suddenly visited them. The three scoundrels went up to welcome him in a hurry. He had come with a frosty look, a blade in one hand and meat in the other, naturally giving off an aura of might. No one would look down on him just because of his age.
The voices of the three scoundrels eased up slightly as well, highly praising Li Qingshan’s actions during the day before yesterday.
Li Qingshan ignored these attempts to flatter him and put down the meat. “There is something I must trouble you all with. The meat is the compensation, including for what you did last time.”
“That’ll be rude of us to accept it. Erlang, just say a word, and we’ll do anything to carry it out.” That was what the scoundrels said, but they accepted the meat in a hurry.
Just like last time, Li Qingshan said, “Come with me!” He turned around and left, but this time, there was no bravado. It was an absolute order.
The three scoundrels did not to dare hesitate, following right behind his steps.
Li Qingshan borrowed some hoes and shovels from a nearby farmer’s home first before going to Li Fugui’s house.
It just happened to be noon, around the time when the villagers had just finished their morning farmwork and were tidying up. They were all about to go home to eat. They saw Li Erlang, who just happened to be at the height of his fame in the village, leading three scoundrels to borrow tools. Who knows what he planned on doing, so they all followed behind him curiously. With that, basically the entire village had been alarmed.
They watched him arrive in front of Li Fugui’s home and wondered whether he was going to punish that drunkard. How had the drunkard offended him? They all found this to be rather shameless. He was using his advantage in numbers to harass a pitiful man who had descended into depravity. This was a complete opposite to when he faced the village head and caretaker Liu in caretaker Liu’s home. One was defying oppression, while the other was harassing the weak.
However, the three scoundrels were very happy. “I could tell a long time ago that this old drunkard is utterly worthless.” They even slapped their chests and volunteered. “I’ll drag him out right now.” It had been a long time since they could hold their heads up high. They were going to be making an example out of Li Fugui this time, beating him up in front of the crowd.
Li Qingshan glared at them and called out, “Are you coming or not?”
Just as everyone felt confused, Li Fugui rushed out of the house and gritted his teeth, “I am!”
His face was surprisingly sober, which astounded all the villagers. In the past, Li Fugui had always remained in a drunken stupor. Unbeknownst to them, after Li Qingshan left Li Fugui’s house, the man had not taken a single sip of alcohol. He thought about and longed for what Li Qingshan had promised, but he never thought that Li Qingshan would come on the very next day.
With that, the villagers felt even more confused, and their interest was piqued as well.
Li Qingshan nodded. He walked at the front with his head held high, leading the group of people to the witch’s brick house. He saw that the main entrance was tightly shut. Clearly, he had alarmed her already. Seeing this, he ordered the three rascals, “Smash it open!”
The three scoundrels immediately became timid. There was not a single person in the village who did not fear the witch. Even when patch-haired Liu was around, they were never bold enough to offend her, and the house of brick and tiles that also served as a shrine had a mysterious, holy air around it. They had already lost count of just how many times they had heard of strange things happening there.
The other villagers saw how he was actually making trouble for the witch, and all of them erupted in an uproar as well.
Someone tried to persuade him, “Erlang, don’t mess around!”
There was also someone absolutely terrified. “Your disrespect to the gods will lead to retribution.” He was a devout believer of the witch. If it were not for his fear of the blade in Li Qingshan’s hand, he might have come up and tried to reason with him.
Li Qingshan said nothing. With a bang, he kicked open the wooden door. The door panels that were as thick as an arm snapped into pieces, producing quite a loud sound and startling the villagers into silence.
Li Qingshan looked back and ordered the three scoundrels, “Keep guard outside. Don’t let anyone in.”
The three scoundrels obliged reluctantly. At least they did not have to go in.
Li Qingshan stepped over the door sill and strode into the courtyard. He arrived before the entrance to the hall and was about to kick through the door.
The doors opened by themselves. It was clearly noon when the sun was dazzling, but it was a black mess inside. A cold, gloomy breeze blew over.
The witch wore brightly-coloured robes and sat on the altar, speaking with a different voice, “Li Erlang, do you know your crimes?”
Schwing! Li Qingshan drew the steel blade and yelled out, “Hand over your life!”
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Chapter 15 – The Witch’s Death
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Chapter 15 – The Witch’s Death
The witch extended her finger, and a clump of black mist surged forth. Many vicious faces of agony could be vaguely made out in the mist.
This was the witch’s trump card, called Ghost Mist, created by combining heavy yin qi and resentment. She usually kept it in an urn, which she buried underground to absorb yin qi. She would only use it when she absolutely had to. Moreover, since this Ghost Mist lacked intelligence and only possessed resentment, it was extremely difficult to control. It could end up backfiring from the slightest of carelessness.
She had only used it in a hurry when she saw how Li Qingshan had come with great fury. However, the might of the Ghost Mist was extraordinary as well. Once ordinary people became enveloped by it, they would immediately fall unconscious, and the most vicious part about it was that it was just like ghosts, between tangible and intangible. Ordinary people could not see it at all.
If Li Qingshan had not opened his eyes with the ox tears, he would have fallen for it. The effects of all these days of strenuous practice finally showed itself. He moved to one side and dodged the Ghost Mist, continuing his charge at the witch.
The witch had never expected Li Qingshan to actually be able to see the Ghost Mist, so she immediately panicked. She hurriedly waved a bell. “Xiao An, Xiao An! Get out here! Kill him!”
The child called Xiao An crouched in a corner. His face was in pain, but he clutched his head without moving.
In an instant, Li Qingshan used the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves and stamped the ground heavily. He left behind a deep footprint as he flew up into the air before swinging down with his blade.
With a flash of cold light, blood splattered everywhere. Li Qingshan had forcefully chopped off the bell-wielding hand that was as spindly as a chicken’s foot along the wrist.
Li Qingshan did not even have the time to examine the effects of his slash before sensing an attack of yin qi from behind. Smelling living people, the Ghost Mist was like a wild beast that had just smelled blood, surging over under the control of its resentment.
Li Qingshan did not dare to stop. He charged forward, but he felt that the Ghost Mist did not follow him over. Instead, he heard a miserable wail from behind. Looking back, he saw the Ghost Mist envelop the witch as the ghost faces chomped away at her body.
Even Li Qingshan had failed to anticipate something like this.
As it turned out, the witch had lost control over the Ghost Mist due to the pain, immediately leading to it backfiring.
There was no hatred without a cause, no debt without a creditor.
All of this evil had originated from the witch, and she was the one to reap what she had sown. Her whole body twisted as her flesh withered away as a visible rate.
Li Qingshan watched on in delight as he laughed aloud.
The trace of pity and sympathy that originally existed in him had been forcefully suppressed because he felt shame. To an innocent child in distress, he would be willing to sing out his grief and shed his tears, but to this person who was even worse than an animal, he wanted to obliterate any compassion and roar out with laughter.
People covered the walls and entrance outside as they all looked into the house. It was impossible for the three scoundrels to stop them once they became curious. They could only let them be and claim the best viewing spot at the entrance for themselves.
They watched Li Qingshan enter the house and rise up into the air, cutting off the witch’s arm. Afterwards, the witch collapsed on the ground and wailed in agony as Li Qingshan laughed like a madman. It gave them all goosebumps.
Many of them had fallen off the walls from fright, and the three scoundrels fell back on their bottoms as their legs gave way as well. They thought about how they had once mocked and insulted Li Qingshan in the past. Now, they felt extremely regretful. Someone like him was not a person they could afford to provoke.
Li Qingshan watched the Ghost Mist gradually disperse. Once its resentment had all been vented, it would stop. As for the witch, she lay on the ground on her last gasp. She had actually survived, but she was clearly close to death. She must have practised some kind of cultivation method, which was why she had managed to hang on.
The witch extended her remaining chicken claw towards the child in the corner. She seemed like she was pleading, but it was also like she was expressing her resentment as she called out, “Xiao An! Xiao An!”
Xiao An looked at her in confusion and fear. Li Qingshan said, “I’ll send you off!” He stabbed down with his steel blade.
Caretaker Liu and village head Li rushed over after receiving the news. They just happened to see this, and the witch had taken her last breath before they could even yell out something like ‘Spare her!’. They looked at each other and both became covered in cold sweat. They thought about how the witch had boldly claimed that Li Qingshan’s days were numbered just the day before yesterday, yet today, she had lost her life.
Fortunately, they had not crossed the line with Li Qingshan that day, or who knows what would have happened.
This was the second time Li Qingshan had killed someone. Compared to his panic in the darkness during the first time, he felt extremely composed under the light of day. The improvement of his mental state had even surprised himself slightly. He wondered, Has my demonic nature been roused by the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength? Or should I say, this is who I’ve always been?
In his past life, in that current society that blurred the line between right and wrong, who knows how many people were forced to hide their true nature, only able to go with the flow and complying with everything that happened to them. Let alone an adult in his thirties or forties, but even children and youths lacked enthusiasm and ambition. He had only been one of the many people out there, no different from the ordinary person.
Having experienced life and death through transmigration, it instead agitated his lofty aspirations, making him reluctant to live another life of mediocrity. Yet, he ended up being stuck in this tiresome life in this tiny mountain village for fifteen years. Finally, he had obtained a chance. The moment his lofty aspirations were set free, they rampaged like mad demons, never able to be locked up again.
Li Qingshan stopped laughing and turned his head. “Please don’t panic. This old hag asked for all of this herself, and this all only serves her right. I still need you to uphold justice.”
You charged in and commited murder in the light of day, yet you still want us to uphold justice. These words only crossed their minds as thoughts. Obviously, no one was brave enough to say it aloud.
Suddenly, a person charged out from the crowd and arrived in front of Li Qingshan. He smacked his head against the ground three times with a series of thuds before raising it. “I killed her. It’s got nothing to do with Erlang! That damned hag destroyed my family. Xiao Mao, I’ve avenged you!” After saying that, he broke into tears and laughter. It was Li Fugui. The great burden that had pressed against his chest for all these years had suddenly been lifted. He felt like even if he died right now, he would be content.
There was not a single person in the village who did not know about Li Fugui’s tragedy. They could not help but remain silent.
Only caretaker Liu felt awkward and afraid. It was exactly because of this tragedy that Li Fugui began to exchange his fertile farmland for alcohol to drown away his sorrow, which was also why caretaker Liu had gained the glorious nickname of Half-village Liu. If Li Qingshan suspected that he had been collaborating with the witch, then he would be screwed.
Li Qingshan said, “I always bear the consequences of my actions! I have no need for you to bear the blame. Please come with me!” He called out to the three rascals as well as a few respected elders of the village. They arrived at the witch’s backyard.
Li Qingshan looked back. His gaze landed on the area below the eaves of the building before he nodded. Everyone followed his gaze and looked over, but there was nothing. Xiao An was currently hiding in the shade, pointing at an area.
Under Li Qingshan’s order, the three scoundrels began to dig. They were all under Li Qingshan’s watch, so they all dug as hard as they could, afraid of slacking off. Before long, they had excavated a pit and dug out a skeleton.
Li Qingshan went into the pit and collected the remains. He glanced back below the eaves and ordered, “Keep digging!” These were not Xiao An’s remains.
Under Xiao An’s guidance, Li Qingshan had them dig around some other places, and they excavated a few more bones. Everyone in the surroundings was shocked. Why were there so many skeletons buried in the witch’s backyard? Moreover, all of them seemed to belong to children.
Li Qingshan was rather surprised as well as his expression grew sterner. He knew that these were victims to the evil arts the witch had been practising. The cluster of Ghost Mist filled with resentment must have come from here. He only regretted giving the witch too easy of a death.
At this moment, there was a ding like they had hit something. They carefully dug it out, only to find a porcelain jar. It was tightly sealed.
Before Li Qingshan could stop them, the three scoundrels scrambled to open the jar. A small cluster of black gas rushed out and squirmed into the mouth and nose of a scoundrel as if it were afraid of sunlight.
The scoundrel shuddered and fell unconscious on the spot. Before long, he stopped breathing.
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Chapter 16 – White Bone and White Silver
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Chapter 16 – White Bone and White Silver
The two other scoundrels paled and became immobilised with fright, but the items in the porcelain jar immediately blinded their eyes. Pieces of glistening silver filled the jar. They had never seen so much money in their lives. Even caretaker Liu and a few village elders who were on their last legs were visibly moved.
Li Qingshan pushed them away, and they almost flew into a rage. No matter how cowardly people were, they would be tempted by wealth and could become vicious for it. However, when they saw it was Li Qingshan, they were afraid of doing anything.
Li Qingshan was in no mood to care about their thoughts. He placed the jar aside. A tiny skeleton laid below the jar. Blood and flesh had already rotted off from the skeleton completely, revealing a greyish-white colour. Who knows how long it had been buried there.
Xiao An finally nodded, and Li Qingshan sighed gently. He looked around and tipped out all of the silver in the porcelain jar before storing the skeleton inside.
The silver pieces rolled onto the floor and formed quite a pile.
With that, everyone’s eyes became glued to the pile. They even stopped caring about the remains.
Caretaker Liu was someone experienced and knowledgeable, having gone out and seen the world. He roughly estimated that there were several hundred taels of silver there. Even he became green with greed, let alone the others.
In a tiny mountain village like this, that was truly a tremendous sum.
Li Qingshan had never expected the witch to have managed to extort so much silver over the years either. As the saying went, wealth tempts people. He was not an otherworldly immortal who had transcendent worldly affairs, so he was also affected by the sum. After all, there were plenty of aspects where he would have to spend money in the future!
Just in terms of meat, he did not want to continue relying on the black ox. Since the black ox wanted him to be independent, he wanted to show it just how independent he could be. Moreover, he wanted to change up his tastes. Maybe he could go to the market and buy some good alcohol as well.
However, he also understood the principle of ‘The wages of avarice is death’. If he took all of the silver with him, these people would be afraid of saying anything due to fearing his might, but they would definitely resent him, which would bury quite a large seed of misfortune. Even the death of the witch might not be able to pacify them.
“Village head Li, you are the person of the highest prestige and respect in this village. Let’s hear if you have any plans regarding this silver.” Li Qingshan wiped off the blood from his steel blade and stowed it back into the sheathe. He seemed to be letting village head Li take charge, but he stressed the words ‘highest prestige and respect’ when he mentioned it.
“I’m flattered, but it’s all thanks to Erlang for removing such a great menace from the village. You should be the one who decides what happens to this silver.” The village head had just played a disgraceful role a few days ago, so he felt like Li Qingshan’s words were filled with intimidation. How could he ever agree to his suggestion?
Li Qingshan looked around, and all those he saw nodded in a hurry. “You decide, Erlang!” Only then did he nod slowly. He did not mind sharing some silver in exchange for peace, but if there really were someone ignorant enough to decide what to do with his spoils of battle, then they would have to ask whether the blade in his hand agreed to it or not.
Every single person in the crowd was much older than Li Qingshan, yet they had to follow the arrangements of a fifteen year old. However, none of them felt unhappy with that. The current Li Qingshan was no longer the Li Qingshan of the past. His viciousness and decisiveness that came with drawing the blade and committing murder had stunned them.
Li Qingshan sat down to split the silver. He pressed one hand on the porcelain jar that held the white skeleton as he leaned on his blade with the other hand. The adults and old people all lowered their heads and listened to him closely.
However, the first person to receive a share of silver surprised all of them slightly.
“Uncle Fugui, the witch destroyed your family, so you deserve compensation. You better take this silver. Don’t drown yourself in alcohol anymore. Only then can you console the dead.” Li Qingshan used the sheath of the blade and parted some silver from the edge of the pile.
“H- how can I accept that!” Li Fugui had never expected Li Qingshan to say that. He was at a loss as for what to do.
“Take it!” Li Qingshan actually did this more to thank and praise him for his courage of standing forward and trying to bear the blame for the murder.
Li Fugui accepted the silver in gratitude and bewilderment.
Next, Li Qingshan called over the two scoundrels. “This is for you.” He glanced at the dead scoundrel on the ground. “And him too. Take him back and bury him. Work and earn a living properly in the future. Don’t continue doing underhanded things like stealing, or you’ll probably end up suffering the same fate.”
The two scoundrels were both surprised and overjoyed as they collected their silver. When Li Qingshan mentioned their companion, they became rather pale, but they did not seem particularly anguished. Who knows whether they could purposefully shell out money to have their companion buried.
In the end, Li Qingshan clasped his fist at caretaker Liu, village head Li, and the group of village elders. “In the past few days, I have offended you all. Please take this silver as an apology. I hope you can forgive me for my ignorance. However, if there are any more people who disrespect the old, harass the weak, or other fellow villagers…” That was how he put it, but he did not seem apologetic at all. Towards the end, he even became stern.
“That’ll never happen! That’ll never happen!” These people said together.
Li Qingshan nodded and split out a pile of silver for them to share between themselves.
“What about the other villagers?” Village head Li received his own share of silver and looked at the large pile that remained. Since even a victim like Li Fugui had received a share, there were plenty of other victims in the village. It could be said that every family had given the witch offerings before.
Li Qingshan glanced at him. “Does anyone have any objections?” He sympathised with the villagers who had been deceived, but he had no plans on compensating others for their stupidity. If he had not killed the witch in such a swift manner, it might have even been possible for their fear towards the witch to impel them to turn against him.
Moreover, how was he supposed to split it? Who was supposed to receive more and who was supposed to receive less? It was impossible to be fair, and in the end, it was very possible that not only would he receive no benefits from this at all, he would even become resented by many instead.
The village head had realised this as well. He wanted this youth, who was at the height of his influence, to hit a stumbling block. At the end of the day, what did the interests of the village have anything to do with him? Instead, the person right before him threatened his authority in the village more and more. Who knows, maybe a few years later, when Li Qingshan truly became an adult, he might even end up losing his position as village head.
However, he never expected Li Qingshan to be so meticulous with his thoughts despite his age. The glance that seemed to have pierced through his thoughts made him tremble with fear, afraid to say anything more.
Li Qingshan wrapped up the remaining silver. “Then please explain this matter to the other villagers. If any of you run your tongue carelessly and it reaches my ears, hmph!”
Everyone agreed to that. They were standing right in front of a weapon, and they had all received benefit from this incident as well, so none of them would just blabber.
Under village head Li’s lead, everyone arrived outside and provided an explanation to the villagers, commending Li Qingshan tremendously for eliminating a menace. Some of the devout believers of the witch originally refused to accept it, but when the skeletons were carried out one by one, all of them shut up. There were so many remains buried in her backyard, so how could she be any good?
No one was willing to offend a strong and vicious character like Li Qingshan for the sake of a dead person, not to mention the group of ‘respected and authoritative’ elders.
Li Qingshan did not make an appearance himself. Instead, he picked up the bronze bell in the witch’s severed hand. He could vaguely sense the spiritual nature that made it different from regular items. He asked Xiao An, “Did she use this to control you?”
Xiao An nodded and gazed at the bell extremely nervously.
Li Qingshan grabbed the bell and twisted it, deforming its shape. All of its special effects vanished immediately. Afterwards, he arrived at the entrance and threw it away as hard as he could. He turned around and smiled. “You’re free!”
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Chapter 17 – The Umbral Yin Ghost Control Technique
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Chapter 17 – The Umbral Yin Ghost Control Technique
Xiao An was both happy and confused.
Li Qingshan searched through the witch’s house again. Xiao An stuck right behind him before suddenly extending his small hand and tugging at Li Qingshan’s trousers, pointing at a particular place.
Li Qingshan found a secret compartment in the wall. It contained a stack of paper, consisting completely of silver notes. He could vaguely recall that there were also private banks in this world, but this was the first time he had seen proper silver notes.
The witch must have buried the pieces of silver when she was still fit. Afterwards, as her strength declined with her age, it became impossible for her to continue digging. As a result, she had exchanged her earnings in the past few years for these convenient silvernotes. There were roughly several hundred taels in the secret compartments. She was so wealthy, yet she had actually fallen out with him over a single boar’s head, consequently dying in the end.
Li Qingshan finally found what he was looking for at the very bottom of the secret compartment. It was a single leaf out of a book, covered in tiny writing. He glanced through it roughly, and it was a technique to refine souls and control ghosts. The edge of the page was uneven like it had been ripped out of a book.
Li Qingshan practised the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and had barely managed to witness the path of cultivation, so he was curious about other techniques as well. He had never thought that the witch’s strange techniques would actually come from a single page of a book. If she had possessed the entire book, he probably would have lost his life here today.
However, if the witch had the entire book, it was unlikely for her to hole up in the Crouching Ox village for half her life. The witch was not a part of the village originally, having suddenly settled down here several decades ago. No one knew her origins. As for how she had obtained this page, Li Qingshan was at a loss as well.
However, below the page was another silver note. It actually amounted to a thousand taels. The silver note was extremely yellowed; evidently, it had quite some age to it. She had definitely received it before coming to the village. It also made the witch’s origins even more confusing.
Li Qingshan asked Xiao An, “Do you recognise this?” He felt like this might have some connection to Xiao An’s origins.
Xiao An remained dull and silent, neither shaking or nodding his head.
Li Qingshan knew that the question had already exceeded the limits of what the child could answer. Obviously, Li Qingshan kindly accepted everything in the secret compartment without holding back at all. When he was about to leave, he felt Xiao An tug his trousers again.
Li Qingshan looked back and saw him with a face filled with confusion; he was just like a lost child. He was indescribably pitiful. Li Qingshan’s heart softened. He squatted down and asked gently, “You don’t have anywhere to go?”
Xiao An nodded and Li Qingshan said, “Then you can keep me company!” As he said that, he opened the porcelain jar. He knew that Xiao An was afraid of moving about under the sunlight.
Xiao An smiled bashfully and flew into the jar.
Li Qingshan returned to his house with the jar. After burying the jar behind his house, he made a small burial mound.
The black ox returned and asked, “You’ve succeeded?”
Li Qingshan replied, “What’s so difficult about dealing with an old hag?” Afterwards, he showed the ox his spoils of battle this time. He took out the page, gave it to the black ox to take a look, and asked, “Is this also an ability? Can I practise it?”
“It’s an incomplete piece of paper, so obviously it’s nothing much. However, this page originates from an ability called the Umbral Yin Ghost Control technique. Who knows how she got her hands on this. However, practising something incomplete like that probably won’t bring about any benefits. Haven’t you ever heard of biting off more than you can chew? You better achieve something with the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers first!” The black ox glanced at him and stated the origins of the page.
“Then which one is better, the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers or the Umbral Yin Ghost Control technique?”
“If it were the original version of the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, that’ll be difficult to say. Although the Umbral Yin Ghost Control technique does not focus on personal cultivation, it can amass a great deal of ghosts to overpower opponents with numbers. It’s an ability for battle. If you can’t defeat the caster in a single stroke, it’s extremely easy for you to be swallowed up by a sea of ghosts.”
“Then what about the strength of the ox demon and tiger demon that I cultivate?”
“It obviously outclasses it.”
With that, Li Qingshan settled down and no longer hesitated. He casually stowed the page away.
His other spoils were nothing more than silver. Originally, Li Qingshan thought the black ox would not care about these worldly objects of white and yellow, but he never expected the black ox to firmly say after hearing him, “Good. Compared to that piece of torn paper, this is what matters!”
He looked down on an ability, yet he placed great focus on the silver. Even for Li Qingshan, who had undergone the black ox’s teachings of eating meat and drinking alcohol, he could not help but feel shocked at a time like this. Brother ox sure was grounded to the secular world.
The black ox could tell what he was thinking. “Haven’t you heard of the four words, wealth, companionship, method, and environment? They’re the crucial requirements to cultivation, and wealth ranks first amongst them.”
Li Qingshan nodded. “No matter what I do, I need a financial foundation.” If the ox had not been providing the most important element so far, food, he would have no way to cultivate even if he possessed the secrets to a divine art right in his hands. “Though, I don’t think I’ll be able to spend too much money!” A sum of over one thousand taels of silver was a tremendous amount. If he only bought alcohol and meat, it could last a very long time.
The black ox said, “You’ve always been asking me just how long you’ll need before you’ll be able to achieve something with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.”
“Yeah, but you always refuse to tell me.”
“I can tell you now. At the rate you’re cultivating currently, if nothing unexpected happens, it’ll probably take you ten years before you reach the first layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, giving you the strength of an ox!”
“Ten years!” Li Qingshan’s mouth hung open in surprise.
“And that’s towards the shorter side of things. If you come across a bottleneck, it’ll be even more difficult to say. The stronger the ability, the harder it is to practise. Do you really think daoist abilities are a peasant’s tricks, where you can achieve something just by some slight practise then proceed to dominate the world? You’d better wake up!”
Li Qingshan felt like a cold bucket of water had been poured over him. All of his joy from killing the witch vanished. “In other words, if I want to complete the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, I’ll need one hundred and ten years at the very least?” He could not imagine how he might turn out to be after a hundred and ten years.
“Wrong. Abilities get more difficult the further you practise. It’s nothing surprising if you don’t complete it even in a couple hundred years. However, you don’t have to worry too much. With each layer you achieve, your body will be consolidated, and your lifespan will obviously increase.”
“Then what am I supposed to do!?” Li Qingshan personally believed he had extraordinary willpower, able to endure practise everyday without stopping. However, if he had to last like this for a few hundred years, he felt like he would go crazy just from the thought of it.
The black ox was just about done with its psychological blows. It donned a smug expression of ‘Kid, do you know how powerful it is now?’Then the ox said, “If you want to reduce this time, the simplest method happens to fall on the word, wealth.”
Despite Li Qingshan’s strange expression, a list flew into his hands. The list stated several dozen medicines. “What’s this?”
“To be used to make soup and alcohol. It’s all tricks that even mortals know. It doesn’t matter if you’re missing any medicines from the list as long as you’re not missing the most crucial one.”
“Ginseng!” Li Qingshan already saw the medicine listed at the very top.
This was probably the most common and most easily obtainable spiritual medicine in the world. It was known as the King of Herbs, able to replenish vitality tremendously. In Chinese medicine, there was a soup of revival that would allow people on the brink of death to regain enough of their strength to leave behind their wills. In reality, it was ginseng soup.
“It’s exactly ginseng.”
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Chapter 18 – Scholar Tree Wood Nurtures Ghosts
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Chapter 18 – Scholar Tree Wood Nurtures Ghosts
“Then there doesn’t really seem to be a difference between me and regular practitioners of martial arts?”
“Of course there is a difference. Due to their frail constitutions, regular people often cannot intake overly strong or nutritious medicines. Not only will it bring no benefit, but it’ll even be detrimental instead. I didn’t tell you this from the beginning because your body was still frail. It would have been useless if I told you anyway.”
“You’ve been slowly fixing this over the past few days, and you managed to refine a sliver of true qi. As such, you’ve basically fulfilled the basic requirement. I just happened to be thinking of ways for you to make money, but I can save some of that trouble now. However, this amount of money probably won’t last you for too long.”
Li Qingshan understood the differences as well. He could eat more ginseng than regular people without having to worry about developing ulcers or nosebleeds. His body was like a cauldron. He would use his ability to refine and absorb all the vitality that went into his body so that nothing went to waste.
This also meant that Li Qingshan needed to buy a tremendous amount of ginseng. However, regardless of the day or age, ginseng would always be an expensive medicinal herb.
However, he needed to eat ginseng like carrots. He would probably run out of money no matter how much he had.
Just how much ginseng could he buy with the silver that amounted to a little over a thousand taels? He could not help but consider this problem!
After lamenting, Li Qingshan had to admit that this was not bad news. The rate at which his strength grew would reach a whole new level.
For a single breakthrough in strength, regular people would need to search for rare spiritual pills and wondrous medicines, which might not necessarily be effective in the first place. However, all he needed to eat was easily found and obtained, and his strength would constantly grow. Who knew how many people would be envious of him if they knew, so how could he be dissatisfied?
As for the gold and the silver, there would always be a way. Once he was powerful enough, would money still pose an issue?
“This little ghost is pretty interesting.” The black ox arrived behind Li Qingshan and used its round eyes to stare at Xiao An, who hid behind Li Qingshan. He had always been hiding there, quietly sticking out his head to study the black ox out of curiosity.
Xiao An was frightened into hiding once again, afraid of facing the talking bovine. Although the black ox did not possess anything terrifying like a murderous or a vicious aura, he basically avoided it out of instinct.
“Are you talking about Xiao An? There’s nowhere for him to go right now, so I’m going to take care of him for now. You wouldn’t mind it, would you?” Li Qingshan said casually. If the black ox did mind, he obviously would not mention it right in front of Xiao An.
“She used an incomplete piece of paper, yet she actually managed to refine a ghost slave. Moreover, it is a ghost slave that can wield objects. Unbelievable. Either this old woman is a genius at refining ghosts, or this little ghost’s spiritual constitution is rather special. However, seeing how the old woman had been refining for all these years and sacrificed so many experimental subjects with only one case of success, it must be the latter.”
Li Qingshan looked at Xiao An. What was peculiar about him? Though, a little ghost was something extremely bizarre in the first place.
The black ox said, “This might be your best spoil from that battle. Why don’t you accept him as a ghost slave? This child might be of great use to you in the future.”
“What ghost slave? He’s just a kid. I’ve already promised him his freedom.” Even during the most difficult of times, Li Qingshan would never betray his morals. For example, he had refused to sell the black ox to cover his travelling expenses. It was even more impossible for him to do so now.
The black ox felt like he had spoken too much, so he yawned. “Whatever you want. However, now that he has lost his master, and there’s no one feeding him, he’ll run out of spiritual qi before long. Subsequently, his soul will disperse.”
Soul will disperse! Xiao An blinked his eyes in confusion.
“Ghosts aren’t pets or livestock, so why would they still need to be fed?”
“The dead cannot remain in the living world. Even extremely powerful ghosts cannot withstand mere sunlight. Even a strong gale can destroy them. If every single dead person would leave behind a ghost in the living world, who knows how many ghosts there would be in the world after all this time?”
“Then what should I do?”
Around dusk, Li Qingshan strode through the forest with an axe on his shoulder as a transparent little ghost roamed around him.
He would run far away to the side of the stream and study a fish curiously at times, or fly into the branches and touch a bird at others. However, before Li Qingshan could call for him, he would return to his side like a gust of wind, staring at him eagerly.
Li Qingshan shook his head and smiled back. He had developed a slight sense of responsibility for this child.
However, behind them, the flying bird would seize up and fall from the branch, while the fish in the water would float to the surface with its belly up, indicating that this was not an ordinary child; instead, he was a dangerous ghost.
Li Qingshan combed through the forest carefully and finally stopped before a huge scholar tree that could only be embraced by a dozen or so people. He picked up his axe and began chopping.
He did not know any axe style or blade style, but the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength included the most basic and profound ways of using his strength. He could handle any weapon in his hand skillfully.
Every swing of the axe landed at the same location heavily.
Wood chips flew, and the huge tree fell.
Li Qingshan paid no attention to anything else. He only cut out a tiny piece of the pith from the very centre and presented it to Xiao An.
Xiao An extended his hand and touched the pith before delight flooded his little face. In the end, he turned into a slight breeze and entered the piece of wood.
Li Qingshan smiled. This was something the black ox had taught him. He had to find an ancient scholar tree that was over a hundred years old. Scholar tree wood could naturally attract yin spirits and were highly beneficial to ghosts. Now that he had tried it, he found it to be true.
As a result, he no longer needed to worry about Xiao An dispersing.
Returning to his house, he sat down on a large rock in front of the entrance and carved the pith into a wooden tablet. After polishing it carefully, he carved the word ‘An’ onto it before wearing it on his waist. His yang qi as a living person could slowly nourish Xiao An’s soul.
He could also borrow Xiao An’s yin qi to practise controlling his own qi.
In the small courtyard, Li Qingshan sat on the ground and constantly called out, “Xiao An, the neck!”
Xiao An hugged his neck, and under the stimulation of the yin qi, the sliver of true qi in Li Qingshan’s body began to move, flowing to his neck.
“Right arm!”
Xiao An quickly moved himself and hugged Li Qingshan’s arm. Although his delicate face was still pale, an innocent smile covered it. It was like this was an extremely fun game.
Only when the moon had risen beyond the trees did Li Qingshan stand up. At this time, Xiao An backed away reluctantly.
Under Xiao An’s assistance, the sliver of true qi in Li Qingshan’s body became much more docile. On the other hand, Xiao An’s eyes became brighter, no longer as dull as before.
Li Qingshan thought that it probably was not just because of being nourished with yang qi. No matter how clever and sensible a child was, once they were taken away from their parents and abused and beaten freely, they would probably all become dull like that.
Now that he was free, and his life had gradually returned to normal, the liveliness in his heart had begun to sprout.
Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan eagerly. He still could not speak, but his eyes clearly dictated. “Again!”
“Enough. This isn’t a game. We’ll stop here for today. Maybe tomorrow evening!”
Xiao An nodded obediently. He would never be as mischievous as a regular child, but he was unable to hide his disappointment.
Li Qingshan felt utterly helpless against that. “Fine then. Again!”
Xiao An smiled bashfully, but his ears immediately pricked up.
“Left leg! The back!”
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Chapter 19 – The Might of the Ox Demon
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Chapter 19 – The Might of the Ox Demon
Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, autumn had arrived. The maple leaves in the mountains gradually reddened as the golden ears of rice swelled up bit by bit.
An ox cart slowly rolled through the path between the fields. No one controlled the black ox that pulled a cart covered in a thick layer of hides. Atop the hides was a young man with a piece of straw in his mouth, resting on his arms leisurely as he looked at the sky. Tied to his waist was a blade and a wooden tablet. He was Li Qingshan.
Currently, he was heading to Cypress Stream town more than five kilometres away with over a thousand taels of silver on him. In such a remote mountain hamlet, trying to spend money was really difficult.
If he wanted to make purchases, he could only go to larger towns or cities. Qingyang city had an abundance of goods, but it was simply too far away, and it definitely would not be cheap.
He could only fall back on his second choice and go to the town. At a set time every month, the town would hold a large-scale gathering. When that happened, the people of the nearby villages would all go to the town for the market and buy, sell, or exchange items. This was the best time to buy ginseng. He had gathered quite a number of beast hides as well, so he could use this opportunity to get them off his hands.
Originally, Li Qingshan did not want the black ox to pull the cart anymore, but the black ox did not mind continuing being an ordinary beast of burden.
When he arrived at Cypress Stream village, the sun had only just risen. The small town was bustling with people shuffling about. Many small pedlars called out loudly to sell their goods. It was an extremely lively sight.
Li Qingshan found an empty place and spread out the hides on the cloth canvas he had prepared beforehand. He did not copy others by calling out; instead, he simply sat by the side and meditated. He did not let this opportunity to cultivate pass by.
The sliver of weak qi in his body had already become much larger. He was like a child who just loved playing around, constantly controlling the sliver of true qi to move through his body.
He did not move, but this was extremely exhausting. Li Qingshan would open his eyes from time to time to answer customers who had come to ask for the price.
He possessed a tremendous sum on him, and he did not have any plans to make a lot of money from the hides. He only wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible so that he could buy ginseng. As a result, the price was extremely cheap.
Although he was resistant to bargaining, business was still extremely successful. It was almost winter, and Li Qingshan himself had first-hand experience of the agony of biting, cold winds. There was not a single normal person who did not want a set of leather shoes or a coat, so a great group of people gathered around him before long.
“Move! Move!” A few young men with hunting knives and bows and arrows on their backs parted the crowd with hostility. They surrounded Li Qingshan’s canvas, casting a shadow over him.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. “What do you require of me?” His insight was no longer the same as before. He could tell with a single glance that these people were difficult to deal with.
Although all of them were young and none of them seemed particularly vicious, they all possessed a vigorous aura of murder. If patch-haired Liu was only a mangy dog that barked about, they would be vicious watch dogs. Any single one of them could easily kill patch-haired Liu.
A short, valiant man with a short beard asked, “Where did you get your hides from?”
His companions extended their hands and played around the hides and discovered that it really was just like the rumours. The hides did not have any arrow holes or any other traces of damage. They were rare hides of superior quality, but they were being sold for even less than regular hides.
“If you want it, then buy it. If you don’t want it, then leave. Don’t block the sunlight.” Li Qingshan could not be bothered to make up a lie and answer for these strangers. He shut his eyes again and continued to cultivate.
The people in the surroundings had already backed away, but they did not leave. Instead, more and more people gathered over. There were various discussions, but all of it was clearly audible.
“Aren’t they hunters from the Drawn Reins village?” “He’s actually bold enough to look down on people from the Drawn Reins village. How many lives does he think he has?”
Drawn Reins village! Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. Even with how he lived under a rock, this place still reverberated through his ears like thunder. This was one of the villages near Cypress Stream town. It was located extremely deeply within the myriad mountains. The people that dwelled there were all hunters of several generations. No wonder they possessed such an aura.
Compared to a village that mainly focused on agriculture like Crouching Ox village, the people of Drawn Reins village were much fiercer. They would face off against wild beasts within the mountains every day. They even practised martial arts that had been passed down by their ancestors. Not only were they beyond the government of Qingyang city’s control, but they never even paid taxes either.
There had once been people from Qingyang city who had tried to launch a punitive expedition against the village. However, before they could even reach it, they fell for countless traps and ambushes. By the time they arrived at the village after much difficulty, they had already lost half of their men, and their morale was at an absolute low. The leading general could only draw in his reins before the village and flee back to Qingyang city in dejection.
As a result, the original name of the village had been forgotten by people, being changed to ‘Drawn Reins village’.
As a result, it was obvious just how proud the people from there would be for being part of a village that could repel an army. If a half-grown teenager wanted to stand against them, it would be utterly hopeless without a doubt.
The short young man said furiously, “You can’t sell these hides here!”
“How come?” Li Qingshan opened his eyes; light seemed to flash through them.
It made the young men think of the beasts in the mountains. The shining eyes in the dark made them raise their guards instinctively, but they were not afraid. They were hunters who fought against such wild beasts. At the same time, they saw how Li Qingshan was dressed as a farmer, so they looked down on him even more. “Because I don’t want you to!” He extended a hand and tried to flip over Li Qingshan’s canvas.
A large, coarse hand clamped down on the young man’s hand like a metal lock, actually causing him some pain.
The young man was surprised. This guy is strong. However, his reaction was not delayed at all, and he directly threw a punch with his left hand at Li Qingshan’s face.
His companions showed no intentions of interfering, only watching on from one side. They seemed extremely confident, and they even smiled with contempt.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Li Qingshan had actually fought against someone. Patch-haired Liu was unable to put up any resistance at all when he was drunk, while the witch had died when the Ghost Mist backfired.
The punch pierced through the air, giving him no time to think. However, he had not been cultivating all these days for nothing. Li Qingshan twisted his head to one side instinctively, stamped with his right foot, and twisted his body forwards.
Using his spine as his core, the muscles throughout his body pulsed, and his shoulder slammed towards the young man with tremendous force.
A shoulder slam was an extremely common move among fist styles. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength included it as well. He also fused the three forms into it when he used this move.
The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves consolidated his footing and allowed him to draw strength from the ground. The Ox Demon Forges its Hide toughened his body such that he was immovable. The Ox Demon Butts its Horns allowed him to use his body as a horn to butt his opponent. He completed all of this in one stroke.
The black ox was crouching on the ground behind and nodded in satisfaction.
However, the young man paled in fright. He felt like he had been struck by a charging bull. His chest ached as he was thrown away, falling into the crowd. He felt like all of his bones had become dislocated.
The discussions within the surrounding crowd were silenced, while the young man’s companions were stunned. They attacked him furiously.
Li Qingshan grew stern. Fighting a single opponent and taking on many at the same time were two completely different matters altogether. Unless the difference in strength was tremendous, it was difficult to take down several people with just two hands. Once a bull became encircled by a group of vicious hunting dogs, the only fate that awaited it was being ripped to pieces and dying.
In the face of danger, the sliver of true qi in his body became active. It flowed into Li Qingshan’s eyes, which he placed all of his focus on. He only felt their movements suddenly slow down, becoming so slow that even their angry expressions became clearly visible.
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Chapter 20 – Slight Renown
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Chapter 20 – Slight Renown
In all likelihood, this was not just the power of the true qi but the wondrous effects of the black ox’s tears as well.
He ducked and dodged a punch. With the Ox Demon’s Butts its Horns, he punched out with both hands and knocked over another young hunter.
However, at the same time, a hunter had already arrived behind him, punching at the centre of his back viciously. The two other young hunters grabbed Li Qingshan’s waist from left and right, pulling him down to the ground fiercely.
They spent their entire time hunting in the mountains, so they knew the technique of surrounding their opponent. They were not brawling ruffians. Even if Li Qingshan could defeat any single one of them individually, he immediately lost the upper hand now.
Seeing how it was too late to block, Li Qingshan completely focused on his back, and the sliver of true qi flowed there just as he wished. The muscles at the centre of his back wove together and tensed up vigorously, producing a slight bulge.
The heavy punch landed on Li Qingshan’s back, but the attacker felt like he had struck the tough hide of an ox instead. The force of the punch collapsed as the muscle eased up. Apart from shuddering all over, Li Qingshan was fine.
At the same time, the two hunters who had grabbed Li Qingshan’s waist felt like his body was rooted into the ground, unable to be moved at all. The three of them had used up their strength, and their might immediately declined.
Finally, Li Qingshan managed to catch his breath after taking on three heavy attacks. With a bellow, his two elbows dropped down.
The Ox Demon Butts its Horns from the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was about using his whole body as horns apart from his fists and legs. Elbow strikes were the horns with the greatest power.
The two hunters only felt their backs ache, wanting to choke up blood as they collapsed on the ground helplessly.
Li Qingshan suddenly turned around and lunged at the hunter who had attacked him from behind. He punched him in the chest and knocked him over.
The people in the surroundings were dazzled by this. All they saw was the disadvantaged young man swiftly and cleanly knock over five good men from Drawn Reigns village. All of them were speechless.
Li Qingshan looked at the five hunters who groaned in pain on the ground before looking at his own hands. It was like he struggled to believe that he was the one who managed to do all that. His strength had already reached such a level unknowingly.
However, before he could celebrate, a large group of hunters suddenly rushed over. They drew their hunting bows and hunting knives, surrounding Li Qingshan as they eyed him with hostility.
The Drawn Reins village had not just sent these people for the gathering in Cypress Stream village this time. Instead, there were around twenty people. They had brought all of the hides their village had accumulated. The young hunters from before were just juniors who had come with their seniors to gain experience.
They saw how they struggled to sell their own hides and heard how someone else was selling hides for cheaper, so they had all rushed over here to make trouble for Li Qingshan. However, they had never thought that before they could make any trouble for him, they would be taught a lesson instead.
Obviously, the seniors would not just turn a blind eye to it all. They responded very quickly, surrounding Li Qingshan. Faced with over a dozen drawn bows and the might that had suddenly erupted, Li Qingshan felt like he was a beast who had fallen into a trap. His fate lay in the hands of others. It actually made him feel despair.
Compared to this, caretaker Liu’s ‘feast of treachery’ was child’s play. His heart was tense like the bowstrings. He suddenly realised who they were. They were people who made a living through hunting. Punching was not their speciality. The hunting bows in their hands were. His Ox Demon Forges its Hide could block punches, but it could not block sharp arrows.
In the face of danger, he calmly drew the steel blade at his waist. He looked around, looking for a way to escape. He had never thought that selling some hides would lead to a mishap like this. He was reluctant, but he might need to resort to killing in public so that he could kill his way out.
“Did you do this?” A sickly man in his prime asked with a booming voice as he carried a huge bow on his back and stood at the centre of the hunters.
Li Qingshan replied, “I did!”
The man studied Li Qingshan in some surprise. Normal people would all become powerless from fright if they encountered such a situation. This kid was so young, yet he could remain so composed. Such a mentality was something that completely surpassed the youngsters of the village.
He asked the short hunter who had been sent flying by Li Qingshan’s shoulder slam. “Xiao Hei, what happened?”
“Hunting chief, this kid has probably destroyed our business!” Xiao Hei stood up with difficulty.
The crowd descended into an uproar. “Isn’t that the hunting chief of Drawn Reigns village-” “It’s Huang Binghu!”
The so-called hunting chief was equivalent to a village head, but it was different from Crouching Ox village, where authority came with seniority. The people who became the hunting chief in Drawn Reigns village were all the strongest men within the village. They directed all of the hunting operations of the village.
As for Huang Binghu, he was the current hunting chief of Drawn Reigns Village, someone of great renown. Li Qingshan had heard of him a long time ago, but he never thought it would actually be the sickly man in front of him. He basically understood where his nickname of ‘Sickly Tiger’ came from now.1
A person’s fame was like a tree’s shadow—the larger it was, the more influential it was. Li Qingshan obviously experienced tremendous pressure, but he was no longer the same Li Qingshan as before. He sneered and said, “You said nothing at all and tried to flip over my canvas. Now, you sling mud at me, saying how it’s me who’s destroying your business. The Drawn Reigns village really is high-handed!”
Huang Binghu’s face sank. He yelled out, “Why don’t you all get back on your feet? You couldn’t even beat a single person with a group of you, yet you still have the face to groan in pain on the ground. Are you still worthy enough to be the men of Drawn Reigns village?”
Li Qingshan knew that his attacks earlier were not light, but under Huang Binghu’s command, the five young hunters actually all managed to stand up. Apart from being sturdy in the first place, it was due to their extremely deep respect for Huang Binghu.
Huang Binghu raised his hand, and all the hunters stowed away their blades and bows. “We were wrong in the first place, but kid, you shouldn’t have been so heavy-handed!”
“If I hadn’t been heavy-handed, I would probably be the one lying there now.”
“We leave the mountains for once to sell some hides and herbs. The necessities of the entire village have to be covered. It’s fine if you just sell according to the market price, but the way you sell right now messes with the price and costs us severely.”
Li Qingshan was silent. He had never imagined that this would happen. Obviously, he could say that he was allowed to sell it however he wanted to. However, even with Huang Binghu’s renown, he had admitted his mistakes in the face of public, reasoning with him instead of using his advantage in numbers to oppress him. As a result, Li Qingshan was reluctant to argue with him and pester him endlessly.
However, if they wanted to fight or kill him, he would not just stand down either.
Huang Binghu said, “I’ll buy all of these hides!” A hunter came up to pay and collect the hides.
Everyone in the surroundings admired Huang Binghu’s moral character. Li Qingshan was rather surprised and glanced at the bag of money that was handed to him. “No need!” He turned around and began packing the ox cart. He did not rely on these hides to earn a living in the first place. Huang Binghu had been so generous and straightforward with him. As such, if he made a fuss over this, he would be looked down upon instead.
The admiration in Huang Binghu’s eyes grew deeper. He watched Li Qingshan disappear into the sea of people as he asked the crowd, “I fancy this kid. Does anyone know where he’s from?”
A farmer answered carefully, “It seems like he is Li Erlang of the Crouching Ox village.”
Many people in the surroundings had actually heard of him. They all said, “No wonder!”
Although villages were mostly inaccessible between one another, these stories that seemed more like legends would always spread the fastest. Li Qingshan had no idea that he had already developed some renown in this area.
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1. Huang in Huang Binghu means yellow, a common surname in Chinese. A literal translation of Binghu is ‘sickly tiger’. In short, the combination of his name can be interpreted as sallow/waxy, sickly tiger, which matches his appearance in that he’s sickly.
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Chapter 21 – Buying Ginseng and Being Ambushed
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Chapter 21 – Buying Ginseng and Being Ambushed
Li Qingshan arrived at the finest establishment for alcohol in the town and bought over a dozen jars of fine alcohol, filling up the ox cart. Afterwards, he followed the detailed list the black ox had provided him with and bought most of the necessary items from the medicine store. However, the most important ginseng could not be bought there.
Within the largest inn in Cypress Stream town, a group of people with large bamboo hats and medicinal baskets on their backs drank tea quietly. Even when they were in the inn, they did not take off their hats or baskets.
From time to time, the shopkeepers of the larger medicine stores would enter the inn and open the baskets to take a look. Afterwards, they would put their hands into their sleeves and haggle prices with these people. If they were successful, they would take a packet of ginseng that varied in size from the baskets.
These people were ginseng foragers from the Ginseng King village. Similar to the Drawn Reins village, they resided deep within the mountains, but they made a living off gathering ginseng in the mountains. Obviously, they sold ginseng for the lowest price.
Li Qingshan parked the ox cart in front of the inn and looked around before striding to the corner. He said to the ginseng foragers, “I want to buy ginseng!”
The ginseng foragers saw how young he was and how he was dressed in tatters, so they scorned him. None of them actually answered him.
Li Qingshan frowned. He took out his remaining thousand or so silver notes from his clothes and placed it on the table, “I want to buy ginseng!”
With that, all of the ginseng foragers raised their heads. They were stunned. They had never expected Li Qingshan to be able to produce so much money. They looked at one another and finally, someone asked, “How much do you want?”
Li Qingshan already knew the price of ginseng, so they agreed on a price in the end. As such, he left with a huge bag of ginseng.
The ginseng foragers said quietly, “Should we just finish off this kid?”
“Searching for the spiritual ginseng is more important. That’s a treasure worth a tremendous amount of gold. Regular people can prolong their lives if they eat it, while practitioners of martial arts can immediately become a first-rate master. Even overcoming the obstacles and reaching the innate realm won’t be anything difficult.”
“The spiritual ginseng is great, but there is only one of it, and we have to deal with that sickly bastard from the Drawn Reins village as well. A bird in one hand is better than two in the bush. Whoever is willing to do it, come with me.”
Seven or eight of them stood up, grabbed the blades on their waists, and left by taking a detour.
Near the entrance, a person was hiding behind a post. He saw this before leaving silently.
Li Qingshan traveled on a cliffside mountain path alone with the ox cart, trying to make conversation with the black ox. Xiao An stuck his head out from the wooden tablet, listening to them talk quietly on the ox cart.
They arrived in a narrow valley, and the black ox suddenly stopped. He glanced back at Li Qingshan. “Your trouble is here.”
With that, seven or eight figures appeared on the two ends of the path leading through the valley.
Li Qingshan identified them from afar with his eyesight. “You’re… from the Ginseng King village?” These people all clutched the blades at their waists. They were clearly planning on killing then robbing him.
I still ended up underestimating the vileness of human nature! He could only sigh inside. He did understand the principle of keeping wealth hidden, which was why he had immediately set off with the ox cart to return to the village after buying the ginseng without remaining there for a second longer. However, he never expected these people to be so bold; they were actually trying to rob him in broad daylight.
It was rumored that these people who spent all day clambering about on cliffs, harvesting ginseng and other herbs, were extremely fierce and brutal with their attitudes and customs. Moreover, they all possessed martial arts. They could be as light as a feather and as nimble as a squirrel.
“Kid, there’s something we want to discuss with you!” The leader said calmly as his eyes shone with derision. It was as if he were looking at livestock for slaughter. “Leave behind everything, and you can leave.”
His calmness was not an act. They moved through the mountains frequently. Whenever they encountered lone travellers, they would just kill them and take their belongings. It was common practice to them, but after they were done, they obviously would not leave anyone alive.
The ginseng foragers sniggered as they surrounded him.
Seeing the danger approach, Li Qingshan suddenly shook the reins, and the black ox glanced at him. He was cooperative, charging forwards with the ox cart.
“You’ll wish you had accepted that request in the first place!” The ginseng foragers called out and dodged to the sides quickly. A blade flashed from each side, swinging towards Li Qingshan on the cart.
The black ox twisted its head, and its only horn followed a strange trajectory. The leader saw the horn approach him, but he was actually unable to dodge it. It pierced his stomach viciously, nailing him against the rock face.
The ginseng forager’s eyes remained wide open as blood spurted from his mouth. He refused to believe that he would die to the horn of an cow despite his martial arts.
At the same time, Li Qingshan leapt off the cart and dodged the two swings. His hand landed on the hilt of his steel blade.
The black ox drew out its horn and thought, From the perspective of an ox, I’ve already outdone myself. The rest is up to you.
The ginseng foragers cried out, “Big brother Geng!” This ‘big brother Geng’ was the one with the best martial arts out of all of them, but who would have thought that he would die in such a bizarre manner? They never would have imagined that the black ox was a monster.
Afterwards, they said viciously to Li Qingshan, “Kid, do you know what you’ve done? Originally, we planned on giving you a quick death, but just you wait now! We’ll slice off your flesh piece by piece and feed it to wolves!”
Li Qingshan sneered, “Just with you lot?” However, he was extremely stern as he drew his blade slowly.
He had never thought that he would encounter two fights in a single day, with each time being more dangerous than the last.
As expected, it was easier to attract trouble now that he had martial arts. If he were just a helpless farmer’s boy, he would have never been able to take on the people from the Drawn Reins village, nor would he have so much money to buy ginseng.
This was the most dangerous battle of his life so far. Even with a supernatural ability, he could not say that this would be a piece of cake. The black ox’s words from the past flashed through his head.
Thoughts flashed through his head; a great battle was about to erupt at any time.
“Kill him!” There was a swift breeze and four blades wove into a net, engulfing Li Qingshan from behind.
The Ox Demon Forges its Hide was unable to block such blades, so Li Qingshan quickly made a judgement call. He did not even look back, charging forward instead and lunging at the three ginseng foragers. His mind was not focused on this dangerous battle right now. Instead, he constantly recalled the horn that the black ox had unleashed earlier.
The black ox would never help him repel the enemies. Otherwise, killing this group of ginseng foragers would have been a piece of cake given its power. Its horn held other meaning.
In the face of life-threatening danger, his understanding and comprehension had all been forced out. His eyes suddenly lit up. The Ox Demon Butts its Horns was about using every part of his body as an ox’s horns, while a weapon was just an extension of one’s body.
His perfectly straight, steel blade suddenly seemed to jump alive, travelling around a parrying blade.
With a spurt, blood sprayed into the air from a ginseng forager’s neck as he fell backwards.
“Lao Cheng!” “This kid knows martial arts!” A series of cries rang out. The ginseng foragers looked at Li Qingshan; they were no longer as relaxed as before.
However, Li Qingshan’s two arms received two wounds as well, but thanks to the toughness granted by the Ox Demon Forges its Hide, they failed to cut all the way through. Instead, it agitated his viciousness, and his eyes lit up like burning fire. “Come!”
The thicket on one side of the valley hid a group of people. They were only a few dozen meters away, yet no one in the valley managed to discover them even under the light of day.
Only the black ox glanced at them.
The person leading them was Huang Binghu. He smiled as he said to the people beside him, “Xiao Hei, are you convinced now?”
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Chapter 22 – The Secret of the Spiritual Ginseng
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Chapter 22 – The Secret of the Spiritual Ginseng
Li Qingshan’s steel blade claimed yet another life. Although a blade had also struck him in the back, the wound was not deep, and his skin contracted around the wound. As such, he did not bleed much.
At the same time, a blade stabbed diagonally into his lower abdomen. He grabbed the blade firmly and cut off a head filled with surprise and fear.
His vicious and tough aura struck fear into the hearts of people.
Originally, Xiao Hei was reluctant to accept that Li Qingshan was stronger. All he knew was that Li Qingshan had won against them due to a sneak attack. He had been searching for an opportunity to redeem himself. However, he was covered in cold sweat now. Li Qingshan’s skill with the blade and his viciousness when it came to killing startled him.
This wild beast was not prey an amatuer hunter like him could take down. Fortunately, they were in the market earlier, which prevented them from actually drawing their blades at Li Qingshan.
A while later, seven corpses lay in the open as Li Qingshan knelt on the ground on one knee, supporting himself with his broken steel blade. He had over a dozen injuries, and his clothes had become dyed red with blood from both himself and others.
Fear and craziness filled the last ginseng forager’s face. Although he had murdered and robbed many people before, he was just harassing the meek. He had never witnessed such an intense slaughter before. “Y- you madman!”
Li Qingshan’s expression was like a tough rock. In the face of life and death, he outdid himself with every single strike and move, unleashing the potential hidden in his body. However, this took a great toll on him as well, so he became utterly exhausted after a while.
So this is the path that I chose? It really is bloody!
The black ox stood to one side in no hurry as if it were asking, Do you regret it?
“I’ll kill you!” The ginseng forager roared out as he charged over.
Out of strength, the blade fell towards his neck, and the coldness made all of his hairs stand on end. Li Qingshan roared out, “I don’t regret it!” All of the qi in his body flowed into his hand. He gripped the steel blade firmly and swung it to receive his opponent.
Thock! Swish! A bowstring ripped through the air and launched an arrow, nailing the last ginseng forager dead into the ground.
Li Qingshan raised his head in surprise. A few stalwart figures made their way down from the rock face. They were hunters from the Drawn Reins village. They approached Li Qingshan carefully before lunging forward to grab his four limbs.
However, Li Qingshan had already used up all of his strength in the moment before. He was carried up the valley by them.
“Kid, nicely done!” Huang Binghu stowed his large bow away and praised him before falling quiet. He waved his hand, and the hunters set up an ambush again on the two sides of the valley.
Before long, the other ginseng foragers arrived. They inspected the corpses of their companions sternly. When they saw the ginseng forager, who had been nailed to the ground, their expressions changed drastically all of a sudden. They roared out, “Escape from here!”
“Release!” Under Huang Binghu’s order, arrows rained down from two sides of the valley.
The ginseng foragers immediately drew their blades, but unless their martials arts were significantly better than the archers, it was impossible for them to stop the arrows. A series of miserable cries rang out.
Huang Binghu wielded a huge bow and stood on a protruding boulder, purposefully targeting the ginseng foragers that tried to escape. He would hit his target with each shot, not wasting even a single one. He was basically a god of death.
Li Qingshan sat up and watched. He also felt shocked, shocked by how intense the battle between the two great villages would be. The power of the bow and arrow also stunned him.
He cultivated the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, so his strength was the part that grew the fastest. If he could draw a long bow, wouldn’t he be able to kill people like lambs to the slaughterhouse?
When Huang Binghu launched his fifth arrow, the cries below had stopped. Only weak groans remained barely audible.
“Huang Binghu!” A ginseng forager, who had his thigh pierced by an arrow, bellowed out hoarsely.
“That’s me!” Huang Binghu leapt off the boulder and asked, “Where’s the spiritual ginseng? If you’re straightforward, I’ll give you a quick death!”
“H- how do you know?”
“I still know a little bit about the matters that happen on this side of the myriad mountains. The spiritual ginseng has appeared in the mountains near the Drawn Reins village. Ingesting it can cure all kinds of diseases and prolong life, right? I originally thought it was fake, but I’m rather convinced now by your expressions. If you think you can steal from the jaws of a tiger, you’re overestimating yourself too much.”
“You want to use the spiritual ginseng to cure your illness, but you’d better stop dreaming. You have no idea how to capture the spiritual ginseng. Just you wait. The Ginseng King village will never just leave this matter be!”
“You want to stand up against the Drawn Reins village with just your divided village?”
“Hehehehe, if this news makes it out, who knows just how many powerful people will gather in your Drawn Reins village.”
Huang Binghu’s expression changed slightly. “Can you bring yourself to do that?” Seeing how he could not get any information out of them, he waved his hand, and all the hunters stepped forward, finishing off the surviving ginseng foragers. Afterwards, they gathered all of the ginseng forager’s belongings before tossing the corpses into the valley.
In the blink of an eye, they had completely cleaned the ground covered with corpses. Only some traces of blood were left behind to demonstrate the intensity of the battle before. After some rain, nothing would be left behind.
At certain times, the lives of people truly seemed as worthless as an ant’s.
The hunters then looked at Li Qingshan. There was admiration, praise, and undisguised killing intent.
Li Qingshan had just heard a huge secret. The people of Drawn Reins village would never just let him leave. The simplest method would be to kill him then and there. Next, they could toss him into the valley with the ginseng foragers.
It was a pity that the black ox would not help, letting him waver between life and death. Through this trip, he had learnt that his strength was much greater than before, but he had also realised just how weak he was right now. Perhaps this was the black ox’s intention.
Huang Binghu said, “Little brother, are you willing to pay a visit to the Drawn Reins village with me?”
“What if I’m not?”
“You ingrate!” “Kill him!” The hunters were furious.
Huang Binghu waved his hand. “I don’t kill the innocent. If you don’t want to, then you can leave! I believe you’re not one to blabber.”
Li Qingshan was not too convinced by that. With how formidable of a person Huang Binghu was, he would never be soft-hearted when it came to killing people. Perhaps he would not do the killing, but his subordinate hunters were all teeming with killing intent.
Moreover, he did want to pay a visit to the Drawn Reins village. Perhaps he could learn some hunting techniques or archery. Then he could truly become independent, no longer requiring the black ox’s support. His personal strength would increase drastically as well. As for the spiritual ginseng, he was not bold enough to think too much about it.
“Then I might as well.”
Huang Binghu smiled and sent people to fetch medicinal paste to spread over Li Qingshan’s wounds, but he discovered that the skin had contracted around the injuries, so he was not bleeding profusely; this left Huang Binghu amazed.
Li Qingshan ignored the pain and arrived before the ox cart, taking out his newly-purchased ginseng and chewing on it slowly. He also removed the clay seal on a jar of alcohol, filling himself up with several gulps.
The alcohol diluted the ginseng, and a wave of heat rose up from his belly. Immediately, he felt much more energetic, which surprised everyone as well.
Li Qingshan climbed onto the ox cart and stopped paying attention to the others, sitting there and meditating. Recovering his exhaustion and wounds was secondary. He needed to use this opportunity to go through his successes and failures in this battle.
First, he could no longer afford to count on luck. He had heard people talk about how dangerous the jianghu was, and he had basically experienced it first hand today. A careless step could cost him his life. The lives of people in this world were just too worthless. It was impossible to constantly receive help from others, nor could he rely on outperforming himself on the spot. He still needed to treasure his wonderful life.
However, through this life-threatening battle, his understanding of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength had deepened once again, while his vital energies seemed to have changed slightly compared to before, like a treasured blade that had just been polished.
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Chapter 23 – Distant are the Roads of Jianghu
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Chapter 23 – Distant are the Roads of Jianghu
As the heat spread through his body, the sliver of qi became lively as well, flowing near his wounds and producing a numbing itchiness.
Huang Binghu sent out a few nimble hunters as scouts as the group traveled into the depths of the mountains around the ox cart.
They walked all the way until dusk without stopping, entering deep into a mountain. There was no trace of human activity at all in the surroundings.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Qingshan saw the legendary Drawn Reins village.
A tall, wooden wall was erected around the village. Watch towers stood at each corner. It did not seem like a village and was more like a military base. They had to approach it, signal the people in there, and only then would the gate open up. It was nowhere near as informal as the Crouching Ox village.
Li Qingshan was the only outsider, so he attracted everyone’s attention. He seemed unaffected on the surface, but he became nervous on the inside. This was the legendary lair of danger that had managed to make a whole army draw their reins.
Huang Binghu did not seem to be harbouring any ill intentions, but he needed to handle this carefully. Otherwise, he could lose his life without even knowing. His steel blade had already been taken away. However, even if he still possessed it, the damage it had received during that battle was already beyond repair.
Huang Binghu arranged a small, empty courtyard for him. Although he did not send anyone to watch over him, he did tell him to not wander around before leaving in a hurry.
In the most central building of the village, the most influential hunters gathered around a circular discussion table under the light of a few lanterns.
“For the sake of harvesting ginseng, the Ginseng King village has been building up grievances with us. Oftentimes, people of the village randomly die in the mountains, which they’re probably responsible for. This time, they’re even trying to get the spiritual ginseng from us. It’s a perfect opportunity for us to deal a blow to them.”
The two villages were only a few mountains apart with no clear boundary. The ginseng foragers made a living by harvesting ginseng, while the hunters would frequently move through the mountains. Ginseng was one of the few herbs they could recognise, so they obviously would not let it pass if they came across any.
As a result, there were many disputes, and the villagers tended to resolve them using their blades. As they were far away enough from one another, a large-scale battle had not occurred so far.
However, they recently met again, this time on the Bailao peak closer to the Drawn Reins village on a mountain path. They discovered a legendary spiritual ginseng that had already assumed a humanoid form and could even leave this place.
A rare treasure like this led to another battle. After the battle ended, the spiritual ginseng had already managed to flee, but it should still be on Bailao peak. Neither of the two villages dared to act rashly or blindly and search the entire mountain, but they had all been making preparations.
“Hunting chief, we can’t afford this matter being divulged. Let’s deal with the kid!”
“That kid has got some skill, and his temperament suits my tastes as well. Killing him would be a pity. I want him to remain in the village and lend us his strength.”
“But he’s still an outsider.”
“There’s no need to say anything more. I will test him properly. If he’s unworthy, I definitely won’t be soft-hearted,” Huang Binghu said firmly before breaking into a coughing fit.
In the pitch-black house, Xiao An emerged from the wooden tablet and looked at Li Qingshan in concern. He extended his hand to touch Li Qingshan’s wounds that had already scabbed over.
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m fine for now!” Although he could tell that Huang Binghu admired him, the feeling where his life laid in the hands of others was still horrible. He could only take charge of his own fate if he became stronger.
He immediately followed the black ox’s advice and placed the ginseng into the alcohol to make medicinal wine. He stopped to rest just now, looked at his handiwork, and felt delighted.
The next morning, Li Qingshan rose nice and early and practised the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. Suddenly, he felt a gale of wind from behind as if a vicious tiger were lunging at him.
Li Qingshan turned around and threw a punch, but it missed. Huang Binghu brushed past his arm and shaped his right hand into a claw, grabbing towards his throat.
He wants to silence me?! A thought flooded Li Qingshan’s mind. He actually did not try to block at all, instead facing the attack directly, as if he wanted to deliver his vital point to his opponent. He closed both hands like a bear hugging a tree, unleashing his great strength.
He practised an ability of great strength, not normal martial arts. Even though he had yet to achieve the strength of an ox, the power of the hug was still not something a body of flesh and blood could endure.
Huang Binghu suddenly pulled back his claw strike and made his way behind Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “Oh no.” Just when he wanted to maneuver himself, he felt that Huang Binghu had stopped attacking him, only looking at him in approval.
The claw earlier would have been completely unleashed if he had retreated. It would have ripped out his throat easily. However, he had advanced instead, limiting the strength of the attack while using a desperate move. Not only was he able to react to the changing circumstances, he was even rather courageous as well.
“I’ve lost.” Li Qingshan rubbed his neck, and there were five bloody traces there. Huang Binghu’s skill was impressive. Even if he were not injured, he would still struggle against him.
“Where did you learn your martial arts from?” Huang Binghu asked. Apart from being brave and quick-witted, Li Qingshan’s martial arts were extraordinary as well. Even if normal people could react fast enough, their strength would not recover in time. Moreover, when his five fingers came in contact with Li Qingshan’s neck earlier, it felt like he had struck the tough hide of an ox, not a soft, vulnerable part of the body.
Li Qingshan could not say that he had learnt it from an ox, or people would probably treat him as an idiot. He just said that he met a great master several years ago. The master saw how he was an honest boy, so he taught him some moves. However, the master had also ordered him to keep his appearance and identity a secret.
“A few years ago?!” Huang Binghu was speechless. He was not particularly surprised by the fact that Li Qingshan was reluctant to state his master, but he had originally thought Li Qingshan had practised martial arts since a young age. The most crucial part about him remaining in Drawn Reins village would be finding out about his master.
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingshan was perplexed.
“Didn’t you begin learning martial arts from a young age?”
“He used just a few years to guide you to such a level. That’s truly unbelievable. It seems like this great master really is a great master.”
Li Qingshan sweated profusely inside. Fortunately, he had just casually said a few years ago and not a month ago. Otherwise, he would have probably frightened Huang Binghu to death.
At the same time, he gained a better understanding that supernatural abilities and the martial arts of mortals were things of two completely different levels. He was not Huang Binghu’s opponent right now, but only because he had practised for less than two months. Huang Binghu, on the other hand, had probably spent twenty or thirty years of effort to get to his current level.
“May I ask for the reason for your visit, hunting chief?”
“Kid, would you be interested in settling down in the Drawn Reins village?” Although it was a question, it felt like he left no room for refusal.
“Sure!” Li Qingshan agreed straightforwardly, which surprised Huang Binghu instead. “Don’t you have any attachments to your home?”
“If I don’t agree, will the hunting head let me leave here safely?” Li Qingshan said with composure, “And, I’ve heard of a saying before.”
“What saying?”
“Home is wherever I am. Whether it be the Crouching Ox village or the Drawn Reins village, there’s no difference to me. I might even be able to learn some archery for hunting here. Do you understand me, hunting chief? My ambitions don’t lie in these mountains and forests.”
“With your mediocre martial arts, wandering on the roads of jianghu will only lead you to your death. At most, you’ll just be a shrimp that follows those disciples of large clans and sects around. How can it be compared to the freedom of the mountains and forests?”
“Hmm? Hunting chief, aren’t your skills enough then?” Li Qingshan was rather surprised. Huang Binghu could be regarded as famous in this region.
“You can laugh if you want, but my skills with the bow and arrow are passable, and I’ve made a name for myself in the jianghu before. However, the jianghu is filled with powerful people. Even if you practise martial arts for several decades, a kid in his teens can still slaughter you like killing a dog. I suffered tremendously. It’s fortunate that I could return alive.”
Li Qingshan pursed his lips. Not only did he feel no fear, but he was even charmed by it instead.
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Chapter 24 – Searching for the Spiritual Ginseng
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Chapter 24 – Searching for the Spiritual Ginseng
Huang Binghu knew that he had not taken him aback enough psychologically, so he added, “Your blade style and fist style requires you to be unencumbered, so you probably practise external martial arts. These types of martial arts lead to quick results. However, if you don’t have superior internal martial arts technique supporting you, allowing you to go from external to internal and thus achieving dual practices, it’ll probably be difficult for you to become a first-rate master. Naturally, becoming an innate master will be impossible.”
“First-rate master? What rate am I? And what are innate masters about?”
Li Qingshan asked a string of questions, which actually convinced Huang Binghu slightly that his moves all came from a great master who happened to pass by. If he had a proper master, it was impossible for him to not know this. “Qingshan, with your skill right now, you haven’t even reached third-rate.”
“Then that’s just mediocre!”
“You were able to defeat those ginseng foragers, so you’re already an adept. You’re still young, so there’s no need to be too dejected. As long as you practise properly and become a third-rate master, you’ll be able to roam through an entire region unopposed. With your talent, Qingshan, it won’t be an issue for you to reach such a level.”
Huang Binghu was afraid of going too far and dampening his determination, so he comforted Li Qingshan out of goodwill. However, he had no idea that the target the black ox had given Li Qingshan in the first place was to be able to roam through the entire world unopposed. The so-called internal martial arts he mentioned was even more of a joke.
“It’s even more mysterious for innate masters. They have to open up all the meridians in their bodies first and pass through the entry hall of life and death, converting their inner force into true qi. This true qi can flow through their bodies without any inhibitions anymore. Once true qi becomes powerful enough, it can even be freely projected out of one’s body to injure others.”
Hold on. I think the qi in my body right now can move about uninhibited. However, I can’t project it out of my body. It must be because it’s too weak.
Li Qingshan suddenly understood that right from the beginning, his starting line was different from other normal people. The path he took was something regular practitioners of martial arts could not imagine.
“Hunting chief, I will definitely become an innate master.”
Huang Binghu praised him for his aspiration, but he did not believe it at all. Innate master? When he heard of this the first time, he also held the same, noble aspiration, but how was it that easy?
It was as if he saw himself from the past. “If you really can become an innate master, I’ll give you the position of hunting chief.” This was not a blind promise. He believed that even if Li Qingshan could become an innate master, it would take him a few decades. Never did he think that the person right in front of him had already become a so-called ‘innate master’.
Li Qingshan noticed something. “Hunting chief, you don’t seem to be too well.”
“I was born frail, and the physician originally said that I would not last for very long. However, my mother refused to believe it, managing to raise me after tremendous effort. I refused to believe that I was worse than the other kids in the village, so I forced myself to practise martial arts. However, my foundation’s were still weak at the end of the day. I’ve often been in pain in the past few years, so I probably don’t have much time left.”
Li Qingshan truly admired the man in front of him slightly. Even though he did not have any great abilities or techniques, his will power and determination were enough for Li Qingshan to hold him as a role model.
“Don’t worry, hunting chief. We just have to find the spiritual ginseng, and you’ll definitely be cured.”
“Yep. Although it’s an almost non-existent possibility, it’s still a chance for me. We have to take advantage of how the Ginseng King village has been weakened to enter the mountains to search today. Do you want to come?”
“My wounds have yet to recover completely, so I probably won’t be able to lend any help.” Of course, Li Qingshan would not agree. Huang Binghu had only put it like that. It was impossible for Li Qingshan to actually trust him.
“Alright. Once you’re healed, we can clash again. I will arrange for people to teach you archery.” Huang Binghu patted his shoulder.
After Huang Binghu left, Li Qingshan immediately questioned the black ox.
The black ox said with contempt, “What first-rate second-rate? Do even ants have to establish who’s stronger or weaker? Though, if you can get your hands on that spiritual ginseng, it’ll be highly beneficial to your cultivation.”
Li Qingshan could only look at it helplessly.
“I am very relieved that you can learn hunting and stop relying on me. I can finally rest up. From today onwards, you better take care of yourself!”
As expected, the black ox stuck to his words and would never help him out. Li Qingshan had not properly planned on relying on him either. As for stealing from the jaws of the two villages, he felt even less confident. He would probably just lose his life for nothing, so he sighed a few times and discarded the thought. He chewed up another ginseng and began to meditate, only going to sleep deep in the night.
A wisp-like ghost rose up from the wooden tablet, turning into a child with delicate facial features. He glanced at Li Qingshan before seemingly making up his mind, entering the mountains with the night breeze as he opened and closed his pale lips.
If someone skilled at lip-reading were present, they would be able to tell that he was muttering ‘spiritual ginseng’.
The black ox opened its eyes and glanced at him before closing them again. Xiao An flew out of the Drawn Reins village and into the stretch of mountains. He moved through the forest freely, but he would have to avoid stronger mountain winds from time to time. He saw a speck of firelight in the distance and only saw hunters from the Drawn Reins village resting by a bonfire with their weapons. Huang Binghu was discussing battle tactics with a few hunters quietly. Xiao An circled around them a few times and listened for a while before riding the wind to Bailao peak. He carefully inspected every stream and rock he passed by. Of course, he would get carried by some small animals he came across from time to time and lose focus of his original objective. However, he would always return to the objective very quickly, continuing to search. Only a single thought existed in his head, I must, must find the spiritual ginseng. I can help him that way. Early in the morning, the ginseng foragers launched a night attack, but they were repelled by the prepared Huang Binghu. Neither of them found the spiritual ginseng. It was the same for Xiao An too. Using the time before the sun had risen, he returned to the village exhausted, basically rather tired of it all. The minds of children would always wander, never able to remain focused for long. Moreover, such work was simply too lonely for him. He had already experienced enough loneliness. However, when he saw Li Qingshan’s sleeping face, new motivation suddenly flowed through him again. He clenched his fist and dove into the wooden tablet, going to sleep.
Early in the morning, a stern-looking old hunter woke up Li Qingshan. “The hunting chief sent me to teach you archery!”
Li Qingshan noticed that his left leg was slightly lame, but he only glanced at it from the corner of his eye to remain polite. However, he never thought the old hunter would notice it and say nonchalantly, “It was mauled by a wolf. Come with me!”
On the empty land to the west of the village, a group of half-grown children were already waiting. The older ones were around the same age as Li Qingshan, while the younger ones still had snot running down their noses. However, every single one of them carried a hunting bow on their backs. They all looked at Li Qingshan rather warily with gazes of hostility.
“Grandpa Zang, will he be with us?”
Grandpa Zang nodded slightly and did not try to explain anything. He directly said, “Draw your bows!”
The group of children immediately stopped talking. They drew their hunting bows and aimed at the target in the distance. Grandpa Zang corrected their forms one by one and explained the essentials of archery, leaving Li Qingshan standing on one side.
Li Qingshan did not find it boring. Instead, he listened carefully. This continued for an hour before grandpa Zang ordered everyone to rest. He finally spoke to Li Qingshan, “Go train your strength first!” He pointed at the stone dumbbells on the side.
Li Qingshan went over and grabbed the stone dumbbells. Compared to a teacher like the black ox who did not even care for his safety, the level of dismissal right now was within a range he could tolerate.
Grandpa Zang was rather surprised. He did not like Li Qingshan, but he could not disobey Huang Binghu’s orders. As such, he purposefully gave Li Qingshan the cold shoulder, basically to train his temperament. He never expected Li Qingshan to show no anger at all, completely different from what he had originally expected. He thought to himself, No wonder the hunting chief favours him so much!
“Kid, where are you from?” The group of kids could not help but approach him in a provoking manner.
“The Crouching Ox village.”
“Hmph, you’re just a farmer, but you do have some ox-like strength. I heard you brought an ox with you. We don’t need cows here, so let’s butcher it!”
Li Qingshan could not stoop to their level and pick a fight with them, but he could not let them simply insult him either. His arms suddenly erupted with strength, and he tossed two stone dumbbells several dozen kilograms in weight high into the air.
“Mother of heaven!” The group of children scattered frantically. If one of the dumbbells fell onto them, their heads would crack.
The stone dumbbells fell down heavily. Li Qignshan did not try to avoid them. Instead, he maintained his concentration, grasping the timing to grab the dumbbells. He turned around to nullify the force and smiled at them.
The group of children were dumbfounded. They all gulped. Just how much strength was needed to raise the two stone dumbbells? Most of them could do that, but it was impossible for them to toss them so high in the air, let alone catch them.
Li Qingshan ignored them. Instead, he smiled and said, “Grandpa Zang, do I still have to train my strength?”
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Chapter 25 – Drawing the Bow and Shooting Arrows
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Chapter 25 – Drawing the Bow and Shooting Arrows
Grandpa Zang was finally shocked. “Natural superhuman strength!?” Then he shook his head. “I forgot. You practise external martial arts, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for you to have slightly greater strength!”
“You won’t be able to shoot arrows with just strength. Take it.” Grandpa Zang removed the hunting bow from his back and tossed it to Li Qingshan.
“This is grandpa Zang’s ox horn bow. It has the force of a stone!” Grandpa Zang was purposefully making things difficult for this kid. Drawing a bow was different from tossing some stone dumbbells.
A stone was sixty kilograms. Regular hunting bows did not pursue power but greater accuracy and dexterity. Bows with such a heavy draw weight were rare. Even if a heavier draw weight came with greater power, the accuracy and shooting speed of the bow would be horrible unless the archer could control it properly.
If they came across a vicious beast in the mountains, they would miss their first shot. Before they could fire their second, the beast would have arrived already. They would only end up dead. However, all the hunters who could handle a bow with such a heavy draw weight were marksmen. It was nothing difficult for them to hunt tigers or leopards in the mountains.
Li Qingshan weighed the bow in his hands. This was a superior oak wood bow, wrapped in beast hide and then silk. Its bowstring was made from cow sinew, so it was light yet extremely powerful.
He followed the method that grandpa Zang had described, sinking down with his hips into a horse stance. He drew the bowstring in one swift motion, and his muscles and bones rippled with it.
To grandpa Zang’s surprise, his form was actually very proper. Then he remembered that Li Qingshan had been watching on from the side earlier. Grandpa Zang guided him a little more with the essentials and Li Qingshan absorbed it all. In just a while, he seemed like he had already put in three months of hard work.
It was difficult to learn archery with a bow that was too heavy. People usually started with a lighter draw weight and would shoot many arrows to practise, gradually correcting their form. Only then would they increase the weight of their bow.
Grandpa Zang directly gave Li Qingshan his ox horn bow in an attempt to set him back mentally. Sure, you have a lot of strength and you can draw it, but it’s useless if you can’t hit anything. However, Li Qingshan’s performance surprised him once more.
It had nothing to do with whether Li Qingshan was actually better at learning than other people. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength taught him the most basic principles to using his qi and utilising his strength. Regardless of the weapon, as long as he grasped the essentials, he would be able to master it very quickly.
Beads of sweat began to emerge from Li Qingshan’s forehead. Maintaining the posture of drawing a bow really was much more tiring than lifting stone dumbbells. His bones and muscles ached all over slightly.
This sure is a good way to train my strength. Although it’s also very tiring when I practise punching, the punches aren’t hitting anything. I need to buy a heavy bow in the future for the purpose of training my strength. It’ll definitely be very beneficial to me.
“Alright. Aim at the target and shoot an arrow for me!” Grandpa Zang ordered.
Li Qingshan placed down the bow and rested up slightly before picking up an arrow and drawing the bow once more. He aimed at a target fifty paces away.
“Settle your mind. Don’t fire in a hurry. Look at the target!” Grandpa Zang guided from one side.
Li Qingshan stared right at the centre of the target, and his eyes suddenly lit up. However, as it was daytime, no one noticed it. Under his full concentration, the target seemed to expand, no longer so unreachable anymore.
In the legends, ancient marksmen trained their archery by tying a louse to a string before staring at it day and night. They would see the louse gradually expand. At first, it would be as large as a cartwheel before growing to the size of a mountain, filling up their view. Just by firing a single arrow, they would pierce the louse.
Currently, Li Qingshan felt such a sensation. He knew that it was probably due to the ox’s tears, which allowed him to see the fast slowly, the far close, and ghosts clearly.
Hit! A thought flashed through Li Qingshan’s head, and the arrow left the bowstring, flying towards the target.
Thud! The arrow became deeply embedded in the wooden target. It did not hit the centre but the edge instead. He had barely hit it.
Li Qingshan felt slightly embarrassed. “It missed the centre, but it still hit.”
However, the people in the surroundings were left speechless from surprise. During the first time he had ever shot an arrow in his life, he had drawn a bow with the weight of a stone and struck a target fifty paces away. Even a village that relied on shooting prey for generations had never seen such a person.
Just what are the origins of this guy?!
Grandpa Zang barely managed to remain composed. “Just keep practising in the future.” As an old and experienced hunter, he knew the best that Li Qingshan was unable to estimate the falling trajectory of the arrow and the effects of the wind because he was shooting for the first time.
“But I feel like this bow is still not powerful enough!” Just like how people should always aim above and beyond, Li Qingshan wanted a powerful bow that would take all of his strength to draw.
Grandpa Zang said nothing in reply. He took the bow from Li Qingshan and aimed it at the target in the distance. His cloudy eyes suddenly became as sharp as a hawk’s.
His right hand moved rapidly. Out of everyone present, only Li Qingshan saw it clearly. He had shot three arrows consecutively.
Thud! The three arrows formed a single line, striking the centre of the target, but there was only one sound.
The surroundings fell quiet before erupting into a string of cheers.
“Rapid fire arrows!” How could Li Qingshan not recognise this bow style? He had read about it in books in his past life, but he had only treated it as an interesting act.
However, now that he had witnessed it first-hand, he finally understood that it was truly a killing technique. He thought to himself that unless it was a close combat situation, it would be difficult for him to evade this bow style. On the other hand, if grandpa Zang decided to ambush him, he would be dead for sure.
Grandpa Zang saw how Li Qingshan had stopped talking, while Li Qingshan had already understood what he was trying to say. If he could not unleash something like that, there was no point to aiming above and beyond and using a bow he could barely draw. It was not like grandpa Zang could not draw a heavier bow. Rather, he had chosen a bow that suited him the most. Li Qingshan went up and bowed courteously, saying sincerely, “Please teach me archery, grandpa Zang!”
“You’re part of our Drawn Reins village now, so I will guide you with everything I have even if you hadn’t mentioned it. As for how much you can learn, that’ll be up to you. However, I’m confident that your skill with the bow will exceed mine in the future.” Grandpa Zang was happy inside, and his expression eased up amiably.
He did not take a liking to Li Qingshan originally, but the talent and strength that Li Qingshan had demonstrated shocked him. Moreover, there would be times when he would drop his pride to seek guidance. As a result, grandpa Zang’s attitude turned around completely, not only acknowledging Li Qingshan’s identity immediately, but also appreciating him very much.
Grandpa Zang’s evaluation shocked everyone. Grandpa Zang was the best with the bow in the village; this was a publicly accepted matter. Even the hunting chief Huang Binghu’s skill with the bow came from his personal guidance. Such an evaluation would probably shock the entire village.
The youngsters, who were originally very hostile towards Li Qingshan, gathered over once more. They talked to him all at once, showing some attachment to him. They were not intentionally fawning over him. Instead, they just admired the greatest at their age.
Perhaps some of them felt envy and wanted to reject him, but they were no longer bold enough to slight and provoke him. The atmosphere actually became harmonious. Li Qingshan came to a realisation that in order to get others to acknowledge him, a clever tongue was not enough. Instead, he needed to demonstrate sufficient strength.
If he did not possess this strength and wanted to achieve the current result diplomatically, not only would it take a very long time, he would have to bow and scrape to them as well, twisting his conscience.
He practised until the evening, and Li Qingshan could already land every single arrow he shot on the targets. However, he needed preparation with each arrow; he was nowhere close to being able to fire them at will like grandpa Zang, much less achieving rapid firing. However, to the eyes of others, this was already unbelievable enough.
In the next few days, Li Qingshan devoted himself to practising the bow, making progress with each passing day. Although he did not stop with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, he progressed extremely slowly.
Finally, after enduring all those days, Li Qingshan returned home and carefully opened a jar of alcohol. The heavy smell of alcohol and medicine filled his nose and mouth. He directly lifted up the jar and took a great gulp.
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Chapter 26 – Sparring Again
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Chapter 26 – Sparring Again
A heavy wave of warmth surged in his stomach. He immediately got up and began practising in the courtyard. Only when the warmth had vanished completely did he exhale deeply and stop.
Normally, he would feel tired after practising for so long, yet he was brimming with energy today. As expected, the medicinal alcohol made from ginseng was much more effective than simply eating meat.
Moreover, the true qi in his body seemed to grow slightly. It was very weak, but it was growing properly.
Medicinal alcohol made from ordinary ginseng is already so effective. I wonder how it would be like if I used the spiritual ginseng instead. He had thought of this before, but then he considered the difficulty in obtaining it, followed by the consequences that came after, so he could only give up in the end.
In just a few days, several hunters were carried off the mountains, either dead or injured. Clearly, the ginseng foragers were not easy to deal with. Although Li Qingshan had agreed to join the Drawn Reins village, it was just a measure to deal with his circumstances. He did not actually want to become involved in the dispute between the two villages.
In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth of the eighth month, the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the forested mountains, Huang Binghu gazed at the exhausted faces beside him. In the past few days, he had been moving through the mountains with his hunters, remaining alert at all times despite possessing the upper hand and basically slaughtering the ginseng foragers to a point of disarray.
However, it was impossible for him to remain unscathed, so it was difficult for him as well. Meanwhile, the spiritual ginseng only existed within the legends. No one had seen it with their own eyes, so these sacrifices became meaningless.
Huang Binghu let out a deep sigh and ordered them to return to the village. Xiao Hei said in a hurry, “Hunting chief, you can’t give up. Your body is-” Huang Binghu cut in and said, “The village takes top priority!” Not only was it the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for families to reunite, but it was almost winter as well. The village had to prepare for the change in seasons.
In one corner of the Drawn Reins village, within grandpa Zang’s courtyard, Huang Binghu asked with a smile, “Grandpa Zang, how’s the kid?”
“He’s a natural marksman. His archery will definitely exceed both yours and mine in the future, but…”
“But what?”
“His mind is not with the Drawn Reins village. Even if we’ve gotten him to join the village, it’s all useless. We’re hunting dogs that guard the mountain, while he’s a wolf, and a lone wolf at that. There’ll be a time when he goes off on a long journey!”
“A lone wolf? That’s only because he hasn’t witnessed that a lone wolf is easy to hunt, while a pack of wolves is difficult to rival. I’ll go see him. I refuse to believe that the position of hunting chief won’t make him waver.”
“You really plan on making him the hunting chief?”
“That’ll depend on his skills.” Huang Binghu smiled.
“Qingshan, has it been satisfactory for you here?” Huang Binghu entered the courtyard and greeted him straightforwardly.
“Thank you for your concern, hunting chief. I’ve been doing very well here.” Ever since the news of Li Qingshan killing seven ginseng foragers spread through the village, everyone had warmed up to him. However, this also meant that he had become complete enemies with the Ginseng King village. The ginseng foragers were not benevolent folk, so he had to rely on the Drawn Reins village in order to survive.
However, could he really just accept an arrangement like this?
Li Qingshan said, “Hunting chief, I want to try sparring with you again!”
Huang Binghu’s surprised gaze met Li Qingshan’s confident eyes.
Huang Binghu said, “Alright. Let’s see the fruits of your training from the past few days.”
“Ha!” Li Qingshan did not wait for Huang Binghu to pull away from him, suddenly rushing forwards. He threw a straight punch without any fancy tricks, striking towards Huang Binghu’s chest viciously. It gave off a slight whoosh from the rushing air.
“Not bad, kid!” Huang Binghu blocked using his arm, and with a smack, he staggered back three steps before stopping, shaking his arm in pain. Then he revealed a rather surprised expression. What great strength! Although he did not clash with Li Qingshan in brute strength last time, he could estimate that his strength back then should not have been so great.
Li Qingshan said, “Check out this move now!” He immediately rushed over and launched consecutive attacks. His fists rained down on Huang Binghu’s chest, launching a storm-like barrage, pushing the unencumbered force in his punches to the limit. His aura became extremely violent as well.
Careless, Huang Binghu lost the advantage and the upper hand, but it also roused his spirit. I refuse to believe that you can defeat me in terms of strength. His inner force began to circulate, flowing into his arms through his meridians. Welled up with inner force, his arms seemed to grow thicker as he received Li Qingshan’s punches.
For practitioners of martial arts, all of their martials arts depended on this inner force. He was using his true strength by doing this.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Their arms intersected as they fought fire with fire. Whenever they clashed, they would produce a loud sound of collision between flesh and bone; it was like two beasts mauling one another. It was extremely rough and brutal.
Huang Binghu was still the one with richer experience at the end of the day. He grasped the timing and threw a punch at Li Qingshan’s chest.
Li Qingshan did not try to block or dodge, returning a punch at Huang Binghu’s face.
Huang Binghu thought to himself, I’ve trained my inner force diligently for all these years, so the force of one of my punches can even kill a young calf. Even if you practise external martial arts tough on the body, you’ll still be injured. As for Li Qingshan’s punch, he ignored it completely. His punch would land on Li Qingshan first, and he would definitely seize up momentarily.
With a thud, the punch landed on Li Qingshan’s chest. As expected, Li Qingshan seized up, but he immediately recovered, completely unaffected. Huang Binghu was taken aback and used a roll in a hurry. The first brushed past his cheek, causing a slight ache.
Li Qingshan chuckled and remained where he was, choosing not to pursue him.
Huang Binghu stood up. “You’re actually fine?!” He understood the strength of that punch the best. Even if Li Qingshan used his external martial arts to block the force of the punch, he would not be able to stop the inner force imbued in the punch. However, it actually had no effect on him.
Li Qingshan rubbed his chest. “It hurt a lot!” A stream of qi seemed to penetrate his skin earlier, directly entering his body. However, it was immediately nullified by the true qi within him, basically failing to cause any damage at all. Afterwards, he immediately recovered his strength and almost landed a hit on Huang Binghu.
If it were explained as Huang Binghu would have explained it, this was the difference in quality between acquired inner force and innate true qi.
Huang Binghu had no idea how to respond. The punch that he was so confident in actually only received an evaluation like that. However, all practitioners of martials arts were competitive, seeking to prevail over others. He yelled out, “Then eat a few more of my punches!”
The two of them began fighting once more. This time, Huang Binghu no longer held back, using everything that he had. He became much swifter. As a result, Li Qingshan struggled to handle his attacks. Li Qingshan became peppered with punches.
To the untrained eye, Huang Binghu was overwhelming Li Qingshan, possessing the upper hand.
However, the two of them each experienced completely different thoughts. Li Qingshan only felt like Huang Binghu’s movements had slowed down, no longer as difficult to capture as before. Even if punches would hit him, it would only ache slightly, so he might as well just ignore them and focus on attacking. He was like a rock in a storm, remaining firm and unshaken.
However, Huang Binghu felt more surprised the more he attacked. Li Qingshan’s speed, reaction, and strength were all much greater than last time. He was basically like a completely different person. He was no longer able to attack Li Qingshan’s vital points so easily, but striking other places was completely useless.
And as the battle went on, Li Qingshan’s attacks became more and more orderly, throwing one or two extremely ingenious punches from time to time, forcing Huang Binghu into danger. It took him the experience from all these years of fighting to deal with. The fierce gale swept up with each of Li Qingshan’s punches told him that as long as a single punch landed, he would be done for. They grew closer and closer to one another rapidly.
As a result, a strange scene appeared. One of them was constantly struck by punches, yet he did better the more he fought. The other was uninjured, but he grew weaker as the battle continued.
Sweat began to sprout from Huang Binghu’s forehead. As exhaustion set in for him, Li Qingshan remained just as calm and unagitated as before.
The ox had always been an animal of great endurance. The further he cultivated, the more obvious the difference between supernatural abilities and martial arts would become.
Huang Binghu suddenly leapt away and called out, “Stop!”
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Chapter 27 – The Spiritual Ginseng Appears
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Chapter 27 – The Spiritual Ginseng Appears
Li Qingshan exhaled deeply. “How satisfying!”
Huang Binghu’s arms trembled; this was the result of clashing with Li Qingshan’s hands. He studied Li Qingshan from afar as he felt perplexed. “Just how did you train?” He was basically a monster to advance at such a rate.
Originally, he valued Li Qingshan’s willpower and martial arts. He had thought he had found a diamond in the rough and wanted to polish him. He wanted to see whether he had the right to accept the position of hunting chief. However, he discovered in the end that he had underestimated Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan considered the question. “Recently, I’ve been drinking medicinal alcohol made from ginseng. It’s a formula my master left behind.”
Huang Binghu hesitated. “Can you let me see it?” Originally, the rules of jianghu forbid him from just casually inquiring about things like this, but he was just too curious about what was happening.
Li Qingshan said frankly, “No problem!”
Huang Binghu had asked about the formula, so Li Qingshan told it to him truthfully. Huang Binghu nodded. “This formula is ingenious, but the strength of the combination is just too much. You’re using too much ginseng as well, so you can’t drink too much. Just a small cup a day will be enough.”
Aside from that, it was no different from ordinary medicinal alcohol. He even specially went to Li Qingshan’s room and tasted it, but he reached the same conclusion. He refused to believe that just drinking medicinal alcohol made from ginseng could lead to such rapid improvements in martial arts. Otherwise, the Ginseng King village would basically be filled with supreme masters.
However, it was far too inappropriate for him to probe any further. He could only hold in his doubts. However, he never considered that it was all due to Li Qingshan’s martial arts. After all, out of all of the external martials available, none of them were so impressive to the point of being some sort of unmatched, divine art.
Obviously, Li Qingshan could not tell him that he drank the medicinal wine by the bowlful, and he would down several every day at the very least. He had basically finished it all off now.
“Oh right, how are my martial arts now?”
“It has barely made it into the third-rate.” Huang Binghu could still remember some time ago when he said that it would pose no difficulty for Li Qingshan to become a third-rate master. In the blink of an eye, it had come true. He felt like he was dreaming.
“Only the third-rate?” Li Qingshan said in dissatisfaction.
Huang Binghu shot a glance at him. Anyone whose martial arts had reached the third-rate could be regarded as master, yet this kid was actually still unsatisfied. Wouldn’t that mean that his own martial arts were ‘only at the third-rate’?
He was someone who had been the hunting chief of Drawn Reins village for many years, so he was reluctant to lose out in terms of bearing. “However, my forte is not martial arts but archery. In terms of martial arts, even the Ginseng King village surpasses us, but only we dare to claim the name of Drawn Reins village. When well-equipped, even first-rate masters would try to avoid provoking us.”
There was another reason. His sickness was already close to becoming incurable. Although his name was Binghu, Sickly Tiger, he deemed the word ‘sickly’ as the highest taboo. He would never use it as a reason.
“Yeah. I’ve been working hard on rapid fire arrows lately. I can already shoot three of them in rapid succession, but I’m still much worse than the hunting chief. Please give me some guidance, hunting chief.” Li Qingshan had personally witnessed Huang Binghu’s archery, so he obviously would never take it lightly.
You can shoot three arrows in rapid succession!? Didn’t you just start learning archery a month ago? Huang Binghu only felt like he had experienced a little too much mental shock today. He waved his hands. “Go ask grandpa Zang for guidance tomorrow. I need to go back and eat a reunion dinner with my family.”
He understood inside that perhaps this kid really did have the talent to wander through the jianghu, so he put the matter of hunting chief aside. If he himself had advanced so rapidly in the past, he would have never returned to the Drawn Reigns village.
“Yeah, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival again!” Li Qingshan looked at the newly-risen full moon in the sky, but he had no relatives to reunite with. However, he did have a daemon and a ghost by his side, so he could still have a reunion meal with them. He went back and began preparing.
He prepared some grass for the black ox, some alcohol and meat for himself, and some incense sticks and joss paper for Xiao An.
He carried out everything smoothly, but he could not find Xiao An. “Brother Ox, where did Xiao An go?”
“I don’t know!”
Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “This little ghost has gotten carried away with playing lately. He doesn’t even bother to cling to me anymore. How strange. I think we should wait for him!”
The full moon rose slightly and all was silent on Bailao peak.
The brilliant moon scattered its light from high in the clouds.
A few people with large bamboo hats lay in a region of dense vegetation, gazing at the highest cliff on Bailao peak as if they were waiting for something.
“We’ve expended so much painstaking effort, lost so many people, and fallen out with the Drawn Reins village completely, yet we haven’t even seen a hair of the spiritual ginseng. Now, even the people from the Drawn Reins village have retreated down the peak to unite with their families, yet we still have to watch over here. What is the chief thinking?”
“What would you know? The spiritual ginseng is an item with intelligence. It has been alarmed by the presence of so many people, so it would obviously remain hidden. However, tonight’s a night with a full moon, so the spiritual ginseng will definitely appear to absorb the essence of the moon. The chief has been expecting this, and he has planned for it too. As long as we get the spiritual ginseng, our chief’s strength will increase drastically. By then, will we still have to be afraid of the Drawn Reins village? When that happens, we’ll trample over the Drawn Reins village, plunder all of their food and wealth, and play with all of their women. Then we’ll have our revenge.”
“Quiet! Don’t mess up the chief’s plans!” A person scolded them with a subdued voice.
The conversation immediately died out, only leaving the soft chirping of autumn insects that were close to dying. The round moon rose high into the sky.
A small person a foot tall suddenly emerged from the ground, hesitating as it made its way to the highest cliff that received the most moonlight. At a closer glance, it was not a person at all but a ginseng instead. It only barely possessed a humanoid form, so it looked like a small person in the dark. It seemed as light as a feather as it walked, moving like it was floating.
The ginseng foragers hidden in the bushes immediately held their breaths, afraid of making any sounds. This was a wondrous spiritual herb. They had never seen anything like it despite gathering ginseng for all of their lives.
The spiritual ginseng looked around as if it were confirming that no one else was here. It drifted to the highest cliff and settled down there. The essence of the moon wrapped around its body.
“Do it!” With the order, the ginseng foragers moved together. A net descended from the sky, falling towards the spiritual ginseng.
The spiritual ginseng was submerged in the essence of the moon. As such, before it could react, it had become caught in the net and lifted from the ground. The net was woven from the tendon of cows, so it was impossible for it to break free.
The four ginseng foragers were utterly overjoyed, approaching it and studying it carefully.
“There are a lot of cliffs on the Bailao peak, and they’ve all had people assigned to them, yet the spiritual ginseng just happened to fall into our hands. We’re blessed by the heavens. When we get back, we’ll be able to get some soup to drink at the very least. Maybe we can become masters.”
“Maybe you can become an immortal if you eat the whole thing!”
The four of them laughed together. One of their faces suddenly stiffened, and the snow-white tip of a sword emerged from his throat. He struggled as he tried to look back.
The sword was drawn from his body, and he immediately collapsed on the ground. All he could vaguely see was a black shadow as he fell down.
The other ginseng foragers all responded, drawing their blades as they roared out furiously and swung at the black shadow. The sword swept past their throats like a clever snake and some droplets of blood splattered in the air.
In a single instant, the four ginseng foragers were murdered, yet they could not even launch a single attack back. The assailant’s skill was evident.
“I never thought that the rumors would be true. Hmph, why would a group of mountain villagers like you be worthy of using something like this?” A young man in luxurious robes stowed his sword away in an elegant manner. At the same time, he extended his hand and reached towards the spiritual ginseng. He struggled to hold back his excitement as well. As long as he obtained it, his martial arts would advance drastically.
However, at this moment, something happened. The falling spiritual ginseng suddenly moved away horizontally such that the man grabbed nothing.
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Chapter 28 – The Promise of ‘South’
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Chapter 28 – The Promise of ‘South’
The man was surprised. He only saw the spiritual ginseng levitating in the air. He panicked and used his movement technique, reaching towards the spiritual ginseng, but it directly flew off the cliff. He could only watch as it vanished into the darkness. He was so depressed that he wanted to spit blood.
“No, I have to get the spiritual ginseng. I’ll get father to send people over to search the mountains when I get back.”
The man only thought it was a wondrous property of the spiritual ginseng, but if his eyes had been awakened, he would have seen the spiritual ginseng being firmly clutched in a pair of small, pale-white hands. He had stalked his prey, but he was unaware of being stalked himself. A ghost he could not see had remained hidden in the dark the entire time.
At the bottom of the cliff, Xiao An used everything he had to hold onto the spiritual ginseng, drifting towards the Drawn Reins village along with the night wind. He was so happy that he wanted to explode in joy. It was all due to the nurturing he had experienced when he resided in the scholar wood tablet that he possessed the strength to grab something so heavy.
In the courtyard, Li Qingshan yawned. His eyes suddenly lit up when he saw Xiao An drift over from afar. “Little ghost, where did you run off to?”
Xiao An bit his lip sternly, suppressing the joy he felt inside as he laid the spiritual ginseng in his hands in front of Li Qingshan.
“Hmm? What’s this? Ginseng?” Li Qingshan took the spiritual ginseng and sniffed it gently. A strange, faint fragrance entered his nose, and he immediately felt his mind shudder. The true qi in his body seemed to become much livelier.
Li Qingshan suddenly thought of something. “This is… the spiritual ginseng!” He experienced quite a lot of disbelief. The spiritual herb that had turned two villages against each other as absolute enemies and claimed several dozen lives was currently in his hands.
The black ox chewed the grass lazily. “Why else do you think the little ghost runs off every night?”
Li Qingshan checked Xiao An. As expected, he was exhausted, but he also felt endless joy. He even used his small hand to point at his mouth as if he were telling Li Qingshan to eat it.
For the past few days, Xiao An would leave when it was dusk and only return when it was close to dawn, no longer communicating with him as much as before. Li Qingshan had thought the little ghost yearned for freedom and wanted to leave him. Only now did he understand that all of it was his sake.
“This kid!” Li Qingshan felt his nose tingle, as he was on the verge of crying. “Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Xiao An smiled bashfully before pointing at his mouth again.
Even though Li Qingshan had a heart of stone, he could not help but be touched as he faced this pure gaze without the slightest hint of selfishness. He asked the black ox, “Xiao An should be able to use the spiritual ginseng as well, right?”
The black ox said, “The spiritual ginseng is a rare, innate object of nature. The spiritual qi it contains is beneficial even to ghosts. However, if you use it for yourself, you can easily achieve the strength of an ox. Can you bring yourself to share it?”
Li Qingshan said, “Why can’t I? The spiritual ginseng came from Xiao An in the first place, so Xiao An should use it. I can just slowly practise my ability.” The way he approached matters had not changed due to the temptation of the spiritual ginseng.
Xiao An immediately retreated and waved his hands.
“Enough. I will appreciate your kind intentions, so just take it.”
All Xiao An did was shake his head. In the end, he turned into a wisp and dove into the wooden tablet.
“Oi, get out here. If you don’t want it, I’m going to throw it away.”
The black ox suddenly called out, “Since he wants you to have it, why must you be so persistent and act like a little girl? Won’t you be able to find something that’s a hundred or a thousand times better than the spiritual ginseng for him?”
Li Qingshan shuddered inside and nodded. “Brother ox is right. I’ve been obstinate. Alright, come out. I’ll use the spiritual ginseng.” Xiao An immediately flew out.
“However, you do deserve a share of this. I can’t use it all for myself. If you decline again, I’m going to get angry.”
Only then did Xiao An agree.
Li Qingshan waved the spiritual ginseng in his hand. “Brother ox, how do I use this?” Xiao An was a ghost, so he was unable to eat anything.
The black ox said, “Go find a needle and extract a droplet of ginseng juice.”
Li Qingshan abided, finding a needle before stabbing it into the spiritual ginseng. The spiritual ginseng trembled in his hand, but he obviously would not become soft-hearted against a plant. A droplet of ginseng juice oozed out, gathering on the tip of the needle.
The black ox said, “Alright, drip it onto his forehead!”
“Forehead? Xiao An, raise your head!”
Xiao An raised his head in a hurry, and the droplet of ginseng juice dripped from the needle, landing between his eyebrows. His body trembled like a ripple of water as the ginseng juice suddenly shone resplendently in his body.
Xiao An shut his eyes firmly. His expression was sometimes of pain and sometimes of joy. He only calmed down after the light had subsided, and he slowly opened his eyes. There was now something extra in his eyes. Two tear streaks ran down his face.
“What’s wrong?”
The black ox said, “He must have remembered something.”
“Really? Xiao An, do you remember who you are and where your home is?” Li Qingshan knelt on one knee in a hurry and looked into his eyes.
Xiao An hesitated for quite a while before pointing in a direction. The south.
Li Qingshan asked rapidly, “Your home’s to the south? Which city is it? Is it far from here?”
However, Xiao An was unable to answer these questions. He only shook his head in confusion.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan drew his hunting blade and began carving the scholar wood tablet. Wood shavings fell down, and the word ‘south’ immediately appeared on the blank side. He lifted it up in front of Xiao An.
Under the moonlight, a young man knelt on the ground on one knee and promised seriously to a child. “No matter how many dangers, difficulties, obstacles, and hardships there are, there will be a day when I send you home.”
The child stared at his figure blankly, never able to forget this, just like the red mole that had formed between his eyebrows where the droplet had landed.
Li Qingshan hung the wooden tablet on his waist again before asking Xiao An whether he felt any differences. He wondered whether the spiritual ginseng was useful or not.
Xiao An leapt into the air and flew around the courtyard like a whirlwind. He lifted up Li Qingshan’s hunting blade and swung it about in the yard.
If it were someone else, all they would be able to see was a blade dancing about by itself, moving as if it possessed its own consciousness.
Not only had Xiao An become much faster, but he could even carry heavier objects. He had become stronger. If he launched a sneak attack or an ambush, even masters within the jianghu would be doomed.
“Brother ox, am I supposed to use it like that as well?”
“That would be too big of a waste. The best way to ingest the ginseng is to combine it with other spiritual herbs and refine it into a pill, but you don’t have that option. You can treat the spiritual ginseng like ordinary ginseng and soak it in alcohol. That way, the spiritual ginseng won’t wither, but its spiritual qi will permeate the alcohol, turning it into spiritual alcohol. You’ll be able to absorb its effects slowly. Oh also, you can’t mix it with any other medicines.”
“That’s a good idea!” Li Qingshan knew it was impossible for him to digest the spiritual ginseng in a single stroke. If he did try, it would either lack great effect, or he would just explode. “However, for a treasure like this, I just don’t feel safe unless I carry it on me.”
When he said that, a wine gourd flew towards Li Qingshan. He caught it. “Thanks, brother ox!” He placed the spiritual ginseng inside the gourd, filled it up with strong alcohol, before hanging it on his waist.
He crossed his arms, standing with his powerful body and the large gourd by his side. He was still young, but he gave off an uninhibited, heroic air.
“Xiao An, don’t you think I look more and more like a person of the jianghu?”
Xiao An smiled as well, but then his expression changed. He became worried. However, he could not speak, so he panicked slightly. Suddenly, he thought of something, crouched down on the ground and began drawing.
Li Qingshan went up to take a look. Xiao An had actually written a line of pretty words. He did not understand calligraphy, but he could tell that Xiao An’s words were dignified, delicate, and elegant, much better than his own handwriting.
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Chapter 29 – Autumn Hunting in the Mountains
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Chapter 29 – Autumn Hunting in the Mountains
Li Qingshan asked in a hurry, “You’re literate. Did you remember it just now?”
Xiao An nodded and made Li Qingshan look at what he had written.
From Xian An, Li Qingshan learned that someone else had originally butt in to try and take the spiritual ginseng, and their martial arts was very powerful. Since they had seen this, they would never give up. They would definitely find a way to look for it.
“It looks like I need to be careful. I have to keep everything hidden. However, once I take a step further with my ability and develop the strength of an ox, there’ll be no need for me to be afraid of anyone.”
The spiritual alcohol would not become better the longer the spiritual ginseng remained in it. If it became too strong, Li Qingshan would not be able to digest it. As a result, he had his first sip of the spiritual alcohol after waiting for just a few days.
A special fragrance expanded through his mouth. The taste was not heavy and was rather faint instead. Extremely pure spiritual qi permeated his body.
He did not waste any time, utilising the ability to digest the spiritual qi. To his surprise, a sip of spiritual alcohol basically resulted in better effects than drinking a whole jar of alcohol made from regular ginseng.
The true qi in his body became twice as powerful. Although regular ginseng could replenish vitality, they were just regular objects of mortals, unable to affect true qi too much. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength focused on practising the body and not practising qi, so his true qi had never grown particularly quickly.
The spiritual ginseng was a true, innate object of nature, best at replenishing spiritual qi, which was why it had such effects. If this continued, he would be able to release his true qi beyond his body before long. By then, he could call himself an ‘innate master’.
“Brother ox, I once swore that I would drink all of the finest alcohol the world has to offer. It looks like I’m mostly done now!” After drinking the spiritual alcohol, he would only find normal alcohol tasteless now.
The black ox only responded with a sneer.
At this moment, a racket started outside, along with a lot of barking. Huang Binghu had arrived in front of Li Qingshan’s door with the hunters from the village, inviting him to participate in the autumn hunt with them.
Autumn was a great time for hunting. Not only did people have to prepare food for the winter, but the animals had to as well. Every single one of them would have stuffed themselves until they were plump. As such, the autumn hunt was an important gathering for the Drawn Reins village.
Many large clans would hold large-scale hunts during this time, not to hunt prey, but to train their descendents, complementing the desolation of autumn.
Huang Binghu said, “You’ve only learnt archery, but you haven’t learnt the true way to hunt. You should stay by my side when we go into the mountains this time!” Ever since he clashed with Li Qingshan last time, he no longer treated Li Qingshan as a regular youth.
Li Qingshan considered it, but he declined in the end. “Thank you for the offer, hunting chief, but I want to hunt alone.”
Before Huang Binghu could say anything, the other hunters began expressing their thoughts.
“What? Alone? Not only have you not learnt how to hunt before, but you don’t even have a proper hunting dog.”
“You really aren’t afraid of the vicious beasts in the mountains?”
Although they admired Li Qingshan’s skill in being able to kill seven ginseng foragers, they could not allow their forte to be looked down upon.
Huang Binghu tried to persuade him. “Hunting is not just about having some decent archery and skill.” Suddenly, he thought of grandpa Zang’s evaluation. A lone wolf!
Li Qingshan continued to shake his head. He only wanted to learn archery so that he could kill enemies and protect himself. As for hunting, it was unnecessary for him.
“If he wants to be alone, then let him be alone. Let’s see what he can catch in the end.”
“I think he won’t even be able to catch a rabbit.”
Li Qingshan smiled without contributing to the conversation.
Suddenly, someone said dripping with sarcasm, “You’ve already freeloaded in the village for so long, yet you still refuse to oblige to some arrangements. Do you really plan on freeloading forever?”
In the days he had spent in the village, all of his food and drink had been delivered to him under Huang Binghu’s orders, which definitely used up some of the village’s resources. He had a large appetite as well, so some resentment was natural.
Huang Binghu immediately scolded that person, “Qingshan is also a part of our village. How can you bicker with him over some food and drink?”
Li Qingshan became stern. He clasped his fist. “Hunting chief, there’s no need for you to feel troubled over this. I, Li Qingshan, draw a clear line between my debts of kindness and grievances. I will never profit at another’s expenses. I will definitely return everything I’ve consumed in the village these days twofold.”
“Qingshan, there’s no need to…” Huang Binghu was utterly furious with the person who had spoken. I’ve been working my heart out to rope him into the village, yet you’re going to push him out over a bit of meat.
Li Qingshan did not want to become a part of any place. There was neither the need nor the interest. “I’ve heard that the village will hold a competition for the autumn hunt each year to see who has hunted the most prey, where the winner even gets some prizes. I’ll participate this year as well.”
Huang Binghu struggled to persuade him otherwise. Li Qingshan made some slight preparations and entered the mountains with a regular hunting bow as everyone looked at him like he was a joke.
The hunters went to the mountains in the north. Li Qingshan did not want to be with them, but the west was the myriad mountains. He had gained an understanding for the mysteriousness of this world, so he did not want much risk at all. Yet, to the south was the place of trouble, the Bailao peak, which was why he could only go to the east.
On Bailao peak, a group of people in the same uniform, all carrying swords, gathered together.
The leader was the young man who had killed the ginseng foragers that day. Back then, he had almost obtained the spiritual ginseng.
“Search! Even if you have to flip the entire mountain peak upside down, you have to find the spiritual ginseng!”
“Yes, young master!” The group of people responded and used their masterful movements techniques, shooting off to various places on Bailao peak.
Li Qingshan ventured deep into the mountains. He did not know how to distinguish the tracks of birds and beasts, nor did he know how to hide his own tracks. He did not know how to set traps either, and he was not working with other hunters. He did not even have a hunting dog with him.
If someone like him said they wanted to hunt, any hunter would laugh their heart out.
However, he was in no hurry at all. He began meditating among a pile of deadwood in the mountains. Only when it was dusk did he open his eyes and smile. “Xiao An!”
There was a gale of chilly wind between the trees. A while later, it returned.
Li Qingshan stood up and walked between the trees. Before long, he discovered a deer that had fallen dead. There was not a single mark on its body.
Ever since Xiao An’s strength had increased, his yin qi had grown heavier as well. He discovered that the deer had only run into him before it immediately fell unconscious and dropped dead.
Li Qingshan laughed. “As long as you’re here, Xiao An, there’s obviously no need to learn any hunting skills. It’s a waste of time. They were actually looking down on me. Let’s catch a lot to show them.”
Ever since the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Qingshan no longer let Xiao An run free like before, keeping him in check a lot more. Now, when he used him, he did it without holding back at all. To people close to him, there was obviously no need for so much courtesy.
Xiao An nodded excitedly before diving into the trees as a gust of wind again.
The animals in the forests and mountains were vigilant, but they could not be vigilant about an invisible little ghost. They all dropped dead, waiting for Li Qingshan to come and collect them.
Li Qingshan had nothing to do, so he practised archery, shooting at the startled birds in the forest. Shooting moving objects was much more difficult as expected. Out of every three arrows, two would miss. However, as he gradually became accustomed to it, he missed less and less.
By dawn, a few hunters had brought their prey back to the village. However, most of them remained in the mountains, working together to hunt.
In an empty piece of land at the centre of the village, the respected grandpa Zang was responsible for counting the prey. He revealed a smile on his usually stern face. “Not a bad haul. It’s a good omen.” Afterwards, the women and children remaining in the village would deal with the prey, tanning the hides and preserving the meat.
“Why hasn’t Li Qingshan returned yet?” There were already people eager to see Li Qingshan make a fool of himself.
“He entered the mountains to hunt alone, so why would he return so soon?”
Right after that, a person called out, “Li Qingshan has returned.”
“W- what’s that?” Several people looked in the direction of the voice, but the first thing they saw was not a person, but a hairy monster that formed a pile. It was just like a wild man mentioned in the legends.
Li Qingshan bent his waist back and carried water deer, milu deer, and so on. There were many large prey, amounting to several hundred kilograms. Additionally, plenty of pheasants and rabbits hung from his waist. The journey off the mountains had even made him sweat profusely. He said with difficulty, “Oi, Xiao An, it’s too much! It’s too darn heavy!”
Xiao An sat atop the mound of prey and laughed secretly while covering his mouth. He looked back as the east shone dimly. Before the first ray of sunlight could fall, he dove into the wooden tablet.
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Chapter 30 – Chasing a Tiger to its Death
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Chapter 30 – Chasing a Tiger to its Death
With a rumble, Li Qingshan placed all of the game before grandpa Zang. “This should make up for the food I’ve eaten during the time I’ve spent here!”
There were gulps in the surroundings. In particular, the hunters who had just returned were dumbfounded. They had set off with a large group of people, working together in cooperation with careful preparation, yet the prey they had caught was still less than Li Qingshan’s hoard.
Even more to his surprise, grandpa Zang discovered that there were not even any wounds on many of the game. “Just how did you hunt?”
This was the question everyone present wanted answered. Li Qingshan considered it before replying, “With my hands!”
Everyone was taken aback in admiration, but they could not bring themselves to question him further.
Li Qingshan glanced at the prey the hunters had brought back from the mountains. “You’ve caught so much as well. You’re almost going to catch up to me. No, I have to put some more effort into it, or I can’t win.”
Grandpa Zang was unable to explain to him that the prey would be split between each hunter. On average, there was not even a prey for each hunter. Li Qingshan had basically won already after the first day of hunting.
Li Qingshan ate before returning to the mountains.
The hunters returned to the mountains in the north and told everyone what had happened in the village.
“How’s that possible?”
“You must have drunk in the village!”
“It’s true. There really was that much game.” They explained in a hurry.
“This kid!” Huang Binghu exhaled deeply and called out, “All of you put your back into it. Don’t fall behind him. If even all of us combined can’t match him alone, we’d better kill ourselves in shame!”
The hunters agreed loudly, and their morale swelled.
Huang Binghu secretly held back a series of coughs. He looked at the centre of his hand and saw some dark red blood.
On a path in the mountains, a convoy moved slowly. At the centre was a sedan chair carried by four men, and over a dozen guards and servants were gathered in the surroundings.
A fat man lifted up the curtains of the sedan, revealing his chubby face. He asked, “Advisor, how far are we from Qingyang city?” It was clearly late autumn, yet he was still drenched in sweat as he sat in the sedan chair.
A person dressed like a caretaker said, “Sir, it’s still quite far away. If we can arrive by tonight, we’ll be doing fine.”
The fat man placed down the curtains and muttered to himself, “Despite all of my knowledge at administering affairs, he actually sent me to such a remote place to be a district magistrate. Sir prefect really is befuddled.”
“Sir, you can’t say things like that. It’ll be bad if it makes it to the prefect.”
The fat official snorted and said nothing more.
At this moment, the mountain wind suddenly appeared, and countless birds fluttered through the forest, alarmed.
Rwaar! A roar rang out from the thicket beside the mountain path.
The sedan chair fell to the ground with a thud, shaking up the fat official. “W- what’s happening? Is someone trying to murder me?”
“S- sir, i- it’s a tiger!” The advisor fell to the ground and pointed ahead with his trembling finger.
A magnificent tiger leapt down from the slope, landing on the mountain path. It glared at the sedan chair viciously as it stood there majestically. The tiger had a ‘王’ pattern on its head.
“Huff, tiger? What? A Tiger! S- somebody come quick and deal with this beast!”
The advisor was close to bursting out into tears. “T- they’ve all fled.”
The fat official lifted up the curtains of the sedan chair to look around. As expected, the chairmen, guards, and servants were nowhere to be seen, having all fled for their lives. They had reacted as soon as the tiger’s roar had rung out. As working people at the bottom of society, they were constantly vigilant.
As the saying went, people would pale from the mention of a tiger. There was not a single common person who did not fear tigers in this day and age. Tigers eating people was nothing out of the ordinary.
“My advisor, you really are loyal. I haven’t favored you for nothing!” the fat official said emotionally.
The advisor responded automatically, “Thank you for your praise, sir. Even if this one becomes torn to shreds, I’ll never be able to reciprocate even one ten-thousandth of the kindness you’ve shown me.” Meanwhile, he cursed inside, Fucking hell, I- I can’t move!
“Hold on, I’ll go get reinforcements!” The fat official emerged from the sedan chair with great agility, about to flee for his life.
The advisor grabbed the fat official’s leg and clung on for dear life. “Sir, don’t abandon me!”
Looking at the plump pile of meat, the vicious tiger’s eyes seemed to light up. Just when it was about to lunge over, its ears suddenly perked up, and it pulled back, facing the forest.
The vegetation moved about, and the rustling grew closer and closer. It gave off a much greater disturbance than when the tiger had appeared earlier.
“W- what’s that now?” the advisor murmured.
A figure flew out from the vegetation. It was a young man. His young face was not exactly handsome, but his expression was elated. He landed on the mountain path powerfully and nimbly, facing the tiger and grinning. “Now that’s a good, rare prey!”
As if the tiger knew he was difficult to deal with, it bared its fangs and brandished its claws to threaten him, but it ended up being useless. With a lunge, it threw itself at Li Qingshan with a roar.
Li Qingshan’s legs remained rooted as he grabbed the tiger’s two paws with his arms, facing the tiger’s mouth that brimmed with sharp teeth. A foul air attacked his face. He bellowed out, and his true qi surged violently. Channelling strength through his arms, he tossed the tiger several hundred kilograms in weight onto the ground, leaping and mounting its back.
He had never fought a tiger before. He had only read about Wu Song slaying a tiger from Water Margin, so he copied it, grabbing onto the tiger by its back and randomly pounding it with his fists.
The tiger roared out wildly in pain. It bucked its back suddenly, and Li Qingshan shot off. He thought to himself, Reality really is different from the books. He forced his true qi downwards and landed firmly, remaining alert against the tiger.
However, the tiger only glanced at him and growled before turning around and fleeing.
Before this moment, the fat official and the advisor had been stunned by the sight in front of their eyes. Only now did they return to their senses. They were overjoyed.
“Young hero, brave warrior, I am the prefecture magistrate of Qingyang. You’ve chased away the tiger, so I will reward you handsomely!”
However, Li Qingshan did not even glance at them. He yelled out, “Where do you think you’re going?!” With that, he rushed off, grabbing the tiger’s tail that was like a steel cord. However, it was slippery, making it difficult to get a grip on it.
How could Li Qingshan be willing to let such a good prey escape from right in front of him? He rushed off in pursuit.
The fat official and advisor only recovered from the surprise after quite a while. They looked at each other.
The autumn hunt had ended, and a joyful atmosphere filled the Drawn Reins village.
Li Qingshan also returned to the village. There were several wounds on his body now. As such, he seemed to be in quite a sorry shape. However, everyone looked at him in reverence, not because of his wounds, but because of the prey on his shoulders.
He was carrying an adult tiger on his shoulders.
He had chased the tiger for a whole day and a whole night through the forest. He had only managed this feat through the endurance that the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength had granted him. If it were not for Xiao An, who helped him follow the tiger’s trail, he would have come close to losing it many times.
However, Xiao An was unable to get too close to this king of the mountain. Tigers naturally possessed an aura that could subdue ghosts. As a matter of fact, tigers that had become tiger monsters or tiger daemons could even turn the people it had eaten into subservient ghosts.
The children from the village ran around Li Qingshan as their eyes shone with admiration.
Huang Binghu personally came out to welcome him back before declaring him to be the winner. No one in the village dared to object. Not only were tigers extremely terrifying beasts to ordinary people, hunters felt the same about them. Ordinary hunting bows were unable to kill tigers and would instead rouse their viciousness, while facing a tiger in close combat with a hunting knife would only lead to death.
Li Qingshan had killed the tiger, so he seemed to possess the might of a tiger.
“I don’t really have anything valuable, so this Stone Splitter bow can serve as the prize for this autumn hunt!” Huang Binghu suddenly removed the huge bow from his back.
“The Stone Splitter bow!”
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Chapter 31 – The Stone Splitter Bow
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Chapter 31 – The Stone Splitter Bow
“Hunting chief, you mustn’t!” The other hunters quickly tried to dissuade him.
Li Qingshan felt surprised as well. He actually wanted to give him his personal bow. The implication of this was much more than just giving away a body, so he objected, “Hunting chief, good men will never take a beloved item of others. I can’t accept this prize. Please treat all of this as a joke of mine!”
Huang Binghu rubbed the bow gently and said regardless of the objection, “The Stone Splitter bow has accompanied me for many years, and it’s convenient to use. It has also helped me make a name for myself in the jianghu. Now that I don’t have much time left, I want to choose a good master for it.”
“I heard you disliked grandpa Zang’s bow because it was too light. The Stone Splitter bow is a metal composite bow. It has a draw weight of three stones. Even normal practitioners of martial arts can’t use it. Here, don’t dilly-dally.” Huang Binghu pushed the Stone Splitter bow into Li Qingshan’s hands.
Li Qingshan held the bow, which felt heavy in his hands. He thought about how Huang Binghu stood atop the boulder before and killed people effortlessly.
Yes, this bow was not suited for hunting; instead, it was made for fighting on the battlefield. It was truly a weapon for killing people.
He fiddled around with the bowstring with his finger. There were metal strands within it, so it was extremely sharp. Normal people would need a ring to use it, but it was not a worry for him thanks to his Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
It was somewhat like Huang Binghu was entrusting his child to someone else. Although he had not mentioned it like that, everyone present could tell. However, no one objected to it. This was not only due to Huang Binghu’s power and influence, but also because Li Qingshan had demonstrated his strength to everyone.
Whether Li Qingshan possessed the capability of leadership or whether the villagers would accept him as their leader was not an issue. Yielding to the powerful was an instinct of people, just like in a wolf pack. The Drawn Reins village was a wolf pack, while Huang Binghu wanted Li Qingshan to take over the position of wolf king.
He had only decided this after long, careful consideration. The Drawn Reins village was disliked by the government, and they had completely fallen out with the Ginseng King village. They seemed awe-inspiring, but they were actually facing danger from everywhere. Although there were outstanding talents in the village, none of them possessed the ability to control the situation. Only Li Qingshan could manage it.
Li Qingshan held the Stone Splitter bow as he felt like he was dreaming. Just a few months ago, he was the most inconspicuous and lowly cowherd in Crouching Ox village.
Now, he had the chance to become the hunting chief of the infamous Drawn Reins village. However, he did not accept the position. “Hunting chief, I’ll accept the bow, so thank you for your kindness. However, I’ve actually come today to bid you farewell.”
There was a commotion with that. Everyone felt that Li Qingshan was far too unappreciative. Even if Huang Binghu knew about his strength and potential, turning down the offer before so many people would still make Huang Binghu look bad.
“But I don’t want to take it for free.” He returned to his house and took out a small bottle of alcohol, handing it to Huang Binghu, “This is the medicinal alcohol my master left me in the past. It might be able to cure your illness.”
“D- do you really think so?” Now that he faced a chance for survival, Huang Binghu became rather excited. The other people stirred as well.
Li Qingshan smiled. “You’re welcome to try it.” This was the spiritual alcohol made from the spiritual ginseng. He did not possess any medicinal skills, but he did understand Huang Binghu’s sickness slightly. He was born frail, and the years of practising martial arts had used up the source of his life. He completely relied on his inner force to remain alive.
This was a terminal illness that all physicians, no matter how divine, would struggle to cure. It was a natural, innate deficiency that could not be made up for with ginseng or lingzhi ganoderma. However, the spiritual ginseng possessed this innate energy, which could save Huang Binghu’s life.
Huang Binghu drank it all in a single gulp before sitting down to meditate. A while later, white mist rose from the top of his head, and his waxy, sallow face recovered some redness. He opened his eyes after quite a while.
“Hunting chief, how do you feel?” the hunters all asked.
Huang Binghu touched his chest in disbelief. “Much better.” It was not just much better. It was better than he had ever felt before; it was as if he had regained his youth.
There was a cheer. Many hunters even shed tears. Many of the people who were originally hostile and had feelings of rejection towards Li Qingshan changed their sentiment completely. They held his hands and thanked him endlessly as tears of gratitude flowed.
Li Qingshan waved the Stone Splitter bow. “Then it would be rude for me to turn down the bow now.”
Huang Binghu reddened slightly. “About that… Li Qingshan… Could I switch the prize…” Having evaded death, he immediately became reluctant to part with this ‘old companion’.
“Don’t even think about it!” Li Qingshan declined firmly. “The words of men of the mountains weigh heavily just like the mountains. How can you just take it back so easily?”
“Then fine!” Huang Binghu said with a long face, which led to a roar of laughter in the surroundings. It was rare to see their hunting chief like that.
“Li Qingshan, will you be coming back?”
“I’m just going to the Crouching Ox village to take a look. There are still some matters I need to resolve there. And, I want some peace to myself so that I can practise my martial arts. I want to see if I can make a breakthrough.”
After drinking the spiritual alcohol these days, Li Qingshan felt like he had already touched on a critical juncture of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He planned on going on a retreat alone to achieve the strength of an ox. Once that happened, there was no longer a reason for him to hide in the mountains and forests. He would be able to go and check out the outside world.
He remembered the fatty he saved yesterday, who seemed to refer to himself as some district magistrate of Qingyang. He wanted to complete his promise to Xiao An. He had no idea just how far south Xiao An was referring to, but he had to take a first step.
“Another breakthrough?!” Huang Binghu had sensed long ago that the current Li Qingshan seemed completely different once again compared to a few days ago. His aura and energy had changed drastically. His rate of improvements was simply alarming.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, he said he was going to make another breakthrough. Huang Binghu could not help but think about what Li Qingshan had said before, where Li Qingshan told him he wanted to become an ‘innate master’. Back then, Huang Binghu had only shrugged it off with a smile, but now, he suddenly felt that perhaps he might truly achieve it.
“But what about the prey that you caught?” Li Qingshan’s haul from the past few days could almost rival the entire village’s haul.
“I don’t really care about the others. I just want the bones of the tiger. And, please collect some more tiger bones for me. I want to brew some medicinal alcohol with it. I will buy it according to the market price.”
The reason why he had chased the tiger relentlessly was not just to look good before the village. Instead, the black ox had told him that once he had attained the strength of an ox with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, he could begin practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, which required another type of medicinal alcohol. One of the central materials to it was similar to ginseng, valuable and rare. It was tiger bones.
Hunters treated tigers as their arch nemesis. Individual hunters were afraid of tigers, but once a tiger created too much of a disturbance, there would definitely be a large-scale search of the mountain. They hunters would obviously set down many traps. Wild beasts were vicious, but they were still unable to defeat humans. There should have been quite a lot of tiger bones accumulated in the Drawn Reins village.
Huang Binghu said, “Is it also a formula that your master left behind?”
“Yes.”
“Are the men of our Drawn Reins village supposed to be stingy while you’re so generous? I can make the medicinal alcohol for you, but could we use your two formulas as well?”
Huang Binghu secretly tested Li Qingshan’s formula, and the medicinal alcohol he brewed was much better than the medicinal alcohol the village originally used. Moreover, there was no need to purchase the items that went into making it from other people. The village could gather all it by themselves. If he used it to nurture the future generation, the strength of the Drawn Reins village would reach a whole new level before long.
Li Qingshan found no reason not to. The two formulas only created medicinal alcohol that went overboard. They were not particularly valuable, so it was no issue even if he gave it to someone else. It would also save him the trouble of making the medicinal alcohol himself, so it was perfect.
He gave the formulas to Huang Binghu before taking the Stone Splitter bow, mounting the ox and riding off slowly.
Only when Li Qingshan’s figure disappeared around the corner of the mountain path did grandpa Zang whisper to Huang Binghu, “Hunting chief, why didn’t you make him stay earlier? The spiritual ginseng is most likely on him, and the alcohol you drank was most likely steeped with spiritual ginseng. The spiritual ginseng is probably in the gourd on his waist.”
Li Qingshan never mentioned the matter of the spiritual ginseng, but in the eyes of this experienced, old hunter, there were just far too many aspects that gave it away. Meanwhile, to Huang Binghu, who had once roamed through the jianghu, these aspects only appeared clearer and easier for him to understand.
Huang Binghu gazed at the mountain path that Li Qingshan vanished on. After a long moment of silence, he turned around and said, “At the end of the day, we’re different from those ginseng foragers, aren’t we?”
“Yes, hunting chief!”
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Chapter 32 – Uncompromising
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Chapter 32 – Uncompromising
Grandpa Zang showed much admiration. Many of the mountain villages were the same as the Ginseng King village, especially the hunting villages. After all, hunting people was much easier than hunting beasts. Coming across a lone traveller, taking them out with a single arrow and taking their things was simply too easy.
Ever since Huang Binghu became the leader of the Drawn Reins village, he restrained the villagers strictly, so this had never happened.
On the mountain path, the black ox said to Li Qingshan, “With how you gave away the spiritual wine, there are at least two people who managed to tell you possess the spiritual ginseng.”
Li Qingshan said, “I know!”
“It’s very likely for them to turn against you such that you will remain in the Drawn Reins village forever.”
“I know that as well.” As a person of two lives, Li Qingshan was not an ignorant teenager. He did know about the many dark sides to human nature.
“However, I’m willing to take that risk. Living in the world, if you always have to be careful, untrusting of others, untrusting of yourself, what’s the point to it all even if you achieve supreme abilities?”
He already possessed some estimate of his personal strength. He was confident that even in the worst-case scenario, he could kill his way out. And, he believed that his strength could act as a deterrent to others.
I receive them so enthusiastically while I silently press against my sword. Would you call that being mature?
Li Qingshan sighed slightly inside. He gently rubbed the wooden tablet with the two words, ‘south’ and ‘An’, carved into it. At least, there was still a person, er, ghost he could wholeheartedly trust and believe in.
He travelled along the rugged mountain path slowly. The maple trees along the way were as vibrant as fire, ranging from red, orange, yellow, and green. It was beautiful.
Li Qingshan produced his reed flute again and began playing it. The clear flute sound rang through the autumn mountains.
“You still can’t find it?” The young man regarded as ‘young master’ by all the swordsmen asked rather anxiously. He had led a group of people to search Bailao peak for many days now. He even expanded the range, but he did not even catch a glimpse of the spiritual ginseng.
“Young master, we’ve already trampled the Ginseng King village. The spiritual ginseng definitely isn’t in there. They said that the Drawn Reins village must have it. Should we trample the Drawn Reins village as well?” a swordsman asked.
“Hmph, they have a huge grievance with the Drawn Reins village, so of course they would say that. Do they really think that I don’t know? The Drawn Reins village pulled back their men on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival before going to the north to hold their autumn hunt. The Drawn Reins village can’t be compared to the bumpkins from the Ginseng King village. In the past, Huang Binghu had made a name for himself in the jianghu with his archery. Unless we have to, it’s best if we don’t provoke him.”
Not a single person from the jianghu dared to take bows or crossbows lightly. Even first-rate masters would suffer in the face of a wave of arrows.
“Wise be the young master. It looks like we can only wait until the next full moon.”
The young master felt rather proud of himself as well. Suddenly, he heard something. “What’s that sound?”
“Seems like a flute.”
“A flute? The closest places to here are only the Ginseng King village and the Drawn Reins village. Let’s go take a look.”
The black ox suddenly stopped. Li Qingshan also saw them using his superior senses. There were over a dozen people, stepping on treetops and boulders lightly as they made their way over from the distance. Every single one of them carried a treasured sword. They were extremely elegant.
“Are those movement techniques?” Li Qingshan sighed in surprise before immediately thinking of the person that Xiao An had mentioned, causing him to raise his vigilance. However, he should have been quite far away from Bailao peak.
The young master arrived before Li Qingshan first, and his subordinates all praised loudly, “Impressive movement technique, young master!”
Li Qingshan saw the young master. He had red lips and white teeth, quite a handsome appearance. After being praised by his subordinates, he smiled arrogantly. If it were not for the calluses on his sword-wielding hand, he would seem like the son of a noble.
He studied the young master, but the young master did not study him, only glancing at him slightly. “You’re from the Drawn Reins village?”
Li Qingshan said, “I am. May I ask who you are, sir?”
“Do you really think you have the right to ask for our young master’s name?” A tall, skinny swordsman with an unhealthy complexion saw how Li Qingshan was seated so boldly on the ox and drew his sword in a flash, launching a straight stab at his face. “Get off there!” He purposefully wanted to frighten him off the ox so that he could make a fool of himself.
Li Qingshan’s face turned frosty. He moved to the side slowly and waited for the swordsman to overextend. He grasped the timing and his eyes shone, quickly extending a hand and grabbing the blade of the sword.
The tall, skinny swordsman sneered inside, You actually grabbed my sword? This is a sword forged from fine steel that the sect gave me. I just need to twist it, and I can chop your hand off.”
However, when he twisted the sword, not only did nothing go to plan, but the fine, steel sword even became twisted like a rope. The blade of the sword remained stuck in Li Qingshan’s hands without the slightest movement. The strength of his entire arm could not even match a few fingers from Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan was infuriated. They had no ill feelings at all, yet from the slightest disagreement, this person wanted to disable him for life. These jianghu people were just too vicious.
With a clang, the sword snapped. The tall, skinny swordsman’s face darkened and paled. A little-known nobody had actually broken his sword, so how was he supposed to hold back his anger? He grabbed his broken sword and tried to rush Li Qingshan.
The young master scolded, “Chi Da, get back here. Your skills are poor, so stop embarrassing our Dragon’s Gate sword sect.”
“Yes, I am useless. I will seek punishment from the disciplinary hall when we return.” The tall, skinny swordsman by the name of Chi Da was afraid of refusing, so he backed away. However, he glanced at Li Qingshan extremely viciously.
The young master was rather interested. “I never thought that I would come across a master of external martial arts so deep in the mountains. You do have the right to learn my name. Listen up, I am Yang Jun of the Dragon’s Gate sword sect.”
Li Qingshan shook his head. “Never heard of it.”
“You ignorant countryman. The swords of our Dragon’s Gate sword sect can’t just be broken by anyone. I won’t make it difficult for you. You just need to leave your hand behind!”
“Then which hand do you want, may I ask?” Li Qingshan was furious. He was tempted to cut down Yang Jun on the spot. Originally, he believed that even if practitioners of martial arts did not have a strong sense of justice, they would be somewhat cultured at the very least. However, looking at it now, he was completely wrong.
The good and evil of human nature was all up to a single thought. Once a person possessed the power to be able to play with the lives of others in their hands, just how many people could retain their so-called nature and not take whatever they wanted, doing whatever they wanted?
However, this group of people could not be compared to the ginseng foragers who knew some martial arts. They were actual practitioners of martial arts. The Ox Demon Forges its Hide could block punches, but it could not block fine steel swords embedded with inner force. And, they all possessed movements techniques, so even fleeing would be difficult.
Yang Jun said, “But seeing how young you are, you have quite the aptitude to be able to practise your external martial arts to such a level. If I disable you just like this, it would be quite a pity. Why don’t you serve me instead?”
That was his true objective, as most practitioners of external martial arts were honest and frank. They did not think as much as practitioners of internal martial arts, so they were quite literally people who had muscles for brains. As a result, many jianghu masters had practitioners of external martial arts as their retainer.
He had always wanted to be like the nobles and recruit a person like this. He took a liking towards Li Qingshan as soon as he saw him. Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted? He wanted to deal a psychological blow to him right now. All he needed to do in the future would be give him some slight benefits, and he would be able to raise a loyal hound.
“Young master, you mustn’t!” Chi Da tried to dissuade him in a hurry. If the kid really did become the young master’s retainer, his status would only rise.
Yang Jun shot him a glance, and he immediately shut up.
Another swordsman said, “Why don’t you quickly agree? Our Dragon’s Gate sword sect reigns over Qingyang city. Even becoming a menial disciple is difficult. The young master has now chosen to promote you, and you can achieve instant glory as a result.”
“I, Li Qingshan, will never serve as a retainer for anyone!” Li Qingshan stressed each word. He came from another world. He possessed the same feelings of love and hatred as the people of this world, but there was one difference. He pledged no loyalty. He would not pledge himself to anybody, no matter how kind-hearted, noble, righteous, or terrifyingly powerful they were.
He might pursue someone and befriend that person, but he would never pledge his loyalty to them, let alone a wastrel like Yang Jun. He did not have much experience in roaming through the jianghu, but he could tell that Yang Jun’s martial arts were nothing extraordinary out of these people. It was only because of his identity as the young master that he had a retinue around him.
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Chapter 33 – A Battle at the Peak
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Chapter 33 – A Battle at the Peak
If they were alone, the current Li Qingshan possessed the confidence to defeat or even kill Jun Yang within ten moves.
“Hmph, you’ll wish you had accepted my offer immediately!” Yang Jun was about to issue an order for his men to capture Li Qingshan. Even if the Drawn Reins village could not be trifled with, there was no need to worry about anything being divulged if the corpse and all the traces were destroyed considering that they were so deep in the mountains.
Li Qingshan’s body seized up. He planned on going straight for the leader to destroy the group. He could endure a strike from the sword and capture Yang Jun before deciding what to do.
Someone suddenly said, “Young master, he seems to be carrying the Stone Splitter bow on his back!”
“What? The Stone Splitter bow!” Yang Jun stopped and studied the great bow on Li Qingshan’s back. Even he possessed some understanding of the renowned weapon of the figure who had made a name for himself near Qingyang city. “Where did you get the bow from?”
“It’s obviously a gift from the hunting chief,” said Li Qingshan.
Yang Jun became uneasy. He would hear and see things in the sect, so he had learnt everything he should know. To be able to receive this weapon, he was probably Huang Binghu’s successor, the next hunting chief of the Drawn Reins village.
If someone like him died, the Drawn Reins village would never let the matter rest. They could find out they had been moving about in this area without much effort at all. If they truly tried to avenge him with everything that they had, their sneak attacks and traps would be difficult to handle. He could not afford to cause something like that because of his momentary anger. He waved his hand. “Kid, don’t let me meet you again.”
In the blink of an eye, all of them were gone. Once again, only Li Qingshan was left on the mountain path. He was not a mind reader, but he could guess that they probably feared the might of the Drawn Reins village.
When strangers see you, they are never looking at just you. Instead, they look at your influence, strength, and wealth. Although Li Qingshan was no different from a third-rate master, he had only evaded the dangerous situation prior because of the bow on his back.
He was fuming as he thought to himself, I swear I am not a man if I don’t repay this debt. I won’t accept anyone who purposefully makes things difficult for me, nor will I live relying on the names of others.
Originally, he disagreed with the black ox’s philosophy that even the slightest grievance, such as a hostile glare, had to be resolved. He felt that as a man, he should be slightly forgiving. Only now did he understand that many great grievances often developed from just this hostile glare, evolving into life or death struggles.
After more than a month since his departure, Li Qingshan returned to the Crouching Ox village once more. Before he had even set foot through the gate, he heard something in his house. Is there a thief? Fair enough, my residence is rather remote. I would like to see just which thief dares to rob me. His anger had not subsided, so he made his way in quickly and grabbed the person, causing them to turn around in pain.
The two pairs of eyes met, and they both became surprised.
“Li Fugui!”
“Erlang!”
“What are you doing in my house?”
“Erlang, you’re alive?”
Li Qingshan saw how even though he had been gone for over a month, there was not a speck of dust in the house. Then he realised that Li Fugui was not stealing anything. Rather, he was cleaning his house for him.
“Of course I’m alive. Why do you say that?”
Only with that question did Li Qingshan find out the story. When there was no more news of him after he left Cypress Stream village, combined with how villagers had seen him in conflict with the people of the Drawn Reins village, they had all said that he was done for.
Li Fugui even burnt some joss paper and cried for him.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to react. “Aren’t I alive and well? Hunting chief Huang of the Drawn Reins village invited me to their village as a guest, so I stayed there for a few days.”
Li Fugui never imagined he could enter a place of danger like the Drawn Reins village and still emerge alive. As for hunting chief Huang’s invitation, he did not believe it much at all. In his eyes, Li Qingshan was powerful. However, he was still nowhere close to someone like Huang Binghu. He did not know how to respond, so all he did was repeat, “As long as you’re fine, as long as you’re fine.” It did touch Li Qingshan a little. He had not chosen to help the wrong person before.
However, Li Fugui’s expression suddenly became worried. “You’d better go. Don’t let the people from the village know that you’re here.”
“What has happened now?”
“The first son of the village head has returned. He said he’s looking to make things difficult for you.”
“Li Long!”
Li Qingshan did not find the name of the village head Li’s first son, or Li Hu and Li Bao’s elder brother, unfamiliar. Instead, his name had been mentioned so often in the village that Li Qingshan’s ears were about to fall off.
TL: Li is the surname. Long means dragon, Hu means tiger and Bao means leopard. They’re all named after ferocious beasts.
Li Long was only a few years older than him, but it was said that when he was playing around outside, a noble had taken a fancy to him. As a result, he had been taken to Qingyang city to learn martial arts. He would only return whenever there was a festival. He had seen the cowherd Li Qingshan a few times, but they had never even held a conversation before.
In the eyes of the villagers, he was an important figure of excellence who had managed to leave the village and reach Qingyang city. The daughter of every family in the village longed to be engaged to him. Along with caretaker Liu’s son, little caretaker Liu, they were known as the ‘Two Talents of the Crouching Ox’.
Of course, after Li Qingshan’s sudden rise, perhaps it should be known as the ‘Three Talents of the Crouching Ox’. However, Li Qingshan had never gone out and seen the world. He had never gone to Qingyang city before, so regarding him as the ‘third talent’ seemed a little far-fetched.
Li Qingshan said, “Am I supposed to be afraid of him?” Not only was he not afraid, but he even wanted to check him out. He ignored Li Fugui’s efforts of dissuasion and took off for village head Li’s home.
In the village head’s house, a young man with a buzz cut lectured village head Li, “Even any old person is bold enough to harass us. You really are letting your lives worsen instead of bettering it.” Then he pointed at Li Hu and Li Bao. “And look at you two grown men, you’re just letting others harass us as much as they want?”
He had basically grown up in Qingyang city, having experienced and witnessed a great abundance of things. As such, he already treated himself as a person of Qingyang. He was looking at what happened in the village from the perspective of a ‘city folk’ right now, so he automatically developed a sense of disdain; it was not just to Li Qingshan, but to everything that had to do with the village as well.
He was not young, but he had yet to marry. His household had once frantically searched for a partner for him, but he readily rejected it all. A village girl was no longer worthy of him.
The village head, who had been so mighty in the village, could only serve as a yes-man now. “Don’t be irritated, my son. That kid is dead anyway.”
“He provoked the Drawn Reins village, so that’s him bringing about his own death. It’ll save me the effort of teaching him a lesson.”
Li Hu shrank back and agreed to his every word, but Li Bao said, “Big brother, you are not allowing us to join the Iron Fist school to learn martial arts, so of course we’ll be harassed in the village.”
Li Long shot a glance at him. “That’s because both of you are unworthy!”
“Li Qingshan is not dead! Li Qingshan has returned!” Someone called out suddenly from outside.
Li Long leapt to his feet.
If that piece of news only caused a ripple in the calm village, then the message of ‘Li Qingshan is going to village head Li’s house!’ would be a roaring wave, causing the entire village to set out once more. They wanted to see the battle at the peak between the first talent and the third talent of Crouching Ox village.
Under the scorching sun, Li Qingshan and Li Long gazed into each other’s eyes. The villagers all held their breaths as if they were afraid of disturbing them.
Li Hu and Li Bao stood beside Li Long to add to his presence. Li Long waved his hand and sent the two away. “Li Erlang, long time no see. You’ve already grown this big.”
He had completely spoken in the tone of a senior to a junior, but the villagers believed he had that right. They whispered,
“Erlang is in big trouble this time.”
“Yeah, Li Long can’t be compared to those scoundrels like patch-haired Liu.”
Li Qingshan did not continue the conversation. He looked at Li Long’s tall, sturdy stature, with swelling muscles and a pair of shining eyes. Just by standing there, he gave off an aura of might, but Li Qingshan’s instincts told him that this person was not as powerful as Huang Binghu.
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Chapter 34 – The Martial Arts Society of Qingyang
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Chapter 34 – The Martial Arts Society of Qingyang
Even a sick Huang Binghu gave Li Qingshan a feeling akin to a tiger. His very essence, his bones, would remain standing even if he were dying. His might would never collapse, making him extremely dangerous. During their spar last time, Huang Binghu had made a mistake in his battle tactic, taking him on in a close combat brawl. He fought with his weakest aspect against Li Qingshan’s strongest, so it was natural for him to struggle. Otherwise, even without Huang Binghu using his archery, Li Qingshan would fail to defeat him even with a weapon in hand.
Li Long said, “I heard you wanted to see me?”
Li Long had some judgement as well. He thought to himself, This Li Erlang has got an aura of level-headedness. You can tell from a single glance that he practises martial arts; he is unlike a regular ruffian. Moreover, the presence he gives off is a little like master’s.
Immediately, he shook his head. He found this connection he had made to be funny. Who was his master supposed to be? How could he be compared to someone like Li Qingshan?
“You were bold enough to harass my family while I wasn’t home. Don’t you know how the word ‘death’ is spelt?”
“Oh, I would like to learn how it’s spelt.”
Before Li Qingshan had even finished talking, Li Long erupted with a roar and launched an attack. Using his move ‘Sago Palm Pierces the Clouds’, he attacked Li Qingshan’s chest.
There were a series of cries from the surroundings. Li Fugui called out, “Be careful, Erlang!”
Li Qingshan stood without moving, perhaps unable to dodge or simply petrified from fright. Li Long felt contempt inside, Turns out it’s all just an act. You’ve made me overestimate you.
With a muffled thud, the punch landed on Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan used the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves, and his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground. He did not move at all, “Considering we’re from the same village, I’ll give you a handicap of three punches.”
Li Long was stunned. He had only used thirty percent of his strength in that punch. Even among his seniors and juniors, there was not a single person bold enough to receive it forcefully. However, some unknown junior had received it like that now. Just as he was taken aback in surprise and doubt, he became even more furious from Li Qingshan’s words. He was actually so arrogant.
In the blink of an eye, the second punch was thrown. He used seventy percent of his full strength and thought, You can’t blame me for not showing mercy this time! The punch struck Li Qingshan’s body with a swift gale.
Li Qingshan trembled and said, “You still aren’t using your full strength, right? Hurry up, it’s your last move.”
Li Long looked at Li Qingshan like he had seen a ghost, but he refused to be misled by this act. Suddenly, he erupted with a bellow and used his full strength, the complete one hundred percent. The huge muscles on his arms bulged with veins, and he abruptly formed a fist that gave off a slightly darker colour. It was truly like iron. In regular battles, even when it came to life or death, he would never do this. He would be afraid of overextending and revealing an opening, but he could not care anymore. He used his full strength to launch his strongest and fiercest punch.
Taking the punch head-on, Li Qingshan’s figure wavered before finally taking a step back. His face reddened as well as his body surged inside. “That punch had some strength, but now that you’ve used up your three punches, it’s my turn.” He raised his hand and threw a punch.
“Iron Chains Across the River!” As the fierce punch whistled over, Li Long paled in fright. He crossed his arms and used the strongest defensive move the Iron Fist school had to offer. Afterwards, he felt like a charging bull had struck him, the chains falling apart in the raging river flow. He was blown away uncontrollably. Even when he landed on the ground, disbelief still filled him. I was actually defeated in a single move! How can he possess so much strength!?
“The second punch!” A black shadow filled his vision and instantly blocked the sunlight. Li Qingshan had already appeared in front of him.
Li Long wanted to block, but his arms were in so much pain that he could no longer raise them.
Li Qingshan’s punch descended from above, striking Li Long’s stomach like a pile. Li Long immediately curled up like a prawn and vomited.
“The third punch!” It directly flew towards Li Long’s face.
The villagers cried out; this unexpected turn of events left them astounded. The greatest talent of the village that they had mentioned constantly, Li Long, had actually been defeated in an instant. Moreover, he had been defeated in such an overwhelming manner.
Li Hu and Li Bao found this even more difficult to believe. Their elder brother that they always admired was actually so flimsy.
Village head Li yelled out hoarsely, “Show mercy!”
There was a gust of wind but no pain. Li Long opened his eyes slowly and saw Li Qingshan’s fist, which had stopped right before his face. Li Long could feel that he was already drenched in cold sweat.
In that moment earlier, he felt like he was facing his undefeatable master, only able to shut his eyes and wait for his doom
Village head Li threw himself at Li Qingshan, grabbing the latter’s arm with his skinny hands. “Erlang, Erlang, for the sake of your departed parents, spare my little Long!”
“Father, move. He has come for me!” Li Long struggled to his feet.
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll save this punch for now considering how you have some filial piety.” He was rather satisfied with his moves earlier. He was not taking pride in his strength but his tactics.
Li Long had practised martial arts for over a decade, which was not for nothing. He was much more experienced in battle than Li Qingshan. If they had a proper battle, Li Long would have never engaged in close combat with him, forcefully taking on his blows. Li Qingshan would need to expend quite the effort to win.
As a result, Li Qingshan just let him throw three punches first. Blocking punches like that was his forte. He would focus on wherever Li Long punched, and the true qi in his body would flow to that point.
After throwing the three punches, not only was Li Long taken aback mentally, but his physical strength had declined drastically as well. He could not dodge, only able to endure Li Qingshan’s punch, which led to his loss. Li Long stood up under the support of Li Hu and Li Bao. “Are you really Li Erlang? This is impossible!” He only had an extremely blurry impression of Li Qingshan, besides him being rather unsociable. He was not a person of any importance. Even from his father’s description, Li Qingshan was just a hot-blooded youth who had been forced into suddenly responding violently. He had seen this frequently before. He had never thought Li Qingshan would actually know martial arts.
This scenario was just like a child who had ventured out of the mountains and toiled about. The child finally established himself, succeeding and making a name for himself and returning home with glory and riches. Just when his fellow villagers worshipped him, an unremarkable country kid suddenly appeared and was even richer than him. The dejection he felt inside had reached the very bottom and anger soon followed.
“I’m not Li Erlang. I’m Li Qingshan!” Since he no longer had an elder brother, Li Qingshan did not want to be some Erlang any longer.
Li Long said viciously, “Then do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then do you know who my master is?”
“Who?”
“The current master of the Iron Fist school of Qingyang city, known as the Iron Lion by the people of the jianghu, old hero Liu!” Suddenly, caretaker Liu emerged from the crowd and interrupted with an elated tone of admiration.
Li Qingshan frowned. “Never heard of him.” What Iron Fist school? What old hero Liu? It all sounded like third-raters, but he forgot that he himself was a third-rater as well.
“Ignorant. You actually don’t even know my master’s name. Looks like you haven’t heard about the four great masters of Qingyang, the ‘Dragon, Tiger, Lion, and Bear’!”
“Don’t tell me that the Dragon is you!”Li Qingshan glared at him. This was the second time he had been called ignorant today. All he knew was that in the wuxia novels of his previous life, any person who used an animal as a nickname was an insignificant minor character. Whether it be wolf, tiger, leopard, or so on, none of them were any good.
Only people who used directions as their nickname were true, peerless masters, like Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, and Northern Beggar.1
“Of course not,” Li Long wanted to laugh from exasperation.
In Qingyang city, within the government office, the advisor held a small book and introduced to the fat official,
“Sir, apart from the local aristocrats and landowners, there are four other people in four places that you can’t afford to offend.”
The fat official said in irritation, “I might as well offend nobody in the entire Qingyang city!”
The advisor ignored his feelings. “These four places are a school, a sect, a village, and a stronghold.”
“What do you mean by a school, a sect, a village, and a stronghold?”
“The school is the Iron Fist school, the sect is the Dragon’s Gate sect, the village is the Drawn Reins village, and the stronghold is the Black Wind stronghold. The ‘Dragon, Tiger, Lion, and Bear’ are the respective leaders of these places. Sir, if you offend the local aristocrats, you’ll be chased out of Qingyang city at most and lose your position as district magistrate. However, if you offend these parties, you might end up losing your life unknowingly.”
The fat official’s body jiggled. “Why is it so frightening to be an official? Oh right, have you found the young man that we came across that day? If I can have someone like him serve as a guard, I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night.”
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1. These are four of the Five Greats, five powerful martial artists, taken from Louis Cha/Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy
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Chapter 35 – The Startling News from the Black Wind Stronghold
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Chapter 35 – The Startling News from the Black Wind Stronghold
As it turned out, the people on the mountain path earlier today were from the Dragon’s Gate sect, and the haughty person was the young sect master. No wonder he was so arrogant.
Li Long was surprised. “You know the ‘Sickly Tiger’?” Afterwards, he obviously saw the bow on Li Qingshan’s back. As Huang Binghu rarely ventured out to Qingyang city, he was unable to confirm if this was the Stone Splitter bow.
Li Qingshan nodded and said nothing else.
Li Long said, “Then your martial arts are probably from…”
“No, and you don’t need to worry about it. If you want revenge, just come at me.”Li Qingshan did not want to use Huang Binghu’s tiger hide as a flag to scare away enemies. He did not want to assume the might of someone else as his own.
Li Long’s expression changed as he thought to himself, Li Qingshan’s martial arts already makes him a third-rate master, so what kind of person is his master supposed to be like? He has connections with Huang Binghu as well. I only had a small dispute with him, so even if I end up killing him, it’ll bring me no benefit. It is better to resolve this grievance peacefully instead of deepening it.
Li Long made up his mind, and his expression suddenly changed. He smiled slightly, even though the smile was slightly forced. “Erlang, we’re all from the same hometown, so are there any great grievances between us that have to be settled violently?”
Li Qingshan was surprised at this response. Originally, he thought the development of this matter would be angering the senior after beating up the junior, so the whole hornet’s nest would chase him to the end of his road. Subsequently, he would achieve something with his ability and slaughter them all.
He had never thought that although Li Long seemed rash, he was actually highly flexible and rather thick-skinned; he was actually able to change his attitude. Li Qingshan had basically witnessed the practical shrewdness of people of the jianghu.
Li Long smiled. “And I threw three punches in exchange for two from you. I’ve basically gotten the better end of the deal.”
“You’re welcome to improve your end of the deal even further.” Li Qingshan saw how he wanted revenge but only changed his mind after hearing Huang Binghu’s name. When he thought about how this was the second time he had relied on this to avoid trouble, his feelings became very mixed.
He hoped that one day, he could be just like that, just like Huang Binghu. No, we wanted to be better than Huang Binghu, where even from a thousand kilometres away, people would show deep respect when his name was mentioned, afraid of slandering him.
Li Long forced a smile. “There’s no need for that. Don’t just stand there, let’s go in and talk. Our Crouching Ox village has produced a young hero like this, so I need to get to know you properly.” Then he clasped his fist at the surroundings. “Fellow countrymen, please go. If I have the time, I will pay a visit to you one by one.”
The villagers looked at one another. The outcome had truly exceeded their expectations, but since Li Long had dismissed them, they did not dare to stay. However, in their minds, Li Qingshan had quietly replaced Li Long as the greatest talent of Crouching Ox village.
Since Li Long had humbled himself, Li Qingshan could not reject him. It was just like what he had said. There were no particularly great grievances between them, and he wanted to learn about Qingyang city. In particular, he wanted to know more about the Dragon’s Gate sect.
Under everyone’s fearful and admiring gazes, Li Qingshan was invited into village head Li’s home. Unlike the nervousness he experienced when he attended the banquet at caretaker Liu’s home, he was relaxed and completely at ease now. In the eyes of others, he seemed supercilious. This was a change in his mental state and aura as a result of his strength.
“Qingshan, you have such impressive martial arts, so have you ever thought about holding a position in Qingyang city? Our Iron Fist school welcomes all exceptional people from across the world. With your martial arts, my master would definitely take a liking to you.” Li Long tried to rope him in right from the beginning.
“But I already have martial arts. Can I just join the Iron Fist school like this?” Li Qingshan admired Li Long’s tolerance, but he was clueless of Li Long’s internal conflict before he made this proposal. Although Li Qingshan had hit him with two punches, they did not have any particularly severe grievances. If Li Long could rope him onto his side, helping each other as fellow countrymen, it would benefit his status in the school.
“There obviously needs to be a guarantor, but don’t worry, I can be your guarantor! Our Iron Fist school is expansive, such that our influence and power is not limited to Qingyang city. The main branch is established in the Clear River prefecture. As long as your fists are hard enough and you have sufficient merit, your future development won’t be a problem. Women and money will be in easy reach too…”
Expressions of extreme jealousy were plastered across Li Hu and Li Bao’s faces. They could only blame their elder brother for not serving as a guarantor for them. As a result, they could not enjoy the women and money in the city.
“Yeah, yeah. My son, Liu Neng, serves as the caretaker of old hero Liu’s estate. He’ll be taken care of like that in the future as well.” Caretaker Liu followed them in as well. Fortunately, he had not offended Li Qingshan too much in the past. Who would have thought that the mere cowherd from before would become so powerful in a mere few months.
As Li Long continued, Li Qingshang gradually understood that although the Iron Fist school accepted disciples into its school, they were more like a gang or sect that resided in the city. That old hero Liu with the nickname of Iron Tiger should be the leader of a side branch or a side school.
Li Qingshan said, “Please pardon my question, but may I ask what rate old hero Liu’s martial arts would be within the jianghu?”
“If you had asked someone else, they might not be able to answer you. My master has trained his Iron Fist to great mastery. He’s a second-rate master.”
“Then how does he compare with me?”
“That…” Li Long had never thought that Li Qingshan would compare himself to a figure who stood at the very peak of Qingyang, his master, as soon as he spoke. He felt rather displeased. “I’m not exaggerating, but while your martial arts are impressive, Qingshan, you’re only at the top of the third-rate. You’re nowhere close to being my master’s opponent.”
“Then may I ask how these rates are determined?”
“My master has said that a practitioner of martial arts who has gained a basic grasp can take on three to five adult men, while a skilled adept of the jianghu can take on three to five pratitioners of martial arts. It’s determined like that. It’s not a measurement of absolute accuracy, but it gives a general idea. Once you go past that number, you’ll just end up being outnumbered.”
“However, that’s only for open confrontations. If it’s about maneuvering and sneak attacks, a first-rate master skilled in movement techniques can strike utter fear into the hearts of several dozen second-rate masters, but a few dozen trained archers or crossbowmen can also kill a first-rate master.”
Li Qingshan gained a rough understanding of his strength. The ginseng foragers were practitioners trained in martial arts. As such, he was a skilled martial artist back then, which was why he had only managed to eke out a miserable victory.
After some training, he barely managed to make it to the level of third-rate masters. Only after drinking the spiritual alcohol did he truly become a third-rate master. Li Long could be considered to be adept at martial arts, but he was not a master. As a result, he was not Li Qingshan’s opponent.
“Apologies. I’ve already promised hunting chief Huang of the Drawn Reins village to join the Drawn Reins village, so I might not be able to accept your invitation.” He could not help but think of the past. Back then, he could not even find peace when sleeping in the cowshed, treated as a thorn in the side by his elder brother’s family. They had wanted to find a way to chase him away. Now, there were people trying to invite him to places.
Li Long was not surprised, as he had been expecting this. He said in pity, “The Drawn Reins village cannot offer a lot of benefits. Out of the four places of Qingyang, our Iron Fist school still enjoys the most freedom. They’re cooped up in the mountains, so how can they be compared to the bustling world we’re right next to? Whatever. If you ever change your mind, come to Qingyang city, and you’re more than welcome to come to the Iron Fist school to look for me. You just need to state my name.”
Li Qingshan could not help but smile. As expected, there were not a lot of people who roamed the jianghu to uphold justice and help the weak. He asked a lot more questions, and Li Long answered them with everything he knew. Li Qingshan saw how generous Li Long was and knew that he was a sensible person, so he showed some additional respect. “Brother Li, today is not a festival, so why have you returned?”
Li Long suddenly whispered, “Even if you didn’t ask me, I would have told you anyway. I’ve returned this time for a major matter that endangers the Crouching Ox village. The Crouching Ox village might have become a target to ransack for the Black Wind stronghold.”
Aside from Li Qingshan, everyone in the house immediately became disturbed.
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Chapter 36 – All of You Will Die
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Chapter 36 – All of You Will Die
Caretaker Liu stuttered, “S- surely not. The Black Wind stronghold is so far away from us. They’ve never come here before…” He had the largest household in the village, so the Black Wind stronghold would come for him first.
“I heard that the villages near the Black Wind stronghold have all strengthened their defences and erected walls. That’s why they’re travelling further away. Now that it’s almost winter, they also have to stockpile food. Caretaker Liu, your granaries must all be full!”
“Won’t the government do something about it?” Only now did Li Qingshan understand something; as it turned out, mountain bandits also had an ‘autumn hunt’. To the hunters, autumn was when the wild beasts were plump. On the other hand, to the mountain bandits, autumn was when the villagers who had just harvested their fruits of labor were the plumpest.
“Hmph, the government collects money every year, saying that they need it to deal with bandits, yet it’s never settled properly.”
Caretaker Liu said, “T- then, what do we do? Sonny, why didn’t you bring more people back with you?”
Li Long glanced at him unhappily. Why wouldn’t he want to bring back more people? However, he was only one of his master’s disciples, not the master of the school. He could get along well with his brothers normally, but it was impossible for him to make them face off against the bandits of the Black Wind stronghold.
However, he was only accepted under the Iron Lion’s tutelage due to caretaker Liu many years ago. With that in consideration, he could not just rebuke him. All he could say was,
“I alone am sufficient. The master of the Black Wind stronghold is definitely not leading them this time. It should be one of the bosses at most. As long as I state my master’s name, he should show me some respect. However, I do need some people on my side to match them in aura. Qingshan…” Li Long looked at Li Qingshan anxiously. If a master like him remained by his side, he would have a bit more confidence.
Li Qingshan deeply doubted whether this could work. The bandits would travel so far just to come here, so were they supposed to retreat after simply hearing a name? However, he would not allow people to ransack the small village where he was born and raised. He clasped his fist. “It will be my duty.”
After Li Qingshang gave his word, Li Long’s heart eased up. With a third-rate master as a helper, he would have much more confidence in dealing with this matter. This was an extremely crucial part of why he had conceded to Li Qingshan so much.
Village head Li and caretaker Liu arranged for some workers and guards to make preparations, and they even equipped them with weapons. Although the news had been locked down, the atmosphere immediately became tense.
Caretaker Liu said as he trembled, “Sonny, should we just seek shelter elsewhere temporarily?”
Li Long said, “There’s no need for that. They’ve mainly come to plunder. They won’t kill or burn without good reason. However, caretaker Liu, you might have to pay quite the price this time.”
Caretaker Liu let out a long sigh. He was unable to avoid this calamity. He could leave, but his property could not.
They waited quietly in the house. Li Hu and Li Bao dripped with sweat out of pure fright as they held onto their weapons. They could not help but think about the various terrifying rumors they had heard regarding Black Wind Mountain.
Li Long glanced at his brothers, and then he glanced at Li Qingshan, who sat there composed with his eyes shut. Li Long sighed inside, If you were even just half as brave as him, I would definitely take you to Qingyang city.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Before night had even fallen, the clanging of metal suddenly filled the village. This sound came from the scout posted outside the village. He was a quick-footed lad with sharp eyes and ears that caretaker Liu had chosen.
“They’re here!” Li Long said.
Li Qingshan’s eyes snapped open. How bold of these mountain bandits to actually come ransacking under the light of day.
The clanging suddenly stopped.
A few people hurried to the entrance of the village, but all they saw was a cloud of dust approaching from the distance. In the blink of an eye, it had arrived. There were several dozen people, but regardless of their statures, whether they be tall or short, fat or skinny, every single one of them had vicious faces. The leader rode a pony that could move through the mountains, and he held a bloody head in his hand.
“Little Six!” Caretaker Liu called out. The head belonged to the lad that he had sent out for scouting, but the bandits had actually killed him. Caretaker Liu’s legs almost gave way from fright as he looked at Li Long. Didn’t you say that they wouldn’t kill without good reason?
Li Long’s eyebrows furrowed into a mess as he whispered, “They’re killing to establish their might.” Afterwards, he clasped his fist and said loudly, “I am Li Long of the Iron Fist school. May I ask which boss of the Black Wind stronghold has come?”
“This is our third boss. If you’re clever, hand over your money and food. Don’t make things difficult for I, your grandfather, or I’ll burn down your entire damn village!” A mountain bandit called out, and the other bandits bawled out with him. They brandished their weapons with sneers plastered across their faces. It was like they were looking at a group of lambs for slaughter.
The third boss had a full beard and a fierce appearance. He tossed the head to the ground, which rolled to Li Long’s feet. “The Iron Fist school? If the Iron Lion was here, I would leave immediately without any objections, but who are you supposed to be?”
When Li Hu and Li Bao saw the cloud of dust, they became ashen from fear as their legs trembled. Now, their legs gave way, so they collapsed on the ground.
The mountain bandits laughed aloud. “How impressive of you, third boss!”
Li Long’s expression changed, and he gasped. It was rumored that out of the many bosses of the Black Wind stronghold, the third boss was the cruelest. His mood constantly changed, and he could do anything, from raping to kidnapping. In the eyes of the villagers near the Black Wind stronghold, he was even more terrifying than the stronghold’s master.
However, since he had asked who Li Long was supposed to be, it demonstrated that he was still fearful of the Iron Fist school. He wanted to find out about his relationship with the Iron Lion. With no other choice given the current circumstances, Li Long could only hold back his anger. “I am my master’s final disciple. I knew that the third boss would be coming, but I wouldn’t want you to return empty-handed. As such, I’ve prepared a small gift. Please spare the Crouching Ox village for my master’s sake.”
Caretaker Liu offered up an embroidered box as he trembled. With a flick of his horse whip, the embroidered box flew into the third boss’s hands. He had demonstrated rather powerful martial arts.
Opening the box, all he saw was fine, glimmering silver, but his face gradually darkened instead. “A hundred taels. Are you trying to satisfy some beggars with this?”
“G- great king, we’ve done everything that we can.”
“Before nightfall, I want to see a thousand taels and half a tonne of grain. Otherwise, hmph!” The third boss suddenly licked his lips when he reached there; he smiled nefariously. “My brothers also want to borrow a few women. Don’t worry, this isn’t stealing, only borrowing. Once we’re done, we’ll return them to you next spring.”
The mountain bandits all smiled wickedly as one of them said, “It’ll be a blessing to the women who can become the stronghold mistresses of our third boss!” Another bandit added, “By spring, perhaps the women themselves would not want to return.”
However, Li Long knew that not a single woman who had gone to the Black Wind stronghold had returned. They had all been raped to death. He said loudly, “Third boss, will you really give no consideration to the Iron Fist school?”
Meanwhile, caretaker Liu was absolutely stunned by the numbers. He had blanked out, unable to say anything.
“Don’t make me wait too long!” The third boss did not even glance at Li Long. Looking back, he ordered his subordinates, “Urge them on!”
Over twenty mountain bandits made their way around Li Long’s group and entered the village. They hammered the door of each household in the village, and they would force their way into the houses of those who were afraid of opening up. Over a hundred villagers were herded out like sheep, gathering together in complete fear. The barking of dogs and the sobs of women and children immediately merged to create a mess.
The third boss laughed aloud as he looked at this. “We’ll rest in the village tonight!”
“The child was only fourteen. He was still so young. He hadn’t done anything wrong at all.”
Suddenly, an extremely calm voice rang out, so calm that it did not fit in with the current scene. However, the calmness seemed to contain suppressed but uncontrollable killing intent.
Li Qingshan picked up Little Six’s head from the ground and gently closed his eyes.
The third boss squinted. “Who are you?” He had not noticed Li Qingshan. From the start when he had tossed the head to the ground, Li Qingshan had lowered his head, trembling all over. The third boss had thought that he was afraid.
But now, Li Qingshan no longer trembled at all. He said slowly, “What a good, clever child. His parents must have loved him dearly.”
The third boss yawned, “What are you trying to say?”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head. “Today, all of you will die!”
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Chapter 37 – A Man of His Word
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Chapter 37 – A Man of His Word
The mountain bandits laughed aloud as if they had just heard an extremely funny joke. However, the third boss sensed something terrifying from Li Qingshan and could not laugh.
The head fell to the ground, and the bowstring was fully drawn.
“Die!” Li Qingshan attacked in an instant. His furious roar could not drown out the thrum of the bowstring as it trembled. The arrow shot towards the third boss along with his surging anger.
With a flash, a tremendous force launched the third boss into the air slightly. Afterwards, he hit the ground heavily.
The force of a three stone bow was startling great. Li Qingshan had completed all of his movements in a single stroke. At such a close distance, only second-rate masters and stronger experts had a chance at dodging it. Clearly, the third boss was not one.
The noisy village immediately quietened down. The eyes of the mountain bandits all widened as they struggled to believe what they were seeing. A half-grown kid had killed the mighty third boss.
Meanwhile, the villagers all looked at Li Qingshan like he was a god. To them, these mountain bandits were terrifying fiends, while the third boss was the leader of these fiends. Li Qingshan truly seemed like a god to them since he could instantly kill the third boss.
Despite the reversal of the situation, Li Long showed no delight; there was only fear.
“Third boss! Third boss!” A few bandits gathered around the third boss. The third boss coughed up a mouthful of blood and pointed at Li Qingshan with a vicious expression. “Kill him!”
He was a third-rate master after all, so he could react instantly. Although he failed to dodge the arrow, he had managed to prevent it from hitting a vital point. The arrow pierced his right arm, shattering all the bones nearby. His right hand was basically crippled. As a result, his eyes were bloodshot; he wanted to swallow Li Qingshan alive.
The bandits responded and drew their blades, spears, swords, and halberds. All of them charged at Li Qingshan as they yelled out crazily.
There was a swift breeze from behind him, and a javelin fell towards the back of his head. He did not even look back, tilting his head slightly to the side and grabbing the javelin. He turned around and threw it back. The javelin returned with ten times the speed, nailing the bandit who had launched the sneak attack to a door.
A square halberd1, a broad blade, and a red-tasseled spear stabbed at him simultaneously.
Li Qingshan gripped the poles of the spear and halberd and tugged. The two bandits lost their balance and fell towards him in fear. A pair of iron-like arms awaited them and struck their chests like hammers. With two deep groans, the two bandits were both knocked away as blood spurted from their mouths.
Taking advantage of this time, the broad blade arrived near Li Qingshan. The icy-cold edge came in contact with his abdomen. It was about to pierce him through completely, but it was unable to advance an inch further.
Li Qingshan’s two palms slammed against the ears of the blade-wielding bandit. When he lifted his hands from the bandit’s head, the bandit crumpled to the ground like he had lost his soul, slowly bleeding from all of the orifices of his head.
Li Qingshan strode towards the third boss, but the battle cries around him had already become deafening. With a flick of his foot, he kicked up the halberd and held it in his hands.
There were no moves, no consideration. He only swept it.
The wild gust kicked up a semi-circular cloud of dust, rushing towards the bandits.
The tip of the halberd snapped, spinning through the air and stabbing into the ground.
A few weapons were knocked into the air, and a series of cries followed. Some people had tried to block, but they were unable to stop the devastating halberd.
The dust dispersed, and four bandits collapsed on the ground. Only a shorter bandit had his face slashed through, dying on the spot. The three other bandits had their chests cut open, so they all wailed out in pain. Blood scattered on the ground like it was worthless, the rich color flowing everywhere.
Li Qingshan glanced at the broken halberd and thought, What a horrible weapon, before tossing it aside. However, he had no idea how many sturdy bones and how much steel he had just forcefully cut through in the moment prior. It was impossible for ordinary weapons to endure such wear.
In the blink of an eye, eight bandits were dead or incapacitated. The bandits behind all stopped in their tracks as they cried out, holding their weapons. They were afraid of advancing forwards. The horrific sight of that instant had stunned them. The ordinary youth seemed to become a terrifying god of slaughter.
Li Qingshan continued towards the third boss. His face was emotionless as his eyes flickered with red light that even he himself failed to discover.
Meanwhile, he rapidly analysed the situation. He had not lost himself to anger. Here, only the third boss was a third-rate master, so he had heavily injured him with his first attack, removing the greatest threat.
There were a few martial arts adepts among the other bandits, but most of them were on the same level as the ginseng foragers. They had only practised some martial arts, which was enough to harass ordinary people, but it was definitely not enough to rival him.
I- I’m going to die here! The third boss endured his injuries and shifted towards the back, fearfully looking at Li Qingshan as he made his way over. Li Qingshan seemed like a demon in human form as mentioned in those legends, where he could suddenly transform and reveal his vicious fangs. No matter how many people were by his side, they could not save him.
“If I die, the entire Crouching Ox village will be buried with me. Don’t you know who my elder brother is?”
Li Long’s expression became even uglier. He went up and grabbed Li Qingshan. “Qingshan, don’t be rash!”
The third boss used this opportunity to climb onto his pony, grabbing the reins and riding off at top speed. Even without his orders, the other bandits all followed behind him. They even left behind the injured bandits.
Li Qingshan broke free from the grip and grabbed Li Long’s throat firmly. He lifted him up. “Do you want to die as well?”
Li Long struggled. “Y- you can’t kill a boss of the Black Wind stronghold. Have you heard of Under Elm village?”
“Under Elm village!” Caretaker Liu, who had collapsed on the ground and had been frightened half to death, suddenly cried out.
“What Under Elm village?!” Li Qingshan loosened his grip.
“Under Elm village has a custom of practising martial arts. Their villagers are all fierce and brave, and they managed to kill a boss of the Black Wind stronghold. But before long, the master of the Black Wind stronghold personally arrived with the five other bosses and slaughtered the entire village, a population of several hundred people, regardless of age or gender. There were so many corpses that it formed a hill. The master of the Black Wind stronghold had brought the other bosses to hold a memorial service for their deceased brother. Do you want something so horrific to happen to the Crouching Ox village?”
“Then are we supposed to just let them tread over us?” Li Qingshan growled.
“Qingshan, I understand how you feel, but we are all helpless given the current circumstances.”
“Then I’ll become even stronger!”
The expressions of all of the villagers changed. At this moment, all they heard was an extremely vicious promise the third boss left behind from afar. “Just you wait for the Crouching Ox village to be massacred!” Some people collapsed on the ground in fright as the cries and sobs began once more. There was no joy from repelling the bandits.
An injured bandit clutched his chest and smiled viciously. “All of you will die with me!”
“Are you done?” Li Qingshan asked.
“What?”
Li Qingshan released Li Long and kicked the broad blade near his foot. The tip stabbed through the mountain bandit’s throat, immediately taking his life. “I never go back on something I’ve said.” Li Qingshan finished off the other injured bandits and turned back to the villagers. “Nothing will happen. I promise!” Afterwards, he strode off in the direction that the bandits had fled in without looking back.
The sun fell in the west, and the last ray of light vanished from the sky. Darkness descended on the mountains.
Around a roaring bonfire, two bandits helped the third boss pull out the arrow. The third boss groaned in pain, slapping a bandit away. “Can you be a little more fucking gentle?”
The bandit’s mouth bled from the slap, but he faltered, afraid to talk back.
The other bandits were all dejected. With the infamy of the Black Wind stronghold, it had already been a very long time since they had experienced a failure like this. They had already grown accustomed to gazes of fear and flattery. They were used to taking silver and women whenever they wanted to.
“All of you fucking liven up. We will have our revenge. Once I get my hands on that kid…” The third boss smiled viciously.
“We’ll cut him to pieces!” a bandit immediately answered.
“No, we’ll cook him alive. All of us will get a piece of his flesh. The taste must be…” The bandit who wanted to eat Li Qingshan had not even finished speaking when a bloody mark appeared on his throat. Blood spurted out, interrupting the bandit’s discussion on torture.
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1. Polearm on the very right.
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Chapter 38 – Sparing None
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Chapter 38 – Sparing None
“Who? Who did that?” The third boss roared out. Although he was injured, he still possessed his skills. Who could possibly be capable of killing under the gazes of so many bandits?
Thud! Another bandit had his throat slit, collapsing on the ground. He was the one who had answered the third boss first and had suggested cutting Li Qingshan to pieces.
A terrifying demon seemed to be hidden within the dark mountains and forest, and the frightening shade immediately engulfed all of the mountain bandits. None of them saw the attacker or knew how their companions had died. None of them knew whether they would be the next one to die. The fear of the unknown was the most terrifying.
In the chaos, the third and fourth bandit collapsed on the ground as if the scythe of the god of death had claimed their lives.
In the cold, night wind, a fine hunting blade slid through the tall, dried grass like a venomous snake. The blade was smeared with deeply-coloured juices from the grasses, so it was not reflective.
It was a moonless night.
Li Qingshan stood in the dark forest on a hill and watched over everything. Only he could see Xiao An wielding the hunting blade as he moved in between the mountain bandits. Fury filled his face.
The words of the mountains had completely infuriated him. His heart that had grown numb and withered away for so long experienced intense emotion once again. He wanted to kill all of these people.
Li Qingshan saw Xiao An attempt to approach the third boss several times, but he was forced back every time. The vitality of third-rate masters was extremely vigorous, enough to suppress ghosts. Xiao An could only try to approach him because Li Qingshan’s aura as a living person had nurtured him daily.
“Argh!” “Argh!” Along with two cries, another two bandits were killed. The third boss was not useless. He called out, “Everyone get over here! Gather together!” All of the bandits packed around him; the third boss wanted to guarantee his own safety first.
With the vitality and living auras of so many people gathered together, they seemed to become a huge fire that Xiao An was afraid to approach.
Li Qingshan took a sip of the spiritual alcohol in his gourd. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was not about speed, nor did he have any so-called movement techniques. He had purely relied on his ox-like endurance and the replenishment from the spiritual alcohol to catch up.
He replenished his energy and lifted up the Stone Splitter bow. Now, it’s my turn!
A thrum pierced through the pitch-black night. From the sound alone, it was possible to tell that the string of an extremely heavy bow had been released. It was swift and crisp, containing a sharp force capable of cutting through air.
The feather arrow shot over from the distant darkness with a sharp whistle. It struck a bandit in the chest before piercing another bandit behind him. It was two birds with one stone!
By the time the bandits heard the release of the bow, they had already been struck. The bandits had experienced something like this many times in the past, but none of them actually managed to react in time. The third boss knew that the arrow was faster than sound, so the archer must be an adept at archery. In all of Qingyang, there was probably only a single person who could shoot such arrows.
No, it can’t be that person, or I would be dead already! The third boss glanced at his wounded right shoulder and remembered the kid who had forced him into such a state. Originally, he thought he had simply been too rash and careless, which was why he had fallen for the sneak attack. However, he never imagined that the kid’s archery would be so terrifying.
In reality, Li Qingshan’s archery was still not particularly accurate, especially when abruptly using a heavy bow like the Stone Splitter bow from so far away. The bandits were gathered together, so there was no need for him to put any effort into aiming. He only had to shoot at the centre and his arrow would land.
“Third boss, it’s the kid from before. He has chased us all the way here.”
“H- he wants to kill us all!”
“The arrow is from that direction. Let’s all get him!”
“No, we can’t. Once we separate…”
As they argued, a second arrow pierced the chest of another bandit. The faces of all the bandits became twisted from fear. They were as frantic as sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
The third boss ordered, “This is all because of that kid. Let’s charge over and kill him!” Along with the other bandits, he charged towards the hill as they let loose battle cries.
Li Qingshan remained where he was, unfazed, continuing to fire arrow after arrow.
He fired an arrow from the taut bowstring. It whistled through the darkness, piercing through three dead leaves as it spun and plunged into a bandit before passing through a layer of flesh. Finally, the arrow embedded itself into bone. Only then would it stop spinning.
The tremendous force of the arrows did not even give the bandits the time to cry out. A bandit on the side stopped and looked over in horror. Before his fear could even subside, he felt a piercing pain from his head then nothing else.
The interval between the arrows was actually so brief. The bandits’ charge fell apart as they looked for cover in a hurry. However, before they could even catch their breaths, the mysterious, bloody wounds began appearing on their necks once more. It was even more accurate and terrifying than the arrows.
Someone died at every moment. Their morale that had erupted due to fear collapsed once more. By the time they had returned to their senses, they discovered that the third boss had already mounted his pony and was riding towards the Black Wind stronghold hastily. All of them scattered immediately upon that realisation.
Li Qingshan carried the Stone Splitter bow on his back as he felt his arms ache. The force of a three stone bow truly was extraordinary. However, after shooting over a dozen arrows in succession, he felt like he could not last much longer. Taking in a deep breath, he took another sip of the alcohol.
“Xiao An, we’re chasing them!”
The villagers were still uneasy and in fear back at the Crouching Ox village. Li Long had ordered people to collect the corpses and lay them to rest.
“A’Long, why has this happened?” An old, dignified voice rang out from the darkness.
Li Long shuddered. “Master, why have you come?” He was the master of the Iron Fist school renowned in Qingyang city, the Iron Lion Liu Hong.
“I was afraid you couldn’t repel these mountain bandits, so I came to have a look.” Liu Hong emerged from the darkness. His eyes shone brightly as he naturally gave off a dignified aura. He wore a set of large, luxurious robes. He was awe-inspiring like a mighty lion. He looked at the corpses of the bandits. “You’ve fallen out with the Black Wind stronghold… Hmm? It’s not you. What great force. Tell me, what happened?”
Li Long could only tell him everything in full detail. When Liu Hong heard about the third boss’s words and actions, he snorted coldly. “To think that you would look down on me and the Iron Fist school so much. If I were present, I would’ve personally taken his life. I would like to see whether that bear would be bold enough to turn against me.”
When he heard about Li Qingshan’s actions, he praised, “How daring and skillful. How old is the Li Qingshan you speak of?”
“Around fifteen.” Li Long himself was rather surprised as well. Only when he mentioned it himself did he remember that Li Qingshan was only a teenager.
“What? Only fifteen!” Liu Hong was shocked. He was an experienced member of the jianghu. Let alone fifteen or sixteen year old third-rate masters, he had even seen first-rate masters at such an age. However, there would always be the shadows of large clans or sects behind these talented youths. At the very least, they would have a master of great martial prowess.
Without the guidance of a good master, it was impossible to achieve anything significant no matter how talented they were. “You’ve made the right decision in reconciling with him. This Li Qingshan might be a disciple under some eccentric of the jianghu. Let’s go. We’ll go take a look.”
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Chapter 39 – The Path of Daemons and Demons
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Chapter 39 – The Path of Daemons and Demons
Li Long pointed in a direction, and Liu Hong strode off. The Iron Fist school did not focus on movement techniques, but he could cover a distance equivalent to seven or eight ordinary steps with each stride. His sleeves shook in the air as he travelled quickly. Before long, he had arrived at the location where the Black Wind mountain bandits had stopped to set up camp. Only a few corpses remained there, with a few wolves tearing away from them. Upon their arrival, the wolves raised their heads and growled.
Liu Hong snorted coldly and thunderously, scaring away the wolves as they howled. Liu Hong inspected the corpses. “This really is the might of the Stone Splitter bow. Huang Binghu has actually given away his famed weapon. Is he a disciple taught by Huang Binghu? It can’t be. With that sickly old tiger’s martial arts, he can’t have raised a disciple like that.”
“But he has even given him the Stone Splitter bow, so Huang Binghu probably wants him to take over as hunting chief. No wonder he’s not afraid of the Black Wind stronghold. As long as he returns to the Drawn Reins village, the Black Wind stronghold won’t be able to do anything to him. Are they supposed to destroy the entire Drawn Reins village?”
“Does Li Qingshan really plan on killing them all?” Li Long trembled a little as the smell of blood stung his nose. He had practised martial arts for over a decade, and fighting was commonplace for him. However, with the Iron Fist school’s might within Qingyang city, he had never been involved in a battle to the death. At most, he would punish some ignorant street punk or passing wanderer of the jianghu. He had never seen so many dead people before.
“Since he has fallen out with them completely, of course he has to kill them all. A’Long, it has been too peaceful within Qingyang city. Originally, your martial arts should be much greater than right now given your talent.” Liu Hong found it completely reasonable, teaching his disciple a lesson.
Li Long muttered something, unable to find a proper response.
Liu Hong continued to inspect the corpses. “Hmm? This wound is very strange!” He discovered a bandit who had his throat slit.
“What’s so strange?”
“This bandit died in a group of people. Look at his expression and posture when he died. It’s like he failed to react completely.”
“What’s this all about?” Afterwards, Li Long discovered many other bandit corpses with the same wounds. Li Long imagined the strange sight that happened back then and shivered. He could not help but look around, wondering if the dark mountains and forests were hiding monsters. He only eased up when he looked at Liu Hong.
“Anyone with good enough movement techniques can achieve this, but only the master of the Dragon’s Gate sect within all of Qingyang has movement techniques like that. Not only does Li Qingshan have a helper, but they’re very strong too.” Despite all the experience Liu Hong had from wandering the jianghu, he would never have guessed the real reason these bandits failed to react; it was because they could not see their opponent at all.
He followed the traces left behind on the crowd and searched through the depths of the mountains. The bandit corpses were as obvious as guide posts.
There were bandits who had collapsed from arrows, as well as people who had died from having their throats slit.
Li Long had grown completely numb. He recalled Li Qingshan’s earlier words. “Today, all of you will die.” Originally, he only treated it as something Li Qingshan had said out of pure anger, but now, it actually seemed like a declaration. Back when Li Qingshan had grabbed him by the neck, he had not felt particularly afraid, but he felt a lingering sense of fear now.
They discovered the corpse of another bandit. Li Long said, “All of the mountain bandits are dead. It’s just the third boss left now.” Afterwards, they discovered a pony frothing from the mouth, collapsed on the ground.
Before long, Liu Hong stopped and looked below a large tree. Even this experienced member of the jianghu became extremely shocked. Blood flowed very far away. The reeking, sanguine smell was even heavier than the scent beside the bonfire where the most bandits died.
Li Long only caught a single glance and could not help but vomit as if he wanted to puke up all of the horrors he had seen tonight.
For the entire night, the third boss felt like he had been trapped in a nightmare he could not wake up from. The people beside him died one by one as the god of death inched closer to him, step by step.
The third boss used his movement technique and fled towards the Black Wind stronghold desperately. His movements were nowhere near as graceful as the Dragon’s Gate sect, but he was not actually slow, perhaps due to the danger that he faced.
The chilling winds revolved through the surroundings, sticking to him closely such that he was afraid of stopping at all. Only when his inner force was completely depleted did he stop below a large tree, gasping for air.
Looking down from the hill, he could already make out the shape of the Black Wind stronghold. Just when he began to smile.
Thud!
A feathered arrow whistled through the air, piercing his thigh before deeply embedding itself in the tree bark. Dead leaves fell down slowly like rain.
The third boss ignored the pain and looked at the terrifying figure emerging from the woods. He was smiling like a hunter who had caught the prey he had been tracking for a very long time. The string of the great bow in his hand still vibrated.
“That’s it, third boss!”
“I’ll admit that I was in the wrong today. The jianghu is constantly changing, so there’s no harm for us to get acquainted. Argh!” In this moment of danger, the third boss actually tried to deceive Li Qingshan, mentioning some conventional phrase from the jianghu. However, before he could finish his words, an arrow pierced him.
“Don’t you mention that word; you’re unworthy. Come, tell me. Tell me everything about the Black Wind stronghold. How many people are there, how many bosses are there, and how are the martial arts of the first boss?”
“If I tell you, will you spare me?” The third boss was drenched in sweat, feeling both pain and fear.
Li Qingshan considered that question. “No, I can’t. I’ve said before that all of you will die today. I will give you a quick death!” He did not even try to lie, telling it straight to his face. I’ll kill you, whether you tell me or not.
The third boss said, “Fucking hell, if you want to kill me or do something to me, come at me. I won’t even bat an eye.”
Li Qingshan smiled coldly. “Just as I had wished!” Red light flowed through the depths of his eyes, but even Li Qingshan himself failed to discover it.
Li Long barely managed to recover, but he averted his gaze away from the corpse beneath the tree as much as he could. “Master, do we keep on chasing?”
Liu Hong waved his hand. “There’s no need. Now that there’s a bringer of misfortune like him, the jianghu is going to be rowdy.” He had seen many brutal people from the jianghu. The third boss could match them all.
However, for someone to be so vicious and merciless right from the beginning, now that was rare. Almost everyone would vomit a few times at the beginning. Only after going through many trials of life and death would their hearts gradually harden.
Li Long said, “He’s just a third-rate master. He used a sneak attack to heavily injure the third boss. Master, why do you treat him with such importance?”
Liu Hong said, “I’ll just tell you that people like that emerge endlessly within the jianghu, and every single one of them are powerful. Any martial arts in their hands can be unleashed to extraordinary degrees. You can’t afford to become enemies with them for no good reason.”
“How come?” Li Long did not understand. Would their martial arts be powerful just because of their cruelty and mercilessness?
“The essence of martial arts is slaughter.”
However, the person Liu Hong had labelled as a person of misfortune, Li Qingshan, was currently kneeling by a small stream as he vomited. He hurled to a point where tears streaked down his face.
In the end, the third boss was not as tough as he had acted. He told Li Qingshan everything he wanted to know, pleading for death.
After finishing off the third boss with his blade, the red light in his eyes had dimmed. He seemed to have just realised what he had done—he had used an extremely brutal method to torture a person, a living person, but that was nothing. The most terrifying part about it was that he found great joy doing so.
Just what is wrong with me?
The hoof of an ox stepped into the stream, and Li Qingshan raised his head. The black ox stared at him, speaking with a seemingly approving yet mocking tone, “You seem more and more like a demon!”
“So- what?” Li Qingshan rebuked stubbornly. He understood that as he gradually advanced with cultivation, the ability’s influence on his temperament would gradually deepen. Since it was an ability of daemons and demons, it would never be about benevolence or mercy.
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Chapter 40 – Renowned throughout Qingyang
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Chapter 40 – Renowned throughout Qingyang
The black ox said, “Do you want to continue? Don’t blame me for not warning you. You really might become a demon or daemon.”
“As long as I have a clear conscience and do whatever I want, I will have no objections or regrets even if I become a daemon or demon,” Li Qingshan said with his head held high. The black ox’s words had instead consolidated his willpower, plucking him out of confusion.
The black ox could not help but reevaluate him once again. Even cultivators with great willpower and determination would feel fear and repulsion when they heard that they had descended into demonic practises and would turn into daemons.
Originally, it was prepared to exhort him patiently, but Li Qingshan was largely unaffected, still persevering with his choice without any sign of wavering. It was truly rare. However, this was good too. If he were the type of person to be troubled by something like this, he was not worth worrying over.
In his former life, Li Qingshan lived in an age of information explosion. As a nerd, he mentally fed off various movies and novels day and night. He understood numerous ideologies and had witnessed the most terrifying and grandest of sights.
Barraged by all of this information, his ability to accept and understand was probably unmatched in this day and age. He would not be trapped by any traditional ideologies. This advantage and edge he possessed was slowly showing itself, playing a role that could not be replaced by any ability or treasure.
No matter how great Li Qingshan’s talent for cultivation was, it would be difficult to pique the black ox’s interest. However, his unique character was completely different. The black ox placed great importance on it. “Come with me!”
An ox and a man advanced through the bends of the pathless mountains.
The black ox did not say where they were going, and Li Qingshan did not ask either. After learning about the Black Wind stronghold’s strength from the third boss, he immediately knew that he was not the Black Wind stronghold’s opponent right now. He had to become even stronger.
After walking for who knows how long, something suddenly sounded out from the forest. As they travelled further, the rumbling sound grew closer and closer, eventually becoming thunderous in the end.
It was an enchanting sight. The space in front of them suddenly opened up. Off a cliff several dozen meters tall flowed a waterfall. It landed in the pool like a jade dragon, kicking up snowflake-like spray. A large whirlpool revolved at the center of the pool constantly; there were many smaller whirlpools around it.
Li Qingshan stood before the waterfall. Even with his mental fortitude, he felt like the wonders of nature had taken his breath away. “Brother ox, what’s this?”
“A waterfall.”
“Of course, I know it’s a waterfall. Why have you brought me here?”
“To cultivate, obviously!”
At this moment, a broken branch fell down the waterfall and was immediately sucked into the whirlpool. It smashed into the rocks in the water heavily and was shattered into fragments. If a person had been sucked in, they would be battered to pieces.
Li Qingshan gasped. “In there?”
The black ox said, “This is the fastest shortcut to attaining the strength of an ox. Whether you want to take it will be completely up to you.”
As soon as it had finished talking, Li Qingshan leapt into the deep pool below the waterfall resolutely. As he fell through the air, he thought about the information that the third boss had told him.
The Black Wind stronghold had around three hundred people overall and a total of seven bosses. Of course, this number was six now. Five of them were third-rate masters, while the first boss, who was known as the Black Bear among the people of jianghu, was a true second-rate master. His name was Xiong Xiangwu, and he could easily take on all the other bosses together.
Li Qingshan’s current martial arts was only at the peak of the third-rate. If he did not use any ambushes or sneak attacks, he could probably take on two bosses at the same time at most. His defeat would be certain if there were three. In such a scenario, he could only flee, so facing the master of the Black Wind stronghold was obviously impossible. He was a colossal figure that Li Qingshan could not defeat right now.
The only good news was that once winter arrived, snow would seal the mountain. If the Black Wind stronghold wanted to engage in any large scale operations, they would have to wait till spring at the very least, which gave him time. He needed to become even stronger in order to stop the Black Wind stronghold and save the Crouching Ox village. He wanted to complete his promise.
Many thoughts flashed through his head. As the water grew closer and closer, Li Qingshan’s valiance was demonstrated. All of his nervousness and fear was immediately pushed aside, and his mind cleared out. He quickly adjusted his falling posture, took in a deep breath, and smashed into the water.
The black ox muttered, “I wanted to tell you to progress gradually and start by meditating under the waterfall.” It immediately experienced a sense of resentment. Xiao An glared at him. The black ox felt slightly unnatural. “Little ghost, don’t look at me like that!”
The violent flow of water battered Li Qingshan. He felt like a tiny boat within a storm, with no control over himself. He could collide into rocks at any time and sink.
Li Qingshan’s reasonable ability to swim was completely useless right now. He used the Ox Demon Forges its Hide to alleviate the pain from the rapids. However, before he could catch his breath, a black mass pressed over.
The raging water pushed him towards a boulder. The huge branch from earlier served as a warning for his potential fate. Even with the Ox Demon Forges its Hide as a means of protection, he could die from all of his bones shattering. Using the body of a human to contend against the forces of nature was simply too difficult.
“The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves!” True qi sank into his dantian, and Li Qingshan’s body seemed to grow heavier, suddenly sinking down. Stamping the tough bottom of the pool, he left behind two deep footprints in the rock.
However, at the bottom, the direction of the flow changed once more, pulling him towards the largest whirlpool. He used everything he had to anchor himself firmly to his location, resisting the flow.
He used up his air very quickly. A feeling of suffocation grasped him firmly. In such rapids, it was impossible for him to swim out. As long as his feet left the bottom, the flow would take him away.
His mind blurred very quickly. Even the deafening rumbling seemed to grow distant. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his chest, and his true qi reacted automatically.
Li Qingshan’s mind cleared up. He saw Xiao An pressing his hands against his chest anxiously, using his yin qi to stimulate the true qi.
In the face of death, the true qi suddenly revolved much faster, rushing to his mouth and nose. The feeling of asphyxiation vanished as the innate true qi replaced his air. Li Qingshan had never expected true qi to have such a wondrous use. He nodded at Xiao An in gratitude before gritting his teeth and unrooting himself, letting the rapid flow take him towards the large whirlpool.
Xiao An circled around the whirlpools for a while before suddenly making up his mind and making his way back up the edge of the pool. He knelt down on the ground and lowered his head at the black ox.
The black ox asked, “You want to help him?”
Xiao An nodded firmly.
Liu Hong and Li Long returned to the Crouching Ox village, comforting the villagers before returning to Qingyang city once more.
The hamlet seemed to recover its peace, but the atmosphere of fear and unease lingered. The Black Wind stronghold weighed on their heads like a terrifying mountain. Many of them wanted to flee from the village.
However, the promise Li Qingshan made before he left gave them all hope. At such an important time, the talent of the village, Li Long, was unable to protect him. The important figure from the city, Liu Hong, had only arrived afterwards as well. Only Li Qingshan stood in front of all of them and protected them alone.
Afterwards, the government soldiers of the legends appeared. They took away the heads of the third boss and the several dozen bandits before returning. Qingyang city was shocked. There was actually someone bold enough to anger the Black Wind stronghold. People on both sides of the jianghu, the righteous and the unrighteous, all learnt a name—Li Qingshan.
In the government office, the fat district magistrate ordered the advisor, “Quick, report these meritorious deeds to the prefect. A group of bandits and ruffians have been destroyed the moment I set foot in Qingyang city. Will there still be anyone bold enough to call me useless? Hang the heads of the bandits on the city walls. Let the citizens of the city understand my power. And, go find that Li Qingshan. I want to thank him in person for saving my life. Also, give him a great piece of wealth!”
The advisor said, “Sir, we definitely should report back to the prefect, but there’s no need to hang up the heads. The Black Wind stronghold should not be trifled with. As for that Li Qingshan, he’s probably done for.”
Indeed, in the eyes of many, Li Qingshan was already a dead man.
Although they praised and admired Li Qingshan’s viciousness and martial arts, no one believed he was the Black Wind stronghold’s opponent. In Qingyang city, Black Bear Xiong Xiangwu was a figure used to scare children so that they would stop crying. He had been infamous for longer than Li Qingshan had been alive. They were on two completely different levels.
The fat district magistrate hesitated. With such a meritorious deed delivered to his door, it was too great of a pity to not show it off. His beady eyes circled around before he suddenly slammed the table. “I’m an official, and they are bandits. Am I supposed to be afraid of them? Pass on my orders to hang all of the heads on the city walls. I would like to see if these local aristocrats and landowners will still be bold enough to not pay taxes towards dealing with the bandits.”
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Chapter 41 – The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty
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Chapter 41 – The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty
The advisor could only oblige. The district magistrate’s desire for silver had already surpassed his fear towards the Black Wind stronghold. It was impossible for him to change his mind through persuasion, and the Black Wind stronghold was probably not bold enough to openly kill a government official.
The fat magistrate’s mighty aura suddenly subsided, and he whispered, “It’s not like I killed them. The master of the Black Wind stronghold shouldn’t come looking for trouble with me just over this, right?”
The advisor fiddled with his thin mustache. “They shouldn’t, but just in case, seek help from your younger sister. Get the prefect to send reinforcements.”
The fat magistrate said, “Yep. He might be the prefect, but he’s still my brother-in-law. We’re one family. As long as he sends a single Hawkwolf guard, we won’t need to be afraid of anything.” The official had a fat and coarse appearance, but his younger sister just happened to be as beautiful as a flower. The prefect chose her as a concubine and deeply adored her. The fat magistrate’s status rose with this, and he had pleaded with his sister to pressure the prefect into giving him a government position.
However, the perfect disliked him, so he assigned him to the distant Qingyang city as the district magistrate without much thought. The prefect gave him no chance to abuse his position and sent him away from his sister. It was two birds with one stone.
The advisor thought, How can the Hawkwolf guards be sent over so easily? We would be fine even if we just had some guards from the prefect’s estate. “Then what about Li Qingshan?”
The fat magistrate considered that and replied, “At the end of the day, he’s still my savior. When I see him, I’ll give him some silver and send him off elsewhere. The Clear River prefecture is so large, so where can’t he go?”
In the Drawn Reins village, Huang Binghu received the news. At first, he was surprised, but then he laughed aloud. “Nicely done!” Ever since he drank the spiritual alcohol, his sickliness had vanished. Now, he was filled with vigour and emitted a healthy glow. Not only had his martial arts recovered, but he had even made great progress.
“Hunting chief, he offended the Black Wind stronghold like this, so isn’t it creating trouble for the Drawn Reins village? He carries your Stone Splitter bow. You shouldn’t have given it to him in the first place, and now he has vanished. He has probably fled now.”
Xiao Hei felt unhappy inside. Although he was afraid of seeking revenge for himself after suffering under Li Qingshan’s hands in the market, he still felt some resentment. He was supposed to be one of the best of the best among the younger generation, but Li Qingshan’s arrival had completely overshadowed him. Now that Li Qingshan was receiving so much attention, he felt jealous.
Huang Binghu said, “If the Black Wind stronghold comes knocking, we’ll receive whatever they throw at us. However, he won’t run, much less seek protection from us. I’m just a Sickly Tiger. He’s a true, vicious tiger that has descended from the mountains.”
As a result, ‘Descended Tiger’ became Li Qingshan’s first nickname.
When the several dozen bandit heads were hung up on the city walls, Li Qingshan’s name spread as far as possible.
Large flakes of snow fell from the sky. In the middle of the night, a dark shadow moved across the top of the walls and removed the third boss’ head. Subsequently, they rode back to the Black Wind stronghold hastily on a horse, delivering the head to the master of the stronghold, Xiong Xiangwu.
Xiong Xiangwu was just like his nickname. Not only was he abnormally big, but he was also covered in dense, dark hair. From afar, he seemed like a black bear. It was possible to tell with a single glance that he had been born with natural strength. He stood up and looked around. Whether it be the bosses to his sides or the bandits in the surroundings, no one dared to emit a peep of sound.
Bang! His huge hand that seemed like a bear’s paw slammed down, crushing both the head and the heavy rosewood table to pieces. “This is the fate that the useless suffer! This is also the fate of those who are bold enough to provoke me!”
Wood shrapnel shot into the surroundings, piercing the faces of the bandits nearby, but none of them dared to make a sound.
The second boss waved his folding fan. Surprisingly, he was a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar. Despite the current weather, he only wore a long gown, which demonstrated his dense inner force. “Master of the stronghold, the third boss was heavily injured by a sneak attack using the Stone Splitter bow, which was why that kid managed to defeat him.”
“The Stone Splitter bow? Huang Binghu!” A sliver of vigilance appeared in Xiong Xiangwu’s eyes. “Isn’t he seriously ill?”
“It’s said that he has recovered!” Xiong Xiangwu’s forehead wrinkled together as he sank into his thoughts.
On Bailao peak, Yang Jun asked, “Haven’t you found it yet?”His anger twisted his handsome face. He was a wastrel in the first place, so he never had much patience.
“Young master, I’ve heard of some news recently!” Chi Da said.
“Huang Binghu of the Drawn Reins village has recovered from his illness!”
“How is that possible?” Yang Jun said impatiently.
Chi Da secretly cursed him as useless. “It’s said that his illness is chronic and can only be healed with the spiritual ginseng!”
Yang Jun’s eyes lit up. He was tempted to rush to the Drawn Reins village immediately and get to the bottom of this, but he was not crazy. With a sunken face, he said, “Go ask my father to come here. The spiritual ginseng can’t be digested so easily. Even if he has eaten it, I’ll get him to spit it back out!”
As the world experienced such a clamour, no one noticed that the area behind Li Qingshan’s house had been dug up, and the porcelain jar of white bones had vanished.
As snow fell heavily, the water of the pool became bone-piercingly cold but showed no signs of freezing. Li Qingshan climbed out from the water with blue lips before lying down on the dried grass. He looked at the grey sky beyond the white waterfall, and his breath turned into white mist.
This form of cultivation was basically fatal, but Li Qingshan would only climb out and rest for a bit once all of his strength and true qi had been depleted.
Only after taking a sip of the spiritual alcohol did his body recover its warmth, and the dried up true qi surge again.
A wild beast was roasting on the fire, giving off a heavy fragrance. Xiao An crouched by one side like a professional barbecuer, turning the wooden prong as he sprinkled on the seasoning and cooking alcohol he had brought back from home. He was engrossed in the process.
Seeing Li Qingshan emerge, he sliced off a large chunk of meat with a wave of the hunting blade before delivering the meat to Li Qingshan’s mouth. Only when he watched Li Qingshan wolf it down would he smile.
Li Qingshan’s mouth became all oily before he suddenly became surprised. “You’re not afraid of fire?” Xiao An was afraid of sunlight as well as fire. He was restricted by many things, so it should have been impossible for him to just crouch beside the fire so carelessly. Although today was a gloomy day, Xiao An would still normally hide within the scholar wood tablet, unwilling to come out.
Xiao An faltered, unable to answer.
Li Qingshan smiled. “What ability did you learn from brother ox? It’s not easy to get him to give you something. Why’re you hiding it from me?”
Xiao An hesitated before taking out a porcelain jar from the bushes with difficulty. Li Qingshan opened the lid and a sanguine smell surged froth. Inside was a small, white skeleton, dripping with bright red blood.
The two colors of red and white were extremely dazzling and distinct. It gave off an evil, bloody aura.
Li Qingshan frowned. “What’s this?”
Xiao An was like a child who had done something wrong, standing there silently with his head lowered.
“The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty!” The black ox suddenly appeared and stated those eight words.
“Is this also an ability?”
“Ghosts don’t have a body. They seem to be free, even able to avoid the senses of ordinary people, but when it comes to cultivation, they suffer from natural deficiencies. In addition, they’re afraid of fire and light. They’re suppressed by many techniques.
“But there are ways to deal with this. Absorbing the aura of the living is only the crudest method. As mentioned in the vast buddhist dharma, even great beauty will rot away into white bone upon death. Everyone is made of flesh, skin, and white bone, regardless of appearances. Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. In a single instant, beauty can turn into a skeleton, while white bone can also grow skin and flesh. An eminent monk of buddhism attempted to attain the fruit of bodhisattva, but failed in the end and suffered a backlash of the heavenly tribulation. Filled with an unwillingness to accept this result, demonic thoughts sprang forth. Entering the demonic through buddhism, inverting the powers of dharma, and creating the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, condensing a śarīra of white bone and becoming the White Bone Demon God, calling itself the White Bone Bodhisattva.”
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Chapter 42 – The Strength of an Ox
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Chapter 42 – The Strength of an Ox
Li Qingshan breathed in deeply. “The White Bone Bodhisattva! The demonic path again!” Although he was clueless about the greatness of an eminent monk of buddhism who was about to attain the fruits of bodhisattva, he did know that this was probably a supernatural ability that surpassed his imagination.
Li Qingshan said sternly, “This ability is probably difficult to cultivate, right?”
The black ox said, “Yes. An ability like this involves all of life, death, and fortune. Not only does it require the cultivator’s soul to possess extraordinary talent, but it also needs to be refined with the blood of creatures on the brink of death, enduring the scorching of blood and qi to extract tremendous amounts of essence and vitality. He’s just using the blood of beasts as a substitute right now, but the best material for refinement is obviously human blood, particularly blood from practitioners of martial arts with vigorous vitality.”
Li Qingshan shivered inside. Anyone who heard about this cultivation method would only think of it as an evil art from the demonic path. And, in any legend or story, every single person who used human lives for their practice were antagonists, suffering horrible deaths in the end.
He could not help but ask, “Why are you practising this?”
Xiao An paled in fright. As he gradually recovered his intelligence, he too knew that this was a demonic path of extreme evil.
The black ox said, “Obviously, it is to help you. Heh, is this perhaps the superior way to control ghosts?”
Li Qingshan shuddered, unable to say another scolding word. He lowered his head, only able to smile bitterly. “It looks like we’ve both chosen the wrong master. We’re destined to walk to the very end of this demonic path.”
Only with that did Xiao An ease up and smile shyly.
A spotted deer moved through the forest quickly, dodging the chilly wind that tailed it like a shadow, but in the end, a hunting knife slit its throat. Before the spray of blood could even hit the ground, a porcelain jar caught it. As soon as the steaming hot blood fell inside, a chilling gale swept up a set of white bones that soaked in the blood.
The set of white bones sat with its legs crossed like an old, meditating monk. It actually gave off a mysterious aura that merged holiness and evil. If a monk were present, they might have been able to comprehend the buddhist truth of the impermanence of glory and decay, the passage and arrival of life and death.
However, all Li Qingshan saw was Xiao An possessing the bones, refining the blood and qi. The blood and qi rose up like blood-red tongues of flames. Xiao An furrowed his brows as his soul trembled, enduring tremendous pain.
Most abilities of the demonic path took shortcuts, but they would be dangerous, coming at great costs and requiring great risk. The pain from having blood and qi scorch his soul was even worse than having flames burn his body. It required great willpower to remain conscious. Practising this ability was not something ordinary people could do.
Li Qingshan clenched his fists firmly. He only felt like flames were burning in his heart, so scorching that it was unbearable. The pain that Xiao An had experienced from the witch was probably not even a hundredth of what he currently suffered. Li Qingshan wanted to extend his hand to stop him.
The black ox said, “It’s not just for your sake. You have things you want to do, dreams you want to fulfill. He does too. This is his freedom.”
“His dream?”
“Yes. His dream is to help you.” The black ox could not help but begin laughing due to the corniness, but he stopped when he saw how Li Qingshan did not smile at all. “You have no idea just how happy the little ghost was when I agreed. And he’s very happy right now. As long as you can do what you want, you will have no objections or regrets no matter what you do. Isn’t that what you said?”
Only after quite a while was all of the blood and qi refined, fusing with the white bone. The white bone gained a faint but dark red sheen.
Li Qingshan took out the spiritual ginseng and extracted another droplet of juice, dripping it between Xiao An’s eyebrows. Xiao An closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Li Qingshan turned around and leapt back into the icy-cold water. Only like that could he calm his mind.
The days passed swiftly, and the myriad mountains was reduced to a beautiful, white landscape due to the snow. Li Qingshan entered the water to train everyday, basically only returning when he was covered in wounds. If it were not for his extraordinary physique and the constant nurturing of the spiritual alcohol, his body would have collapsed long ago.
Xiao An constantly hunted wild beasts. In the beginning, he only used the blood of small, herbivorous animals like wild hares and gazelles for his cultivation method, but afterwards, he used carnivorous animals that were very vigorous and fierce in nature like tigers and leopards.
The two of them seemed to be competing, desperately practising their abilities. The taste of the spiritual alcohol made from the spiritual ginseng became fainter and fainter.
This continued for a month. The waterfall continued to surge deafeningly as the whirlpools in the pool spun endlessly. A figure could be barely made out from the largest whirlpool in the centre as it moved through the water.
Against the raging flow of water, as if he were facing countless enemies, Li Qingshan used the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. Every single move and form he used was exactly the same as it was on land, without the slightest error. Instead, it was filled with a heavy and consolidated strength.
The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves stabilised his body, the Ox Demon Forges its Hide blocked the water flow, and the Ox Demon Butts its Horns attacked the whirlpool.
His true qi also revolved like the whirlpools, forming tiny vertexes. It flowed through his entire body, moving faster and faster.
The water in the pool surged ten times more violently than usual.
Li Qingshan threw a punch.
The water exploded with a thunderous boom as a terrifying aura rose from the water, startling countless birds and beasts.
Xiao An’s heart leapt inside. It was as if some terrifying wild beast had just been unleashed, far more terrifying than any wolf, tiger, or leopard. He stared at the surface of the water. The water surface recovered its calm, while the large whirlpool that never stopped spinning actually vanished.
The black ox smiled with his eyes.
A large figure leapt out from the deep pool, landing on the rocks. Li Qingshan’s bronze body was as sturdy as an ox’s. He seemed like he had been chiseled out of rock. His every muscle was filled with explosive power.
He punched the rock below his feet, causing a thud. It did not sound like flesh colliding with rock; instead, it seemed more like rock against rock.
After a moment of silence, there was cracking. The huge rock that had been worn away by water for countless years cracked open before shattering.
Before the rock shattered, Li Qingshan had already leapt ashore. Looking at his hands, he murmured, “This is the strength of an ox?” He felt like his body possessed endless power. His whole body felt like it had just been remoulded. If he came across a third-rate master like the third boss again, he would only need a single hand to crush him to death. It would be impossible for a third-rate master to even touch a hair on him.
The black ox said, “You’ve finally gained a basic grasp.”
Li Qingshan picked up the Stone Splitter and drew it, bending it into the shape of the full moon. The stiff, metal composite bow was now as soft as an ordinary wooden bow.
Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! Li Qingshan drew the bowstring in succession. He actually unleashed rapid fire arrows with a three stone bow. With his consecutive shots, the bowstring exploded loudly as the vibrating string seemed to be capable of cutting through air.
Li Qingshan felt like he still had remaining strength, so he did not stop. Roaring out, he shot up, down, left, and right—everywhere.
Strength, endless strength. It was as if as long as he wanted to, he could do anything and defeat everyone. Now this was the feeling of an ability. It was not like any martial art that belonged to mortals.
Xiao An watched on from one side in great admiration.
“Xiao An, it’s time to leave the mountains!” Li Qingshan lifted up the porcelain jar and travelled away from the mountains. He was not going to the Black Wind stronghold; he was heading for Qingyang city.
The sound of the waterfall grew further away. The water in the pool surged once more, and the whirlpools spun again.
The two words, Qingyang city, hung high above the city gates. Li Qingshan gazed at it for a while. This was the city he had heard of since he was young, but today was the first time he had come here.
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Chapter 43 – The Vicious Tiger Descends from the Mountains
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Chapter 43 – The Vicious Tiger Descends from the Mountains
Li Qingshan did not return to the Crouching Ox village. At least right now, the tiny village would still be safe. The Drawn Reins village was also ruled out. Bringing other people into his problems was not his wish. He did not venture directly to the Black Wind stronghold either, even though he had fallen out with the Black Wind stronghold completely, and they would probably mobilise as soon as spring came to destroy the village where he was born and raised.
He sneered inside. You treat me as an enemy, so why wouldn’t I treat you the same? I’ll definitely kill my way into the Black Wind stronghold and claim the head of the renowned master of the stronghold. I will make him pay for his crimes with a horrible death. Only then would Li Qingshan be delighted.
Why had he worked so hard on his ability? It was precisely to kill all of his enemies. However, before that, he needed to make some preparations.
He did not even have a suitable weapon with him. He would suffer too much if he went bare-handed. Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit, not to mention that the two hundred bandits of the Black Wind stronghold were not two hundred rabbits. Every single one of them were murderers and extremely fierce.
Once he charged in there, it would no longer be a skirmish of the jianghu. It would almost be a struggle on the battlefield. If he were too cocky and careless, something would be wrong with his head.
The Arsenal of Arms in Qingyang city was an extremely famous armoury. He planned on going there to have a look, but he needed money to buy a weapon. Right now, not only was he penniless, but he did not even have a proper set of clothes.
His clothes were in rags, and his chest was bare, attracting the attention of passing people. Wouldn’t he freeze to death dressed like that in this weather?
Li Qingshan trained within the icy pool on a daily basis, so why would he be afraid of this slight chill?
However, no one treated him like a beggar, as he did not possess the look of someone penniless. Such a look would consist of misery and inferiority, but he exuded great confidence. It was as if he could deal with any problems that came his way with his two hands.
He looked around as he walked, admiring the city of classical design. He did not purposefully try to hide the truth of being a country bumpkin.
A horse carriage suddenly rushed over, and the driver called out as he waved his whip, “Move! Move!” As he watched the pedestrians avoid the carriage frantically, he laughed out complacently.
Looking at the carriage that rode away, everyone was furious, but no one dared to say anything. The carriage belonged to a major aristocrat of Qingyang city. Let alone scaring away people, even if the carriages of the Zhang estate killed someone in a crash, they would just have to cough up some money at most.
The driver suddenly saw a figure in rags. The figure did not seem to hear him, showing no signs of avoiding the carriage. The driver cursed, “Damned beggar, move!” He did not draw the reins, planning to let the carriage run him over.
People called out to warn him as well. Just when the carriage was about to run over the beggar, the beggar twisted to one side and dodged it by a hair’s breadth.
Before the carriage driver could even react, the carriage came to a sudden halt, and he flew off into the air.
The interior of the carriage descended into a mess, and a woman’s scream followed.
The two fine horses pulling the carriage reared up, while the carriage seemed to be under a spell as it froze there. There were creaks, but it did not inch forward at all.
The driver stood up with a kick up. He was actually a practitioner of martial arts as well. Just when he was about to curse aloud, he saw the pedestrians on the two sides of the street staring at the back of the carriage dumbfoundedly.
Li Qingshan grabbed the frame of the carriage with one hand. His feet were deeply rooted in the ground without moving at all. If he did not move, the carriage obviously could not move either.
The driver gulped. What kind of strength was that?
A young man in embroidered robes, reeking of alcohol, leapt out of the carriage. “Laifu, what the hell are you doing?” However, all he saw was Laifu pointing at Li Qingshan, so he cursed, “You damned beggar, get away from my carriage. I’ll cut your hand off if you touch it!” He was drunk, so he missed the fact that Li Qingshan was grabbing his carriage.
“I’m not a beggar. I’m Li Qingshan.” Li Qingshan stated his name, wanting to punish this wastrel and his haughty servant.
“What Li… Qingshan!” The young man’s eyes were lost and filled with disdain, but when he reached the end, his tone suddenly changed. It was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. He sobered up as well. “W- which Li Qingshan…”
Li Qingshan asked in bewilderment, “You know me?”
The driver wailed, “Young master, i- it’s the Descended Tiger!” His flushed face suddenly became pale-white.
“Descended Tiger? What’s that?” Just as Li Qingshan furrowed his brows, the young master dropped to his knees with a thud. “This young master, no no no, this lowlife has offended you. Please forgive me, young hero!” Afterwards, he removed the money pouch from his waist and offered it up with both hands. “Please take this money as my compensation to you!”
The bystanders had never seen the young master of the Zhang family behave in such a degrading manner. They all looked at one another, but when they heard the two words, ‘Descended Tiger’, they immediately changed the way they looked at Li Qingshan. Their gazes contained fear and admiration.
Li Qingshan weighed the money pouch. There really was quite a lot in there, enough for him to buy a proper set of clothes, eat a filling meal in the best restaurant in the city, and get some proper sleep in an inn.
But it really was strange. It’s not like I planned on killing anyone. I’ll just punch you gently once or twice. I won’t even use strength, so why’re you so afraid?
His instincts told him that all this fear did not originate from the skills he had demonstrated from stopping the carriage with a single hand. However, when he saw how the young master had been frightened out of his wits, he lost interest in teaching the fellow a lesson. He left with the pouch of money.
Only when he saw Li Qingshan walk away did the young master climb to his feet as his legs trembled. He glanced at the intersection in utter fear. That Li Qingshan was actually just standing right in front of him. He was a terrifying figure who had killed several dozen people. No matter how arrogant he was, he would never act up in front of such a person.
His face reddened from the mocking smiles of the bystanders. He turned around and saw the driver hiding to one side, so he became even more infuriated. He went up and kicked the driver. “Hmm? You’re bold enough to hide? Why don’t you keep hiding! So much for driving properly!” Although the driver possessed martial arts, he did not dare to avoid the strikes. He only grovelled and apologised quietly.
Li Qingshan carried the pouch of money and felt even more at ease inside, even though the money had come rather strangely. Suddenly, he remembered that the priority right now was to investigate and understand if anything happened involving the Black Wind stronghold. He just happened to have a fellow villager in Qingyang city who was also a member of the jianghu, so after asking several people, he arrived in front of the Iron Fist school.
At the entrance were two large, bald men who stood like iron towers. Their arms were as thick as the thighs of normal people. They watched people pass by with shining eyes. Even before pedestrians had gotten anywhere close to the entrance, they would downright avoid it, walking on the other side of the street. This was the might of the Iron Fist school.
As they watched a ‘beggar’ in rags arrive at the entrance, one of them said rudely, “Move. This isn’t a place for you to beg!”
The other man stopped his companion and studied Li Qingshan. He mocked, “Kid, you do look like a practitioner of martial arts, so how did you end up like this?” He could see that Li Qingshan’s body was sturdy and unaffected by the cold.
Li Qingshan said, “I’m looking for someone. Please help me pass on a message. His name is Li Long. You can tell him that I’m from the same village as him and that I’m Li Qingshan.”
The two men were originally unconcerned, but they only grew prudent when they heard ‘Li Long’. He was the beloved disciple of the school’s master. Once they heard ‘Li Qingshan’, both of their faces changed drastically. “The Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan!”
Only then did Li Qingshan understand that he was the ‘Descended Tiger’. He grumbled inside, What kind of nickname is that! The people of the jianghu were uncultured. He did not want to be lumped together with those wolves, tigers, and leopards.
“Achoo!” In the Drawn Reins village, Huang Binghu sneezed loudly.
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Chapter 44 – Master of the Dragon’s Gate Sect
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Chapter 44 – Master of the Dragon’s Gate Sect
Xiao Hei said, “Hunting chief, your health!”
“I’m perfectly fine. Have the people from the Black Wind stronghold and Dragon’s Gate sect left?”
“They still aren’t leaving. They demand to see the hunting chief.”
“Tell them I’m severely ill, so I can’t meet them. If anyone tries to force their way, don’t be kind. Shoot them to death!” Huang Binghu placed both of his hands near the fireplace. People were supposed to hide away for winter in the first place.
“How bold of you, hunting chief! Do you even want to shoot me to death?” A voice suddenly rang out from outside. The door shattered, and a fierce gale rushed in. A scholarly-looking, middle-aged man with a sword on his waist stood at the door. His gaze was as sharp as a sword, and his eyes shone. He was not as gentle as he seemed on the surface.
Huang Binghu did not neglect him, leaping to his feet and clasping his fist. “Sect master Yang, long time no see!”
Within a radius of fifty kilometers, there was only a single person who would call himself a sect master. The person who had just arrived was the sect master of the Dragon’s Gate sect, Yang Anzhi. His Dragon’s Gate sword style was renowned, and his movement technique was masterly. In terms of martial arts alone, he could claim the title of best in Qingyang.
If there were any descendents of wealthy and powerful clans who wanted to learn martial arts, they would all be sent to the Dragon’s Gate sect. With all of these sons and daughters of aristocrats gathered together, it was impossible for them to not swagger about haughtily. At the same time, the sect was an extremely large organisation. Speaking of which, it was basically a part of the righteous faction of the Qingyang jianghu.
Yang Anzhi studied Huang Binghu. “You really have recovered. No wonder you won’t even meet the elders of my sect. I’ll cut to the chase. Where’s the spiritual ginseng?”
Huang Binghu said, “I’ve never seen some spiritual ginseng. Sect master Yang, do you plan on taking my Drawns Reins village lightly because we are fewer in number?” Several dozen hunting bows pointed at Yang Anzhi. All of the hunters of the village had reacted already.
Yang Anzhi said, “If you have your Stone Splitter bow, you might be able to prevent me from leaving. Why don’t you try that, hunting chief Huang?”
Huang Binghu squinted. “What are you trying to say?”
Yang Anzhi said, “Stronghold master Xiong is right outside. Your Stone Splitter bow killed his third boss. Do you plan on taking on both of us?”
Huang Binghu mocked lowly, “To think the mighty leader of the righteous faction of Qingyang would mingle with the most vicious bandit. Don’t you have any sense of shame at all? Oh right, I forgot. You’re no different. All of you harass those weaker than you and oppress the kind-hearted. If I have to compare you two, sect master Yang, it’s you who’s just better at making money!”
Anger flashed across Yang Anzhi’s face. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but the sound of tightening bowstrings in the surroundings made him stop. He threatened coldly, “Hunting chief Huang, you might not be afraid, but if we really start fighting, how many people from this village do you think will survive?”
Huang Binghu said, “I’ve already eaten the spiritual ginseng. Sect master Yang, no matter what threats you throw at me, you won’t be able to get it.”
Yang Anzhi said, “The spiritual ginseng really is in your hands. Don’t try to fool me. The spiritual ginseng can’t be digested over a short period of time, nor can it be eaten by a single person just like that. You’ve used it for so long already, so it’s time for you to hand it over. For your sake, I might even be able to help you repel the Black Wind stronghold.”
Huang Binghu said, “I’ve said I’ve eaten it, so that means I’ve eaten it. If you don’t believe me, feel free to come and take it!”
Bows were fully drawn and swords were unsheathed. A battle was about to erupt.
Xiao Hei, who stood to one side, suddenly said, “We’ve never seen some spiritual ginseng before. Our hunting chief recovered because he drank some alcohol from Li Qingshan. If you’re looking for someone, go look for him!”
Yang Anzhi’s eyes lit up, while Huang Binghu flew into a rage. He shouted, “Shut your mouth!”
Xiao Hei rebutted, “Hunting chief, he’s just an outsider. He gave you the spiritual alcohol, but he also took away the Stone Splitter bow. We don’t owe him anything, so why must you protect him so desperately? I’m also thinking for the village’s sake!”
Yang Anzhi smiled. “I see. So I’ve wrongly accused brother Huang. No wonder that kid’s martial arts have been advancing so rapidly. Farewell then.” He drifted away with his movement technique. If Li Qingshan were present, he would be able to tell that this person’s movement technique was ten times more skillful than his son Yang Jun and that group of disciples.
Without any orders, the hunters would never simply fire their arrows. Yang Anzhi left behind a message from afar. “Hunting chief Huang truly is skilled in managing your subordinates. The people of the village are constantly considering the bigger picture.”
Huang Binghu’s expression became even uglier. The leader of any organisation would always possess absolute authority. As long as they had made a decision, regardless of whether it be right or wrong, they could not allow their subordinates to ignore it so easily.
“Li Qingshan saved my life. Despite the risks, he took out the spiritual alcohol. That’s because he trusts me. Otherwise, no one would know he possesses the spiritual ginseng. You’ve crossed the line. You’ve made me an ingrate who returns kindness with trouble.”
Xiao Hei knelt down. “Xiao Hei is willing to accept his fate!”
The group of hunters gathered together and tried to persuade Huang Binghu. “Hunting chief, Xiao Hei only did that for the sake of the village!” “After all these days, who knows where Qingshan has fled to. There’s no reason for us to take them on forcefully at all.”
Li Qingshan watched the man scramble away to report back before looking at the man who trembled at the entrance. He sighed. “Am I really that terrifying?”
The man who remained there could only blame his legs for being too slow, letting his companion beat him to it. As for the question about whether he was terrifying or not, the man would never have the bravery to answer it. He only knew that the young man before him had personally killed several dozen mountain bandits. He had even received inside news that he had tortured the infamous third boss of the Black Wind stronghold to death. If he was not terrifying, who was?
One of them was a powerful, fierce-looking man of the jianghu in his thirties, someone that any regular person would fear, while the other was just a fifteen-year-old teenager who still had an air of immaturity about him, without the slightest hint of fierceness.
However, when the former saw the latter, he was like a mouse that had seen a cat. It was perplexing. Li Qingshan suddenly understood that his name had already been established. Although he was starting off with the ‘Descended Tiger’ that was not a particularly pleasant nickname, it possessed sufficient deterrence.
A while later, Li Long came to receive him at the entrance. When he saw Li Qingshan, his heart skipped a beat. He was afraid of making eye contact with him. He thought about the bloody sight in the mountains from a few days ago, and an irrepressible fear rose up from his heart.
He forced a smile. “Oh, i- it’s Qingshan! The master of our school welcomes you!”
Li Qingshan followed him through the door, passing around the screen wall that had ‘martial’ written on it. He passed through the yard and arrived in the training grounds. He saw bare-chested, able-bodied men forming two rows as they welcomed him, but their faces were filled with hostility.
The master of the Iron Fist school, Liu Hong, sat boldly on an armed chair. He asked with a heavy voice, “Are you the Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan?”
Li Qingshan frowned because of both the attempt to strike fear and his nickname. If someone told him right now that as long as he killed a certain person, he would earn a better nickname, he would rush over and finish them off without the slightest hesitation.
“The master is questioning you!” The man closest to Liu Hong yelled out loudly like a gong. He was rippled with muscles and covered in tattoos. His temples bulged slightly, clearly a master who practised both external and internal martial arts.
Li Qingshan estimated that this person was stronger than the third boss, so it was no wonder that he was bold enough to talk to him in such a manner. To be able to dominate in Qingyang city, the Iron Fist school really did have something for show.
Li Long said hurriedly, “Please calm down, first senior brother. Qingshan is from the village. He’s not well-versed in etiquette.” Then he tugged Li Qingshan’s sleeve. “Why don’t you greet my master?”
Li Qingshan clasped his hands carelessly. “Greetings, old hero Liu!” However, he did not show much respect at all. Liu Hong frowned, and the disciples of the Iron Fist school on both sides were angered.
Li Long blamed him for not knowing any better. You’ve already offended the Black Wind stronghold. Only if you get my master to stand by your side and get Huang Binghu of the Drawn Reins village to come forward will you have a change at resolving this. Master is a mighty second-rate master. Isn’t that enough for a bow from you?
“This is our first senior brother. The people of the jianghu call him…” Li Qingshan waved his hand and interrupted. “There’s no need for me to remember the names of small fry.” He was not an impolite person. However, the first senior brother had been rude to him first, so there was no reason for him to be polite.
Li Long paused. The first senior brother’s face immediately reddened as his bones crackled, and he rushed at Li Qingshan in a threatening manner.
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Chapter 45 – A Trade of the Flesh
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Chapter 45 – A Trade of the Flesh
“Calm down, first senior brother! Calm down!” Li Long attempted to stop his first senior brother, but he grabbed him from the shoulder and tossed him aside like he was trash. He swung his fist at Li Qingshan.
“Stop, Wang Lei!” Liu Hong called out. The first senior brother’s punch stopped firmly before Li Qingshan’s face as he called out, “Master, just let me teach this insolent kid a lesson!”
Li Qingshan found this irritating. “Originally, I only wanted to ask about some matters, but since you’re all so busy, I’ll take my leave.” If there was anything they wanted to say, they could spit it out. What were they putting on an act for?
“Kid, you’ll probably lose your puny life soon.”
As expected, Li Qingshan stopped. “Oh, how come?”
Liu Hong said, “The people of the Black Wind stronghold are searching for you everywhere. You’ll be fine if you hid away, but now that you’ve shown yourself in public, you’re dead for sure.”
Li Qingshan said, “And if this unfolds as it is supposed to, I’m supposed to ask you for guidance as for how I can get out of this alive?”
“As long as you agree to join the Iron Fist school, I have my ways to save your life.” This was Liu Hong’s objective. The Iron Fist school was a gang, not a sect. It did not require all the members of the gang to be disciples of the school. With the talent and strength Li Qingshan had displayed at such a young age, it was enough for any person from the jianghu to be interested.
However, as an experienced member of the jianghu who had made a name for himself a long time ago, Liu Hong would never plead for Li Qingshan to join. Instead, he might attempt to strike fear into Li Qingshan and take him down a notch; this would let him understand the immensity of the world. Then he would offer advice out of good will, so Li Qingshan would understand the glorious future of joining the Iron Fist school. In the end, he would willingly ask to join.
However, Li Qingshan’s rudeness peeved him. “But now, I’ve changed my mind.” Do you really think you’re a big deal just because you’ve killed a few dozen bandits and a boss from the Black Wind stronghold?
Li Qingshan said, “Then that’s fantastic! If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave first.”
“Stop!” Liu Hong had finally been spurred on. He was fine if he did not act, but when he did, he was like a furious, roaring lion. With just a single step, he landed in front of Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan’s hairs all pricked up like he was under the attention of a ferocious wild beast. He instinctively raised his guard as he smiled gently, “You’re still a member of the jianghu in the end. When words don’t work, you try force.”
“Eat my fist!” Although Liu Hong planned on recruiting Li Qingshan and had no intention of antagonising him, it was impossible for him to not punish a junior after receiving so much disrespect. Perhaps he believed that the first boss of the Black Wind stronghold, Xiong Xiangwu, was the same as the third boss, which was why he was so arrogant. The only way left was for him to witness the absolute difference between a second-rate and a third-rate master.
“Hold on!”
“What, you’re afraid?” Liu Hong growled.
“Immense be master’s martial prowess!” The first senior brother, Wang Lei, called out as he raised his fist. He looked at Li Qingshan with a mocking gaze.
The other people called out as well, “Immense be master’s martial prowess!”
Li Qingshan said, “I once let Li Long throw three punches first!”
Liu Hong squinted as he gave off a dangerous killing aura. “That’s because my useless disciple has poor martial arts. What, do you want to give me a handicap of three punches too?”
“No!” Before Liu Hong’s expression could even ease up, Li Qingshan added, “In consideration of your elderly age, I’ll give you a handicap of ten!”
This is an unforgivable insult! Only those five words appeared in Liu Hong’s heart. Now, he was truly ready to kill. “Then come!”
“Wait!”
“What more do you want?”
“Old hero Liu, you’re a figure of the jianghu who has made a name for yourself a long time ago, so I can’t give you this handicap for nothing!” Li Qingshan considered it. “Ten taels of silver for each punch. That shouldn’t be too expensive!” I have no ill feelings towards you, so if I fight you, I won’t get any benefit, not even a copper coin, even if I win. Instead, I’ll just end up with a strange grievance for no good reason. I just happened to be lacking money for a weapon, so I need to find a way to make some. After thinking long and hard, all I’m skilled in is this ability.
His words completely infuriated Liu Hong. It was basically throwing him in the same pile as street performers of the jianghu. He laughed out of pure anger. “Alright, alright, alright. I’m just afraid your life is insufficient for this exchange!”
Li Long went up in a hurry to stop them. He had witnessed in person Liu Hong punching through rocks with his iron fists. If such strikes landed on a person, wouldn’t they be reduced to meat paste? “Mas-”
But it was already too late. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The flurry of punches was like a charging, armoured horse, swift and heavy. Five punches immediately landed on Li Qingshan. Before Li Long could even utter the second half of ‘master’, the fierce gale from the punches had forced the people nearby to shut their eyes. Someone stepping up and stopping them was obviously impossible.
The punches had come quickly and left quickly as well. Just when everyone was still entranced by the might within the five punches, Liu Hong was already standing with his arms by his side. He sighed gently. “Alas, I’ve killed once again today!”
Li Long was stunned. He could not even utter the words of ‘show mercy’. The first senior brother, Wang Lei, was the first to respond. He called out, “Immense be master’s martial prowess!”
“Fifty taels!” Li Qingshan said suddenly. Liu Hong’s eyes widened, but all he heard was Li Qingshan’s praise. “What heavy punches, just as expected! I almost couldn’t withstand it!”
His complexion remained normal, nowhere close to being unable to withstand it. Instead, he seemed more like a dishonest merchant, tricking his customers into buying more.
Reality was like that as well. After achieving the strength of an ox, the Ox Demon Forges its Hide underwent an overwhelming transformation. The original Ox Demon Forges its Hide only seemed like a tough, external martial art for the body, but now, it truly demonstrated the might of a supernatural ability.
A tough, thin film had formed between his skin and flesh. When the heavy punches that could split rocks landed on his body, it was like someone striking rubber. All of the force had been nullified, and the heavy inner force imbued in the punch would be nullified by true qi once it entered his body. The fists of a second-rate master could no longer harm him.
Just like that, as easy as pie, he had made fifty taels of silver in a second. Even robbing the rich would not result in wealth so quickly! And, unless he had no other choice, he did not want to engage in activities like robbery or thievery.
Though, does this count as engaging in a trade of the flesh?
However, before he could think too much about it, the Iron Lion roared out and lunged over. Just how many years had it been? Ever since he returned to Qingyang city for retirement, he had never been humiliated so much, and it was in front of so many disciples as well.
The heavy fists rained upon Li Qingshan, drowning him completely.
“Eighty, ninty, a hundred! Hmm? You’re still hitting! Three hundred! Five hundred!” Li Qingshan’s voice emerged from the storm-like barrage clearly, constantly triggering Liu Hong. The people of the school had already become dumbfounded from this scene long ago.
Liu Hong started off vigorously, but he had become elderly after all, resulting in a decline in physical strength. Before long, he had run out of breath and was sweating like bullets.
Li Qingshan could not bear to watch much longer. He wanted to say directly, “Uncle, you can’t get through my defences!” However, when he thought of the greater plan of making money, he could only hold back his kindness and let him continue.
From the name of the school alone, the Iron Fist school, Li Qingshan was at an overwhelming advantage. This did not mean that fists were completely inferior to weapons. As a matter of fact, to masters of martial arts, the fist was easier to use with inner force. They could shatter the organs of enemies with a single punch.
Moreover, it could shake up the enemy and be used in close combat. As long as they gained the upper hand, they could easily kill their opponent. However, Liu Hong just happened to be matched up against a freak like Li Qigshan. Liu Hong did not lose because of inferior skills, but because he practised martial arts while Li Qingshan practised a superhuman ability.
Liu Hong huffed and puffed, landing punch after punch powerlessly at Li Qingshan’s chest.
Li Qingshan said, “That should be enough!” He glanced at Li Long.
Li Long supported Liu Hong in a hurry to the armed chair so that he could sit down. Liu Hong continued to stare at Li Qingshan in disbelief. “W- what kind of martial arts do you practise? It’s impossible for even second-rate masters, no, first-rate masters to do that! It’s impossible!”
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Chapter 46 – The Weak are Impolite
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Chapter 46 – The Weak are Impolite
I practise an ability that I’ve just gained a grasp over. Li Qingshan could not say that, so he answered politely, “It’s only a form of crude martial arts for enduring beatings. Then… old hero Liu, you punched me over a hundred times earlier, so I’ll just take a thousand taels of silver.”
His tone was much more polite compared to before; it was the politeness of a shopkeeper treating the customer as king.
The others were still submerged in shock. They suspected they were dreaming. “You-” Just when the first senior brother wanted to yell at Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan glanced at him, and he immediately shut up. Instead, he glared at Li Long, Didn’t you say he was a third-rate master?
Li Long also felt embarrassed and aggrieved. Back then, Li Qingshan truly was a third-rate master. Had he been hiding his strength? That was the only explanation now. He would never be able to believe that Li Qingshan had reached his current level from recent hard work.
Liu Hong waved his hand. “Bring the silver!”
“Master!”
“Shut your mouth!”
Liu Hong handed a silver note worth a thousand taels to Li Qingshan. “I was rude earlier. Young… hero Li, please forgive me. Please accept this money as my apology.”
Li Qingshan was stunned. He had never thought that Liu Hong’s tone would change so quickly; he was truly Li Long’s master after all. Originally, Li Qingshan had thought he would become enraged from the humiliation.
“Young hero, you are extraordinary and possess impressive martial arts. If you remain in the underbrush like this, wouldn’t that be a waste of your talent? Why don’t you join my Iron Fist school instead? You won’t be disappointed. As for the Black Wind stronghold, I’ll help you talk to them, and that Black Bear should respect what I say. Why wouldn’t people die when they’re roaming the jianghu? Why is it that only a boss of yours is allowed to kill people? As the saying goes, just mind your own business…”
Liu Hong rambled on. His mighty aura vanished completely, instead making him seem like a benevolent old man who was concerned for a junior.
The disciples had never even imagined that such a side to their master existed. All of their eyes widened.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan realised that he was now on equal footing to Liu Hong. He was even slightly higher than Liu Hong, unlike when he arrived here. At the time, Liu Hong had looked down on him. This change was all due to the impressive ‘martial arts’ he had displayed.
Liu Hong now treated him with courtesy, so he returned the courtesy. “I was the one who was rude earlier, having offended old hero Liu. The money was just a joke of mine, so please take it back!” Only after both of them tried to concede the money to the other did Li Qingshan accept it. Li Qingshan eased up.
“Thank you for old hero’s praise, but I have no plans to join any gang right now. I wasn’t hiding before but training. I will personally eliminate the plague called the Black Wind stronghold! I’m just investigating some information right now.”
Liu Hong said, “The Black Wind stronghold was established all those years ago, so how can they be uprooted so easily? I’m confident that I’m not weaker than the Black Bear, but if I took on the Black Wind stronghold alone, it would be certain doom for me. The battlefield is unlike individual matches. Just my stamina alone is insufficient.”
In the jianghu, not only did people fight with martial arts, but they also fought with influence. He recognised Li Qingshan’s martial prowess, but he was still just a loner with no influence.
Li Qingshan shook his head slightly, “I have my plans.”
Liu Hong could not persuade him otherwise, so he told him everything that had happened recently in the jianghu and near Qingyang city in detail.
Li Qingshan heard that the Black Wind stronghold had gone to make trouble for the Drawn Reins village. “Old hero Liu, I have a request. Please spread this piece of news as much as possible, that I, Li Qingshan, am in Qingyang city, and I haven’t run away. I will be responsible for my own actions. I will never get others involved.”
“Alright. It’s just like the saying, great men are made during their youth. I believe you won’t need to fear anyone if you remain in Qingyang city!” Liu Hong said, “Also, the Dragon’s Gate sect has sent many people to the Drawn Reins village in a bid to see hunting chief Huang. Who knows what they’re trying to do?”
Li Qingshan thought about it and understood it was for the spiritual ginseng, but he also remembered that he had an old debt to settle with the young master of the Dragon’s Gate sect. He could not help but sneer. “Thank you for the advice, old hero. I still have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Liu Hong sent Li Long to accompany Li Qingshan. Afterwards, his face suddenly changed, and he smashed a wooden training dummy with a punch. “If anyone even says a word about what happened today outside, you better not blame my fists for showing no mercy!”
The first senior brother Wang Lei cried out, “Master!” But he said nothing else.
Liu Hong saw how the other disciples were all aggrieved; they refused to accept this. The disciples all felt ashamed from how Liu Hong transitioned from arrogance to humility.
Liu Hong sighed. “You all feel that I’ve tried to flatter and please him far too much earlier, don’t you? However, we really were rude to him in the first place.”
“But… didn’t you order us disciples to…”
“If he were just a third-rate master, I would never say we were in the wrong even if I killed him just then from how arrogant and rude he was. However, he’s not. We’re the ones who had underestimated him. To treat a master who is even beyond the second-rate like this, we’re the ones who were rude and offended him. This is why slaughter never stops in the jianghu.”
“Isn’t fighting and dying because of such foolishness? In the jianghu, the strong is respected. If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t still be alive right now. You’ve all had it far too easily by staying in Qingyang city. Even when there are passing masters, I’m the one who comes forward and takes care of them, protecting you. That’s why you don’t even understand such a simple principle.”
If Li Qingshan were present, he would definitely burst out with laughter. As it turned out, the weak would always be impolite. Not only would they be impolite, they would also be unreasonable and powerless as well. Compared to attempting to discern the right from the wrong with everything in the world, this was much simpler and more practical.
However, this was the principle of an experienced member of the jianghu. He could not pride himself as a veteran. He had to yield whenever he needed to. It was exactly because of this principle that he managed to retire peacefully.
The disciples all lowered their heads and accepted the teachings. They also thought about the reason behind Li Qingshan’s renown. With his powerful martial arts and cruel methods, none of them were bold enough to say that they could make it out of this courtyard if they really did fall out.
Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction. He had protected the dignity of the school. In the end, he summarised, “Within the jianghu, no matter how great your martial arts are, you won’t make it far if you always try to act tough and abuse your strength. Someone is going to be out of luck this time.” He spoke ambiguously. Who knows whether he was talking about the Black Wind stronghold or Li Qingshan.
Under Li Long’s lead, Li Qingshan directly arrived at the Arsenal of Arms. With the silver on him, he was filled with confidence as well. As soon as he stepped through the door, he said, “Boss, I want to see the weapons!”
The shopkeeper was chubby and had a fair complexion. He was around forty years in age. He had a shrewd appearance. He glanced at Li Qingshan and then at Li Long, and his face immediately warmed up drastically. He placed down the book of accounts in his hands and clasped them. “So it’s young hero Li from the Iron Fist school. You’ve bought your friend to have a look at the weapons. Everything outside is inferior goods, so come in, come in, come in. Come inside!”
If he wanted to set up a shop and do business here, it was impossible for him to not deal with the local tyrant, the Iron Fist school. Li Long was someone of some prominence in the streets of Qingyang city such that even the shopkeeper had to treat him politely.
Stepping in, various weapons appeared in their sights. Whether it be blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle axes, hooks, or tridents, all of them were present. It truly did live up to its name as a large armoury.
“May I ask what kind of weapon this young hero is skilled in? Is it the blade or the sword? We have fine blades and swords of folded steel, fitting to all sizes. If you aren’t satisfied with the selection, you can even have an item be made to order.” As the shopkeeper introduced the weapons to them, he ordered people to bring the superior weapons. Every single one of them gleamed brightly, possessing extraordinary exquisite design.
There was not a single weapon that did not fit men. Li Qingshan was itching to try them as well. These were not ornaments, but real tools for killing on the battlefield. He weighed some in his hands and played around with others before shaking his head in the end. “Do you have any heavier weapons?”
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Chapter 47 – The Four-meter-long Spear
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Chapter 47 – The Four-meter-long Spear
The shopkeeper was stunned. I can tell you’re somewhat a person of the martial arts society, going for something heavy instead of choosing a weapon that suits you. However, he immediately smiled. “We do, we do, we do!” I don’t care about your requests as long as I can sell these weapons.
This was something Li Qingshan had planned and prepared for carefully. If he wanted to destroy the Black Wind stronghold, he would face a true slaughter on the battlefield. The only way for him to unleash his strength to the limit was to use the heaviest and longest weapon available; this would help him overcome the numerical advantage his enemy possessed.
A sturdy assistant brought over a heavy broadblade. The shopkeeper said, “This blade weighs seventeen and a half kilograms and is five feet three inches in length. It is razor sharp. Does this satisfy the young hero?”
Li Qingshan grabbed the hilt and waved it around a few times as it shone with a cold gleam. The broad blade was as light as a feather in his hands. “It’s too light. Give me something heavier.”
The shopkeeper and the assistant were speechless. Just how much strength does he have?
Two assistants brought over an azure dragon halberd1, and the shopkeeper said, “This halberd weighs thirty-one kilograms and is eight feet two inches in length. Look at that crescent blade. That’s something that can only be forged by skilled, experienced blacksmiths.”
Li Qingshan flicked the tip of the halberd. “This is nice, but it’s too easy to snap. And, isn’t there anything heavier?” He could still remember how the halberd had snapped and flew apart from a single sweep back then.
Of course, that was probably because he did not know how to use a halberd and had used it incorrectly. However, he was not dealing with just a few enemies this time.
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened. For Li Long’s sake, he did not rebuke the fact that the weapon had just been labelled as ‘too easy to snap’. He thought, Just how on earth do you plan on using the weapon!? He wanted to embarrass Li Qingshan, so he waved his hand. “Come with me to the armoury. There’ll definitely be a weapon that you’ll like.”
Li Qingshan became curious as well. He followed the shopkeeper to the back courtyard, passing by many testing grounds to try weapons before arriving at the armoury. The array of weapons in there was even more dazzling, covering an even larger variety. However, what stood out the most was the huge, dark, metal spear at the very centre.
The spear seemed to be forged out of solid metal. The tip and the pole seemed to be one piece. It did not even have a tassel. There was only a tiger’s head sculpted at the connection point, with the tip emerging from its mouth. The weapon gave off a crude but generous sense of domination.
“The spear’s name is the Tyrant’s spear. It’s four meters long and seventy-one kilograms in weight. It’s the heaviest weapon that our store has to offer. If you buy it, young hero, our store will include the Tyrant’s spear style as well.”
“Alright, this one!” Li Qingshan went up and grabbed the Tyrant’s spear. A cold, heavy feeling weighed at the centre of his hand. With a shake of his hand, the spear writhed like a dragon, producing a thrum.
The shopkeeper and assistants were left speechless once again. Being able to lift it was one matter, but being able to use it was another thing altogether. If he could barely move when carrying the weapon, he would just make people laugh. However, since he could shake it, it meant he had the strength to use this spear. Just how much strength was that!
Li Qingshan believed that this weapon suited him the most. With this weapon, he could give the bandits of Black Wind mountain a surprise. He could show them what growing stronger with each inch meant.
However, he had no idea how to use the spear, so he asked, “Where’s the spear manual?”
The shopkeeper said, “Young hero, are you certain about buying it? It’s not cheap. Even if we ignore the efforts of the craftsman, just the amount of metal that went into it…”
Li Long said, “Cut the bullshit. How much is it? Just spit it out? Do you plan on asking for more?”
The shopkeeper extended five fingers, “Since you’ve said that, young hero Li, I’ll just try to make back my cost. Five hundred taels.”
Li Long immediately yelled out, “What!? Five hundred taels!? Have you lost your mind trying to get rich? Is there anyone else who can use this black metal rod apart from my brother? It only gathers dust here, so I think it’s not even worth a hundred taels.”
The two of them began haggling over the price, while Li Qingshan looked around the armoury. A glow caught his attention. In the dark armoury, the faint flow was extremely eye-catching; it was as if the object in question did not want to be buried in the dust.
Li Qingshan looked around at the people but noticed that none of them seemed to have discovered the glow. He knew his eyes were different from other people’s. He walked over as if by accident and arrived before the weapons rack, picking up a wooden box.
Opening the wooden box, he found a delicately crafted small knife lying inside. It was only around a foot in length and was enveloped in a faint, blue light. He asked, “Shopkeeper, how much is this?”
The shopkeeper was surprised. “Impressive insight, young hero. That’s the treasure of our store. A descendent of a great clan in distress left that knife here. It’s extremely sharp. I spent around one hundred or two hundred taels of silver to buy it back then.”
Li Qingshan ‘carelessly’ placed the knife back in the casket and muttered, “It’s a pity it’s too light and small.”
“You can’t say that. Exactly because of its size and weight, the knife is easily hidden. At times of need, it can be used to protect yourself!”
Li Long said, “You’re bullshitting again. Any weapon we pick up will turn out to be the treasure of your store. Just throw in the knife, and I won’t haggle with you over some measly taels.”
“How can I do that!?” The shopkeeper cried out as if he had just been stabbed.
In the end, they settled on four hundred taels for the big and the small, the spear as well as the knife.
The shopkeeper gave the items to them as if he were in pain, but he was delighted inside. He had finally sold off these two pieces of trash. It was obvious with the Tyrant’s spear. It was forged such that absolutely no one could use it, wasting all that metal for nothing. Reforging it would be too much of a pity as well. He had cursed his heart out at the blacksmith in the past because of this spear. All of it would be in vain if it were reforged.
However, the origins of the knife were true. A young man in dejection had come to him with this knife before being sent away for ten taels of silver. However, the shopkeeper soon regretted his purchase. The knife was indeed a good knife that could cut through metal like mud, but it was just too short and small. No wonder he tried to sell it to people for a few dozen taels of silver as a throwing knife.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to use a spear, so the Tyrant’s Spear style was delivered to him very soon. As expected, it was the most ordinary and generic spear manual in the jianghu. However, the names of the moves sounded extremely mighty, like Sweeping Away All and the Tyrant’s Parry.
Li Long only glanced through it before stopping.
Li Qingshan instead read it from the beginning to the end, studying it carefully. He arrived at the testing grounds and practised it move by move.
As it turned out, the spear was much more difficult to use than the blade, but after achieving the strength of an ox, the changes he experienced were not as simple as an increase in strength. His control of his strength and even his understanding of martial arts had deepened.
The weapon was just an extension of the body!
Li Qingshan started off very slowly, but he moved faster and faster before long. The huge spear danced around like a black dragon, coiling around Li Qingshan and kicking up a fierce gale on the testing grounds.
Li long retreated back a distance of several dozen steps. He was left speechless by the might of the spear. Li Qingshan seemed like an unmatched, valiant general, able to fend off thousands on the battlefield alone.
Wherever the spear pointed, cold light shone, bloodiness spread and a ghost-like howl rang out. Although he had not been present when Liu Hong lectured his other disciples, he understood why his master had suddenly shown Li Qingshan respect. At such a young age, he already possessed such startling martial arts. He only read through a spear manual, yet he could already utilise all of it skillfully. Coupled with his extremely vicious and cruel methods, someone like him would definitely become renowned throughout the jianghu as long as he did not die. His future lay beyond the level of second-rate masters. Perhaps he really could become an innate master, a realm he could not imagine.
He had only heard about someone like that from his master, but he had never seen one. Qingyang city was not worthy enough for someone like that to stay, yet in a daze, he seemed to have witnessed the rise of such a person.
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1. The second polearm from the right:
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Chapter 48 – The District Magistrate Returns the Kindness
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Chapter 48 – The District Magistrate Returns the Kindness
If Li Qingshan knew what Li Long was thinking, he would definitely praise his insight. Li Qingshan was a proper innate master, except for the fact that the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength did not focus on practising qi. Moreover, he had cultivated for far too short of a period, so he could not show it.
His mind had completely submerged into the spear techniques. With his interest piqued, he flicked his wrist and produced seven blurs that blossomed like flowers. It was extremely dazzling, shaking up and thundering through the air.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan drew back the spear, and the violent gusts of wind stopped with the weapon. His muscles relaxed. “How satisfying!”
He was not a master of the spear, but it was almost impossible for him to rival true masters of the spear who had devoted several decades or even their entire lives to the art; this was regardless of his talent or how mysterious the superhuman ability was.
However, not a single master of the spear was his opponent. As long as it was a clash of weapons, the seventy-one kilogram Tyrant’s spear coupled with his ox demon’s strength could knock away anything. Splitting the webbing between their thumb and index would be a light wound. Shattering their hand or even their entire arm was possible.
This was the reason why he needed to find a heavy weapon; it would allow him to take on ten times as many martial artists with his strength alone.
After trying the spear, Li Qingshan was still not satisfied. “Shopkeeper, I need two more things. I need arrows and armour. You don’t seem to have either of those here.”
He had already decided on unleashing his full advantage. Although the Ox Demon Forges its Hide could block the punches of second-rate masters or even blades and swords from ordinary people, it probably could not stop the weapons of third-rate masters imbued with inner force. Blunt and sharp weapons were two different things in the first place.
With his strength, he would not feel burdened even when equipped with several dozen kilograms of armour, but his defences would increase significantly. Once he charged into the nest of bandits, there would be even less of a reason for him to fear their numbers.
The shopkeeper was troubled. “That’s all military equipment, not regular equipment. Normally, you can’t just buy it. Probably only the city’s arsenal has it.”
Actually, that was not the primary reason. Most of his customers were people of the jianghu. Was there anyone who roamed through the jianghu with a set of cumbersome armour on? As for arrows, there were even fewer people in the jianghu who used bows. Otherwise, with how the business was bent solely on profits and the Arsenal of Arms’ colossal backing, there was not a single thing they would not sell as long as they could make money.
Li Qingshan nodded. “Fine then. That’s all then.”
The shopkeeper said, “Hold on. May I ask for the young hero’s name? Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“I’m Li Qingshan. It’s the first time I’ve come to Qingyang city, so of course you haven’t seen me before.”
“The Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan!” The shopkeeper was startled. How could he not know about this figure who had caused quite the ruckus recently?
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and became determined to change the nickname. Then he visited the clothing shop to buy a nice set of clothes before settling down in the best establishment that the city had to offer.
Li Qingshan washed his face and rinsed his mouth before changing into his new clothes. When he emerged again, Li Long praised him. “Nice!”
He had changed into a set of navy warrior’s robes, revealing his wide chest and smaller waist. He seemed extremely valiant. This was just the clothing accentuating his features. After going through the killing and tough training, his aura was elated, like a treasured sword gradually being polished.
His bronze face was still not particularly handsome, but his facial features were chiseled like they were sculpted from rock. He really did match his nickname of Descended Tiger a little, radiating majesty without the slightest tolerance for slander.
At this moment, two guards from the government suddenly visited. They greeted Li Qingshan in a hurry as soon as they saw him. They were even afraid to look at him directly. They said without the slightest trace of the arrogance they would show to normal people. “May we ask if you are young hero Li? Our district magistrate invites you to visit. The carriage and horses have already been prepared.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. He had no idea why the district magistrate had summoned him. Was it to reward him for killing the bandits? He immediately agreed. Since it was the district magistrate, they would have the responsibility of repelling bandits and ushering peace to the people. If he could get the magistrate to give him some people, he would be even more confident.”
He entrusted the Tyrant’s spear to Li Long, and Li Qingshan arrived at the entrance of the government’s office with the guards. A plump figure came to receive him, grabbing Li Qingshan by the hand and studying him all over. He marvelled at him.
Li Qingshan drew back his hand uncomfortably. “Sir, is there a reason why you’re looking for me?”
“My little saviour, have you forgotten about me? In the mountains that day! The tiger!”
Li Qingshan suddenly remembered. “So that was you!”
“I’m Ye Dachuan. I’ve searched for you for a very long time. Please come in!” Ye Dachuan led Li Qingshan to the guest hall behind the government’s office, and his expression changed. “Why are you still strolling through the city?! Run quickly!”
Li Qingshan asked, “Why do I have to run?”
The advisor said, “Do you really not know what’s best for you? The people of the Black Wind mountain are searching for you everywhere. Not only do you not hide your tracks, but you’ve even appeared in Qingyang city. Someone will come knocking tomorrow to take your life.”
As he said that, he shoved a bundle of money and items into his hands. “We’ve already prepared a horse for you outside. You are welcome to rush to the Clear River prefecture. Don’t stop at all along the way. Here’s a letter. Take it to the prefect’s office and just hand it to the district magistrate’s… Ouch!”
Ye Dachuan stepped on the advisor’s foot. “That’s what I was going to say. I’ve already gotten my younger sister to put in a few words to the prefect, so you’ll be guaranteed a wealthy future. No matter how powerful the people of the Black Wind mountain are, they won’t be able to chase you there.” Then he sighed. “Originally, I wanted to keep you around as a sheriff so that you could assist me and quash out some more bandits. Cough cough, the reinforcements that I’ve requested for never arrived. They’ve probably been delayed on the way. It’s just too remote here.”
The advisor thought, The prefect probably wants you dead for good, so why would he send you anyone?
Originally, Li Qingshan found this funny. Ye Dachuan was short and fat, and he wore a large set of official’s robes. He was extremely similar to one of those wretched officials portrayed in novels and operas. Out of all of these characters, the better ones would just be mediocre people, while the worse ones would harass the kind-hearted.
However, seeing how he eagerly paved a path for him, he was touched. No matter how many crafty crooks there were in the world, there were still people who knew to return the favour.
When he came down from the mountains, all he thought of was how to uproot the Black Wind stronghold and slaughter them all before settling the debt of insult with the young master from the Dragon’s Gate sect. The face reflected the mind, so he was teeming with a murderous aura. If this went on, his cruel, murderous side would definitely possess him completely.
However, Li Long constantly assisted him due to being from the same village, while Ye Dachuan earnestly tried to return the kindness of saving his life. Whilst these two people were not particularly good or righteous, both just the most ordinary people among the crowd, it was exactly them that allowed him to see that human nature was not all evil.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “Thank you for your kindness, sir Ye. There’s no need for you to refer to me as saviour. You can just call me Qingshan. However, I haven’t come this time to run away!”
“You’re not running?” Ye Dachuan was furious. “Kid, you have no idea how anything works. Do you know how much risk I took on for you to get a government position?”
The advisor tried to persuade him as well. “Yeah, you’d better run quickly!”
Li Qingshan laughed. “I can run, but the Crouching Ox village can’t. And sir Ye, you can’t run either, can you? Since I’m brave enough to remain here, I have some confidence in myself.” He opened the bundle and saw some silver pieces inside. He picked them up and crushed them leisurely.
The eyes of Ye Dachuan and the advisor widened as they watched the silver ooze out from Li Qingshan’s hand like mud. They were not people of the jianghu, so how could they have seen martial arts before? Their evaluation of Li Qingshan immediately climbed even higher. Ye Dachuan hesitated. “With your skills, perhaps you really might be safe as long as you remain in the city. I’ll go see a few other people for your sake. Let’s hope the Black Wind bandits won’t attack the city.” He wanted Li Qingshan to stay very much. Once that happened, if any aristocrat dared to look down on him, he could send Li Qingshan to beat them up. By then, he could ask for whatever amounts of silver he wanted.
Li Qingshan said, “Sir, you said you want me to be the sheriff?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Ye Dachuan smiled from ear to ear. He had already begun imagining the power and prestige he would possess in the future when he ran about freely with Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “Then I must request sir to gather men and horses and open the arsenal. I’m willing to face the Black Wind stronghold and eliminate the greatest threat to Qingyang for you, sir.”
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Chapter 49 – In the Qingyang Restaurant
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Chapter 49 – In the Qingyang Restaurant
Li Qingshan’s ambitions completely stunned Ye Dachuan. He had always wanted to protect Li Qingshan’s life from the threat of the Black Wind stronghold, and it would be the best if he could use Li Qingshan. However, he never considered mounting the offence and provoking the Black Wind stronghold. He wanted to persuade him to stop dreaming. The money I collect isn’t for subduing any bandits but for filling my own pockets. When the time comes, we just need to frighten those aristocrats and accept the money. Everyone will get a share.
However, he saw the determination in Li Qingshan’s eyes. Although he still had a hint of immaturity that had yet to fade away, he was filled with high-spirited, self-confident righteousness. As a result, Ye Dachuan was unable to bring himself to try and dissuade him. The youth possessed the power to spur others on.
Ye Dachuan hesitated and struggled for quite a long while before suddenly slamming the table. “Alright! If you really have the confidence, I’ll take this gamble with you!”
“Sir, you mustn’t! We can’t afford to offend any of these people or places!” The advisor rushed up.
Ye Dachuan said, “Move. I have some guts in me as well. I’ll offend exactly what I can’t offend!” He seemed to possess righteous ardour, but he thought rapidly in his head, Li Qingshan managed to kill twenty or thirty people and a boss from the Black Wind stronghold alone. The Black Wind stronghold has around two hundred people, so that’s around ten times the quantity. Am I supposed to recruit a hundred and sixty or seventy people?
It had to be mentioned that this official Ye, who had neither wandered through the jianghu nor fought wars, was really quite naive. However, once a person had been carried away by their thoughts, they could no longer care.
If the Black Wind stronghold was destroyed, just who would still be bold enough to call him a country bumpkin who only managed to get his position through nepotism? Just who would still ignore his demands for money? And afterwards, he could get his younger sister to pressure the prefect a little. Perhaps he could get promoted, leaving this god forsaken place. And most importantly, the Black Wind stronghold had pillaged and plundered this region for all these years, so they must have accumulated quite a lot of wealth. Maybe they had five thousand, no, ten thousand taels of silver.
Thinking about the shining, white piles of silver, magistrate Ye was unable to maintain his appearance of righteous ardour any longer. He almost drooled.
Despite dusk nearing, the largest and finest establishment in Qingyang city, the Qingyang restaurant, was still blazing with lanterns. All of the tables of luxurious delicacies, over a dozen of them, had left Ye Dachuan feeling pained. He had invited the various important figures of the city. It was a banquet of the aristocrats and the wealthy.
Ye Dachuan had done this under the notion of no sacrifices, no success. He had really paid the price this time. Of course, the main reason for this was because no matter what he said, the owner of the establishment would continue to smile but refuse to take credit.
As a result, he sat in the host’s seat, and his expression was slightly ugly. Li Qinghan stood beside him like a guard, willingly standing out. He saw Ye Dachuan’s slightly twisted face, and he smiled. “Sir, there’s no need to be pained over the money. Haven’t I covered it for you already?”
Originally, official Ye really was unable to take out that much money in the end, so it was Li Qingshan who paid. Li Qingshan was not a petty person. As long as he was treated politely and with sincerity, he was easier to get along with than anyone else. He had a sense of extravagance that treasured moral uprightness over wealth.
However, if someone acted haughtily, trying to do something like strike fear in him and take him down a notch, then they had better forgive him for his bad temper.
Ye Dachuan said awkwardly, “Once I collect money, I’ll definitely pay you back!” As the district magistrate, he had been shamed like this. He was only afraid of this powerful subordinate mocking him.
Li Qingshan waved his hand. “This is you helping me as well, so don’t mention the money ever again.”
The advisor stood downstairs, welcoming the aristocrats as the wooden stairs constantly drummed. Every person would come up and greet Ye Dachuan, referring to him politely as “Sir Ye.” Afterwards, they would glance at Li Qingshan deeply and clasp their hands. “You must be the Descended Tiger who cut down several dozen mountain bandits. Your name has been reverberating like thunder, like thunder I say!”
They were all extremely well-informed, so they knew very well who the person of focus would be today. It would not be Ye Dachuan, who basically had no means or foundations about him, but the young man who had killed several dozen mountain bandits.
They were not afraid of Ye Dachuan. They were not even afraid of Li Qingshan. However, once they combined their influence and power together, they would be a rather troublesome combination to deal with. Perhaps it would never be like the past again, where they all looked down on district magistrate.
Heavy footsteps rang through the building. Before the person had even arrived, the advisor had already called out loudly from below, “Old hero Liu of the Iron Fist school has arrived!” Everyone’s gazes gathered at the stairway. As a matter of fact, there were even quite a few people who stood up. The amount of respect they showed could not be compared to what they showed to an empty husk of a district magistrate like Ye Dachuan.
The Iron Lion Liu Hong made his way up the stairs with his two disciples, Wang Lei and Li Long. He truly was proud like a lion.
The aristocrats all gathered over. Depending on their age and status, they constantly referred to him as ‘old hero Liu’ or ‘brother Liu’. Even his two disciples beside him were rained with praises.
Quite a few aristocrats did that while glancing at Li Qingshan as if they were saying. We know the master of the Iron Fist school. You might be fierce and tough, but even you can’t be unruly in his presence! In their eyes, Li Qingshan was powerful, but a great difference still existed between him and someone who had made a name for himself a long time ago within the jianghu like Liu Hong; this was what they relied on.
Li Qingshan had never thought the important figures Ye Dachuan wanted to introduce to him would include Liu Hong. However, he realised with just some thought that even if no one took Ye Dachuan seriously, they still had to hold a welcoming ceremony as important figures of the city to receive him as the new district magistrate. Otherwise, they would be looking down on the prefect’s decision. The largest local power obviously could not be absent from an event like this.
Li Qingshan saw the awkwardness on Ye Dachuan’s face as he hesitated over whether to stand up or not. Li Qingshan placed his hand on his shoulder and got him to sit still.
At this moment, a shocking sight happened. Liu Hong broke away from the group and arrived in front of Li Qingshan. He smiled. “Young hero Li, we meet again.” His attitude was so warm that it made them wonder whether he was still the Iron Lion they knew.
Wang Lei also bowed awkwardly, no longer able to make trouble for this person who was younger than him.
Ye Dachuan was just about to introduce Li Qingshan. Seeing this, he was surprised as well. “You know each other?”
Liu Hong patted Li Long’s shoulder. “He’s from the same village as my youngest disciple. They’ve been acquainted since young. Today in Qingyang city, it was even Li Long who took him around to purchase what he’s wearing right now.” Ever since he arrived on the floor, he immediately saw Li Qingshan. He saw how he was dressed in navy warrior’s robes, standing with his arms crossed by the window. He towered like a lone pine tree on a cliff, distinguishing himself from the common crowd and drawing attention. Even with his animosity towards Li Qingshan, he could not help but have his eyes light up as he secretly praised, What a valiant youth. The good men of jianghu did not particularly like men who were too handsome. Instead, Li Qingshan’s looks formed the standard for them.
Li Long could be considered as naturally endowed. He had been chosen by Liu Hong as his final disciple from the first glance, where he felt a great liking towards him. However, compared to Li Qingshan, he was like mugwort to a pine tree. Just which sharp-eyed, insightful person unearthed this fine piece of jade? Why hadn’t I seen him when I visited the Crouching Ox village before?
Never had he thought that when he accepted Li Long as his disciple, Li Qingshan was still wrapped up in swaddling blankets. Li Qingshan had changed drastically due to the supernatural ability, but his talent was never bad in the first place. Coupled with his knowledge that came with living two lives, he would have been chosen by someone a long time ago, and he would have quite the achievement if he had not reincarnated in the wrong place and was born somewhere as remote as the Crouching Ox village.
Although great men were not afraid of being born into lowly statuses, no one could deny the importance of birth status.
The hearts of the aristocrats immediately sunk completely. Originally, they wanted to rely on Liu Hong’s power and influence to deal with Li Qingshan, but they never thought that Liu Hong would be even more familiar with Li Qingshan than them, vaguely treating him as someone on equal footing. When they looked at Li Qingshan again, there was much more caution in their gazes.
However, Ye Dachuan was utterly overjoyed. “So the guards had received him from you. Qingshan once saved me from a tiger’s mouth, and I finally found him today. I’ve asked him to become the sheriff.”
Originally, Liu Hong found this strange as well. Why would Li Qingshan be in contact with district magistrate Ye as soon as he had arrived in Qingyang city? Only now did he understand. “So Qingshan is the young hero the district magistrate mentioned, who chased a tiger to its
death. When sir Ye recruits people of wisdom and valour, age doesn’t bother him. It’ll only be a matter of time before you make a career out of Qingyang city.”
Li Qingshan was neither humble nor pushy. “You are too kind, old hero Liu. I just want to borrow sir Ye’s power and do some things for the people of Qingyang. I want to eliminate a cancer of the city.”
The corner of Liu Hong’s eye leapt. He only chuckled, adding no more to the conversation.
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Chapter 50 – The Dragon’s Gate Sect Attacks
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Chapter 50 – The Dragon’s Gate Sect Attacks
It was time, and all the guests were present. Ye Dachuan stood up to make a toast, starting off with a bunch of civilities like ‘It is my great honour for all of you to be here’. Afterwards, he cut to the chase and said with a face full of fury and sorrow,
“I’ve invited you all here today regarding an important matter that relates to the survival of our Qingyang city. That’s right, it’s the cancerous tumour of the Black Wind stronghold. The Black Wind bandits are vicious and have behaved outrageously, committing so many sins that cannot be forgiven. They’ve stolen so much money… Sigh, and who knows how many people they’ve killed.”
He did feel absolutely livid over the fact that these bandits were richer than him, the district magistrate. The advisor kicked him from underneath the table, so he quickly moved on after a gentle cough.
“Now, they want to massacre the Crouching Ox village. As the official of Qingyang city, if I tolerate this, they’ll basically be free to do whatever they want. You must all have heard about the person beside me, the Descended Tiger! Li Qingshan!”
He placed extra stress on the renowned nickname of Descended Tiger, which made the corner of Li Qingshan’s eye twitch.
“This young hero is also my sheriff of the entire Qingyang city now. Not only did he personally kill the third boss and several dozen bandits from the Black Wind stronghold, but he also wants to destroy the entire nest of bandits as well. I implore you all to contribute money and effort for this matter. Only then will it not go to waste, and only then can you live up to the kindness the world has shown to you.” With that, he drank the entire cup of alcohol.
Qingyang did not have a single soldier or general that the district magistrate could order around. Even the guards of the government office were the old, weak, sick, and disabled trying to earn a living. However, these larger clans all had huge courtyards wrapped in tall walls; they also had many guards. As a result, the peace of Qingyang city was actually mostly maintained by local gangs and organisations like the Iron Fist school. If he wanted to recruit people, he could only borrow people from these aristocrats. As long as every household sent four or five people, they would basically reach the number that magistrate Ye had been expecting.
However, none of the aristocrats could drink to that. They all looked at one another. The magistrate was going to be serious this time?!
It was normal for them to ask for money. Were there any previous magistrates who did not ask for money? However, asking for people was not normal.
Apart from the first few magistrates who would take a group of people into the mountains after receiving the money to put up an act, the later magistrates did not even try to put up an act. They would only say that the time was not right. As for when the time was right, only the heavens would know.
The restaurant was in a state of uproar. The aristocrats did not even want to give him money, let alone people. They would be the ones who would have to spend money to appease the injured and the dead. They would offend the Black Wind stronghold as well.
None of them knew where the Crouching Ox village was. What did its destruction have to do with them? It was not like the Black Wind stronghold was coming for them. Why would the deaths of other people affect them?
A seemingly influential aristocrat in his forties or fifties said, “Sir Ye, We all understand your care and concern for your people. We can’t just watch on either. We need to contribute as well. However, getting us to send you people will be impossible. Even if we agree, the guards won’t oblige.”
He explained his stance very indirectly. Considering how you have power right now, we can gather some money for you to make a gesture. But once you take the money, just stay put obediently. Don’t make trouble for us.
I’m actually going to receive money! Ye Dachuan found this rather difficult to believe in. He really wanted to pinch his thigh and see whether he was dreaming or not. Ever since he became the district magistrate, he had been asking around everywhere, but no one took him seriously. He had not even received a single tael of silver.
Success would always come suddenly. Ye Dachuan calmed himself down and glanced at Li Qingshan. He began to consider whether it was time to just accept this and pull back.
Li Qingshan frowned, but he could not blame these aristocrats for their selfishness. Ordinary people were all like that. Coupled with the actions of the previous district magistrates, it was already surprising that they were willing to contribute money. Since he could not borrow their strength, there was no need to force them. He said, “Then I must thank you all…”
“Father, don’t give him money!” A young man stormed up the stairs loudly, glaring at Li Qingshan viciously.
Li Qingshan immediately remembered him. He was the young man who had been drifting in the carriage before kneeling and giving his pouch of money to him. Why had he suddenly become so brave? Was he relying on the adults here?
“Don’t mess around. This isn’t a place you can come. Go back down!” A middle-aged aristocrat scolded.
The young man did not yield. Instead, he said with a face of arrogance and complacence. “My senior brothers have come!”
“The people of the Dragon’s Gate sect have come!” Another aristocrat called out in pure surprise and delight.
“My son learns martial arts there!”
“Yeah, so does mine!”
The aristocrats all beamed with joy as they whispered to one another. They were rejoicing over the fact that someone would stand up for them, and they would not have to pay the money.
However, Li Qingshan’s face suddenly became frigid. The insults he experienced on the mountain path that day crossed his head again.
A group of people rushed up the twisting stairs. There were young adults as well as teenagers, every single one of them in white clothes and carrying swords. They all gathered together. All of their faces were supercilious, truly giving off an austere aura.
Their leader was the young master of the Dragon’s Gate sect, Yang Jun.
“Sir district magistrate, you’ve invited everyone, so why have you only excluded the Dragon’s Gate sect? Do you look down on us?” Yang Jun’s gaze circled around the room. He nodded at Liu Hong as soon as he saw him, which barely formed as a greeting. When he saw Li Qingshan, his eyes lit up instead, before erupting with fury. “You really are here! You’ve really made us search!”
“You’ve been looking for me?” Li Qingshan instead found this perplexing. From Yang Jun’s expression, it seemed like he had deeply offended him. However, since Yang Jun had come knocking today, he would never just let him go so easily. It was a pity the great spear was not on him. Otherwise, who knows how many would be injured or dead from a sweep of the weapon.
“I only regret that I didn’t just cut you down back then. Today, I’ll make you spit out everything you’ve eaten.” Yang Jun looked at Li Qingshan like he was his arch nemesis. After learning that the spiritual ginseng had been taken away by Li Qingshan, he immediately burst out in anger.
The spiritual ginseng had brushed past him, ending up with this bumpkin instead. Although it was impossible to digest the spiritual ginseng that easily, a great amount of its potency would be depleted after such a long amount of time. Otherwise, how was this bumpkin supposed to possess enough strength to kill the third boss of the Black Wind stronghold? Moreover, the spiritual ginseng belonged to him in the first place.
In his eyes, Li Qingshan was an extremely despicable and wretched thief, stealing what belonged to him, so why wouldn’t he hate him to the very core? He wanted to cut Li Qingshan to pieces.
Ye Dachuan stood up in a hurry. “Young hero Yang, calm down. We can talk through this. Qingshan is my sheriff, so why must you confront him with such hostility?” He could tell that the Dragon’s Gate sect had come looking for trouble. Every single one of them were armed, so his confidence immediately dispersed. There was a saying that it was difficult to fight a battle outnumbered. If a stray sword came his way, how was Li Qingshan supposed to block it, no matter how great his martial arts were?
Yang Jun said with a sunken face, “Sir magistrate, this person has stolen an extremely important item to our Dragon’s Gate sect. We’ve come to apprehend him today, so please don’t get in the way. You have to be careful, considering the fact that swords can cut anyone.” Without even waiting for his reply, Yan Jun ordered, “Seize him!” He was as haughty as they came. Then he smiled viciously. “Don’t kill him. I will slowly interrogate him for its whereabouts.” Over a dozen people rushed over, and the aristocrats dodged to the sides quickly, while the magistrate and the advisor fled. Around the large, round table, only Liu Hong remained seated, leisurely drinking his alcohol.
Out of everyone present, only Liu Hong understood Li Qingshan’s strength. As for the relationship between the Iron Fist school and the Dragon’s Gate sect, Yang Jun’s attitude towards him had revealed quite a bit. The Iron Fist school mingled with the lower classes, freely accepting disciples from anywhere. However, the Dragon’s Gate sect mingled with the higher classes. All of their disciples came from wealthy and influential families.
They were not on utterly bad terms, but neither of them had ever found the other pleasing to the eyes. As a result, Liu Hong would never say anything as a warning. As a matter of fact, he could only wish that some more people from the Dragon’s Gate sect died here, that haughty Yang Jun who disrespected him in particular. However, he was also guessing at what this ‘important item’ was. He seemed to have heard of some things before.
At the very front was the tall, skinny swordsman with an unhealthy complexion. His gaze towards Li Qingshan was filled with resentment and hostility. He was Chi Da. After Li Qingshan destroyed his sword on the mountain path, he had been greatly ashamed among his fellow disciples. He had also been punished by the sect master after he returned, so he utterly hated Li Qingshan. He was eager to cut off Li Qingshan’s hand.
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Chapter 51 – Sweeping up the Dragon’s Gate Sect
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Chapter 51 – Sweeping up the Dragon’s Gate Sect
Li Qingshan only stood tall and alone near the window; it was as if he did not see the disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect that rushed towards him.
The Dragon’s Gate sect knows I have the spiritual ginseng, so who told them? Huang Binghu? So much for saving your life.
The fury from betrayal slowly rose up through him, but his mouth curled gradually instead, revealing his pale-white teeth. Liu Hong’s heart leapt up when he saw this from one side. What heavy killing aura!
Swoosh! He raised a foot and kicked the heavy, square table in front of him. The table was both wide and huge, able to seat ten people at the very least. It was made from jujube wood and was at least a hundred kilograms in weight. He had sent it flying with a single kick, and the table smashed into the disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect extremely swiftly and forcefully.
Chi Da charged at the front. He had never even considered such an attack, so he could only watch on in shock as the table smashed into him. His reaction was fast, immediately abandoning his sword and launching his hands at the table with all the inner force that his body could muster.
A futile effort! Li Qingshan sneered.
Chi Da’s arms snapped at the same time, while his chest caved in from the collision. Blood spurted out from his mouth violently as the cracking of bones rang out at the same time.
The table did not stop with that. It took seven or eight disciples with it before ramming through the railing and falling down the stairs. A great bang followed.
There were customers below. Originally, they had been wondering who’s luck had run out today when they saw the disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect rush up the stairs in a threatening manner, brimming with a murderous aura. All of them stuck their heads over to watch the show, but suddenly, they were met with a table and seven or eight disciples falling down the stairs. They all scrambled away as they screamed.
Only when the table hit the ground did they gather over, still shaken. They saw Chi Da winded and dead, while the other disciples only managed to survive because Chi Da had blocked some of the force for them. However, their bones were still broken and fractured, causing them to moan in pain endlessly.
Every single customer was stunned. When had they ever seen the disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect in such a state? Just who was upstairs?
For some reason, Li Qingshan thought of bowling. The disciples in their white clothes were just like bowling pins. It was just a pity that he did not knock them all down.
The remaining five or six disciples had not been ‘knocked down’ due to being further out to the sides. However, they were drenched in cold sweat from fright. They stood there blankly, actually clueless as to how to react. These sons of wealthy clans practised martial arts, but they had never truly been in battle.
Everything had happened in a heartbeat such that almost no one managed to react. In just a split second, the situation had been reversed. The Dragon’s Gate sect that had been so mighty earlier had lost half of their people in the blink of an eye.
Only Liu Hong managed to see Li Qingshan’s actions clearly. He thought to himself sternly that if it were him instead, would he be able to block or avoid it? However, the conclusion he reached was worrying, which made him furrow his brows more and deepen his sneer. He seemed to have recovered a lot of the pride that he had lost to Li Qingshan earlier today.
Li Qingshan ignored the others and strode towards Yang Jun.
Yang Jun currently laid on the ground. Li Qingshan had kicked the table at him earlier, but with the disciples of the sect in the way, he had enough time to react. He dove onto the ground head-first in a hurry, avoiding the disaster.
Even now, he struggled to believe that it was all real. The people he had brought with him were all powerful disciples within the sect. There were three-third rate masters among them, and the others were all impressive adepts at martial arts, yet over half of them were dead or incapcitated from a single move. His public attempt to seize and punish Li Qingshan had instead become a huge joke.
Watching Li Qingshan approach him, he suddenly remembered the several dozen bandits that died at Li Qingshan’s hands. He remembered the terrifying nickname of the person before him and how his martial arts were nowhere near sufficient. He drew his sword madly. “Kill him!”
A sword stabbed towards Li Qingshan. At the same time, five other swords flashed with cold light and stabbed towards him from the front, the back, and the two sides. The stunned disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect managed to return to their senses as well. They were seniors and juniors who spent most of their time together training. They did not have much experience in actual battle, but they worked together rather well.
The attacks moved at exactly the same speed, enveloping Li Qingshan in a net of swords.
“Be careful of the sword formation!” Li Long warned loudly, but it was already too late. The six swords stabbed Li Qingshan at the same time.
The owner of each sword was both surprised and delighted as if they had never imagined success would be so easy. The sword formation of our Dragon’s Gate sect really is extraordinary!
An expression of either mockery or pity appeared on Liu Hong’s face. You’re too soft. You’re far too inexperienced with battles in the jianghu. You were guaranteed victory, yet you gave your opponent the perfect opportunity to surround and attack you. You’ve dug your own grave.
However, with the death of every young genius, aside from pity, experienced members of the jianghu like him would always feel some ease. They would always be tempted to say complacently, Look, the older ones are still tougher. The strongest might not necessarily survive till the very end.
The swords pierced an inch into Li Qingshan’s skin before their advance stopped. The delighted expressions of the swordsmen were replaced with shock. They pushed as hard as they could, but it only bent their tough swords into curves.
Liu Hong was alarmed. Don’t tell me his external martial arts for toughness has already reached a level where he’s impenetrable to weapons. Not to mention that fine, steel swords imbued with inner force could not be compared to regular weapons. The surprises this young man gave him were far too much.
Li Qingshan said slowly, “No wonder people say it’s difficult to fight a battle outnumbered. This combination attack is no weaker than a full-powered strike from an unmatched master.” A demonic, red light that was indiscernible with the naked eye flowed through his pupils. “Though, how are you supposed to harm me with such weak, powerless swords?!”
His body exuded true qi, and the swords all shattered. All of the swordsmen were knocked away as they spat out blood. Only faint, white marks were left behind on Li Qingshan’s skin.
Yang Jun felt extremely turbulent true qi rush into his body. The inner force that he had gathered after all these years of bitter training was actually completely useless. The true qi rampaged through his body, ripping apart his meridians.
Just when he was about to fall down the stairs, there was a flash, and a figure arrived behind him. With a great wave of his hand, Yang Jun landed on the ground safely.
Li Qingshan became slightly stern and vigilant. He saw the person’s movements, but he was unable to physically follow his movements techniques. While his defences were utterly startling, his speed was his weakest link.
Yang Anzhi felt Yang Jun’s pulse, and his face became frosty. Yang Jun’s meridians were a mess. His martial arts had been crippled.
Yang Jun called out, “Father.” before fainting. Yang Anzhi looked at Li Qingshan, and his eyes shone with terrifying killing intent. He no longer seemed anything like a scholar. His heart was overwhelmed with hatred and regret. He had arrived at the restaurant a long time ago, but he thought Yang Jun and his group of disciples would be sufficient to seize Li Qingshan.
If he saw Liu Hong, it would be a rather awkward position for him to be in, so he remained hidden in the restaurant the entire time, ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
However, he had never thought everything would happen so quickly. Ever since Li Qingshan sent the table flying and cleared out half of the disciples there, he had wanted to interfere, but he then saw Li Qingshan fall into the sword formation, which would guarantee his fate.
Even Liu Hong, someone who had witnessed the power of Li Qingshan’s ‘tough, external martial arts’, thought Li Qingshan would be dead for sure, let alone him. As a result, Yang Anzhi stopped himself, and it all became too late with that halt.
Liu Hong chuckled. “Brother Yang, long time no see. Why have your people suddenly made such a great disturbance? Just what is it all for?” Li Qingshan could tell that Yang Anzhi and Yang Jun’s appearances were slightly similar. Followed by what Liu Hong said, he deduced who this person was. He was the master of the Dragon’s Gate sect, the greatest among the martial arts society of Qingyang.
Yang Anzhi had roamed through the jianghu for many years after all, so he had an unswerving will. He immediately let go of his son, without even looking at Liu Hong, speaking to Li Qingshan, “Originally, I wanted to just persuade you to hand it over obediently. I had no plans to hurt you, but I’ve changed my mind now. My son has never done anything to you, so why have you been so cruel to him?” Towards the end, he could no longer hold in his raging fury. His face twisted viciously.
Li Qingshan laughed instead when he heard this. “No plans to hurt me? Never done anything to me?” If he had been a little weaker, who knows how much torture and humiliation he would have gone through if he ended up in Yang Jun’s hands. He would probably end up losing his life as well.
Back on the mountain path, the condescending threats and humiliation from the powerful shouldn’t be considered as a grievance, right? Yang Jun might have been extremely wronged too. Yeah, I only said some things to you. It’s not like I actually cut off your hand.
“I just want to ask you, who told you about this? Forget it, I will ask him myself! With a father like you who doesn’t even know the difference between right and wrong, it’s no wonder your son and your disciples have turned out like this. I’ll kill you today and uproot these seeds of misfortune! Before I sweep up the Black Wind stronghold, I’ll sacrifice you as a prayer for my victory!” The red light in Li Qingshan’s eyes deepened.
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Chapter 52 – The Might of a Spiritual Artifact
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Chapter 52 – The Might of a Spiritual Artifact
The Dragon’s Gate sect was arrogant and overbearing, but in the eyes of the people right now, Li Qingshan was ten times more arrogant and overbearing than them. He had tried to determine the fates of two major organisations of the jianghu that had resided around Qingyang in a single sentence.
However, there was no longer any anger on Yang Anzhi’s face anymore. He had recovered the calmness and rationality that belonged to a swordsman. With his instincts, he had discerned Li Qingshan as one of the few, powerful enemies he would have in his life.
However, he had absolute confidence in himself. His agile, graceful movement technique was the bane of Li Qingshan’s tough, external martial arts, just like how Li Qingshan was the bane of Liu Hong’s iron fists. No matter how much strength he had, it would all be useless if he could not land a blow. Li Qingshan could block the swords of regular disciples, but he could not block the sword of a mighty second-rate master like him.
Li Qingshan recognised this as well, and he could clearly sense that Yang Anzhi’s sword was not like the fine, steel swords wielded by the regular disciples. Against an opponent like that, it was impossible for him to flee. He could only confront them head-on.
As the two of them faced off against one another, the restaurant suddenly felt quiet. The killing aura was suffocating.
Clang!
Yang Anzhi drew his sword from his sheathe. It shone coldly as it swept towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. The sword actually possessed a dim glow as well, just like the knife he had purchased today.
People had names and so did swords. This was a renowned sword that everyone knew about within Qingyang city.
The Soaring Dragon sword, the treasured swords passed down through the Dragon’s Gate sect. Only the sect master had the right to wield it. People with nicknames were powerful, and swords with names were sharp! Even in the hands of ordinary people, this sword could cut through steel like clay. If it ended up in the hands of an actual swordsman, it would be a true tool for killing.
“It’s a spiritual artifact!” Returning to before the banquet, the black ox said as he stared at Li Qingshan’s knife.
“What’s a spiritual artifact?” Li Qingshan played around with the knife. “Have I really found treasure?” He had seen many novels written like this in his past life, casually strolling through the market, finding a supreme artifact of the gods and from then on, becoming unstoppable.
The black ox sneered, shattering his imagination. “This thing has barely been embedded with a layer of spiritual qi. It’s not even a low grade spiritual artifact. It was probably created as practice by some weapon forging apprentice. However, at your level, you can consider it as a treasure!” The black ox’s sneer grew heavier and heavier.
This weapon could only be used as a throwing knife. Whether it be to cultivators or ordinary practitioners of martial arts, it was a piece of trash that could not provide any help at all.
Li Qingshan stowed the knife away carefully. This was the first, err, spiritual artifact he had obtained. It held great sentimental value. After all, it was something rare, wasn’t it?
However, he had never thought that in the blink of an eye, he would see another. Moreover, it was in the hands of his enemy.
The shopkeeper of the Arsenal of Arms was among the aristocrats. As the other aristocrats fled frantically, he gazed at the Soaring Dragon sword in infatuation.
If this sword belonged to the Arsenal Of Arms, he would never sell it even if Li Qingshan offered up all of his silver and kneeled on the ground to beg him.
The sword arrived. Just as everyone thought Li Qingshan would just charge straight into it like an unstoppable beast like earlier, he instead rolled on the ground and avoided the edge of the sword, arriving at a corner of the restaurant.
Yang Anzhi’s reactions were even faster. With a twist of his wrist, the sword became like a shadow, pursuing Li Qingshan closely. It was just a few feet away, such that the coldness of the sword sent chills through Li Qingshan’s body.
The aristocrats all fled and screamed when the two approached. They had thought they would be used as meat shields.
Li Qingshan was not enough of a scoundrel to do that. He reached out and grabbed a square table, wielding it as a weapon.
The huge table seemed weightless in his hand. He kicked up quite the gale, making the candles waver.
Yang Anzhi ignored this completely. Wherever the sword flashed, the table was cut to pieces like jello. In the blink of an eye, only a table leg remained in Li Qingshan’s hands.
As if he were at his wit’s end, Li Qingshan threw the table leg viciously. Perhaps he was frantic, as he had even missed with it, and it flew past Yang Anzhi’s head.
Yang Anzhi’s sword seemed unstoppable, while Li Qingshan’s back was pressed against the wall, unable to retreat or dodge.
The restaurant suddenly plunged into darkness. The table leg that Li Qingshan had thrown snuffed out the final candle.
“You want to escape? It’s too late!” Yang Anzhi yelled out, but he failed to see the smile appear on Li Qingshan’s face when the darkness descended; there was no panic.
Bang! Li Qingshan brought his hands together. In the hair’s breadth between his hands, he had caught the Soaring Dragon sword.
Yang Anzhi sneered. I possess the momentum from lunging forward, so you better stop dreaming about trapping my sword with your strength! The sword suddenly darted forward, rubbing against Li Qingshan’s palms. It actually produced the ear-splitting sound of scraping of metal.
When the tip of the sword was only three inches away from Li Qingshan’s throat, Yang Anzhi’s expression suddenly changed. A chilling wind attacked the back of his head, which made him feel life-threatening danger that he had not experienced for several years now.
That’s impossible! That was his first thought.
Although he could not see, his senses still remained. Someone had approached him from behind, so how had he failed to sense it? Just how great of a movement technique was that? Or was it a hidden weapon?
If the lanterns were still lit within the restaurant, everyone would be able to see a knife stab towards the back of Yang Anzhi’s head. It really was like a hidden weapon. However, if there were people present who had awakened their eyes like Li Qingshan, they would see the knife being grasped in Xiao An’s pure-white, little hand, fitting snugly.
Ever since Xiao An began practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, he had refined himself in fresh blood everyday, so he no longer feared vitality at such a level. He could approach masters of martial arts now, but he still lacked a suitable weapon.
If he continued to use a normal hunting blade, it would only bounce away from Yang Anzhi’s body due to his protective inner force even when he did not practise external martial arts. Xian An would struggle to deliver any fatal wounds.
But it was different now. The spiritual artifact knife in Xiao An’s hand was not a piece of a trash, but an extraordinary weapon for assassination.
Li Qingshan used himself as bait just to draw Yang Anzhi here. He had never prepared this beforehand with Xiao An. He had not even spoken to him about this. There was only great trust, and Xiao An did not disappoint him. Their cooperation was seamless.
Yang Anzhi was impressive as well. With just a hair’s breadth left, he lowered his head and dodged. The knife basically shaved his scalp. He was surprised, but he did not panic. He only continued to push. Once he killed Li Qingshan, he could handle the assassin behind him with composure.
The knife suddenly twisted and stabbed down.
It’s not a hidden weapon!
Yang Anzhi’s head was immediately thrown into disorder, as even now, he had not detected the presence of any person behind him. A cold sensation rose up in his heart. Without caring anymore, he tried to pull back his sword and block.
Li Qingshan’s palms gripped the blade of the sword firmly as he snickered. It’s easy for you to stab, but the one that’ll get run through first will definitely be your head. You want to pull back now? Don’t even think about it!
A person never parts with their sword. This was probably a lesson every swordsman had gone through, let alone the fact that the sword in question now was a treasured sword passed down through the generations.
The sword remained in Li Qingshan’s hands, but the person flew away with an extremely graceful movement technique. However, the person was no longer graceful anymore. He was dishevelled, in an utter mess.
This had all happened within a single instant. From when Yang Anzhi swung his sword, to forcing Li Qingshan to the wall, and then to the assassination attempt from behind, only a few seconds had passed.
The aristocrats were still panicking, yet to return to their senses. Only Liu Hong sniffed with his nose. He had discovered the scent of blood. He was shocked. Was Yang Anzhi injured? How did this kid injure him?
In the final moment, Yang Anzhi had abandoned his sword decisively, but he had paid a severe price. Xiao An dragged the knife through his back, leaving behind a wound that was over a foot in length. Blood flowed out rapidly.
Li Qingshan felt some admiration for his decisiveness. This was the first time he had experienced those emotions mentioned in the books. Even for arch nemeses who would do everything to claim each others’ lives, they would still feel shock for the skills displayed by their opponent in battle.
However, he obviously would not let himself be entangled with these emotions or anything related to the morality of the situation. Since they were enemies through and through, they were supposed to do everything they could to kill each other.
The restaurant was dark, with slight glimmers of firelight filtering through the windows. Yang Anzhi widened his eyes as he did his best to adapt to the darkness. A dark figure appeared, lunging over with a gust of wind and giving off a slight, sanguine smell.
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Chapter 53 – The Master of the Black Wind Stronghold
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Chapter 53 – The Master of the Black Wind Stronghold
The Descended Tiger!
Suddenly, Yang Anzhi thought of the nickname that he had originally shrugged off completely. The Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan. Currently, the thing lunging at him was not a human, but a wild beast with fangs and claws.
Having lost his treasured sword, he was like an infant, completely vulnerable. He retreated backwards quickly.
The chilling wind appeared behind him once again, ready to take his soul.
Without any qualms anymore, Li Qingshan could use his Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength freely and unencumbered. His fists whistled through the air, forcing Yang Anzhi to dodge everywhere. Xiao An, who flew around in the darkness, did not spare a single opening. He was vicious.
The two of them, one hard and rigid and the other quick and flexible, one yang and one yin. Together, their combination was flawless.
Yang Anzhi was impressive as well. He was injured, but he used his extraordinary movement technique to maneuver and dodge. However, he still gained a few more wounds as the blood flowed faster from his back.
The smell of blood was so heavy that even ordinary people could smell it.
“Where is Li Qingshan?!” Suddenly, a bellow exploded from downstairs. It contained a powerful inner force such that it was deafening.
Over a dozen torches rose up, illuminating upstairs.
Li Qingshan’s mind halted, and he signalled at Xiao An. The knife immediately flew back into his sleeve. He did not plan on letting anyone know this secret right now.
Only now could everyone see Yang Anzhi’s figure. They were all speechless at his appearance. Before the darkness, Yang Anzhi seemed unstoppable, about to kill Li Qingshan. That also matched their expectations. No matter how powerful Li Qingshan was, Yang Anzhi was still one of the best of the best of the martial arts society of Qingyang.
However, in the blink of an eye, Yang Anzhi had actually been defeated, and he had been defeated so miserably.
Yang Anzhi recovered his sight and retreated to Yang Jun’s side. His face was pale, and his expression was twisted. It was like he wanted to tear Li Qingshan to shreds. He picked up Yang Jun and burst out a window.
Li Qingshan thought about how it was a pity, but he did not mind it too much. He placed a foot on the window sill and looked down. “Li Qingshan is right here!”
He saw a figure that was as tall and sturdy as a black bear’s at first glance, while the black bear saw him as well. They made eye contact and sparks flew.
“Xiong Xiangwu!” Liu Hong cried out. Although he was based in Qingyang city, he had met this vicious bandit before.
“The Black Wind bandits have entered the city!” someone called out. At first, the aristocrats upstairs fell into chaos once again and shouts from the distance followed.
Li Qingshan stood in the building and gazed down. The entire Qingyang city seemed to have descended into chaos.
However, Xiong Xiangwu looked at Yang Anzhi in shock as well. The two of them had heard the news together and rushed to Qingyang city simultaneously. One wanted revenge, while the other wanted the spiritual ginseng.
The Dragon’s Gate sect used its superior movement technique to arrive first. They wanted to retrieve the spiritual ginseng immediately and avoid any potential accidents. On the other hand, the Black Wind stronghold would kill off Li Qingshan. As a result, when Yang Anzhi said, “I had no plans to hurt you,” it was all just bullshit.
However, Li Qingshan’s strength seemed to have exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Yang Anzhi said, “The kid’s martial arts aren’t any worse than mine, and he has a trick up his sleeve. Be careful, master of the stronghold.” Originally, he did not want to have much to do with the Black Wind stronghold, but now, all of Li Qingshan’s enemies were his friends.
“The Dragon’s Gate sect has been working with the Black Wind stronghold to attack Qingyang city! You’ve all witnessed it!” Li Qingshan used true qi to widely broadcast his voice.
Yang Anzhi shuddered and ground his teeth. “Li Qingshan, I’ll never spare you!”
Li Qingshan’s single statement had dropped the Dragon’s Gate sect from its glory of being a righteous sect to the ranks of bandits.
“If you could do it, don’t be afraid of being condemned for it! Good, good, good! Stronghold master Xiong has come himself. You’ve saved me the trouble of coming to look for you.” Li Qingshan extended his hand and seemed to wrap his fingers around Xiong Xiangwu. With his might from defeating the Dragon’s Gate sect, he radiated with valiance.
“How bold of you!” Xiong Xiangwu’s expression changed, and he leapt up, flying towards Li Qingshan. Despite his huge size, his movement techniques were actually not bad at all.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to attack, a figure flashed past beside him. Liu Hong used his ‘Charge of the Heavy Cavalry’ and forcefully received Xiong Xiangwu’s attack in the air.
Xiong Xiangwu landed heavily on the ground, while Liu Hong used the force from the clash to land back in the building. Blood gushed through their heads.
Xiong Xiangwu was furious. “You!”
Liu Hong said, “Stronghold master Xiong has come to Qingyang city to make trouble, so isn’t that far too disrespectful to me?!” Just like how wild beasts were territorial, people of the jianghu valued their territory as well. Sometimes, they were even more territorial than wild beasts. They would not allow the careless intrusion of anyone. The Black Wind stronghold’s actions had displeased him, the local boss of the area.
Of course, if Xiong Xiangwu had mobilised so many people for some ordinary people, Liu Hong might not have been willing to stand forward, but Li Qingshan had already demonstrated enough strength for him to help out.
The second boss, who was dressed like a scholar, said sinisterly, “Doesn’t it concern you that the Iron Fist school might be destroyed by becoming enemies with our Black Wind stronghold?”
Liu Hong called out, “Where be the disciples of the Iron Fist school?”
With that, swathes of people surged out from the streets and alleyways, surrounding the restaurant completely. They were all disciples of the Iron Fist school. They had gathered over when they heard Liu Hong’s call. Liu Hong had rallied hundreds of people, making him even mightier than Li Qingshan.
The reason why the good men of jianghu could be rampant in their territory was not purely because of their martial arts but also because of the powerful force behind them. Even if Xiong Xiangwu and Yang Anzhi worked together, they would have to carefully consider this aspect.
Yang Anzhi suddenly called out, “Master Liu, don’t you know exactly what we’ve come for this time?”
Liu Hong raised an eyebrow as if he was interested.
Li Qingshan frowned instead, but he could not stop Yang Anzhi from continuing.
“It’s for the spiritual ginseng that appeared near Bailao peak. Practitioners of martial arts only need to absorb part of it, and their martial arts will advance drastically. It can also provide a very good opportunity at reaching the innate realm. This item is in his hands right now, which is why his martial arts could advance so rapidly.” Yang Anzhi pointed at Li Qingshan with a vicious expression.
Wealth would lead to ruin from others’ greed. He had disclosed the existence of the spiritual ginseng before over a hundred people, so the news would definitely spread like wildfire. Once that happened, countless people of the jianghu who desired the spiritual ginseng would gather over like wild beasts that had caught the scent of blood. No matter how powerful Li Qingshan was, he would still be ripped to pieces.
Everyone could not help but look towards Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan only looked down, without any confirmation or denial. He knew any attempt at rejection would be useless. His progression with martial arts only served as evidence for Yang Anzhi’s accusation.
The worst situation he worried about had happened, but he did not feel frantic at all. Instead, he felt surprisingly calm.
“I’m already at such an advanced age, so I have no interest in any major advancement in my martial arts or in dominating the martial arts society!” That was what Liu Hong said, but his gaze searched through Li Qingshan. Clearly, he was not speaking his mind. There was not a single person of the martial arts society who did not want major advancements in their martial arts.
“The spiritual ginseng can also lengthen lifespans. Don’t tell me you don’t care about that either, school master Liu? All you need to do is give a single order and capture this kid, and you’ll get the spiritual ginseng without even lifting a finger. Stronghold master Xiong and I only seek vengeance, so if that happens, we will never fight over the spiritual ginseng with you. Moreover, it’s not like we can get it even if we try.” Yang Anzhi demonstrated the terrifying aspects of being the master of a sect aside from his martial arts. As expected, Liu Hong was very interested, while Xiong Xiangwu’s eyes shone as well. Who knows what he was thinking to himself.
In the blink of an eye, it was Li Qingshan against everyone else once again. His eyes were serene, but he searched for a way to break out of this situation in his head. He did not believe Liu Hong would show any loyalty of friendship towards him. Wasn’t the reason why he ended up like this exactly because he believed in the loyalty of friendship?
Of course, he was not at the end of his rope. As long as he gave up the spiritual ginseng, he could obviously get out of this situation easily. However, he would never do that unless he had no other choice. The Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers did not focus on practising qi. The spiritual ginseng could be his greatest safeguard to ensure that he could become a so-called innate master.
The stalemate was broken very soon. Xiong Xiangwu bellowed out and flew up the building once more.
Liu Hong lowered his head as if he was contemplating something. He did not move. At most, he would just stand by, and making things worse for Li Qingshan was rather possible as well.
Yang Anzhi also used this opportunity to apply some medicinal powder to his wounds and stabilise his condition. He was ready to strike.
Watching as Li Qingshan was about to face the combined attacks of two great masters of Qingyang, Yang Anzhi’s entire body was tense, ready to take part at any time.
Xiong Xiangwu’s expression changed suddenly. He forcefully twisted his body in the air and landed on the ground once more. A feather arrow brushed past him with a fierce gale and only then did its whistling arrive.
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Chapter 54 – Armouring Up
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Chapter 54 – Armouring Up
Xiong Xiangwu knelt on the ground on one knee; he was in miserable shape. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at the top of the restaurant. A large figure stood there with the string on his bow still trembling. It was not as great as the Stone Splitter bow, but it was still a rare, steel, composite bow.
His eyes narrowed. “Huang Binghu!”
Huang Binghu said, “Stronghold master Xiong, that arrow was just a greeting. I hope you know when to retreat in the face of hardship, or you can’t blame my arrows for being merciless!”
Xiong Xiangwu was covered in cold sweat from surprise. He knew Huang Binghu was not boasting. If Huang Binghu had launched that arrow earlier with his full strength in an attempt to kill, it was extremely likely for him to die on the spot as he was in the air. A hidden marksman with a geographic advantage was simply too terrifying.
Yang Anzhi said, “You’re actually coming forward for this kid!”
Huang Binghu said, “It’s true that Li Qingshan found the spiritual ginseng, but I’ve already consumed it, and it has healed the chronic illness that has plagued me for all these years. Sect master Yang, you have the wrong person.” Behind him stood over a dozen hunters with over a dozen powerful bows.
The four great figures of the martial arts society of Qingyang had appeared together for Li Qingshan alone, either for him or opposing him.
The disciples of the Iron Fist school were in wonder, while the nearby residents also mustered up the courage to spread open their drapes slightly, watching this rare sight quietly.
The torches danced around in the cold wind, which made Yang Anzhi, Xiong Xiangwu, Liu Hong, Huang Binghu, and Li Qingshan’s faces flicker. However, they all seemed to be frozen, without moving at all. Every single one of them had their own qualms and considerations. They were all connected to one another through various ties. No one dared to act carelessly.
Li Qingshan suddenly laughed aloud. His laughter rode the cold wind and spread afar. “Stronghold master Xiong, this is your only opportunity to kill me, so why don’t you do it? Once I personally take your life here, the group of monkeys under your command will still have a chance to flee. If you miss your opportunity today, I only have to come knocking in the future, and your Black Wind stronghold will be uprooted completely, without a single person left alive!”
Arrogant! Everyone present found his words to be arrogant boasts that were jarring to the ear.
The Black Wind stronghold had served as a plague in the region around Qingyang for many years. Aside from the Drawn Reins village that was rather detached from the outside world, both the Dragon’s Gate sect and the Iron Fist school desired their destruction very much. However, Yang Anzhi and Liu Hong had both considered this before. They only had a chance if they worked together, and even if they succeeded, they would have to pay a heavy price.
Yet now, Li Qingshan actually said he would destroy the Black Wind stronghold alone. Even with their impressive evaluation of his martial arts, they found him to be overly conceited.
Xiong Xiangwu felt more anger than anything else. He seemed more and more like a black bear. “Then I’ll be waiting for you. If you don’t come, I’ll leave no one alive from the Crouching Ox village.” In the end, he tossed out a vicious threat. “No matter who helps you, I will massacre their entire family!” Afterwards, he left in a hurry with his men. The disciples of the Iron School sect opened a path and did not obstruct them. This group of mountain bandits actually treated the entire Qingyang city as nothing. They were utterly lawless.
Yang Anzhi also used his movement technique and vanished in the night. He voice rang out from afar, “Just you wait, Li Qingshan. You will gain more and more enemies. Your day of death draws near!”
Liu Hong clasped his hands at Li Qingshan before leaving with his people, while the aristocrats willingly offered ten times the amount of silver for subduing bandits. They hoped for him to spare these disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect, and they wanted to avoid getting involved with the entire matter.
The messy restaurant had become empty. Only Li Qingshan remained on the window sill, holding the Soaring Dragon sword he had taken from Yang Anzhi.
Huang Binghu arrived with his people, and Li Qingshan looked back. “Hunting chief Huang, I want an explanation.”
Two hunters brought over Xiao Hei, who had been tied up firmly, and Huang Binghu said, “Kneel and speak!”
Xiao Hei told the whole story from the beginning to the end before ending with, “Just kill me. I don’t regret it!”
Huang Binghu said with difficulty, “I’ve watched Xiao Hei grow up, so you can only blame this on my incompetent guidance. Please spare him.” He drew the hunting blade on his waist and held it in a reverse grip, stabbing it into his own shoulder.
“Hunting chief!” Xiao Hei called out in a panic.
“Xiao Hei, there are some things that you just cannot do. I, Huang Binghu, have killed countless people in my life, but I have never been an ingrate to the kindness that has been shown to me, much less return kindness with ingratitude.” Huang Binghu extended his hand, and a hunter behind him passed another hunting knife to him in deep sorrow. Huang Binghu stabbed it into his left shoulder.
Xiao Hei’s face was tear-stricken. He was filled with both shame and regret. Ever since a young age, he had admired and looked up to this man, even more than his own father. Yet, right now, he was bleeding for his sake.
Huang Binghu stabbed a hunting blade straight into his chest.
The punishment for an unredeemable mistake, a life for a life. This was the explanation that a man of jianghu could give.
A hand grabbed Huang Binghu’s wrist firmly. The blade could no longer be thrust down.
Li Qingshan was stunned at first before feeling relieved. “Did the hunting chief plan on shouldering the matter all alone and then end it all with death? That’ll be useless. Even if they’re uncertain, they’ll still come to find me.”
Huang Binghu sighed heavily. Having roamed through the jianghu himself, he knew just how terrifying this matter was. A single martial arts manual or a single treasured sword could kick up a sea of blood in the jianghu. The lives of first-rate masters or even those beyond the first-rate would be taken away like they were worthless.
The red light in Li Qingshan’s eyes vanished. He actually smiled. It was not a crazy smile or a wide smile, but a candid one like that of an ordinary youth’s. “But I’m not afraid of them!” He said these words straightforwardly and with confidence. Before Huang Binghu could warn him, he continued, “Have you prepared my tiger bone wine?”
“I’ll have someone deliver it tomorrow!”
Li Qingshan said nothing more. He still took the stairs down and arrived outside the establishment. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation from his face. Looking up, the pitch-black sky was filled with snowflakes.
A transparent figure emerged from the scholar wood tablet, flying beside him.
Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “I’m not afraid of enemies. I’m afraid of betrayal.” All he saw was Xiao An staring at him blankly. He could not help but smile. “You won’t understand even if I explain it. It’s not like you’ll betray me anyway, right?”
Perhaps Xiao An did not understand what the ‘betrayal’ Li Qingshan spoke of meant, but he understood what he was expecting. Xiao An nodded in a great hurry.
“Let’s go. Tonight is still not done!” Flames lit up in Li Qingshan’s eyes as if they could even melt this world of ice and snow.
Old Knickers sipped on some alcohol and tended to a charcoal fire in the stove, staving off the piercing coldness of winter.
He never had a woman in his life, having spent several decades of his life guarding the armoury. Even his neighbours had forgotten his name, only remembering his surname Zhang. They all called him old Zhang or the old armoury guard. Afterwards, the children living close to him somehow came up with old Knickers1 and that name stuck, adding a sense of degeneracy to the old man who had been alone his entire life for no reason.
It was already very deep in the night, but he had yet to sleep. Just like usual, he would recall his life, extracting the most glorious parts of his memory as if he were ruminating the past. He would mull over it while he felt tipsy. As for the truth to these memories, they were just like his name. Not only was it the case for other people, but even he himself could not discern them.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound interrupted his recollection. He opened the door slowly. “Who is it? It’s so late!” Afterwards, he saw a teenager standing at the door, smiling apologetically at him.
“District magistrate Ye has allowed me to take some items from the armoury. Here is the paperwork!”
Old Knickers shivered. Although many parts of his memories were exaggerated or made up all together, there was at least one part that was true. He had truly been a soldier in the past and had fought in wars. He had witnessed the real thing, actual scenes of slaughter. The youth before him was very young and very polite, but he gave off an aura that he found to be familiar—murderousness.
The murderousness lingered without dispersing. This was a feeling that only brave and valiant soldiers who had claimed several dozen lives with their hands would possess. If he came across an enemy like this on the battlefield, he would definitely avoid him and get as far away as possible.
He did not even check the official paperwork properly when he retrieved the keys while trembling. Holding a lantern, he opened the gate to the armoury.
The gate of the armoury stood several meters tall and was forged out of pure metal. A total of thirty-six door nails were arranged neatly, and they had a pair of tiger heads carrying metal rings in their mouths.
Old Knickers pushed hard a few times, but the gate did not budge at all. He said awkwardly, “It seems to be frozen.” All he saw was the youth placing his hands on the ice-cold metal gate and pushing gently, and the metal door swung open. He stepped into the armoury alone.
Old Knickers pulled in his body as he waited outside. This was the first time someone had come to the armoury to take something out in the past few years. What is he taking? And what does he want to do with it?
As he wondered, a clinking sound drew closer and closer. A figure emerged from the armoury. The dark armour wrapped around his robust body, giving off an icy-cold, austere presence. The thigh guards swung around with his movements.
Old Knickers’ breathing halted, and he fell back on his bottom. He recalled the terrors of the battlefield and those callous, fierce figures once more. It felt like in just the next moment, the person before him would swing his blade and kill him.
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1. The Chinese word for armoury, 库, is a homophone of the word for pants, 裤, so they sound similar. The word for armoury guard or the person in charge of the armoury is 库头, while the word for knickers is 裤头. It’s a homophonic spin on his name.
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Chapter 55 – Who Said I Have Nothing to Wear?
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Chapter 55 – Who Said I Have Nothing to Wear?1
Li Qingshan patted the three quivers on his waist and carried the Soaring Dragon sword and Stone Splitter bow on his back. Meanwhile, he had the frighteningly heavy and extraordinarily large Tyrant’s spear on his shoulder. He vanished into the snowy, windy darkness, leaving behind a long trail of deep footprints in the snow.
In the district government’s office, the advisor said to Ye Dachuan, “Sir, Li Qingshan is not listening to you. There’s nothing we can do!”
As it turned out, Ye Dachuan saw how none of the aristocrats were willing to help him anymore under the threat of the Black Wind stronghold and was certain one against two hundred would result in defeat, so he tried to convince Li Qingshan to remain behind and come up with a long-term plan instead. However, Li Qingshan would never listen to him. He forcefully demanded for the paperwork and left.
Ya Dachuan constantly paced around in the room before suddenly stopping. He stamped his foot. “Go gather men and horses for me!”
The advisor said with difficulty, “Do we have any men and horses?”
Ye Dachuan said frantically, “Those aristocrats were actually daring enough to attempt to get their descendants to kill me right in my face. The Dragon’s Gate sect is a great nest of bandits as well. Tell them that any clan that doesn’t send any people is a traitor to the city.” He had thought it through. If Li Qingshan died, then there was no point in him remaining as the district magistrate. It was even possible that the Black Wind stronghold and Dragon’s Gate sect would vent their anger on him.
The advisor said, “Please reconsider, sir!” If he did that, he would be offending all of the aristocrats of Qingyang.
Ye Chuan kicked him in the bottom with the sole of his foot. “Why aren’t you going!”
The advisor could only oblige. As soon as he made his way out of the hall, over a dozen pitch-black figures blocked his way. Who knows when they had entered the government office. The advisor was startled. He looked over using the weak lantern light from inside the hall and saw all of them carrying bows and arrows. “S- so it’s the- good men of the Drawn Reins village. M- may I ask you why you’ve come at such a late hour?”
Huang Binghu’s shoulders were wrapped in white cloth, but his bearing was as composed as before. He patted the advisor’s shoulder and said, “Sir Ye, Huang Binghu of the Drawn Reins village is willing to assist you.” After Li Qingshan left, Huang Binghu and the others had found an inn to rest in, but before they could even fall asleep, they received the news that Li Qingshan had left the city clad in armour.
Huang Binghu obviously did not believe that he was running away, so he stood up suddenly. “I’m going out. While I’m not here, Xiao Hei is in charge of everything.”
Everyone knew where he was going. Xiao Hei said, “Hunting chief, we’ll go with you!” After everything he had gone through today, much of the frivolous immaturity had vanished from his face, replaced by the level-headedness and seriousness of an adult.
“We must think for the village!”
Xiao Hei said, “The Drawn Horse village hasn’t gained its name through compromising. We’ve fallen out with the Black Wind stronghold, so there won’t be any long lasting peace. We can only gamble on this person. If I were in charge, that’s what I would do.
Huang Binghu said, “Good. Those two stabs today weren’t in vain!”
Qingyang city, which had just quietened down, became noisy once again.
In the Iron Fist school, Iron Lion Liu Hong had not slept either. Instead, he was pondering and thinking over everything that had happened today. Li Long stepped into the room and dropped to his knees with a thud. “Master!”
Liu Hong frowned. “What are you doing?”
Li Long said, “Please save the Crouching Ox village, master!” The Black Wind stronghold had not massacred the village because they wanted to capture Li Qingshan first, the main culprit behind it all, and also because of the village’s ties to the Iron Fist school. That was why they had not acted so quickly. However, they had all fallen out with one another after tonight, so the Black Wind stronghold would definitely madly seek revenge. They would definitely go forth with the massacre.
Liu Hong said, “You can go bring your father’s family and caretaker Liu’s family over!”
Li Long continued to kneel. “Please save the Crouching Ox village, master!”
“Didn’t you say you disliked it there?”
“But that’s still my hometown!”
Liu Hong sank into his thoughts for a while as if he was considering the various costs and benefits with his decision. Suddenly, he stood up afterwards. “Go, gather the disciples!” He had already considered Li Qingshan’s spiritual ginseng and the wealth of the Black Wind stronghold.
Li Long beamed. “Thank you, master!”
Ye Dachuan used his position as the district magistrate and borrowed Li Qingshan’s renown and the might of the Drawn Reins village to order the aristocrats to send people. However, there were still some aristocrats who refused to obey, reluctant to send any people.
Just as Huang Binghu frowned as he considered whether he should kill someone to set an example, Liu Hong strode over and clasped his hands. “Hunting chief Huang, I’ve heard many things about you.” Afterwards, he said to the resisting aristocrats. “Today, Liu Hong swears he will remove a great threat for Qingyang city. If you are willing to assist me, I will never forget it.” What he was implying was. “If you don’t assist me, I will never forget it.”
Given these circumstances, the aristocrats finally became afraid of resisting. They sent people over reluctantly. Although they were unwilling, they did send everyone they could spare. Xiong Xiangwu’s words lingered in their ears. If they did not eradicate them this time, what they faced would be vengeance, so they could only unleash everything that they had!
And, with the two masters, Huang Binghu and Liu Hong, watching over, they all felt that there really was a chance for them to destroy the Black Wind stronghold. In reality, the carnage that the Black Wind stronghold created did have something to do with them. Just like caretaker Liu’s nickname, Half-village Liu, most of the land in and around Qingyang city had been purchased up by them. When the Black Wind stronghold pillaged and plundered villages, most of it was their resources. As for the ransom money they had paid in the past, who knows how much it was really. Otherwise, they would have never paid taxes willingly to the previous few district magistrates for eradicating bandits.
Xiong Xiangwu would have never imagined that his threat would instead result in the aristocrats turning against him completely.
Ye Dachuan gazed at the mass of people gathered there in disbelief. It had completely exceeded his original expectations. There were actually four to five hundred people. With his identity as the district magistrate, he watched over in the centre as Huang Binghu and Liu Hong controlled and ordered the people around. He had never done something so heroic. The courage in his heart that had been blinded by fame and wealth was actually set ablaze as well.
The advisor was utterly stunned. He thought of a phrase mentioned in books that he was originally nowhere close to, ‘With a public call, followers converge, and the world is upheaved.’
Perhaps the world only needed a single warrior, a single hero to stand forward, and it could turn the impossible into the possible, leading the masses and completing a so-called miracle.
However, this leading hero would normally not meet a good end.
Old Knickers opened up the armoury with his trembling hands, removing sets and sets of armour and equipping this group that was setting out to eradicate bandits. With the clinking of armour, they set off on their journey.
Huang Binghu through to himself, I hope we can make it in time! They had wasted too much time gathering everyone.
Liu Hong thought, Kid, just last a little longer, but if you die, I’ll avenge you!
Li Qingshan advanced quickly through the darkness. He carried one to two hundred kilograms of equipment, but not only did it fail to tire him, but it instead made him feel delighted over being able to use his strength.
The metal armour was cold, but his blood became hotter and hotter. He walked faster and faster. In the end, he was basically sprinting through the wilderness. His heavy footsteps were like war drums, thumping out loud!
Who knows how long he had traveled for though the mountains and forests. He came to a sudden halt, and his gaze pierced through the wind and snow like a sword as he looked right into a gully. A stronghold stood in the darkness with a few lanterns vaguely lit.
The Black Wind stronghold was right before him.
Li Qingshan did not rush up. He removed the alcohol gourd from his waist and drank it all. His depleted strength immediately recovered, and a wave of heat rampaged through his body like a wild horse.
Suddenly, he thought of a part from a Chinese opera and called out, “Look at that black hole ahead, it must be that bandits’ nest. Once I head over there, I’ll slaughter them all!”
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1. The names of chapter 54 and 55 actually originate from the same poem. I’ve twisted it slightly to fit the context better (mainly just for chapter 54), but the title of chapter 55 actually comes before the title of 54 in the poem. Hopefully that makes more sense.
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Chapter 56 – Into the Black Wind Stronghold Alone
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Chapter 56 – Into the Black Wind Stronghold Alone
The gathering hall was ablaze with lights. The leaders of the stronghold all gathered together, discussing the matter regarding Li Qingshan.
“First boss, what do we do now? The kid is hiding in Qingyang city, and he has Huang Binghu’s protection.”
“Hmph, Yang Anzhi has disclosed the news about the spiritual ginseng, so who can protect him? He’ll meet an untimely end before long.”
“He’ll be dying in the hands of others. We won’t be able to regain the domineering influence of our Black Wind stronghold like that. Moreover, the spiritual ginseng will end up in the hands of others.”
As expected, Xiong Xiangwu’s eye twitched. His desire for the spiritual ginseng was no less than anyone else’s.
“Did he say he would come himself? When that happens, I’ll crush him into meat paste.” The seventh boss was a bald fatty. He swung the huge mace in his hand barbarically.
Everyone looked at one another and snickered. “Seventh brother, you’re the only one who thinks he’ll come.” No one with the slightest bit of intelligence would actually believe he would rush into their Black Wind stronghold alone.
“If he won’t come, we’ll force him to come. Although the snow has sealed up the mountains, preventing us from mobilising a large number of our forces, we only need to send a single group, and that’ll be enough to massacre the Crouching Ox village and regain our might. When we do that, we just need to find a few family and friends close to him and hack them to pieces before delivering them piece by piece to him. I refuse to believe he’ll still be able to stay put.” The second boss stated his insidious scheme.
All of the bosses applauded him, all agreeing to it. The second boss smiled boastfully as well.
Thunk! There was a blaring sound, and the entire stronghold seemed to shake. A bandit rushed in. “Oh no! T- there’s someone banging on the stronghold gate, bosses!”
In front of the stronghold, over a dozen bandits guarding the entrance stared at the gate in shaking fear. The huge gate nailed together from several large, thick logs no longer provided any sense of safety to them.
Thunk! With another loud noise, the logs trembled as wooden splinters flew everywhere; it was like a huge beast was trying to force its way in. Under the constant ramming, large parts of the stronghold gate cracked.
Boom! Huge pieces of splinters scattered, and a piece of it struck a bandit in the chest, immediately causing him to collapse onto the ground and spit out blood.
However, the bandits were in no shape to care for their companion. Instead, they stared at the entrance blankly. Within the wind, snow and dust, a large, tall figure stepped into the Black Wind stronghold.
“S- stop! This is the black-” Despite his fear, a bandit who seemed to be their leader tried to speak, but before he could even finish his words, an arrow emerged from the dust, ending what he was going to say and his life.
Li Qingshan lifted the Stone Splitter bow and said nonchalantly, “I know!”
Before the dust had even settled, the bandits discovered that standing before the gate was not an army or a colossal beast, but a teenager clad in metal armour, wielding a huge bow. The fear in their hearts immediately eased up drastically. Someone waved his blade and called out, “He’s alone! Everyone get him together and kill him! The stronghold master will reward us handsomely!”
Over a dozen mountain bandits wielded various weapons and charged over with battle cries.
Li Qingshan calmly removed three arrows from a quiver and notched it on the bowstring. He immediately drew the bow to its full capacity, and a series of thrums rang out. The sharp arrows pierced the three bandits at the very front with enough force to pierce clouds and split rocks. They collapsed on the ground, dead, like puppets that had their strings cut.
Li Qingshan drew the bow like it was a spring and fired arrows. He consecutively killed twelve bandits.
“I’ll kill you!” There were still four bandits who managed to approach him, swinging their weapons at Li Qingshan’s head as they roared out. Li Qingshan stowed his bow away and continued forwards like he had not seen them at all.
A whirlwind swept through his surroundings with a sharp edge. Blood spurted from the necks of the four bandits at the same time, and they all collapsed on the ground. One of the bandits had some skill and saw the tiny knife. He tried to parry with his blade, but the knife cut through his weapon like it was cake.
Li Qingshan made his way over the corpses and continued forwards. Afterwards, he stopped in the empty centre of the stronghold. He saw bandits rush out after receiving the news from various buildings. They all held torches, which was extremely eye-catching in the darkness.
He drew the great bow and fired off arrows rapidly. He became faster with each arrow.
The effects of the spiritual alcohol gradually came into play within his body. He felt slightly tipsy, but every single arrow he shot seemed like a result of divine intervention. Not a single missed.
The gathering hall was located at the highest point of the Black Wind stronghold. The bosses all hurried out of there and looked down from a platform. The bosses all cried out together, “He’s actually bold enough to come?” Moreover, he came so quickly too.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan found that the bandits had stopped changing over, instead retreating in an orderly fashion. He raised his head and saw Xiong Xiangwu with a single glance, and he laughed aloud. “Stronghold master Xiong, a guest has come, yet as the host, you take forever to welcome him! I couldn’t wait any longer, so I killed a few dozen of your lackeys to kill my boredom. You can’t blame me for this!”
True qi surged out and projected the laughter to five kilometers away. His words reverberated through the mountains, drowning out the sound of wind and snow, booming through the ears of the mountain bandits like thunder. Those who were closed and asked immediately collapsed on the ground, moaning as blood trickled from their ears.
“Oops, I’ve killed a few more.” Li Qingshan covered his mouth and produced a drunken hiccup.
The bandits were shaken from fright, while Xiong Xiangwu was close to exploding with anger. The strength of Li Qingshan’s inner force was beyond his imagination, and it was even more refined. He was not like the rumors, which said he was just a master of tough, external martial arts. It must have been the effects of the spiritual ginseng.
“The same day next year will be the anniversary of your death. No, I want to keep you alive and torture you for seven days and seven nights!”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. “I don’t have the time or boredom to deal with you like that, so they up and come meet your maker!” He raised and drew his bow, and the smile on his face suddenly vanished. His right hand turned into a flurry as he fired the arrows like a machine.
Seven arrows formed a single line. He had used the rapid fire technique he had learnt from the Drawn Reins village to fire away at the platform.
“Dodge!” Xiong Xiangwu’s warning was too late. A person fell from the platform with three arrows in him. He had only managed to dodge the first four arrows.
“Sixth boss!” the mountain bandits cried out.
Li Qingshan reached towards his waist. The three quivers of arrows were all empty, so he tossed them aside with the great bow.
“He’s out of arrows!” “There’s no need to fear him! Kill him!” The bandits riled up their morale and surged forth as a black mass. They surrounded him completely and layers upon layers of figures and weapons swallowed up Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan kicked up the Tyrant’s spear by his foot and placed it on his shoulders with a clang. He swung around like a whirlwind, and the seventy-one kilogram, four-meter-long Tyrant’s spear danced like a black dragon, thrumming deeply as it swept through the air.
Five bandits were blown away simultaneously, either with their heads cracked open or their chests crushed to dust. They could not be more dead. With this weapon in hand, anything Li Qingshan touched would die. No one would survive.
He also managed to smash the bandits further away together, causing them to moan and cry out. Li Qingshan looked at the platform. “Don’t send your lackeys to a pointless death. Hurry up and get over here and fight me.” Xiong Xiangwu looked at the dead and injured, but he had no intention of fighting. He sneered instead. “Fight you?” He could clearly see it from his vantage point.
More than ten mountain bandits in special uniforms blended in with the crowd, approaching Li Qingshan. They did not hold their weapons high like their companions, instead letting it droop.
Li Qingshan shivered inside. Terrifying killing intent appeared like a venomous snake revealing its fangs, but all of the masters he had to take seriously were clearly on the platform.
Before he could consider it carefully, these special bandits raised their arms and called out, “Move!”
Li Qingshan immediately saw it clearly. There were over a dozen pitch-black crossbows in their hands, and they all pulled the triggers at the same time.
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Chapter 57 – Trampling Through the Black Wind Stronghold
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Chapter 57 – Trampling Through the Black Wind Stronghold
The crossbow bolts tore through the air. They were not much weaker than even the Stone Splitter bow. They pierced the metal armour with a series of clangs, stabbing into Li Qingshan’s body. He immediately halted.
Xiong Xiangwu sneered. “Do you really think you’re worthy enough to fight me with just you alone? You’re being let off easily by dying like this!” He had only obtained these crossbows after tremendous effort. Moreover, he had spent an extensive amount of time to train these crossbowmen. They were the true trump card of the Black Wind stronghold.
He had committed far too much evil. All of the other organisations in Qingyang city viewed him as a thorn in their side, so if he did not take any precautions, it would have been impossible for him to sleep at night. Even first-rate masters would probably be doomed once these crossbows launched a sneak attack.
“And then?” Li Qingshan, who should have been dead, suddenly raised his head and asked. The crossbow bolts pierced the metal armour, but it failed to pierce his fascia. He had also become drenched in cold sweat. If it were not for the metal armour that nullified much of the force, it would have been impossible for him to block the crossbow bolts with his Ox Demon Forges its Hide. However, although he was mostly unscathed, it took him quite a while to recover. Bows and crossbows were truly divine tools for killing masters.
“Protect the crossbowmen. Fire again!” The second boss ordered loudly. The bandits charged up, and the crossbowmen hurriedly reloaded. Crossbows were easy to use, but they were nowhere near as fast as bows, so it was extremely easy for the crossbowmen to be injured. However, with the second boss’s orders, they could unleash their greatest killing power. He had managed to command the group of mountain bandits like an army.
“Sweeping Away All!” There was no reason for Li Qingshan to want to remain as a living target. He targeted the area where the bandits were most packed and used the Tyrant’s spear style. He charged over like a war chariot as the spear swept about, sucking up over a dozen bandits. It was just like a black dragon eating its prey. When it spat them out again, they had all become corpses.
How could these measly people stop him?
One of the crossbowmen had his chest pierced all the way through before he could even draw his crossbow. The spear flicked up his entire body, and his corpse smashed another crossbowman to death in the distance.
Li Qingshan was unified with his spear as he rampaged through the crowd, only attacking without the slightest defence. The weapons that landed on him would immediately be knocked away by the metal armour, unable to harm him at all. However, when he swept out with the huge spear, he would be piercing chests and heads. Not a single person would be left alive.
In just a while, he had killed over a dozen mountain bandits, and more than half of the crossbowmen were dead as well. He stood among the bandits with over a dozen crossbow bolts embedded in his armour, drenched in blood. A brutal aura of slaughter was set ablaze, utterly frightening the bandits.
One of the bandits tried to launch a sneak attack from behind. All he did was turn around and glare at him, red light shining in his eyes. Before he could even launch a counter attack, the bandit’s face suddenly darkened. He had actually been frightened to death on the spot.
Xiong Xiangwu watched on as he felt both a heartache and fury. Even if he won this battle, he would suffer a crippling loss. The faces of the other bosses were ugly as well. Li Qingshan’s martial arts were so great that it had basically exceeded all of their imaginations.
The second boss said, “Boss, don’t worry. Li Qingshan is clad in armour and wielding a huge spear. He seems invulnerable and unstoppable, but he’s burdened with a weight of over a hundred kilograms. No matter how great his martial arts are, he can’t last too long. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t keep on waiting for him to tire himself out and then strike. We can just recruit more people in the future to make up for our losses.”
There were almost no battles amongst masters that lasted for three days and three nights. As a matter of fact, there were very few that even exceeded ten minutes because of the danger of the attacks. Landing a single attack could determine life and death. Practitioners of martials arts needed to erupt with their physical strength and willpower in a single instant, defeating their opponent in a single stroke.
Xiong Xiangwu’s heart settled down. He thought that even if it were himself, he would not be able to last for very long after firing the Stone Splitter bow several dozen times and then charging into battle equipped like that. Even if a person possessed unfathomable ability, once they were exhausted, they were lambs to be slaughtered. This was the terrifying aspect of the battlefield. Ants swarming an elephant to death was not just an idiomatic phrase.
However, never had they thought that not only would Li Qingshan continue on tirelessly, but he would even become fiercer the more he fought. The potency of the entire gourd of spiritual alcohol he had drunken was just too startling. It burned within his body, providing him with endless strength. The Tyrant’s spear danced as a flurry in his hands, moving about according to his will. He killed to his heart’s content as he became drenched in blood. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength he practised could not be compared to the martial arts of mortals. Oxen were renowned not for their strength but their endurance.
As more and more bandits died with corpses strewn about, with the encirclement close to collapsing, sweat covered the second boss’s forehead. “Why is this happening?”
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Huge snowflakes fell towards the ground, covering all of the mountains.
As they fell towards Li Qingshan, the violent gales of his spear would immediately sweep them away. A bandit had been sent flying, and when he landed on the ground, he dyed the snowy ground red with blood. The remaining bandits did not have the slightest fierceness anymore. They all retreated frantically, and Li Qingshan’s spear paused. “What heavy snow!”
Xiong Xiangwu ordered decisively, “Do it!” Together with the other bosses, they all flew down, and the morale of the bandits was immediately riled up.
The seventh boss swung his mace, which whistled through the air. Even before it had struck anything, it had whipped up a wild gale. His might was startling and utterly outrageous. He had been born with natural strength, enough to slay tigers and bears.
The second boss said, “Don’t confront him directly!”
“You’ve finally come!”
Li Qingshan used the ‘Tyrant Carries the Cauldron’, and he raised the Tyrant’s spear upwards.
With a clang, the spear and mace collided. The mace was blown back, smashing into the seventh boss’s head, spurting with brain fragments.
Using this opportunity, the fourth boss’s three-section staff struck Li Qingshan’s waist. The fifth boss swung his broad blade at his back, while the second boss concealed himself among the attacks and used his metal fan to venomously strike the unprotected back of Li Qingshan’s head.
However, the most dangerous attack out of all of this was Xiong Xiangwu’s hand that extended towards Li Qingshan’s face.
Even if Li Qingshan endured these attacks with his Ox Demon Forges its Hide and the metal armour, the force would cause him great pain and make him pause, which would make it very easy for him to lose his life.
He finally understood why even an experienced member of the jianghu like Liu Hong would change in expression and refuse to believe him when he said he would destroy the Black Wind stronghold. The dangers involved were unimaginably great.
“The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves!” He came up with an idea and channeled all of his true qi into his right foot, stomping down heavily. He created a minor earthquake within a few metres of him, causing the ground to crack and sink as the tremor shook up the surroundings.
Martial arts were about drawing strength from the ground, deeply rooting themselves on the ground. As long as they had yet to become gods or immortals capable of flight, they would not be able to leave the ground. The attacks of these bosses were fierce like the wind, but their feet were still rooted to the ground.
Li Qingshan’s stamp immediately threw them off balance. They only felt a tremor invade their feet, and their heads span as they felt an urge to vomit blood. Their attacks became powerless as well, barely able to achieve any effects upon landing on Li Qingshan. Only Xiong Xiangwu managed to maintain the might of his strike because he was the strongest among them.
Li Qingshan chuckled aloud, and he retreated quickly, avoiding Xiong Xiangwu’s strike to his face and forcefully colliding against the fourth boss behind him. At the same time, he thrusted the spear at Xiong Xiangwu’s chest.
The fourth boss wailed out as all of his bones were shattered. He had been knocked away. Xiong Xiangwu withdrew his hand and twisted his body, avoiding Li Qingshan’s dragon-like spear.
The fifth boss had the weakest martial arts, so he had yet to recover. Li Qingshan released the pole of the spear, grabbing him by the head and pushing him to the ground. With a crack, he splattered like a watermelon with white and red. Then, Li Qingshan scooped up the Tyrant’s spear again and placed it across his body, using the Tyrant’s Parry.
He had tore through the attacks of the Black Wind stronghold in the blink of an eye and killed four bosses. Third-rate masters were as vulnerable as infants before him.
The remaining bandits were stunned, frozen in place. They had never thought that their own stronghold would be so feeble; it was as feeble as the villages they had pillaged and plundered before.
The snow became heavier as it fell. The ground had been dyed red with blood before being covered and frozen up by snow, forming a horrific sight that blended red and white together.
His promise of trampling through the Black Wind stronghold was gradually coming true!
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Chapter 58 – The Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings
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Chapter 58 – The Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings
Li Qingshan kicked aside the corpse near his foot and grinned. “It’s much cleaner like this. Come, stronghold master Xiong, I’ll give you a fast one!” He turned his head slightly. “And the one behind me, I’ll take both of you on together!”
The second boss, who was dressed like a scholar, no longer possessed any refined bearing at all. His scholar’s hat had fallen off his head, and he was drenched in cold sweat. He had managed to survive against Li Qingshan thanks to sheer luck and his impressive movement technique, but he was utterly frightened. When Li Qingshan glanced at him, he staggered backwards like he had been struck by lightning.
“Stronghold master, I don’t want to die here. I can’t just let my resourcefulness go to waste like this!” After saying that, the second boss fled. He seemed as light as a feather, reaching the gate of the stronghold with just a few strides. The other bandits scattered with him, fleeing towards the gate.
“Trash will always be trash!” Xiong Xiangwu swore aloud. If it were not for Li Qingshan, he would have been tempted to personally execute these deserters.
Just when the second boss was about to escape from the stronghold, an inky-green knife silently slid past his throat.
He did not have Yang Anzhi’s skill, and he was utterly terrified. Only the thought of escaping occupied his mind, so how was he supposed to guard himself against a tiny knife in the darkness? Blood spurted as his eyes dilated. Even when he died, he did not know who had killed him.
The other bandits who tried to flee suffered the same fate as him. The pitch-black gate seemed like the boundary of death.
Xiong Xiangwu was unable to see what had happened at the gate. All he heard was a few heavy thuds, so he knew those people were probably done for. He shivered inside. “What did you do?”
Li Qingshan smiled as he confessed, “I obviously killed them!” Ever since Xiao An began practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, he no longer feared the vigorous vitality of masters. However, Xiao An was only able to circle around the surroundings, unable to approach the battlefield during the slaughter prior due to the surging killing intent. Nonetheless, it was the perfect opportunity for him to set up an ambush.
The bandits who fled blindly in the darkness were basically the best prey. They were completely helpless before him, their necks basically bare for the executioner’s blade.
Xiong Xiangwu felt like exploding in anger. Everything he had built up over the years had been destroyed just like this, destroyed in the hands of a kid. All of the bandits had committed atrocious sins, but now, all that was left was him. At that moment, the colossal stronghold had turned into a domain of ghosts from the slaughter, with just the whistling of wind and snow remaining.
Li Qingshan held his spear in a horse stance. “Come!”
Xiong Xiangwu stared right at Li Qingshan. He extended his trembling hand into his bosom and pulled out a faded, yellow paper talisman extremely carefully. He had obtained this talisman through pure accident and with great difficulty. It was his final straw to save his life. He never thought he would reach a point like this, so he never had the time to use it, but he could no longer care too much now.
Li Qingshan could clearly see the bright flow around the paper talisman, and he shivered inside. His spear shuddered, and true qi surged into it. He used the final move of the Tyrant’s spear style, as well as the most powerful move, ‘World Domination’. The spear pierced through the air in an unstoppable manner.
Xiong Xiangwu bit the tip of his tongue and spat on the paper talisman before sticking it on his chest. A glow erupted and enveloped him. He roared out, “I’m going to kill you!”
Clang! There was the screeching of metal. A layer of golden light blocked the unstoppable Tyrant’s spear, preventing it from advancing even an inch further. Originally, Xiao An wanted to assist Li Qingshan, but under the illumination of the golden light, he was unable to take a step closer to the battle.
Xiong Xiangwu grabbed the tip of the spear, and all Li Qingshan felt was a huge force that was actually no weaker than his own strength. He almost lost his grip on the spear. He immediately used the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves, and his feet plunged into the ground. Determination flooded his eyes as he refused to back down at all.
The two of them engaged in a contest of strength. The metal spear that was as thick as a person’s wrist was twisted into an exaggerated curve.
They gradually drew closer. Five steps, three steps, one step.
Xiong Xiangwu lifted his hand suddenly and swung it at Li Qingshan’s head. His hand was alarmingly big, the same size as a bear’s paw. It was completely disproportionate to his body. Now that the light enveloped it, it seemed even larger.
Even before the slap had landed, the fierce gale sucked away Li Qingshan’s breath. He released the Tyrant’s spear and retreated quickly. The attack brushed him, and his set of thick, metal armour was ripped off like paper. His chest ached. It was even more powerful than the swing of a sword or blade.
Bang! As if Xiong Xiangwu was unable to control his strength, he slammed the ground and produced a great rumble. The ground sank deeply, even more than when Li Qingshan used the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves earlier.
Li Qingshan finally could not help but cry out, “What is this?”
Xiong Xiangwu would never explain. He roared out, “It’s your death!”
“It’s a Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings. As if you’re protected by the guardian kings, possessing limitless strength!” The black ox emerged from somewhere and explained indifferently.
A talking ox! Xiong Xiangwu was immediately astounded.
“Brother ox, what brings you here?”
The black ox said, “Hurry up and kill him. You still have things to do!”
“Alright!” Li Qingshan grabbed the damaged armour on him and ripped it off. He strode towards Xiong Xiangwu. “What protected by the guardian kings? Just you watch as I shatter your tortoise shell!”
Xiong Xiangwu swung his huge hand and thought, You’re walking to your death. The true qi in Li Qingshan’s body surged violently as the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength rose up from below, striking out with his full strength.
The palm and fist collided, producing a great boom. The ground below Li Qingshan collapsed, and the rock shattered. The bones throughout his body creaked painfully, while his muscles ached with numbness. However, he ignored it all, and he shouted out, “Again!” He threw another punch.
Boom! Struck by another huge hand, Li Qingshan sank into the ground a little more again.
Xiong Xiangwu wanted to knock Li Qingshan away and break him to pieces, but Li Qingshan was like a piece of metal, allowing his attacks to forge and temper him. He became braver and braver as he fought.
They clashed over a dozen times, and Li Qingshan’s calves had already sunken into the earth completely. Blood oozed out from his nose and mouth, but he became more and more determined.
At the end of the day, Xiong Xiangwu was borrowing power from a foreign source. His strength was tremendous, but there was no way he could recover his strength after each attack as quickly as Li Qingshan. He finally revealed an opening, and Li Qingshan would never just let the opportunity slip by. He threw a punch, but the glow nullified it once again.
“It’s useless! You can’t touch me!” Xiong Xiangwu laughed madly.
“I would like to see how many punches you can block!” Li Qingshan did not give his opponent any time to catch his breath. He erupted with all of his true qi and powered his fists, throwing several dozen punches consecutively.
The light trembled under the attacks, constantly fading away, while Xiong Xiangwu staggered backwards as well. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, the light was unable to nullify the entire force of the punches. His body was still shaken up.
Xiong Xiangwu collapsed on one knee from all the attacks. He called out in fury and refusal, “You!”
“Die!” Li Qingshan drew the Soaring Dragon sword from his back and filled it up with true qi. The sword thrummed, and a streak of light over a foot long emerged from the tip. He swung down as hard as he could at the light around Xiong Xiangwu. It moved sluggishly for a while before sliding in smoothly. A human head fell and rolled on the ground. Its face was still filled with shock and fear.
Li Qingshan lifted up the sword and said, “The master of the Black Wind stronghold has been beheaded here! The Black Wind stronghold is destroyed!” Afterwards, he flicked the sword. “What a good sword!” He did not use this sword from the very beginning, instead using his fists to waste away the light from the talisman. Otherwise, if he had used the sword when the light was the strongest, not only would he have failed to kill Xiong Xiangwu, but he would have destroyed the sword as well.
Although the black ox had said it was an inferior counterfeit of a spiritual artifact, at least it was much more useful and suitable for him. He asked, “Brother ox, what did you want me to do?”
The black ox said, “Help the little ghost achieve something with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Go gather the corpses. Don’t waste such great material.”
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Chapter 59 – The Initial Achievement of White Bone
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Chapter 59 – The Initial Achievement of White Bone
Li Qingshan thought of what the black ox had said in the past. Xiao An was only using the blood of beasts due to the circumstances for practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. If he wanted to practise it properly, he needed the blood of humans. He needed blood that was still warm from corpses that had just died. The more vitality it contained, the better it would be.
These mountain bandits were the great material the black ox was speaking about. Although Li Qingshan did not readily agree to this method, he did not mind too much. He moved the corpses over and formed quite a pile on an empty patch of land. The sight was extremely horrific and terrifying, and the sanguine smell was so heavy that it was overpowering. Even Li Qingshan himself felt rather shaken up. He could not help but ask himself, Was it really me who did this?
However, he immediately composed himself. This was retribution. If the bandits had not suffered such a fate, the world would be unfair. As long as he had a clear conscience, there was no need for him to feel regret over anything he had done. Afterwards, he followed the black ox’s orders and placed the porcelain jar that held Xiao An’s skeleton upside down on the pile of corpses.
Xiao An flew around rather nervously on the side. He only turned into a wisp and entered the jar when he heard Li Qingshan say, “Go!”
The piles of corpses trembled. The blood that dripped downwards suddenly flowed into the jar. The jar also began to tremble violently as the smell of blood became fainter and fainter.
A while later, there were cracking sounds, and the jar became riddled with fractures as red light seethed out. It was like coagulated blood, eye-dazzlingly red.
Li Qingshan frowned and held his breath. This seemed far too much like some kind of terrifying, evil ritual. It seemed like they were summoning some demon.
Bang! The jar exploded, and a tiny, blood-red skeleton remained seated on the pile of corpses. Two balls of blood-red flames blazed within its eye sockets. It was clearly an extremely mysterious and terrifying sight, but the little skeleton just happened to be sitting quietly with his hands together like some old monk meditating. It gave off a sacred feeling of enlightenment and seeing through life and death. The horrific, frightening pile of corpses vaguely seemed like the lotus pedestal that buddhas meditated on. Those pale, extended arms seemed like the pure-white petals of the lotus. It was extremely strange.
Li Qingshan probed by calling out, “Xiao An?”
The little skeleton raised its head, and its blood flames pulsed. It turned into a blood-red blur as it lunged over. It moved so quickly that it surprised even Li Qingshan. This was even faster than Yang Anzhi’s movement technique. He wanted to block or even counterattack instinctively, but he stopped himself. He allowed it to enter his arms before hitting him in the chest with a thud and sliding down.
Li Qingshan was immediately left at a loss as for how to react. All he saw was Xiao An sitting on the ground, shaking his head, as if he had failed to control his speed.
Xiao An stood up and looked at Li Qingshan. In Li Qingshan’s eyes, Xiao An saw his current figure. As if he had suddenly realised he was no longer a ghost, he lowered his head to look at his thin, bony hands before looking at his body. Afterwards, he began to tremble violently, squatting down and covering his face with his hands.
There was not the slightest sound, but Li Qingshan could clearly sense that Xiao An was weeping. As a ghost, at least he had a human form. Not a single person who had been turned into such an inhuman, terrifying state would be able to remain calm. Not to mention that he was still just a child.
Li Qingshan’s heart ached. His heart that had grown as tough as steel from the slaughter immediately softened. He rubbed his stinging nose and squatted down with a smile, rubbing Xiao An’s head. “Don’t be like this. Aren’t you pretty cute like this? In the past, only you could touch me. I couldn’t touch you. Now we’re fair.”
Xiao An raised his head, and the blood-red flames in his eye sockets became slightly brighter. He extended his hands and hugged Li Qingshan gently, laying his head against Li Qingshan’s chest. Li Qingshan opened his arms and embraced him tightly.
In the snow and wind, below a pile of corpses, a half-grown teenager and a small skeleton hugged one another, relying on each other. It was as if they could both feel a certain warmth from each other’s icy-cold bodies.
The black ox watched on quietly from one side, but his gaze was missing his usual mocking sneer.
At the end of the day, Xiao An was still a child. He cheered up very quickly, experimenting with his new body curiously. He would wander around at times and pick up a fallen bandit’s blade and play around with it at other times. He would even leap several meters into the air before helplessly falling back down to the ground with a clatter.
Li Qingshan went up in alarm, afraid that his thin bones would shatter from the fall, but all he saw was Xiao An turning over and standing up. Xiao An scratched his head and remembered he was no longer a ghost, so he could not fly anymore, but he was not disappointed at all. He took off in the wind and snow once again.
Li Qingshan relaxed. He smiled. Perhaps due to how love would extend to everything related to it, he really did not find Xiao An horrifying at all. With the various childish actions that the small skeleton performed, Xiao An instead seemed strangely cute. However, other people definitely would not feel the same way.
He turned around and asked the black ox, “Will Xiao An be like this forever?”
The black ox said, “There’s nothing wrong with it. There are plenty of people who worship gods and buddhas, wishing that they could become like this, yet they can’t! Though, normal people would never even be able to imagine that a ghost could gain a physical body. Although it is an ability of the demonic path, it can’t be restrained with buddhism or daoism. With it, you can progress rapidly and achieve extraordinary power. If this ability had been public, I can guarantee you that the consequences will be a million times worse than the spiritual ginseng you possess. Whether it be people of buddhism, daoism, or daemons and demons, they would all come for it.”
If someone provided you with a feast, could you still blame them if they didn’t provide you with cutlery? Li Qingshan could only smile bitterly. “I knew it. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty sounds much more powerful than the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers.”
Not only was he so fast that even Li Qingshan struggled to react in time, but when he looked back, he saw Xiao An grabbing the seventh boss’s huge mace that weighed over fifty kilograms, waving it about madly. Afterwards, due to his hand being too small, he lost his grip on the hilt, and the mace flew over fifty meters away, smashing into a wall. The current Xiao An could slaughter the entire Black Wind stronghold alone, and he would definitely complete the task with much greater ease.
Moreover, the talisman that the master of the Black Wind stronghold had somehow obtained could rival his strength of an ox. If the leader of a group of bandits like him could obtain it, it definitely was not some impressive, high quality item. As a result, he could not help but begin to doubt his Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers.
“He has absorbed the essence blood of over a hundred people, so of course he wouldn’t be weak. If you want him to recover a human form, it’s actually not that difficult.” The black ox sniggered and changed the topic of conversation, ignoring Li Qingshan’s doubts.
As expected, Li Qingshan put this matter behind him too. “Really? How?”
The black ox said, “The first way is to cultivate the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty to a certain level, and then you’ll be able to conjure a myriad of different forms. You’ll be able to turn into anything you want.”
Li Qingshan nodded. “When buddhism says even great beauty will rot away into white bone upon death, it holds the meaning of seeing through falsehoods. However, this probably can’t be achieved overnight, and it’s just conjuring after all.”
The black ox said, “There’s a shortcut, which is to use the essence blood of people to form a foundation. With this method, you’ll be able to make tissue grow from white bone, regaining your flesh and blood and rebuilding your body of flesh before long.”
Li Qingshan was shocked. “Doesn’t that mean Xiao An will be alive again?”
The black ox shook his head. “Neither living nor dead. Neither dead nor living. However, from the perspective of mortals, it’s no different from resurrection.”
“Alright!” Li Qingshan was in high spirits.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. It’ll still be up to you to complete this troublesome task. You can’t expose him before everyone or leave behind too many traces, or people will come for you in the name of purging evil. Don’t blame me for not warning you.”
Li Qingshan said with determination, “Even if I have to bear sins and be covered in blood to achieve this, I will not hesitate at all. Moreover, there are countless people in the world who deserve to be killed.”
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Chapter 60 – Coming Across a Spiritual Artifact
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Chapter 60 – Coming Across a Spiritual Artifact
The black ox said nothing more. Only when Li Qingshan turned around did he say, “When you return, you can begin practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. If you practise the ox but not the tiger, it won’t be an ability.”
Li Qingshan’s body paused, but his feet continued onwards. No matter where this path would lead him, he would go down it without looking back. It was for his own sake as well as for the child in front of him.
The black ox placed all of his focus on Li Qingshan. He taught Xiao An the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty because of Li Qingshan and because it was convenient. Was the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers that he taught Li Qingshan really just an inferior, mediocre ability?
Li Qingshan searched through the Black Wind stronghold for his spoils of this battle. Xiao An followed behind him with clattering steps. Very soon, Li Qinghshan found a granary. All of the grain in there had been plundered from various villages, prepared for the winter. Who knows just how many ordinary people would freeze or starve to death because of this.
Afterwards, he found a store room filled with miscellaneous items; he also found an armoury. The store room was filled with items like alcohol, meat and salt, while the armoury stored regular weapons as well. None of them could match the Soaring Dragon sword in his hand, so he did not take special note of them either. However, no matter how he searched, he was unable to find the most precious treasury. However, he did find quite a lot of silver and silver notes in the rooms of the various bosses.
The Black Wind stronghold had remained in the region of Qingyang for many years, so who knows how much treasure they had accumulated. There might have even been talismans. Xiao An was still the one who was the more attentive of the two. He discovered an extremely well-hidden mechanism in Xiong Xiangwu’s room. After activating the mechanism, a secret door appeared.
Upon opening the secret door, the glittering shine from gold and silverware almost blinded them. A wooden box contained a stack of silver notes, amounting to over ten thousand taels. However, the most precious items were probably still the paintings, calligraphy, and antiques that he knew nothing about.
Even Li Qingshan felt rather dazzled. He casually picked up an item, fiddling and admiring it for quite a while, exposing him as an ignorant bumpkin. He had never seen so much gold, silver, and treasure even across his two lives. However, after looking around, he failed to find another talisman, much to his disappointment. He thought of how Xiong Xiangwu would probably keep something as good as that by his side as a trump card if he really did have another and not leave it in a place like this to grow all mouldy. He could not help but feel slightly disappointed.
Xiao An ignored the gold and silver as if he had gotten sick of it from playing with the weapons earlier. Instead, he fished out paintings from a great, porcelain jar that stored scrolls in the corner. He no longer seemed like he was playing, instead examining them seriously. Some of the paintings were directly tossed aside by him on the ground after a single glance as if he had discerned them to be fakes.
Li Qingshan huddled over, but he saw that these paintings and calligraphy either depicted elegant scenery of mountains and water, or flowers, birds and people, or they were written in some kind of strange penmanship. He would struggle to recognise most of these words. They were all in an ancient, classical style anyway, so he was unable to distinguish between them.
Suddenly, he realised that he was basically illiterate in this world. He neither had the opportunity nor the need to learn in the mountain village. He probably could not even read most of the words in this world. He had to properly make up for this shortcoming when the opportunity arose. However, he felt very surprised inside. “You understand it?”
Xiao An nodded. Although he could not talk, he gestured to Li Qingshan, and Li Qingshan understood very quickly. As it turned out, Xiao An had remembered many more things after attaining an initial achievement with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty and turning into a skeleton.
Li Qingshan clicked his tongue. “Maybe you’ll be able to remember your home very soon. You already understand paintings and calligraphy at such a young age, so you must have had an extraordinary education. Perhaps you aren’t even from an ordinary wealthy clan.”
Xiao An instead became lost with what Li Qingshan said. Even if he were naive, he knew he was currently unpresentable. Even if he found his home, could he meet his family?
Li Qingshan comforted him and said, “Don’t worry, I have a way. You’ll become nice and good very soon. I guarantee you that you’ll be no different from other children.”
Xiao An immediately cheered up. Although he did not know what Li Qingshan’s method was, he trusted him instinctively.
The black ox heard that from outside and snickered internally. How could he be from an ordinary wealthy clan? The little ghost’s soul had clearly been refined and strengthened with great power, which was why it had such tenacity. Even with the witch’s amateurish refinement, his soul had not dispersed; instead, he could even wield objects.
Li Qingshan might not have known just how strict the requirements of talent to practise the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty were, but the black ox did. When Xiao An managed to reach initial achievement successfully, even he was rather surprised. This was probably not due to only talent and intelligence. Instead, Xiao An probably had his spiritual intelligence awakened with some kind of spiritual medicine or technique.
Xiao An unfurled another painting scroll, and the room suddenly became filled with light. It outshone all of the gold and silver.
Li Qingshan shivered inside. He felt an extremely sharp sword qi attack him. It was actually ten times more terrifying than the killing strike from Yang Anzhi back in the restaurant. He instinctively grabbed Xiao An and pulled him behind to protect him.
The painting scroll fell to the ground, but it did not launch a terrifying attack like he had expected. After staring for a while, Li Qingshan carefully picked up the painting scroll, but he discovered that it was not a painting at all but calligraphy instead. The penmanship was vigorous and lively and extremely sharp. He truly could not recognise a single word.
It looked like a cursive script, yet it also did not. The entire calligraphy did not form a character at all. Instead, it was just messy, containing ascending and descending diagonal strokes. However, it just happened to penetrate the paper with vigour. It was extremely powerful. Every single stroke seemed like a slash a supreme swordsman had left behind on a cliff, leaving behind an impression that even time could not wear away.
The black ox said, “Kid, you’re quite lucky. You’ve actually found a true spiritual artifact!”
“A spiritual artifact!” Li Qingshan was overjoyed. He fiddled with the painting scroll in his hands as his heart was filled with delight. He rubbed Xiao An’s skull. “What a good Xiao An!”
Xiao An saw that Li Qinghshan was happy, so he lowered his head with the same amount of happiness.
“How do I use this?”
The black ox said, “Try channelling true qi into it.”
In his great battle against the Black Wind stronghold, Li Qingshan primarily used his physical strength, so he actually did not exhaust much of his true qi. Most of it remained. However, when he tried channeling his true qi into the scroll, the true qi leaked out of his body madly. All of his true qi had been sucked into the scroll.
Only when his body had run dry of true qi did one of the calligraphy strokes on the painting light up. With a flash, a descending diagonal flew out and swept past a box of gold and silver, landing on a stone wall of the secret room. It did not produce any startling disturbances, but a while later, the treasure box split open.
Only then did Li Qingshan return to his senses. He went up and took a look. All he saw was that the diagonal stroke had split all of the gold and silver in half with clean, smooth cuts. Then he inspected the heavy, stone wall and discovered an extremely thin and deep mark.
“So this is the might of a spiritual artifact!” Li Qingshan gulped. Let alone the Ox Demon Forges its Hide that he took pride in, even Xiong Xiangwu’s Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings would never be able to block this attack. Moreover, he could sense that due to insufficient true qi, he had not even managed to unleash a tenth of the spiritual artifact’s power. If he could activate the several dozen strokes on the scroll simultaneously, just how powerful would that be?!
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Chapter 61 – Murder and Arsony
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Chapter 61 – Murder and Arsony
Li Qingshan finally understood why the black ox looked down on the glowing knife while not even sparing a second glance at the Soaring Dragon sword that regular people treated as a divine weapon. Compared to true spiritual artifacts, they really were inferior, substandard items.
If Xiong Xiangwu had used this spiritual artifact, he would have been the one who died today. However, it was impossible for regular practitioners of martial arts to see this glow. The unsophisticated Xiong Xiangwu did not collect the antiques, paintings, and calligraphy here. The second boss dressed like a scholar had gathered these. He could tell that the calligraphy was rather extraordinary, but he failed to pinpoint exactly where.
Even if he managed to pinpoint exactly where, it was impossible for regular practitioners of martial arts to use spiritual artifacts with their inner force. Xiong Xiangwu managed to use the talisman because he had bitten the tip of his tongue and powered it with his essence blood. Moreover, when the scroll was rolled up, it did not emit any glow at all, so it became easy pickings for Li Qingshan.
The black ox said, “This spiritual artifact does not seem complete. Instead, it’s only a fragment.”
Li Qingshan glanced at it. As expected, many of the strokes were severed along the edge of the scroll as if someone had cut it off.
The black ox’s insight was extraordinary. “This spiritual artifact doesn’t seem like it was purposefully created. Instead, it’s more like it was casually written, imbuing the strokes with sword qi and sword moves, allowing them to be activated. If you want to, you might be able to comprehend a set of sword moves from the calligraphy. And, ordinary spiritual artifacts will all be destroyed once they’re split up. The person who wrote this really did have some skill.”
Li Qingshan understood the black ox. He was as arrogant as oxen would be, so describing the person as ‘having some skill’ was already an impressive evaluation. As a result, Li Qingshan studied the calligraphy with even greater care in an attempt to comprehend some sword moves.
Originally, he believed Shi Potian had managed to comprehend the Ode to Galantry that the entire martial arts society struggled to understand as an illiterate, so he should have possessed some advantages as an illiterate as well. However, no matter how he looked at it, he failed to find anything. He only found it more and more impressive the more he looked at it. He could only give up.
Xiao An stared at the painting scroll, and his blood-red flames danced around. Suddenly, he picked up a painting scroll from the ground and began swinging it around. Wind whistled through the treasury as the scroll blurred, piercing through the air with a series of swishes as if the item in Xiao An’s hand was not a painting scroll but a real sword.
It should have been a strange and funny sight for a little skeleton to dance around wildly with a painting scroll in its hand, but Li Qingshan vaguely saw a graceful swordsman who could shake the world with a swing of his sword. He could not help but murmur, “The fairy tales are all lies.”
What illiterates learn martial arts more quickly? It was all nonsense!
The black ox glanced at Li Qingshan and clicked his tongue. “That’s what you call comprehension!”
Li Qingshan personally believed his comprehension was not too bad. He had progressed rapidly with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, and he even earned the praise of the black ox. If there was nothing wrong with him, the only explanation was that Xiao An’s talent for comprehension was just overwhelmingly high. Of course, perhaps it was due to the fact that he understood calligraphy.
Xiao An finished the final move and drew back the sword resolutely. The painting scroll became riddled with cracks before turning into fine powder. Afterwards, he looked at Li Qingshan. Although he could not make any facial expressions, his blood-red flames clearly flickered with an emotion of ‘Quickly, praise me’.
Li Qingshan rubbed his skull. “How clever!”
Xiao An immediately beamed. Seeing how Li Qingshan’s pride had been hurt, he wrote in his palm. “I’ll teach you!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Alright then. It looks like there’s still a lot of things I need to learn. However, let’s find you a new home first!” He found a heavy, porcelain jar from all of the antique vases and considered it. “Seems a little too small.”
Xiao An disassembled into a series of bones again and flew into the jar with a series of clatters, making Li Qingshan leap in fright. He looked inside the jar and discovered a small skull and a pair of blood-red flames staring right back at him brightly.
Fine then. I originally thought nurturing a little ghost was already strange enough, but it seems to be getting even stranger now. He said, “Good night!” and placed the jar lid on.
Li Qingshan picked up the jar, shoved the silver notes into his bosom, and only took the painting scroll with him before sealing up the secret room again. In the end, he found some oil and doused the various buildings apart from the granary and store room with it. He set it all on fire.
Ever since the ancient times, murder and arsony had always gone hand-in-hand.
Even despite the wind and snow, the flames spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it became a roaring fire, turning Li Qingshan’s face completely red from the light.
Then, Li Qingshan poured oil onto the pile of corpses. Who knows if anyone would find anything wrong with these corpses that had their essence blood extracted by Xiao An, so he just burnt it all.
On the mountain path, the group who had come to subdue the bandits finally approached the Black Wind stronghold after a difficult night of travelling.
Just when Huang Binghu thought they were too late, a red glow suddenly filled the entire horizon. He was startled, Don’t tell me? He ordered immediately, “Move faster!” After crossing over a ridge, Huang Binghu became stunned. Liu Hong became stunned as well, and everyone who had crossed the ridge with them became speechless.
The infamous, indomitable Black Wind stronghold was currently burning, roaring with a sea of flames.
Don’t tell me that person did this alone? Everyone thought of the same question inside.
After recovering from the shock, the group rushed down the ridge as quickly as they could, arriving before the Black Wind stronghold. They passed through the broken gate with hesitance before witnessing a sight that they would never be able to forget.
Within the sea of flames, the snow on the open area had been dyed red by blood and fire, covered in various, broken weapons. Li Qingshan sat in the middle, resting. Right behind him was the burning pile of corpses.
The entire group, four or five hundred people, stopped. Huang Binghu and Liu Hong were no exceptions either. The young man gave off an unapproachable aura like a demon god.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. “You’re finally here!” The flames reflected in his clear eyes, but it seemed like the fire arose from within him.
No one answered him!
Li Qingshan had murdered, burned, and tried the spiritual artifact, so all of his strength and true qi was truly sapped. As soon as he sank down, he felt a deep wave of exhaustion, so he just began meditating. Within this sea of fire, the best place for him to rest was the empty piece of land where he currently sat. Even he himself had never thought he would form such an impactful sight.
As an ordinary person, Ye Dachuan had not gone through as much as Huang Binghu and Liu Hong. He went up and asked, “D- did you do all this?” However, he was unable to look directly at the pile of corpses behind Li Qingshan. The scorching sensation and the smell of burning flesh made him dizzy.
Li Qingshan nodded and leapt to his feet. “Li Qingshan has destroyed the Black Wind stronghold here and now. I’ve completed my promise to the people of the Crouching Ox village, to sir, and to myself!”
However, Huang Binghu and Liu Hong noticed the crossbows among the weapons scattered on the ground. They knew the terrors of these weapons the most.
Just what martial arts had granted him such strength!? Liu Hong personally believed he could not achieve what Li Qingshan had done. Even if the bandits stood still, forming a line for him to beat them, he would still run out of stamina, let alone the fact that they were wielding various weapons and being watched over by several masters.
Liu Hong’s gaze fell onto the gourd on Li Qingshan’s waist. He thought he had guessed something, but he quickly shifted his gaze when he made eye contact with Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 62 – Killing Intent Hidden Everywhere
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Chapter 62 – Killing Intent Hidden Everywhere
“Thank you all for your reinforcement!” Li Qingshan thanked Ye Dachuan, Huang Binghu, and Liu Hong. No matter what they were thinking when they came, help was help, and they would be paid back with the granary, store room, and armoury that remained from the Black Wind stronghold.
As for the treasury, it was extremely well-hidden in the first place. Now, the heat from the fire had even broken the secret door. If they wanted to get in there again, they would be forced to clear the ruins and find its precise location, forcefully breaking their way in.
Among the army, everyone smiled from ear to ear. They had eased up. Originally, they were riddled with worry, believing that they would be throwing their lives at the bandits of Black Wind mountain. Now that they had managed to attain victory without even drawing their swords and only needed to carry the spoils of the battle without any injury, it was simply fantastic. They could even boast to others when they returned.
Ye Dachuan, Huang Binghu, Liu Hong, and Li Qingshan stood together, watching everyone move the items. They seemed to follow Li Qingshan as their leader.
Apart from the alcohol gourd on his waist and the Soaring Dragon sword on his back, he had gained a new porcelain jar on his waist and a painting scroll on his back.
The jar obviously carried Xiao An. He had absorbed so much essence blood from the bandits in a single stroke, so he needed time to digest it. As for the scroll, it was the spiritual artifact he had obtained. Since it was calligraphy and could emit sword qi, he named it the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
These two items raised Ye Dachuan, Huang Binghu, and Liu Hong’s attention, but none of them mentioned it, nor did they tactlessly ask about it. No matter what these items were, they were his spoils of the battle, objects that others could not encroach upon.
Li Qingshan asked, “Hunting chief, are your wounds alright?”
Huang Binghu said, “Don’t worry. I was precise when I stabbed myself, so it won’t affect me.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback before bursting out with laughter. “You really are an experienced member of the jianghu.” People were complicated. They would be spurred on by emotions, and they would change with their interests. There was truth within falsehoods and falsehoods within truth. It was impossible to clearly distinguish between right and wrong, kindness and grievances, nor was there a need to. Coming across each other by chance, a smile could dissolve debts of kindness and animosity.
Huang Binghu laughed aloud as well before suddenly stopping. “But the hard part has yet to come!”
Xiao Hei walked up and performed a great bow towards Li Qingshan despite their similar ages. “I’ve let you down.” Everything that happened today had shocked him deeply. If someone like him became the enemy of the Drawn Reins village, just how terrifying would that be?
Li Qingshan patted his shoulder and walked towards the entrance of the stronghold. “The sun has almost risen!”
A ray of light emerged from the east, shining from beyond the red clouds. The great fire gradually subsided.
Li Qingshan suddenly stopped. “Oh right. Hunting chief, did the nickname of the Descended Tiger come from you?”
“Maybe?” Huang Binghu had never thought he would ask that.
Li Qingshan asked, “Could you change it?”
Huang Binghu was surprised before smiling bitterly. This nickname had already spread among the people of the jianghu. The circumstances just happened to be right when he came up with it, so why would he have the right to change it now?
Li Qingshan still did not know that he would have a new nickname very soon.
The Black Tiger. The Black Tiger, Li Qingshan.
Ye Dachuan felt deep regret over the fact that he failed to find the treasury of the Black Wind stronghold in the end, but he showed none of it. His gaze would meet the advisor’s from time to time, and they were both ravishing in joy. It’s a great piece of merit! It’s a great piece of merit!
Although Li Qingshan had completed it all alone, Li Qingshan was still the sheriff Ye Dachuan had recruited, so he had his share of contribution as the district magistrate. He could already imagine the expression of the brother-in-law he was undeserving of who looked down on him when he received this news.
“Hahahaha, there have been several district magistrates who had failed to destroy the Black Wind stronghold, but I’ve done it!” Ye Dachuan laughed wildly as he patted Li Qingshan shoulder. “Of course, it’s all your contribution, sheriff Li. I will definitely report this to the prefect, who’s also my brother-in-law. You will be honoured, earning you promotions and wealth. Hahahaha.”
Sheriff Li? Only now did Li Qingshan remember that he still held a position in the government. He smiled. “Then I must thank sir Ye.”
“It’s no problem; it’s no problem at all!”
The army set off once again to return to the city. Li Qingshan had nothing to attend to, so he just travelled slowly with the army. Along the way, everyone discovered that he was not as terrifying as they had imagined him to be. They gradually gathered around him, calling him all sorts of names, such as sheriff or young hero.
Li Qingshan felt extremely delighted by this treatment as a hero he had never experienced before. Compared to the mediocrity of his previous life and the frustration he experienced in the Crouching Ox village, this was how a real man was supposed to be treated like. He would never fake some reservedness, acting like fame and wealth meant nothing. Not only did he like fame and wealth, but he also liked alcohol and meat and beautiful women. He liked drinking. He had lust. He liked wealth. He had pride. He had all of the various desires that everyone else had.
Huang Binghu bid Li Qingshan farewell, returning to the Drawn Reins village to retrieve the tiger bone alcohol the latter wanted. Li Qingshan said, “If you have ginseng as well, feel free to bring it too. I’m willing to purchase it at good prices.”
After settling this matter, he could truly begin practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Although the black ox never mentioned a word of it, Li Qingshan felt this ordinary-looking ability hid secrets he had yet to touch upon.
And, even if it were just an ordinary ability, there were not any martial arts that could rival it. It would still be extremely important to him. He liked fame and wealth, but he had not been blinded by them. He did not forget his circumstances. The luxury right now was only just the calm before the storm. Even more, greater challenges laid ahead. If he did not make preparations beforehand, he would be defeated and broken.
However, not only did he feel no fear, but he even felt slightly excited. He was just a shout away from asking the storm to come fiercer. This was the life he had chosen.
Although it was easier to travel on the path during the day, they transported a large number of items with them, so they were unable to speed up either. Only when dusk came did the group arrive before the city gates, and they heard the roaring gongs and firecrackers.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s the festival today?”
Liu Hong said, “No, they must be welcoming you. The district magistrate had sent people back first and passed on the news.”
As expected, a wave of warmth flooded over as soon as they entered the city. Despite it being winter, the streets were filled with people.
Everything that happened last night had shocked everyone in the city. Even after the night was over, every single person was still absent-minded, taken away by their thoughts. The entire city fell into an uproar when they received the news.
Li Qingshan smiled and received everyone, but at the same time, he could sharply sense a few hostile gazes from the tea house on the side of the street. He thought, They’ve come so quickly!
“Hmph, he’s a frog in a well. He has just destroyed a bandit’s stronghold. Senior brother, when do we get him?” In the tea house, a lady in blue with surging arrogance despite her ordinary appearance asked.
“There’s no hurry. Let’s keep waiting!” Before her sat her senior brother. He was a horse-faced man in his thirties. He carried almost nothing on him, but his hands were slender. Something bulged from his waist as his eyes shone. An experienced member of the jianghu could tell with a single glance that he was a master of hidden weapons with powerful internal force.
“We’ve been fortunate. If the news spread even further, who knows how many people would come to steal it. Why don’t we strike first?”
“He slaughtered two hundred bandits alone. I personally believe that even I cannot achieve that. The might of this Descended Tiger just happens to be flourishing. He’s difficult to deal with.” The horse-faced man shook his head. It was a pure coincidence that they were in Qingyang city, so they wanted to take advantage of these easy pickings.
“You would believe such a preposterous rumour? Look at how heavy and clumsy his steps are and how his temples are flat. He’s just a practitioner of external martial arts. At most, he’s a peak second-rate master. He can’t be at the first-rate. If we work together and greet him with our hidden weapons, we’ll take his life almost instantly.”
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Chapter 63 – The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones
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Chapter 63 – The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones
“We still have to be careful when we roam the jianghu. You would rather go without the spiritual ginseng than place yourself in danger. There are other people here, so let’s have them probe him first!” The horse-faced man instructed earnestly, but it only made the lady in blue scorn him.
“Master said that you have to listen to me when outside!” The horse-faced man became furious as well. If you’re looking to die, you’re more than welcome to, but don’t drag me into it as well. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re master’s daughter, I would have abandoned you a long time ago.
He had experienced the many dangers of the jianghu. Even if he managed to get the spiritual ginseng, the slightest of carelessness would lead him to his death. If this Li Qingshan was a clever person, he would immediately offer it to someone, or he would be dead for sure. No, even if he did offer it up, the person on the receiving end would definitely silence him with death in order to avoid the news spreading, stopping others from hunting them down.
The horse-faced man looked at Li Qingshan in the crowd like he was a dead man. He sipped his tea. Even if he could not obtain the spiritual ginseng, watching this lucky, young talent die to the dangers of the jianghu was a wonderful matter as well.
In the same restaurant he had fought the night before, Li Qingshan sat down and received the terrified gazes of the aristocrats and cups of wonderful wine. Just when he was about to drink the alcohol, he suddenly stopped and looked at the rippling liquid.
With his halt, the restaurant quietened down as well. An aristocrat asked carefully, “Sheriff Li, what’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan said nonchalantly, “The wine is poisoned!” He casually splashed the alcohol onto the ground, and a white mist immediately rose up. It only demonstrated the toxicity of the alcohol. The poison was odourless and traceless as well. If it were not for his awakened eyes and his caution, which allowed him to see the peculiarity of the wine, he probably would have been poisoned already.
The aristocrat became sheet-white. He had passed this cup of wine to Li Qingshan earlier, so he waved his hands frantically. “It’s not me!”
Li Qingshan leapt to his feat. Just when the aristocrat wanted to cry for help, he saw Li Qingshan look at a waiter on the side. “You’re the one who poisoned it!” This was his almost beastial instincts, his sharp senses towards killing intent and hostility.
“I don’t think I’ve seen him before. He’s not a waiter of this establishment,” said an aristocrat.
The waiter panicked and cried out for the injustice. Suddenly, he saw a fist hurling towards him. Before the punch had even arrived, the gust of wind had sucked his breath away. He could not afford to hide any longer, so he slid a knife out from his sleeve and stabbed it viciously at Li Qingshan’s abdomen.
With a bang and the shattering of bone, the waiter’s chest collapsed. His corpse flew out the building, landing in the streets below. He still grasped the knife firmly in his hand, but the blade was now bent.
Li Qingshan treated it like nothing before turning around. “Let’s keep drinking!” He knew that this could not even be considered as an appetizer for what would be coming next.
But was there anyone who was still in the mood to drink?!
Li Qingshan said, “Sir Ye, the sect master of the Dragon’s Gate sect has publicly attacked a government official, and he has slipped away. Have you considered putting out a warrant for his arrest?”
Ye Dachuan said, “Yes, yes, yes. I will definitely mention this matter in my official report to the prefect.”
“A nest of bandits like the Dragon’s Gate sect cannot remain. As the sheriff, I am willing to suppress the Dragon’s Gate sect and bring back Yang Anzhi. What do you think, sir?”
The aristocrats were horrified. The Dragon’s Gate sect was probably going to follow in the steps of the Black Wind stronghold. Fortunately, they had summoned their descendents back immediately.
Ye Dachuan looked at the sun in the sky. “Isn’t it too late?”
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for your concern, sir. I will be right back!” Since he could not drink, he needed to find something to do. He would never spare the cause of all of this, the Dragon’s Gate sect. He would never give his enemies an opportunity to rest.
Comrade Lei Feng once taught us that we must treat our fellow comrades with the same warmth of spring, while we must treat our enemies with the same cruelty and mercilessness of harsh winter.1
The Dragon’s Gate sect was located on the Dragon’s Gate mountain five kilometers from the city. Li Qingshan left the city gates and did not travel on the main road. He found the direction and traveled straight for the mountain. When he left the city, two black shadows tailed behind him, but they were not the senior brother and junior sister.
They just happened to be people of the jianghu who were close to Qingyang city and happened to hear the news regarding the spiritual ginseng. The waiter who poisoned the drink was their companion. They had been waiting downstairs the entire time, waiting for Li Qingshan to die of poison so that they could immediately flee with the spiritual ginseng. If it did not go to plan, they would attack Li Qingshan together.
However, their waiting was met with the waiter’s corpse thrown out of the restaurant, followed by Li Qingshan leaping out the window as well, rushing out of the city. They looked at each other and thought, He’s escaping. They could not help but pursue him.
Although it was five kilometers as the crow flew, it involved crossing mountains and ravines, so it was not just five kilometers. Li Qingshan took great strides, leaving behind a deep footprint with each step. Whenever he came across any obstacles, he would have to slow down or stop.
As it seemed, there was a reason why he had been labeled as clumsy. It was all because the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength focused on practising the body and not qi, so there was nothing that focused on movement. As a result, he could only run along like how he would normally, circulating his true qi in his feet so that he would speed up slightly.
But right now, his situation was rather different. His spine twisted in a strange manner as he constantly altered his posture as he ran; it was like he was stretching. His neck constantly twisted as well, and he gasped heavily through his mouth. His heart pounded thunderously as white steam rose from his body. It was actually vaporized sweat.
It should have never been so strenuous for him to run. He actually seemed like he was carrying a huge burden, but his steps moved faster and faster. As each step fell, it seemed lighter. His body was bent forward with his arms dangling down. He looked like a wild beast in human form as he ran through the forest, moving faster and faster.
In the dark forest, the vegetation rapidly approached him before being rapidly thrown behind him.
Suddenly, a steep mound over ten meters in height appeared before him. Originally, he would definitely stop and think about how to detour around it or climb up it.
But now, not only did he show no sign of stopping, but he even rushed towards the mound instead. As soon as he arrived below the mound, his body retracted, and he kicked off with his feet. Leaping off the ground, his arms extended forwards, grabbing two protruding rocks. With a tug, he leapt onto the mound.
He completed the entire motion in a single stroke; he was just like a vicious tiger crossing through the mountains. This move was the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain from the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging.
The black ox had already passed the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging to Li Qingshan. He had been studying it the entire time when he travelled back to Qingyang city. With his practise from the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, it became much easier, so he grasped the method very quickly. As he ran, he experimented with the three most basic forms of the nine forms of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, the Tiger Demon Flexes its Spine, the Tiger Demon Stretches its Back, and the Tiger Demon Rubs its Head. These were the basics to training the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. The other forms built off this foundation.
Only now did he understand why the black ox only gave him this Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging after he had achieved the strength of an ox. It simply placed too great of a burden on his body. If he started off with the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, his body probably would have collapsed immediately.
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1. Lei Feng again. Propaganda dude of the People’s Republic of China that everyone should be looking up to and idolise. Mentioned in chapter 9.
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Chapter 64 – The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart
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Chapter 64 – The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart
However, an increase of the burden on the body was not an issue at all for the current Li Qingshan. Instead, it was fantastic. Although the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength had granted him extraordinary strength, endurance, and defence, he felt like he wasted it most of the time.
He had great strength, but if he were slow, it would be useless since he could not land an attack. This was why he had been in danger when he faced Yang Anzhi.
Even if he could last for lengthy amounts of time with great endurance, battles of life and death were about critical moments. Anything could happen in the next instant. If he failed to kill in a single strike, the opponent could flee far away. Nobody would give their opponent the opportunity for a battle that lasted three days and three nights.
With tough defence, he could harass some masters who used their fists. However, if he came across wielders of sharp swords and blades, it would just be like how a needle could pierce leather. He might not be able to endure it, and getting beat up was always worse than beating someone up.
However, the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging solved these issues from the very source, allowing him to instantaneously erupt with his strength and granting him significant speed.
Apart from the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain, the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging had two other forms for movement, the Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine and the Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain. These forms covered all of the movements of leaping up and down and pouncing forward and retreating. He would be just like a vicious tiger travelling through the forest, moving like wind.
Li Qingshan stopped, allowing his pounding heart to gradually settle down. He closed his eyes to comprehend the sensation from before as well as to wait.
The movement techniques of the two black figures were actually rather impressive. A while later, they emerged from the forest. Borrowing the bright moonlight, they spotted Li Qingshan on the mound with a single glance. At the same time, they felt a fierce, dangerous aura.
Li Qingshan stood up with his hands on his hips. “You’re just two third-rate masters, yet you’re still bold enough to chase me? How brave. Since you’ve come, you might as well leave your lives behind!” Before the two people could say anything, he immediately twisted and leapt down.
“The Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain!”
The Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan! The two people immediately thought of Li Qingshan’s nickname. Li Qingshan was not the only one who found it to be awful. When the two of them heard it for the first time, they found it hilariously unsophisticated. However, as the black shadow approached them, neither of them could laugh anymore.
They only regretted listening to the rumor that roused their greed. At the same time, they had never thought the kid who was still wet behind his ears, Li Qingshan, would actually be so powerful. When Yang Anzhi released the news of the spiritual ginseng, he would never mention the shameful matter of his own defeat, and neither of them believed in the matter of Li Qingshan destroying the Black Wind stronghold alone because it was far too preposterous. All they saw was Li Qingshan returning to the city with two other, renowned masters and several hundred people.
It was already too late for them to flee.
“The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart!” Li Qingshan formed claws with his hands and plunged them into their chests. With a grasp and a pluck, he dug out two, blood-red hearts that still thumped.
Aside from the three basic forms of training strength, Tiger Demon Flexes its Spine, the Tiger Demon Stretches its Back, and the Tiger Demon Rubs its Head, and the three forms for movements, the Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine, the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain, and the Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain, the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging had three other forms purely for killing and injuring. They were the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart, the Tiger Demons Rips up the Lamb, and the Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar. It was countless times more brutal than the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
“Come, Xiao An!”
The porcelain jar opened, and Xiao An flew out. The blood-red colour all over him had faded, only leaving behind a hazy red. He had basically recovered his appearance of a white skeleton. Li Qingshan squeezed his hands and blood dripped out, landing on the white bone and immediately seeping in.
This was the so-called blood from a living person’s heart. This kind of cultivation method was as evil and horrifying as it could get.
However, Li Qingshan actually felt no discomfort doing this, and it was not only because these two people wanted to kill him. There was no mistake for him to kill them. He sniffed the heavy smell of blood and cruel delight welled up from the bottom of his heart. The red light in the depths of his eyes became dazzling.
From a normal person’s perspective, oxen were always rather simple and gentle creatures. Even if there were times when they were irritable, they could never be compared to tigers that hunted and fed on prey. The two fist styles named after these two beasts were the same.
If the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength could only strengthen his courageous nature, then the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging would be completely agitating the vicious and murderous nature within him. Those who were good at fighting liked to fight, and those who were good at killing liked to kill. That was how the world worked.
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head with his bloody hands and said gently, “Come out and get some air!” Although he had no idea how a skeleton was supposed to get some air, Xiao An still climbed onto Li Qingshan’s shoulder happily.
Li Qingshan took off, but he had no idea that soon after he had left, another two people arrived. They were the horse-faced man and the woman in blue from the tea house. At the end of the day, they were still people who roamed through the jianghu regularly and could not be compared to the pampered sons and daughters of the Dragon’s Gate sect. Even the woman in blue only paled slightly at this sight.
“Hmph, it’s the three evils of Yao. Even these three pieces of trash want to get their hands on the spiritual ginseng. Senior brother, he has left the city to rampage through the Dragon’s Gate sect. This is a great opportunity for us. Once both sides are exhausted, we can strike and leave as soon as we get the spiritual ginseng. No one will be able to…”
“Shut up!” The horse-faced man crouched down and inspected the corpses. He heard the woman’s scheme and interrupted her with a darkened face. “Let’s go. Let’s go right now. Let’s get as far away from this place as possible!”
The woman called out, “What did you say?”
“Although the three evils of Yao aren’t any particularly impressive figures, they have some skill with their martial arts. Even if we ignore the fact that the third evil is skilled at poison, the first evil and second evil possess decent martial arts. If they work together, it’ll take quite the effort even for us to fend them off. However, right now when they were on guard, they could not even fend off a ‘Black Tiger Digs out the Heart’, getting their hearts dug out and dying because of that. This Li Qingshan is not someone we can handle. The rumor regarding the Black Wind stronghold is probably true,” the horse-faced man said calmly, but his voice trembled slightly. He could imagine just what end he would meet if he had been spurred on.
“We use hidden weapons to launch sneak attacks in the first place. Why would we confront him directly? As long as we maintain our distance with our movement technique, we’ll be completely fine. Senior brother, you’re far too cowardly. With risk comes reward. If we get the spiritual ginseng…” The woman chattered on, and her eyes lit up when she mentioned the spiritual ginseng.
Smack! There was a crisp slap across her face. The woman in blue clutched her face in disbelief. “You’ve actually hit me?!”
The horse-faced man said, “If you want to die, go by yourself. Don’t pull me into it. You’re more than welcome to tell this to master. Let’s just see whether master punishes or praises me!” He turned around and left as soon as he finished his words.
The woman was momentarily taken aback, but she still ended up chasing him. “Senior brother, how can you be like that!?”
The Dragon’s Gate sect towered over the ground. The mountain terrain was precipitous. Three sides were vertical cliffs; in particular, the east side seemed like it had been carved out with an axe. The cliffs several hundred meters in height were completely vertical. Even monkeys would struggle to get a footing and climb up them.
However, at this moment, on the dark, eastern rock face, something rapidly flew upwards as it flickered with sparks.
At a closer glance, it was actually a black shadow clambering up the rock face. Its ten, bent fingers dug into the rock like iron claws, producing clusters of sparks. It was Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 65 – Climbing High and Seeing Far
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Chapter 65 – Climbing High and Seeing Far
After killing the three evils of Yao, Li Qingshan rushed through the forest, no longer hindered by anything. If he came across a river, he would cross it. If he came across a mountain, he would traverse it. His usage of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging became even more ingenious. He arrived below the eastern rock face of the Dragon’s Gate mountain in under two hours. The tall mountain stood like a sharp sword before him. After a moment of consideration, he sped up and rushed towards the rock face.
Since he was several hundred meters in the air, fierce wind whistled in his ears, but he ignored it completely. His eyes narrowed as he nervously searched the rock face for something he could grab. Even if it were the slightest protrusion, he could use it for grip, and when there was nothing for him to grip onto, he would just viciously grab at the smooth surface.
If the precipice was rotated ninety degrees, then Li Qingshan would have his back hunched and all four limbs against the ground, just like a tiger. Aside from that, it would seem like he really was on flat land, moving about freely and easily. Only he knew that he was basically treading on thin ice, facing constant danger. Even the slightest mistake would make him fall from several hundred meters in the air. Even with his tough muscles and bones, his body would still shatter. This was no less dangerous than when he had rushed into the Black Wind stronghold alone.
However, he was fearless. Instead, it got his blood pumping. The extreme danger squeezed out all of the potential in his body. His mind, his willpower, and his might had reached unprecedented levels.
He finally understood the joys of the mountaineers who risked their lives to scale great cliffs, and he realized why people would like extreme sports. Challenging difficulties and dangers to achieve what others could not achieve had always been the nature and instincts of hot-blooded men.
He ignored the constant signals of exhaustion from his body, as well as the creaking of his bones from overwork. He overburdened his body, which instead gave him a delight similar to releasing his soul. He felt like he was flying.
Suddenly, a ravine appeared before him. He leapt as hard as he could, and only when he saw the various structures did he realise that this was not a ravine, but the peak of a mountain. The world tilted in his eyes once more, and he landed on the cliff on his knees. He stood up and back. The mountains were as numerous as beasts in a herd.
The tiny Qingyang city was located in the embrace of the herd as if it were constantly in danger of being ripped to shreds. This was not a world where people could live peacefully. It was filled with unimaginable danger.
He had once had countless complaints about the years he spent in the Crouching Ox village. He missed the comfortable room of his former life, his easy lifestyle where he could eat various things and spend an entire day in front of the computer. Even after the black ox had appeared and granted him supposedly great power, he had been hesitating inside, comparing the two lifestyles to see which one was better.
Only tonight did he suddenly find the answer, severing his last shred of doubt. Spreading his arms as if he were hugging the world, he said, “This is the life I want! Here is the wonderland of adventurers!”
The chilly winds buffeted the teenager’s clothes. On this cliff, he brought an end to the matters of his past life and the old dream that haunted him for fifteen years.
I am Li Qingshan, the Li from wood and child, and the Qingshan from sufficient are the green mountains overgrown.1
Xiao An also crawled out from the porcelain jar and stared at Li Qingshan blankly. Although Xiao An did not know what he was thinking, he seemed to be able to feel Li Qingshan’s resolve. He thought to himself, No matter which path you take, I will walk to the end of it with you!
Li Qingshan turned around with resolution and made his way towards the structures. That was where the Dragon’s Gate sect resided.
It was already quite late, but lantern light still illuminated the Soaring Dragon hall of the Dragon’s Gate sect.
The sect master, Yang Anzhi, sat at the front, and beside him was the pale-faced Yang Jun who was filled with resentment. The elders and core disciples formed two rows on the sides. All of their faces were sunken, and none of them uttered a word.
Even the roaring flames of a forge could not warm up their hearts.
Li Qingshan had destroyed the Black Wind stronghold. This piece of news weighed on everyone’s chests like a boulder. The Dragon’s Gate sect was still rather impressive. Li Qingshan had only returned to Qingyang city at dusk, and by night, they had already received the news. It was fast.
Yang Jun roared with a twisted face, “This is impossible! It must be a rumor! It has only been a day. It’s not like the Black Wind stronghold is made out of paper! How could they be destroyed?!”
“Jun’er, don’t say anything more. It’s Qingyang city that raised an army, and Liu Hong and Huang Binghu worked together, so it’s no surprise that the Black Wind stronghold was destroyed. However, I never thought it would happen so quickly!” Yang Anzhi truly lived up to his position as a sect master. Despite the major news, he managed to maintain much of his composure.
An elder said, “Never had I thought that Liu Hong and Huang Binghu would work together to help this kid. Senior brother, what do we do now? Many of the aristocrats have summoned back their descendants.”
“What help that kid? They did it for the Black Wind stronghold’s wealth and treasure. They’re not going to spare the Dragon’s Gate sect. This is basically an unprecedented disaster for our Dragon’s Gate sect!”
The Dragon’s Gate sect had been established for many years. Although it had never been a large sect of the jianghu, it possessed a very deep foundation in the region of Qingyang. The combination of martial arts and authority formed the absolute power for domination. Right now, it was like the local tyrant who had it easy had suddenly received the news that the world was rebelling against them. It felt like the world was ending.
“Senior brother, I’ve been saying since a very long time ago to restrain our disciples; we needed to prevent them from running freely. This will end up provoking powerful enemies sooner or later, leading to a great disaster for our Dragon’s Gate sect.” Although the disciplinary elder was speaking to Yang Anzhi, he looked at Yang Jun. The others showed resentment as well.
“You old coot, what the hell are you saying? Your stupid son raped someone’s wife and daughter, and when they came knocking, who was it that stood up for him?!” Yang Jun was aggravated. Normally, he would have never spoken to his seniors like this, but now that he had suddenly lost his martial arts and the Dragon’s Gate sect that had always protected him might be done for, his mindset changed. He no longer cared about the consequences.
“You!” The disciplinary elder’s face became bright red.
“All of you shut up!” Yang Anzhi’s voice reverberated through the hall. His inner force could not be underestimated. “Is now the time for us to bicker between us? No matter what has happened in the past, the priority right now is for us to handle this crisis. I’ve already sent disciples to guard the mountain path and to spread news by lighting beacons. If anyone launches a large scale attack on the mountain, it’ll be impossible to hide from us. If we really can’t stop them, then we can only retreat through the secret tunnel in the ancestral hall first with our belongings, abandoning the Dragon’s Gate mountain and conserving our strength.”
At the end of the day, the Dragon’s Gate sect was still a sect that had remained for many generations. Apart from the young masters of those aristocrats, they had many other loyal disciples who would serve them with devotion. However, these disciples never would have imagined that their sect master was already ready to abandon them.
Abandon the Dragon’s Gate mountain! Everyone in the hall was shocked. They had already thought of this worst-case scenario, but now that they had suddenly heard it, they found it difficult to accept.
“I’m only talking about the worst-case scenario, and it’s a temporary measure. I’ve already sent messages to all of the other fellow practitioners of martial arts in the martial arts society, whether they are righteous or evil. Everyone knows about the spiritual ginseng already. Before long, Qingyang city will be filled with people of the jianghu. Not only will that kid be dead for sure, but it’s likely that Liu Hong and Huang Binghu will meet an untimely end as well. We only need to conserve our strength, and before long, we’ll make a comeback.”
“Impressive planning, sect master Yang!” Li Qingshan pushed open the heavy doors and stepped into the hall along with the frigid wind and snow. His gaze stabbed straight at Yang Anzhi. “I had thought you would flee, but I don’t have to worry now. It doesn’t matter whether I’m dead for sure, but you sure are.” It was as if he treated the hall full of people as lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
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1. Li in Chinese is 李. If you haven’t realised it yet, Chinese is filled with homophones, characters that sound similar or exactly the same but hold completely different meanings. As a result, breaking up a character by its radicals is common in order to convey what word it is. 李 is composed of wood, 木, and child, 子, hence the Li from wood and child. As mentioned in chapter 1, his name, Qingshan, means green mountains, which is derived from the poem.
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Chapter 66 – Instantly Slaughtering the Dragon’s Gate Sect
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Chapter 66 – Instantly Slaughtering the Dragon’s Gate Sect
Yang Anzhi’s expression changed drastically. He actually failed to sense Li Qingshan’s arrival at all. When Li Qingshan raised his feet and took a step, there was no longer any clumsiness like before. Instead, it was light and gentle like a feline creature’s steps.
The other elders were still wondering who he was. Yang Jun roared out, “Li Qingshan!”
Everyone stood up and drew their swords at the same time. All of them tried to get in a word in a messy manner. “What are the disciples on post doing?” “How did you get here?” “Who else is there?” “All of you, come out!”
“You don’t have to worry about how I got here. I’ve come alone today!” Li Qingshan looked around and saw many people he did not recognise, so he said, “I’ve come today just to deal with the chief culprit. The others are welcome to leave the hall. I’ll give you ten minutes.” He turned to the side and cleared the way out of the hall, but what answered him was a series of swishes from drawing swords from sheaths. The cold gleam of the swords flickered constantly.
The disciplinary elder said, “You really are looking for your own doom, aren’t you? You’ve actually infiltrated the mountain alone. Do you really think our Dragon’s Gate sect can be trifled with that easily?” He was responsible for punishment and was known for his coldness in the Dragon’s Gate sect. He looked at Li Qingshan like one of the disciples who had ended up in his hands.
“Kill him! He’s the great enemy of our Dragon’s Gate sect!” “If it weren’t for him, the Dragon’s Gate sect wouldn’t be like this right now, yet he has actually delivered himself to us.” “Don’t spare him so easily. I want to cut off his arms and legs.”
The people who were just about to turn against themselves banded together over the appearance of the ‘source of trouble’, Li Qingshan. They wanted to vent all of their anger on him, tempted to cut him into pieces and tear him to shreds.
In their eyes, Li Qingshan, who had come alone, was already on the chopping block, allowing them to cut or torture him however they wanted.
Only Yang Anzhi remained silent, clasping the hilt of his sword firmly as he sensed Li Qingshan’s changes. Li Qingshan seemed like an iron club before, possessing great strength but lacking flexibility and sharpness. However, Li Qingshan now seemed like he had gained an edge, completely exhibiting his edge to make people look away.
Li Qingshan said calmly, “Then the Dragon’s Gate sect will be the next Black Wind stronghold!” Killing intent roused in his heart, and an aura of murderousness flooded from his body, rushing towards the people of the Dragon’s Gate sect.
What a heavy aura of murderousness!
Everyone shivered inside. They felt the temperature in the hall abruptly plummet by a few degrees, while the crippled Yang Jun almost fainted on the spot.
Li Qingshan used this opportunity to unleash the Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine. He lunged towards the closest disciple of the Dragon’s Gate sect. He crossed a distance of over a dozen paces in just a single pounce. With the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart, he reached over with a claw, and his five fingers roared through the air. It was frightening.
Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit, never using its advantage to blabber to its enemies.
The disciple never thought that Li Qingshan would strike so suddenly. Stricken by fear, he could not use any of his martial arts at all. He only watched as Li Qingshan’s hand plunged into his chest and dug out a blood heart before tossing it aside casually.
Xiao An leapt up and caught the heart, absorbing the essence blood from it. Ever since Li Qingshan found out there was a chance for him to recover Xiao An’s body of flesh and blood, he dedicated himself to this task like it was a holy ceremony.
The flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets danced around, sweeping past the people in the hall. As long as he killed these people, he would be a step closer to his objective! No matter what the price was, he wanted to appear before Li Qingshan in a body of flesh and blood once again.
Originally, the people of the Dragon’s Gate sect returned to their senses the moment Li Qingshan attacked and killed the disciple, but they came to a sudden halt once again. They stared at this strange sight in horror. Beside the wavering candlelight, a skeleton held and ate a human’s heart. Only a single word appeared in their heads. D- Demon!
Since Xiao An no longer possessed the ability to hide himself, there was no need for him to keep hiding. Li Qingshan drew the treasured sword that had been passed down through the Dragon’s Gate sect, the Soaring Dragon sword, and stabbed it into the ground. “I’ve long heard that the Dragon’s Gate sect is known for their sword techniques. Xiao An, why don’t you learn from them?”
Xiao An tossed the heart aside and grabbed the Soaring Dragon sword. The sword was just a little too long for him, but as soon as he grabbed the hilt, his bearing changed completely; it was like he was a supreme swordsman. The tip of the sword pointed at the ground diagonally as every single person in the hall felt like they had been enveloped in the sword moves.
The disciplinary elder was pale. He no longer possessed the confidence from before. As a sword sect, no matter who it was, they still understood the sword.
The person who left behind the sword moves and sword intent in the painting scroll could draw out a spiritual artifact. He was someone that the black ox had praised. Even when Xiao An had only comprehended part of a set of sword moves from it, it surpassed all the sword moves that a second-rate sect like the Dragon’s Gate sect possessed.
The marble tiles under Li Qingshan suddenly shattered. He had already vanished from his previous location. He used the Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine again, ignoring everyone else in the hall and going straight for the sect master, Yang Anzhi.
Yang Anzhi bellowed out, “Kill him!” His voice jolted everyone back to their senses. They were all swordsmen who had trained with the sword for many years, so they would never be truly stunned. They knew that this was a moment of life and death, so their eyes reddened as they unleashed their full strength. Over a dozen swords stabbed mightily towards Li Qingshan who was in the air, stuck on a fixed path.
Li Qingshan did not try to dodge. He did not even glance at the swords. His eyes narrowed completely like a brutal wild beast’s as he stared right at Yang Anzhi.
Yang Anzhi finally drew his sword. It was actually another glowing, treasured sword. Although it was worse than the Soaring Dragon sword, it could still cut through rock and metal with ease. He produced seven swords, erupting with seven blurs that flew towards Li Qingshan. Even if other swords could not even penetrate Li Qingshan’s skin, this sword could definitely claim his life.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to attack, Xiao An suddenly rushed over from below. The Soaring Dragon sword also transformed into seven swords, unleashing seven blurs that collided with Yang Anzhi’s attack, producing a series of clings and clangs.
Behind Xiao An, the group of elders and disciples all froze like they had become statues, maintaining their postures of stabbing towards Li Qingshan. Blood spurted wildly from terrifying wounds on their necks, chests, and foreheads at almost the same time as they collapsed on the ground.
In the moment that Li Qingshan had moved, Xiao An had moved as well with the Soaring Dragon sword in his hand, sticking close to the ground instead and moving through the hall. Just when everyone unleashed their full-powered attacks at Li Qingshan, he took advantage of their huge openings and instantly killed all of the elders and disciples before receiving Yang Anzhi’s sword.
He was not a child but a demonic cultivator who practised an ability from the demonic path. The Soaring Dragon sword was not a toy either but a terrifying weapon that could claim lives.
Li Qingshan had once said that he probably could slaughter the entire Black Wind stronghold alone when Xiao An reached the initial achievement of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Only now did he witness just how powerful Xiao An had become after comprehending the set of sword moves from the spiritual artifact whilst wielding a weapon like the Soaring Dragon sword. “This kid!”
Both of their strengths gradually surpassed the level of second-rate masters. Now this was the jianghu. Before absolute martial might, additional numbers basically did nothing.
Clang! The sword was knocked away, embedded in a beam in the hall. Yang Anzhi clutched his sword-wielding hand as he quickly retreated. All of the blood in his face had drained away. He no longer possessed the bearing of the master of a sect. “What are you!?” Xiao An’s strength was not something he could rival.
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Chapter 67 – Assassination of the Flying Sword
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Chapter 67 – Assassination of the Flying Sword
Yang Anzhi looked at the hall full of corpses. The legacy of the Dragon’s Gate sect had actually ended in his hands in the blink of an eye.
This was because Li Qingshan had only been a weakling in his eyes that day. Against weaklings, it was not called provoking but making things difficult for them. However, today, he had become the one who had things made difficult.
Clashing with Xiao An, Yang Anzhi had instead managed to evade death, allowing him to avoid Li Qingshan’s full-powered lunge. Otherwise, if Li Qingshan managed to unleash his move, he was confident of seeing just what colour Yang Anzhi’s heart would be. As for Xiao An, he had instantly killed over a dozen people and repelled Yang Anzhi’s sword, so he was spent as well. He was unable to pursue immediately.
“Father, save me!” Yang Jun looked at the two ‘monsters’ that were inches away and no longer possessed any of his haughtiness anymore. He extended his hand towards Yang Anzhi for help in complete fear.
However, Yang Anzhi showed no intentions of stopping. He shot towards the back of the hall in a flash. He could have more sons, but he only had a single life. He cut his losses decisively in an extremely vicious manner.
Despair immediately overwhelmed Yang Jun. He closed his eyes and only felt a gust of wind blow past him, but he felt no pain. He opened his eyes again, and all he saw was Li Qingshan and Xiao An ignoring him completely, shooting past him and chasing after Yang Anzhi.
Yang Anzhi’s movement technique was impressive. Once he managed to get far away, catching up to him would be difficult.
Spared, Yang Jun immediately moved his feet, running madly towards the exit, completely disregarding his heavy clothes that had become drenched in sweat. He constantly chanted inside, I have to get revenge! Revenge!
Spurt! A bone hand stabbed his back and pierced him all the way through. Yang Jun looked at his chest in disbelief before staggering a few steps forwards and collapsing with a thud.
As it turned out, Xiao An had seen how Yang Jun wanted to flee. With a swing of his left arm, his arm had shot out like a hidden weapon, killing him.
The bone arm dislodged itself and flew towards the back of the hall as if it were drawn along by some invisible force.
The back of the main ball was the ancestral hall of the Dragon’s Gate sect. Portraits of the past sect masters were enshrined there. The first sect master’s portrait was the largest, almost three meters tall. It detailed a life-sized swordsman, wielding the Soaring Dragon sword and overlooking the entire ancestral hall with an indifferent expression.
It was said that he arrived in Qingyang and saw how criminals ran amuck, killing the innocent, so he killed his way into the bandit’s nest alone with a single sword, slaughtering them all. He was known as the Soaring Dragon Swordsman. He had gained his renown for a similar reason as Li Qingshan. The citizens and aristocrats of Qingyang were grateful to him and asked for him to remain, so he founded a sect on the Dragon’s Gate mountain, passing down his martial arts and establishing this ‘Dragon’s Gate sect’.
However, he probably never imagined that something like this would happen today. No, perhaps he did imagine it. The secret tunnel of the Dragon’s Gate sect was located behind the altar below his portrait. As long as Yang Anzhi could make it in there, he would be able to pass through the heart of the mountain and flee for his life from the hidden exit. That was his objective.
Yang Anzhi’s confidence in his movement technique shattered with the whistling of wind that constantly drew closer. All he needed was a single moment, and he would suffer the same fate as the elders and disciples in the hall.
Perhaps he had lost his mind due to the fear, as he actually called out, “Save me, founding ancestor!”
Li Qingshan immediately pulled back the claw that reached towards Yang Anzhi’s back. He was worried that Yang Anzhi would be similar to Xiong Xiangwu, possessing a trump card that completely surpassed regular practitioners of martial arts. From his experiences so far, the items within the boundary of spiritual artifacts or techniques such as spells were rare in the world.
These techniques could be very weak, or they could be very strong. It was impossible for him to gain an accurate estimate.
As expected, a tiny sword enshrined on the altar suddenly lit up brightly after Yang Anzhi spoke and stabbed towards Li Qingshan.
The tiny sword glistened with golden light, but it was possible to tell with a single glance that it was a wooden sword with golden paint. The startling light it had erupted with illuminated the pitch-black ancestral hall as it turned into a golden streak of light.
When the sword was still several meters away, Li Qingshan felt a prick on his forehead and developed the feeling that no matter how he dodged, he would be unable to avoid the assassination of the sword.
Yang Anzhi’s heart eased up slightly. This was a secret that had only been passed down between the sect masters. When their founding ancestor passed away, he did not leave behind a corpse but instead this tiny sword. It was extremely similar to the ‘armament liberation’ of daoism. Before he had passed away, he had ordered his first disciple, who was also Yang Anzhi’s ancestor, to consecrate and pray to the tiny sword daily, without missing a single day. Once a powerful enemy attacked, they could call upon it for assistance. It would definitely stave off the danger, but it could only be used once.
Although Yang Anzhi had also prayed to it for several decades, he never believed in this rumor. He had inspected the tiny sword before. It was just an extremely ordinary wooden sword. Any metal sword could cleave it in half.
However, he dared not deny this rumor outrightly either. He had also considered how he was supposed to use it in the past. However, he considered that the Iron Fist school and the Drawn Reins village would definitely launch a large-scale attack on the mountain with the people from the district magistrate, so how was a sword that could only be used once play any sort of decisive role against several hundred people? He had waited until this moment of life and death before finally giving it a try, regardless of the consequences, and it actually worked.
Li Qingshan was aware that he could not confront it directly, so he twisted his body in the air. The tiny sword seemed to be intelligent, making a turn in the air and producing a sharp swish, shooting towards Li Qingshan with lightning speed once again. The sensation on Li Qingshan’s forehead deepened as a chill flooded his face.
Suddenly, a sword shot out and stabbed the tiny sword. Xiao An had interfered in an attempt to rescue Li Qingshan. However, not only did his strike that could pierce metal and rocks fail to cut through the tiny, wooden sword, but he instead felt a tremendous force rebounding back through his sword. The tough Soaring Dragon sword cracked into pieces and fragments shot out everywhere. Xiao An had been knocked away as well, slamming into a pillar.
However, the tiny sword’s glow dimmed, pausing slightly before stabbing towards Li Qingshan again. As long as he was still alive, it would never stop.
Li Qingshan had already retreated to a corner of the hall. Using the time that Xiao An had earned him, he grabbed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and unfurled it, channelling his true qi into it desperately.
At this critical moment, a descending diagonal stroke lit up and shot out. It collided with the glimmering, tiny sword.
There were no tremendous explosions. Instead, a ring of light expanded from the centre of the hall like miniature sun that had suddenly risen up.
However, Li Qingshan experienced a thunderous sound. His ears rang and blood flowed from them.
The light dispersed very quickly. The portraits of the sect masters had all turned into dust, floating in the surroundings. Li Qingshan’s clothes had suffered the same fate. At a closer glance, the walls and ground were peppered with thousands of thin, sword strokes.
The tiny sword had unleashed thousands of sword qi that were thin like rays of light when it shattered, silently penetrating everything in the hall.
Even Li Qingshan could not help but become stunned by this might. The power of the flying sword had left a deep impression in his heart.
Yang Anzhi had been standing near the secret tunnel. Seeing the assassination fail, he immediately turned around and leapt into the secret tunnel. As long as he entered the secret tunnel and activated the mechanism, a huge rock of tremendous weight would seal the entrance. No one would be able to chase him anymore.
Li Qingshan had been forced into a corner, while Xiao An had collided into a pillar. At that moment, none of them could reach him. He was about to get away just like this.
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Chapter 68 – A Quick Trip
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Chapter 68 – A Quick Trip
As soon as Yang Anzhi had taken a step, he collapsed on the ground like lightning had struck him, and he trembled all over. Blood oozed out from every single pore of his body. Before long, he had become drenched in blood.
The sharp sword qi did not distinguish between friend or foe. Li Qingshan remained unscathed because of the true qi protecting his body. Yang Anzhi had only practised inner force, which was qualitatively different from true qi, so it was unable to stop the sword qi.
The entire ancestral hall began to creak. Dust and wood chips drifted down. The sword qi had destroyed the entire structure, so it was about to collapse.
With tonnes of wood and earth falling down, even Li Qingshan was afraid of biting off more than he could chew. “Xiao An, leave quickly!” However, he directly charged towards Yang Anzhi.
The violent collapse of the ancestral hall could be heard from over five kilometers away. Dust blanketed the entire Dragon’s Gate sect, immediately alarming all of the disciples standing guard. They all rushed up the mountain and made their way over.
The main hall at the front was shrouded in dust. Li Qingshan’s figure appeared, holding a heart.
Xiao An lowered his head in shame. If it were not for him, who had forcefully received Yang Anzhi’s attack earlier, he would have never had the chance to flee to the ancestral hall, and Li Qingshan would have never risked so much danger.
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. “It’s fine!” He was just like a father spoiling his child, an elder brother doting on his younger brother.
The two polar opposite bearings of brutality and warmth appeared on him simultaneously. It was extremely conflicting yet also making perfect sense.
With the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart, he had retrieved the hearts of over a dozen masters of the Dragon’s Gate sect. After Xiao An absorbed them, the flames in his eye sockets became much brighter. Whether it be his strength or his speed, they had both increased substantially. He progressed so rapidly that it truly lived up to its name as a superhuman ability.
Li Qingshan removed the spiritual artifact sword that was slightly worse than the Soaring Dragon sword from the beam. However, it was also much smaller and shorter than the Soaring Dragon sword, so it was more suitable for Xiao An to unleash the power of his sword techniques.
Next, Li Qingshan searched through the Dragon’s Gate sect and found a set of clothes to wear. However, he did not find a treasury like in the Black Wind stronghold. After all, the Dragon’s Gate sect would not accumulate so much gold and silverware for no reason. The Black Wind stronghold only had so much because they were bandits. Stolen goods were difficult to sell, which was why they had stored it in the treasury.
However, he did find over a dozen medicinal bottles. They were labelled with names like Nine Ginseng Pill of Jade Dew, Deer’s Fetus Pill of Bone Transformation, and so on. Although there were no wondrous pills or medicines of immortals, they had still been refined at great costs and with great effort for the Dragon’s Gate sect to nurture their disciples. Although their effects were not on par with the spiritual ginseng or spiritual alcohol, they completely surpassed alcohol that had been steeped with ginseng. It was quite the harvest.
However, his greatest gain came from the body of the young master, Yang Jun. It was a stack of silver notes, worth several tens of thousand taels. Yang Anzhi had already been prepared to retreat, so he brought all of his possessions with him, handing it to his only son to take care of, just in case. However, he never expected Li Qingshan to come so quickly and so ferociously.
The disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect all arrived. When they saw how the ancestral hall had collapsed, they looked at one another speechlessly. “W- what has happened?”
They rushed into the main hall and immediately became stunned by the horrific sight. Corpses laid around with a hole in each of their chests. Only a single figure stood there with his back towards them.
A disciple gathered the courage to shout, “Who are you!?”
Li Qingshan patted the porcelain jar, comforting the fidgeting Xiao An. He turned around and said, “I am Li Qingshan. The Dragon’s Gate sect has already been destroyed. Please all scatter!” With that, he made his way out of the hall.
The bandits of the Black Wind mountain were sinful, so he had to kill them all, while the people in the main hall had already treated him as an enemy, wanting to take his life, so they could not be spared either. However, these regular disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect had only been used as sacrificial pawns. Even if he wanted to help Xiao An recover his body as soon as possible, he could not go around killing the innocent.
Of course, if there were any disciples who dared to draw their swords and attack him, he would show no mercy. Swordsmen had to be ready to die by the sword, while murderers had to be mentally prepared for being murdered as well.
Li Qingshan passed through the several dozen disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect. They all moved aside, forming a path for him.
Just when Li Qingshan was about to reach the door, someone drew their sword with a swish and roared out, “I’ll kill you!” They charged at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan glanced back at him indifferently, and the disciple halted. The gaze filled with killing intent was like a sharp sword, stabbing into his heart. The sword in his hand dropped to the ground with a clang, and he collapsed on his knees. He said, “You’re not a human, but a demon, a demon!”
Li Qingshan did not pay too much attention to it and made his way out easily. He took in a deep breath; this was the end to another grievance.
On the lone peak, the group of disciples followed behind Li Qingshan as they trembled. Li Qingshan arrived before a cliff and leapt off, vanishing into the snowy, windy darkness.
There was a saying that it was easier to go up a mountain than to come down from one. Compared to climbing the mountain when he came, Li Qingshan’s path down was even more dangerous. He used the form of the Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain and controlled his entire body. He carefully used every bit of strength within him. If he used a little too much or a little too little, a fate of a shattered body would be awaiting him.
However, with his experience from last time, he managed to climb down the mountain safely. He became more familiar with the usage of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Just as Li Qingshan was having the time of his life, his stomach suddenly growled loudly. An intense feeling of hunger attacked. He had covered so much ground the night before when he rushed to the Black Wind stronghold and fought for such a long time, yet he had not been as hungry as now.
He sprinted wildly along the ground once more, returning to Qingyang city. He was met with shut city gates, but with a leap, he scaled them and returned to the restaurant.
The restaurant was well-lit, and the banquet had yet to disperse. Everyone drank their alcohol tasteless as they chatted out of boredom, waiting for Li Qingshan’s news.
Li Qingshan suddenly appeared before them. Everyone even wondered whether he had gone to the Dragon’s Gate sect at all, as he had left and returned in less than two hours. That was not even enough time for regular people to make it to the Dragon’s Gate sect.
Although Li Qingshan had used snow to clean off the traces of blood on him, the sanguine smell was so heavy that it would not disperse.
Ye Dachuan said, “Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan said, “Please remain seated, sir. The Dragon’s Gate sect has already been destroyed. Yang Anzhi, Yang Jun, and the group of criminals have all been cleaned up. I’ve let the other disciples scatter by themselves.”
Everyone in the restaurant gasped. If they had not been deterred by Li Qingshan’s might, they basically wanted to question whether he was telling the truth at all. What kind of speed was this? When he went to destroy the Black Wind stronghold, the journey to and back had taken an entire day and night.
Ye Dachuan exclaimed, “So quickly!”
Li Qingshan nodded. Although it had only been a day, he had already become much more powerful. First, he had the powerful support from Xiao An, who had achieved something with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Secondly, he himself had begun practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, which converted his strength into killing power.
The only person present who could sense this change completely was the master of the Iron Fist school, Liu Hong. He buried his head deeply into the table. Only like that could he hide his shock. He felt that the Li Qingshan right now was a divine weapon that had just ground out an edge, exhibiting its unprecedented, dazzling gleam.
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Chapter 69 – A First-Rate Master
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Chapter 69 – A First-Rate Master
Originally, Liu Hong was still very reluctant to accept his defeat to Li Qingshan. He felt that Li Qingshan was harassing him because he did not use a weapon. Liu Hong knew how to use the blade too. Only when Li Qingshan destroyed the Black Wind stronghold alone did he truly accept his defeat, but he only treated Li Qingshan as someone talented and slightly better than himself. After all, Li Qingshan did receive help from another master.
But now, he had a feeling that as long as Li Qingshan wanted to, he could take his life in a single move. Let alone fighting back, Liu Hong would not even have the opportunity to flee. This was the instincts of an experienced member of the jianghu. It had helped him avoid danger many times, and it would not be wrong.
Did he become a first-rate master already!? That’s impossible. It has only been a day. However, he could not deny the reality presented before him. He wondered whether reporting the matter of the spiritual ginseng to the main branch of the Iron Fist sect in the Clear River prefecture was the correct decision or not. The main branch leader would definitely send people over. Everyone knew the value of a spiritual ginseng.
However, even if he did not do that, the news would spread to the Clear River prefecture very soon under Yang Anzhi’s attempts of dissemination. The people of jianghu would gather here very soon.
Li Long had also attended the celebration banquet. Looking at the teenager who had emerged from the same Crouching Ox village as him being daring and filled with energy, respected by all of these aristocrats, even he himself was unable to describe whether he was feeling admiration or envy. His emotions had become a complete mess.
However, he could closely sense the changes to Liu Hong’s expression, so he asked, “Master, are you alright?”
Li Qingshan heard this as well, so he toasted, “Old hero Liu, I’ve left in too much of a hurry earlier, so I’ve destroyed the drinking mood. Please accept this toast as an apology.”
Liu Hong stood up in a hurry. “Sigh, Qingshan, are you ridiculing me? What hero? Only the old part is true. The jianghu belongs to you youngsters. Xiao Long, get up, quick. You two share the same hometown, so you should drink more with each other. I’ll have to trouble Qingshan with my disciple in the future. Please take good care of him.”
Everyone’s expressions became strange. The Iron Fist school was widespread across the entire Clear River prefecture. They were truly a large organisation, yet he wanted an outsider to take care of his own disciple.
Li Qingshan was surprised as well. He smiled. “Sure!” and drank all of his alcohol. It was clearly an extremely ordinary decision, yet it made people cheer loudly.
Li Qingshan coped with the situation, and his stomach grumbled. Many people smiled before quickly hiding their smiles again.
Ye Dachuan said, “Quick, sit down and eat something. And you go, get the kitchen to send up more alcohol and dishes.” His liking of Li Qingshan grew the more he looked at him. As long as this ‘sheriff Li’ remained, he could easily suppress both sides of the jianghu in Qingyang city, allowing him to live up to his reputation as the district magistrate. And, apart from Li Qingshan’s strength and magnanimity, he had courtesy and knew when he could do what. He was not like those arrogant teenagers who cared for nobody else. Sometimes, he was so knowledgeable that he did not seem like a youth at all.
Li Qingshan had no idea what Ye Dachuan was thinking. Right now, all he could see was the table full of alcohol and dishes. He truly cared for nobody else. At the start, he maintained his basic dining etiquette, but after eating a few mouthfuls, he could no longer care that much. He just spread his cheeks and began munching. He truly wolfed it down.
With a stroke of his chopsticks, a dish would become empty. This was also due to his ingenious use of his martial arts. Ordinary people could not achieve that. At the same time, he ate with great meticulousness. He would chew and grind any food that ended up in his mouth to pieces. He was even more effective than people who chewed their food carefully and swallowed slowly.
In a single bite, almost half of a roast chicken vanished. He did not even spit out the bones, grinding them up and swallowing them with everything else. In just a short while, an entire roast chicken was gone.
Everyone watched on dumbfoundedly. They had never seen someone eat like that in their lives.
Before long, Li Qingshan had finished half the table of dishes and alcohol, but he did not feel full at all. His stomach was like a bottomless furnace, digesting and absorbing the food rapidly and converting it to energy before delivering it to the various parts of his body.
A series of cheers even gradually arose in the restaurant. “Young hero Li sure is valiant!” “What young hero? It’s sheriff. With a hero like sheriff Li protecting us, do we still have to be afraid of any bandits or criminals?”
A single person ate while a group of people watched and cheered him on. Even Li Qingshan himself found this to be rather strange. He knew his table manners were nowhere close to being any good. Before these aristocrats, who lived lavishly and emphasised on appearance, he could definitely be labelled as a ‘country bumpkin’ or a ‘starving ghost’.
However, most of these praises were actually sincere. If an ordinary person had eaten so much, they would have been drowned out by gazes of scorn a long time ago, but Li Qingshan was no ordinary person. Instead, he was someone powerful who had rampaged through two major organisations of Qingyang. Everyone’s evaluation of him immediately underwent a one-eighty, describing him as magnanimous and domineering.
Li Qingshan stuffed himself as the alcohol and dishes were delivered in a constant stream. Only after three tables of food did he finally stop.
It was late, so everyone dispersed. There were people who automatically arranged a dwelling for him. He had been allocated quite a large courtyard within Qingyang city.
Even he himself had no idea how much alcohol he had drunk. With his body size and alcohol tolerance, he felt rather drunk. As soon as he returned to his courtyard, he collapsed on the bed and mumbled, “Xiao An.” before falling asleep. He slept extremely soundly. If it were not for Xiao An’s presence, he would have never been bold enough to drink and sleep so freely. He would be forced to be on his guard constantly.
This was the terrifying aspect after becoming a target for everyone. If this continued for long periods of times, no matter how great your martial arts were, your mind would deteriorate and become exhausted, making it even more impossible to practise abilities or martial arts.
Xiao An carefully took off his shoes and clothes, placing him in bed and covering him with a blanket as if it were a holy procedure. After, he held onto his sword as he sat by the bedside like a guard. Perhaps Li Qingshan’s actions that night managed to scare away a lot of people, or perhaps there were still gazes observing in the darkness, but Li Qingshan slept soundly that night. Not a single tactless person disturbed him.
He slept all the way until late morning. Only then did he truly recover from his exhaustion from constant battling and slaughter. He sat on his bed in a daze for a while, thinking back to the dream he had that night. It was no longer a dream that reminisced his past life, but a new dream. As for the details? He could not recall any of it.
As he sat there in a daze, Xiao An placed a pan of water before him. Li Qingshan thanked him before lowering his head and looking in the pan, “Hmm? I seem to have gotten skinnier!” Touching his face, he had indeed grown skinnier. He had been eating constantly in the mountains, and after achieving the strength of an ox, his body had become visibly sturdy. His face had filled up as well, no longer as thin as before. He had been brimming with energy and was as fit as an ox.
Was it because I exhausted myself too much over the past two days? He muttered to himself inside. He plunged his head into the water and drew it out again, and his mind immediately cleared up. “Let’s go, it’s time to train!”
The courtyard’s location was rather remote, so it was very quiet. And, it was expansive as well, so it was suitable for practising martial arts. It suited Li Qingshan’s tastes very much. When he walked out from the building, he discovered that the snow had already stopped at a certain time while he slept. The winter sunlight landed on the snowy ground, shining brightly.
Li Qingshan arrived beneath the sun after treading through the snow and yawned. All he saw when he looked back was Xiao An remaining within the shadows, afraid to take a step out of the door.
Li Qingshan smiled and extended his hand. “Come!”
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Chapter 70 – A World of Light
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Chapter 70 – A World of Light
Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan. Under the sunlight and the reflected light from the snow, he seemed like a halo surrounded him. His smile was so dazzling that it was impossible to look at him directly. He basically seemed glorious. His hand seemed to be an invitation to the world of light.
The pain from sunlight burning him remained in his heart, but he was unable to control his hand that extended outwards. The skeletal hand, devoid of any flesh or blood, was like a moth drawn to a flame. Even if the sunlight would burn him to a crisp, he was unable to turn down the invitation of that hand.
His index finger crossed the boundary between light and darkness first. The sunlight did not burn him, instead feeling extremely warm, rising up from the depths of his soul. He had almost run out of patience during this process, placing his hand in Li Qingshan’s.
Li Qingshan held the pale-white, skeletal hand that might have been rather terrifying to ordinary people.
Xiao An stepped out of the building, crossing the boundary between light and darkness, bathing in the sunlight.
Li Qingshan lifted up Xiao An with a great smile. “How does it feel?”
Xiao An nodded happily. It felt fantastic. He had never felt so wonderful before.
Sunlight did not only subdue ghosts. Instead, it could suppress everything evil in the world. The black ox had not been lying to Li Qingshan. The reason why Xiao An was not afraid of sunlight was not because he was powerful enough, but because he had never exactly been an evil or demonic being in the first place. He even possessed the holy, solemn aura of buddhism. This was how powerful the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was, a demonic superhuman ability a great monk of buddhism created. With life and death blurred, buddhism and demons were one.
On such a big day, Li Qingshan was unable to come up with any good ideas as for how to celebrate for Xiao An. Xiao An could neither eat or drink. Was he supposed to go out and dig out a heart or two?
As a result, he swung his hand. “Let’s build a snowman for you!”
As expected, Xiao An became as happy as an ordinary child.
Li Qingshan said, “I haven’t told you, have I? My ability at making snowmen even surpasses my supernatural ability.”
Xiao An immediately showed admiration, while Li Qingshan was complacent. With a chuckle, he squatted down and rolled the thick layer of snow into a great ball before making a smaller ball and placing it on the larger ball. He glanced at it and was very satisfied with the perfect shapes of the two balls. He went back inside to find some things for the nose and eyes.
Suddenly, he discovered a white figure standing right in front of him. At a closer glance, he realised that the white figure was actually himself, a Li Qingshan sculpted from snow. Although the facial features were rather blurred, the stature and the bearing were basically life-like. Xiao An was patiently sculpting the curve to the bottom of his clothes.
Li Qingshan said, “D- did you do this?” This was no longer making a snowman, but a snow sculpture!
Xiao An nodded and looked behind Li Qingshan curiously.
“Ha!” Li Qingshan yelled out, turning around and launching a kick. He shattered the two perfect snowballs, making Xiao An leap in fright. He said, “Haha, that’s just practice. I’m going to be serious now.”
Xiao An completed the snow sculptures of a large Li Qingshan, a medium-sized Li Qingshan, a small Li Qingshan, and various birds and beasts.
“Ha!” “Ha!” “Ha!” Li Qingshan also destroyed his ‘masterpieces’, collapsing on the snowing ground in exhaustion. “Fine then. It looks like my ability at making snowmen is slightly worse than my supernatural ability.”
However, looking at how much fun Xiao An was having, he had basically reached his goal!
“Someone is here!” Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. Hearing the footsteps, Xiao An immediately hid back inside the building. After a few thumps on the door, Li Qingshan opened the door, and he was met with the advisor.
The advisor smiled from ear to ear. “Sheriff Li, how was your sleep last night? The magistrate invites you to visit the government office. They’re holding a trial today.”
Li Qingshan told Xiao An to hide well. He tidied himself up slightly before arriving at the government office. Ye Dachuan personally invited him to the back hall before ordering someone to retrieve a set of clothes. It was the sheriff’s uniform, and it came with a standard issue Wind-entwining blade.
Obviously, he could not turn down the goodwill of others. And, this identity as the sheriff was rather useful to Li Qingshan as well. The government of this world did not appear to be particularly powerful, but since he had a legitimate status, it would definitely come with its benefits. He temporarily needed this identity.
Li Qingshan went to a wing of the room to change into the clothes before equipping the Wind-entwining blade. When he emerged, his bearing changed once more. The black sheriff’s uniform was not as ugly as Li Qingshan had originally imagined it to be. Instead, it seemed very much like a uniform. Wearing it, he lost some of his free, unrestrained aura as a person of the jianghu and gained a more solemn and upright bearing.
Ye Dachuan said, “Originally, I wondered whether it was a little small, but I never thought it would be a perfect fit. Although it can’t be compared to the legitimate Black Wolf uniform, you really do seem even more awe-inspiring than actual Hawkwolf guards.”
Li Qingshan thought to himself, It really wasn’t a false impression. He really had become thinner. It was not because he had overworked himself in the past few days, but probably the effects of practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging.
“The Black Wolf uniform? Hawkwolf guards?”
Ye Dachuan said, “Hmph, that bunch of arrogant, ruthless, and greedy wolf pups. Don’t worry, their influence can’t reach here. In Qingyang city, you and I possess the most power!”
Originally, Li Qingshan had asked without much thought, but he instead began to care now. The underlying meaning to what Ye Dachuan had said seemed to be that if the influence of the Hawkwolf Guard did reach here, they would no longer possess the most authority. However, Ye Dachuan had witnessed his martial arts before. As it turned out, maybe the imperial court and government of this world was not as weak as he had imagined them to be. The weak must have been this official Ye right in front of him.
He had been trapped in a mountain village for most of his life, and as soon as he made it out, he ran around fighting and killing. He did not have the leisure to properly understand this world at all. Even right now, it was no different. He needed to practise the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging quickly so that he could handle the possible events and dangers that might appear.
“Sir Ye, sheriff Li, it’s time to attend the trial,” said the advisor.
Li Qingshan stood there purely for a ceremonious purpose before bidding farewell and leaving. When he returned to his courtyard, he discovered the doors to be open, so his heart lurched. He rushed through the door, but all he saw was Huang Binghu standing in the courtyard, studying the snow sculptures. “What a sophisticated interest, Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. He could not refute him, “Hunting chief, you’ve returned so quickly. Are these?” There were eight, large jars of alcohol and two bamboo baskets in the courtyard. They stood out very much.
“It’s obviously the tiger bone alcohol you asked for!” Huang Binghu opened a jar, and the heavy fragrance of alcohol permeated the entire courtyard.
“So much!”
“We dug up everything we had for this.” Huang Binghu smiled as he studied Li Qingshan, “That’s quite a handsome outfit. If you really could join the Hawkwolf Guard, you won’t have to worry about others trying to steal from you.”
The Hawkwolf Guard again? Li Qingshan said, “Hunting chief, is the Hawkwolf Guard really that powerful?” Huang Binghu had left Qingyang city before. He had gone to larger places like the Clear River prefecture, so Li Qingshan obviously wanted to seek advice from him.
Huang Binghu became stern. “They’re more than just powerful. One of their responsibilities is to arrest people of the jianghu that regular sheriffs are unable to control. There’s not a single person of the jianghu who does not fear them. They’re all known as the hawks and hounds of the government. However, the Hawkwolf Guard only recruits innate masters. Normally, they will never interfere with anything. I’ve only seen them a few times from afar during my time of roaming the jianghu.”
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Chapter 71 – Drinking and Practising
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Chapter 71 – Drinking and Practising
Li Qingshan thought to himself, Perhaps this is the true strength of the government. But it only makes sense like that. Since when was there ever the principle of the weak ruling over the strong? Anyone who gains power would strive for greater authority. How are ordinary people supposed to rule over the people of the jianghu with their powerful martial arts?
The Hawkwolf Guard must have been an important force of the government. Just like how there would be more peace to cultivate in the government, joining would save a lot of trouble. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have a chance.”
“I believe you can do it!” Huang Binghu still thought he was considering joining the Hawkwolf Guard. He had already learnt that Li Qingshan had destroyed the Dragon’s Gate sect last night in just two hours. However, as opposed to others, he had experienced a feeling of ‘just as I had thought’ when he received this news, apart from the usual shock.
Ever since he had met Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan had been rapidly growing at an unbelievable rate. He could not help but think about what Li Qingshan had said back then, “I will definitely become an innate master!” Originally, he treated it not too seriously like something a child had said, but he believed it now. As long as Li Qingshan did not die along the way, he would definitely become such a master.
Li Qingshan decided on temporarily throwing such a distant matter to the back of his head. “Apart from the tiger bone alcohol, are the bamboo baskets holding that?”
“That’s right! It’s ginseng!” Huang Binghu opened the bamboo baskets. They were actually filled with ginseng.
When Li Qingshan had purchased ginseng with his huge sum of a thousand taels of silver, the amount was probably not even a tenth of the quantity contained in the bamboo baskets. It made sense with how much tiger bone they had, but the Drawn Reins village was not a village known for foraging ginseng. He could smell blood from Huang Binghu’s body. It was extremely faint but very fresh. If it were not for how sharp the smell of blood was, he basically would have doubted himself and wondered if it were his false impression. Did his nose become more sensitive after practising the superhuman abilities?
Huang Binghu said, “We just removed a danger for the Drawn Reins village, and the ginseng was an unexpected spoil of that.” After he ingested the spiritual alcohol, not only had his body recovered, but his martial arts had also progressed further. Spurred on by the murderousness and sanguine nature of when Li Qingshan destroyed the Black Wind stronghold, he had immediately led people to attack the Ginseng King village as soon as he returned.
The Ginseng King village had never been as powerful as the Drawn Reins village. In order to find the spiritual ginseng, Yang Jun had also led a group of experts with him and made a mess of the village. They just happened to be at their weakest point, so Huang Binghu succeeded with his battle, destroying the Ginseng King village.
Li Qingshan fell silent momentarily. Although he had grievances with the Ginseng King village, they were still a village after all. They were not a nest of criminals like the Black Wind stronghold. However, he also understood that if the Ginseng King village possessed enough strength, they would have done the same to the Drawn Reins village.
Once a grievance of life and death had been developed, it basically could not be nullified peacefully. The only way about it would be to do everything to defeat the opponent. If he wanted to protect his friends and family, he needed to kill the friends and family of others. Only standpoints existed. There was no good or bad. Once he entered the jianghu, there would be no way out. There would be enough alcohol for him to never finish, enough enemies to behead for him to never get around to.
“I just happen to be in need of these, so thank you, hunting chief. The ginseng is worth quite a lot, so I can’t take it for free. Hunting chief, why don’t you give me a sum?”
Huang Binghu did not hold back. “I knew your trip to the Black Wind stronghold would be extremely worthwhile. As for the amount of silver, give me whatever you want.”
Li Qingshan handed all of the silver notes he had obtained from the Black Wind stronghold, over ten thousand taels, to Huang Binghu. The price of the ginseng would probably be worth more than that, but due to buying in such a great quantity, there had to be discounts. Li Qingshan neither took advantage of Huang Binghu, nor did he take a loss in this.
Huang Binghu felt delighted as well. As long as he had the money, the strength of the Drawn Reins village would definitely increase even more through the formulae Li Qingshan gave him. “You have to be careful these days, just in case someone is plotting against you. If the need arises, just give me a call. However, I have a feeling that you won’t lose.”
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for your optimism, hunting chief!”
After Huang Binghu left, Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts for quite a while before suddenly seeing Xiao An sticking his head out from inside, looking at him with a ‘shining’ gaze. He could not help but smile calmly. He wanted to protect this child. There was no question about his determination.
The circumstances of his life had suddenly changed, constantly dwelling in blood and slaughter. It was not like he had experienced confusion and pain. If he were the same person from his past life, he definitely would have lost his spirit already, but now, he wanted to stand up tall, without showing the slightest hint of weakness, as that child was looking at him. If the abilities and strength granted him confidence, then his desire to protect and his responsibilities steeled his heart, turning him into a real man.
The medicinal alcohol and ginseng had been delivered at the perfect time. The tiger bone alcohol went without saying—it was extremely helpful to practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. The ginseng was just as crucial too. The spiritual ginseng would require several days to produce a gourd of spiritual alcohol now, and the taste of the alcohol was no longer as heavy as before.
Li Qingshan dismissed his thoughts and formally began practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging.
The Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging also had a total of nine layers. Li Qingshan’s current objective was achieving the first layer. According to the black ox, as long as he achieved the first layer, he could combine it with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and erupt with the true power of this ability.
Li Qingshan lifted up a jar of tiger bone alcohol first and took a few sips. He moved around in the courtyard, performing the fist style form by form. His feet moved faster and faster, and before long, only a blur was left in the courtyard, rushing around with quite a gale.
He digested and absorbed the medicinal alcohol very quickly, so he stopped and drank more. He repeated this process constantly, and by noon, he felt a starving sensation once more and felt like he had overworked his mind, about to injure his vitality.
However, the effects were extremely obvious. In just a single morning, he could clearly sense his movements becoming slightly faster once again, with even greater explosive power compared to before. All of the bones in his body had become tougher as well, able to support him to perform even more violent movements and actions. He would no longer experience the feeling of coming close to fracture like when he climbed up the Dragon’s Gate mountain last night.
Li Qingshan felt extremely exhilarated. He arrived at the restaurant nearby, and when the manager saw him enter, he went up to receive him in a hurry. “Sheriff Li, what brings you here? Welcome, welcome! Please come in!”
Li Qingshan did not hold back. He ordered a whole table of food and alcohol, wolfing it down like there was no one else around. However, he could clearly sense that the restaurant had a few additional people of the jianghu, carrying blades. These people also studied him carefully, but since they did nothing to him, Li Qingshan could not be too bothered by them. He finished eating and settled the bill.
“Manager, give three, no, four meals a day with the same quantity, regardless of the dishes in the future. Deliver it to where I’m staying, and include some more meat with bone in.” He no longer had the time or energy to go hunting anymore, and he had grown sick of just eating roast meat or boiled meat a long time ago. Now that he had money, of course he had to eat better dishes and drink better alcohol. The culinary skills of the restaurant’s chef completely surpassed his half-assed cooking.
Just when the manager was paining over the losses of today, he heard Li Qingshan’s words and almost fell over. “Sheriff Li, we’re a small establishment making small profits!”
“Hmm?”
Li Qingshan did not pay too much attention when he let out that questioning interjection, but the manager’s heart almost stopped beating. He cursed himself for being too greedy, Why did I have to provoke this calamity just for some money? Am I really that sick of living?
“Do you think I’m going to freeload? Here’s the payment in advance.” Li Qingshan fished out a silver note worth a thousand taels and placed it on the counter.
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Chapter 72 – The Black Tiger Leaves its Den
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Chapter 72 – The Black Tiger Leaves its Den
“Yes, yes, yes. Sheriff Li is a great hero, a great man. You would never take advantage of my mere establishment. It’s me who has acted like a snob.” The manager was overjoyed, immediately stowing the silver away and replying with respect.
Li Qingshan turned around and left through the door as a few people of the jianghu whispered among themselves.
“Is that the Descended Tiger, Li Qingshan? Turns out that he’s just a kid.”
“What kid? He personally destroyed the Black Wind stronghold and the Dragon’s Gate sect. And, I heard he’s skilled in a move called the ‘Black Tiger Digs out the Heart’…”
“What so special about the Black Tiger Digs out the Heart? I know it as well. Who doesn’t know how to use it in the jianghu?” To the people of the jianghu, this was basically the most generic move out there.
“Shut up, don’t interrupt me. Every person he killed has had their hearts dug out. Could you do that?”
The table of people collectively gasped. “What brutal methods!”
“That’s why we have to be as careful as we can this time.”
A few days passed, and more and more people of the jianghu appeared in Qingyang city. The attacks that Li Qingshan had been watching out for never actually happened during this time. Everyone watched and observed silently. The infamy that came with killing people and digging out their hearts really did have an extremely great effect. And, the more people of the jianghu there were, the more careful and vigilant they would be. They were afraid of stalking their prey but being unaware of someone else stalking them.
Li Qingshan was overjoyed that no one disturbed him. He could concentrate entirely on training. He would become slightly stronger with each passing day. However, his figure rapidly thinned down as well. He was basically close to returning to his original size.
However, this was different from the frail thinness of before. The current him was like a piece of steel, constantly being hammered and tempered. His volume decreased, but he became denser and denser. Simply by standing there, he was like a javelin, glimmering with a deterring edge.
At the very beginning, Li Qingshan had never thought the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging could forge the body to such a level. Moreover, this form of forging took an extremely great toll on his body.
Now, aside from eating food, he ate ginseng. That’s right; he did not drink the medicinal alcohol steeped from ginseng but ate it directly instead. Whenever he felt exhausted from training, he would eat wild ginseng several decades in age like snacks.
The dried ginseng was as tough as wood, but his teeth were even sharper than steel knives. He would grind it to pieces with just a few bites and swallow all of it. He did not worry about it being overly nourishing and leading to nose bleeds. The ginseng would turn into vitality in his belly. Before it even had the chance to travel anywhere, his body that desired energy urgently would drain it away. It was all thanks to the ginseng that he did not become even skinnier.
The snow fell at times and stopped at others. Over half a month passed by.
Li Qingshan was currently practising in a horse stance. Suddenly, he felt a gust behind his head, and he did not even look back, leaping up and slamming his head backwards. He seemed like a human spring.
His headbutt sent the assailant flying, slamming against the stone wall.
The eleventh. This was already the eleventh person who had attacked him recently. Although most people chose to watch on from afar, there were still quite a few who wanted to try their luck. Unfortunately, their luck was not particularly great.
Li Qingshan stood up and sensed the gazes that spied on him from the surroundings. He growled and said, “All of you, get out!” His voice that he had infused with true qi made the tiles rattle. Those who had weaker martial arts immediately felt like they had been struck heavily in the head. They vanished in a hurry.
Li Qingshan did the same as he did with the others, killing the person and taking the heart before tossing the corpse over the wall. Feeling his own body, the strand of true qi that was only like a hair in the beginning had become extremely powerful now. It raged through his body like a river.
He had finished all eight jars of tiger bone alcohol, the two bamboo baskets of ginseng, and the pills for training he had obtained from the Dragon’s Gate sect.
He had finally achieved something with the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, but he was still quite a bit off from the first layer. He was uncertain if it were because he had not trained enough or if the time was just not right.
He stood up and discovered that his nails had grown long once more. As they brushed past each other, they produced a metallic sound of scraping. He grabbed at the stone table beside him gently and four deep marks were left behind. If he used a hand like this to unleash a vicious technique like the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart, the results would be obvious.
He was confident that he could slaughter all of these people spying on him, but he did not do that. As long as they never attacked him, he was reluctant to kill them. However, his patience vanished bit by bit. As his cultivation of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging progressed, his vicious and brutal nature grew heavier.
He was like a vicious tiger trapped in a cage, agitated to swing its claws and bare its fangs. He had realised he had changed like this.
If masters of the jianghu were being spied on so outrageously, they probably would have massacred them all already. Have I made myself seem like someone who’s easy to walk over? This thought constantly resounded through his head, and it grew louder and louder. However, he did his best to restrain himself.
Xiao An held Li Qingshan’s wrist with some worry. Out of the eleven people Li Qingshan had killed during these days, the latter nine were all second-rate masters. Their vitality was much stronger than regular people. Xiao An’s strength had been growing endlessly like there was no bottleneck.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s go out and take a stroll!” He put on the Black Wolf uniform and equipped the standard issue Wind-entwining blade before making his way out. He made his way towards the largest establishment in Qingyang city. Most of the people of jianghu were gathered there. He wanted to make them understand today.
As soon as he left the courtyard, a piece of news spread across the entire city. “The Black Tiger has left its den!”
In the Iron Fist sect, the Iron Lion Liu Hong currently faced a pale-faced, middle-aged man with a thin beard and mustache. Liu Hong said courteously, “Hall chief, that is what has happened so far. Li Qingshan is a real piece of work. It is difficult to take the spiritual ginseng from him by force. And, Qingyang city has become crowded with masters now. First-rate masters have already appeared, planning to use the spiritual ginseng when they make the push to the innate realm. Even if you get the spiritual ginseng, it will be difficult to ingest it.”
Hall chief Wu lectured, “Liu Hong, you have spent far too much time in retirement in Qingyang. You have become more and more cowardly. Since when has our Iron Fist school feared masters? If Li Qingshan really is someone with a brain, getting him to hand over the spiritual ginseng and join the Iron School sect would not be treating him unjustly.”
Li Long stood to one side. When he heard how his master was directly referred to by his name, he felt that it was very disrespectful. He refused to accept it inside, With the way you act, you might not necessarily be able to defeat Qingshan. Once he digs out your heart, you’ll know just how powerless you really are.
Liu Hong obviously knew his disciple. He was afraid Li Long would say something inappropriate, so he grabbed his shoulder and said to the hall chief, “Hall chief Wu, my disciple has got some talent. It is quite a pity if he remains in Qingyang city. Do you think you can take him with you this time so that he can go out and see the world?”
Hall chief Wu glanced at Li Long. “Regarding that, considering your contribution this time for providing the news, it is not out of the question for me to take a person or two away with me.” The Iron Fist school had established a branch in such a remote in the first place because they wanted to look for people, so completing this favour that came at no extra cost to him was possible.
Liu Hong was overjoyed. “Thank you, hall chief Wu. Xiao Long, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and thank hall chief Wu.”
Li Long could not let down his master with all the pains he had gone to. Although he was reluctant, he showed none of it on his face. He thanked the hall chief obediently.
Smack!
Aside from the three of them, there was someone else in the room. He admired the calligraphy and paintings on the walls as if no one else was around. He did not talk to them. He was the one who had made that sound as if he had run out of patience.
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Chapter 73 – The Hawkwolf Guard
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Chapter 73 – The Hawkwolf Guard
It was dark right now. The person was standing in the corner, and his black clothes seemed to fuse into the darkness. Liu Hong had paid much attention to him since the very beginning, as when he was not looking at him, he actually failed to sense his existence at all.
Hall chief Wu said, “Branch leader Liu, I’ll introduce you to an important figure.” He continued to refer to the much older Liu Hong arrogantly, directly calling his name. When he mentioned the person in black, his gaze immediately became more flattering and complacent. He felt delight over how he could establish ties with such an important figure. “This is sir Feng of the Hawkwolf Guard.”
The Hawkwolf Guard! Liu Hong’s heart skipped a beat, and he gulped. How couldn’t he have heard of the renowned hawks and hounds of the government? It was no wonder that hall chief Wu acted like this. Even the leader of the main branch of the Iron Fist school, Tie Buyi, had to entertain such a person cautiously. It was no wonder why branch chief Wu was so confident as well. Who would ever be bold enough to make him spit out something he had taken when a Hawkwolf guard had personally come forward?
Sir Feng said nonchalantly without even looking over, “You are too kind, hall chief Wu. Our commander has drunk with your master Tie in Jiaping city a few times, which was why he agreed to help you. I still have matters to attend to when I return to Jiaping city, so I can’t afford to spend too much time here.”
Jiaping was a large city over fifty kilometers away from Qingyang city. Not only did a major river pass through it, making it an extremely important port, but there were mines as well, so it was much more prosperous than a small mountain city like Qingyang. The Iron Locks hall that hall chief Wu came from was located there. The hall controlled seven branches, including Qingyang. An office of the Hawkwolf Guard was located there too.
Hall chief Wu said, “Yes, yes, yes. We won’t cause you any trouble at all. Branch leader Liu, why don’t you get that Li Qingshan to come over immediately?”
Liu Hong was afraid of ordering his disciples to handle this. He ordered Li Long to wait there as he personally went to go find Li Qingshan.
Li Long had heard Liu Hong mention the Hawkwolf Guard in the past before, but that was just far too distant from the world he dwelled in, so he did not pay too much attention to it. He never thought he would personally see a member of the Hawkwolf Guard today, so he could not help but worry for Li Qingshan, Qingshan is probably going to lose the spiritual ginseng this time. If he insists on keeping it, I need to try to persuade him otherwise.
He did not have any particularly close ties to Li Qingshan. Their relationship only originated from the simple ties of sharing the same homeplace. Moreover, Li Qingshan’s martial arts were much more powerful than his. If he joined the Iron Fist school, he could take care of him. Li Long suddenly recalled what Liu Hong had said in the restaurant that day, asking Li Qingshan to take good care of him. He probably anticipated this day. Li Long felt even more grateful towards Liu Hong.
Within the city, there was no one who was more informed than Liu Hong. He found Li Qingshan very soon and said, “Qingshan, hall chief Wu of our Iron Locks hall has arrived. He wants to meet you. He has something to discuss with you.” He thought rapidly as he spoke. He tried to come up with a way to tell Li Qingshan what would happen as smoothly as possible, but he was also afraid of making it too obvious and scaring away Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “But there’s no need for school master Liu to personally come fetch me.”
Liu Hong felt awkward. In the gang, the ranks were clearly divided. Hall chiefs were existences at a higher level than branch leaders. Every single person who could occupy a position like that were first-rate masters, so they obviously could order branch leaders like him around.
“Your nuisance of a hall chief must have come for the spiritual ginseng as well, right? I was just planning to make this clear in the Qingyang restaurant. You should get the hall chief to come take a listen too!” Li Qingshan did not stop. He crossed through streets and alleyways, travelling towards his destination.
Liu Hong followed beside him with quick strides. “You can’t do that, Qingshan. I’m doing this for your sake.”
The two of them passed through a narrow alleyway. Suddenly, a large monk with a black buddhist staff appeared at the alleyway entrance, looking at Li Qingshan and sniggering. He had a fierce look in the first place, and he had a vicious scar across his face, so he only seemed fiercer when he smiled.
Liu Hong cried out, “The Mad Monk, Void Butcherer!”
Li Qingshan looked at the shining buddhist staff. It was another spiritual artifact. As expected, the so-called spiritual artifacts were not particularly rare in this world.
Liu Hong was afraid of looking at Void Butcherer. He whispered, “This person was once ordained at the renowned Baolin temple of the jianghu, but due to his fondness for drinking and killing, he broke the rules of the temple and was expelled. Under the influence of his madness, he used the one hundred and eight forms of the Mad Demon staff style and slaughtered the entire temple. He changed his dharma name to Void Butcherer and roamed the lands, killing people and taking their possessions. No matter where he goes, he leaves none alive. It’s said that he has reached the level of first-rate masters a long time ago, and he’s only a step away from becoming an innate master.”
Many people of the jianghu paid attention to this secretly. They muttered to themselves, “It really is Void Butcherer. I never thought he would actually come.” “Sigh, looks like we all have no chance now.” “Shut up and go. If he discovers us, none of us will be left alive.” He was truly infamous.
Void Slaughterer said, “Kid, hand over the spiritual ginseng, and I’ll leave you with an intact corpse. I’ll expiate your dead soul and burn joss paper for you every year.” He was not wildly arrogant. As a peak first-rate master, he could sweep away anyone he came across as long as they were not innate masters.
“Regarding the spiritual ginseng, I will explain it in the restaurant. If you want it, then you better come listen.” Li Qingshan pinched his nose. He could clearly smell the odour of alcohol, oil, and blood from the monk. He continued on his way.
The staff suddenly swung down, and the metal rings produced a series of clangs.
Li Qingshan finally stopped. The staff paused right before his nose, only inches away. The gale swept up by the swing buffeted his hair.
“Master Liu, please go back first!” Li Qingshan’s voice seemed calm, but he was actually a volcano about to erupt. His blood that had settled down for quite some time now began to boil.
Li Qingshan’s disregarding attitude completely infuriated Void Butcherer. He unleashed the one hundred and eight forms of the Mad Demon staff style with his full strength. The black staff turned into a flurry of shadows as it whistled through the air before rushing over like waves.
The alleyway was narrow. There was no room to dodge at all. Li Qingshan clenched his fist, and his bones crackled and popped. He did not retreat at all against the flurry of staves. Instead, he advanced.
Liu Hong would never try to get involved in a battle between the two. He turned around and fled towards the other side of the alleyway. He heard the clashes and whistling of wind behind him. The two of them had begun an intense battle.
Li Qingshan weaved through the blurs. This was the first time he had witnessed the terrors of a first-rate master. Not only were the moves powerful and heavy, but they were ingenious and careful as well, without producing the slightest opening. Void Butcherer firmly stopped Li Qingshan from three steps away, giving him no advantage to approach.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the narrow alleyway, Li Qingshan’s space for dodging was highly limited. His fists collided with the staff, producing a string of metallic sounds.
Void Butcherer felt rather shocked inside. Just what martial arts did this kid practise to be able to block his Mad Demon staff with his body? However, it only roused his vicious nature. Pouring his entire body’s strength into it, he directly swung down with the staff from above. It caused an extremely shocking disturbance. Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up when he saw a slight opening, so he took advantage of it and rushed forward. He turned his fists into a claw, directly reaching towards the centre of Void Butcherer’s body. However, he suddenly saw a sly smile on Void Butcherer’s face that conflicted with his coarse appearance completely. He felt alarmed inside. Oh no!
Void Slaughterer suddenly changed his move. The staff went from a vertical swing to a horizontal sweep. The move before was actually a feint. The narrow alleyway restricted the move, but the staff moved anyway. Pieces of rock flew from the tall walls, unable to stop the staff in its path.
Bang!
The staff sent Li Qingshan flying, slamming through a wall and falling into the courtyard on the other side, kicking up quite the dust. Li Qingshan had suffered in those clashes due to his insufficient battle experience.
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Chapter 74 – Killing Void Butcherer
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Chapter 74 – Killing Void Butcherer
Void Butcherer showed complacency in succeeding with his scheme, but his expression soon changed. Li Qingshan knelt in the rubble on one knee, gripping the buddhist staff firmly with his left hand. No matter how hard Void Butcherer pulled, the staff refused to budge.
It seemed like the staff had blown Li Qingshan away, but he had actually extended his hand and grabbed the weapon at a critical juncture before slamming into the wall with the staff. Even if regular second-rate masters could react in such a manner, they would still suffer injuries. However, Li Qingshan was virtually unscathed thanks to the toughness of his body.
Although he lacked battle experience, he was a true battle genius. His reaction and tactics in battle were all the best of the best.
“You’re looking to die!” Void Butcherer sniggered extremely viciously.
Li Qingshan felt a powerful inner force emerge from the staff, rushing into his body wildly.
A battle of inner force was the most dangerous trial of strength people of the jianghu could go through. The person who could not last any longer and drew back their inner force first would have inner force assault the interior of their bodies, bursting their danitan and ruining their veins and meridians. It would only end in death.
Void Butcherer was confident that the inner force he had cultivated through several decades of strenuous effort was not something Li Qingshan could oppose. In his eyes, Li Qingshan was just a conceited idiot. Li Qingshan had already surprised him quite a bit by not spurting blood and dying in the first moment, so he increased his input of inner force.
In terms of strength, Void Butcherer’s inner force did indeed exceed Li Qingshan’s. Li Qingshan felt a stream enter his body. This stream was much more impure than true qi, so Li Qingshan knew it was inner force. However, within the impurity was a sliver of clarity. Void Butcherer had almost reached the innate realm. He was only a step away from converting his inner force into true qi.
However, the issue was that Li Qingshan’s true qi was not stored within his dantian. He had not even focused on any of his veins or meridians before. As a result, this true qi devoured the inner force very quickly, turning into his own energy. Not only was there no harm, but it even benefited him instead. Li Qingshan did not plan on counter attacking immediately. He allowed Void Butcherer to channel his true qi into him.
Cold sweat seeped out of Void Butcherer’s forehead. Why is this kid so strange? Is this the effect of the spiritual ginseng? He became even more afraid of letting go now.
At this moment, a black shadow lunged over from the eaves of the wall, directly reaching for the gourd on Li Qingshan’s waist. Someone had grasped the timing and wanted to go all in and take advantage of the situation.
There was a flash, and the black shadow fell straight down, landing on the ground as two pieces. Xiao An had appeared and casually killed the thief before stabbing through the air.
Void Butcherer suddenly saw the extremely strange skeleton, and he became alarmed. The circulation of his inner force slowed down slightly. The strike that was on par with a full strength blow of a first-rate master had frightened him out of his wits.
Sensing how Void Butcherer had withdrawn his inner force and wanted to abandon his staff to dodge, Li Qingshan would never let such a great opportunity simply slip by. All of his inner force went from being a dam to a wave, surging up and through Void Butcherer’s body.
The true qi was not powerful, but it was extremely sharp. It sliced through the inner force Void Butcherer put up to defend like a knife through jelly, rampaging through his meridians, dantian, and organs.
Blood spurted from Void Butcherer’s mouth wildly as he was knocked backwards. He smashed through two walls and became buried in the rubble.
Li Qingshan stood up, but his gaze remained fixed on the rubble. He ordered, “Xiao An, silence them!”
Xiao An immediately entered the shadows, and three cries rang out from three directions in just three seconds. Aside from the fellow from earlier, there were others around who wanted to take advantage of the situation. They saw Xiao An’s appearance.
Boom!
The rubble flew everywhere as Void Butcherer stood up once more. He tottered about as he looked at Li Qingshan viciously. He fished out a porcelain bottle from his bosom.
Great, just what I need! Li Qingshan could clearly see the resplendent glow from the bottle after Void Butcherer removed the stopper. Since a second-rate master like Xiong Xiangwu could produce a Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings, then first-rate masters with even stronger martial arts who had travelled far and wide would also have a trump card or two that was not related to martial arts.
Void Butcherer removed a fire-red pill and crushed it in his mouth. Immediately, his body swelled up like he had been pumped full of air. His arms became twice as thick, riddled with bulging veins and muscles.
The Body Eruption pill!
In order to receive this bottle of pills, Void Butcherer had paid his entire fortune and robbed thirteen wealthy clans on top of that, killing more than a hundred people in exchange for just three pills. These pills could be used for neither training nor healing. Ingesting it would only bring about detriments. However, it could instantaneously unleash the potential of the human body, allowing one to possess almost supernatural strength.
Void Butcherer roared out and charged towards Li Qingshan like a war chariot.
Li Qingshan exhaled. He did not choose to take him on, instead reaching towards the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
There was a diagonal stroke of sword qi.
Li Qingshan emerged from the tiny alleyway that had been reduced to ruins, brushing off the dust and dirt on him. “It’s just a pity that I can neither leave you with a full corpse nor expiate your dead soul, nor do I have the time to burn joss paper for you.” Behind him, the alleyway had already been reduced to crumbling walls. A vicious man for his entire life, the Mad Monk Void Butcherer’s corpse lay in twain, eyes open and unable to find peace even with death.
He told Xiao An to silence everyone not only to hide Xiao An, but also to hide the spiritual artifact he possessed. He had a feeling that if an observant person spotted the calligraphy, it would probably lead to an even greater storm than the spiritual ginseng.
Li Qingshan carried the buddhist staff in one hand. Although the black ox had said that spiritual artifacts that were just glowing weapons were all mediocre spiritual artifacts not worthy of a grade, it was still a spiritual artifact after all. He was reluctant to just throw it aside. In his other hand was a porcelain bottle that contained a single pill. It was the pill that Void Butcherer had ingested.
“Turns out that is all there is to first-rate masters! But I shouldn’t be an innate master yet, either!” Li Qingshan thought curiously. He was confident that he could defeat Void Butcherer with his martial arts alone, without relying on foreign objects. However, if they wanted to play around with trump cards, his trump card would not be weaker than anyone else’s either.
Li Qingshan carried the buddhist staff as he continued on his way to the restaurant. The people of the jianghu who had been keeping an eye out in the dark for this battle were currently in silent shock. The battle between the Mad Monk and the Black Tiger was a battle between a renowned peak first-rate master and a junior who was still wet behind the years. No one would have thought that the Black Tiger would win, and that he would win so easily.
Liu Hong hurried back to the Iron Fist school and reported to hall chief Wu and sir Feng.
“The Mad Monk Void Butcherer! He has also come for the spiritual ginseng in an attempt to break through to the innate realm. The kid is probably done for. He is probably dead already.” Hall chief Wu frowned. Even if he were matched up against the Mad Monk Void Butcherer, he would struggle to attain victory. Obviously, he was not worried about Li Qingshan’s fate, but the spiritual ginseng. “Sir Feng, what do you think?”
Sir Feng said, “Let’s go and take a look. I’ll handle the monk. He made it onto the list of the Hawkwolf Guard a long time ago. It’s just that the higher-ups have never been able to spare a hand to deal with him. Since we’ve run into him today, it’ll be his death day.”
As soon as the three of them left the Iron Fist school, they received the news that the Mad Monk was dead.
Their expressions differed in their own ways. Liu Hong was the most shocked. In the eyes of a second-rate master like him, the Mad Monk was an indomitable existence, yet he had died in such a short amount of time.
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Chapter 75 – Innate Master
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Chapter 75 – Innate Master
Hall chief Wu rejoiced. Fortunately, he had not gone alone. He desired the spiritual ginseng even more now. As long as he ingested the spiritual ginseng and broke through to the innate realm, the Iron Fist school would gain a protector, protector Wu. Even if he faced sir Feng of the Hawkwolf Guard again, he no longer needed to behave so submissively.
Sir Feng smiled. “He has got some skill. This kid is only fifteen?”
“Yes. He will be sixteen once the new year arrives. He must be going to the Qingyang restaurant right now.” Liu Hong had made some investigations himself. He was afraid of infuriating sir Feng, so he did not directly tell him that Li Qingshan had refused to come.
“All of the masters should be gathered there right now. Interesting.”
Li Qingshan had already entered the Qingyang restaurant. The entire restaurant no longer had a single customer. It seemed to be divided into a few groups that opposed one another.
Even though the entire restaurant had heard the news that he had killed the Mad Monk, they still felt utterly shocked when they saw him carrying the Mad Monk’s renowned weapon, the Mad Demon staff.
Li Qingshan looked around. There were only four people that he paid attention to.
They were a one-armed old man who carried a large blade on his back, a middle-aged madam with a sunken face, a chuckling wealthy man, and a sickly-pale scholar who carried a sword.
If someone who frequented the jianghu was present, they would definitely pale in fright if they were in Li Qingshan’s shoes.
Don’t tell me that Wan Hao is the sect master Wan Hao of the Wild Blade sect? He is known as the One-armed Blade King in the jianghu, and he killed the Eighteen Cavalry of Fierce Wind with a single arm and a single blade, making a name for himself in Xiasha city. And that Wei Dandong, he must be the Wei Dandong who originated from Humble Maple academy; he is known as the Life-taking Scholar within the jianghu. His Thirteen Swords of Life-taking has attained perfection.
As for that Chu Xin and Lü Tingrui, they’re even more impressive. The Smiling Ghost Chu Xin, the Hornet Sword Lü Tingrui. Are any of them not figures that even first-rate masters would struggle to deal with? All four of them are some of the greatest first-rate masters in current existence.
All of their weapons glowed. None of the weapons they used were ordinary. Were they similar to Void Butcherer, all possessing terrifying trump cards?
Aside from Wei Dandong, all of them were surrounded by people, with countless disciples under them. Aside from them, none of the people of the jianghu could claim a seat in the restaurant.
Of course, there was one more person now.
Li Qingshan made his way to the centre of the restaurant like there was no one else around him. It was like he had entered a group of beasts. With his skinny stature, he did not seem particularly strong, but he gave off the bearing of the king of all beasts.
Just like his nickname, the Black Tiger!
Li Qingshan sat firmly and stabbed the staff into the floor. “Serve the dishes!”
The waiter brought up a tray with a pair of trembling hands. He spilt alcohol all over the tray.
“Your alcohol has been spilled, so let me give you another!” Wei Dandong picked up the cup on the table and tossed it over.
The cup whistled through the air, but not a single drop of the alcohol inside spilled out.
This was just the most ordinary method of probing out someone. They wanted to probe out Li Qingshan’s martial arts. If everything happened according to plan, Li Qingshan would also display his superior skills to shock the people present. Everyone looked over.
Li Qingshan waved his hand, and the cup shattered. Wei Dandong became even paler, while the others wondered to themselves whether Li Qingshan had been injured in his battle against Void Butcherer.
“I have my own alcohol!” Li Qingshan lifted up the gourd, removing the stopper and tilting his head back, gulping the contents down. A while later, he said, “And it’s spiritual alcohol!”
Everyone became enticed. Every single one of them were poised, ready to strike at any time. Not only did they take everyone else into consideration, but they were also deterred by the black, heavy staff.
All Li Qingshan felt was the true qi within him being fully replenished once more. “That’s right, the spiritual ginseng is with me!” He caused another commotion in the restaurant.
Chu Xin said, “What are your demands for it? How much silver do you want? Name a price! We can negotiate a price!”
Li Qingshan lowered his head as if he were considering the offer.
“Kid, do you know the nickname of this fatty in the jianghu?” Lü Tingrui said in a hurry when she saw how Li Qingshan was interested.
“What is it?”
“The Smiling Ghost. He seemed very amiable, but he treats people most ruthlessly. He can promise you thousands of silver taels, tens of thousands of silver taels, but you can’t trust him.”
Chu Xin remained jolly. He fished out a stack of silver notes and slammed it on the table. “Don’t say that. When I do business, I never cheat anyone. Is the silver enough? If it’s not enough, treat it as a down payment.” He was not buying the spiritual ginseng, but an opportunity at becoming an innate master. As long as he became an innate master, he could make back all of the silver he had spent.
Wei Dandong coughed heavily a few times. “I need the spiritual ginseng to save my life. If anyone wants to fight for it with me, you’ll be trying to take my life. I can only throw my life at you!”
Wan Hao said, “I don’t have much time to live either. There’s nothing to pity.”
Li Qingshan fiddled around with the gourd and smiled nonchalantly. “There are four of you here. Who should I give the spiritual ginseng to? You can decide among yourselves!” Since he was bold enough to come, it definitely would not be bravado. Instead, he had foreseen this, and he had come up with an idea to end this entire matter.
Chu Xin chuckled. “We better not fall for his scheme of turning us against one another. Are we supposed to kill each other? That’ll really be a huge loss then. Why don’t we work together and get this kid and split the spiritual ginseng into four shares? It’ll be a guaranteed profit. What do you think?”
Wei Dandong said, “It looks like it’s still an old ghost like you who’s good at calculations. But if we really start fighting, at least three of us will die. Who can say that they’ll be the last one alive?” With that, he coughed a few times more.
Wan Hao and Lü Tingrui were tempted.
Li Qingshan thought, They truly are experienced people of the jianghu. They won’t be led around by others, and their reactions are fast enough too. Seeing how he was about to become everyone’s target soon, he placed his hand on the gourd, prepared to carry out his plan.
His plan was very simple. It was eating the spiritual ginseng in front of everyone. The spiritual ginseng had been steeped in alcohol for such a long time, so its spiritual qi had already become extremely thin. He should be able to endure it.
Of course, this might end up infuriating these first-rate masters, causing them to work together in an attempt to kill him. However, Li Qingshan personally believed that escaping would not be an issue. There was an even greater possibility that these people would do nothing. Without the temptation of the spiritual ginseng, these experienced people would never be willing to risk their lives.
If he chose to flee or secretly eat the spiritual ginseng, the troubles would be endless, and it could even multiply. The only choice he had was to spread the news that the spiritual ginseng had been eaten before these renowned figures of the jianghu, ending the matter once and for all.
Not only did the idea rely on his intelligence, but it relied on his strength as well. If he were a second-rate master, there would be no point in trying anything. It was exactly because he was a first-rate master, and he possessed the strength to kill the Mad Monk Void Butcherer, that he made these people wary.
At this moment, more people entered the restaurant, and everyone’s gazes were drawn over.
In front was sir Feng. He wore his dark, Black Wolf uniform that had a shimmering wolf embroidered on it. It was only visible from a special angle. The wolf bared its fangs, moving as his clothes rippled as if it were alive.
He carried a green scabbard made from sharkskin, holding a Wind-entwining blade with a golden guard embedded with a green cat’s eye gem. The triangle eye tilted upwards slightly as if it constantly looked down on everyone.
However, what Li Qingshan saw was that he shone with a glow similar to spiritual artifacts. Without any introduction, two words appeared in his head, Innate master!
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Chapter 76 – The Might of the Hawkwolf Guard
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Chapter 76 – The Might of the Hawkwolf Guard
“A Hawkwolf guard!” Lü Tingrui cried out. Chu Xin finally stopped smiling, while Wei Dandong’s face became sheet-white. Wan Hao’s straightened back seemed to shirk back slightly.
Only then did Li Qingshan notice sir Feng’s attire. As expected, it was much more majestic than the fakes that he was wearing. The part that stood out the most was indeed the iron wolf tablet that hung on his waist. It was just like the wolf on his clothes. The tablet was not large, but it shone brightly. It was ten times more dazzling than the staff stabbed into the ground.
Liu Hong and hall chief Wu followed behind. Looking at the restaurant full of people, they all felt surprised. In just half a month, so many masters had been drawn over here. Qingyang city had never been so busy before.
Liu Hong gazed at the staff deeply, once again confirming that the news he received was not fake. He thought, Li Qingshang, oh Li Qingshan. You are impressive. Unfortunately, a Hawkwolf guard is here today. Even if you’re a dragon, you’ll have to stay coiled. Even if you’re a tiger, you’ll have to remain crouching.
Wan Hao said, “Even the Hawkwolf guards plan on interfering with a conflict of the jianghu like this?”
Chu Xin smiled bitterly. “Sir, you’re already an innate master, so why must you contend with us? What did this hall chief Wu offer you? Feel free to state it. I won’t bargain at all.”
Before Lü Tingrui and Wei Dandong could say anything, sir Feng spoke. His voice was high-pitched and sharp, but his words were even sharper than his voice. “All of you, piss off!”
Everyone’s expressions changed. A storm seemed to be brewing in the entire restaurant from his single sentence.
Hall chief Wu added by borrowing the Hawkwolf guard’s might, “Sir Feng wants you to piss off. Haven’t you heard him?”
Li Qingshan frowned as well. How arrogant of this Hawkwolf guard. With his eyes that had been awakened by oxen tears, he could tell that while this sir Feng was stronger than everyone present, he was not unfathomably powerful.
If these first-rate masters worked together, using their trump cards and sacrificing all of these disciples as cannon fodder, it was extremely likely that they could kill him on the spot. And, these first-rate masters all had their own territories. They were all people who could raise a clamour with a flip of a hand, and they all could kill without batting an eye. Now that someone had insulted them before so many of their own disciples, how was it possible for them to endure the humiliation?
Swish! The four first-rate masters all leapt to their feet before leaping out the window without saying anything. They had actually all ‘pissed off’. Their vicious threats before were absolutely nothing. It was like they had raised their hands and viciously slapped themselves across the face, producing a clear and crisp smack.
Even if they urgently needed the spiritual ginseng to save their lives or extend their lifespans, they were afraid of offending the Hawkwolf Guard. As people of the jianghu, they did not lack the courage to throw their lives at a person. However, sir Feng did not represent a single person.
Their disciples followed behind them in dejection, all of them vanishing with the pitter-pattering of footsteps. The huge restaurant became empty in the blink of an eye, only leaving Li Qingshan standing where he was before, stupefied.
“Stunned is the jianghu by sir Feng’s presence!” Hall chief Wu sucked up in a hurry.
Sir Feng’s expression eased up slightly. He became rather complacent, very satisfied with the results. He did not even walk over, gesturing at Li Qingshan and saying, “Offer up the spiritual ginseng!”
He could get four first-rate masters to piss off with a single sentence, so there was even less reason for him to be polite against Li Qingshan alone. Li Qingshan should have succumbed to his might as well, handing over the spiritual ginseng obediently. As for what the Iron Fist school wanted, that was a whole different matter.
Li Qingshan lowered his head. His expression was actually rather melancholy. Something called his romanticised wuxia dream had shattered.1
Hall chief Wu said impatiently, “Hurry up!” It was as if he was not taking something from someone, but taking back something that belonged to him.
Liu Hong said, “Qingshan, quickly. Hall chief Wu has already agreed to let you join the Iron Locks hall. All you have to do is nod, and you’ll immediately become an important figure of the Iron Fist school. You’ll be able to go to Jiaping, or even a great place like Clear River. I can only be envious of your opportunities.”
Li Long also muffled his voice, “Qingshan, just agree!”
“Who is it? Who dares to make trouble in my great Qingyang?!” Ye Dachuan rushed over with a few officers.
Hall chief Wu said in displeasure, “Who are you?” He completely ignored Ye Dachuan’s attire as an official. He could tell with a single glance that he did not possess the slightest trace of inner force or true qi, so he thought to himself, To think that any old person is bold enough to butt into matters these days!
Ye Dachuan said with his head held high, “I am the district magistrate of Qingyang, the brother-in-law of the sir prefect.” Then he studied sir Feng and glanced at the tablet on his waist. “A Black Wolf guard! You must be the reinforcements sent by the sir prefect. You’ve come well. I will report your merit back to the prefect.”
When he heard there were a group of jianghu here, he even became afraid to show himself, but when he heard a Hawkwolf guard had arrived, he immediately stuck out his chest and rushed over. As he spoke, he even patted sir Feng’s shoulder.
Right now, Li Qingshan really did find Ye Dachuan’s courage quite admirable.
Sir Feng frowned and moved his foot, dodging Ye Dachuan’s hand. He gripped his Wind-entwining blade with his right hand, but he was still fearful of the two words, ‘sir prefect’, so he did nothing. “I have official matters to attend to, so please step aside, sir.”
Ye Dachuan said, “What official matters? Oh, you’re talking about Qingshan. He’s the sheriff of my district. Technically speaking, he even outranks you. Hahaha!”
The structure of the Hawkwolf Guard included hawk commanders and wolf commanders. The hawk was primary, while the wolf was secondary, leading the pack of wolves. The hawk commander would often hold the post of sheriff as well. This was why Li Qingshan’s uniform as a sheriff was a simplified version of the Black Wolf uniform. At the same time, Jiaping and Qingyang were technically both districts, so Li Qingshan obviously outranked an officer as the sheriff.
As if he had been utterly humiliated, sir Feng drew his standard issue Wind-entwining blade with a swish. It erupted with two feet of light, leaving a slash seven feet in length on the ground.
Ye Dachuan staggered backwards in fright and tripped on the door sill. He rolled quite far away with his round body. The officers called out, “Sir!” They wanted to stop him, but they were knocked over to the ground instead.
Whether it be authority or status, you would be run over by others very quickly without strength, tearing down your authority and shattering your status.
However, at the end of the day, it was still Ye Dachuan’s government position that saved him. If anyone else had spoken to sir Feng in such a bold manner, they would be cut down even if they were first-rate masters.
Sir Feng decided to not waste any more words on Ye Dachuan. He directly said to Li Qingshan, “Hand over the spiritual ginseng. Don’t make me say that a third time.” The shining blade in his hand surged with light and chilling murderous aura.
Li Qingshan could not help but be amazed. So this was an innate master. He considered it and said, “Fuck off!”
Sir Feng doubted if he had misheard. He became stunned for an entire second. There was a burst of laughter somewhere, and sir Feng became utterly infuriated. “Die!” His blade swept through the air. He wanted to kill Li Qingshan first, and then kill the person who had laughed at him secretly.
With the blade several inches from his face, Li Qingshan felt a chill, sealing off all possibilities of dodging. He grabbed the staff beside him and directed it towards the blade.
Clang! The seat that Li Qingshan sat on shattered, and a deep gash appeared on the glowing staff. Even its glow dimmed significantly.
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1. If you don’t know what wuxia exactly is, it’s kind of more than a genre. It’s more of a spirit in books, of a romanticised, lawless world of martial arts, the jianghu, where chivalry, bravery, and heroism exists in many people. Li Qingshan is utterly devastated by the fact that something like that doesn’t truly exist.
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Chapter 77 – Scarlet Wolf Commander
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Chapter 77 – Scarlet Wolf Commander
“Alright, alright, alright!” Sir Feng said, “I won’t kill you today, but I will sever the tendons of your arms and hands and take you back to the Hawkwolf gaol for ‘treatment’!”
The Hawkwolf gaol!
Even hall chief Wu, who had come with sir Feng, shuddered when he heard these two words. The Hawkwolf gaol was the in-house jail of the Hawkwolf Guard. They used it for interrogating confessions out of criminals. It was rumored that they possessed a hundred and eight different methods of torture, and not a single person had managed to survive more than ten. Even the tough men of the jianghu would have their minds crushed to pieces, kneeling on the ground and begging them for a quick death.
Li Qingshan’s hand reached towards the Cursive Sword Calligraphy on his back. He was already ready to use force. Everything had happened suddenly, and with how arrogant sir Feng was, it would be useless even if he ate the spiritual ginseng now.
With his Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he might have an opportunity to kill this person here and now. He had seen a few spiritual artifacts so far, and none of them could compare to the one he currently possessed. However, he was not completely confident. Even first-rate masters had their own trump cards, so what kind of trump card would an innate master who originated from a major organisation possess?
“Governance of Legalism—Blade Aura of the Death Sentence!”
Sir Feng’s bearing changed. He raised his blade over his head, and the light on the blade condensed into a blade aura three feet in length.
The death sentence referred to execution as well as the penalty of death.
Before the blade had even moved, a bearing, a desolate aura that had transcended martial arts struck Li Qingshan’s mind violently. He felt like he was a person on the death row, having reached the end of his path, kneeling on the execution platform with his eyes closed and waiting for the blade to fall and take his life. He was unable to even muster the will to resist.
Even if regular first-rate masters could maintain their willpower before the blade, their martial arts would still be drastically weakened. They would probably be done for. However, what kind of person was Li Qingshan? Red light shone in his eyes as his demonic nature, his murderous nature, immediately obliterated this influence.
“The Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar!” All of the true qi within him surged violently. With his bellow, all of the jars of alcohol stored within the restaurant exploded at the same time.
“The Ox Demon Butts its Horns!” The straight buddhist staff in his hand stabbed towards the blade along a profound path.
If sir Feng’s blade was the executioner’s blade about to take his life, then he was a criminal beyond the law.
Their auras immediately rose to the very peak. Just when the blade and the staff were about to collide, just when life and death would be decided, two streaks of red light shot over and knocked both weapons flying.
Sir Feng roared out in anger and surprise, “Who is it?!”
Li Qingshan said nothing. He was also shocked. However, when he looked at what had knocked away their weapons, he was left even more speechless. They were not some divine weapon used by gods, but peanuts. They seemed like ordinary peanuts, yet they maintained their complete shapes after knocking away the blade and staff.
“You! You’re called Feng Zhang, right? If you spent the same amount of time on cultivating as you do with harassing children, you wouldn’t still be a second layer Qi Practitioner.”
The voice floated through the surroundings from everywhere, making it impossible to discern its origins. Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head and looked at the beams above the restaurant. He caught a glimpse of light.
“Get down here!” Feng Zhang followed Li Qingshan’s gaze and pulled out a talisman from his sleeve, shooting it at the beams.
The talisman tore through the air, transforming into a fireball that flew even faster.
Even when he was standing on the ground, Li Qingshan could feel the startling heat. If the fireball had directly landed on him, his fate would be obvious. These were the methods of innate masters. There was no need for them to resort to such desperate measures like Xiong Xiangwu had, biting through his tongue. They could directly activate the talisman with true qi, and from how easily Feng Zhang had used it, he clearly possessed more than a single talisman.
A figure leapt down from the beams. He extended his hand and grabbed the fireball. Landing on the ground, he crushed it in his hands easily.
As if he had done something not worthy of any attention, he looked at Li Qingshan and said, “That’s strange. You’re just a first layer Qi Practitioner, yet you can see me?” He was able to tell with a single glance that inside Li Qingshan’s body was not inner force, but true qi.
Only now did Li Qingshan see the person. He seemed to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His eyebrows were like crescent moons; his eyes were like stars in the cold night sky, and his face was like jade. He was wrapped in spiritual qi that was similar to flowing water, which made him seem like a beacon in the darkness, allowing Li Qingshan to spot him.
The scarlet clothes he wore were similar to the Black Wolf uniform in design, but they were much larger than the Black Wolf uniform. They were also embroidered, detailing a scarlet wolf howling at the sky. He carried a similar tablet on his waist, but it was made out of scarlet bronze.
“S- Scarlet Wolf commander!” Hall chief Wu had never seen one before, but he had heard about them before. Among the Hawkwolf Guard, scarlet bronze was a rank higher than black iron, while wolf commanders led the pack of wolves. Within the entire Clear River prefecture, only a few people possessed more authority than him. He stood above thousands of people and was a person of great authority who could decide the fates of people with a single word.
“Commander Hua!” Feng Zhang, who had been so arrogant before, was now like a rat that had seen a mouse. He was filled with so much regret that he was tempted to slap himself in the face.
He could not be blamed for being rash. He was young, and he had joined the Hawkwolf Guard, so he had become complacent due to his age. He had grown accustomed to being arrogant on a daily basis, so when he came to a tiny city like Qingyang, he did not take anyone seriously. He had forced four first-rate masters into retreating with a single sentence, so his conceit had reached the utter limit. Li Qingshan’s refusal to comply had taken him by surprise, so he attacked out of fury, but his attack failed.
He was just about to use his special technique to redeem himself, but he had been interrupted, losing the weapon in the process. Obviously, he would not think too much about it. No matter how unbridled the person was, could he be more unbridled than the Hawkwolf Guard? However, never did he think of a Scarlet Wolf commander. It had to be mentioned that regular Scarlet Wolves would never leave the Clear River prefecture even if they had the time to spare. He felt like he had suddenly come across a huge shark in a tiny pool. He was filled with disbelief and panic.
“Do you still remember me? We’ve only met once!”
“This subordinate would never dare to forget commander Hua. It’s surprising that commander Hua remembers me.” Feng Zhang bowed his head politely.
Every single new member of the Black Wolf guard in the Clear River prefecture would report to the prefectural city and meet the two commanders. Feng Zhang was no exception either. He obviously could not forget about his boss’s boss, Hua Chengzan or commander Hua.
Hua Chengzan said, “Weren’t you assigned to Zhuo Zhibo’s command in Jiaping city? Why are you here?”
Feng Zhang thought rapidly. His nervousness and alertness had even exceeded when he clashed with Li Qingshan. He gathered his thoughts and assembled something, but just as he was about to answer.
Hua Chengzan waved his hand and said, “Forget it. Old Wang is here too. You better come see him!”
Old Wang!
Feng Zhang’s heart shuddered. Hua Chengzan obviously was not talking about a certain neighbour called old Wang1, but the chief personnel for upholding the law, the Scarlet Hawk commander Wang Pushi. Due to his name, people gave him the nickname of ‘old Wang’, but there were not a lot of people who were bold enough to call him that. The people of the jianghu had a saying, “You would rather meet the king of hell than old Wang. Once you meet old Wang, you would be meeting the king of hell.”2
The silent hall chief Wu felt like his brain had just exploded. He just wanted to steal a spiritual ginseng from a junior, yet he somehow managed to get such important figures involved? Let alone him, a mere hall chief, but even protectors or even the master of the Iron Fist school had to be careful around them, smiling and obliging to everything that they said. Why would they appear together in a measly city like Qingyang?
Hua Chengzan then said to Li Qingshan, “Kid, come. There’s someone who wants to see you!”
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1. A certain neighbour called old Wang is an allusion to a popular Chinese joke. Basically, this neighbour might be your wife’s secret lover, might be the actual father to your child, or he might be the person you vent to, or he just might be the butt of a joke. You can say that old Wang is just as obscene as it sounds in English.
2. Wang also means ‘king’ in this case. It’s a very common Chinese surname, but the saying on the jianghu is a play on words between the ‘king of hell’ and ‘old Wang’.
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Chapter 78 – White Hawk Commander
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Chapter 78 – White Hawk Commander
Li Qingshan could only follow him. Turning him down right now would just be inviting humiliation. Before absolute strength, no one could say ‘no’. However, in the meantime, he rapidly thought about everything he had seen and heard just now. What are second layer Qi Practitioners about? Wasn’t it supposed to be the innate realm? The people I’m about to see are also important figures of the Hawkwolf Guard, but why do they want to see me? Is it for the spiritual ginseng as well?
His mind was filled with questions that could not be answered. The strength of the government had exceeded his imaginations as well. He would be better off saying that the powerful had created the government and ruled over the world than saying that the government had used wealth and glory to recruit powerful people to serve them. With great power comes great responsibility was just a twisted concept of American movies. The reality was that with great power comes great authority.
As he thought, the three of them made their way out of the city. Hua Chengzan was at the very front, advancing as if he were almost floating. He moved faster and faster, passing by without leaving a single trace.
Feng Zhang utilised all of his true qi and worked hard to follow behind him. Although he was nowhere near as graceful as Hua Chengzan, his movements did seem similar.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan was nowhere near as elegant as any of them, leaping and bounding about. He would cross several dozen steps with a single step, moving like a wild beast rushing along the ground, utilising every single bone and muscle in his body. He possessed a form of primal, coarse extravagance, but he actually managed to keep up with them.
Among the three of them, Hua Chengzan and Feng Zhang used their qi, while Li Qingshan used his strength. A difference between them immediately appeared.
Feng Zhang thought, If this kid flees with his full strength, I really might not be able to keep up with him. It looks like he isn’t as simple as regular first-rate masters. Once I see commander Wang, I’ll rat him out and get his martial arts crippled first. Let’s see then.
Hua Chengzan’s insight was much greater than that. He also secretly evaluated Li Qingshan. A first layer Qi Practitioner. His true qi is still very weak, so it must be due to the effects of the spiritual ginseng. He’s also practising some sort of method that focuses on the body, so his vitality is very powerful.
Feng Zhang mustered up his courage and asked, “Commander Hua, may I ask why you’ve come here with commander Wang? Just what crucial matter requires both commanders to be mobilised?”
Hua Chengzan glanced past the two of them with a smile. “Boss Gu has come. As for the details, even I don’t know.”
All Li Qingshan saw was Feng Zhang becoming dazed for quite a long moment before suddenly returning to his senses. His expression changed drastically, and all of his true qi immediately stirred wildly. He staggered and almost fell over before regaining his footing after quite some difficulty and catching up again with his head lowered.
Li Qingshan became even more curious. Who was this ‘boss Gu’? Hua Chengzan had said someone wanted to see him earlier and not ‘old Wang’ wanted to see him. Was it perhaps this ‘boss Gu’?
Outside Qingyang city in a silver world of ice and snow, a rectangular dining table had somehow been set up beneath a lone pine tree. It was a small table made from narra wood. On the table were a few delicately-crafted drinking vessels. On the side was a small, red-clay stove that heated a small tripod.
Two people sat before each other, savouring alcohol and admiring the snow. They were so refined and graceful that they seemed like they were from out of this world.
One of them was the Wang Pushi who possessed paramount authority over the law in the Clear River prefecture. He was actually in his eighties already, but due to practising qi, he only seemed to be in his forties. His face that was renowned for being stern was currently overflowing with smiles like it was springtime.
A hawk had delivered a message, summoning him from over a thousand kilometers away from the prosperous Clear River city to this tiny, remote, backwater city of Qingyang. However, he was not mad at all. Instead, he felt honored.
“Old Wang, your cultivation has improved again. Before long, the Clear Water prefecture won’t be enough to contain you.”
Not everyone could call Wang Pushi by this nickname. Even when vice commander Hua Chengzan called him old Wang, he would receive glares. However, he felt even more honor when the person before him called him that. He bowed his head. “I am willing to serve sir as a wolf.”
“Originally, I wanted little Hua to take over your position, but he’s just.”
“Little Hua is far too much of a disappointment. He has let down sir’s expectations. Oh, they’re here.”
“Big boss Gu, I’ve brought the people!” Hua Chengzan smiled before making his way over and reaching towards the tripod. “Old Wang, is the wine ready yet?”
Wang Pushi knocked away Hua Chengzan’s hand and glared at him. “Don’t call me that. Sit down obediently. The wine needs to be cooked for forty-five minutes. Only then will it be flavourful enough.”
Hua Chengzan inhaled through his nose, sitting down with crossed legs as he covered his hand. “Old Wang, you’re far too heavy-handed.” He said to ‘boss Gu’, “Do you know how he harasses me usually?”
With his awakened eyes, Li Qingshan spotted the two people below the lone pine tree from afar. If Hua Chengzan’s spiritual qi was like flowing water, then Wang Pushi’s would be like frozen ice. It was heavy and consolidated. Every move of his could invoke the energy in the surroundings. It was filled with an indescribable profoundness.
However, when Li Qingshan arrived below the pine tree, all of his attention became focused on the ‘boss Gu’. No matter how profound or wondrous Wang Pushi was, he was unable to shift his gaze.
Her set of pure-white clothes were large and graceful, gently laying on the table as if they were a part of the white world.
With her alluring appearance, she looked at Li Qingshan with a faint smile; she was as elegant and as beautiful as snow, yet she also hid startling talent and ability.
Originally, Li Qingshan did not believe in love at first sight. He originally believed he would never experience this so-called breathtaking feeling ever again, as he had steeled himself in his previous life under the barrage of countless beauties from the internet.
But now, he believed in love at first sight, and he believed in the existence of happiness that his previous life could not provide. His heartbeat sped up, basically unable to keep himself in check.
He had once sworn after drinking that he would ‘sleep with the most beautiful woman’. Originally, that was just a joke he made after getting drunk, but now a strong desire bloomed within him. He wanted to take her as his wife!
However, Feng Zhang’s reaction was the exact opposite to his. He only took a glance before lowering his head. It was as if the person in front of him was not a great beauty, but a dreadful monster.
Hua Chengzan glanced past Feng Zhang with contempt before looking at Li Qingshan with a smile. However, there was a smear of sorrow in his eyes. Only the most arrogant, the proudest of people would be bold enough to look directly into her eyes before being immersed by them and losing control over themselves.
‘Boss Gu’ coughed gently and wrinkled her nose. “How many days has it been since you showered?”
The voice was as pleasant as the gurgling of a mountain spring, but her words immediately dumbfounded Li Qingshan. A certain image of perfection collapsed in his mind. He was very tempted to scream out, “You can’t say something like that!” In his mind, even if she could not make flowers bloom, her words filled with sweetness, like in the fairytales, at least it should have been much more poetic or aesthetic in nature.
Hua Chengzan could not help but burst out in laughter.
“I…” Li Qingshan was momentarily left at a loss as for how to answer. Although he spent everyday training, that did not necessarily mean he smelled! However, all thanks to that, he managed to recover from his state of infatuation.
Only now did Li Qingshan notice that a small, silver hawk hung from her waist. It was exactly the same as the one on Wang Pushi’s waist in terms of design. Under the reflection of the snow, a white hawk could vaguely be seen stretching its wings on her white clothes. Every single feather was meticulously embroidered, just like real plumage.
She was a White Hawk commander.
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Chapter 79 – Gu Yanying
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Chapter 79 – Gu Yanying
Li Qingshan said, “I’m Li Qingshan. May I ask for your name, big sis?” Originally, he wanted to call her young miss, but while she was noble, she was unlike the young misses of large clans who had secluded childhoods. As a result, he wanted to call her lady, but while she was young, it did not match her, or he should say that they were unworthy of her.
Perhaps fairy was the best choice. Although he felt nothing towards this word before, he just felt like he was lowering himself somehow if he called her that. In the end, he could only unawkwardly refer to her as ‘big sis’, just like Xu Xian who met the White Maiden on the West Lake.1
Hua Chengzan really did find Li Qingshan to be rather admirable. For him back then, he could not even string out a proper sentence after seeing her. This kid from the mountains really did have quite the courage.
“I’m Gu Yanying. Do you know why I’ve called you here, little bro Qingshan?” Gu Yangying gently swung the delicate, jade folding fan in her hands. She smiled in a rather joking manner, but her gaze was distant.
Little bro Qingshan!? Li Qingshan would much rather be called the Descended Tiger by the people of the jianghu for the rest of his life than that. However, after thinking about it, he was only fifteen or sixteen years old. In her eyes, perhaps he really was like a little brother.
The sorrow in the depths of Hua Chengzan’s eyes grew heavier.
Wang Pushi frowned deeply. Li Qingshan was in no way worthy of being called little bro by her, but he knew she was unrestrained and willing to go along with many things, so he could not say anything. Upon further thought, if she were not like that, he would have no right to sit at the same table as her.
Li Qingshan thought about what he possessed that other people knew about and that he was able to part with. There was only the spiritual ginseng. “Have you come for the spiritual ginseng as well?” If that were the case, he could only hand over the spiritual ginseng, not because he had been charmed, but because his strength was insufficient. Although he felt love, he was not blinded by it. He would not easily throw aside his morales and dignity because of it. If Gu Yanying really had come for the spiritual ginseng, his impression of her would plummet significantly.
Wang Pushi broke into laughter, while Hua Chengzan had already collapsed from laughing.
Gu Yanying found it both vexing and amusing. She curled her lips. “Who would want something that your saliva has already gotten all over?!” In the eyes of these first-rate masters of the jianghu, the spiritual ginseng was a treasure worth just as much as their lives, yet in her eyes, it was just something coated in saliva.
“The wine is ready!” Wang Pushi had been keeping an eye on the time. He placed the tripod on the table, and the moment he lifted the lid, Li Qingshan saw streaks of light emerge from the cracks, just like in a certain animated show he had seen in his previous life.
The heavy fragrance of alcohol permeated the air, and the surrounding snow rapidly melted and receded. The pine tree next to them clearly stretched out as that happened, becoming even more verdant.
Li Qingshan sniffed the fragrance, and he felt all of his muscles and bones lighten slightly. The true qi in his body immediately became lively as well. He could imagine what would happen if he drank the wine. The alcohol would be countless times better than the spiritual alcohol that he had simply steeped with the spiritual ginseng.
Li Qingshan’s face reddened. He really felt like an ignorant villager right now, guarding his chunk of preserved meat and treating it like the greatest delicacy in the world. He was utterly embarrassed, so embarrassed that he wanted to vanish on the spot. As a matter of fact, he even wished that they had come for the spiritual ginseng instead now.
Gu Yanying sniffed gently and smiled. “Hundred-year Bodhi Brew! You’re far too kind, old Wang!”
Wang Pushi said, “I know you like drinking, commander, so I managed to get my hands on some from old brother Tian. Out of the hundred schools of thought, the agricultural school is still the best at making alcohol.” Afterwards, he personally poured the wine into a jug and glared at Hua Chengzan. “Why aren’t you pouring the wine?”
Hua Chengzan stood up and filled up two cups. Wang Pushi said, “And yourself?” Only then did Hua Chengzan giggle, pouring himself a cup as well.
Gu Yanyin smiled. “Fate has brought us together! Little bro Qingshan, you should taste some too!” However, she ignored Feng Zhang on the side.
Feng Zhang’s ears perked up. Sniffing the fragrance, his heart felt like it was on fire. If the spiritual ginseng was not particularly tempting to him, then the Bodhi Brew would be enough for him to lose his life over for.
Just one cup! One cup, and he would be able to break through the second layer and become a third layer Qi Practitioner. However, no one mentioned him. He was afraid of blaming Gu Yanying and the other two, so he could only grind his teeth at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan lowered his head silently, but Hua Chengzan had already poured a cup, shoving it into his hand forcefully. “Come, come, come. Let’s just say you’re lucky. Even I can’t normally drink something as good as this.”
Li QIngshan lowered his head and looked at the golden-yellow alcohol in the cup. He knew that if he tried to turn it down now, he would just appear to treat himself with far too much humility. As a result, he tilted his head backwards and drank all of the alcohol in the cup.
“Oi!” Hua Chengzan wanted to stop him, but it was already too late, while Wang Pushi had never looked at Li Qingshan properly the entire time. He only just wondered why Gu Yanying had called him over and had given him the precious Bodhi Brew to drink.
Gu Yanying showed no intention of stopping him. Instead, she just smiled like she was watching a show.
Before Li Qingshan could even taste the wine properly, a ball of hot spiritual qi exploded in his body, rampaging through him. His spiritual qi failed to stop it at all.
Oh no. The wine contained spiritual qi, and it was far more than he had imagined it to be. The glow and fragrance only divulged the very surface of the drink.
Feng Zhang was delighted inside. Bumpkin! The Bodhi Brew was supposed to be tasted and ingested slowly. If it were drunk too quickly, the powerful spiritual qi would destroy the dantian and meridians like a flood breaching through a dam.
However, Li Qingshan did not explode, as he had never developed any meridians or a dantian. His entire body shone as he mobilised all of his true qi to devour and convert the spiritual qi, while his body absorbed the spiritual qi like a sponge, gradually making the violent spiritual qi settle down.
Gu Yanying stared at Li Qingshan. Her eyes were just like a hawk’s as she quickly played around with a bronze coin with the tip of her fingers on her left hand. As her gaze focused on him, Li Qingshan experienced a chilling feeling where even his soul had been seen through.
A while later, Li Qingshan completely digested the spiritual qi in him, and Gu Yanying’s gaze parted from him, looking away as if she were thinking of something.
Hua Chengzan let out a sigh of relief. As it seemed, training the body was not completely useless.
Wang Pushi instead found this rather strange. The spiritual qi within the Bodhi Brew was so powerful that it would not even be strange if it directly elevated someone to a third layer Qi Practitioner, but Li Qingshan showed no signs of breaking through. He remained at the first layer, but his true qi became much more powerful.
If it were not for the fact that he had drunk a cup as well, he would have doubted the Bodhi Brew to be fake or having not reached maturity.
Li Qingshan exhaled and clasped his hands towards the three people. “Many thanks!” He had never thought that not only would he keep the spiritual ginseng, but he would even get a cup of wine to drink as well. However, he felt somewhat uneasy for some reason.
“What do you think? Do you still think I’ve come for your spiritual ginseng? Little bro Qingshan?” Gu Yanying purposefully touched on a soft spot in a mocking manner. Li Qingshan was so young, yet he acted so solemnly. He was very amusing. Li Qingshan said with his chest held high. “I’m just a kid from a mountain village, so it’s not like I can avoid being ignorant. However, I don’t understand that since your sirs from the Hawkwolf Guard are so impressive, why has the Black Wind Stronghold pillaged and plundered freely for all these years, without anyone to deal with them?” He seemed to be questioning them, saying that they enjoyed all their benefits while they neglected their work.
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1. A reference to Legend of the White Snake, one of the four great Chinese folktales, which the author’s previous book was based off as well.
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Chapter 80 – A Frog in a Well
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Chapter 80 – A Frog in a Well
Wang Pushi’s expression was rather ugly. Qingyang also fell under his region of control, but how was he supposed to know what the Black Wind stronghold was?
Hua Chengzan said after thinking about it. “I think this place is on our list, but it’s just far too low. We haven’t had the time to handle it in all these years.”
Only in the distant future would Li Qingshan find out that the entire Hawkwolf Guard would possess a list, ranking people according to their strength, their crimes, their influence, and the benefits from their deaths. The Hawkwolf Guard would send powerful people to kill them one by one from the top to the bottom. This was the blacklist that the people of the jianghu feared deeply. If you could make it onto the blacklist, then it demonstrated you were powerful enough, but it also meant that you were close to dying. However, due to various figures constantly making it onto the list, a place like the Black Wind stronghold would basically never raise any attention.
“You talk too much,” Wang Pushi growled.
Feng Zhang saw how Li Qingshan had gotten on commander Wang’s bad side, so he thought the opportunity had presented itself. He mustered up his courage and said, “Commanders, this kid stole the spiritual ginseng and killed innocent people. He has slandered the might of our Hawkwolf Guard…”
“You’re lying to me?” Gu Yanying interrupted. She was not asking him, but exclaiming in surprise as if Feng Zhang had done something very unbelievable.
“No, I haven’t…” Feng Zhang wanted to quibble, but when Wang Pushi gazed over with a darkened expression, he immediately felt like he had been grabbed by the neck, unable to utter another word.
“Our Hawkwolf Guard may not be composed of kind-hearted people, but there’s no reason for us to stoop to such a low level, led around by the people of the jianghu and stringing up these lies.” Gu Yanying shook her head and no longer paid any more attention to Feng Zhang. Instead, she said to Wang Pushi, “Old Wang, have you brought a map?”
Feng Zhang’s expression basically seemed like he had been stabbed by a knife. He was sheet-white, without a shred of blood, as he sweated profusely. Anyone who had cultivated to his level would be able to control their own bodies, so his behaviour only demonstrated just how shaken up he was.
“I have!” Wang Pushi pulled out a large map from a pouch on his waist.
Li Qingshan’s eyes widened. A spatial pocket!
The thick map that was made from the leather of some animal was unfolded on the small table. Its surface shone as well, clearly not an ordinary map.
Gu Yanying said, “Inject spiritual qi into it and think of the two words, Qingyang city.”
Li Qingshan placed his hand on the map and thought of ‘Qingyang city’. An extremely dim speck of light lit up in a corner of the map, and he received a lot of information in his head, including the location, area, population, and so on of Qingyang city.
Gu Yangying said, “Now think of the Clear River Prefecture.”
With another thought, over a hundred specks of light lit up simultaneously. They were like a galaxy. Every single speck was a city, while Qingyang city’s speck was basically the dimmest out of all of them. The brightest speck in the centre was the Clear River city.
A hundred and seventeen cities spanning a region of one thousand five hundred kilometers across; this was the Clear River prefecture.
Li Qingshan already knew that this world was vast, but he never expected it to be so big. He had heard stories from the elders of the village in the past, but he only treated them as exaggerated tales. He never thought they would actually be true.
He suddenly understood why the prefect would just casually give Ye Dachuan the position of district magistrate despite his ignorance and incompetence, as a small city like this was absolutely insignificant compared to the entire prefecture. Meanwhile, the Black Wind stronghold was even more insignificant. Unless the Black Wind stronghold directly raised a flag and decided to revolt, any news about them would struggle to reach the Clear River city that was over a thousand kilometers away.
Not only was the government of this world powerful, but they were terrifyingly powerful. Only because the land was just too vast did they give the government official autonomy with their reign over their region. However, autonomy did not mean freedom.
Whether it be the Black Wind stronghold or the Drawn Reins village, no matter how great of a mess they created, they would only be doing it in a tiny region. If the mess was too great, they could just send a Hawkwolf guard or two to crush them to death. They would not be able to shake the foundations of the government at all. The government’s reign was basically more rigid than any other nation or empire he had known before.
“I watch over the Ruyi commandery, which contains nine prefectures. Half a year ago in the Yuecheng prefecture, the White Lotus cult sacrificed an entire city in order to refine an arcane treasure. That was around two hundred thousand people.” Gu Yanying tilted her head back and drank the cup of wine while Hua Chengzan filled it up again for her.
Two hundred thousand people! In Li Qingshan’s eyes, the Black Wind stronghold’s actions of slaughtering villages was already an act of evil, but who would have thought that there would be people thousands of times worse than that.
Li Qingshan instinctively searched for the Ruyi commandery on the map, and almost ten times as many specks lit up. However, from the map, the disappearance of a single speck only seemed like a small matter.
The Ruyi commandery spanned over ten thousand kilometers.
Although Li Qingshan did not have a particularly strong sense over geography, he still understood that this was larger than all of China from his previous life. At that moment, Gu Yanying was clearly right in front of him, yet she seemed to be up in the heavens, in a realm beyond his reach.
It was like a frog in a well, looking at the glory of a hawk in the sky. All it had was the strength to look up at it.
The hawk circled in the sky, searching for larger prey, so why would it look into the well and pay attention to the battle between a few critters? It had only stopped by the well today out of pure coincidence, spotting a special frog.
Wang Pushi asked carefully, “Commander, have you come this time for the sake of the White Lotus cult?”
The White Lotus Mother was a demonic cultivator at Golden Core. She was a terrifying figure he could not afford to provoke. Getting involved in a conflict like that would lead to nothing good. Commander Gu had led five encirclements against the White Lotus cult already. Although it would be a complete victory every time, just the number of White Wolf guards they lost would amount to over a dozen. With his strength as a Scarlet Hawk commander, he was only on par with White Wolf guards.
Gu Yanying smiled. “Then why would I come alone? The White Lotus Mother is injured and has already gone into hiding. I’ve only skimmed the surface of the Six Trigrams Divination, so I can’t find her. And, it’s not easy to kill Golden Core cultivators.” When she reached there, she looked at Li Qingshan again. She sighed inside about how her mastery over the Six Trigrams Divination really was insufficient. She could not even see through the person right in front of her.
Since it was not for the White Lotus cult, there really were not a lot of people within the Ruyi commandery that were enough for her to take action. Everyone looked over in confusion. Gu Yanying placed down the cup in her hand and paused slightly. She became pained. “It’s the Dark Queen. She has lost her cat. She wants me to find it.”
Looking for a cat! Li Qingshan was stunned. He had originally thought she had extremely important matters to attend to, looking to capture some terrifying figure. He had never expected that she would cross thousands of kilometers and come to the tiny city of Qingyang just to look for a cat.
Gu Yanying sighed. “I would rather go fight the White Lotus Mother.”
However, Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan understood what ‘Dark Queen’ meant. They became extremely cautious, afraid to probe into the matter any further. This probably touched on the conflicts at the very top of the Green province. It was not something they could interfere with.
Gu Yanying continued to ramble, but her mouth remained busy between the words, downing cup after cup. When she reached there, the tripod of wine had already been emptied, and she developed a slight flush, just like a flower blooming in spring. She was utterly enchanting.
Gu Yanying suddenly stood up. “Alright, I’ve drunk it all, so I won’t say anything more.” She took out a bag from the jade ring on her hand and placed it on the table. “Take these spiritual stones as a token of my appreciation and cultivate well! Break through soon!”
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Chapter 81 – Great Ambitions
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Chapter 81 – Great Ambitions
Wang Pushi glanced at the bag of spiritual stones. “Commander, t- that’s far too precious.” His Bodhi Brew was not even worth a tenth of that. Gu Yanying had clearly called him here to give him these spiritual stones. He was unable to describe the gratitude he felt.
“If I want you to take it, just take it. Am I supposed to be lacking such a measly amount of spiritual stones?” Gu Yanying said before turning to Hua Chengzan, “Little Hua, what you lack right now is not spiritual stones. Don’t just tell others to spend their time cultivating instead of harassing children. You don’t enjoy yourself enough, spending most of your time cultivating. Out of the eighteen commanders under me, only you’re still a Qi Practitioner. You have to understand that if you can’t undergo the heavenly tribulation and establish a foundation, you’re still just a mortal.”
Li Qingshan thought that it was no wonder that Gu Yanying knew Feng Zhang was lying. Just by sitting there, she had heard everything that happened in the city. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was truly an ability that only gods could possess.
Hua Chengzan giggled. “Yes, boss Gu. I will definitely throw my life away at cultivation.”
Only at the very end did Gu Yanying turn to Li Qingshan. “Little bro Qingshan, I’ll give you this map, along with a saying, ‘The Green province spans fifteen thousand kilometers. The jianghu is only but a corner.’”
With that, she took off. Her wide sleeves ruffled in the wind, like a brave hawk unfolding its winds.
Before Li Qingshan could even return to his senses, the figure that was even whiter than snow had disappeared into the horizon already.
As it turned out, flight really was possible!
He muttered the saying from Gu Yanying. He understood that if he remained in Qingyang city, he would probably never meet her again in his life.
In the cold winter, Feng Zhang was drenched in sweat as if he had just been scooped out from a pool of water. Now, he felt like he had just survived a disaster, so he inhaled deeply.
Wang Pushi’s expression became stern once more, immediately radiating with great pressure.
Li Qingshan suddenly noticed that the person right before him was an impressive, terrifying figure as well. Under Gu Yanying’s radiance, he seemed as ordinary as an uncle next door, but once Gu Yanying had left, his terrifying aura flooded over like lava from a volcano.
Li Qingshan instinctively felt fear and danger as if a blade was against his throat, about to behead him in the next moment. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, allowing the aura to crush him however it liked without moving at all. Under the tremendous pressure, his iron bones seemed to creak.
Feng Zhang fell onto his knees with a thud.
Wang Pushi looked over. He basically did not want to take another glance at Feng Zhang’s ugly actions. Compared to Li Qingshan, they were polar opposites.
“Leave behind your wolf tablet and piss off!” If he came across this situation at some other time, he would just scold Feng Zhang at most, but he really could not afford to humiliate himself like this in front of Gu Yanying. He was truly as furious as he could get inside. This bastard had actually thought he could fool Gu Yanying with his lies.
Although Gu Yanying had not directly stated it, nor did she become angry, just her single exclamation of surprise had determined Feng Zhang’s fate.
“Commander!” As if he had been struck by lightning, Feng Zhang cried out.
In Li Qingshan’s ears, it sounded like the final cry of sorrow before a bird would let out before it died. He thought, He’s just making you resign, that’s all. Why’re you acting like your parents died? That’s not manly at all.
He had no idea just what this meant to Feng Zhang, nor did he understand the difficulty in joining the Hawkwolf Guard. Various martial arts and cultivation methods that rarely ever appeared in the jianghu could be freely viewed in the library of the Hawkwolf Guard. No matter where he went, even when he came across people stronger than him, they would all have to treat him politely. His entire clan prided itself over this identity of his. Once this identity was taken away from him, he would just be a so-called ‘innate master’ of the jianghu.
However, Wang Pushi was known for his heart of steel. He would never take back something he had said. If Feng Zhang insisted on refusing, perhaps he could even lose his life. He placed the wolf tablet on the table with trembling hands and glanced at Li Qingshan.
Just what kind of glance was that? It was filled with resentment, enough resentment to skin him alive and eat his bones. Regular people would struggle to sleep for several months after receiving a glare, but Li Qingshan was no regular person. He glared right back without any fear or qualms. Having gone through all these matters, his willpower could no longer be compared to before.
In the end, it was Feng Zhang who shifted his gaze first, taking off and leaving in a hurry.
Wang Pushi said, “Take it!”
Li Qingshan went up to collect the map of the Green province carefully. Although this item could not be used for cultivation or killing enemies, it widened his horizons the most. It allowed him to learn the vastness of the world and his own personal insignificance in this world.
However, no matter how insignificant he was, there would be a day when he would prove that a frog would not remain a frog forever. He would definitely leap out of this well, unfurl his wings and fly towards the nine heavens, pursuing that unfathomable figure.
His experiences from this failed to shatter his confidence. Instead, it strengthened his ambition and heart, setting an even further goal.
Hua Chengzan only smiled on one side, but only three words existed in his mind. Ignorance is bliss. There will be one day when you understand just how distant you are from her, so distant that it cannot be made up by any fortuitous encounter, talent, or hard work. Even if you pursue her like this, you’ll never be able to get a step closer.
“And this.” Wang Pushi narrowed his eyes at the wolf tablet.
Li Qingshan was surprised. He picked up the wolf tablet, and a cool sensation filled his palm. He felt pleasant all over.
Not only was this forged from Black Ice Iron, but it could even consolidate the mind and prevent the wielder from suffering from cultivation deviation so easily, making cultivation much easier. It also came with many other wondrous uses.
Li Qingshan did not know about this, but he knew the item was significant. However, everything had happened so quickly that he had no idea how to react. In under an hour, he had become a Hawkwolf guard that the people of the jianghu feared so much, and all of this came from how Gu Yanying had treated him.
Wang Pushi stowed the table, stove, and tripod into the pouch on his waist. He stood up. “You’re still not a Hawkwolf guard yet. Go report to Zhuo Zhibo in Jiaping city!” He took out a metal baton and tossed it in the air. The baton swelled in size in the wind, becoming three meters long. As it hovered in the air, Wang Pushi stepped on it.
Hua Chengzan patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder and looked at him with an expression of praying for his wellbeing. He said a single word, “Run!”
The metal baton tore through the air, leaving behind a glowing trail.
“Oi, old Wang, wait for me!” Hua Chengzan crossed over a dozen meters in a single step and mounted the metal baton, vanishing into the night sky in the blink of an eye.
Before Li Qingshan could even become amazed by these methods that belonged to immortals, an intense aura of murderousness flooded over. He spotted Feng Zhang’s twisted face in a single glance as the fellow rushed over like a mad dog. He decided to follow Hua Chengzan’s advice for now and not confront the crazy Feng Zhang. He used the movement technique of the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain and bounded up the mountains.
As soon as he leapt up, a wind blade passed by his previous location, cutting the huge pine tree in half. Its trunk slowly slid down, collapsing loudly on the ground.
Li Qingshan glanced back and was startled by this. This probably was not purely due to Feng Zhang, but also due to his Wind-entwining blade. The benefits that came with joining the Hawkwolf guard really were impressive. It could not be compared to the mediocre spiritual artifacts used by first or second-rate people of the jianghu.
According to the black ox, the weapons that simply had their toughness and sharpness enhanced were not even real spiritual artifacts. Every single spiritual artifact should have possessed its own special effect. The blade that could unleash wind blades was a low grade spiritual artifact at the very least.
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Chapter 82 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (One)
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Chapter 82 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (One)
Li Qingshan grabbed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy on his back. After drinking the Bodhi Brew, not only was his true qi filled to the brim, but his condition was even better than it had ever been before. As such, it was enough for him to power the spiritual artifact again. It would definitely be much sharper than the Wind-entwining blade.
However, he did not have complete confidence in being able to kill Feng Zhang with a single strike. His spiritual artifact was probably several grades higher than the Wind-entwining blade, making it a real treasure. If he failed to kill his enemy, news would spread, and he would probably attract people greater than just first-rate masters. There would be innate masters as well, or rather, Qi Practitioners.
And, he was still unable to control this spiritual artifact very well. Once he used it, it would drain all of his true qi, so if he failed, both his physical strength and speed would decline significantly. He would basically become a sitting duck.
The dark clouds shrouded the sky once more. In the pitch-black night, a person fled as another pursued. Li Qingshan used his extraordinary sight to constantly bound through the mountains, purposefully looking for rugged terrain. He climbed up cliffs and leapt over valleys. His surroundings constantly receded around him.
Feng Zhang chased him wildly with eyes red from rage as if he could also see through the night, but his vision was nowhere near as great as Li Qingshan’s. After all, Li Qingshan’s eyes had been awakened by the black ox’s tears. If they were on flat ground, perhaps Feng Zhang would have been able to catch up.
Unfortunately, they were in the mountains. The effects of Li Qingshan’s three forms of movement from the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging were basically amplified, making him unbelievably fast. And, with the rise and fall of the terrain, Feng Zhang could no longer locate Li Qingshan anymore after a few twists and turns.
Li Qingshan widened the distance between them. Like a hunting tiger, he hid in a snowy crevice below a cliff, clasping the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in hand. He even called out Xiao An. As long as Feng Zhang came over, he would go out. Even if he failed to kill him, he would wound him at the very least. They were deep in the mountains, so it gave him enough room to catch his breath. He would be able to chase Feng Zhang to his death; this really was quite the scheme.
With a great bellow, Feng Zhang’s resentful voice echoed through the mountains. “Li Qingshan, I’ll skin you alive and cut you into pieces! I will never spare you!” It was so loud that the accumulated snow collapsed in small avalanches.
Li Qingshan knew that Feng Zhang would not come for him anymore immediately, so he sighed in pity. Obviously, he did not take these threats to heart. He remained hidden for a while longer and only left the crevice after confirming that Feng Zhang had not chased over. He shook off the snow on him and made his way into the depths of the Boundless mountains.
After he received the map, he finally learnt the name of the myriad mountains he had stared at from afar for a decade. They were the Boundless mountains.
Vast without end, without bounds, was known as boundless. A broad, open mind was also known as boundless.
It was a good name!
He made his way up to a peak and gazed at the mountains stretching into the distance once more. He no longer felt lost inside. He saw structures in the distance and only when he hurried over to it did he discover that it was no village, but an abandoned temple for a mountain god. Aside from the main hall, most of the other structures had collapsed. However, it at least provided him with a place to shelter from the wind.
He was not afraid of the biting cold, but remaining in a world of ice and snow did sap his true qi significantly.
Under Xiao An’s assistance, he found a bear’s den. The bear was still hibernating for the winter, so it was not awake. As a result, Li Qingshan went up and killed it with a punch, carrying it back to the mountain god temple.
Due to the different ability he practised, Xiao An’s five senses were not as sharp as Li Qingshan’s, but he was extremely sensitive to living auras. Even Li Qingshan failed to discover the bear’s den under the snow immediately.
The main hall was empty. Even the altar table and plaques were missing; the villagers who lived nearby must have collected it to burn as firewood. However, Li Qingshan did discover a mighty mountain god that stood over three meters tall with a blue face and protruding teeth. It was actually a solid, wooden statue, standing on an altar as a whole piece. It was only covered in traces left behind by time. The villagers must have been afraid of blaspheming the god too much.
However, Li Qingshan was not worried by this. He had been spending time with a monster, and both he and Xiao An practised the abilities of daemons and demons, so there was no need for them to worship any ghosts or gods. He went up, and with a few easy strokes, he smashed the statue to pieces. He lit a fire in the main hall before skinning and deboning the huge bear. He did not need any tools at all. Just a simple swing of his nails would pierce through the tough bear skin and bear meat like paper.
The bear heart went to Xiao An for his dinner, while the bear skin was laid on the ground as a mat. The bear meat was placed on the fire.
It truly was speak of the devil. The black ox that Li Qingshan had been thinking of appeared right in front of him.
Li Qingshan jokingly thought that it was basically like the police in the movies, only appearing at the very end.
The black ox glanced at the statue in the crackling fire and nodded as if he were greatly satisfied. He asked, “How do you feel today?”
Li Qingshan said, “I feel like I know nothing, and I’ve been laughed at by others for no reason. You’ve never explained it properly. Even if I really achieve the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, can I really defeat other people? And those Qi Practitioners and Golden Cores, what’s that all about?”
The black ox said, “Isn’t your understanding right now much deeper than if I tried to explain it to you? You will know very soon whether the ability I gave you is useful or not. As for those Qi Practitioners and Golden Cores, that’s a human way of dividing and labelling.”
Li Qingshan said, “Aren’t I a human?”
The black ox only smiled, which irritated Li Qingshan. He grabbed the bear meat and began wolfing it down. Many parts of it were still not thoroughly cooked and still bloody, but he actually did not find it to be disgusting at all. Instead, he felt it had a particular flavour to it. Before long, he had picked the bear clean.
He also felt he was a little inhuman, but as long as he could drink and eat, there was nothing wrong with that. After eating, he began exercising, practising his ability. He discovered that after drinking the cup of Bodhi Brew, only a film separated him from reaching the first layer of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. However, he was unable to break through.
He asked the black ox for the reason, but the response did not surprise him at all. The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was steady and firm, requiring bitter practice, while the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging advanced through slaughter.
Slaughter! Li Qingshan lowered his head in thought.
In the pitch-black mountains, a single ball of light could reach very far away. Li Qingshan laid down on the bear skin, holding the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his hand. He made Xiao An hide away as he quietly waited for his prey to bite the hook.
He heard steps and snapped open his eyes, emerging from the mountain god temple. However, he did not only see Feng Zhang. There were five other people beside him. Hall chief Wu, Wei Dandong, Chu Xin, Lü Tingrui, and Wan Hao—five-first rate masters—surrounded the mountain god temple, preventing Li Qingshan from fleeing.
Countless more shadows flickered about. They were all their disciples, with plenty being second-rate masters. Even the weakest were at the third-rate.
Li Qingshan had never thought that as he waited for Feng Zhang to bite the hook, he would draw so many people here. As it seemed, Feng Zhang had lost his mind to anger, but he was not an idiot. He knew to borrow the strength of others.
Feng Zhang saw Li Qingshan, and he was filled with joy. However, when he saw the wolf tablet on his waist, he was overcome with rage. It was exactly this person who had taken everything away from him. Before he could even say anything, Li Qingshan said, “Although I don’t know the names of the four of you, you’re all respected figures. Just earlier, he told you all to piss off, yet in the blink of an eye, you’re being ordered around by him. Don’t you find this humiliating?”
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Chapter 83 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (Two)
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Chapter 83 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (Two)
Wan Hao and Wei Dandong’s expressions were rather unnatural, but Chu Xin chuckled. “It’s all just business, so why would it have anything to do with humiliation?” He played around with the metal abacus in his hand, creating quite the rattle.
Lü Tingrui drew a thin, glowing sword and said, “Hand over the spiritual ginseng, and we’ll leave immediately!”
Feng Zhang had managed to get them to come by promising that everyone would receive a share of the spiritual ginseng that Li Qingshan possessed. Although the hall chief was rather dissatisfied with this, he would never be bold enough to object when he saw Feng Zhang’s darkened face.
Li Qingshan said nothing. He fished out the spiritual ginseng from the gourd, tossed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it. He clapped his hands. “It’s gone!”
The eyes of the masters rapidly dimmed as soon as they had lit up. Their expressions varied. There was despair, there was fury, and there was disappointment, but none of them had anymore interest in fighting.
Li Qingshan’s fundamental solution to this situation really was reliable, effective, and vicious.
Feng Zhang said, “I have spiritual pills that are even more effective than the spiritual ginseng. As long as you fight, you’ll still be able to achieve what you want. However, anyone who doesn’t fight will become an enemy of I, Feng Zhang. I will hunt down every single member of your family in retribution.”
The masters all changed in expression, while Li Qingshan sneered. “Do you really believe this person who threatens you with your family at every turn? Why don’t we work together and kill him instead and see if he really has any spiritual pills or not? We can split it between us. It’s not like he’s a Wolfhawk guard anymore, so we don’t have to worry about retribution at all.”
The masters all wavered. With a shwing, Feng Zhang drew his Wind-entwining blade. “Who dares to do that!?” He saw how his constant threats and unruly behaviour was working against him, so he added, “And the spiritual pills aren’t on me.”
If Li Qingshan were slightly stronger, perhaps there really was a chance for him to turn his enemies against one another. However, these masters could clearly distinguish who was easier to kill amongst the two of them, so they made their decision.
Watching them approach him, Li Qingshan thought to himself, After splattering the Qingyang restaurant with blood, is it time for sheltering from the snow and wind in the mountain god temple?1
Perhaps the heavens could read his thoughts, as snowflakes began to drift down from the sky again.
He did not plan on running! Although the battle would be difficult, it was an opportunity for him to break through with the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. With risk came reward. All abilities and martial arts rewarded people for the risk they took. There were only masters who had emerged from battle. There were no masters who emerged from fleeing.
“Blade Aura of the Death Sentence!” Feng Zhang raised his Wind-entwining blade and attacked with them.
Li Qingshan parted his legs and spread his arms. He let out a roar at the sky. It was not a human’s voice, but a tiger’s roar. “Rargh!”
The spiritual ginseng in his stomach came into effect. True qi flowed out like the tide, pouring into the roar. He used a move from the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging he had never used properly.
The Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar!
Within a range of a hundred meters, all of the snowflakes vanished. Looking down from the sky, a semicircle rose up from the ground.
Feng Zhang charged at the front. His Blade Aura of the Death Sentence immediately became disturbed, while the five masters stopped together. They all felt like a metal nail was being hammered into their heads.
They gazed at Li Qingshan in disbelief. His fierce aura stunned them. Was he really just a first-rate master?
The other second and third-rate masters suffered even more. They all clutched their ears as they rolled on the ground. Two streaks of blood flowed down their heads. Their eardrums had directly ruptured. Some of the weakest people there had even died from the roar.
With the tiger’s roar in the forest, all beasts retreated. Li Qingshan faced a hundred people alone, yet he gained the upper hand.
The roar reverberated through the surroundings, making the mountain god temple tremble gently. Not a single flake of snow could fall on it.
Feng Zhang endured the roar and bellowed out, “What are you all waiting for?” With a flick of the blade in his hand, he launched another wind blade.
Li Qingshan stopped roaring. He did not try to dodge or avoid the attack. Gathering his true qi, he channeled it to his hand, and his five fingers shone like the claws of a tiger, grabbing the wind blade viciously.
The wind blade shattered and kicked up a fierce gale. Li Qingshan glanced at his palm and saw the shallow, bloody mark left behind. He extended his tongue and licked it, smiling viciously before arching his back. He seemed just like a tiger in human form.
His killing intent roared as his demonic nature resonated.
The killing moves of the five masters arrived at the same time.
Wei Dandong’s sword, Lü Tingrui’s thin sword, Wan Hao’s steel blade, and hall chief Wu’s iron fists all shone with light. Even hall chief Wu was wearing a set of spiritual artifact gloves. They sealed off all of Li Qingshan’s paths of retreat, whether it be front, behind, left, or right.
The eighteen abacus beads that shot over like crossbow bolts completely severed Li Qingshan’s last sliver of hope. Chu Xin stopped smiling as well.
The five masters worked together, launching a killing blow. They did not even need Feng Zhang to take part.
Li Qingshan ignored the others. He took a step forward and reached towards Wei Dandong’s shoulder. A life for a life.
Before the claw had even arrived, a whistling sound pierced his ears. Wei Dandong valued his life so much, so why would he be willing to die here? He immediately withdrew his sword and retreated.
With his retreat, Li Qingshan advanced, utterly frightening Wei Dandong. He wielded his sword such that it formed a tight flurry before him. He only wanted to delay Li Qingshan so that the others could kill him.
A sword stabbed over. Xiao An, who had remained hidden the entire time, finally appeared. He saw how Li Qingshan was in danger, so he used his strongest move, enveloping three of them in the process.
Unpredictably, a blade blocked his move. Feng Zhang raised his Wind-entwining blade and stopped Xiao An.
The blood-red flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets roared. He watched helplessly as a blade and a sword landed on Li Qingshan’s body, causing blood to spray. Xiao An was tempted to tear Feng Zhang to shreds.
Wan Hao’s blade landed on Li Qingshan’s shoulder, while Lü Tingrui’s thin sword stabbed into Li Qingshan’s body. Although they leapt in fright at the sight of Xiao An, they were still first-rate masters after all. Their willpower was extremely great, so their movements were unaffected.
Li Qingshan had already utilised his true qi to protect himself. The two unstoppable spiritual artifacts actually failed to penetrate Li Qingshan all the way through, but even with his tough body, he immediately became injured. However, he ignored all of it, focusing on advancing. He clung onto Wei Dandong.
The eighteen abacus beads landed on him, but it only made Li Qingshan halt. He was completely unaffected. Chu Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Hall chief Wu was the most careful. He attacked Li Qingshan from behind. When he saw how his back was completely unprotected, he was overjoyed. He threw a punch as hard as he could at Li Qingshan’s back.
Li Qingshan thought, Thank you. Out of everyone here, you’re the person I fear the least. He borrowed the force, and his arms extended forward, immediately grabbing Wei Dandong by the shoulders. With a powerful rip, he roared out, “The Tiger Demons Rips up the Lamb!”
Before Wei Dandong could even use his secret arts or his various underhanded methods, he had been ripped in half. Blood and organs scattered across the ground. There was truly no need to fear a powerful opponent, but one had to fear incompetent allies.
Under the pincer attack of the five masters, Li Qingshan forcefully killed one of them. He was truly as fierce as he could be, sending chills down everyone’s spines.
Li Qingshan grabbed the two halves of the corpse and threw them at Wan Hao and Lü Tingrui. The two of them were afraid of Li Qingshan’s desperate counterattack injuring them and leading them to follow in Wei Dandong’s footsteps, so they immediately retreated.
Martial arts only made up a part of a clash between masters. Might was more important.
His opponent’s might weakened, while Li Qingshan’s might grew like a river breaching a dam. He was unstoppable. He completely ignored the people around him, rushing forward like a crazy tiger and killing the second and third-rate masters.
A swing of a fist, a stab of his claws, and a butt of his head. Before him, no one could stand a chance. Every time he struck out, there would be deaths and injuries until corpses lay strewn on the ground.
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1. Another reference to Water Margin, the same as chapter 4. He’s paralleling the Qingyang restaurant to the Duck and Drake Bower, while sheltering from the snow and wind in the mountain god temple is… well, sheltering from the snow and wind in the mountain god temple.
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Chapter 84 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (Three)
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Chapter 84 – Sheltering from the Snow and Wind in a Mountain God Temple (Three)
The first-rate masters were utterly furious. They had raised all of these disciples through great difficulty. Many of them were their descendants, so they charged over without anymore care.
Just as Li Qingshan was slaughtering to his heart’s content, Wan Hao swung his blade over again. Without even looking back, Li Qingshan grabbed a third-rate master in front of him and blocked his back.
Spurt! Wan Hao did not even bat an eye, cleaving the person in front of him in half and continuing his swing at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan took advantage of the delayed attack and used the Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine to lunge towards another second-rate master. However, he did not avoid the attack unscathed, having received a faint mark on his back. He thought, This old man is so vicious.
“One-armed Blade, why do you kill my people?!” However, Lü Tingrui refused to accept it. Ignoring Li Qingshan, she stabbed at Wan Hao. He had killed a beloved disciple of hers. He was extremely handsome, and she had always liked him.
Wan Hao blocked the thin sword. “He was caught. It’s not like he’d survive. I only gave him a quick death. You sure are noisy, woman.”
“You’re turning against each other at a time like this. Do you all want to die here?” Feng Zhang roared out. His blade shone brightly as he forced back Xiao An. “What kind of monster are you?” His right arm trembled. Not only was Xiao An’s sword style masterful, but his strokes were heavy as well, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
“Xiao An, kill him!” Li Qingshan said. He did not slow down at all, reaching towards the chest of a second-rate master with a whistling claw. His hands were soaked in blood, so a horrifying aura sprang forth. It frightened the second rate-master, mentally reducing him to just half of the strength he possessed.
A few abacus beads shot over. Chu Xin struck out once more, but he no longer targeted Li Qingshan’s acupoints. Instead, he went for his eyes and crotch, vital parts of the body.
Hall chief Wu landed another punch on Li Qingshan’s back. His punch earlier failed to do anything, so his reaction was the same as Liu Hong’s. He was filled with disbelief, so he came up to try again immediately.
Li Qingshan suddenly halted, making the abacus beads miss. He forcefully turned around like a vicious tiger looking back. He threw a punch. “Have you had enough?!”
The fists collided. Hall chief Wu’s arm produced a gentle crack, and he flew over three meters away. Before he could even get back on his feet, a streak of light descended from above, dazzling his eyes.
As it turned out, Xiao An had immediately understood what Li Qingshan was saying. He leapt up to over thirty meters in the air and combined with the sword, plunging down on hall chief Wu.
Hall chief Wu was shocked. He demonstrated the reaction of a first-rate master and swung his fists in a flurry, unleashing the move ‘Army’s Barrage’. Every single punch landed on the blade of the sword with precision.
There were a series of clangs. Fortunately for him, his gloves were also spiritual artifacts, so the sword did not shred his arms.
Xiao An borrowed the force to fly up once more, and a wind blade flew past beneath him. Feng Zhang caught up once more with the Wind-entwining blade. Xiao An no longer entangled with him, shooting into the crowd using his agile figure and unleashing a massacre on the second and third-rate masters.
Having escaped death, hall chief Wu collapsed on the ground and breathed heavily. His arms ached painfully, especially his right arm that had clashed with Li Qingshan’s punch. It felt like mud. All of his bones had shattered. His right arm was done for.
Li Qingshan wanted to rush up to him and give him a stomp, but there was nothing he could do about the fact that Feng Zhang had rushed over again. Wan Hao and Lü Tingrui had temporarily set aside their differences and pincered him from both sides.
Within those few seconds, hall chief Wu produced a glowing pill from his bosom and ate it. He actually stood up again. Not only had his arms healed, but even his inner force had replenished completely.
Pills? I have them too!
Li Qingshan crushed the porcelain bottle in his bosom and tossed the Body Eruption pill he had taken from Void Butcherer into his mouth. He no longer cared about its side effects. He had to survive this encounter first!
Thump! Thump thump! Thump thump thump!
His heartbeat suddenly sped up, firing off at high speeds like a motor. Li Qingshan’s thin body immediately swelled up as he became a huge man. His true qi erupted at tenfold, bursting out of his body.
The true qi blocked both the blade and thin sword as if they had sunk into mud. Wan Hao and Lü Tingrui were startled. This was clearly innate true qi. He was not a first-rate master, but an innate master.
“Blade Aura of the Death Sentence!”
“Break!” Li Qingshan threw a punch. The iron fist condensed from true qi landed on the blade aura.
Li Qingshan possessed tremendous strength in the first place, so after ingesting the Body Eruption pill, his strength was unstoppable. He shattered the blade aura with a single punch, throwing Feng Zhang high into the air. While in the air, he cried out, “If you still don’t use your trump cards, we’re all going to die here today!”
Wan Hao, Lü Tingrui, hall chief Wu, and Chu Xin, the four first-rate masters, all looked at one another. They all possessed trump cards to protect their lives, but their value was no less than a quarter of the spiritual ginseng. None of them were willing to use it unless that were in the face of death with no other choice. However, when they witnessed Li Qingshan’s terrifying figure, they could no longer afford to treasure their trump cards.
“So be it, so be it, so be it. I’ll make a deal at a loss today then!” Chu Xin sighed. He took out a talisman, and the three others actually did the exact same thing as him.
Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly narrowed. He could not allow them to use their trump cards so easily. Just as he raised his foot, he felt a terrifying gust from behind. Suddenly, he looked back and saw that a second-rate master who he had almost finished off in a single strike had pulled out a talisman at a certain time as well, sticking it on his blade. The blade immediately gained a sharp glow like an aura before the second-rate master swung it towards him.
Li Qingshan could sense that even with his tough body, he would be cut in half if the blade landed.
Li Qingshan had underestimated this second-rate master just too much, as the man did not possess a spiritual artifact. Normal weapons would never be able to penetrate his Ox Demon Forges its Hide, but he never thought this person could do something like that.
He wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. The second-rate master could already see his attack succeed; he would soon avenge his fellow seniors and juniors. Delight flooded his face, but a flash suddenly swept past his neck, and his head was thrown high into the air by the gushing blood.
The corpse collapsed forward with its momentum, revealing Xiao An behind. Blood had already dyed his white bones red, while behind him, several dozen second and third-rate masters were littered across the ground, dead. With a sword in hand, his efficiency at killing people exceeded even Li Qingshan’s.
“Thanks!” Li Qingshan smiled and conveniently picked up the large blade that had been strengthened with a talisman. They stood back to back, facing all of the enemies around them.
The sky was pitch-black like ink, and the night of slaughter continued.
Using this interval, the four first rate masters all bit through the tip of their tongues and activated their talismans.
“Swift Breeze Talisman!” Lü Tingrui stuck the talisman on her legs, and a ball of air wrapped around them. Her movement technique had always been very impressive, completely surpassing Yang Anzhi of the Dragon’s Gate sect. After using the talisman, she seemed even more like a ghost. She immediately drifted to Li Qingshan’s side. “It’ll be your honour to die to so many precious talismans. It’ll be your monster’s honour too!”
She stabbed over. As soon as Xiao An tried to block it, she drifted to the other side.
Chu Xin stuck his talisman on his arms, and a layer of light enveloped his hands. He tossed the abacus aside, lifting up his expensive robes. Inside were various kinds of hidden weapons, including countless needles, caltrops, and sharpened throwing coins. With a swing of his arms, they turned into a flurry. Numerous hidden weapons shot through the air like a metal storm.
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Chapter 85 – The Cursive Sword Calligraphy
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Chapter 85 – The Cursive Sword Calligraphy
“Metal Talisman of Sharpness!” Wan Hao stuck his talisman on his blade and condensed a blade aura three feet in length. It would no longer be possible for Li Qingshan to survive a swing of his blade now.
Meanwhile, hall chief Wu directly stuck his talisman on his chest. A golden figure rose up from his body; it was just like what happened with the master of the Black Wind stronghold, Xiong Xiangwu. It was also a Talisman of the Guardian Kings. However, the colour was much deeper. He rushed up and launched a heavy punch.
Feng Zhang just stopped. He sheathed his Wind-entwining blade and watched Li Qingshan like he was looking at a dead man. Let alone Li Qingshan, even if he ended up in an encirclement like that, only death would await him.
Even if there was just one of them, Li Qingshan would struggle very much. He stomped the ground heavily, causing it to sink and form a great pit. The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves sent shockwaves into the surroundings, and the four first-rate masters all paused.
However, he would never be bold enough to use this opportunity to launch an attack. Instead, he used his full strength and leapt into the sky at the same time with Xiao An.
Everyone raised their heads with differing expressions. If Li Qingshan had elected to forcefully confront them, he might have had a chance at surviving, but now that he had leapt into the sky, he had ended his own path. In the air, there was nothing he could push off of, so it was impossible to dodge. Once he fell down, he would die.
Li Qingshan reached the highest point. Just when he was about to fall back down again, he suddenly unleashed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. A descending diagonal stroke, an ascending diagonal stroke, a horizontal stroke, a vertical stroke, and a hook lit up. Li Qingshan had already grabbed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy secretly before the three people had surrounded him, channelling all of his true qi into it.
Ever since he obtained the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, his true qi had been constantly strengthening. Not only had he ingested the Bodhi Brew today, but he had also ingested the entire spiritual ginseng as well. He had even eaten a Body Eruption pill earlier. The true qi in his body had reached unprecedented heights, so he pushed the power of the spiritual artifact to unprecedented levels as well.
The moment he unfurled the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, Feng Zhang’s eyes lit up. “A mid grad spiritual artifact! No, it’s a high grade spiritual artifact! Run!” However, he felt no surprise. Instead, he was overjoyed. If he could obtain a high grade spiritual artifact, it would be worth it even if he had been expelled from the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan gathered all of his concentration in an attempt to control this high grade spiritual artifact. Perhaps his will really came into effect, or perhaps it was just because of the spiritual artifact itself; it automatically locked onto the hostile intents.
A descending diagonal stroke, an ascending diagonal stroke, a horizontal stroke, a vertical stroke, and a hook flew towards the five people.
Even without Feng Zhang’s warning, these alert first-rate masters of the jianghu sensed an extremely terrifying killing intent the moment Li Qingshan unfurled the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. They responded instinctively.
Wan Hao raised his blade at the sky, defending by launching an attack. He precisely sealed off the direction that the killing intent originated from. However, before absolute strength, all of his moves were useless. The vertical stroke fell straight down, shattering the blade aura along with the blade itself, immediately piercing through his head. He blanked out and collapsed on the ground.
Hall chief Wu crossed his arms and used the Iron Chains Across the River. Combined with the Talisman of the Guardian Kings, he formed the strongest defence, but the hook still claimed his head by surprise.
Two first-rate masters who had used their trump cards were killed off instantly, demonstrating the terror of the high quality spiritual artifact.
Lü Tingrui used her impressive movement technique and fled into the distance as quickly as possible. Chu Xin had always been standing the furthest away, and his reaction was the fastest as well. He immediately rolled to one side with his circular body.
The ascending diagonal stroke and horizontal stroke swept past, and there were two flashes of red light. The two of them collapsed on the ground, losing a leg and an arm. They were heavily injured.
However, the strongest and brightest descending diagonal stroke flew towards Feng Zhang.
Feng Zhang sank into a horse stance and used two talismans consecutively, sticking them on his blade and his body.
The Wind-entwining blade erupted with a blade aura five feet in length while a golden bell condensed around his body. If the Talisman of the Guardian Kings could be used to kill, then the Golden Bell Talisman existed to protect.
As a second layer Qi Practitioner and a past Hawkwolf guard, the resources he possessed were much more than the trump cards of all these first-rate masters added together. However, he purposefully saved them, sending these first-rate masters to risk their lives. It would be best if they all died, as he would not have to give them the pills he promised. He truly was a cruel person.
However, when he saw the high grade spiritual artifact Li Qingshan possessed, he immediately felt that everything was worth using.
At that moment, light erupted and dazzled everyone. Even the thick layer of snow accumulated in front of the mountain god temple was swept away.
The blade shattered, the bell broke, but he survived.
The situation that Li Qingshan worried about the most happened. Only the hilt remained from the Wind-entwining blade in Feng Zhang’s hand, and his clothes had been reduced to tatters, covered in tiny slashes. However, he smiled very complacently, looking at Li Qingshan in the air.
Li Qingshan’s heart sank completely. The whistling of wind rang out from behind.
Chu Xin’s eyes were red with rage as he used his remaining hand to unleash a metal storm.
Li Qingshan pushed Xiao An aside as he waved his blade with difficulty in an attempt to block the attack. However, his body had been drained of true qi, and the side effects of the Body Eruption pill had arrived at the same time, causing him agony all over.
Xiao An extended his hand helplessly, watching as he was blown away by the storm of metal. In that instant, who knows how many hidden weapons had struck him. He fell through the roof of the temple, landing in the bonfire.
The head of the mountain god statue rolled to one side. The charred head smiled fiercely, as if it were mocking Li Qingshan for overestimating his strength.
Xiao An landed on the ground and directly charged towards the mountain god temple. A slender sword stabbed over diagonally. Lü Tingrui stood on a single leg as she said in resentment, “I’ll kill this monster!”
Feng Zhang did not pursue Li Qingshan. He pulled out another talisman and shot it into the temple.
A great ball of fire erupted in the temple. The mountain god temple that was close to collapsing in the first place immediately fell apart. Firelight rose into the sky, so bright that it was visible even from five kilometers away.
Feng Zhang felt that Li Qingshan was hiding far too many secrets. He was afraid that he possessed more killing moves, so he was reluctant to take any further risk. He directly used a talisman to finish him off. It was not like high grade spiritual artifacts could be destroyed in a fire like this. When the time came, he could just go fetch it from Li Qingshan’s ashes.
The fire roared. The flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets blazed bright like blood. He charged at Lü Tingrui wildly, ready to throw his life away.
Lü Tingrui dodged to one side, but all she saw was Xiao An going straight for the mountain god temple, wanting to fish Li Qingshan out from the sea of fire. She could not help but mutter, “Monster!”
Chu Xin attacked again. The hidden weapons barraged Xiao An’s body with a series of clings and clangs, causing him to stagger and fall onto the ground. However, he immediately climbed back up again.
Feng Zhang sneered and swung his hand. True qi surged as he sent Xiao An flying. Standing in front of the fire, he was like a mountain, separating Xiao An from Li Qingshan.
He growled and said, “You two idiots, why don’t you kill it? Don’t let it escape.” However, he was considering silencing them with death. He could not allow anyone else to learn about the high grade spiritual artifact.
Chu Xin and Lü Tingrui instead hesitated when they heard Feng Zhang’s words. They were unsure if they should fight or flee. Originally, they had accepted Feng Zhang’s deal because they were confident that Feng Zhang would uphold his side of the deal if they worked together. It was not like he was a part of the Hawkwolf Guard anymore. Even if Feng Zhang was not afraid of them, was every member of his family supposed to be an innate master as well?
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Chapter 86 – A Daemon’s Awakening
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Chapter 86 – A Daemon’s Awakening
But now, the dead were dead, and the crippled were crippled. They could no longer oppose Feng Zhang. At the same time, they were afraid that Feng Zhang would turn against them mercilessly.
Xiao An did not flee. He knelt on the ground. Currently, all of his bones were riddled with cracks. Looking at the sea of fire, two streaks of bloody tears ran down from his eye sockets. He opened his mouth, but not a single sound was emitted. However, everyone could sense that he was sobbing.
Feng Zhang turned around as a sunken smile stretched from ear to ear. “At the end of the day, it looks like I still need to do it personally!”
His smile suddenly froze. A terrifying feeling appeared from behind him, as if a terrifying beast was awakening in the fire.
A wild roar pierced the sky.
It was not a sound a human could make. Feng Zhang turned around and saw a black figure rise up from the fire, shaking off the flames. It was ten feet tall with a pair of horns that stabbed towards the sky.
Two specks of red light suddenly lit up!
Li Qingshan laid in the fire without moving at all. Before the danger of death, things went as he anticipated. His Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging had finally broken through to the first layer!
There was not a surge of strength like he had imagined. He felt his body undergo an extremely strange transformation. Everything ripped apart, transformed and remoulded. The flames gradually stopped being as scorching and discomforting as before, but he was still afraid of opening his eyes.
The words of the black ox rang through his ears once more. Only when you reach the first layer with both fist styles will you truly be regarded as having learnt this ability.
Although his eyes were firmly shut, he seemed to be able to feel the small skeleton rush over through the flames. He seemed to be able to hear his sobs.
Xiao An!
An indescribable feeling rose up in his heart, turning into a roar at the sky.
Li Qingshan stood up in the fire and snapped open his eyes. The shining red light was no longer hidden in the depths of his eyes. Instead, it was completely exposed now. He took a step forward, and an iron hoof crushed the mountain god’s head.
Under the invisible pressure, the flames bloomed in the surroundings like a lotus flower. He emerged from the sea of fire, step by step.
All those still alive on the mountain peak held their breaths as their eyes widened.
The colossal figure was as tough as a steel tower. The pitch-black skin seemed to be forged from black iron, and mysterious patterns extended from the top of his head to his four limbs. His feet had turned into iron hooves, while his hands had become sharp claws.
The pair of ox horns were so sharp that they seemed to pierce the sky. The fiery-red hair, or perhaps fur would be more accurate, hung from his body in a messy manner, dancing about under the firelight.
Daemon qi surged into the air. The legend began here.
Feng Zhang reached into his bosom. A violent gust of wind swept past him. The scarlet hair had even brushed past his face, making him seize up as his teeth chattered and his body trembled.
He no longer possessed the intention of resisting. Only a single thought remained, Run! A daemon, even a low grade daemon beast, was not something a second layer Qi Practitioner like him could fend off. Apart from the standard issue Wind-entwining blade that came from the Hawkwolf Guard, he did not possess another proper spiritual artifact to support him in a battle against a daemon.
Li Qingshan’s target was not Feng Zhang. When Lü Tingrui saw Li Qingshan emerge from the fire, she turned around and fled without the slightest hint of hesitation. The effects of the talisman remained, so she actually moved extremely quickly.
As she was mid-air, a huge claw reached over from behind and grabbed her head. Li Qingshan said, “Tell me, who’s the monster!” His voice was deep and hoarse like the thrum of metal. It was filled with cold killing intent.
His sharp, protruding teeth were pale-white as the red light in his eyes shone!
Lü Tingrui opened her mouth, but she discovered that the only sounds she could let out were mindless gibberish. She had been a first rate-master who had roamed the jianghu for quite some time now, but she had never seen a real daemon before. She felt like a mouse in a cat’s paw, having come across her natural nemesis. Under the weight of endless fear, what she felt was even more terrifying than death.
Cling clang! Countless hidden weapons landed on Li Qingshan, creating a series of sparks. Li Qingshan turned around and said, “Piss off!”
The sound wave that had been infused with daemon qi was like the strike of a heavy hammer. Chu Xin was launched over twenty meters away. His head tilted to one side, and he could not be more dead than that.
A second-rate master who laid on the ground suddenly leapt up high into the air. He stuck a talisman on his sword, coating it in a layer of sword aura. Originally, he had been playing dead, but now, he wanted to use this opportunity to launch a sneak attack against Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan was just about to turn around, but a tiger’s tail swept through the air like a steel whip, basically cleaving the second-rate master in half by the waist. Li Qingshan looked back at his own tail in surprise. Suddenly, he discovered that he had gained additional functions. His reactions were still faster than his head.
Li Qingshan closed his hand easily, and the head was crushed like a watermelon. In the next moment, he vanished from his current location.
He appeared beside the remaining second and third-rate disciples one by one and unleashed a massacre. In just a few seconds, not a single person was left alive on the mountain peak. The only one left was Feng Zhang, who was furiously fleeing down the mountain.
Li Qingshan bent his knees slightly. The ground cracked wildly, and he had already rushed into the air.
Feng Zhang was currently fleeing for his life as a black figure descended from the sky, landing on him with the weight of several tonnes.
Feng Zhang’s cultivation was impressive, but before Li Qingshan’s absolute strength and speed, he actually did not have the ability to fight back at all. Blood spurted from his mouth as he cried, “Daemon, you’re a daemon!” He gripped the ground with his hands, but there was no way he could oppose Li Qingshan’s current strength. Even if Li Qingshan lifted his foot, his organs and bones had all been crushed already. He only remained alive because of his innate true qi.
Li Qingshan bent down and growled. “I want to rip your limbs from your body, one by one.” The red light in his eyes was like blood. Possessing the hatred and fury of humans, he was much crueler and more brutal than regular daemons.
Xiao An tugged Li Qingshan’s hand. He casually tried to slap him aside in a violent matter. “Piss off!”
Seeing Xiao An, a sliver of rationality flashed through his mind, and Li Qingshan suddenly stopped his hand. The gust of wind he had kicked up had almost blown away Xiao An. He looked at Li Qingshan with surprise and fear as well as uncertainty.
“Xiao An, I’m sorry. I-” Li Qingshan covered his face as the red light subsided between his fingers.
Xiao Man approached him again, grabbing Li Qingshan’s hand, or perhaps claw would be more accurate.
Li Qingshan held back his various savage thoughts and crushed Feng Zhang to death with a stomp, giving him a quick death. He looked at his two hands that had become the claws of beasts as various wild thoughts rampaged through his head. He knelt on the ground and let out a wail at the sky.
The sky was pitch-black. The layered, dark clouds obscured the stars and the moon.
However, above the dark clouds were a sea of drifting clouds, stretching as far as the eye could see. Under the illumination of the moon and stars, it was tranquil like a paradise.
A white figure stood alone above the sea of clouds. Her clothes buffeted in the wind; she was just like an otherworldly immortal. Gu Yanying lowered her eyes as her dark pupils suddenly narrowed. They shone with golden light, piercing the clouds like the eyes of a hawk and landing on Li Qingshan.
Her feeling was right. When she met Li Qingshan below the pine tree, the smell he gave off was not because he did not shower. Instead, it was legitimate daemon qi. However, it was just too weak, so she was uncertain, which was why she made Li Qingshan drink the cup of Bodhi Brew. As a result, his true qi lost control immediately and amplified everything. Only then did she confirm her suspicions.
Not only did it make the daemon qi more obvious, but he did not break through to the second layer as a Qi Practitioner either, as the constitutions of daemons were different from humans. There was no such thing as second layer Qi Practitioners to daemons.
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Author’s Word
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Some Explanations for the Recent Plot (From the Author)
First, there have been many people who have complained about falling in love at first sight. In reality, I myself had considered that part for a very long time as well. I wrote it, deleted it before adding it back.
Because I know there will be some readers who dislike it. I can understand their feelings very well. Compared to loving someone, being loved is still easier and makes people happier. Out of the novels I’ve read, just how long has it been since a main character has taken the initiative to love someone? The fixed trope is that the main character won’t love anyone. They’ll demonstrate their charms and attract all the beauties to them, and then there’ll be arcs of romance.
Let’s not talk about whether this pattern is reasonable or not. After all, just by existing, it’s reasonable. However, after hesitating for a long time, I still ended up adding this part, breaking out of this trope, because what I want to write is a person of exceptional ability, a great sage, someone who possesses great ambitions, or should I say wild ambitions, that exceed ordinary people. Just like how Xiang Yu saw the emperor of Qin on tour and looked him straight in the eye and said, “I can replace you.”1
Regarding what many people have mentioned, that Gu Yanying’s description was insufficient, I think this is the most direct description there is. If you see her and you don’t fall in love with her at first sight, you can’t call her a beauty of startling talent and ability. And if you do see a beauty of startling talent and ability, but you don’t have the wild ambition of conquering someone like that, you wouldn’t be a great person of exceptional ability and ambition.
All I want to write is some relatively ‘normal’ feelings, as there are many novels, perhaps due to the influence of real life, where liking a woman seems to be groveling to them, falling head over heels for the woman and willing to do anything for them. However, with Li Qingshan’s resoluteness, how would that be possible? When he faced Gu Yanying, who was countless times stronger and more noble than he was, Li Qingshan only wanted to take her as a wife on equal footing. Instead, you’ve all placed yourselves on a pedestal that’s far too low right from the start.
Next is the battle of the mountain god temple.
I feel like I’ve already written it clear enough. Li Qingshan still hasn’t joined the Wolfhawk Guard yet. Wang Pushi only gave him a promise. He clearly dislikes Li Qingshan very much, which was why Hua Chengzan told Li Qingshan to run. That’s because they could all foresee this battle happening. Even Gu Yanying could foresee this. She wanted to probe out Li Qingshan’s true form. There’s also another detail that many people might have missed. Wang Pushi told Li Qingshan to report to Zhuo Zhibo in Jiaping city, yet it was exactly Zhou Zhibo who had sent Feng Zhang here.
Li Qingshan originally wanted to lure Feng Zhang into battle alone, but Feng Zhang’s craftiness had basically taken him by surprise, using the spiritual ginseng and the pills to entice a few fire-rate masters into his plan. In the face of such a critical situation, Li Qingshan could try to flee, but he would very likely fail and it would weaken his bearing, the awe he struck into the hearts of people, making him lose half the battle already. As for fighting, he was not exactly without confidence, and there was a chance for him to break through. As a result, he went with the wisest choice.
The last issue has to do with the levelling system.
I’ve said before that this is only a tool, but not a tool that’s absolutely necessary. I have considered making my own system before, which wouldn’t be too difficult. All I have to do is come up with a few names. However, I’ll definitely have to make many complicated introductions when I do so. I’ve hesitated over this for a long time. This system that platinum author Wangyu2 created was just perfect. It was concise, and it got to the point. There is no point, or should I say, no need to give up on the tools readily in my grasp and go create a set of tools that don’t suit me.
However, I’m not copying outright. I’ve adapted and added a lot of things myself, making it more suitable for this novel. These aspects will all be presented one after another later on. If there are readers who dislike the names, I can only request you to set aside your prejudice. I don’t plan on turning this into a mortal stream fantasy novel.3 This will be a completely new story.
You can count this novel as my work where I seek novelty and change. Many problems will arise with that, so I welcome you all to point it out. However, I do hope you can accept and understand as well. At the very least, I’m writing this novel with great sincerity. So far, the change has been successful. Compared to my previous novel where it became more strenuous the more I wrote, I have absolute confidence and motivation right now because the fascinating parts have yet to come. A magnificent world, a touching story and charming characters are waiting for me to write them.
There are many parts where it’s my fault for not explaining clearly. However, I want to make my writing as succinct as I can, with less explaining for me to do. It’ll mostly be expressed through the details or the actions of the characters. The way Li Qingshan treats Gu Yanying in the future will obviously show he’s not someone who loses his mind at the sight of a beautiful woman. And as the world expands, it’ll obviously demonstrate whether I’ve been copying or not. But what can you do about the fact that this is webnovel? I can only take one step at a time. I’ve decided to avoid explaining so much in the future. Those who will understand will obviously understand.
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1. Emperor of Qin refers to the first emperor of China, who united the lands of China for the first time in history. Xiang Yu refers to this historical figure.
2. Yes, Wangyu, as in the author for Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality. The author is deriving his cultivation system from RMJI.
3. Mortal stream fantasy novels are like Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality, Demon’s Diary, and Portal of Wonderland. Mortal stream fantasy is characterised for their realism regarding cultivation, given that the main character starts off as a mortal, without any particular knowledge regarding cultivation. It vividly paints a picture of the struggles that the main character goes through for cultivation. Wangyu is the progenitor of this genre, and he solely writes in this genre, but many other authors write it as well now, thus making a stream in Chinese fantasy novels.
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Chapter 87 – Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration
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Chapter 87 – Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration
Against daemons and demons, the first thing that regular cultivators would think of would be purging them. Gu Yanying definitely possessed the strength to do that as well. Although Li Qingshan’s strength and speed had been greatly amplified after daemonifying, he was still not the opponent of a Golden Core master.
But right now, she showed no killing intent at all. She even lost her usual, carefree smile, now possessing a tinge of sorrow. Under the illumination of the moon, she seemed like a jade sculpture.
Then she discarded these emotions, sighed gently, and smiled freely.
“Little bro Qingshan, from today onwards, only the mountains and forests will be your home. We probably won’t meet ever again unless you cultivate to Daemon General or even Daemon Commander. However, once that happens, we’ll probably be enemies. Take care!”
She muttered to herself and even clasped her hands, completely ignoring the fact that Li Qingshan could not hear or see her at all. Lifting her arms, her sleeves fluttered as she flew off like a white hawk. Only when she reached over five kilometers away did the gust of wind she create form a canal in the sea of clouds.
The white hawk landed on the edge of the well and saw what she wanted to see. A special frog added an amusing story to her life.
However, no matter how amusing it was, a frog was still a frog. At most, it would just become slightly more powerful. There were matters that outweighed this completely waiting for her to complete. If she could not find that damned cat, a battle between the two great sects of the Green province, the Sword Collection palace and the Umbral Yin sect, would likely erupt. A great fire would burn through the back courtyard of the provincial lord as well.
However, what she failed to sense was that as she observed Li Qingshan, a black ox gazed at her through the darkness on the ground. This was something utterly inconceivable to a Golden Core master. Her spiritual senses were so sharp, and she knew some techniques for divination as well.
However, if she really could predict the future, she would know that the frog would not remain a frog forever.
Li Qingshan wailed wildly for quite a while before barely managing to calm himself down. Xiao An remained by his side, doing his best to comfort him. He glanced at Xiao An.
Only now did he truly understand what Xiao An felt when he became a skeleton and just how great of a mental blow it was to turn into something else as a human.
The black ox emerged from the darkness as a smile stretched across his face. He looked at Li Qingshan and studied him in wonder, like an artist appreciating a masterpiece he was extremely satisfied with.
Li Qingshan said, “Did you know I would become like this already? This isn’t some ability of oxen and tigers at all!” His current strength had definitely exceeded what a single ox could possess. Perhaps, the strength of an ox never referred to the strength of a single ox, but an ox demon, an ox daemon.
The black ox said, “It looks like the effects aren’t bad at all!”
Li Qingshan suddenly lunged at the black ox, swinging his right claw viciously. His sharp claws were like curved blades, shining in the darkness.
The black ox did not try to dodge at all. It continued to smile. Xiao An tackled from the side and knocked Li Qingshan away.
Li Qingshan trembled all over as his claws dug into the ground. “Sorry, brother ox. I don’t know what has happened to me.” He felt like his heart was packed full of explosives, where even a hint of anger or dissatisfaction would set it alight, making him want to kill.
Although he had his suspicions that the black ox had screwed him over, he had been mentally prepared for this a long time ago. It was just like the legend with those people who made deals with the devil. They would gain power at a cost. It was brutal, but it was fair. There was no reason for any complaints.
And, the black ox had demonstrated that the ability it had taught to him really was not some common thing he could find anywhere. Just with its effects of refining the body, the ability had managed to reach an inconceivable level, using just a few months to push his body to unbelievable toughness.
The black ox said, “Your mind is not strong enough to overpower your demonic nature, but you’ve already surprised me a lot by being able to do this. You’re right. Although this originates from a body refining superhuman ability of daoism, the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, this is not actually that.”
“There is no superhuman ability that can turn a human into a daemon! What am I supposed to do now? How do I recover my human form?” Li Qingshan did not want to spend the rest of his life in these remote forests and mountains.
“It’s very simple. All you have to do is undergo the first heavenly tribulation and become a Daemon General, which is Foundation Establishment for humans, and you’ll be able to take a human form.”
“How long will that take?”
“If you’re fast, a century!”
“What!” Li Qingshan’s eyes glowed red. “I can live for a century?”
“Don’t worry. Once you’ve transformed into a daemon, your lifespan will be greatly extended!”
Li Qingshan ground his teeth. He was just about to give into the killing intent surging in his heart.
The black ox said, “However, it’s not like there aren’t other ways!”
Li Qingshan said, “There are other ways?”
The black ox said, “I’ll teach you another ability. Oh right, you’re not actually completely a daemon right now.”
Li Qingshan said, “So I’ll become a complete daemon once I practise this ability?”
The black ox only smiled. Li Qingshan knew the only option he had was going down this path completely.
The great fire continued to burn. Li Qingshan made eye contact with Xiao An and said, “Alright, now neither of us are humans, and only you won’t loathe me!” They really were brought together by their ill fates. Neither of them could mock the other.
Xiao An nodded furiously, expressing that he did not loathe Li Qingshan at all.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s stop here. Let’s get practising!” He made Xiao An use the corpses on the mountain for cultivation and recovering his wounds. At the same time, Li Qingshan searched through the corpses.
He found a bottle of pills that had not been completely consumed on hall chief Wu. He tilted his head back and ingested them all, immediately recovering from his injuries. He found a talisman on Wei Dandong, the sickly scholar’s body. It looked exactly the same as Lü Tingrui’s, so it should also be a Swift Breeze Talisman that increased speed. He found another talisman on Chu Xin, similar to the one he had used. As it seemed, he really was wealthy.
Lü Tingrui’s slender sword was still in one piece, and it shone very brightly. On the other hand, Xiao An’s sword had become extremely dim after the battle. It could not be used anymore, so this was a perfect replacement.
In the end, he found a total of four talismans on Feng Zhang. They were all the kind that could unleash fire. There was also a bottle healing pills, and from their glow, they seemed much better than hall chief Wu’s, so he stowed it away carefully.
Li Qingshan tossed all of the corpses into the sea of fire. Seeing how the fire did not burn vigorously enough, he tossed out a fire talisman without any hesitation at all. The fire talisman floated through the air and landed on the ground. It had not been activated.
The black ox said, “Daemon qi cannot activate talismans and spiritual artifacts unless you refine them.”
Then Li Qingshan tried it with the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. As expected, there was no reaction at all when he injected it with daemon qi. It refused to accept it. Without a doubt, he did not possess the ability to refine it right now, so he could only put it aside for now.
Xiao An had recovered from all of his wounds as well. His bones became white again, but they were no longer pale-white. Instead, they glistened slightly like jade. He had progressed with his ability yet again.
Watching the flames weaken, Xiao An suddenly opened his mouth and sprayed out rolling, blood-red flames. The blood of the corpses were like oil that had been set alight, surging with blood-red flames that were several meters tall. It even drowned out the orangey-yellow fire, completely destroying all traces of the corpses.
It was a technique from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration. It could set flesh and blood on fire. Once contaminated with it, certain death would ensue; one would be reduced to a corpse before being burnt to ashes. This was why it was called ‘corpse incineration’. It was far more terrifying than regular fire talismans.
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Chapter 88 – The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression
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Chapter 88 – The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression
Li Qingshan could not help but sigh in amazement. Now, regular first-rate masters would never be his opponent. He truly was progressing rapidly with no bottlenecks. As long as he had sufficient time and sacrifices, who knows just how powerful he could become.
The blood flames incinerated all of the corpses, circled through the air, and returned to Xiao An’s mouth. The flames in his eye sockets became even brighter. It was as if the blood flames had absorbed all the blood and vitality of these people.
After dealing with everything, Li Qingshan called Xiao An, and he leapt onto his shoulder. The two of them disappeared into the mountains.
Li Qingshan rushed through the forest. The tall trees now seemed so short and small. Sometimes when he came across fallen logs blocking his way, he would not even try to go around it. He would directly smash through it, reducing the dead wood to splinters and forcefully carving out a path through the forest.
His strength and speed were not the only things that had changed. His five senses had never been so sharp before either. Everything in the forest was so clear and vibrant. Even though it was the middle of winter, it was still a touching colour.
All sounds became so clear. He could even hear the breathing of a wild rabbit deep below the snow and soil. The world was filled with life.
He felt like a caveman who had returned to ancient times, celebrating all of nature. It was like the sweetness of nectar had filled his heart. It seemed like this was the world, the wonderland, that belonged to him,
When his body changed, his mind seemed to change as well. He suddenly felt like being trapped and embraced by the forests and mountains was not necessarily a bad thing.
However, when he looked at Xiao An on his shoulder, he immediately recovered his mental clarity. He still had many promises to complete. Li Qingshan had to help Xiao An regain his human form and send him home.
Xiao An also looked back at Li Qingshan in confusion.
Li Qingshan smiled, thanking him inside.
After the black ox taught Li Qingshan a new ability, he vanished once more.
Li Qingshan travelled without stopping, but he silently comprehended the mysteries of the ability inside.
The name of the second ability was the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, but it was exactly the opposite to the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers. It was an ability that purely focused on practising qi. It also had nine layers, and as long as he achieved the first layer, he would be able to return to human form and hide his daemon qi, allowing him to return to the human world.
This ability just happened to demand Li Qingshan to possess a certain foundation of daemon qi before he could practise it. It gave him a feeling that the abilities the black ox taught him were layered atop one another and interlinked. Every step had already been calculated, laying down a foundation for the future.
He did not know what the black ox’s objective was, but it did not seem like he had any ill motives. This did not originate from only his trust in it, but also because he understood his own insignificance. There was probably nothing worth the black ox developing any ill motives over.
As soon as Li Qingshan comprehended something regarding the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he would stop and meditate. The chaotic daemon qi gradually withdrew, circulating along a certain pattern. Even his restless sea of consciousness seemed to calm down during the cultivation process, which differed significantly from the wild and savage nature amplified when he practised the ox demon and tiger demon’s fists.
Suddenly, he understood something. The various abilities influenced his mind. The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression was for nullifying the effects of the ox demon and tiger demon.
The spirit turtle was a divine beast among the legends. Its four feet were as colossal as pillars that could hold up the sky; they were like four stabilising poles, able to calm the waves of the oceans, subduing the billows. Although spirit turtles possessed tremendous power, they had extremely gentle natures. Just like old, meditating monks, they were extremely patient and never tried to attract attention.
As long as he reached the first layer, he could withdraw his aura like spirit turtles, concealing his daemon qi and suppressing the ox demon and tiger demon. That way, he could become a human again. However, speed with practising this ability was just like a spirit turtle’s nature. Progress was extremely slow. He estimated that if he wanted to reach the first layer with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he would be working with years at the very least. Even a conservative estimate would be around a decade. It was even possible for him to take up to two or three decades.
Although it was much faster than undergoing the heavenly tribulation and becoming a Daemon General, it was still depressing. However, what could he do? The cultivation of daemons would always be calculated using centuries. If you had not even been cultivating for a few hundred years, it would even be awkward to meet people. Given his current circumstances, all he could do was prepare for a long battle.
Water crashed thunderously. Li Qingshan and Xiao An returned to where they cultivated last time, standing before the huge waterfall that fell several dozen meters. He planned on cultivating here quietly for some time. Since it was called the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he obviously needed water.
Li Qingshan’s ear twitched. He could vaguely hear singing.
He squinted his eyes. Through the white mist, there seemed to be the charming silhouette of a woman with her back to him. It seemed like she was bathing.
Will I have a romantic encounter like this as well?
As soon as Li Qingshan thought of that, he felt extremely strange. The waterfall was so loud. Even if regular people yelled at the top of their lungs, their voices would be drowned out by the crashing, yet the singing was just like a needle, piercing through all the noise with great clarity.
The force of the waterfall was so tremendous that even he could not directly stand below it in the past, yet the smaller figure moved through it easily as if she were showering. Her feminine stature faded in and out within the mist. It was quite the sight.
Li Qingshan was never about resisting temptations. He had to take a proper look since something so strange had presented itself to him. However, it would guarantee he would not have that great of a romantic encounter. He took a single step forward.
The singing suddenly stopped, and the young lady looked back, revealing a pair of jade-green pupils. She vanished into the waterfall.
Li Qingshan experienced an ill omen. He leapt forward recklessly, and only then did he feel a swift breeze behind him, along with a few stabbing pains on his back. His impenetrable skin had actually been sliced through.
Just as he was mid-air, about to fly into the waterfall, a slender hand grabbed his tiger’s tail and yanked hard. “Come back!”
Li Qingshan’s colossal figure was wrenched back. As it seemed, there were also times when additional functions were a bad thing.
Looking back and seeing the person clearly, he could not help but blank out even with his willpower. The person that had grabbed his tail and pulled him back was actually a young lady, around fourteen or fifteen years of age, dressed in green clothes. She was now dressed, but with her large, startlingly green eyes, there was no doubt that she was the bathing lady from earlier.
He was not taken aback by her age or strength. Instead, there was an actual pair of cat ears on her head. A black, cat’s tail danced around behind her.
At that moment, his spirit as a nerd that had fallen silent for all these years actually broke through its seal, about to awaken once more. If he met this ‘thing’ as soon as he had transmigrated into this world, he probably would not have turned out like this.
If the feeling that Gu Yanying gave him could be described as dream-like beauty, then she was dream-like cuteness.
Li Qingshan looked at her and felt that he had fallen in love at first sight once more. There sure were a lot of wonderful things in this world! However, he snapped back to his senses immediately. A daemon that could assume a human form was a Daemon General at the very least. Compared to being carried away by his desires and fantasies, he should consider for his own measly life first!
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Chapter 89 – A Cat’s Pet
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Chapter 89 – A Cat’s Pet
The cat girl looked at Li Qingshan as well. “What kind of daemeown are you? How strange!”
Xiao An leapt up; he arrived behind the cat girl and sprayed out his Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration. The white crescent moon imprint on the cat girl’s forehead unleashed a streak of light and nullified the flames. “And what kind of daemeown are you?”
The cat girl grabbed Li Qingshan’s tail with both hands. Using herself as a pivot, she swung Li Qingshan into Xiao An before throwing both of them.
Together with Xiao An, Li Qingshan smashed towards a rock face. Li Qingshan adjusted his posture and kicked off the rocks, landing safely with Xiao An. His perfect dream vanished completely as he gazed at the cat girl cautiously.
She was very powerful, at least as powerful as that Scarlet Hawk commander Wang Pushi! Thinking of Wang Pushi, he thought of Gu Yanying again.
Don’t tell me the cat she’s searching for is this! What kind of pet is this? It’s clearly an extremely terrifying cat daemon!
The cat girl did not keep attacking, as if she was not mad over being peeked on by Li Qingshan. Her jade-green eyes flickered as she said with pure curiosity, “Both of you are so strange!”
Li Qingshan said calmly, “What’s strange?”
The cat girl said, “You also have a human form, so you should have undergone a heavenly tribulation already, yet you’re so weak! How strange! I’ve never heard of a skeleton that can spit out fire either! How strange!” Although Li Qingshan had daemonified, which made his voice louder, his body and appearance were still roughly humanoid.
Li Qingshan shook off the dust and soil on him. “We’re just passing by, so please continue!” Without any hesitation, he turned around and left! He was rather reluctant, considering how something so moe that could only exist in his imagination had appeared right in front of him, but with his great wisdom and willpower, he immediately destroyed his heart as a nerd and made up his mind. He could not afford to be involved with this cat daemon. It was something he could not deal with just yet.
However, he learned very soon just how terrifying a cat that had its interest piqued, and a cat daemon at that, was.
“Stop! You’ve watched me bathe, yet you still want to run?” The cat girl hissed.
Li Qingshan ran immediately. He ran very quickly, sprinting away at full speed. However, he forgot about a certain warning. When he came across wild beasts, he was supposed to stop, or he would definitely be chased.
The forest receded rapidly as a blur. Li Qingshan did not dare to stop at all. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bell by his ear. He turned his head, and all he saw was the cat girl running steadily by his side. A bell jingled on her waist.
“Meowhahaha, why don’t you keep running?”
Since he could not outrun her, there was no point in running anymore. Li Qingshan came to a screeching halt and asked calmly, “What do you want to do?”
The cat girl stopped as well. Her jade-green eyes swiveled around as if she were coming up with an idea. She circled around Li Qingshan. “Why don’t you be meowy pet!” She smiled from ear to ear in an extremely complacent manner.
“What?” Li Qingshan doubted his ears. Was she sick of being a pet and wanted a pet instead now?
“Big Blacko, how does that sound?” The cat girl leapt gently and landed on Li Qingshan’s head. She grabbed one of his horns and rubbed Xiao An’s head. “And you can be Li’l Whitey!” She moved extremely quickly, leaving behind a string of blurs. Her thoughts changed extremely rapidly as well.
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t you even think about it!” As a proud transmigrator, he would be embarrassing all transmigrators in the world if he were to become a pet, and a pet’s pet at that.
The weight on his head suddenly increased. The cat girl’s light body suddenly became as heavy as a mountain. Li Qingshan was pressed into kneeling on one knee, lowering his head.
“Big Blacko, I’m not negotiating with you.” The cat girl continued, “If you agree, you will receive countless benefits. I won’t treat you badly, but if you don’t agree, hehe, I don’t mind seeing how you taste.”
That alone demonstrated all of the ferocity and nature of daemons. She definitely was not as cute as she seemed on the surface.
Li Qingshan bared his fangs in a sneer. “What benefits? Cat food?” Before he could finish talking, a glowing pill fell into his mouth before being converted into surging spiritual qi in an instant. It filled his entire body to the point of almost exuding out.
Even with his body as a daemon that was countless times more powerful than before, he actually felt like he was unable to contain all of the spiritual qi. Li Qingshan used the mental cultivation method of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression in a hurry, absorbing the spiritual qi and making gradual progress with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. All of a sudden, he had shot through a portion of it. The spiritual medicine was so powerful than it was even several times stronger than the spiritual alcohol steeped from the spiritual ginseng.
“Did you steal all of these from your master?”
“What? I would never steal meowster’s things. These were all given to meow by meowster. I still have a lot more. What, are you interested?”
Li Qingshan finally understood how the rich could be so wealthy to the point where they were wasteful. He wondered who the Dark Queen was, as she even used these spiritual pills to feed her pet. She was basically as wasteful as people could get. However, if he really did have the support of such spiritual medicine, he would definitely be able to succeed with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression very quickly and regain his human form. Then he could return to the world of humans.
It had to be mentioned that with reward and force combined, just like a carrot on a stick, it had quite the effect on no matter who used it and no matter who it was used on. Most importantly, he did not have the right to choose at all.
Li Qingshan said, “What do you want me to do?”
The cat girl did a backflip and landed gently in front of Li Qingshan. “That’s meowre like it. You’re meow pet, so of course you’ll do whatever I want you to do. Right now, I want you to take me away from the Green province!”
For a frog in a well who had never even left the surrounding regions of Qingyang city since birth, Li Qingshan was immediately stunned by this great ambition. “Where do you want to go?”
“To the Dragon province!”
“How do we go there?” Li Qingshan was rather perplexed. And where is the Dragon province?
“You don’t even know this? Follow the Boundless Meowntains all the way north. You’ll just need to cross around a few thousand meowntains.” The cat girl gazed into the distance, and her gaze suddenly became extremely distant. Her tender, cute face now possessed a romantic and weathered expression that only travellers had.
She was no longer anybody’s pet. She was as free as the wind.
Li Qingshan actually felt shocked. He took in a deep breath. “But you’re pointing south.”
“Shut up. Your meowster knows!” The cat girl became furious from shame, leaping up and kicking him.
Li Qingshan raised his arm to block, but it still ended up stinging. After a moment of consideration, he looked at the cat girl. “I can help you reach the Dragon province. You only need to pay me back with spiritual pills.” Although he was rather worried about Gu Yanying’s search, he currently had no room to decline at all. He could only attempt to benefit from the situation.
“Of course I’ll feed you. Oh right, what does Little Whitey eat?” The cat girl behaved like his master, acting like there was nothing wrong with it at all. Then she studied Xiao An with a strange gaze as if she were trying to guess what a skeleton would eat.
Feed? Li Qingshan decided to not haggle over these small details. “Oh right, and I’m not your servant.”
“You’re not meowy servant. You’re meowy pet!” The cat girl rubbed Li Qingshan’s cheek with a smile.
Li Qingshan’s body froze up. He breathed in deeply. “Anyway, that’ll be the deal between us. What’s your name?”
“My name is Xuanyue. You can call me meowster in the future!” Xuanyue placed her hand on her rather flat chest and made a self-introduction proudly. For some reason, Xiao An suddenly shuddered when he heard that name. The flames in his eye sockets wavered as his mind surged.
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Chapter 90 – A Cat of the Provincial Lord’s Estate
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Chapter 90 – A Cat of the Provincial Lord’s Estate
Li Qingshan could clearly sense his behaviour. He asked, “Xiao An, what’s wrong?”
Xiao An only shook his head in confusion.
Only then did Li Qingshan ease up. “Alright, Xuanyue. Tell me right now why you can’t go to the Dragon province alone. Bringing me with you will only weigh you down.”
“Call me meowster! I’m being chased, so I need to hide away from them.”
And you have no sense of direction. Obviously, Li Qingshan could not say that. Her answer was exactly what he was expecting. To be able to send Gu Yanying to search for her cat, Xuanyue’s master, the Dark Queen, definitely possessed extremely great authority. Gu Yanying would not be alone in the search. However, since it was searching for a pet and not catching a criminal, the mission would seem safer. Even if she failed, nothing bad would happen to her. And, since this cat was bold enough to run away, she should have some grasp over the situation. In short, it was worth a gamble.
Li Qingshan was straightforward. “No problem, Xuanyue. However, I feel like we should tidy up first and come up with a proper plan before setting off.” He had an extremely deep impression of Gu Yanying’s terrifying senses. Perhaps she was observing him from the sky right now. Now that he had become like this, she might end up purging him as soon as she saw him.
A vein popped out from Xuanyue’s forehead. “I said to call me meowster!”
“Did you, Xuanyue?”
“Meow!!!” Xuanyue’s tail straightened out. She finally lost her temper.
Li Qingshan grabbed Xiao An who was about to fight back and let her kick and pound him. He just gritted his teeth. He discovered that while she was extremely fast, her strength was not particularly great, so he could endure her kicks and punches.
Xuanyue vented her anger, but she was not heavy-handed. After all, she still needed to depend on Li Qingshan for many matters, so she just said coldly, “Come with me!” She led Li Qingshan back to the waterfall before grabbing him and charging at the waterfall.
They passed through the curtain of water and were about to hit the rock face. However, just when Li Qingshan thought he was going to crash, the thick layer of rock ended up being an illusion. He passed through it harmlessly.
It was actually hiding something, an extremely large cave. Looking at the traces of chipped rock, it had clearly been dug out recently. As it seemed, she had been hiding here.
The place that the black ox chose for Li Qingshan to cultivate was truly a wonderful spot.
Xuanyue pulled out a small banner from her bell. Her cat bell was actually a storage bag.
Are you doraemon? Li Qingshan was dumbfounded. And from how the small banner shimmered with light, hiding most of its wonders, it was clearly an extremely rare spiritual artifact.
Xuanyue planted the banner at the entrance, and it immediately sealed up the cave firmly. Not even a single strand of spiritual qi or daemon qi could escape.
Afterwards, she removed many more things from her bell. First, she pulled out a thick mat made from the furs of some unknown animal and laid it down. Subsequently, she pulled out a small table, followed by some delicate utensils sculpted out of either ivory or jade.
She could evidently see in the dark, but she just had to pull out a lantern. The lantern did not glow from fire, but from a fist-sized pearl. With its hazy glow, it illuminated the entire cave, but it was not dazzling at all.
In the end, she pulled out an incense burner shaped like a crane, which gradually released a wondrous fragrance.
All of these items glowed. Under the illumination of the pearl, even the circulation of Li Qingshan’s qi became slightly faster. When he caught a whiff of the fragrance, he felt his mind ease up, and his head became much clearer.
Not a single item here could be measured using money. She was no pet. She was basically a princess. So much for being a refugee, she had actually prepared to such a level. She was just too extravagant.
Xuanyue sat down on the thick mat and pulled out a thick, snowy-white fillet. “It’s time to eat!” She did not even use the delicate utensils, directly using her hands and burying her face in it.
Li Qingshan watched in utter shock. Even the fish fillet glowed brightly.
Xuanyue glanced at him. She thought about how she was always very capricious in front of her master, but her master would always be very tolerant of her. Thinking about how she herself had been elevated to her master’s level now, she probably should learn from her own master, so she said in a reserved manner, “Big Blacko, I’ll give you this to eat.” Forgiving Li Qingshan’s capriciousness with great tolerance, she felt proud of herself once again.
Big Blacko? Can’t I have a proper name for once? Li Qingshan thought. However, he did not want to reveal his real name either in his current state. So be it, Big Blacko it is! He accepted a piece and began eating as well.
He did not stop at all during the process. Although the fish fillet was raw, it was extremely delicious. It would melt as soon as it touched his tongue, surpassing anything he had eaten in the past. And when he swallowed it, his daemon qi would gradually grow. It had the effects of spiritual medicine.
Originally, he could eat an entire deer, and he would often not feel particularly full. However, from just the piece of fish today, he felt his stomach swell. “Just who is this Dark Queen? Doesn’t she treat you well?”
Xuanyue glanced at him in contempt first before saying with great reverence, “There’s no one in the world who will treat Yue’er better than meowster. She’s beautiful, noble, and powerful. When I first met her, I was not even a daemeown. She was the one who fed me so meowny, so meowny spiritual pills and meowdicines.”
“And you’re still running away?”
“Don’t interrupt me!” Xuanyue glanced at Li Qingshan in displeasure. Her eyes widened to a surprising level as she propped up her cheek. “But, she’s just too clingy. She hugs meow all day, without even letting me go when she sleeps. Tell meow, how can I endure that?”
Li Qingshan thought, If the Dark Queen is as noble and beautiful as you have described her to be, I’d be utterly overjoyed if she treated me like that. Then he glanced at Xuanyue. I can even accept you.
“Forget it. Even if I tell you, you won’t understand. I can tell you’re quite smart, not as dumb as regular daemeowns, but you won’t be able to understand such deep and complicated emeowtions. Freedom, do you understand that word?”
Xuanyue muttered to herself with no intention of letting Li Qingshan reply. Her cat ears perked about.
Li Qingshan still managed to find the information he was searching for from the narcissistic monologue. In the entire Green province, probably only the wives of the provincial lord had the right to be referred to as a queen. She was a queen of the Fierce King of Chu.
The authority of the provincial lord spanned all fifteen thousand kilometers of the Green province. Xuanyue had escaped from the provincial lord’s estate, so all she could do was flee to other provinces.
Li Qingshan recalled the map of the Green province. “The provincial’s lord estate is in the south. Why did you come to the north and not travel further south?”
Xuanyue said, “What would you know? The Mist province in the south is all wilderness. Am I supposed to go there and starve? The Dragon province is the good place. That’s where the imperial court resides. There are pavilions and palaces, extravagant luxuries that a country bumpkin of a daemon like you can’t even fathom.”
Li Qingshan said, “Even if there are those things, no one will give them to you.” Do you think you’re a panda, where you can survive in this world just by acting cute?
Xuanyue said, “What would you know? I’m seeking refuge under the Nine-tailed Fox Empress. That’s the leader of the ten Daemeown. She’s beautiful, noble, and powerful…”
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Chapter 91 – The Soaring Dragon Elder
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Chapter 91 – The Soaring Dragon Elder
Li Qingshan curled his lips. He had almost been fooled by her. What seeking freedom? She was clearly just indolent, seeking an even more extravagant life. When he wanted to ask about the Nine-tailed Fox Empress and the Ten Daemon Kings, she had already changed the topic, returning to how cute she was; this was the reason why the Nine-tailed Fox Empress had chosen her, inviting her to the Dragon province. Xuanyue forbade Li Qingshan from interrupting her.
She continued until she became sick of it. “It’s quite late now. Time to sleep!” She pulled out a huge cat’s basket that was filled with a thick layer of crane down. She curled up inside it comfortably.
Li Qingshan said, “It’s still daytime!”
Xuanyue waved her hand and extinguished the pearl. “Daytime is for sleeping. We’ll set off at night.”
Li Qingshan looked at her sleeping figure. Her long lashes layered upon one another, and her delicate nose was slightly raised from her face. Her lips were closed. Curled up, she seemed even smaller and more petite, lacking her usual rudeness and capriciousness. She seemed so delicate, rousing an urge to protect her.
He shook his head violently. Now was not the time to appreciate beauty. She was not someone who needed his protection, nor was she someone he could pursue. From a certain perspective, she could even be regarded as an enemy. How could he be captivated by her? He needed to raise his guard!
Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief and made eye contact with Xiao An. He felt that everything he went through today was far too weird. He glanced at the girl in the cat’s basket before making his way over to a corner of the cave to meditate, continuing his cultivation of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Xiao An also sat down beside him to meditate.
Xuanyue tossed and turned in the basket and said suddenly, “Big Blacko, sing me a song.”
“I don’t know how to!” Li Qingshan replied firmly.
“Then what’s the point of keeping you around!?” Xuanyue opened her eyes.
“Then let me go!”
“Forget it, I’ll teach you.”
Li Qingshan facepalmed, but before he could reply, Xuanyue began singing all by herself. “Little kitty, good kitty, go to sleep…”
The gentle singing filled the cave. Although it was extremely pleasant, Li Qingshan curled his lips. This was clearly a lullaby to coax children, so he thought the Dark Queen was probably some cat lover who treated a cat as her child. However, when she sang it, it was extremely beautiful, with a gentle, soothing feeling.
When Xiao An heard it, the blood-red flames in his eye sockets pulsed as his heart surged. Yet, there just seemed to be something blocking him, preventing him from understanding where this feeling came from.
“I’m done singing! It’s your turn!”
“I haven’t remembered it. Sing it again!” Li Qingshan thought to himself, I’m a man who stands over ten feet tall for heaven’s sake. I’m supposed to give off a violent, masculine impression, so how can I sing something like that?
“It’s so simple, yet you can’t remeowmber it?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m a country bumpkin of a daemon. I’m dumb and stupid, so of course I won’t understand. I can’t remember anything.”
Xuanyue sang it again with no other choice, but it was just the same as before. Li Qingshan still could not remember it. Xuanyue wanted to throw a tantrum, but after a moment of inspiration, she held a spiritual pill with her two fingers and smiled. “If you sing, there’ll be spiritual pills to eat!”
“Little kitty, good kitty, go to sleep!” Li Qingshan immediately sang at the top of his lungs. Why wouldn’t he sing if there were benefits? He was just selling his artistic talent, not his body. Just like what the great leader had said before, the workers were the most glorious. However, his voice was deep, heavy, and hoarse, like resonating metal. Coupled with how he was singing at the top of his lungs, the lullaby ended up sounding like rock-and-roll.
“Stop singing! You’re so noisy!” Xuanyue tossed the spiritual pill into Li Qingshan’s mouth.
Li Qingshan sniggered. He swallowed the pill and continued to meditate and practise. He did not know the name of the pill, but every single one of them felt like they were able to remould his body completely. The effects were unbelievable. To ordinary people or even cultivators, these pills were probably extremely rare treasures. Now that he could get them from just yelling at the top of his lungs, it was basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Xuanyue lost all interest in sleeping from the ruckus he made. She asked curiously, “Just what is up with your appearance? Let me guess. Your meowther was a tiger and your father was an ox?”
Li Qingshan did not answer. It just sounded like cursing him no matter how he tried to interpret it, but thinking about it, she was an animal as well, so he endured it.
“Then your father is the tiger and your meowther is the ox?”
Li Qingshan reluctantly answered with a ‘yep’.
Xuanyue said, “It’s just like what I said. It’s no wonder you can transform when you’re so weak. So your parents are both daemons as well. They should be rather powerful daemons too. Oh right, where did they go?”
Li Qingshan answered calmly, “They’re dead.” However, he was thinking of the parents of his current life.
Xuanyue fell silent for a while. “I’m sorry.” After another moment of silence, she said, “Me too.”
Li Qingshan looked over in surprise. Xuanyue said, “Sleep!” With that, she turned her back to him and no longer spoke.
Li Qingshan sighed gently and suddenly began singing softly, “Little kitty, good kitty, go to sleep…”
Xuanyue’s cat ears perked up, and Xiao An listened quietly as well. For that moment, there were no other sounds in the cave.
Over fifty kilometers away, an old man with a sword on his back descended from the sky, landing on the Dragon’s Gate mountain. He looked at the ruins and frowned.
His peppered hair was tied up into a bun, and he possessed a neatly-trimmed beard. He had a pair of shining eyes, but their brilliance was hidden away, concealing his vitality.
His appearance was actually rather similar to the Soaring Dragon Swordsman consecrated in the Dragon’s Gate sect, but he had stopped being the penniless swordsman of the jianghu a long time ago. Instead, he was the Soaring Dragon Elder of the Sword Collection palace.
He closed his eyes to sense the surroundings, and his frown grew deeper. The Peachwood Prayer Sword he left behind had actually failed to kill the enemy?
The Peachwood Prayer Sword was a secret technique of the Sword Collection sect. It required a peachwood sword to be offered incense and candles constantly, without missing a single day. Over days and years, it would gather a tremendous amount of power of thoughts and belief. It would be unstoppable once used.
The Soaring Dragon Elder decided to put this matter aside for now. The Dragon’s Gate sect was only a legacy he had left behind out of pure coincidence when he roamed the world of mortals back then. In the blink of an eye, a century had passed already, and he did not care too much about it either. He could just deal with the important matters first and then find that person and end his life with a stroke of his sword.
Just when he was about to set off, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He gazed over swiftly and saw a white figure descend from the sky.
Gu Yanying smiled. “Soaring Dragon Elder, long time no see.” However, she was not smiling inside at all. The Sword Collection palace had actually sent out a Golden Core elder. The matter truly was a little troublesome. The two queens of the Green province, the Dark Queen and the Light Queen, had become complete enemies now, and the Light Queen originated from the Sword Collection palace. Whenever they would get the opportunity, they would never let the other have it easy.
The Soaring Dragon Elder said, “So it’s commander Gu. Why have you come to such a remote place?” He was also wary. Out of the various White Hawk commanders of the Green province, she was the most difficult to deal with, and she had a close friendship with that ghost woman, the Dark Queen. However, her backing just happened to be powerful as well, so he could not afford to simply fall out with her.
Gu Yanying said, “I’ve come to handle a small matter under the Dark Queen’s request, but I never thought I’d come across the Soaring Dragon Elder. I’d like to invite you to a drink.” She made up her mind with a single thought. As long as she could keep this old man busy, she would just let that cat escape to the Dragon province. Over all these years, the cat had already made more than enough trouble for her. She really did not want to see her again.
However, out of consideration for the Dark Queen’s feeling, she could not help but sigh heavily again. Once that happened, she could only get her father to negotiate with the Nine-tailed Fox Empress.
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Chapter 92 – Northbound
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Chapter 92 – Northbound
“I don’t have the leisure, but thank you for the offer, commander Gu!” The Soaring Dragon Elder was about to ride away on his sword.
With a flash, Gu Yanying blocked his way again. Her smile had already vanished. “Soaring Dragon Elder, you’re already so elderly, so why must you be so vicious against a cat? Ever since the Dark Queen lost her child, she has comforted herself with the cat. Does the Sword Collection palace really plan on waging war against the Umbral Yin sect?”
“Every single generation of our Sword Collection palace has had the mission of purging demons and daemons. All demons, daemons, ghosts, and monsters deserve death!”
The Soaring Dragon Elder said resolutely. He had come to kill the cat daemon, which would destroy the willpower of that ghost woman. And, the cat daemon should be carrying a large quantity of spiritual pills on her; she might even have arcane artifacts. It was tremendous wealth, so how could he simply let this opportunity slip by?
Before he had come, he had made the Divining Elder perform divination. The divination told him that it would all be smooth sailing, and he would be able to settle a grievance through this as well. He basically had complete confidence in succeeding with what he had set out to do.
At the end of this, the provincial lord himself would come out to mediate the two parties. The Umbral Yin sect did not necessarily have the resolve to wage war against the Sword Collection sect either, and why would the two human sects start a war over a single cat daemon?
Gu Yanying’s expression changed. There was a flash of golden light in her eyes, and she sneered. “Since the Sword Collection palace is so impressive, why don’t you go dragon slaying in the Ink sea and go kill the greatest Daemon King of Green province? You all just harass the weak while fearing the strong.”
The Soaring Dragon Elder said, “Our palace master has his plans for that.” Before he had even finished talking, he fused with his sword and shot off as a streak of light. He pierced through the air, moving as fast as lightning.
The golden light in Gu Yanying’s pupils vanished. After hesitating, she did not end up interfering. She only sighed gently. The sword techniques of the Sword Collection palace pursued the utmost limits of the path of the sword and nothing else. Their offensive power was extraordinarily refined. Their strength greatly exceeded what regular Golden Core cultivators could handle.
Unless she had run out of choices, she really did not want to clash with him. Now, all she could do was find the cat before him. She could only hope that her Six Trigrams Divination would work a little, and that Mo Yu could help her out.
In the Boundless mountains, she would know as soon as possible whenever a daemon spotted the cat, so finding her faster than the Soaring Dragon Elder should not be a problem.
After who knows how long, when Li Qingshan opened his eyes again, the cave was pitch-black. The lovely mat and the delicate incense burner had all vanished. It was empty. Everything that happened during the day seemed so surreal.
The waterfall thundered right beside him through the moist air and moonlight. It also seemed strangely tranquil at the same time.
He called Xiao An and made his way out, passing through the curtain of water. A shining moon hung in the sky. Xuanyue sat on a boulder as she looked at the moonlit night. She was enveloped in moonlight as the crescent moon on her forehead glimmered. She suddenly looked back and smiled. “Big Blacko, you’re awake! Let’s set off!”
Li Qingshan blanked out and nodded. Afterwards, she suddenly appeared on Li Qingshan’s head. Her afterimage remained where it was without dispersing even after quite a while.
“What’s this?” This could not be achieved with speed alone.
“It’s Shadow Displacemeownt, you dumbo!”
The voice originated from the top of his head, but when Li Qingshan looked at his reflection in the water, he failed to see her. “And this?”
“Moon Concealmeownt, you dumbo!”
Li Qingshan abruptly understood. It was no wonder that she could flee so far away despite the encirclements, pursuits, obstructions, and interceptions. With instantaneous movements and concealment combined, not a lot of people could catch her. “Can’t you just hide yourself and head north alone?”
“Once I use daemeown qi, I’ll be discovered. Otherwise, why would I take you with meow? Are you going or not?” Xuanyue said impatiently.
Li Qingshan leapt out of the water, gaining his bearings before heading north.
The Boundless mountains were like a huge dragon, stretching from the south-west to the north-east. It spanned thousands of kilometers, and it was filled with dense forests and dangerous cliffs. It was a restricted zone to humans.
Li Qingshan had gazed at this mountain range for over a decade, yet this was the first time he had ventured so deep into it. The vegetation was thick. Towering trees spanned as far as the eye could see. The crowns that reached towards the sky wove together firmly, hiding the sky. Only because the trees were bare from the winter that some rays of moonlight managed to make it through them. It seemed even more serene and quiet.
As he was afraid of making too great of a disturbance and being discovered, which would affect their plan of escaping, Li Qingshan did not walk particularly fast. However, due to his enlarged size, he would easily traverse several meters with each step, so he was not particularly slow either.
Although he was a nerd who had remained holed up indoors in his previous life, he had yearned for the life of a traveller from time to time. In his current life, this dream finally came true, even though it was rather strange how it came true. He admired the scenery of the mountains as he travelled, so he did not feel bored.
He was not bored, but Xuanyue was bored out of her mind. She constantly mumbled to herself, “You’re so slow! You’re so slow!” She would leap from the top of his head to his left shoulder, and then to his right shoulder, squeezing on with Xiao An and teasing him.
Xiao An disliked her behaviour very much, so he also fled from her on Li Qingshan. The two of them were very light, but to Li Qingshan, they still felt like two monkeys dancing around on him. After a while, he lost his patience. “Both of you, settle down!”
“How dare you talk to your meowster like that! Xuanyue smacked Li Qingshan’s head.
Li Qingshan roared out and suddenly sped up, rushing forward with startling speed.
“Dumb Big Blacko, forget about it. I won’t bully you anymore.” Xuanyue rubbed Li Qingshan’s head and giggled. Her bell-like laughter rang through the forest.
When she was bored, she would search all over Li Qingshan. Very soon, she discovered the Cursive Sword Calligraphy hidden in his thick, scarlet hair.
Before Li Qingshan could stop her, or perhaps any attempt at stopping her was useless anyway, she had unfurled the painting scroll. There was a flash of light, and Xuanyue leapt in fright from the sword moves and sword intent. She patted her chest to calm herself down and played around with the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. She was just like Li Qingshan when he originally found it, also confused by it. “You even have something like this! This is a spiritual artifact that only humeowns can use! You’re pretty meowsterious.”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s mine.”
“What’s yours is also meowne. Speaking of which, who would ever want a low quality thing like this? You have no idea how meowny arcane artifacts and treasures your meowster has seen. It’s just a spiritual artifact.” Xuanyue returned it to Li Qingshan with a swing of her hand before playing around with the scholar wood tablet. The edges of the wooden tablet had already become burnt, so it did not seem very special at all. “And what’s this? It doesn’t have any spiritual qi at all? And the craftsmeownship is so bad as well. South An, what does that meowan?”
Since when did she grab it!? Li Qingshan checked his waist, and as expected, it was empty. Before he could even say anything, Xiao An had already extended his hand to steal it back. Xuanyue would never let him succeed, so she dodged him with a slight twist. Xiao An did not give up, so Xuanyue immediately dodged Xiao An a few more times.
“You didn’t become so frantic even when I grabbed that spiritual artifact! Tell meow what this is for, and I’ll give it back to you!”
Li Qingshan stopped Xiao An. “That’s a promise.”
“What promeowse?” Although Li Qingshan was reluctant to tell her, he knew she would never give up until her curiosity was satisfied. “I promised to send him home. His home is in the south.”
Xuanyue was surprised. “I couldn’t tell, but you’re quite nice to your pet!”
“He’s not my pet!”
“Take it!” Xuanyue tossed the wooden tablet to Xiao An, and he stowed it away preciously. Then she leapt onto Li Qingshan’s head and protracted her claws, carving something onto his horn.
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Chapter 93 – The Depths of the Boundless Mountains
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Chapter 93 – The Depths of the Boundless Mountains
“What are you doing?” Li Qingshan knew that his pair of ox horns were even tougher than steel. Now that they Xuanyue carved at them, he felt all of the bones in his body shake. It was both numbing and itchy.
“Don’t move!” Xuanyue said.
As a result, Li Qingshan moved like his life depended on it. He even extended his hand towards his head to grab her, but she was extremely agile, so he could not grab her at all. A while later, she said, “Alright!” Afterwards, she took out a bronze mirror and shone it at Li Qingshan.
All Li Qingshan saw were two characters engraved on his left and right horns, ‘North’ and ‘Moon’.
“I’ll add some colour and meowke it stand out a bit meowre. That’ll be our promeowse!” Xuanyue snickered.
“You can go die!” Li Qingshan was utterly furious.
When the sky began to light up, they found a natural cave to rest in.
Li Qingshan extended his hand with a cold face. “Spiritual pill!”
Xuanyue smiled. “Be good, don’t be angry. Here, open your mouth!” She held a spiritual pill between her fingers, refusing to place it in Li Qingshan’s hand.
The two of them stared at each other. A while later, Li Qingshan opened his mouth and suddenly bit at her hand. His long, pale-white teeth were sharp like knives. Let alone her slender wrist, he could even bite through steel.
Xuanyue reeled her hand back, but all Li Qingshan bit down on was the spiritual pill. Afterwards, she rubbed Li Qingshan’s head. “How vicious!”
Li Qingshan ate the spiritual pill and meditated by himself, continuing the cultivation of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Aside from that, he would hold the mirror and examine the two words etched onto his horns, constantly groaning and sighing to himself. He wondered whether he could remove it.
Right now, he had no idea that the two engraved words did not represent just a promise, but the name of a great Daemon King.
As a result, for the next few days, the three of them rested during the day and travelled at night. Whenever she was bored, Xuanyue would take joy in toying around with Li Qingshan. Although Li Qingshan resisted, it was useless. He could only accept it in the end.
As long as his source of spiritual pills never rang out, his cultivation would grow day by day anyway. Was he supposed to be afraid that there would not be a day when he would reverse the situation?
During these days, Li Qingshan had also learnt a lot about daemons from Xuanyue. Daemons who had yet to condense a daemon core usually had low intelligence. They could only be regarded as powerful wild beasts known as daemonic beasts. Only when they condensed an inner core could they be regarded as daemons.
Daemons also had divisions, just like humans, and it was based on the heavenly tribulations they had undergone. They would be Daemon Generals after the first heavenly tribulation and Daemon Commanders after the second heavenly tribulation. Only when they had undergone the third heavenly tribulation would they be called Daemon Kings. That was the level of the Ten Daemon Kings.
The ten Daemon Kings all ruled over their own regions, and they had countless Daemon Commanders and Daemon Generals under their command. Although the division of their territory was slightly different from the human administrative divisions, there was some resemblance. The Daemon King of the Green province was the Dragon King of Ink Sea.
Xuan Yue was a daemon who had reached Daemon General. She had already become so powerful despite having just stepped into the domain of the powerful in this world. Li Qingshan struggled to imagine just how powerful Daemon Commanders and Daemon Kings who were even greater than her would be. His heart felt like it had been set alight. Whether he be a human or a daemon, he just wanted to be the strongest. Only then would he avoid being tread on by others.
Currently, Xuanyue hummed to herself as she stood on Li Qingshan’s head, holding onto his two horns and looking into the distance.
Li Qingshan could not help but imagine a sight where he held her in his hand and listened to her gently refer to him as ‘master’. His lower abdomen was set alight once more, but it was not all fighting spirit.
With his lofty ambitions, Li Qingshan was surging with the flame of desire. Just as he was in the middle of his fantasy, a fishy gust of wind swept over from the treetops. A huge mouth lunged towards him, but Xuanyue, who was currently hidden away, was directly in its way. She casually swung her hand. “Your reaction is too slow!” She produced a silver arc in the air.
A snake head the size of a water jar fell down, and blood sprayed everywhere. It was actually a huge python hidden in the woods.
Li Qingshan avoided the blood and raised his head to see the snake’s body coiled around the tree. It was several meters in length and coloured just like the bark. He would have never discovered it if he had not looked carefully. He felt like he was living through the movie ‘Anaconda’. Although he had seen many strange things in the past, he still could not help but sigh in amazement. The world actually possessed such strange, terrifying creatures. If it made it to a human village, it could easily slaughter all of them.
Li Qingshan could sniff daemon qi from the snake’s body, so he knew this was a so-called daemonic beast. He had read his share of wuxia novels in the past, so he immediately climbed up the tree to retrieve the snake’s gallbladder. Only then did he discover just how tough the snake’s skin was. Even without the support of daemon qi, it took him quite some effort to get through it. He could imagine just how terrifying this daemonic beast was when it was still alive. Unfortunately, it had chosen the wrong target to attack, which was why it was slain in a single stroke by Xuanyue.
Grabbing the dark-coloured, fishy gallbladder, Li Qingshan swallowed it in one gulp with his eyes shut, ready to accept the pain of cultivation. Xiao An watched on with a shocked gaze.
“Why are you eating the venom sac?” Xuanyue asked in confusion.
“What! The venom sac!?” Li Qingshan’s expression changed. His darkened face turned even darker. His heartbeat sped up as the venom attacked his heart. Basically, Li Qingshan had never done something like removing a snake’s gallbladder even with his two lives combined, so how was he supposed to learn everything all by himself, becoming a survival expert just from transmigrating?
“Meowhahaha!” Xuanyue collapsed on the group in laughter when she saw how Li Qingshan collapsed on the ground from the venom. Then she fished out a round ball from the snake’s body and shoved it into Li Qingshan’s mouth. “Here. That’s the gallbladder.”
Li Qingshan’s entire body had already seized up. He swallowed the gallbladder with difficulty, and the venom only eased up slightly. Xuanyue took out a pill from her bell. “Here’s a Detoxifying pill!”
Li Qingshan laid there for a while, waiting for the effects of the pill to gradually kick in. Only then did he sit up. He said to the worried Xiao An, “I’m fine.”
Xuanyue took out another pill and gave it to him. “Here’s your reward!”
“What reward?”
“Because it was just too funny. You need to work harder in the future and make your meowster happy.”
As a result, Li Qingshan accepted the pill with a darkened expression.
Xiao An spat out the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration and burnt the huge python very quickly, basically avenging Li Qingshan.
The blood flames burned away all of the python’s flesh, only leaving behind a set of bones. It circled through the air and returned to Xiao An’s mouth. The vitality of these daemonic beasts was powerful and vigorous. Even the vitality of a hundred people could not match a single beast’s, so it was extremely beneficial to his Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Xuanyue was stunned by the sight. “So that’s what you eat, Li’l Whitey!”
Li Qingshan saw all of this, so he thought of finding more prey for him.
As they ventured deeper into the Boundless mountains, the trees grew taller. Li Qingshan actually felt insignificant very frequently despite his stature that towered at ten feet.
The daemonic beasts they encountered along the way increased as well. Various types that had only appeared in legends and his imagination would be presented right in front of him.
Huge birds with wingspans of over thirty meters flew in the sky while wind and lightning crackled around them. Spiders as large as tables with a skull on their backs would spin webs as large as soccer pitches between over a dozen trees.
But fortunately, not every single one of them attacked. For example, there was a leopard that stood as tall as a grown man that observed them in the surroundings for a while before choosing to turn around and leave. Although they were not particularly intelligent, these daemonic beasts were better at discerning strength than humans. They were extremely cautious. They would never attack without careful consideration. They were not like the monsters in games. They were living creatures.
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Chapter 94 – Innate Ability
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Chapter 94 – Innate Ability
In a situation like that, Li Qingshan was reluctant to make trouble, but all of the daemonic beasts that were bold enough to attack Li Qingshan all possessed startling strength. Xuanyue became more and more cautious as well, no longer helping out so easily. She carefully concealed her daemon qi. Li Qingshan would often have to go through a difficult battle before he could head off again.
After the rounds and rounds of slaughter, he grew more accustomed to battle as well. Against these terrifying daemonic beasts, there were not a lot of moves or tricks. Most of it involved using strength against strength, forcefully beating them up.
However, they came across many daemonic beasts that were difficult to handle as well. It was all thanks to Xiao An’s Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration that performed outstandingly time and time again, burning many daemonic beasts to death. He was even fiercer than Li Qingshan. In the beginning, it was not obvious, but as time went on, the strength of the flames became clear.
Moreover, after burning several daemonic beasts to death, the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration became more and more vicious as well. Wherever it passed by, it was unstoppable, overcoming the strong despite being weaker time and time again. It also made Xuanyue look at him in surprise again and again. She wondered what ability or technique he practised that was actually effective against all creatures of blood and flesh.
However, Xiao An could not speak, so she was unable to get anything out of him. Li Qingshan only said that he knew it right from the beginning. However, Xiao An was unable to remould his body from all of this. It actually seemed like he required humans as sacrifices, so there was nothing they could do about it. They could only wait until Li Qingshan had recovered his human form.
However, they never came across Daemon Generals or daemonic beasts with daemon cores along the way. It was not because of Li Qingshan’s luck. Most of the time, Xuanyue would suddenly order him to stop or change directions.
Daemons were similar to wild beasts. They had their own hunting zones, something regular people could not sense. Xuanyue could closely sense the changes and strength of daemon qi, which allowed them to avoid some dangerous regions. They would basically be travelling along the boundaries of the invisible territories many times. As for Li Qingshan, he handled the rough direction they had to travel in.
As they constantly stopped as they travelled, their relationship actually mellowed out a lot more, or in other words, Li Qingshan’s tolerance increased significantly. With his cultivation of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he felt his restless heart gradually settle down. And this was all due to the spiritual pills and Xuanyue’s extremely cute appearance, which drastically boosted his tolerance, or in other words, he had no choice but to put up with all of it.
Of course, what prompted his cultivation now was not just in order to assume a human form. It was also the sight of getting a certain cat to call him master. Just like the principle of how braised meat within reach would always be better than a white crane beyond reach, he obviously moved down the priority of making Gu Yanying his wife. Moreover, Xuanyue was not just braised meat. She was basically a foodie’s feast. If the two of them stood right before him to choose, he would truly be troubled. He compared them to each other countless times, but he still had no idea how he would decide in a situation like that.
Just as the frog was still leaping along on the ground, it had already begun contemplating which crane was tastier, and it was even considering twelve different ways to eat a crane. As a result, Li Qingshan held high hopes for the future with these outrageous, lecherous thoughts.
Before he knew it, several days had passed. On this day, Xuanyue suddenly whispered into Li Qingshan’s ear, “Stop!”
Li Qingshan stopped in a hurry. He concealed his aura according to the guidance of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. A series of heavy steps rang out from nearby. An enormous lizard, the size of a dinosaur, passed by in front of them.
If it were an actual dinosaur, Li Qingshan would not have been so afraid. However, the enormous lizard breathed out cold air as it walked, and wherever it passed by, the vegetation would be reduced to frozen statues.
What heavy daemon qi. Li Qingshan had learnt quite a lot as well. For example, he now knew how to use daemon qi to discern the strength of his opponent.
Once the ice lizard had passed by, Xuanyue asked in fascination, “How did you do that? How did you withdraw your aura so completely? Was that your innate ability? But you haven’t condensed a daemeown core yet, have you? Are you supposed to be a spiritual beast?”
“I don’t know. I can do it just from holding my breath.” Li Qingshan had already understood that daemons did not pursue various kinds of techniques like humans. Instead, they constantly developed their natural strengths, practising innate abilities. Although it lacked flexibility and change, it would usually be extremely powerful.
Innate abilities did not come with birth. They would only be awakened when a daemon core was condensed, and they would grow with the daemon’s personal strength, which could even lead to awakening even more innate abilities.
Shadow Displacement and Moon Concealment were Xuanyue’s innate abilities. They were extremely rare abilities for movement and hiding. She probably was not a regular cat daemon either, but some sort of spiritual cat.
“Hmph!” Li Qingshan’s insincere answer was not worth her attention. However, she never tried to probe any deeper either. Daemons were usually reluctant to tell others about their innate abilities. However, in her eyes, Li Qingshan became more and more mysterious.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot through the sky, and a gaze as sharp as a sword swept past the ground.
With Li Qingshan’s sharp vision, he saw the figure in the light with a single glance.
The Soaring Dragon Elder also saw Li Qingshan on the ground. “A Daemon General? But its daemon qi is far too weak!” Humanoid daemons were relatively more rare. “But what’s that?” He saw Xiao An beside Li Qingshan as well.
Li Qingshan made eye contact with the sharp gaze. He felt both afraid and startled, as if a sword was hovering right above his head, about to behead him in the next moment.
That’s a sword immortal!
Even though he had already seen Gu Yanying fly before, he was still filled with shock when he saw a real sword immortal of the legends. Was there anyone who had not dreamed about the freedom that came with riding a sword and soaring through the skies?
Afterwards, he suddenly remembered his current identity and appearance. He was a daemon. If the sword immortal descended from the sky, how was he supposed to respond?
Only when the streak of light passed by without stopping did Li Qingshan sigh in relief. The Soaring Dragon Elder believed he had more important matters to attend to, so he was reluctant to spend time on a ‘mere daemon’.
Xuanyue had even held her breath earlier. Only now did she speak. “Oh no, he’s from the Sword Collection palace. Fortunately, my Moon Concealment is powerful enough, or I’d be done for. Of course, you played a small part in all of it as well, so I’ll reward you a spiritual pill later.” She rubbed Li Qingshan’s head. If she had been travelling alone, she would have been discovered.
“What Sword Collection palace? He’s coming for you?” Li Qingshan felt an ill omen. This mission was even more dangerous than he had imagined it to be.
Xuanyue did not hide anything, roughly explaining the conflict between the Dark Queen and the Light Queen. Li Qingshan’s expression became even uglier. Even when he held the spiritual pill, he could sense how thorny of an issue this was. That was an important figure, renowned through the Green province. For someone as insignificant as him, even if he had several lives to spare, they would not be enough if he was dragged into such a vortex.
Xuanyue tried to raise his morale. “Don’t be so worried. As long as we make it to the Dragon province, he won’t dare to come for us even if he had twice the courage. Once that happens, the sky will be the cat’s limit! We’ll be able to do as we please! Meowhahahaha!”
Li Qingshan was not as optimistic as her. However, he had already embarked on a path of no return, so no matter how dangerous it would be, he could only gamble on it.
Suddenly, Xuanyue stopped smiling and said with sternness she had never shown before, “If, and I say if, we are discovered, go up and bite him, Big Blacko. No meowtter how he tries to slice you and kill you, don’t let go. I’ll use that opportunity to escape. I’ll work hard on my abilities in the future and avenge you!”
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Chapter 95 – Accidentally Trespassing a Rats’ Cave
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Chapter 95 – Accidentally Trespassing a Rats’ Cave
“You’re shitting me. Is that something a person can say? Would you mind having a bit of conscience? Aren’t masters supposed to protect their pets?”
“I’m not a person in the first place. What’s conscience? Is it edible? Hehe, you’ve finally admitted that I’m your master!” Xuanyue grinned from ear to ear and coughed gently. “As long as you cry out, ‘Save me, meowster.’ I’d definitely protect you.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’d rather die than say that!”
Xuanyue said, “That’s not cute. You’ll be abandoned by your master.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then please abandon me quickly!”
They returned to their journey as they bickered, but Li Qingshan felt like a shadow had enveloped his heart. He became more and more careful with his movements, travelling through the denser parts of the forest as much as possible. Whenever he came across any daemonic beasts, he would avoid them to the best of his ability. He did not want to fight at all.
As his Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression progressed, his ability to hide his aura improved as well. Daemonic beasts with sharp senses would walk past him frequently without discovering him.
Xuanyue was glad that she had made the correct choice. She generously ‘fed’ Li Qingshan her spiritual pills, but due to her extravagant methods, Li Qingshan had a feeling that she wanted to plump him up so that he could serve as a better meat shield.
In short, they travelled peacefully for many more days. Xuanyue said, “We’re close to the Dragon province now.”
Daytime descended, and the three of them found another natural cave to rest in. It was not sealed off, instead extending indefinitely into the darkness, blowing with cold wind. Who knows where it led to.
Xuanyue laid in her cat’s basket to rest, while Li Qingshan and Xiao An cultivated together.
A series of rustling sounds came from underground. It became denser and closer.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. Xuanyue had already gotten up, with her two ears perked. Clearly, she had heard it as well.
“There’s daemon qi!”
Countless eyes lit up in the darkness, all packed together. A series of soft, crunching sounds accompanied them. It was chilling.
There were daemonic beasts emerging from underground, and there were more than one!
Li Qingshan had already grown accustomed to this. He raised his guard with Xiao An, while Xuanyue concealed herself instinctively.
Rats emerged from the depths of the cave like a flood. Even with all the daemonic beasts Li Qingshan had seen, he still frowned heavily at this sight. However, this was only the beginning. The rats that emerged from the cave became larger and larger. Even the small ones were the size of dogs, while the large ones were like bears.
The cave immediately became flooded by a sea of rats. They were everywhere. The place was packed to the brim with various kinds of rats, and all of them gazed at Li Qingshan. The sounds of gnashing teeth merged together, resonating in the cave. It was frightening.
Li Qingshan remained composed and unafraid. The arch nemesis of these rats were right here, but afterwards, he actually felt Xuanyue tremble slightly behind him. He mocked with a subdued voice, “You’re actually afraid of rats?”
“T- they’re disgusting! What kind of place did you choose!? H- hurry up and kill them!” Xuanyue had never seen something like this in the provincial lord’s estate.
Li Qingshan said sinisterly, “Aren’t they your favourite food? They’re perfect for dinner! Hurry up and eat them!” If he had grudges, he wanted revenge. If he wanted grievances, he wanted to return it. As for where he did it, he probably had no choice in it. The size and strength of these rat daemons had completely surpassed regular rats. They had probably riddled the entire region with rat holes, so no matter where he went, it would still be an entrance to their home.
“I’ll eat you first!”
Before Li Qingshan had even finished talking, he felt an ache from his ear. Xuanyue bit his ear, but aside from the sharp pain from the teeth, he could feel her gentle lips and tongue. It was actually quite the experience.
Hold on, I don’t have interests like that! Li Qingshan shook his head. “Xiao An, unleash the fire!”
Xiao An had been waiting for this moment. He leapt down and sprayed blood flames everywhere, burning the rats.
The rats all squeaked sharply. The weaker, regular rats were reduced to ashes in a single instant, and their flesh and blood helped grow the fire. The larger rats were wrapped in flames as they lunged and tried to bite Li Qingshan. This only demonstrated the strength of their vitality.
However, the stronger their vitality, the more vigorously the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration burned. With countless rats as fuel, the blood flames surged into the air, forming a fire snake in the cave that opened its mouth and bit at the larger rats.
Xiao An became more and more skilled with the use of his techniques. He had basically taught himself everything. Seeing their natural enemy descend, the rats all fled in fright.
Li Qingshan still felt lingering fear. It was all thanks to the strength of Xiao An’s technique, or they would have been swallowed up by all these rats, which would have come at a cost. In particular, the steel teeth of these rat daemons clearly could not be trifled with. Even if he won the battle, it would be utterly disgusting.
“Be careful!” Xuanyue released Li Qingshan’s ear and whispered into it. All Li Qingshan felt was a warm breeze, but before he could even enjoy the sensation, powerful daemon qi appeared from the depths of the cave.
Swish!
With a flash of yellow light, it penetrated the fire snake and struck Xiao An, launching him away.
“Xiao An!” Li Qingshan caught Xiao An in a hurry, but he saw how Xiao An had become riddled with cracks. Ever since Xiao An began practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, his body had become even tougher than steel, which only demonstrated just how terrifying the attack was!
The yellow light seemed to be alive, making a turn in the air and shooting towards Li Qingshan. It was extremely fast such that it was impossible to respond in time.
Xuanyue extended her hand easily and caught the yellow light. She studied it and found it to be a round, yellow pearl. “A daemon core!”
The assailant was a daemon that had condensed a daemon core. With a great rumble, a rat the size of an elephant rushed out of the cave. Its eyes shone; clearly, it had developed intelligence. It stared straight at the ‘daemon core’ that something in the air had trapped before charging towards Li Qingshan with a squeal.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had clashed with a daemon who had condensed a daemon core. He immediately sensed its terror. His body basically sent him warnings constantly out of instinct, reminding him that he was not its opponent.
With a flash of yellow light in the rat daemon’s eyes, an earth spike suddenly burst from the ground below Li Qingshan’s feet. It happened right below Li Qingshan’s nose. The spike moved both swiftly and quickly such that Li Qingshan was unable to react. Xuanyue grabbed Li Qingshan and leapt into the air. After reaching over three meters, the spike finally protruded out completely. Li Qingshan gazed below him. He had already become covered in cold sweat.
Xiao An used the rolling blood flames to attack the rat daemon again, but the yellow light blocked it, preventing its advance.
The rat daemon squeaked a few times. In the air, the daemon core trembled more and more violently as the rat daemon desperately tried to take it back.
“Hold onto it!” Xuanyue casually tossed the daemon core to Li Qingshan. He grabbed it in a hurry, but he never imagined it would be so powerful. Even when he used all of his strength, it was close to escaping from his grasp. Even just now, the rat daemon’s ability had been so fierce and stealthy. If it managed to take back its daemon core, it would basically be unstoppable.
The spirit turtle suppresses the seas, suppressing all evil!
Li Qingshan suddenly began to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. His daemon qi circulated furiously through his body, firmly suppressing the daemon core in his hand. Seeing how it had failed, the rat daemon charged over with a squeal. Its colossal, elephantine body moved as fast as lightning, without any sluggishness at all.
As the smelly air rushed towards him, Li Qingshan lowered his head and bent over. He used an actual Ox Demon Butts its Horns, ramming his horns into its pale-white teeth violently.
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Chapter 96 – The Great Rat King
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Chapter 96 – The Great Rat King
With a clang, the teeth and horns collided, like a clash of metal.
Boom! The entire cave shook.
The rat daemon pushed Li Qingshan against the rock wall, and his legs plowed two deep tracks in the ground. Even with his strength that he took pride in, he was not the rat daemon’s opponent at all. Daemons with inner cores and daemons without inner cores were two completely different things. The ill omen in his heart peaked. He saw the rat daemon’s eyes shine with a crafty light as another spike protruded out from the wall, stabbing at the immobilised Li Qingshan.
Xiao An wielded his sword with both hands and swung it at the rat daemon’s neck, but its long tail swept him away like a steel whip.
Xuanyue attacked again. Her sharp claws produced four streaks of sharp light. Under the terrified gaze of the rat daemon, she easily pierced through the protective daemon qi around the rat daemon. The previously unstoppable rat daemon was cut to pieces, dying on the spot.
No matter how tough it seemed, it was still puny before Xuan Yue, a Daemon General that had undergone a heavenly tribulation.
Li Qingshan kicked aside the rat daemon’s corpse, and the daemon core in his hand no longer moved. He touched the wall behind him, and a part of it had already protruded out. If Xuanyue had acted slightly later, he would have suffered heavy injuries even if he survived.
“You’re far too dumb!” Xuanyue evaluated.
“If it weren’t for you, why would I have come to a place like this?” In total, Li Qingshan had only been cultivating for half a year so far, while the rat daemon was over a century old at the very least. Before absolute strength, it would never be easy for him to triumph against a stronger opponent.
Just when Xuanyue wanted to refute him, she suddenly sensed something. Her expression changed. “Let’s go! We need to change where we stay!”
Li Qingshan did not sense anything, but seeing how stern she was, he immediately grabbed Xiao An and left.
The cave trembled. The entrance that was originally several meters wide seemed to become alive, rapidly retracting together. As such, the cave was sealed off completely, where not even a ray of light could make it in anymore.
Xuanyue said softly, “Withdraw your daemeown qi. Then she concealed herself again.
Li Qingshan withdrew his daemon qi and listened as hard as he could. Sounds appeared from the depths of the cave again.
A huge rat emerged. It was actually standing on two feet. It did not even look at Li Qingshan, yelling out as loudly as it could with a strange voice, “The great rat king has arrived!”
Li Qingshan was dumbfounded. Not only did the fact that the rat could talk surprise him, but how orderly they were surprised him even more.
Soon afterwards, sixteen rats standing on two feet emerged from the depths of the cave as they carried a throne on a shoulder carriage.
On the carriage was a great big fatty. He even wore a glistening crown on his head, just like a king. However, he had a thievish, shrewd appearance, and there was a rat’s tail beside him.
Behind him were two female rats who seemed like maidservants, each holding a large fan.
Xuanyue found this hilarious, but Li Qingshan was unable to laugh at all. Having assumed a human form, this fatty was a Daemon General at the very least. And, the daemon qi that the rat daemons carrying the carriage gave off even surpassed the rat daemon from earlier.
The rat king said lazily, “Who has intruded upon my Black Rat mountain and killed my great general Whitefang?!” He completely ignored Li Qingshan who stood at ten feet right in front of him. If it were not for his overly-shrill voice, he did seem rather like a king.
A rat who seemed to be a eunuch cried out, “Great king, it’s him!” The rats all said together, “Wise be the king.”
As if the rat king had just spotted Li Qingshan, he studied him. “What kind of daemon are you?” He saw Li Qingshan’s humanoid appearance and became wary. Normally, only Daemon Generals who had undergone a heavenly tribution could achieve that.
However, he failed to sense any daemon qi from Li Qingshan at all, so he could not help but become even more careful. The mutilated body of the daemon rat on the ground seemed to prove his strength as well.
Li Qingshan could closely sense the changes in the rat king’s expression, and he suddenly understood why Xuanyue made him conceal his daemon qi. He could not help but admire her quick thinking. He said boldly, “I am the Old Daemon of Black Mountain.1 Your great general Whitefang was far too reckless. He actually launched a sneak attack against me, so I’ve already killed him. Now that you’re blocking the way, do you want a fight to the death against me as well?” He even took a step forward as he said that.
It had to be mentioned that Li Qingshan’s stature as a daemon was extremely imposing. His ox horns were like spears, while his sharp claws were like blades.
The rat king shrank back, living up to the simile of as timid as a mouse. If Li Qingshan were a regular daemon, it definitely would have leapt at him and gnawed him to pieces, but he suspected Li Qingshan to be a Daemon General, so it immediately shrank away, giving up on avenging his subordinate. “It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! May I ask which Daemon Commander do you serve?”
Li Qingshan never thought daemons would follow such a strict hierarchy, and they would even be protected by the daemon they served. Xuanyue gently whispered a name into Li Qingshan’s ear.
Li Qingshan said immediately, “I serve sir Mo Yu. He has specially sent me to the Boundless mountains to deal with some matters.”
The rat king showed deep respect, even leaping off his throne. “So you’ve come from the Ink sea. You’re an envoy of sir Mo Yu. Is it regarding that cat daemon?”
Li Qingshan was surprised inside, but he nodded on the surface. “Yes!”
The rat king said, “Haven’t we received orders already? As long as we see it, we will definitely capture that cat daemon. We won’t make sir Mo Yu disappointed.” Meanwhile, he thought to himself, No wonder he sent this person. He can hide his daemon qi so well, so he is suitable for tracking down someone.
Li Qingshan’s eye twitched. No wonder Xuanyue would be so careful deep in the mountains, constantly maintaining her Moon Concealment. As it turned out, it was not just humans. Even daemons were looking for her. As expected, she did not have anyone to rely on at all in the Green province. The dangers of this mission had completely exceeded what he originally imagined.
If she revealed herself right now and engaged in a chaotic battle, she would alarm all of the daemons in the Boundless mountains even if she were triumphant. They would all hunt her down, which would result in her escape attempt ending in complete failure.
Li Qingshan became more careful inside. He casually slighted him. “How ironic. You’re a rat, and she’s a cat. Aren’t you afraid of being eaten?”
Xuanyue pinched Li Qingshan from behind. Why would I eat something so dirty?!
The rat king said to the eunuch rat who was responsible for announcing his presence. “Tell me, what is this king’s nickname?”
The eunuch rat said, “The Cat-eating Mouse!” All of the other rats said again, “Wise be the king!”
Xuanyue gritted her teeth angrily as she made a full twist with her pinch of Li Qingshan’s back.
The rat king laughed complacently. He saw Li Qingshan’s face twist. “What’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan gritted his teeth. “Nothing! Keep an eye out. I have more important matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
The rat king waved his hand, and the cave returned back to normal, allowing sunlight to pour in.
Li Qingshan turned around and left. The rat king stroked his whiskers. “Why do I feel like something is off? This is the Black Rat mountain, so shouldn’t I be the Old Daemon of Black Mountain?”
The rats cried out, “Wise be the king!”
Li Qingshan left the Black Rat mountain and travelled several dozen more kilometers.
Xuanyue said, “I’ll have those group of damned rats fried in oil sooner or later!”
Li Qingshan growled, “Get off me!”
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1. The Old Daemon of Black Mountain refers to a character from a Chinese movie, who was then included in another Chinese movie, the more renowned fantasy-comedy, A Chinese Odyssey.
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Chapter 97 – The Ice Sword Cliff
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Chapter 97 – The Ice Sword Cliff
Xuanyue widened her eyes and said, “How dare you treat your meowster so rudely!” Her eyes only grew larger.
Li Qingshan stared at Xuanyue. “You’ve never mentioned this before. You clearly hid it from me.”
Xuanyue avoided his gaze. For some reason, she felt frantic inside. She avoided the main point. “Haha, have I? You never asked!”
Li Qingshan sat and crossed his legs. “This is it.”
“What? Why don’t you say that again?” Xuanyue extended her claws and threatened him.
Li Qingshan said, “You have tremendous abilities. When you come across danger, you can use your Shadow Displacement to just walk away from it, but we’ll most likely die. If you want to kill me, then kill me. I don’t want to be used by you anymore. As long as Xiao An can leave safely, I don’t mind anything you do to me.”
Xiao An grabbed Li Qingshan by the sleeve and shook his head desperately.
Xuanyue said, “Do you think I won’t?” She swung down with her claws, as swift as lightning. Li Qingshan had decided on not trying to avoid it. His hide was no tougher than that rat daemon’s.
The claws stopped near Li Qingshan’s neck, only a millimeter away. Xuanyue’s chest heaved up and down. She turned around and said, “Hmph, I can’t be bothered killing you. If you want to leave, then leave! Do whatever you want!”
Li Qingshan looked at her deeply before turning around. He was just about to leave.
Xuanyue grabbed Li Qingshan’s little finger and said gently, “The Dragon province is close. We promeowsed!”
Li Qingshan turned around. All he saw was her looking elsewhere and not at him. The sunlight fell on her eyelashes, casting a shadow on her eyes that were as clear as lakewater. She seemed melancholic and fragile, which tugged at Li Qingshan’s heart.
After a long moment of silence, Li Qingshan answered her, “Fine then. I’ll send you off one last time, just to complete our promise.”
Xuanyue immediately cheered up. She stuck out her tongue and smiled craftily. “How easy to coax!” She did not seem melancholic and fragile at all.
Li Qingshan lowered his head, and his expression immediately darkened. Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan rather sympathetically.
“It’s a promeowse! A promeowse!” Xuanyue leapt around Li Qingshan complacently before jumping onto his head in the end. She urged him, “Let’s go!”
Li Qingshan glared at her viciously before continuing on his way.
It had been quite some time since he had travelled under the sun. The sunlight in winter was warm. Before he knew it, a very long time had already passed. He had grown completely accustomed to his body as a daemon now.
Xuanyue said, “There’s no need to feel ashamed! There’s nothing embarrassing about losing to my ultimeowte move!”
“Ultimate move?!”
Xuanyue said, “Actually, I’ve wanted to leave since a long time ago, but the Dark Queen always shows this expression, so there’s nothing I could do.”
Li Qingshan said, “But in the end, you still left.”
Xuanyue said complacently, “That’s because I’m rather cold-hearted!”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s not something you should be proud of! If you’re coldhearted to others, they’ll be cold-hearted to you too.”
“Really?”
On the Black Rat mountain, the rat king laid on the ground with his head completely buried in the earth. The quiet sounds from five or even fifty kilometers away reached his ears. Li Qingshan and Xuanyue’s conversation obviously failed to escape his ears.
Most of the innate abilities awakened by daemons were for attack or defence, but he knew the extremely rare ‘Earthen Auditory’, matching his prudent personality that was as timid as a mouse.
Suddenly, he pulled his head out of the ground and said with a face full of soil, “Something really is off!”
The rats said, “Wise be the king!”
“Cut the rubbish. Go chase them!”
Xuanyue’s ears suddenly perked up. “Oh no, they’ve come chasing. Let’s go!”
Li Qingshan swung his legs and took off in a wild sprint. He would leave behind a deep footprint whenever he took a step before landing several dozen meters away.
“You’re too slow!” Xuanyue found him to be too slow.
Li Qingshan said, “Why don’t you carry me and try?!”
Xuanyue fished out a spiritual pill and tossed it into Li Qingshan’s mouth before taking out a talisman. The talisman was not yellow as he had seen it before, but scarlet red.
The pill dissolved, and a light sensation rose up through him. Li Qingshan felt like his weight had halved. The talisman shattered, and a whirlwind wrapped around Li Qingshan. He felt weightless now.
Li Qingshan took a step and shot up into the sky. The sky was a dazzling blue, while the ancient forest stood below him. The mountains in the distance rose and fell as a curve. He felt like he was flying.
He looked back, and as expected, there was a cloud of dust rushing towards him. When he landed back on the ground, he had already adjusted his posture. Leaning forward, he took off in a straight charge. He would cross several hundred meters with each step. These hills no longer posed an obstacle to him. He would just leap over them.
Xuanyue laughed aloud as she stood on his shoulder. “Charge! Meowhahaha!”
The rolling cloud of dust swept over, moving with startling speed. Within the dust, the person at the front was the rat king. He stood on a wave formed from countless rats and spotted Li Qingshan immediately. He shouted out, “Stop!”
Xuanyue knew their cover had been blown, so she no longer tried to hide. She pulled a face. “Only an idiot would stop! You dumbo! Dumbo!”
Yellow light flashed through the rat king’s eyes, and a series of earth spikes stuck out from the ground. Whether it be their speed or strength, they were far more vicious than the rat general. Every single one of them would emerge when Li Qingshan was about to step on the ground.
Li Qingshan zig-zagged about, constantly changing directions. As soon as he had avoided a spike, there would be activity below his feet again. He roared out, “The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves!” and stepped on the spike that had just emerged, pushing off it and taking off into the sky.
His foot ached, but fortunately, his feet had already turned into tough ox hooves, or his leg would have been crippled.
He reached an altitude of several hundred meters. The blue sky dazzled his eyes, and he no longer cared about the pain from his foot.
Xuanyue pointed at the horizon. “Big Blacko, Li’l Whitey, do see it? The Ice Sword cliff is right in front of us!”
An imposing ice cliff that spanned over a thousand kilometers crossed through the Boundless mountains as if a celestial had used an ice sword to split the dragon-like mountain range in half.
This was the boundary between the Green and Dragon provinces.
Hope suddenly sprang forth in Li Qingshan’s heart. He was like a traveller seeing his final destination, even though he understood that distances would often be underestimated. He knew that the Ice Sword cliff was still very far away.
However, he just had a feeling that if he could cross that ice cliff, he would definitely reach a place he had never set foot in.
When he lowered his head, all he saw was that the tough rock he was about to land on had turned into a region of quicksand that spanned several hundred meters. He sank heavily into the quicksand.
The quicksand spun like a vortex with a great suction force as if countless hands were pulling Li Qingshan into the ground. He felt like a declawed tiger. Even if he possessed tremendous strength, he was unable to use it at all now. The more he struggled, the further he sank.
The rat king used this opportunity to catch up in a single stroke. He laughed aloud. “You’ve fallen for my trap! Since you’ve looked down on me, I’ll make you all remain here forever!”
“Wise be the king!”
“Yowl!” A cat’s cry that was even more imposing than a tiger’s roar rang out. Xuanyue stood on Li Qingshan’s shoulder and radiated with powerful daemon qi. She stared straight at the rat king. “You’re the Cat-eating Mouse, aren’t you? It’s disgusting, but I’ll be trying the taste of rats today.”
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Chapter 98 – The Sword Immortal’s Arrival
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Chapter 98 – The Sword Immortal’s Arrival
“Great king, it’s a cat!” The rats were all shocked. All of them immediately wanted to burrow into the ground and flee for their lives frantically.
The Cat-eating Rat, the rat king, had finally found the cat he had been looking for. He considered things carefully. If a regular cat could eat regular mice, then a Daemon General cat could obviously eat a Daemon General mice. Afterwards, his legs began to tremble, and he said with a sense of composure, “T- turn around!”
“Wise be the king!” The rats said, immediately burrowing away.
As a result, the great group of rats that had arrived mightily immediately fled upon seeing the cat, Xuanyue.
Xuanyue chuckled with a series of meowhahahas again.
Li Qingshan was stunned. “What cowardly rats.” The terrifying suction from the quicksand immediately vanished, and he leapt out of the pit of sand.
Xuanyue’s expression changed. “Our tracks have been exposed. Let’s go!”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan looked back. At the extremely distant horizon in the south, a streak of light shot over. Just from looking at it from afar, the sharp aura seemed to stab at his eyes. How could he afford to stay put? He charged towards the Ice Sword cliff.
The landscape around him rapidly receded. Li Qingshan felt like he was as fast as the wind, but whenever he looked back, the streak of light would grow closer. A while later, it had already closed the distance to fifty kilometers.
Li Qingshan said to Xuanyue, “This can’t continue. You should go first!”
Xuanyue said, “What are you saying? We’re almost there.”
Li Qingshan said, “If this continues, he’ll catch up to us. You should go to the Dragon province by yourself!”
Xuanyue glanced at Li Qingshan and nodded heavily. “Then be careful, Big Blacko. Don’t be killed by that person!” In the next moment, she vanished. Who knows where she had moved to.
Li Qingshan immediately withdrew his aura and changed directions, rushing towards the east.
He was not planning on sacrificing himself for the Xuanyue’s sake. The sword immortal was so powerful that he had no chance at opposing him at all. If he caught up, the sword immortal probably would not spare him either after killing Xuanyue. He would be purged as well. Was he supposed to argue to the sword immortal that he was actually a human as well when that happened?
As a result, all he could do was let Xuanyue go first. It was very likely that the sword immortal would choose to hunt down Xuanyue first, so he could use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to withdraw his aura. Perhaps he would be able to survive. There was no need for Xuanyue to be dragged down with him. This was the best decision for both of them.
A husband and wife are in the same boat, yet before danger, they flee for themselves. As for their fates, whether life or death, it would just depend on their own fortunes. For some reason, Li Qingshan thought of that.
The Soaring Dragon Elder had originally been patrolling through the skies when activity in Black Rat mountain alerted him. However, as conflicts between daemonic beasts were common among the Boundless mountains, he did not pay any special attention to it.
“Daemon General!” The powerful daemon qi that only a Daemon General could possess surged, and only then did he take note of it. He concentrated on his senses, and a while later, an even more powerful daemon qi surged into the air. He immediately responded, piloting his sword in pursuit.
Conflict between daemonic beasts were common, but battles between Daemon Generals were extremely rare. And, Daemon Generals that had undergone a heavenly tribulation were relatively intelligent. They all technically served the same Daemon King, led by various Daemon Commanders. Conflict would never arise so easily.
If it were just like what he was expecting, the cat daemon he was searching for should be there.
As expected, he locked onto the daemon qi from several hundred kilometers away, and beside it was actually the strange daemon he had seen before. He could not help but become furious over the fact that he had almost been fooled. Originally, he believed that the cat daemon would travel carefully and alone, and he had never thought it would have a helper. No wonder he struggled to find it after all these days.
As he rapidly drew closer, the cat daemon suddenly vanished from the shoulder of the mere daemon, while the mere daemon travelled east.
The Soaring Dragon Elder hesitated. He chose to ignore Li Qingshan, continuing towards the Ice Sword cliff. He had to stop the cat daemon from leaving the Green province. Once it reached the Dragon province, it would be troublesome.
When the sword-like gaze scanned Li Qingshan, he felt like his blood had stopped flowing through his veins. Only when the streak of light continued north did he let out a sigh of relief. He ran another five kilometers and found a deep ravine, diving head first into it. Hiding below a cliff, he concealed all of his daemon qi firmly.
He exhaled deeply. He had survived at last!
Li Qingshan estimated his gains from this. He had received several dozen spiritual pills from Xuanyue, where every single one of them were even more effective than the spiritual ginseng, allowing his Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to advance rapidly. Currently, he still had over a dozen pills he had yet to consume, stowed away carefully in a porcelain bottle. If he finished off the remaining pills, he would probably be close to the first layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Once he worked hard on cultivation a little more, he would be able to turn back into human form and return to human society, and he would be able to shake off that damned cat daemon who claimed to be his master. It was two birds with one stone.
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head with a smile. I’ll be able to complete my promise to you very soon.
Li Qingshan did not move at all, allowing time to trickle by. Suddenly, he felt the earth tremor; it vanished very soon, and another tremor followed.
The sky gradually darkened, filled with dark clouds. It began snowing heavily with fierce, whistling winds, enveloping the entire sky.
Li Qingshan’s heart eased up even more. In such weather, it would be even more impossible to find him even if the sword immortal tried, and Xuanyue should have been able to flee easier! Thinking of her, he actually missed her slightly, but she must have reached the Dragon province already. She would be able to live freely just like she had wanted very soon! The mountains would remain the same, while the rivers would keep flowing. They would see each other in the future again if fate permitted it.
“Myriad Sword Technique!”
In the snowstorm, a voice basically scattered the wind and snow like a thunderclap, interrupting his thoughts.
Boundless killing intent enveloped him.
Oh no! Li Qingshan grabbed Xiao An and leapt up. He looked back mid-air, and all he saw was countless strands of light weaving and criss-crossing in the wind and snow, grinding where he had been hiding to pieces. The ravine collapsed with a rumble.
Li Qingshan threw himself onto a small, dried stream. As soon as he raised his head, a shining blade pointed at his forehead, only three inches away.
The Soaring Dragon Elder wielded the sword in his right hand as he stood on a boulder. He looked at Li Qingshan coldly. “Speak. Where has the cat daemon fled to?”
“You’re the Soaring Dragon Swordsman?” Li Qingshan immediately became stunned at the sword immortal’s appearance. The portrait from the ancestral hall of the Dragon’s Gate sect flashed across his mind again. The Dragon’s Gate sect had been passed down through several generations, so it was a century old at the very least. However, the Soaring Dragon Swordsman only seemed slightly older compared to the portrait. And, if he considered the possibility that the Dragon’s Gate sect had purposefully depicted him to be a little younger out of respect, he basically had not changed at all. Apart from the word ‘immortal’, there was nothing else that could describe him.
However, it was exactly this terrifying immortal who was pointing his sword at his head.
“You know me?” Considering how the Soaring Dragon Elder could condense a Golden Core, he was certainly sharp-witted. “Were you the one responsible for the Dragon’s Gate sect?” The Divining Elder had said that he would settle a grievance. It would probably be here.
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Chapter 99 – Stars Fall Unfortunately
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Chapter 99 – Stars Fall Unfortunately
Li Qingshan secretly cursed his wretched luck, and that the arrangements of the heavens were mysterious and unpredictable. He felt like there were a pair of hands controlling everything, as well as karma. He destroyed the Dragon’s Gate sect, yet now he met the founding ancestor of the Dragon’s Gate sect in such a place under such circumstances. However, when he heard that the Soaring Dragon Elder had failed to find Xuanyue, his heart eased up for some reason. At least they were not completely annihilated.
As a result, he said calmly, “I am the one responsible for the Dragon’s Gate sect. The Dragon’s Gate sect ran amuck in the region, doing whatever they pleased. In order to steal my spiritual ginseng, they tried to harm me and kill me, so I destroyed them. It’s absolutely fair.”
The Soaring Dragon Elder was slightly surprised. Li Qingshan spoke with great proficiency, which was rather unexpected to him. He was not as dumb as regular daemons. However, when the elder listened to the end, he raised an eyebrow.
There was a flash of the sword, dazzling Li Qingshan’s eyes. Only when blood spurted out from his shoulder did he realise that the sword had already injured him. It left behind a terrifying wound extending from his shoulder to his chest.
“You’re a mere daemon, yet you still dare to claim fairness?! A spiritual item of the world is not something a daemon like you is worthy of. Only purging daemons and demons is the fair.”
Xiao An sprayed out with the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration. Before it could even approach the Soaring Dragon Elder, his spiritual qi forced it back.
The Soaring Dragon Elder glanced at him. “What a pity with your impressive constitution, but you’ve fallen into the demonic path as well. I will send you off to hell.” Then he said to Li Qingshan coldly, “Cut the bullshit. Hurry up and tell me where the cat daemon is, and I’ll give you a quick death so that you can enter saṃsāra. Don’t be a daemon again in your future life, or your soul will definitely disintegrate for good.”
He traveled north in pursuit, but he lost track of Xuanyue’s aura. He used the Myriad Sword Technique to grind up several dozen mountains, causing utter turmoil to the Boundless mountains. Unless there were great Daemon Commanders, no one could stop him.
However, he still failed to force her out. Xuanyue’s two abilities were simply far too suited for hiding.
The Soaring Dragon Elder’s mood became horrible. Since the Divining Elder said the mission was a guaranteed success, and he would be able to settle a grievance, it all had to do with the weaker daemon.
Li Qingshan said, “I don’t know!” Before he could even finish talking, blood spurted out from his right shoulder. He lowered his head and clenched his fists, crushing the pebbles in his hands to dust.
“Daemons are heartless. You’ve only been used by it. You’re a sacrificial pawn. I’ve wasted time trying to interrogate you.” The Soaring Dragon Elder showed pity towards him and self-mockery.
The sword shone brightly and swept over horizontally, slicing towards Li Qingshan’s neck. Once again, Li Qingshan did not even have time to react. Even if he had countless abilities, he would not be able to use any of them in time.
There was no endless monologuing. When he moved, he did it cleanly, sharply and mercilessly. This was a sword immortal.
A streak of silver light descended from the sky, shooting towards the top of the Soaring Dragon Elder’s head. The light was so tranquil and holy that Li Qingshan gained a false impression; it was as if a crack had appeared in the dark clouds in the sky, allowing the moonlight to slip through. However, it was just a false impression. The dark clouds remained as thick as ever as the snow fell even harder.
The Soaring Dragon Elder instead smiled in surprise and joy. He abandoned Li Qingshan, and with a twist of his hand, his streak of light shot towards the sky, colliding with the silver light. The sharp light from the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sword shattered the tranquil, silver light, causing it to fall straight down and leave behind a deep, crescent-shaped hole in the ground.
The Soaring Dragon Elder turned into a streak of light and flew away. Li Qingshan raised his head, but all he saw was a rather small figure at the very top of the ravine, located in the endless wind and snow. The silver light had originated from the crescent moon on her forehead.
“Meowhahahaha!” The familiar laughter pierced through the wind and snow, landing in his heart.
Immediately, something indescribable surged through Li Qingshan’s chest. However, he said, “Idiot, why did you come back? Go to your Dragon province!”
Xuanyue said, “You’re not allowed to talk to your meowster like that!”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve said this before, you’re not my master.”
Xuanyue said, “But I clearly heard you yell out, ‘Master, save me.’ just now!”
“No you didn’t!”
Xuanyue laughed aloud. “I must have misheard. Maybe you were crying that out in your heart.”
Li Qingshan was stunned. Indeed, he had cried for help in his heart, seeking help from someone, but it was not this cat daemon. After all, even if she was here, it was useless!
“Cat daemon, you had an easy way out, yet you chose to come back!” The Soaring Dragon Elder’s voice rang out in the sky.
Xuanyue stuck her tongue out at the Soaring Dragon Elder and pulled an eyelid, making a face at him. “Damned old man, come chase me!” She turned around and vanished. The light had already cut up the cliff she had been standing on. Her daemon qi vanished once again.
The Soaring Dragon Elder said, “One Sword into Countless, the Rain of Myriad Swords!” The sword in his hand multiplied, doubling, tripling, before turning into thousands that reached towards the horizons.
Swish, swish, swish! Countless streaks of light descended from the sky like a storm, enveloping the entire ravine.
This was the terrifying wrath of an immortal! Before such a horrifying move, daemons were no different from pigs or dogs, while mortals were no different from ants.
All tricks were useless. All resourcefulness was futile. Li Qingshan raised his head and looked at the streaks of light that glimmered like the stars. He was unable to stop it. There was only death.
The sword rain pierced and shattered everything, but Li Qingshan did not die. A petite figure appeared in front of him with the use of Shadow Displacement. The crescent moon on her forehead shone with silver light, blocking all of the sword rain.
Under the howling of the snowstorm, the silver light and the sword rain clashed violently, illuminating the dark ravine like it was daytime.
The Soaring Dragon Elder said, “This must be the card that the ghost woman, the Dark Queen, gave you to save your life! I’d like to see how much longer you can last!” He formed a seal with his hand and pointed down.
The sword rain seemed endless, while the silver light retreated and withdrew constantly. Xuanyue gritted her teeth and endured it.
Li Qingshan looked at the petite figure and cried out, “Go! Go and hide! This is useless!”
Xuanyue said, “Shut up! How can a meowster not protect her pet!?”
“Since when were you my master!?”
“Meow! I’m not negotiating with you!”
In the blink of an eye, the silver light had been pressed to the thickness of an inch. It was about to shatter.
Even higher in the sky, a huge, white dragon several hundred meters in length twisted its body, descending as it roared angrily.
At a closer glance, it was not actually a dragon, but a tornado. It tore up the snow and flew towards the Soaring Dragon Elder.
On the other end of the tornado, Gu Yanying had already unfolded her jade fan. It shone resplendently. “Soaring Dragon Elder, you better stop!”
The Soaring Dragon Elder made up his mind. He completely ignored the tornado behind him. Changing his hand seal, the sky full of sword rain withdrew and violently condensed together. With dazzling, blinding light, it formed a ball that was like an extremely bright star, illuminating the pitch-black sky.
“Countless into One, Starfall.”
Gu Yanying said, “Be careful!” However, her voice was still slower than the descent of the colossal sword.
The silver light shattered. In Li Qingshan’s eyes, time seemed to slow down. The snow drifted slowly. He extended his hands in vain, only able to watch as the light pierced her chest.
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Chapter 100 – Climbing the Ice Sword Cliff
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Chapter 100 – Climbing the Ice Sword Cliff
Li Qingshan caught her. His mouth was open, but he was unable to say anything.
The tornado roared furiously, slamming into the Soaring Dragon Elder and smashing him into the ground, firmly pressing him down. It spun downwards like a drill, destroying and shattering the tough, icy ground and kicking up clouds of dust.
The tornado went from being a white dragon of snow to a black dragon of earth.
Boulders collapsed in the ravine as soil was thrown around.
Gu Yanying’s face was completely sunken. She had rushed over here as soon as she received news from the rat king of Black Rat mountain, but she had never thought she would still be a step too slow. She stared firmly at the ground that the tornado drilled into. “Take her away!”
It was impossible for Golden Core masters to be killed so easily. She was confident she could take him on easily in an individual battle, without losing the upper hand at all, but protecting the two of them would be basically impossible.
Light emerged from the deep hole the tornado created. Several dozen streaks of light immediately tore the tornado to pieces. The Soaring Dragon Elder rose up, enveloped in a ball of protective light.
“Gu Yanying, you can’t stop me!” A sliver of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. As it seemed, forcefully enduring the attack was quite painful. However, the resolve in his eyes was like a finely forged weapon. It was unstoppable.
“Quit boasting!” Gu Yanying was infuriated as well. “Heavenly Dance of a Hundred Dragons!” With a swing of her fan, a hundred tornados surged over from various directions and various angles, all heading towards the Soaring Dragon Elder.
Everything that blocked the tornados were torn to shreds. They left behind deep markings on the ground and rock faces. The trees that were as wide as several men would be completely uprooted, sucked into the tornados and ripped to pieces.
At that moment, sand was swept into the air as mountains collapsed, and the ground cracked. It seemed like the end of the world.
The Soaring Dragon Elder became even more determined. Biting the tip of his tongue, he sprayed a mouthful of blood onto his Soaring Dragon sword.
The master of the Black Wind stronghold, Xiong Xiangwu, could use his blood to power a talisman despite being a mortal. He managed to unleash strength that completely exceeded his own, so just how terrifying of a move would it be if a Golden Core master needed to do that as well?
Covered in blood, the sword immediately twisted like it was alive. Under the blinding light, it transformed into a golden dragon several dozen meters in length. It did not just look like a dragon. It was an actual dragon, claws and all. Waving its tail, it charged towards the tornados, actually taking all of them on alone without losing the upper hand at all.
“You actually-” Gu Yanying was stunned. For Golden Core masters, such an act was not as simple as a mortal spitting out some blood. Instead, it was a self-cannibalising action. He would never use it without careful thought.
The golden dragon smashed through the tornados, while its own glow gradually dimmed.
The Soaring Dragon Elder took out a talisman from his sumeru ring1. “The Divine Elder had already calculated that there would be some obstacles during this mission.”
“A violet talisman!” Gu Yanying became even sterner. Among talismans, yellow were low grade, scarlet were mid grade, and violet were high grade. Their powers differed tremendously between the various colours. Only Soul Nascence cultivators could create them, and they were consumables. They were extremely rare to Golden Core cultivators, who would treat them as life-saving talismans. He was actually willing to use it.
“World Cage, seal!”
Li Qingshan carried Xuanyue and leapt out of the ravine, making his way north. He charged towards the icy cliffs.
Xiao An followed closely behind him. Li Qingshan roared to him, “Go away! Don’t follow me!” If Gu Yanying could not stop the Soaring Dragon Elder, and he managed to catch up to him, Xiao An would die with him.
Xiao An chose to follow him, refusing to leave. Li Qingshan said, “Are you deaf?” He swung his hand and knocked him several meters away.
Xiao An stared at him blankly. Li Qingshan looked back. “Go hide somewhere. Don’t come out!” He left resolutely.
Li Qingshan carried Xuanyue and advanced towards the Ice Sword cliff. Even though he was already five kilometers away, he could still feel the flash of light behind him. Under the fierce gale, his hands became moist as the colour of blood deepened.
Xuanyue said weakly with a pale face. “I’m a good meowster.”
Li Qingshan said, “Shut up! Stop talking!”
Xuanyue said, “I’m still your master after all. Can’t you just be nicer? You always get mad and make things difficult. You’re even more capricious than me.”
He had no idea how long he had run for in the snowstorm. It might have been a moment, or it might have been a year. Suddenly, he raised his head, and an icy cliff blocked his way. He had finally arrived.
It was already a breathtaking sight from afar, so now that he was standing right beneath it, he was basically stunned by the uncanny craftsmanship of nature. Raising his head, he could not see the top. He had no idea just how tall it was. It seemed like it was going to fall on him.
Li Qingshan gritted his teeth and extended his hands. Touching the icy cliff, a chilling coldness permeated his bones. His sharp claws that could tear through steel like paper only left behind a shallow mark on the ice. This was not ordinary ice.
Xuanyue opened her eyes. “We’re finally here. Legend has it that the Ice Sword cliff is the divine sword of a god that fell down. Since the day it appeared, it has not melted at all, instead rapidly freezing the surroundings and expanding. It’s very difficult to climb. You won’t be able to make it up.
Li Qingshan said, “Shut up! Hang tight!” He placed Xuanyue on his back, making her grab him by his neck. Afterwards, he extended his sharp claws and hooked onto the ice face. Just when he was about to raise his feet, he discovered that they were no longer the feet of humans, but a pair of iron hooves.
The ice cliff was harder than steel, and it was flat and smooth. It was more difficult to scale than anything else in the world. Without his feet for support, it would be impossible to climb!
“Meowhahaha!” Xuanyue laughed heartlessly, just like when she usually harassed Li Qingshan. However, her laughter became weaker and weaker, easily drowned out by the snowstorm.
Thunk!
Li Qingshan punched the cliff heavily and knelt on the ground.
He had arrived here after so many trials and hardships, yet he was unable to take another step forward. The Ice Sword cliff really was like a gigantic sword, severing all of his hope.
I refuse!
The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression circulated through his body madly. Almost like a miracle, his feet actually turned back. Although they were larger than ordinary feet, and the toenails were long and sharp, they were truly a pair of feet, not claws.
Originally, he could only recover his human form after reaching the first layer, but he had used willpower alone to forcefully change his feet back.
Xuanyue said in surprise, “Impressive!”
Li Qingshan was in no mood to celebrate. He leapt onto the cliff face. “Let’s go!”
In the snowstorm, Li Qingshan carried Xuanyue on his back, climbing up step by step. His sharp claws locked firmly onto the ice.
The coldness constantly permeated his body, freezing his bones. He was unable to see the sky, nor was he able to see the ground. It was as if only the two of them were left in the world, working bitterly.
“So what’s great about the Dragon province? Is the Nine-tailed Fox Empress beautiful? Even more beautiful than the Dark Queen?” Li Qingshan said endlessly. He, who had constantly wanted Xuanyue to shut up, now actually chattered on and on, as he needed to do everything he could to stay awake. He needed to avoid being overwhelmed by the cold, to avoid collapsing from despair.
This was because Xuanyue’s body gradually grew colder. She gradually fell silent. She closed her eyes, hanging onto Li Qingshan’s back, trying to make conversation. “Of course… they’re beautiful…”
Her voice might have been just too weak, causing the snowstorm to drown it out.
“Hold on. I will definitely, definitely take you to the Dragon province,” Li Qingshan said constantly.
“I still haven’t heard you call me master, have I?”
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1. Sumeru rings should have appeared in other Chinese fantasy novels as well. They are based on the Buddhist concept that even a mere mustard seed can hold the mighty Sumeru, a mountain within Buddhist cosmology, which implies that it can hold things that are larger than itself.
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Chapter 101 – The Black Ox Departs
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Chapter 101 – The Black Ox Departs
Li Qingshan did not even have the strength to answer anymore. The path ahead of him was filled with wind and snow. It seemed endless. He could only cling onto a single thought and continue climbing upwards.
Xuanyue suddenly whispered in his ear, “Sorry, meowster has dragged you down.” Her arms let go powerlessly, falling towards the snowy, windy abyss. Her eyes were firmly shut, and she was at peace. She even smiled slightly.
Li Qingshan extended his right hand instinctively, grabbing her icy hand.
He could not let go. However, having lost his right hand, he was unable to advance any further up the icy face. The coldness invaded his body now that he had stopped, and his blood flow gradually slowed down.
He was several thousand meters from the ground. Even for him, falling down would shatter every bone in his body.
In the violent snowstorm, he finally let out a mad, hysteric howl, like a beast trapped in a hopeless situation.
Within the snowstorm, two specks of light drew closer. A figure climbed up quickly.
Xiao An leapt up and grabbed Xuanyue, clinging onto Li Qingshan’s back.
There was no need for them to talk. Li Qingshan’s lips had already become frozen. With his right arm freed, he continued to climb up.
The top suddenly appeared to the seemingly endless ice face. As it turned out, he was only a few dozen meters away from the top now.
A large hand grabbed the edge of the cliff firmly. Li Qingshan pulled himself up with everything he had. His body had already run out of strength. He forcefully propped himself up and touched Xuanyue’s face with trembling hands. They were ice-cold.
There was no heartbeat in her chest.
She was already dead.
Li Qingshan suddenly burst out into tears. A streak of light pierced through the snowstorm, and the Soaring Dragon Elder appeared on the top of the cliff. His face was pale, and his clothes were in tatters. When he saw Xuanyue on the ground, it only confirmed his suspicions. His Starfall was not something an ordinary Daemon General could withstand.
But just in case, he still rushed over regardless of the consequences. The items stored in Xuanyue’s bell could make up for his losses, and the daemon core of a Daemon General was very precious as well.
Li Qingshan wanted to throw his life at him, but he did not even have the strength to accomplish that. He asked, “Why? What did she do wrong?”
“Because she’s a daemon. You’re no different. That’s all that’s wrong.” The Soaring Dragon Elder lifted his Soaring Dragon sword. He did not even look at Xiao An who blocked for Li Qingshan, swinging down.
“I’m killing you not because you’re a human.” A man stood in front of Li Qingshan. No one knew when he had appeared, including the Soaring Dragon Elder. He seemed like he had been standing there for a very, very long time already. He was like a great master, spanning from time immemorial to the future, never changing.
His stature could only be regarded as large and tall. He did not give off a terrifying aura, but in Li Qingshan’s eyes, his back was even more imposing than the Ice Sword cliff below his feet.
His skin was enveloped in a deep, dark blue that was almost black. His defined, sturdy body did not seem to possess any unnecessary part. Instead, he was like a peak that stood among the mountains, having been exposed to the elements for countless years such that every part of him reached harmony with nature, condensed from endless power.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan saw the pair of ox horns on his head. One of them was broken. He could not help but call out, “Brother ox!”
The Soaring Dragon Elder’s pupils contracted. Every inch of his soul screamed out with warning. He had fought in countless battles and had experienced countless dangers in his life, but even if all of them were combined, they still could not match the danger he currently faced.
He wanted to roar out. He wanted to swing his sword. He wanted to use all of the abilities and techniques he had learnt throughout his life, unleashing all of his strength and trump cards. However, he just could not even move a single finger. All he could do was gaze at the man with widened eyes and ask with a warped voice, W- who are you?” How could such a terrifying figure be behind two measly daemons? The Divining Elder had never mentioned it, nor did the divination give any indication either. No, I won’t die here.
The black ox did not answer his question. Instead, he continued, “I’m killing you because I want to kill you!” He raised his right hand. The Soaring Dragon Elder disappeared from this world.
Yes, he disappeared. There were no prior signs, nor were there any powerful moves, no terror or daemon qi. An elder of the Sword Collection palace renowned throughout the Green province, a Golden Core cultivator, had been slain in such a straightforward manner.
“Brother ox…” Li Qingshan opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say. He had considered the black ox to be very powerful, but he never expected him to be so terrifying.
The black ox looked back, extending his hand before Li Qingshan. A ring lay in it quietly. It was the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring. “I’ve turned you into this without your permission, so take this as an apology! I’ve left something in there for you.”
It was the wealth that a Golden Core cultivator had accumulated over his entire life. Its value was enough for many desireless cultivators to become blinded by greed. Even if an ordinary person offered everything they owned, they would not be able to exchange for a single item from it.
“I know you have a lot of doubts but believe me, the answers you find yourself will be much greater than anything I can give you. You can even call them priceless. It’s just like how I could give you the power to wander this world unopposed, but I didn’t, because the power you can find yourself is far beyond what I can provide, countless times greater. Now, it is time for us to part.”
“What?”
“My existence has already been detected by someone in the heavens. In the future, you must walk your path by yourself. The time we spent together was short, but very pleasant. Remember, don’t lower your head to anyone, to anything. You have once ridden on my back.”
As he said that, the black ox’s figure gradually faded. His voice was like a great booming bell, thundering through the mountains and shaking up Li Qingshan’s mind.
“Wait…” Li Qingshan extended his hand, but all he grabbed was the ring.
The black ox vanished like he had never existed before, as if all those years, all those days were just a dream. However, his last message constantly resounded through Li Qingshan’s heart.
I await for you beyond the Nine Heavens, for the time when you stand beside me.
The top of the Ice Sword cliff was empty. There was no vegetation at all, only ice and snow. The layer of clouds pressed down above his head, with huge flakes of snow falling down before they could form beautiful crystals. The wind whistled, like it was sobbing.
On the boundary between the Dragon province and the Green province, people sometimes felt like they had nothing apart from a distant, unreachable dream. There would only be an icy-cold body in their arms, tears frozen and the heart numb from the severe cold. The loneliness of the entire world would surge into their hearts.
Something touched him gently. He looked back and saw Xiao An. The two balls of blood-red flames burned even in the endless wind and snow, wanting to give him some warmth, telling him that he was not alone.
Gu Yanying emerged from the snowstorm and said in surprise, “What happened?” She also used a violet talisman, breaking out of the Soaring Dragon Elder’s World Cage and rushing to the icy cliff. However, right before she arrived, the Soaring Dragon Elder’s aura completely vanished. It was wiped from the world cleanly.
Li Qingshan held Xuanyue’s cold corpse. He did not answer. He did not know how to answer.
Gu Yanying even felt tinges of fear. A Golden Core elder had just vanished without reason. This probably could shake up the entire Green province.
Did that person from the Umbral Yin sect interfere? No, it couldn’t be. Even if Soul Nascence cultivators had the ability to kill Golden Core masters, it was impossible for them to do it so silently. Even an ant knew how to put up a struggle, let alone a Golden Core cultivator.
Was it related to him? Gu Yanying glanced at Li Qingshan before shaking her head, as Li Qingshan was just too weak. If he had a terrifying background, why was his cultivation still like this, still a daemonic beast who had yet to condense a daemon core? Among Qi Practitioners, he would only be at the fourth or fifth layer.
Even with her extraordinary intellect, her brain was in a mess. Everything that happened tonight was just too strange.
“You should give her to me!”
Li Qingshan said, “I promised that I would take her to the Dragon province.”
Gu Yanying said, “That’s no good place to take her. It’s better if she returns to her master’s side.”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s her final wish.”
“Final wish? But she’s still alive?” The corner of Gu Yanying’s lips twitched.
“What!” Li Qingshan was shocked. He checked Xuanyue’s pulse in a hurry, but there really was no pulse. He looked at Gu Yanying in doubt.
Gu Yanying swung the fan in her hand at the sky, and a tornado rushed into the sky. The tornado pierced a great big hole in the thick layer of low-hanging clouds. The silvery-blue moonlight, just like a waterfall, seemed like a beacon that fell from the sky.
It landed on the Ice Sword cliff, on Xuanyue’s body. The surroundings continued to roar with wind and snow, but that small region became tranquil and serene.
Her body shone with a silvery-blue light. Gradually, it became brighter and brighter. Her eyelashes seemed to tremble.
Under Li Qingshan’s shocked gaze, Xuanyue slowly opened her eyes. “Where’s this?” Blinking them, she looked around. “This is… the Ice Sword cliff!”
Li Qingshan could feel her body gradually regain some warmth in his arms. He was taken aback. “What’s this all about?”
Gu Yanying said, “The nine-lives cat daemon’s rubbish innate ability.”
Xuanyue said, “Gu, you’re the rubbish!”
Gu Yanying said, “In a state of death, it’s impossible to put up any resistance at all. Even ordinary people will butcher you and extract your daemon core. If it’s not rubbish, what is it? This time, it was all thanks to… this person.” She was uncertain whether to refer to him as Li Qingshan. He had transformed like this, so he might not want other people to know about his human name!
Xuanyue said, “Big Blacko, did you really bring me up here?”
Big Blacko? The corner of Gu Yanying’s lips curled up.
Li Qingshan fell silent for a moment before roaring out, “You bastard, why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” You made me heart-broken for nothing for so long!
Xuanyue said, “Meowhahahaha. Didn’t I tell you? I won’t die.”
Li Qingshan exhaled deeply. He did not want to pay anymore attention to her, but he felt indescribable joy inside.
At this moment, Xuanyue noticed the two crystalline, frozen tear streaks on Li Qingshan’s face. Her heart was tugged as she extended her hand and touched his face. “Big Blacko, you cried?”
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s just snow.”
Xuanyue moved closer to Li Qingshan’s face. “Hehe, don’t be so embarrassed. It’s very normal for a pet to cry for his meowster. Oh right, you’ve agreed to call me meowster, so call me that! Call me that!”
“Pet?” Gu Yanying smiled strangely. Was being taken in as a pet by another pet a good fate or a bad fate?
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Chapter 102 – Starting Over as a Human
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Chapter 102 – Starting Over as a Human
Li Qingshan checked his hand. There was a bottle of spiritual pills.
Gu Yanying only acted like it had never happened, kicking up a whirlwind with a sweep of her sleeves and taking off into the sky along the rays of moonlight with Xuanyue.
Xuanyue looked back and glanced at Li Qingshan again. Her smile had vanished now, and tears emerged from her lakewater-esque eyes.
“Wait for me! I will definitely be there!” Li Qingshan roared at the sky as loudly as he could.
Xuanyue suddenly looked back. She heard him yell something, but the snowstorm drowned out his words. However, she could read his lips. She saw the three words, wait for me.
Gu Yanying showed surprise as well. The clouds closed below their feet.
On the Ice Sword cliff, the last ray of moonlight disappeared. Li Qingshan remained in the same posture as when he roared at the sky. His roar was a promise to the black ox, to Xuanyue, and to himself.
I will definitely reach beyond the Nine Heavens. I will definitely take you to the Dragon province.
I will definitely find the answer. I will definitely possess strength.
Under the mist, Li Qingshan stood before the waterfall once again. He no longer had the arrogant black ox beside him, nor was the girl bathing in the waterfall before him anymore.
He rubbed Xiao An’s head. At least you’re still by my side.
Without Xuanyue leading the way, he had to rely on his rough memory to return along his original path, coming back to this place. Although he could conceal his aura, he still encountered countless dangers along the way. Only after all of that did he finally return to this waterfall.
Winter had already passed. The world was beginning to bloom.
It felt like an entire lifetime had passed.
In just three short months, someone had told him that the Green Province spanned fifteen thousand kilometers, someone had told him that their objective was to leave the Green province, and finally, someone told him that they were waiting for him beyond the Nine Heavens.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and smiled. He said to Xiao An, “Let’s see just where I can reach!” After that, he leapt into the pool of water.
The first thing that Li Qingshan did in the water was not cultivate, but summarise his accumulated experiences and the lessons he had learnt.
The advantages and the disadvantages, his gains and his losses.
A tiny shrimp being involved in a battle between sharks would rarely result in anything good. Just the flecks of meat that slipped between the teeth of the sharks could allow the shrimp to strengthen significantly, but it would probably end up dead as well.
He had survived completely due to the protection of a great sea monster, the black ox. However, this sea monster had already left him, giving him the goal of similarly becoming a great sea monster.
If he wanted to achieve this goal, he could not rely on his luck for surviving. He could not take risks he could not completely grasp. No one had immunity, and even if they did, it would easily shatter before absolute strength.
Not only did he have to possess the unswerving determination of an ox and the boldness of a tiger, but he also needed the depth and tolerance of a spiritual turtle. This form of tolerance was not lying down in the face of humiliation, being a coward and afraid of everything, but maintaining lofty ambitions, enduring what others could not and achieving what others could not.
Perhaps the reason why the black ox had not wiped the Soaring Dragon Elder from existence right from the start was for him to understand this. Anyone could state the great principles of life, but only by experiencing it would they truly understand it and embed it in their heart.
If he had not experienced the despair he felt when he roared out on the sheer cliff face, how was he supposed to understand the value of strength and the point of friends?
He desired even greater power.
There was no concept of time in the mountains. The buds turned into verdant leaves, and the flower buds bloomed into flowers.
The water from the waterfall also flowed more vigorously and became louder compared to during winter.
Li Qingshan sat beneath the waterfall. All of the sounds and all of the changes in the surroundings were picked up by his ears, but they did not cause his mind to waver at all.
Between extreme stillness and extreme motion, he was not just training, but also comprehending the activity and changes of nature. Or to him, the two had always been together.
He ingested the spiritual pills one by one, turning them into raging spiritual qi, but to him, that was not everything he used.
Even in an absolute state of meditation, he could still sense the existence of the tremendous spiritual qi in the surroundings. It was omnipresent, ruling over all of the activity and changes in the world.
He was like a spirit turtle, hidden deep in the sea, having forgotten about himself, and the spiritual qi would no longer reject him, naturally fusing into his body.
It was just like what was mentioned in the daoist canon. “Humble your minds, fill your bellies, weaken your pre-existing beliefs, and strengthen your backbone.” It was also like how the black ox had originally taught him—fill your body, strengthen your body, and only then will you have a foundation for everything. Only by humbling his mind and weakening his pre-existing beliefs could he be free from distracting thoughts and truly reach unity with nature, sensing the existence of the spiritual qi of the world.
To humans, this could only be achieved once Qi Practitioners had overcome the first tribulation and reached Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, it would require great luck and comprehension.
However, to daemons, this was a natural instinct. In the eyes of humans, the birds and beasts of the wilderness were foolish without a doubt, copulating and feeding, multiplying and propagating based on instincts alone. However, they were a part of nature, so they could naturally sense things that many humans could not. Spiritual qi was one of them.
At the same time, while humans possessed intellect, they lost their ability to harmonise with nature. They required various methods to cultivate in an attempt to lengthen their lifespans. Yet, the lifespan of any daemon would be much longer than a human of similar power.
With gains came losses. Perhaps this was the fairness of nature.
The black ox had once told him that Li Qingshan could only count as half a daemon, as even though his body had become a daemon’s, he still had the mind and heart of a human, so he was unable to sense the spiritual qi of the world.
There were countless techniques and arts in the world. Who knows how many there were that could turn people into monsters. However, they were only monsters, not daemons. If that was all, there would have been nothing special about the black ox’s plans. However, it seemed like he had already prepared everything for Li Qingshan.
With the progress of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, Li Qingshan was able to temporarily put aside his intelligence as a human, along with the distracting thoughts that came with intelligence. He began to truly daemonify, looking at this world through the eyes of a daemon and comprehending this world with the mind of a daemon.
After an unknown amount of time passed again, the many flowers began to droop and fall.
Tremendous amounts of spiritual qi gathered towards Li Qingshan. The place that the black ox had chosen had always been rich in spiritual qi.
Having consumed all of the spiritual pills, the daemon qi in Li Qingshan’s body surged like tidal waves before being suppressed by the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, rapidly being condensed and concentrated.
Xiao An, who was playing by himself on the side, suddenly raised his head, gazing at the waterfall and the pool of water. In the past few days, he had always been waiting quietly, playing around by himself and never leaving this area.
The spirit turtle suppresses the seas!
An invisible power had flattened the turbulent pool, becoming a flawless mirror of water. The water that crashed down from above no longer managed to create any more splashes.
Li Qingshan had finally reached the first layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. At the same time, there was a great boom through his soul, and his body increased in size once again, nearing six meters. The aura he gave off pushed aside the falling waterfall.
All of his daemon qi condensed into a sphere around the size of a little finger!
He had finally completed the most important step of becoming a daemon, condensing a daemon core.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and looked at the mirror-like water surface. He gently rubbed his pair of ox horns. The two words on them, north and moon, no longer seemed so obvious. Instead, they seemed to have fused with the groovings of his horns, becoming irremovable.
He thought of Xuanyue again, recalling that promise he had yet to complete. He closed his eyes. Wait for me, I will definitely free you from your cage and send you to the Dragon province.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and his daemon core flew out. It revolved around him as if some invisible force was leading it around. With a thought, the daemon core shot off, immediately piercing several boulders in the water. It was basically indestructible, more terrifying than any hidden weapon out there.
Daemons did not know how to refine pills, so they were born with the knowledge of how to absorb spiritual qi. Daemons did not know how to forge weapons either, so the daemon core was their strongest weapon.
Although releasing the daemon core came with the danger of having it taken away, that required an absolute difference in strength to achieve. As a result, this kind of danger was not really any danger at all. After all, even if he did not use his daemon core against such an opponent, he would still be finished off, losing his daemon core.
It was just like when human cultivators fought against each other. If the opponent could easily take away the flying swords they unleashed, there was no point to fighting anymore.
Li Qingshan looked at the daemon core hovering before him. He thought, Even if I say I’m a human right now, no one would believe me.
At a closer glance, he discovered the daemon core was not completely spherical. Instead, it was composed of countless tiny hexagons, and it seemed rather different from regular daemon cores. It was probably due to the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. However, he had only seen one other daemon core before, so he could not be certain.
Li Qingshan extended his right hand and transparent ripples gathered in his palm, forming a ball of water that subsequently turned into various other shapes. If he were described using the five elements, he would be a water daemon, possessing the powers to control water spiritual qi.
He casually tossed the ball of water aside and gulped down his daemon core. He yelled out, “The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!” A turtle shell did not appear on his back. Instead, a spherical, glowing barrier appeared. Upon closer inspection, the barrier was just like the daemon core, composed of countless hexagons.
The cascading waterfall landed on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. Not a single drop of water could land on Li Qingshan now.
This was the innate ability he had comprehended after condensing his daemon core. However, that was not all.
Li Qingshan stood up and took in a deep breath. He raised his head and let out a fierce roar. Daemon qi formed sound waves, kicking up a fierce wind that rushed towards the horizon. The waterfall was blown away and deep, circular cracks appeared on the rock face.
The Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar seemed powerful, but it could only create a shockwave and be used against weaker opponents. Against enemies of similar strength, it was basically useless. Although his roar had decreased in range now, it could pierce through rock. It was truly lethal.
This was the second ability he had comprehended. He named it the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar.
“The Ox Demon Tramples!”
Li Qingshan leapt back into the water, landing heavily at the bottom. The rocks that had been washed by water for countless years shattered loudly as a circular shockwave spread into the surroundings. Wherever it passed by, the rocks would crack loudly.
It was as if countless explosives had been blown up on the bottom of the pool, sending all of the water into the sky and completely shattering the area.
The ox, the tiger and the turtle. Three creatures, three innate abilities. In the instant that Li Qingshan condensed his daemon core, they had all awakened at the same time.
Now, it was time to start over as a human!
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Chapter 103 – Returning to Human Society
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Chapter 103 – Returning to Human Society
The pool water fell as rain. Under the illumination of sunlight, it formed a rainbow.
Li Qingshan shut his eyes firmly. He seemed solemn. Inside his body, his daemon core withdrew all of his aura, constantly sinking down. It was like a spirit turtle withdrawing into its shell, sinking into the abyss of the seas and entering a millennia long slumber, unknown to anyone such that its existence became a mere legend.
When Li Qingshan opened his eyes again, he leapt out of the pool and arrived in front of Xiao An.
Li Qingshan had turned back into the original Li Qingshan. Actually, such a statement was not completely correct.
That was because he no longer possessed his well-defined muscles, nor did he have a sharp bearing. Everything had been withdrawn. He seemed like an ordinary teenager from a mountain village, no longer possessing any special features. However, the depths of his eyes were just as deep and calm as the deep sea.
He looked at his human hands and suddenly remembered that he was already sixteen.
When he existed as a daemon, his concept of time became blurred. Only after turning back into a human did it abruptly clear up once more.
It had been sixteen years since he arrived in this world. Everything that happened in the last half a year was more fascinating than the first fifteen and a half years combined. He had gone from a human to a daemon, and then back to a human.
All of his daemon qi had been withdrawn into the daemon core, without the slightest bit seeping out. Even other cultivators would not be able to tell he was actually a daemon. It was funny now that it was mentioned. When he comprehended the true path of a daemon, he had instead recovered everything human.
There were countless creatures in the world, so just why weren’t humans able to become daemons? Speaking of which, when cats became daemons, they were called cat daemons. When tigers became daemons, they were called tiger daemons. What were daemons that were originally human called? Human daemons? Transvestites?1
Li Qingshan felt a chill. He decided to never consider this question again. He signalled to Xiao An. “I’ve made you wait for so long. We can set off now!”
The colour of joy lit up in Xiao An’s eye sockets as he leaned up close to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan took out the sumeru ring that the black ox had left to him. He had no idea what it was made of. It was crystalline, yet it did not shine. Now that all of his true qi had been converted to daemon qi and withdrawn, he could not open it at all. Although he was curious about just what the black ox had left to him, he could only be patient and slowly come up with a way to open it. He strung the ring up as a necklace, hanging it on his neck and hiding it in his clothes.
He touched the charred scholar wood tablet after that. “Let’s go. Compared to those distant goals, let’s help you recover your body first. However, you need to hide away again for now.” Li Qingshan constantly remembered his responsibility to this child. It was Xiao An who had assisted him at every crucial moment. Even during the times of greatest danger, he had stuck close to him.
He would not speak any words of gratitude. He only allowed this sentiment to silently compact in the bottom of his heart. Moreover, their relationship and bond had already surpassed mere gratitude.
He looked at the rainbow and figures flashed through his head—the black ox, Xiao An, Gu Yanying, and Xuanyue. He would achieve and complete all of those expectations, all of those promises, and all of those wild ambitions one by one.
Peace returned to the mountains. The pool no longer had any vortices. Li Qingshan’s daemon qi had completely subdued it.
The sixteen year old who possessed the characteristics of both daemons and humans set foot in human society once again. Just how many dangers could he survive and how many storms could he weather?
Li Qingshan arrived at the ruins of the Black Wind stronghold with Xiao An, but he could not help but frown.
Since he was about to return to the world of humans, he obviously required quite a lot of gold and silver to pave a path for himself. All of the silver notes on him had been destroyed in the fire during the battle at the mountain god temple. They could no longer be used.
As a result, he thought about the wealth that remained in the Black Wind stronghold. He was glad that he had the foresight before, so he came here to have a look, but he discovered traces of excavation and digging everywhere.
As expected, the secret room below Xiong Xiangwu’s room had been unearthed as well. Everything inside was obviously gone.
Li Qingshan breathed in deeply. “What’s this supposed to be? Grave robbers?”
In Qingyang city, Ye Dachuan furiously kissed a transfer order in great joy. “Haha, I can finally leave this damned place!”
The destruction of the Black Wind stronghold and the merit he received from treating the Dragon’s Gate sect as a local evil organisation had been reported to the Clear River prefecture. After a series of checks and confirmations, it was delivered to the prefect’s table.
Even the prefect was rather surprised by Ye Dachuan’s achievements. He could not endure the coaxings of his beloved consort either, so in the end, he sent a transfer order, transferring Ye Dachuan from Qingyang city.
Of course, returning to the clamour of the Clear River prefecture was impossible. However, he had still been relocated several hundred kilometers away, sent to the prosperous Jiaping city. As such, it was something for Ye Dachuan to rejoice about.
The advisor said, “Congratulations, sir! Congratulations!”
Ye Dachuan celebrated for a while before saying gloomily, “It’s just a pity with what happened to my brother Qingshan!” At least he had not forgotten the person that made this all possible.
The advisor sighed. “Please cheer up, sir. This is all just fate. No one can do anything about it!”
Ye Dachuan considered it and emerged from the gloom very soon. “Don’t forget to burn some more joss paper before we leave so that my brother Qingshan can bribe the lords of hell and have it a little easier and be reborn into a good family.”
“Reborn into what good family?” Li Qingshan leapt over the wall with a strange expression and landed in the courtyard.
“Of course it would be a great, wealthy… a ghost!” Ye Dachuan replied absentmindedly, but his voice gradually slowed down. When he saw who it was, he finally cried out, hiding behind his armed chair swiftly.
The advisor said, “Sir, calm down, calm down. Under the light of day, why would there be any ghosts? Sheriff Li has returned!”
Ye Dachuan studied Li Qingshan. He saw a long shadow being cast below Li Qingshan’s feet from the summer sun, and only then did he ease up. He emerged from behind the armed chair and grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand. “Brother Qingshan, you’ve finally returned. Where have you been all this time?” As he said that, hot tears began to well up in his eyes.
Li Qingshan drew back his hand. “I suffered some injuries and went into seclusion in the mountains for a while. Did you think I was dead?”
Ye Dachuan said, “As long as you’re alive, as long as you’re alive!” Afterwards, he told him the entire story. As it turned out, the news of Feng Zhang bringing a group of first-rate masters with him to encircle Li Qingshan had spread like wildfire, and in the end, everyone vanished in the mountain together.
Over the past few months, quite a few people had entered the mountains to search, but all they found was a burnt down mountain god temple. The remains there were completely unrecognisable, so rumors arose from everywhere.
Some people said Feng Zhang silenced everyone with death after he got his hands on the spiritual ginseng before subsequently hiding away. There were also some who said that other masters interfered and killed everyone.
However, regardless of the rumour, Li Qingshan was dead. No one believed that he could survive such a situation, so everyone treated him as dead. However, they had never thought that Li Qingshan would actually emerge from the mountains in the end. Moreover, he was the only one to emerge.
“As long as you’re back. You can come to Jiaping with me. What do you think?” Ye Dachuan gestured at the transfer order complacently as his eyes vanished under his wide grin. He was happy from the bottom of his heart that Li Qingshan could return. Li Qingshan was his bringer of good fortune.
Li Qingshan glanced at the transfer order and said in confusion, “Vice magistrate? Aren’t you being demoted?”
Normally, smaller districts did not have vice magistrates. Only larger ones did, and at most, there would be two or three. They remained under the district magistrate’s command, so they obviously did not have as much authority as a solitary magistrate.
Ye Dachuan said, “Now this is something that you don’t understand. You’d much rather be a beggar in a city of gold than a king among a pack of dogs. What kind of benefits can a run down place like Qingyang city provide? Even if I make money, there aren’t even any decent parlours for me to dine at with prostitutes…”
As Li Qingshan listened to district magistrate Ye talk about his indulgences, he could not help but break into laughter. At least it felt slightly more realistic that he had returned to human society. It did sound primitive, but weren’t these the exact things that humans pursued?
The two words, Jiaping city, made his heart skip a beat instead. He touched the Iron Wolf tablet in his bosom. The Scarlet Hawk commander ‘old Wang’ had once told him that if he managed to survive, he could go to Jiaping city and report to Zhuo Zhibo to become a Hawkwolf guard. However, he had yet to consider the matter completely, so he still could not make up his mind.
The Feng Zhang that he killed might have old colleagues or acquaintances in Jiaping city. Zhuo Zhibo, who sent Feng Zhang here in the first place, might not have a good impression of him either.
The advisor truly did live up to his position of advisor. He did not know much of the inside story, but he still managed to think to such a point. He reminded Ye Dachuan, “The haughty Feng Zhang came from Jiaping city, but now, his whereabouts are unknown.” The reason for his disappearance was obviously Li Qingshan. They could not be certain whether the Hawkwolf Guard would investigate this matter or not.
Ye Dachuan’s expression changed as well. “Yeah. Brother Qingshan, you have to be careful. If you want to, you still can run. I’ll just treat it like I never saw you return.” With his identity, he was still unaware that Wang Pushi had expelled Feng Zhang. The disappearance of a Hawkwolf Guard was a significant matter.
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for your concern sir, but you don’t need to worry about this. There’s something I’d like to ask about.”
“What is it?”
Li Qingshan said, “Who dug up the Black Wind stronghold?” With the amount of work involved, it was impossible to be completed without raising any disturbances. No matter where he went, he needed money. There was a price that had to be paid for stealing from the mouth of a tiger.
Ye Dachuan said, “I- it’s the Iron Fist school. Qingshan, don’t be rash.”
“There’s nothing to be rash over. I just want to get my money back. Will they be bold enough to turn down my request?” Li Qingshan was rather confused by Ye Dachuan’s reaction. He had destroyed both the Black Wind stronghold and the Dragon’s Gate sect. Was the Iron Fist school bold enough to make things difficult for him?
Ye Dachuan said, “Recently, a protector arrived in the Iron Fist school. He seems to be investigating the whereabouts of that mealy hall chief. Liu Hong excavated these items to give to him as presents. I also heard he’s an innate master. He might be difficult to deal with.”
Li Qingshan said, “I will be careful.” With that, he vanished over the wall again. Leaping over numerous tiled roofs, he arrived in the Iron Fist school. However, he was in no hurry to show himself. Instead, he eavesdropped.
Having withdrawn his daemon qi and assumed a human form, his senses were not as sharp as when he was a daemon, but they still surpassed the senses of ordinary people. Within a range of a thousand feet, he could even hear the buzzing of mosquitoes, so he immediately located Liu Hong.
Over a hundred children currently stood neatly on the martial arts platform under the brilliant sun. They all stepped forward one after another.
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1. Human is 人 (rén), while daemons in this case is 妖 (yāo). In Chinese, the phrase 人妖 means transvestite.
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Chapter 104 – Knocking on the Door for Debt
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Chapter 104 – Knocking on the Door for Debt
A brown-robed old man with a goatee checked their pulses one by one. He would shake his head at times and nod at others. Sometimes his eyes would shine, and at others, he would inspect the child before him. To his left was the master of the Iron Fist school, Liu Hong, and behind him was Li Long, who constantly refilled the old man’s tea cup.
The disciples of the Iron Fist school formed a human wall, blocking many people outside who seemed to be the relatives of these children. They all looked at their children nervously. If they saw the old man nod, they would light up with pleasure, but if the old man shook his head, they would become dejected.
This was an important figure who had come from the Clear River prefecture from over five hundred kilometers away, a mighty protector of the Iron Fist school who possessed extraordinary martial arts. If they could gain his recognition, their children would truly skyrocket to greatness.
Li Qingshan saw the old man with his first glance. The old man’s aura was heavy and condensed, slightly stronger than Feng Zhang’s. He was truly an innate master, but he was not anyone dangerous. If he daemonified, he was confident about killing the old man in a single strike. Even if he maintained his human form, there would not be too much trouble. It would just take some effort.
He was just curious as to what this was all about.
Liu Hong sat beside the old man. Both of them were elderly, but even the naive children could tell who was more imposing. Liu Hong sighed inside. Recently, a lot of impressive figures have come to Qingyang city.
Ever since he came to Qingyang city for retirement, it had been many years since he last saw protector Yan Song. But speaking of which, with his status as a second-rate master, he never saw protector Yan much in the past either. The last time he saw him was during the birthday banquet of the leader of the main branch. Back then, he was still in his prime, and protector Yan was already like this. Now, he had already become an old man, but protector Yan seemed like he had never changed.
Liu Hong said, “Protector Yan, you should take a break!”
“Please try the tea!” Li Long filled up the cup with tea in a hurry. Although the hall chief had died to unnatural causes, and his plan to leave Qingyang city was cancelled, he felt happy inside. He never liked that hall chief Wu. He was rude to his master. Now that he was dead, it only served him right. In the blink of an eye, another one, protector Yan, had come. Not only were his martial arts even greater, but he was much more level-headed as well. He was proud, but he never showed it, and he could directly take Li Long to the Clear River prefecture.
Yan Song stopped and took a sip of tea leisurely. “I’m old. My body is failing.” He just let the children stand beneath the sun.
Liu Hong asked, “What about the leader of the main branch?”
“Don’t worry. You also count as an elderly member of the school. The one surnamed Wu was useless himself, so how would it be your fault? I will explain it clearly to the leader of the main branch.” Yan Song was in a good mood; obviously, it was because he had received quite a lot of benefits from Liu Hong. He did not care too much about the silver, but one of the ancient paintings came from a famed artist. It was basically invaluable, which suited his tastes.
Liu Hong was overjoyed. “Then thank you, protector. What do you think about these children?”
Yan Song said, “There are a few promising ones among these children. Although I don’t know if they can practise qi, they’re at least more than enough for practising martial arts. If this was the prefectural city of Clear River, the children with better talent would have all been scooped away already. Even just a single promising kid would take some fighting to obtain. You’ll never be able to just pick them leisurely like this.”
Liu Hong said, “It’s all due to the main branch leader’s wisdom.”
“Hmm?”
At this moment, Yan Song raised his head and saw a hole in the wall formed from the disciples of the Iron Fist school. A teenager walked towards him. However, after glancing at him, Yan Song said, “Send him out. He’s too old.” Moreover, he was too ordinary. He had nothing worth noticing.
However, the disciples of the Iron Fist school did not try to block the teenager as ordered. Instead, they parted to the sides in fear. Yan Song was rather confused. All he saw was Li Long and even Liu Hong’s eyes widening. “Li Qingshan!”
The crowd burst into discussion. “Isn’t that Li Qingshan?” “The Black Tiger, Li Qingshan!” “I heard he’s dead, isn’t he?” “How’d he return?” Li Qingshan could be regarded as famous in Qingyang city now.
Li Qingshan walked up and waved his hand with a smile. “School master Liu, long time no see. And this protector something, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!”
Yan Song raised an eyebrow. He remembered the other reason for his trip. Wasn’t it exactly for this teenager?
Liu Hong said awkwardly, “Y- you’ve returned!”
Li Qingshan got straight to the point. “Yeah. I’ll have to play the role of an unruly guest this time. School master Liu, please return a few items to me, or just exchange it into silver notes. I’d rather you do that actually. After all, it wasn’t easy for you to excavate it all.” The current Li Qingshan seemed very gentle, without any sort of imposing or vicious bearing.
Liu Hong looked at Yan Song. Yan Song said nonchalantly as he sipped his tea, “You’re Li Qingshan? You’re still bold enough to return? Right now, I’m going to ask you questions, and for every question, I expect a reply. If you don’t reply, I’ll smack you across the face once. How did hall chief Wu die?”
He did not even stand up. This was not a person worthy of standing up for, and Li Qingshan’s ‘rudeness’ had irritated him slightly. He was out of his mind for trying to ask for items from him. And, there were various traces that proved that hall chief Wu’s death was clearly linked to this person. Obviously, he had no reason to be polite to his enemy.
Li Qingshan is hiding his strength? Maybe! But even if Li Qingshan is a first-rate master, or even an innate master, having become a Qi Practitioner, what can he do? With his strength as a second layer Qi Practitioner, there were not a lot of people he had to take seriously.
Li Qingshan was familiar with this kind of behaviour. It came from possessing absolute confidence in personal strength. They believed they could hold their ground, and that everyone had to listen to and follow their arrangements, allowing them to do whatever they wanted.
However, when Li Qingshan compared Yan Song to the figures he had seen soaring through the skies, he found it absolutely hilarious. He was like a toad croaking loudly, ordering a group of flies around while believing that he was a king.
As a result, Li Qingshan laughed. At least I’m a frog, not a toad, and a very strong one at that.
The corner of Liu Hong’s mouth twitched. After several months of not seeing him, having returned from a trip, Liu Hong had thought he would become a little more reserved, but he never expected him to remain exactly the same. He seemed amiable on the surface, but he was as arrogant as he could get inside.
Yan Song’s expression became frosty. “What are you laughing about?”
Li Qingshan said, “When I see something funny, I’ll obviously laugh!”
Yan Song slowly stood up. “Why don’t you try to laugh again?”
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s get to the point. You gobbled up all of my things. I want you to spit it all out now.”
Without any prior signs, Yan Song crossed several meters with a single step to arrive before Li Qingshan. He raised a hand and swung it viciously. He wanted to slap Li Qingshan to the point where he would not be able to laugh again for the rest of his life. He wanted Li Qingshan to know the price of provoking the Iron Fist school.
Smack! There was a clear slap.
Yan Song’s head turned to one side. A ripple flowed through his cheeks as his eyes were wide open. A tooth fell out. He felt disbelief. He clearly did not sense any inner force or true qi within Li Qingshan, yet his movements were swift and violent. Was he a Body Practitioner? However, he did not possess the special characteristics of a Body Practitioner at all.
Li Qingshan saw how Yan Song had tried to slap him. He did not feel irritated at all inside. Instead, it was mostly weariness. The swift movements now actually seemed so slow in his eyes, to a point where he suspected his evaluation of Yan Song might have been wrong.
As Yan Song had underestimated his opponent, he revealed many openings. Li Qingshan obviously would not let the opportunity slip, and he smacked Yan Song across the face. He continued to smile. “If you’re not going to spit it out, I’ll beat you until you spit it out.”
“Protector Yan!” Liu Hong was dumbfounded. The indomitable protector Yan had actually been slapped across the face before so many people. He was even more surprised by how powerful Li Qingshan had become. His rate of growth was simply far too terrifying.
The crowd gasped as well. The reason why they had brought their children today was because Yan Song had demonstrated real martial arts. He had destroyed a log of over three meters wide with a single punch, which was basically divine in their eyes.
Li Long could not help but rub his eyes. Was this really the young cowherd from the Crouching Ox village? He felt like he knew less and less about this fellow villager.
Yan Song was furious inside. He took a step back and adjusted his posture. His true qi surged into his fists.
Smack!
As soon as Li Qingshan saw his stance, he decided to give him no chance to strike out at all. He walked up and slapped him across the face again.
Li Qingshan’s strength was tremendous. Yan Song felt the world spin around him after being smacked, and the true qi he had just gathered collapsed again. He gathered it once again as he was unwilling to just accept this. He wanted to kill Li Qingshan.
Smach! A third slap landed. This was how bare-handed close combat was like. It was very difficult to turn the situation around after losing the upper hand from a single move.
Smach! Smack! Smack! The slaps were loud and clear, resounding through the martial arts platform. Aside from the sounds of slaps, there was nothing else.
Whenever Yan Song showed signs of counterattacking, Li Qingshan would slap him mercilessly. The reason why he chose to slap was not just to return the favour. It was also because he had no interest in killing him, so he could not use too much strength. However, he still needed to ensure he maintained the upper hand. As a result, hitting the head was the best choice. Slaps were not fatal, but they could shake up the head of his opponent, interrupting Yan Song’s actions. This was the optimal way to approach the situation.
Yan Song staggered backwards as Li Qingshan advanced.
Thud! Yan Song sat back down on his armed chair, shielding his face and calling out, “Stop hitting me!” After being slapped a few consecutive times, he finally recovered from his anger. It turned into fear. Li Qingshan could kill him. As people grew older, they valued their lives more and more.
As expected, Li Qingshan stopped. “Return my things!”
Yan Song’s complexion fluctuated between paleness and redness. He roared, “Liu Hong, what are you standing there for?” As he said that, he secretly reached into his bosom. He also had a talisman that he treated as a trump card. He had been humiliated so much in front of so many people, so if he did not get revenge, he would never be able to redeem himself.
Li Qingshan said, “I’d advise you not to use it!”
Yan Song’s hand trembled.
Li Qingshan said, “You wanted to slap me, so I slapped you. If you want to kill me, then I can only kill you.”
Li Qingshan’s voice was calm and composed. He did not even stop Yan Song from fishing out the talisman. Yan Song held the corner of the talisman as his expression fluctuated violently. He was unable to make up his mind.
Yan Song said, “D- did you really kill hall chief Wu and all those people?” Although the remains were unrecognisable, he had discovered many damaged weapons. Hall chief Wu’s gloves were among them.
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Chapter 105 – Winning People Over with Force
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Chapter 105 – Winning People Over with Force
Li Qingshan smiled silently. He neither confirmed nor denied it.
Yan Song said, “Did the Black Wolf guard Feng Zhang die to your hands as well?” Originally, he refused to consider such an absurd possibility. A Black Wolf guard, five first-rate masters, and a great group of second and third-rate masters would actually die to a little known kid. However, he believed it somewhat now.
Li Qingshan still did not answer.
Yan Song drew out his hand. He was not holding the talisman anymore.
Li Qingshan smiled, “We’re not continuing to fight?”
Yan Song said, “You’re dead already. There’s no point for me to waste something like that on a dead man.”
Li Qingshan said, “Oh? How come?”
Yan Song said, “You kill a Black Wolf guard. Do you think you can still live?”
Li Qingshan dodged the question. “That’s something you don’t have to worry about. Please return my items!”
Yan Song paled. Liu Hong pulled Li Qingshan to the side and pleaded, “Qingshan, I didn’t know you would return alive, which was why I dug up those things. If you want silver, I’ll give it to you, alright?”
Li Qingshan shrugged. “That’s what I was asking for in the first place.” He wanted to reason with Yan Song, but what could he do when Yan Song was unreasonable? He was forced to talk through his fists.
Liu Hong shot a glance, and the disciples of the Iron Fist school dispersed the crowd. The large martial arts platform emptied out.
At this moment, Ye Dachuan arrived in a carriage. After looking at everyone’s expressions and seeing the redness that had yet to fade from Yan Song’s face, he gained a rough understanding as to what had happened. He found it satisfying. In the past few days, he had been holding banquets and inviting Yan Song, but all this shitty protector did was look down on him. The protector finally knew what was what now!
He put on an act and coughed twice. “Protector Yan, do you have misunderstandings with sheriff Li? As they say, it’s better to resolve grievances than to deepen them. I’ll play the host for lunch and serve as a mediator for the two of you.”
Yan Song interrupted him. “There’s no need. I have nothing to say to a dead man!”
Li Qingshan said, “Why don’t you say that again!?” He had been defeated, yet he was still so arrogant. Do you really think I won’t kill you?
Yan Song sneered, but as expected, he was no longer bold enough to keep talking. There was nothing he could do given the current circumstances.
Ye Daochan asked in surprise, “What dead man?” After hearing the whole story, he began to worry for Li Qingshan as expected.
Li Long whispered, “Qingshan, you’d better go!” He received a cold glare from Yan Song.
Li Qingshan sneered inside, Do you really think I’m done for? He said nonchalantly, “I’m about to go to Jiaping city to join the Hawkwolf Guard.”
“What!” Everyone was shocked.
“What a joke! Just with- hmph!” Yan Song sneered. Originally, he wanted to say, “Just with you.” but then he remembered that Li Qingshan truly possessed the necessary strength, so he could only sneer in contempt.
Ye Dachuan asked, “And what’s that about?”
Li Qingshan said, “The Scarlet Hawk commander, old Wang, wants me to report to Zhuo Zhibo in Jiaping city.”
Yan Song cried out, “How is that possible? You killed Feng Zhang! You’re an enemy of the Hawkwolf Guard!”
Ye Dachuan asked, “I- is that true?”
Li Qingshan took out the Black Wolf tablet and waved it around. “Feng Zhang has already been expelled from the Hawkwolf Guard. I’m basically replacing him!”
Discreetness was a wild beast lying in ambush, waiting for a critical moment to kill its prey. It was not about allowing some scoundrel to despise and look down on him. It would only lead to trouble in the end. That was not called remaining discreet. That was called stupidity. If you lowered yourself all the way to the ground, you could not blame others for treading on you. Demonstrating enough strength and might was the only consistent method for reducing trouble.
Liu Hong and Li Long looked at each other. Both of them were speechless. What kind of luck was that? Half a year ago, Li Qingshan was just a kid from the country. All he could do was face off against some scoundrel from the street. Yet now, he had already joined the fearsome Hawkwolf Guard. He was basically rising through the world.
Li Qingshan remained calm. Yan Song refused to believe it, but he was forced to believe it. After arriving in Qingyang, he had made some investigations of his own. He also knew that the person who took away Li Qingshan that day in the restaurant was the Scarlet Wolf commander, Hua Chengzan, taking Feng Zhang and him to see Wang Pushi.
He simply could not understand why the two of them would come to such a horrible place. However, the outcome was very clear. In the end, Li Qingshan returned, while Feng Zhang died from an unnatural death. The two of them did not help their own subordinate, Feng Zhang. The reason for this was definitely thought-provoking, but it was very clear now.
Wang Pushi had actually expelled Feng Zhang on the spot, and Li Qingshan was actually bold enough to call Wang Pushi ‘old Wang’. Did he have some kind of relationship with Wang Pushi? When he looked at Li Qingshan, his gaze at him had already changed.
Originally, he thought that even if the Hawkwolf Guard would not search for Li Qingshan, he would still have to come up with a way to seek revenge. However, he could not help but dismiss this thought now. In this world, only the Hawkwolf Guard dealt retribution to others. There was no one bold enough to deal retribution to the Hawkwolf Guard.
After further thought, he regretted his rash actions. Li Qingshan was so young, yet he was already so strong. Moreover, he could survive in the face of such danger. There might have been someone backing him. How could he actually treat him as an ordinary kid?
“That’s fantastic!” Ye Dachuan was overjoyed. “I was originally worried that you couldn’t go to Jiaping, but we can go together now.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m still considering whether to go or not.”
Ye Dachuan said, “Why wouldn’t you go? Joining the Hawkwolf Guard is awesome. You don’t even need to pay the entry fee when you go to brothels or gambling parlours.”
Li Qingshan sweated slightly. Is this the benefit that comes with joining the Hawkwolf Guard? If old Wang was present, he’d probably kill you with a swing of his baton.
Ye Dachuan said, “It’s not early. Come, come, come. Let’s talk and eat.”
Liu Hong would never let Ye Dachuan make the arrangements. He had already made his disciples prepare everything. Yan Song’s expression changed several times, but he eventually sat down as well. He no longer said anything along the lines of ‘I have nothing to say to a dead man.’
Afterwards, under the mediation of Ye Dachuan and Liu Hong, Yan Song drank a few cups of alcohol and used the tipsiness to set up a situation for himself. He clinked cups with Li Qingshan and said awkwardly, “Y- young hero Li…” He no longer pursued the matter regarding hall chief Wu. Even their main branch leader would scold him for offending a Hawkwolf Guard over a single hall chief.
Li QIngshan smiled. “Protector Yan, I’ve offended you earlier. I’ll drink three cups in atonement to you.” He finished off his current cup before drinking another three. There was no reason to, nor did he want to develop grievances with others. If he could resolve it, it would obviously be for the best.
There were a series of praises from the table, and Yan Song’s complexion improved drastically.
Liu Hong said, “We’re all people of the jianghu, and we all have short tempers. There’s nothing strange about getting into conflict, but it’s just like what they say, it’s better to resolve grievances than to develop them. You’ll never get to know each other unless there are disagreements, right? With an additional friend comes an additional path, while an additional foe leads to an additional wall. I’ve lived for so long. My martial arts are nothing special, but that’s what I’ve relied on to live until now.”
Ye Dachuan added, “Yeah, yeah, yeah! It’s just like that!” He secretly praised Li Qingshan for knowing when to stop. He knew how to use his strength, but he did not harass those weaker than him. His conduct did not make him seem like a sixteen-year-old at all.
Both of them were experienced. They were both great at leading the atmosphere. With Li Qingshan’s apology, the atmosphere mellowed out as they talked to one another. Yan Song asked Li Qingshan about his relationship with Wang Pushi shamelessly. This was also something that everyone else was curious about, so they all fell quiet, only looking at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan did not want to strut about in borrowed plumes. “So this old Wang is called Wang Pushi. I’m not close with him.”
Everyone became disappointed, but Yan Song refused to believe it. Wang Pushi doesn’t know you, yet he treated you like this, expelling Feng Zhang for you?
As a result, he asked again, “Even in the Clear River city, the two of them usually never show themselves, so what brought them to Qingyang city?”
Li Qingshan did not try to hide anything. He roughly explained the matter regarding Gu Yanying, but he avoided the topics of the Dark Queen and the cat daemon.
“White Hawk commander! Bodhi Brew!” Yan Song gulped. To him, that was a figure of the legends. Both her strength and authority had reached a level he could not even begin to imagine. And, there had been the renowned Bodhi Brew as well. Only their main branch leader was fortunate enough to drink a cup of it. Many of his suspicions were completely dispelled now. He could totally imagine just how furious he would be if he tried to suck up to the main branch leader, yet an insensible subordinate dragged him down instead.
“You’ve caught commander Gu’s attention! Qingshan, your future is limitless!” His resentment and discontent from being slapped in the face earlier immediately vanished. When he looked at Li Qingshan now, there was even some respect in his eyes.
He was like a small bureaucrat who had heard that a fellow bureaucrat had met the leader of the country and even conversed warmly with him. Consequently, he was unable to help himself but to develop feelings of respect and admiration. There was no point clinging to these small grievances anymore.
“Perhaps!” Li Qingshan discovered that the entire Iron Fist school, regardless of status, knew how to handle situations very well. However, his feelings were rather mixed. That extraordinarily carefree woman in clothes even whiter than snow had only invited him to a cup of alcohol, yet it could completely change how an innate master treated him. It also made him realise the difference that existed between the two of them.
Ye Dachuan gasped. “That’s the three major pillars of the Ruyi commandery!” He had spent most of his life in Clear River city. Although he possessed neither intellect nor martial might, he was very familiar with the rumors and gossip on the streets.
Li Qingshan asked out of curiosity, “What do you mean by the three major pillars of the Ruyi commandery?”
Yan Song said, “The Marquis of Ruyi Jiang Fu, the White Hawk commander Gu Yanying, and the great general Han Anguo. They come from the schools of Confucianism, Legalism, and the Military respectively. Jiang Fu handles the government affairs, leading the nine prefectures. Gu Yanying leads the Hawkwolf Guard, responsible for upholding the law. Han Anguo controls the army of the Han family and the military power. Every single one of them is a figure of utmost authority. On the streets, they’re known as the three pillars of the Ruyi commandery. I’ve heard that out of them, commander Gu is the most renowned.”
Ye Dachuan said, “Even if you ignore their backgrounds, the Hawkwolf Guard is responsible for monitoring the army and the officials. This commander Gu is also the last person that people are willing to offend. Li Qingshan, seeing how you received preferential treatment from her, you can rise up in a single stroke immediately.”
Li Qingshan silently remembered this information. As it turned out, the Hawkwolf Guard originated from the school of Legalism. The two from the schools of Confucianism and the Military probably were not a mere scholar or soldier either. How could they be ordinary if they stood on par with Gu Yanying? The depth of the world truly was unfathomable. But of course, most people would never get the chance to come into contact with any of these three in their entire lives.
At the same time, he felt like his decision to reconcile with Yan Song could not be more correct. Although an additional friend would not always lead to an additional path, he definitely knew many things that Li Qingshan did not since Yan Song came from the Clear River city. News was extremely important to Li Qingshan. It would even influence his decision on whether to go to Jiaping city or not.
Afterwards, he learnt from Ye Dachuan that aside from the three major pillars of the Ruyi commandery, the Clear River prefecture had three minor pillars as well. They were the prefect of Clear River, the Scarlet Hawk commander and the general of Clear River.
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Chapter 106 – The Ten Layers of Qi Practitioners
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Chapter 106 – The Ten Layers of Qi Practitioners
Li Qingshan gained a better understanding of the structure of the government. This should have been the separation of powers! Although it seemed very rough, the encompassing area they had to govern was simply too large, so it was impossible for them to have any finer methods of governance.
Out of them, the Hawkwolf Guard resembled the imperial guards and two bureaus of the Ming dynasty1. Their authority even seemed slightly greater than that. Li Qingshan could not help but say, “So the Hawkwolf Guard is quite impressive.”
Ye Dachuan said, “Yeah, so don’t hesitate anymore. A great future is awaiting you.”
Yan Song said, “And indulging yourself for free is not even the main point. It’s not like you lack the money to do that. You don’t seem like the person who would indulge in power and influence either, Qingshan. However, the Hawkwolf Guard has many spiritual artifacts, spiritual stones, pills, medicines, and cultivation methods. There’s probably not a single Qi Practitioner who wouldn’t be interested in that.”
Li Qingshan said, “Qi Practitioner? Then what are these innate masters all about?”
Li Qingshan asked with an open mind, and Yan Song gradually eased up. He was willing to serve as a guiding lantern for him. Moreover, these matters were all common knowledge in the first place.
As it turned out, there were extremely few people in this world who could practise true qi right from the beginning. These people were Qi Practitioners. However, the demand for talent to become a Qi Practitioner was extremely high, so most people did not take this path. Instead, there was another path available, which was cultivating inner force. Inner force basically had no strict demands on talent. As long as someone was not an idiot and was willing to put in the effort, basically anyone could develop inner force.
The internal martial arts that ordinary people practised were equivalent to simplified versions of qi practising methods, lowering the need for talent and making it easier to achieve. As a result, basically everyone could practise it. However, the inner force developed through this process would never be as great as true qi. And, as they never truly opened their meridians, the inner force would be restricted to the meridians; it could not nourish the organs or be released externally.
However, as long as they cultivated their inner force to the limit and subsequently broke through, they could convert it into true qi and become a Qi Practitioner, which was commonly known as innate masters.
The path of practising qi was divided into ten layers.
And, it was not as rough as the first-rate, second-rate, and third-rate divisions of the jianghu. Sometimes, it would be very difficult to distinguish if a person was at the first-rate or the second-rate because the martial arts they practised were different, so their abilities would differ drastically. The paths they took differed as well.
However, regardless of the cultivation method, the path of practising qi was about opening the eight extraordinary meridian channels, which were the Yang Heel meridian, the Yin Heel meridian, the Yang Linking meridian, the Yin Linking meridian, the Girdle meridian, the Penetrating meridian, the Conception meridian, and the Governing meridian.
The eight extraordinary meridians did not directly connect to the internal organs, nor did they link the outside with the inside, which was why they were called the extraordinary meridians. Every single one of them covered the entire body, connecting several major acupoints. With each one opened, their true qi would grow slightly stronger, and that was a layer. Completely opening all eight extraordinary meridians would be reaching the ninth layer.
Reaching the tenth layer would be even more difficult. It required the complete opening of the twelve standard meridians, which were the three yin meridians of the arm, the three yang meridians of the arm, the three yin meridians of the leg, and the three yang meridians of the leg. These twelve standard meridians criss-crossed with one another, linking the hands and feet to the internal organs and five elements. It was extremely easy to suffer from qi deviation and injure the organs, but once one broke through, they would be able to reach the tenth layer, the realm of completion, reaching the peak of Qi Practitioners.
However, Li Qingshan had not opened any meridians at all, as he walked the path of a daemon, so there were completely no meridians to consider. There were countless different types of daemons that shared very few characteristics with humans. How could a snake or a bamboo possess meridians?
But when he thought up to this point, he suddenly came up with an idea. After suppressing the ox demon and tiger demon with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he was an actual human. He had recovered his original form, so was he really unable to practise qi? As it seemed, he needed to find a method of practising qi and try it. Unknowingly, he embarked on an even stranger and more unique path with that thought.
Reaching there, Yan Song even grumbled about how their status as people who started off as martial arts practitioners was just too low. After all, by the time he reached the innate realm and could practise qi, he was already quite old. Although he used the true qi he had converted from his dense inner force to open the Yang Heel meridian, breaking through to the second layer, he was unable to take another step forward. He could not open the Yin Heel meridian and break through to the third layer.
Everyone comforted him. Yan Song said, “Body Practitioners are powerful, but it’s still not the orthodox. Qingshan, you’re very young, so you must be able to reach the third layer, or even the fourth or fifth layer. If you can open your Girdle meridian and develop a sea of qi, reaching the sixth layer, you’ll be able to get promoted to a Scarlet Wolf guard and take office in the Clear River city. It’ll all be worth it if that happens.”
Yan Song was sharp-sighted. He could tell that it was impossible for Li Qingshan’s true qi to have reached the second layer. The reason why he was able to defeat him so easily was because he walked the path of a Body Practitioner. From a certain perspective, the external martial arts of the jianghu were a simplified version of Body Practitioner methods. However, Body Practitioners were the same as practitioners of external martial arts in the jianghu. They were powerful at the beginning, but they had no future. It would be very difficult to reach a higher realm, so it was not a favourable path to take.
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for your warning, protector Yan. I will keep an eye out for it in the future.” But as a daemon, it was basically impossible for him to not be a Body Practitioner.
However, with Yan Song’s explanations, he felt everything clear up drastically. He wondered what layer of Qi Practitioners he could take on when he was daemonified. Zhuo Zhibo of Jiaping city was probably around the level of a weaker Scarlet Wolf guard as a Black Hawk commander. His strength was probably around the sixth layer, having developed a sea of qi.
He had no idea which was more powerful, the sea of qi of humans or the daemon core of daemons, but they must have been around the same. Even if the daemon core was weaker, he could just run away. As a result, he made up his mind to visit Jiaping city. Similar to how the government could provide for people, the resources they could offer did interest him.
Li Qingshan then asked, “May I ask if you have any methods of practising qi, protector Yan?”
Yan Song said awkwardly, “The methods of practising qi are usually unique to various sects and schools and are not openly offered to outsiders.”
Li Qingshan also understood that his question was rather abrupt. He had just reconciled with Yan Song, and now, he wanted a method for practising qi. It really did seem rather inappropriate, so he smiled. “I’ve been rude.” He drank a cup of alcohol and no longer said anything more.
Yan Song considered it with some difficulty. “But, if you really do want it, Qingshan, I can try to see what I can do.”
Li Qingshan was overjoyed, and he toasted a few more cups to Yan Song. Ya Dachuan and Liu Hong also congratulated him for his great luck. Li Long showed great admiration and thought about how the world really was ruled with power. Li Qingshan slapped this old man in the face a few times and ended up receiving a method for practising qi in return.
After the meal, in a quiet room, Yan Song passed a method of practising qi to Li Qingshan.
The name of the method was the Innate Method of Practising Qi. There were also nine layers, but reaching the ninth layer was only equivalent to achieving the third layer of Qi Practitioner. It was not some impressive superhuman ability.
Yan Song had also explained this point to him calmly. “The Innate Method of Practising Qi is just for establishing a foundation. With your talent, Qingshan, you’ll definitely be able to find an even better method to practise in the future.”
Methods for practising qi could be described as very valuable, enough to make many people shed blood and lose their lives over one. However, they could also be described as not valuable, with this Innate Method of Practising Qi in particular. Among Qi Practitioners, basically everyone knew about it, and most of those who did not know about it had a better, stronger method for practising qi right from the beginning.
The most valuable part was not the method, but the person who could practise the method. Basically, as long as you possessed the talent to practise qi, countless people in the world would be willing to pass this basic method onto you. As long as Li Qingshan joined the Hawkwolf Guard, he could obviously receive the same method as well. Yan Song could see how Li Qingshan had great future prospects lying ahead of him, so he did not mind doing him this favour that did not cost him anything.
“Thank you, protector Yan!” Li Qingshan’s main objective right now was to see whether he could practise qi or not. The quality of the method was a lesser concern. And, such a basic method might not offer much of an increase in power, but it probably had the unique characteristic of being easy to grasp, so instead, it became the most suitable one for him.
He wondered about other things. Were all abilities and methods divided into nine layers? Currently, all of the abilities and methods he practised followed this standard. He even asked Xiao An, and his Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was the same.
Yan Song bid farewell and went back to picking disciples, leaving Li Qingshan to cultivate in the quiet room.
Calming incense burned in the room. Li Qingshan sat with his legs crossed, and his eyes closed gently as he quietly comprehended the wondrous truths of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
He had experience with practising qi. He even managed to develop true qi of quite some strength, but it was all for the sake of converting it into daemon qi, turning him into a daemon in the end. It was not a proper method of practising qi.
Only now did he truly come into contact with a human Qi Practitioner’s cultivation method for the first time. After comprehending it slightly, he discovered that it was much easier than the abilities that the black ox had taught him. In particular, the first three layers did not require any meridians at all. It was all about how to gather true qi.
It was just like a high schooler taking the classes of a primary school, completing the exercises of a primary school student’s physical education class. It was extremely easy. In under two hours, Li Qingshan refined a new strand of true qi, which only demonstrated his talent once again. At least he had the right to practise qi. If he was born in Clear River city, he probably would have been accepted as a disciple by someone a long time ago, embarking on the path of a Qi Practitioner.
However, before he could even celebrate, the daemon core sucked in the strand of true qi and converted it into daemon qi.
Li Qingshan could not help but become dumbfounded. Was he wrong? Afterwards, he began practising the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. With an unwavering mind, he absorbed the spiritual qi of the world, and after six whole hours, the daemon qi in the daemon core approached a state of saturation. Of course, even if he practised for another sixty hours, it was impossible to actually saturate the daemon core with daemon qi.
Li Qingshan practised the Innate Method of Practicing Qi again and condensed true qi. It was swallowed by the daemon core again, converted into daemon qi, but a portion was left behind for him. However, this still made him ravish with joy. It proved that his thoughts and choice were correct. He really could practise qi like a human.
The sky gradually darkened. Li Qingshan persevered with his cultivation, gradually gathering true qi bit by bit through great difficulty. He was like a labourer working under the cruel exploitation of a bourgeoisie, where most of his hard work and fruits of labour would be deprived from him.
Of course, this bourgeoisie was actually Li Qingshan himself. None of his efforts went to waste.
During this time, Li Long had come to knock, inviting him to eat. However, Li Qingshan was completely submerged in this masochistic form of cultivation, possessing no other interests and was unaware of anything else.
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1. The imperial guards and the two bureaus were a series of secret police active during the Ming dynasty. They were the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Eastern Bureau, and Western Bureau respectively. The former two managed to grow to great power before collapsing with the Ming dynasty.
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Chapter 107 – The Sumeru Ring
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Chapter 107 – The Sumeru Ring
Liu Hong said, “Qingshan is cultivating. Don’t disturb him!”
Yan Song said, “Little Long, you have to work hard on martial arts as well. Although you don’t have the talent to directly become a Qi Practitioner, you just need to break through to the innate realm, and your inner force can be converted into true qi. You’ll break through to the second layer with great ease. You won’t be worse than anyone else.”
Li Qingshan had finished hall chief Wu, so Liu Hong asked Yan Song to take Li Long to Clear River city. He would head to the main branch of the Iron Fist school to learn martial arts. If it were not for that, Liu Hong would never have gone to such great lengths to suck up to Yan Song.
Li Long said with respect and caution, “Yes, protector!”
The three of them gazed at the door of the quiet room. They were all thinking different things.
With the crow of a rooster, the day lit up again. Only after an entire night did Li Qingshan open his eyes. He silently sensed the true qi flowing through his body as he felt relief. He had finally achieved the first layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
This did not mean he could complete the cultivation method with great ease. Any cultivation method would grow in difficulty as one progressed. The amount of time and energy it would take would increase exponentially.
It was a pity that he had consumed all the unknown spiritual pills Xuanyue gave him back then. Otherwise, he was confident that even a single pill would have been enough for him to complete the first three layers of the Innate Method of Practising Qi. It might even be enough to open the Yang Heel meridian, allowing him to break through to the second layer.
The path of cultivation remained closely attached to the four words of wealth, companionship, method, and environment. Wealth ranked first, but the wealth here was not referring to gold and silver, but spiritual medicines and herbs. Regardless of the ability or cultivation method, they were all basically a process of gathering spiritual qi. If he wanted to practise martial arts, then he needed to be well-fed. If he wanted to cultivate, then he needed to ingest qi. The products of external alchemy would provide essential assistance.
Although a person’s talent and comprehension were very important, it was impossible for one to achieve instantaneous enlightenment and immediately make drastic progress unless they had spent a lot of time building up their foundations beforehand.
However, even the puny true qi was of great importance to him. He took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and channeled true qi into it. As expected, the spiritual artifact accepted the true qi. Although it failed to even launch a stroke in the end, it was still great motivation for him.
This meant that he could activate and use the talismans on him. The greatest difference between humans and animals was the ability to create and use tools. Daemons strengthened themselves, while humans relied on tools. They could not directly absorb spiritual qi from the world, so they refined pills and medicines. They did not have powerful bodies, so they created spiritual artifacts and talismans.
This was the formidable aspect of humans. Li Qingshan had to take advantage of this as much as possible. And, if he wanted to open the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring, he needed this power as well. He meditated again and recovered his depleted true qi.
He fished out the ring and wore it on his finger, channeling true qi into it. Although he knew it was basically impossible for him to open it, it was still worth a try.
True qi flowed into the ring like water, circling through it before flowing back into Li Qingshan’s body. Obviously, the ring showed no signs of opening. However, to his astonishment, most of the true qi he had produced after so much difficulty vanished in the blink of an eye. It had not been depleted like when he channelled it into the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, which he could still recover. Instead, it had cost him progress.
He had been forced out of the first layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi again. However, the remaining true qi became extremely pure and clear; it was like a great, muddy river turning into a clear stream. Although the quantity had decreased, the quality had increased significantly. It circulated at a much swifter rate as well.
The more impure one’s true qi was, the more difficult it was to break through. True qi of greater impurity made it very easy to get caught on bottlenecks. Many Qi Practitioners would have to be patient with bottle necks, gradually refining their true qi like they were hammering metal. However, the sumeru ring directly helped him change his crude iron into fine steel, saving some time and effort. This was a treasure that countless Qi Practitioners or even cultivators of higher realms could only dream of.
Li Qingshan had never thought the sumeru ring would have such a use aside from storing items.
But was this good news? Li Qingshan instead smiled bitterly. Had it been easy for him to refine that little bit of true qi? His daemon core would swallow most of the true qi, which the ring would subsequently refine. It was an utter nuisance. He felt like he had laboured for several decades, only to return to the times before the War of Liberation.1
Li Qingshan sighed heavily. He knew that this was the correct choice. If he spent a little more time now, he would be able to save a lot of time later. Most people did not spend most of their time on cultivation; rather, they became stuck at bottlenecks, unable to advance any further.
For example, protector Yan had reached the second layer a long, long time ago, but he could not break through to the third layer no matter what he tried. He was stuck there. Over all these years, he naturally wanted to refine his true qi, but he was helpless. His true qi that had been converted from inner force was just too impure.
Li Qingshan closed his eyes and began cultivating once again. However, he did not remove the ring this time.
Yan Song had already picked the disciples and was ready to leave, but even after waiting till the dead of the night, he did not see Li Qingshan emerge. Even when they knocked a few times, no one answered.
Liu Hong said, “Perhaps something has happened?” However, he was wondering inside whether protector Yan had purposefully given Li Qingshan a method of practising qi with issues that would make him suffer from qi deviation.
Yan Song frowned. He did not know what was happening either. If it were not for Li Qingshan’s extremely long and steady breathing within the room, he basically would have suspected that Li Qingshan had died from qi deviation.
Practising qi was similar to doing anything else. It was about a combination of work and rest, knowing when to cultivate and when to rest. It was not about just wasting away time, or there would be no benefits at all, only detriments.
He did not warn Li Qingshan about this, as he should have been able to understand such a matter as he cultivated. As time went on, the effects of practising qi would grow weaker and weaker, while his mind should have become more and more exhausted. Moreover, true qi was extracted from the vitality of the human body, which needed replenishing through food and drink. Otherwise, he would be creating something from nothing.
Li Qingshan encountered a similar issue, but he just switched to the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Spirit turtles could sink into the depths of the seas and sleep for millennia while absorbing and releasing spiritual qi of the world. To Li Qingshan, meditation was not something that exhausted him. Instead, it was more like sleeping and resting.
With a thought, he switched back to the Innate Method of Practising Qi. In the beginning, the process was extremely difficult, and he would leave his state of meditation with the slightest bit of carelessness, pausing his cultivation of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. However, he gradually grasped the trick and made the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression into an automatic behaviour; it became like breathing for a sleeping person. This had nothing to do with Li Qingshan’s intelligence. Instead, the ability was simply too profound, much more than what he could imagine.
Afterwards, he would practise the Innate Method of Practising Qi in this state of semi-consciousness, using both a human and a daemon’s method at the same time.
Li Qingshan discovered that the daemon core would not be as greedy as before under such a state, saving him much more of his fruits of labour.
In this state, his rate of practising the Innate Method of Practising Qi reached an unprecedented high as well. His vitality was extremely powerful. Going several days without food or drink posed no problem to him at all.
For three whole days and nights, Li Qingshan did not sleep, rest, eat, or drink. He was completely submerged in cultivation. Finally, when he opened his eyes again, he had forcefully pushed his way back to the first layer with the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
He exhaled deeply as he felt pangs of hunger. He took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy again and channeled the extremely pure true qi into it. Before his true qi had even run out, a calligraphy stroke lit up, and a strand of sword qi shot out.
Earlier, his actions were akin to tossing moist, green wood into a furnace. As such, he struggled to even light a fire. However, what he used now was high quality charcoal, which was extremely easy to set alight and could also provide large amounts of heat.
The two disciples of the Iron Fist school that guarded the entrance suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They looked at each other. “Don’t you feel a bit cold?” “I really do a little. So much for summer.”
Li Qingshan stowed away the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and took off the sumeru ring, hanging it around his neck again before standing up. He opened the door, and the sunlight dazzled him.
“Young hero Li, you’ve finally emerged!” one of the disciples said while the other went to report the news.
Before long, Yan Song and Liu Hong had arrived.
Liu Hong said, “Qingshan, you’ve emerged? I even thought something had happened to you. There were almost a few times when I wanted to burst through the door.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Apologies. The cultivation method from protector Yan was just too profound. I got carried away with comprehending it, and I forgot about the time.”
Protector Yan said, “Were you really practising qi? What layer did you reach?”
Li Qingshan said, “I just reached the first layer.”
Yan Song said, “That’s not slow at all.” However, it definitely was not fast either. The first layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi was the easiest. He had personally witnessed talented children complete the first layer within two hours. Obviously, Li Qingshan was not fast.
However, spending three days on practising qi in a single sitting during one’s first time was unheard of.
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve made you all wait. We can set off now!”
Liu Hong took out a wad of silver notes and gave it to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan had originally come to collect his debt after all.
Li Qingshan said, “School master Liu, you’ll be looking down on me if you do that. Protector Yan has been so generous, so how can I be stingy? Let’s not mention the matter of money again.” He never liked to owe anyone anything. Only when he was debt-free could he find peace. Although the Innate Method of Practising Qi was nothing outstanding, it was extremely important to him. Even just getting his hands on it earlier than usual was better than nothing.
Liu Hong was delighted. Obviously, he could not make Yan Song return the money he had given to him. That was his savings for retirement.
Yan Song developed a good opinion of him as well, turning down a sum of over ten thousand taels of silver casually like it was nothing. It would be nothing surprising if he came from a wealthy clan, but he was a teenager from the mountains, so such an attitude was very rare. This child has been born with extraordinary magnanimity. It’s no wonder that people would appreciate him.
Only after a series of declinations out of courtesy did Li Qingshan accept two thousand taels to cover travelling expenses.
When Li Qingshan arrived outside the Iron Fist school, all he saw and heard were a series of deafening drums and firecrackers where it was normally cold and cheerless. There were even lions and dragon dancers that completely crowded the surroundings of the Iron Fist school.
Four children with red eyes were delivered before Yan Song. They were the children that he had picked. They had the opportunity to leave this tiny Qingyang city and enter an even vaster world, but they would have to leave their homeland and their relatives.
Li Qingshan watched on from one side with folded arms. Suddenly, he heard someone call out his name. Turning around, he saw village head Li and caretaker Liu in the crowd as well. Beside them were the two brothers, Li Hu and Li Bao, and behind them were a few people from the Crouching Ox village.
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1. The War of Liberation refers to the Chinese Communist Revolution. In the period before this, there was basically severe inequality in the region, so many people spent their lives toiling about, barely making a living. Meanwhile, the rich only grew richer.
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Chapter 108 – Homeland Far Away From Home
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Chapter 108 – Homeland Far Away From Home
Li Qingshan said, “Are you here to send off Li Long?”
Caretaker Liu said, “F- for you as well. Er- Qingshan. You really have achieved success. I hope you can forget about what happened in the past.” The current Li Qingshan was an indomitable figure of importance in his eyes. Even when caretaker Liu spoke, he struggled to string words together.
The other villagers came up to congratulate him. They even carried their own produce, which all of them shoved into Li Qingshan’s hands.
Looking at these familiar faces, Li Qingshan became filled with emotions, actually momentarily forgetting how to respond. Ever since he was born, he had been constantly longing to leave the Crouching Ox village, but all of a sudden, every single house and every single strand of grass from the village seemed to flash past his eyes vividly.
At that moment, the deep well that had trapped him for over a decade that he had constantly wanted to leave, the mud and lichen that he found disgusting, all seemed so familiar. Village head Li hugged Li Long as tears streamed down his face. The surroundings were in a noisy clamour, but everything suddenly fell silent when it reached Li Qingshan’s ears.
Li Qingshan even discovered his big brother and his sister-in-law among the crowd. They were both jittery, cowering from the wealthy people of the city. They looked at Li Qingshan, wanting to come up to say something, yet too afraid to approach him. At that moment, they were filled with regret. If they had not fallen out with Li Qingshan, who knows how much glory they would have received because of him. They saw Li Qingshan look at them, and rays of hope erupted in their eyes.
However, Li Qingshan immediately shifted his gaze. What should be severed had already been severed. They could not cry over spilt milk. It was not that he could not forgive them, but because they were already worlds apart now. Moreover, they failed to understand that there was an even higher chance for them to be targeted and subsequently killed compared to wealthy people simply by being his relatives.
Yan Song passed an order, and everyone parted to the two sides. A large, horse-drawn carriage rushed over. Both horses were extremely well-groomed.
Li Qingshan, protector Yan, Li Long, and the four children boarded the carriage together. The carriage moved slowly, stopping in front of the government office. Ye Dachuan and the advisor boarded the carriage in delight. With the protection of these masters, it would be impossible for them to come across any danger along the way.
Li Qingshan saw the item in Ye Dachuan’s hands. His eyes lit up. “The Stone Splitter bow!” He had left this bow in his courtyard within Qingyang city. He had gone back and taken a look as soon as he returned, but the courtyard had already been cleaned, and someone new had moved in. Obviously, he had no idea where the Stone Splitter bow had gone, and he did not try to look for it either. He never thought it would be in Ye Dachuan’s hands. He tugged the bow gently with his index figure, and he managed to draw it with great ease. With his current strength, even firing a hundred arrows consecutively with this bow would pose no problem.
In a pavilion five kilometers from the city, Li Qingshan saw the master of the Stone Splitter bow once again.
Huang Binghu said, “Congratulations, Qingshan, on making progress with your strength yet again.” He discovered that he could no longer see through this teenager anymore. However, he was very well-informed as well. The only person who could defeat an innate master in an open confrontation was another innate master. He had achieved the goal he stated in the past, and he only used a few months.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Hunting chief, you haven’t wasted any time either.” He could tell that Huang Binghu was extremely close to the level of first-rate masters now. After a few toasts of farewell, he set off again. Finally, Qingyang city completely vanished behind him. It was no longer visible.
Li Qingshan said to himself inside, Farewell, my homeland!
He had already thought it through; whether it be dying and becoming part of the dirt or soaring through the sky, he would never return again. From today onwards, wherever he was would be his hometown.
They travelled during the day and rested at night. After travelling through the mountains for three days, the surroundings suddenly opened up. Vast plains laid ahead of Li Qingshan.
The golden fields of wheat spanned as far as the eye could see, and the summer breeze kicked up ripples among them. Various villages and towns were interspersed among the fields, with smoke rising up into the sky. It differed from the Crouching Ox village very much.
Yan Song said, “We’ve left the boundaries of Qingyang city. If we travel for another three or five days, we’ll reach Downstream port. We’ll be able to switch to ferries and directly ride down to Jiaping city, or even the prefectural city of Clear River.”
Li Qingshan took out the map that Gu Yanying gave him. With a thought, a speck of light lit up. Downstream port was only a few dozen kilometers from their present location.
Yan Song said in surprise, “A mental map, and a mental map of the Green province at that; this is worth quite a lot. Qingshan, where did you obtain it?”
Usually, the greater the region a map covered, the less detailed it would be, while the smaller the region, the greater the detail. However, mental maps could cover thousands of kilometers and remain extremely detailed, condensing thousands of kilometers into a single square inch. Although it was only a low grade spiritual artifact, it was very valuable, let alone a mental map that spanned the entire Green province.
Li Qingshan said suddenly, “Protector Yan, sir Ye, I’ll be parting with you here!” He had already gained a rough understanding of the jianghu and this world from the two of them over the past few days. At the very least, it was information they knew, so when he travelled alone, he would no longer be completely clueless.
Ye Dachuan said, “What? Didn’t we agree on going together?”
Li Qingshan shook his head. “I plan on travelling by myself and going out for a spin. I’ve made you wait three days for nothing, so my sincerest apologies.” The reason why he chose to set off with them perhaps might have only been due to a certain fear. He was a person who had remained in a village for over a decade, but was now suddenly going to see the outside world. Such a matter was basically like entering a large city. He would always have some fear about this, even going as far as relying on these two people who were not as powerful as him, just so that they could look after one another along the way.
Every single person had an urge to roam, and urge for freedom, but when a boundless, free world was actually presented before them, every single one of them would feel fear and be left at a loss as for what to do. Li Qingshan was the same.
But now, it was time for him to throw these emotions aside. When he left the mountains and saw the vast plains, the glistening fields of wheat and the limpid, gurgling river water, the faint markings on the map all flashed across his mind. They were so beautiful and vivid, yet he had not even covered one ten-thousandth of the area depicted in the map.
They looked at each other, uncertain as to how to convince him. Suddenly, they heard Li Qingshan spread his arms and say to the vast plains, “I want to travel through all corners of the world, across the entire universe! I want to taste all of the delicacies and drink all of the finest alcohol the world has to offer! I want to practise the fiercest abilities, fight the strongest foes, and sleep with the most beautiful women! World, I’m coming! Hahahaha!”
His voice grew louder as he spoke, such that his laughter became thunderous. When he mentioned it, it did sound like a stupid declaration. Was it foolish? Perhaps. The ox that had listened to his foolish oath was no longer here, but he no longer needed to ask anyone, “Will my dream really come true?”
He did not need anyone to answer him. He did not need anyone’s recognition. And obviously, he did not care about other people’s gazes either. The answer was already in his heart.
After agreeing to rendezvous in Jiaping city, these people watched Li Qingshan’s large, tall figure travel off into the distance from the hill. As they watched him enter the golden plains, he seemed like a large child rolling through the wheat, vanishing very quickly.
Li Qingshan’s choice originally seemed rather ridiculous and childish, but in their minds, they all thought of a few phrases together. Dragons swim through the vast ocean. Tigers enter the depths of the mountains.
Li Qingshan did not follow the main path, running madly through the open fields. He arrived at a small speck on the map very soon. It was a city that was much more prosperous than Qingyang city. He did not bother to remember its name. Instead, he directly rushed to their largest establishment and ordered a table of the best food. Every single dish was a local specialty. He had not seen or even heard about many of them before. Every single jar he ordered was fine, aged alcohol of twenty years. Although they were not as great as the spiritual alcohol, they had their own unique taste.
The shopkeeper saw how he was a major client, so he personally came to receive him, even drinking a few cups with him. He suddenly smiled. “There’s no fun in drinking alone. Young master, would you like a few beauties to accompany you?” From how Li Qingshan acted, he seemed like a wastrel who had managed to escape from his clan after quite some difficulty.
Li Qingshan was surprised at first before smiling. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I want any? I have plenty of money!” He acted like the most vulgar upstart there was.
He wanted to work hard on cultivation. He wanted to travel beyond the Nine Heavens. However, he did not plan on being an ascetic. He had sworn that he wanted to marry a woman like Gu Yanying, but before he actually took the oath of marriage with a woman, he had no plans to act like an ascetic monk.
Living in the world was not suffering. Otherwise, people would be better off dead. The distant dream planted seeds of hope in his heart. There was no point to turn it around against him and cause torment.
As a result, around a dozen seductively-dressed women, wonderfully adorned, sat beside him. They giggled as they spoke to him, constantly referring to him as ‘master’ or ‘young master’. They boldly extended their hands into his bosom.
At first, Li Qingshan felt rather unnatural and was teased by a few of the escorts, but he relaxed very quickly. He hugged and touched them without minding it at all, smiling from ear to ear. However, his eyes remained as clear as water the entire time; he was just like a child playing an extremely new and interesting game.
However, it was very easy for children to become bored. He did not actually plan on doing anything. It was not because he had any disdain towards these escorts, but because it was extremely easy for him to grow sick and tired of a game-like thing after having seen the almost perfect beauty of people like Gu Yanying and Xuanyue.
He did not know before, but only now did he understand the meaning of ‘When she smiled she was an extremely charming female. By comparison, all other bower maids became pale.’1
Bang!
Suddenly, someone flung open the door to the room and yelled, “Can you quieten down!?” He was a young man in expensive clothes, carrying a treasured sword and wearing a treasured head ornament. Just as the saying went, three women made quite the chatter. It was impossible for dining with a table of escorts to be quiet.
Behind the young master was a charming woman. She looked at Li Qingshan in disgust.
Li Qingshan raised a finger to his lips and let out a long hush before yawning and standing up. He casually fished out some silver notes and placed them on the table. The escorts immediately ignored him, scrambling for the silver notes.
Li Qingshan walked past the young master and studied him. The young master placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was arrogant, but he did have the power to back up his arrogance. Li Qingshan could tell that he was already an innate master, no, he should have been regarded as a talented Qi Practitioner. The woman behind him was the same. With two Qi Practitioners, they obviously had the right to look down on everyone. In their eyes, Li Qingshan was just a regular wastrel. Cutting him down with a stroke of his sword would be nothing special at all.
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1. Comes from the Song of Everlasting Sorrow, which you are welcome to read about here:
https://www.ancient.eu/article/888/song-of-everlasting-sorrow/
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Chapter 109 – Demons Come Knocking
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Chapter 109 – Demons Come Knocking
Li Qingshan said, “Please let me through!” Afterwards, he squeezed past the young master and looked deeply at the woman dressed like a scholar. He shook his head. She was a beauty. In his former life, he would struggle to make her smile even if he used everything he had. But now, his target was much higher. With the small joys of his own, private dream, he walked past her and conveniently caught a whiff of her fragrance. Dreams were the source of happiness.
The woman’s frown deepened, perhaps due to the smell of women on Li Qingshan, or perhaps due to Li Qingshan’s fearless gaze. Maybe Li Qingshan shaking his head at the end was the reason why she was so furious.
The young master wanted to draw his sword, but the woman shook her head. She allowed Li Qingshan down the stairs as she showed contempt in her eyes.
Li Qingshan did not leap up and fight back immediately like a cat that had its tail stepped on. He definitely possessed the strength, but he realised that as long as he held back momentarily, he could avoid a lot of trouble. Of course, he had not lost his temper either.
However, the person who had just evaded trouble was about to go make trouble for others now. He made his way down the stairs and shook off the smell of women on him. He wanted to try it, so he had tried it now and no longer cared about it. He knocked the jar on his waist. “Xiao An, let’s go kill some bad people!” He did not choose to part with protector Yan and the others just for the sake of hanging out with some women.
The jar thumped back in response, and Li Qingshan sniggered. He strode away, walking towards a dark alleyway. Only when he entered the darkness did he feel the gaze on him completely vanish.
“Rongzhi, what’s the matter?”
The scholar called Rongzhi said, “I saw that his steps were level and steady. He seems to have practised martial arts before.”
“He’s just a practitioner of some external martial arts at most. If you hadn’t stopped me, I definitely would have taught him a lesson.”
“He’s just someone insignificant. Even if you kill him, you’ll just dirty your hands, so what’s the point? We better eat quickly instead and travel quickly tomorrow so that we can get to Jiaping city early.”
“Yeah, it’s rare for the Hawkwolf Guard to be recruiting new members. We can’t miss this opportunity.” The man’s eyes blazed. As long as he joined the Hawkwolf Guard, he would be on a completely different level compared to the jianghu, becoming a man among men. No one could resist such a temptation, so he was determined to obtain this position.
“It probably won’t be that easy. This time, all of the masters within a range of five hundred kilometers of Jiaping city have been drawn over. There might even be third or fourth layer Qi Practitioners, and the number of places are limited as well. There’ll definitely be a tough struggle.”
“Don’t worry. With these talismans as trump cards, we’ll be able to turn the tables even if we come across powerful masters.” The man was confident. He forgot about Li Qingshan very soon. Yeah, he was just an irrelevant figure.
However, unbeknownst to them, Li Qingshan heard everything they said loudly and clearly. His auditory senses had already reached the level of daemonic beasts, so as long as he wished, he could clearly hear anything within a range of five kilometers.
The Hawkwolf Guard had actually begun recruiting people; this was probably the position that had cleared out due to Feng Zhang’s expulsion. Probably even Wang Pushi would have never imagined he would be able to survive and actually fill in the spot! Obviously, he did not care if his appearance would crush the hopes of these people. He did not have too much time to think about it right now either.
That was because a few dark, shady figures had already begun to block up the alleyway he was in. The small city was more prosperous, but there were not too many outsiders. And, there were even fewer people who attracted as much attention to themselves as Li Qingshan. The news that a teenager with a tremendous sum of money spread very quickly, and he had actually walked into this world of darkness himself. It would make no sense if he was not robbed.
Li Qingshan whispered, “We’re pretty lucky!” He knocked the jar. “It’s time to eat!”
“Hand over your money!” A person pulled out a shiny dagger, but what answered him were the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration that shone even brighter. Basically unable to let out any sounds, the people had been swallowed by the flames. Their flesh and blood turned into pure energy, becoming part of the fire.
A lantern lit up the darkness, bringing light to an old man’s dumpling stand. Although there were no customers, only moths fluttering about, he did his best to remain open.
A young man strode over and said loudly, “Senior, give me a bowl of dumplings!”
“Alrighty!” The old man began moving dexterously, and very soon, some dumplings were floating in some clear water.
“It’s so late, so why aren’t you resting? You’re elderly now, so shouldn’t you be enjoying your time in retirement?” Li Qingshan chattered casually. The old man sighed away his complaints. It was all because of his unfilial children. His wife and he had no proper source of income; this was all part of the most ordinary bleaknesses of the world.
Li Qingshan sat beside the stand, eating dumplings as he comforted the man with a smile. He actually found this much better compared to dining with escorts in a fancy restaurant. He preferred sitting in the corner of the darkness, eating simple food and talking to a weathered old man. How strange.
“Little brother, you don’t seem to be a local. Forgive me, but you better quickly return to your inn after you’re done. It’s not very safe here at night.”
Li Qingshan said, “Are there bad people?” Afterwards, he heard even more woes and grumbles. Every single place had them, procuresses who forced women into prostitution, wretched loan-sharks and jianghu gangs that harassed the weak while cowering before the strong.
Li Qingshan listened and memorised it all quietly. He casually asked for the names and addresses of these people, eating four or five bowls of dumpling as he did that. He left behind all of the silver he found on the ruffians who just tried to rob him before standing up and bidding farewell.
“T- that’s too much!” The old man astounded, but when he raised his head, Li Qingshan had already vanished. There was a night breeze. He thought about the stories of monsters and ghosts he had heard before. He decided to close up for the night immediately.
On that night, demons came knocking, upholding justice and helping the weak, ridding the cruel and bringing peace.
There were no evil abilities or techniques in the world, only evil people. If I were to kill every single bad person in the world, I would be a man of great benevolence.
Before the sun had even risen for the day, Li Qingshan had left the small city. He began practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength in a region of wilderness. He had consecutively killed over a dozen people last night. He felt at ease, throwing fists like beating drums that boomed through the air.
Xiao An sat by one side, refining the essence blood of the people. The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration constantly flowed around him, assuming various shapes such as wild beasts and venomous snakes. In the end, it actually became a lotus pedestal that lifted him up from the ground. It hovered in the wilderness, sometimes higher and sometimes lower in quite an imposing manner. Wherever it passed by, the verdant wild grass would immediately wither and die, leaving behind a trail of death on the ground.
Xiao An could kill second layer Qi Practitioners like Yan Song as easily as a piece of cake now. Li Qingshan felt both admiration and awe. He was definitely stronger than Xiao An right now, but he could not fly. However, Xiao An was still nowhere close to the level where he could rebuild his body. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was terrifyingly powerful, but it was difficult to practise. It required even more sacrifices.
Although Li Qingshan had not purposefully tried to gather money, his wealth had easily reached several tens of thousand taels after the slaughter last night. If those people were lamb-eating wolves, then he was a wolf-eating tiger. Suddenly, he discovered that to Qi Practitioners, the currency of ordinary people no longer held much significance at all, as they all possessed powers that surpassed ordinary people. Even through the most underhanded methods of stealing, they could easily gather a sum that ordinary people would struggle to accumulate through their entire lives.
To Qi Practitioners, the true treasures were spiritual pills and spiritual stones that could increase their cultivation. However, it was evident that these resources would remain in the hands of powerful organisations. Ordinary people would probably never even hear about it in their entire lives. If he wanted these items, joining the Hawkwolf Guard was the best choice.
He signalled to Xiao An and continued on the way. Regardless of day or night, he travelled and stopped whenever he wanted. He casually destroyed two or three nests of bandits, and after three days, he finally arrived before a river and stopped.
The river was Clear river, as well as where the name, Clear River prefecture, came from. It flowed for thousands of kilometers, directly to Clear River city. The river was five to ten kilometers wide. Even with his two lives combined, he had never seen such a mighty river before. Looking at the rippling, reflective water, he immediately felt his mind open up.
Li Qingshan arrived in a large town on the banks of the river. It was called Downstream town, originally developed due to the Downstream port. It was only a town, but it was much busier than Qingyang city. On a horse, he saw a sea of heads, jostling about in the streets with quite the noise. Suddenly, he thought of something. If he killed all these people, would Xiao An be able to reconstruct his body immediately? But afterwards, he shook his head. Wouldn’t he just be a mass murderer then?
There were countless vessels on the river bank as people hurried to and fro from the port. It was extremely busy, and there were obviously many ferries travelling south. Li Qingshan immediately saw huge, dragon ships of several stories high, constructed from beautifully carved beams and painted rafters. They seemed like luxurious restaurants and hotels built on water. He immediately gave up on the thought of hiring a smaller boat and boarded a large, dragon ship instead.
The room at the very top of the dragon boat offered the best views, but it was also the most expensive. It actually cost several thousand taels of silver. Obviously, Li Qingshan was not lacking silver, so after fishing out a few silver notes, the manager of the ship immediately smiled from ear to ear before ordering some maidservants to take him to the very top. Before they left, he even gave ambiguous hints for them to take care of his needs as much as possible.
The room was extremely large. Even if there were several dozen people there, they would not find it crowded. Its decor even exceeded the best establishment Li Qingshan had visited along the way here in terms of extravagancy. He opened the window and looked down at the port and Downstream town. He wondered when Yan Song and the others would arrive, but he ended up seeing two familiar figures. It was the pair he had come across in the restaurant three days ago.
“What? The top room is already booked, and we have to stay below?” The man was displeased.
The manager said awkwardly, “There’s nothing we can do. Young master, the next level down is very luxurious as well, so please just make do!” A person who could spend several taels just to board a ship obviously did not need money. Even if you offered them several tens of thousand taels to switch rooms, they would never agree to it out of pride.
The woman said, “We’ve never had the habit of making do. Please find a way, manager. Money isn’t an issue.”
The man frowned. He raised his head and saw Li Qingshan.
The man smiled with composure. “I’ll go talk to him myself.” The woman hesitated slightly before nodding. Although she did not want to make trouble, she disliked staying in a lower cabin even more; that would mean staying right under other people’s feet. She hoped this teenager could be sensible. If he was not sensible, then he would have to suffer a little and understand the dangers of society.
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Chapter 110 – Countering a Night Attack
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Chapter 110 – Countering a Night Attack
As a result, the two of them appeared before Li Qingshan once again. The man cut straight to the chase, tossing a wad of silver notes before Li Qingshan. “Take the money and go downstairs!”
Li Qingshan slapped the wad of notes back into the man’s hand. “You’d better ask someone else instead!”
The woman stopped the man who wanted to lose his temper. She introduced with a smile. “I’m Qian Rongzhi. This is my elder brother, Qian Rongming.”
The manager interrupted them in shock. “Are you perhaps from the Qian family of Ancient Wind city?” Ancient Wind city was a relatively larger city. The manager was a person who travelled around on ship, so it was impossible for him to not have heard about the great clan that could produce Qi Practitioners.
Qian Rongming snorted proudly, while Qian Rongzhi nodded in a reserved manner. She continued towards Li Qingshan, “I’d advise you to accept it. When my elder brother loses his temper, he ends up killing people.” Since they came from a large clan, they had to take the image of the clan into consideration. They could not afford to lose their bearing at any times, and she preferred scaring away the enemy instead of fighting straight away.
Li Qingshan crossed his arms. “Really? That’s something I’d like to see actually.” This was the second they had come for him. There was a limit to his patience.
Qian Rongzhi’s expression changed slightly. Originating from a large clan, she was born with the talent to practise qi. Moreover, she was beautiful, claiming the title of greatest beauty of Ancient Wind city. She could be described as a woman of influence and talent. Since she was young, everything she mentioned would end up happening one way or another. In particular, those stinky men were willing to toil about like beasts of burden for her. She had never been turned down before. Compared to the patience she showed on the surface, the arrogance in her bones even exceeded her elder brother, Qian Rongming. She said coldly, “You’ll be refusing a toast only to be drinking a forfeit.”
“I like drinking, so I welcome both toasts and forfeits!” Li Qingshan looked at her face seriously, wanting to see how a young lady from a large clan would react. It was as if he was watching some kind of show.
Qian Rongzhi sighed deeply and took a step back. She said nonchalantly, “To think that a person of the jianghu who has just practised some external martial arts would be bold enough to be unreasonable to Qi Practitioners. You’re as reckless as they come. Even if you remain alive, it’s redundant for idiots like you. Killing a few won’t matter at all.”
Qian Rongming smiled viciously and took a step forward. The manager sighed. He had already prepared people to collect the corpse. Confronting the people of the Qian family was far too foolish of a choice.
“What Qian family of Ancient Wind city? Are you supposed to be very impressive?”
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out. Everyone looked over and saw a man in his thirties emerge from his cabin. He was not tall and had a dark-skinned face with a pair of upward-slanting eyes. He looked over in contempt.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Qian Rongming was furious as he walked over, but he was stopped by Qian Rongzhi once again. She looked over cautiously. “May I ask who you are, sir? And what do you plan on doing?”
Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. It was another Qi Practitioner, and one that had reached the third layer. It was no wonder that he was bold enough to look down on the second layer siblings.
The man with a darker skin tone mocked them. “If it’s just the two of you, you’re nowhere close to joining the Hawkwolf Guard. Why would you waste time going to Jiaping city? You’d better get off the ship and go home quickly!”
Only now did Li Qingshan understand that this person was not standing up for him, but because the positions open in the Hawkwolf Guard were limited. He managed to read the siblings’ purpose of travelling, which was why he had come to launch a verbal blow against them.
Qian Rongming and Qian Rongzhi looked at each other. Although the difference between their strength was a whole layer, they might still have a chance if they worked together. However, they would definitely use up their precious talismans and lose their opportunity to contend for a position in the Hawkwolf Guard.
“Just you wait.” After a moment of hesitation, they threw behind a threat before leaving in a hurry. However, those words were not solely directed to the small, skinny man. They also glared at Li Qingshan viciously.
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for helping me out. May I ask for your name?”
“Kid, you better not think that you can fool around just because you have a bit of money. There are far too many people you can’t afford to provoke in this world. I’d advise you to leave the ship as soon as possible!” The man said coldly before slamming his door shut.
Li Qingshan shrugged; this was just how weaker people were treated.
The ship moved slowly. It steadily broke through the waves on the river, moving with the flow and gliding towards Jiaping city.
There were just a few cabins at the very top of the ship, and all of their doors were firmly shut. Only Li Qingshan paced around on the deck, admiring the scenery from the two banks. With too much to see, he immediately put the incident from before to the side.
Night descended on the ship. Currently, Li Qingshan was meditating and practising in his room. Right now, he possessed four cultivation methods, the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, and the Innate Method of Practising Qi. All of them had nine layers, and he had attained the first layer with every single one of them. The former three were daemon abilities, which would become more difficult the more progress he made. The amount of time they would consume with each subsequent layer would multiply as well.
Instead, he made much more rapid progress with the Innate Method of Practising Qi, as it was the lowest grade and was a human cultivation method. In order to obtain the items in the sumeru ring, Li Qingshan had devoted great effort into practising this technique as well. With his powerful body, the rate at which he refined his vitality into qi was startling. After just a few days, he was close to the second layer.
Xiao An did not practise. Instead, he crouched in a corner of the room, holding and reading a book. There were two bookshelves in the room, which held many books of songs and poetry for leisure, as well as some common buddhist scriptures and books from the daoist canon. Xiao An was reading a buddhist scripture.
Although the eminent monk who tried to attain the fruit of bodhisattva fell into the demonic path, and the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was also an ability of the demonic path, its essence still originated from the buddhist dharma. Naturally, Xiao An had to comprehend it. The blood-red flames in his eye sockets illuminated the words of the book, forming a rather strange sight. Suddenly, he raised his head.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes as well, looking at the door. They had both sensed it. One of them used their senses towards living creatures, while the other used their powerful senses as a daemon.
A figure silently made it to the highest floor of the ship, arriving outside Li Qingshan’s eyes. Killing intent shone in his eyes.
Qian Rongming believed he had not produced any sounds or given off any aura at all. Obviously, he was not worrying about Li Qingshan. Instead, he was guarding himself from the neighbouring Qi Practitioner. He only wanted to kill Li Qingshan tonight. He thought viciously inside, I should have killed him the first time I saw him.
As for the Qi Practitioner next door, he had already come up with a plan to deal with him. When they sparred to become a member of the Hawkwolf Guard, he would definitely use his trump card against him to show him what was what. Alternatively, he could become a member of the Hawkwolf Guard, and there would be no need to hurry his revenge if that happened.
The heart of the dark-skinned man neighbouring Li Qingshan skipped a beat as well. He also sensed Qian Rongming. However, he had no plans to interfere. In his eyes, Li Qingshan was just someone insignificant, and he had blindly confronted a Qi Practitioner, ignoring his warning. Even if such a person died, he would have deserved it.
He considered if he could derive any benefit from this issue, killing Qian Rongming while he was alone. The people of the Qian family from Ancient Wind city should possess some good things on them. Afterwards, he could go down and kill Qian Rongzhi, which would increase his chances at joining the Hawkwolf Guard. His lips curled into a smile as he stood up silently.
The door opened by a crack, and Qian Rongming entered in a flash. He saw Li Qingshan on the bed and raised his right hand, Utilising his true qi, he delivered a palm strike, resulting in a soft thump. Qian Rongming smiled in delight.
“What are you smiling about?” Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes and red light shone in them.
Qian Rongming was shocked inside. His muscles seized up. He wanted to follow up with another attack, but his body slackened again. He gazed at his chest in disbelief. A sword had pierced his heart.
He was unable to believe that someone had dealt a sneak attack to him. Even more terrifyingly, he had yet to feel the existence of anyone behind him even right now. It was impossible for them to have no presence at all, unless they did not breathe or have a beating heart. Afterwards, he turned around with difficulty; the last sight of his life was a skeleton with rolling flames in its eye sockets. The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration permeated his body and converted him into a part of it.
This was not because Qian Rongming was far too weak or far too careless, but because Xiao An’s current strength was on par with third or fourth layer Qi Practitioners. Before absolute strength combined with a sneak attack, it would be strange if he had not been slain in a single stroke.
Li Qingshan sighed slightly. “It was just a slight disagreement, so why must you go as far as to try to kill me? Were you far too haughty, or was I far too discreet?” Even back then on that day in the restaurant, Li Qingshan possessed the strength to kill this person. However, Li Qingshan did not attack him; it was not because he was afraid of trouble, but because he did not want to kill indiscriminately. He would only be a ruffian if he attacked and killed over the slightest disagreement. When he killed, he wanted a good reason for doing so. However, others might have different thoughts. Perhaps in their eyes, everyone really were ants, to be squished whenever they felt like it.
He casually searched through his spoils, but he failed to find any talismans or pills like he had been expecting. All he found was a black, embroidered pouch, which seemed rather familiar. It was very worn out and dim, where even many of the stitches had broken. It formed quite the contrast for appearing on a young master like Qian Rongming.
With a thought, Li Qingshan channeled his feeble spiritual qi into the embroidered pouch, and suddenly, a wondrous space opened up in his mind. It seemed like he was looking into a small, virtual box that held all sorts of things.
There were obviously plenty of silver notes, as well as a few small bottles and talismans. With a thought, the items inside appeared in his hand.
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. As it turned out, this was the legendary hundred treasures pouch. In the past few days, he had asked Yan Song many things about the common knowledge of Qi Practitioners. He learned that sumeru rings were items that only truly powerful cultivators could use, and these rings possessed extremely vast spaces. As for just how vast, Yan Song had only heard about it before. He had never seen one with his own eyes. It was rare for regular Qi Practitioners to even possess a hundred treasures pouch.
The reason why he found this embroidered pouch familiar was because he had seen one the Scarlet Hawk commander, Wang Pushi, before. However, Wang Pushi’s hundred treasures pouch was much more impressive than this, and it must have had a much larger storage space as well. Without much thought, he knew Qian Rongming’s hundred treasures pouch was just the standard, inferior version. It could not even hold a longer weapon.
However, even an inferior hundred treasures pouch was extremely rare. At the very least, a second layer Qi Practitioner like Yan Song did not possess one. He really did live up to his background. He was quite impressive.
Li Qingshan examined the items from the hundred treasures pouch. Out of the bottles, one was a bottle of healing pills, with three bottles of Qi Gathering pills. They were not the random pills refined by regular people of the jianghu, but actual spiritual pills. Of course, there was no point in trying to compare them to the spiritual pills that Xuanyue gave him. However, they were actual pills that Qi Practitioners ingested. They were exactly what Li Qingshan needed right now.
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Chapter 111 – A Great River and a Great City
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Chapter 111 – A Great River and a Great City
The three unknown yellow talismans were probably the trump cards Qian Rongming had referred to. He had learned about this from Yan Song as well. Talismans were divided into various grades. Although the three talismans were all yellow, they glowed much more brightly compared to the talismans on Li Qingshan right now. They were low or mid grade at the very least. His insight regarding talismans was still insufficient to determine it precisely.
Most of the talismans and spiritual artifacts that ordinary people of the jianghu could get their hands on in exchange for money were inferior goods; people who had just learned how to create artifacts or talismans created them. Even if ordinary people could get their hands on talismans and spiritual artifacts that actually had a grade, they would struggle to use them. At the very least, they would struggle to activate a low grade talisman even if they bit their tongues and spat out blood.
There was finally no more need for him to carry his random objects on him. Apart from keeping the sumeru ring on him, Li Qingshan placed everything else he owned inside the pouch. After checking his money and the silver Qian Rongming had been carrying, he had a total of seventy or eighty thousand silver notes, several talismans, and three bottles of Qi Gathering pills. He did not take smaller items like healing pills into consideration.
However, the most precious item on him after the sumeru ring was not these items, but a daemon core. He had removed it from the rat general in the Boundless mountains. Xuanyue obviously had no interest in it, so she gave it to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to consume it, nor was he bold enough to eat it directly, which was why he kept it. He had stored it in a small bottle the entire time. He took it out again to admire it before placing it in the hundred treasures pouch as well. Finally, he placed the hundred treasures pouch in his bosom.
His drastic increase in wealth brought about quite a nice feeling. Li Qingshan’s murderous nature had been roused, so he wondered whether to go all the way and find that Qian Rongzhi, uprooting this potential problem once and for all. It had to be mentioned that killing and robbing people was addictive. Why did humans constantly wage war? That was because stealing from others would always be easier than creating for themselves.
However, he quickly suppressed this thought, not because he was benevolent, but because he was worried. Once he did that, his murderous nature would rise up, and he would even kill the neighbouring dark-skinned man to steal all of his belongings.
He definitely possessed the strength. He did not even need to unleash his daemon qi to accomplish such a matter. All he needed to do was work with Xiao An. On one hand, other people possessed the items you wanted, while on the other hand, you possessed the strength to take it from them. Moreover, it would not come at any cost either. Just how many people would be able to suppress their greed?
Even with the suppression of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, his primitive instincts that were no different from that of daemons almost prompted him into taking action. However, acting based on his instincts was not the path he wanted. As he rapidly gained strength, he rapidly learned how to control this power so that he would not lose himself to it.
At the same time, he also realised something else. He realised just how terrifying people could become after obtaining great power. That was probably how Qian Yongming thought. He could easily kill Li Qingshan, and it would come at no cost at all, easily venting his anger just as naturally as eating or drinking.
The dangers of this cultivation path within the human world probably surpassed the Boundless mountains. Li Qingshan dismissed his random thoughts. If Qian Rongzhi did not try to provoke him, he would let her be, but if she tried, he would kill her as well. There was no need for him to expend any additional thought on it right now.
He wrapped up the bones on the ground with the clothes and arrived outside, about to toss them overboard and destroy all traces of this ever happening. However, he saw the neighbouring man’s face of disbelief as soon as he made his way out; the man was looking at the bones in his hands.
“What a coincidence!” Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, greeting him with a smile before going around the man and tossing the bundle into the pitch-black river. He was at so much ease that it did not seem like he was dumping remains, but admiring the night scenery. This had nothing to do with whether he was actually smarter than the ordinary person. Instead, it was composure that came with his confidence in his strength.
The man stiffened up. He clenched his fist before easing up again. As he looked at Li Qingshan, there was no more contempt at all anymore. Instead, his gaze was filled with caution and even a sliver of fear.
He had been waiting in a dark corner outside the entire time, ready to grasp the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. However, the person who emerged from the door was not Qian Rongming, but Li Qingshan who he thought of as dead. There was no need to ask who the pale-white bones belonged to. However, even if he launched a sneak attack against Qian Rongming, he would struggle to kill him in a single stroke. The person before him was not prey, but a Qi Practitioner countless times more vicious than a predator.
He was very tempted to ask Li Qingshan how he managed to do that, but he was unable to say anything as he looked at Li Qingshan’s smile. Even more terrifyingly, he still could not sense any presence of qi on Li Qingshan. It was just like how the unknown would always be the most terrifying.
After casting the remains overboard, Li Qingshan said to the man, “What’s your name?”
The dark-skinned man no longer looked down on him. He answered cautiously, “Diao Fei.” He felt that the current Li Qingshan was rather different from the one during the day. The teenager seemed to be hiding something terrifying on him, but of course, it might have been a false impression.
Li Qingshan said, “Are you going to Jiaping city to join the Hawkwolf Guard as well?”
“Yes!”
“What a coincidence! Me too!”
Diao Fei’s heart tightened, ready to receive any attacks directed at him.
However, Li Qingshan clearly did not plan to take such actions. He continued to talk with him, “How many people are the Hawkwolf Guard recruiting this time?”
“Three.”
“So few.”
Diao Fei remained silent.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to get some more information from him, but he saw how Diao Fei was extremely cautious, so he shrugged and returned to his room.
Diao Fei suddenly asked, “Sir, may I ask for your name?” After arriving at Jiaping city, this teenager might end up becoming a powerful competitor.
“Li Qingshan.”
As if he had heard this name somewhere, Diao Fei pondered it for a while, but he struggled to remember where he had heard it. He also returned to his room, but he did not catch a wink of sleep that night, remaining vigilant the entire time.
As soon as Li Qingshan returned to his room, he felt something and opened the window, looking out into the distance. All he saw was a figure leaping off the ship while the vessel was closer to the shore, landing on a sandy bank and quickly vanishing into the thicket. From the shape of her body, he could tell that she was Qian Rongzhi.
Li Qingshan could not help but sigh that the woman really was quite impressive with her thinking and resoluteness. She must have realised something was wrong when Qian Rongming did not return. She did not try to investigate the matter, nor did she question anything, directly leaping off the ship and fleeing.
Shaking his head, Li Qingshan tossed this matter to the side. He took out a bottle of Qi Gathering pills and opened it to take a look. There were only three pills in there ,and each one was the size of a longan. He took one out and ate it, beginning to cultivate.
As expected, with the assistance of the products of external alchemy, his rate of cultivation sped up slightly. The medicinal effects filled up his true qi, which circulated through his body. As he inhaled and exhaled, time passed rapidly, and very soon, he had absorbed a Qi Gathering pill. Li Qingshan took out another Qi Gathering pill and ingested it.
If other Qi Practitioners saw this, they would definitely be stunned. How could pills be eaten like candy? Although pills could drastically increase the rate of cultivation, that did not mean a person could easily become a master just because they possessed some pills and medicines. They all required talent, hard word, guidance, or even luck.
And, there was a limit to the pills that could be ingested. It was not as simple as eating as many as one could before turning it all into energy. Otherwise, all actual alchemists would be supreme masters. The nine Qi Gathering pills from Qian Rongming were originally a quantity to be consumed over three months. He would eat a pill every ten days and slowly refine its effects.
And, this was for Qian Rongming, someone who was favoured by the clan and could consume pills relatively faster. The usual speed was a pill every half a month to ensure that none of its effects would go to waste. No one ate them like Li Qingshan.
This was all because it was impossible for a mere Qi Gathering pill to remain in Li Qingshan’s body for ten days. He had to convert it into true qi desperately. If he were any later, it would be stolen by the daemon core and forcefully converted into daemon qi. As such, it was guaranteed that not a single bit of it would go to waste.
Li Qingshan was obviously unaware of this. He even felt pleased that it really would be faster when consuming pills while cultivating. When he ate the seventh Qi Gathering pill, he successfully reached the second layer with the Innate Method of Practising Qi. Due to the sumeru ring refining his true qi, he did not come across any bottlenecks at all.
He stood up and sensed the extremely pure true qi raging through his body. His entire body seemed to become much lighter.
He stowed the last two Qi Gathering pills away. He could hear with great clarity that a clamour was ringing out from the distance. The ship also became noisy. He could vaguely hear many people say, “We’ve reached Jiaping city!”
Li Qingshan made his way out in a hurry to take a look. The lower deck was already filled with people. On the other hand, the river itself had come across a great mountain that it looped around.
After making it around the bend, a grand city sat between the mountains and the waters, unfolding before Li Qingshan’s eyes. More accurately, it could not be called a city, as it was not walled at all. It seemed more like a modern metropolis.
This was where two great rivers met, where the Yi river merged into the Clear river. Jiaping city was developed on the banks of the two rivers. Rows upon rows of houses, buildings, towers, temples—both daoist and buddhist—sprawled out in all directions, followed by boundless, golden fields. Large flocks of birds flew freely in the blue sky above the city.
Li Qingshan had never seen any ancient cities before, but he believed that this city was even grander and more bustling than the places renowned throughout history for their prosperity, like Hangzhou or Yangzhou. The absence of city walls demonstrated the absolute confidence of the ruler here. They did not need to rely on an earthen wall to protect themselves.
Only small cities like Qingyang required the existence of walls to protect themselves from the attacks of bandits and the like. There was not a single truly large city with city walls. This was a city that Qi Practitioners ruled, so if there really were enemies that could threaten the city, they would not be people that a stone wall could stop. It would instead affect the city’s development.
Li Qingshan finally understood why Ye Dachuan had been overjoyed when he was transferred here as a vice district magistrate. Even if he was just a junior scribe here, he would be much better off than remaining in Qingyang city. So, just how prosperous would the Clear River city that ruled over the entire Clear River prefecture be? He was unable to imagine what the commandery city of Ruyi would be like.
Everything before him made him understand that this was not simply a world of the ancient times. The existence of Qi Practitioners heavily affected everything in this world, making it seem like a legend, adding a layer of wonder to it all.
The ship stopped at the dock, and Li Qingshan disembarked with the crowd. Originally, he wanted to ask Diao Fei or someone else where the Hawkwolf Guard was located, but only after arriving did he understand that such a question was unnecessary.
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Chapter 112 – Setting Foot in the Hawkwolf Guard
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Chapter 112 – Setting Foot in the Hawkwolf Guard
On a mountain peak to the north of the city, a hawk forged from black iron unfurled its metal wings that were several dozen meters in width. It stood on a stone altar more than a dozen meters tall, looking over the entire Jiaping city. It was not hidden at all, as if it were boldly broadcasting that the Hawkwolf Guard watched over and protected this city. Whether you were a person of the jianghu or a Qi Practitioner, you were all under the careful gaze of the hawk.
Li Qingshan disembarked from the ship and went straight towards the mountain peak. There were a series of structures below the iron hawk and that was the Hawkwolf Guard. Only after he had left did Diao Fei disembark and follow behind him. His eyes were filled with determination once more. No matter how well Li Qingshan hid his strength, it was not enough to shake Diao Fei’s determination to become a member of the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan followed the neat, stone steps. The two sides were filled with dense shrubbery, almost blotting out the sky above. The mountain peak was not very tall, only several hundred meters. It was nowhere close to the height of the great mountains of the Boundless mountains. However, when he looked back at the city below his feet, it gave him quite a lofty sensation.
At the end of the stone steps was a stone archway. The two words, Hawkwolf Guard, were written on it in a bold, obvious fashion. Past the archway was a large square, and at the centre of it was the huge iron hawk. From afar, it did not seem too special; only from up close did he get a feel for the imposing aura of the hawk. In particular, the hawk’s eyes seemed to pierce right through people like it was alive. Below its feet were twelve large words written in a similar fashion, ‘The Hawk Gazes Over the World, the Wolves Watch the Nine Provinces.’
The gazing hawk was obvious. It needed no explanation. They were similar to the bold hawks in the sky, watching over the land. However, watching wolves described a certain posture. Normally, when people were called by their names from behind, they would definitely look back. However, they would only turn their heads and not their bodies. This was the posture of watching wolves, and those who were like that tended to be crafty and suspicious.
Not only were the twelve words teeming with extravagance, but they also described the function of the Hawkwolf Guard perfectly. Li Qingshan did not know calligraphy, but even he could tell that the twelve words here and the two words on the archway were written by the same person. They possessed an irreplicable imposing aura, dominating and sweeping up the world. Compared to the huge hawk statue, it was even more stunning.
Before Li Qingshan could even study it carefully, a young man came up. “You must be here to enlist in the Hawkwolf Guard!”
Li Qingshan did not sense anything from this person that indicated he practised martial arts or qi. He must have only been an envoy or an attendant for receiving people. However, he naturally gave off a feeling that he frequently ordered people around, and as expected, he was like a caretaker. Li Qingshan said, “I am.”
The envoy in black studied Li Qingshan in doubt. Seeing how he remained composed, he said nonchalantly, “Come with me!” He led Li Qingshan to a large hall. “Go in. Everyone is waiting inside. You need to record your name and cultivation once you go in.”
Li Qingshan stepped into the hall, and immediately, many gazes landed on him. Every single one of them were like knives.
Li Qingshan saw over twenty people within the hall. There were men and women, old and young. Some stood in groups of three or five, while others meditated alone. Every single one of them were Qi Practitioners. Most of their gazes at Li Qingshan were hostile. Some mocked him with raised brows, happily pointing and discussing with their companions, while some showed disdain, immediately shifting their gazes. There was also a person or two who showed doubt.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had seen so many Qi Practitioners. He felt rather indescribably excited. He had finally come into contact with the cultivation groups of this world.
In reality, he had already experienced some brutal contact with this world through Xuanyue, but most of those people were monstrously powerful. As such, the only feelings he experienced were admiration and despair. It was far too great of a difference and was surreal as a result. Only when he saw these people now did he treat them as equals or even look down on them.
Li Qingshan saw several dozen wooden tablets hanging on the walls of the hall with a name on each. He glanced past it before arriving in front of a long table in a corner of the hall. An envoy in black leaned on the table and scribbled away. He said without even looking up, “Name, background, master, and cultivation. Remember, don’t hide anything, or once you are caught…”
The envoy did not continue, but the threat was obvious. Only now did Li Qingshan understand why these people remained here. They wanted to learn about their opponents.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to take out the Black Wolf tablet and go see the Black Hawk commander Zhuo Zhibo, allowing him to directly join, but he did not see a single proper Hawkwolf guard here at all. There were only a few envoys in black receiving them, so he gave up on that thought. He just happened to be interested in taking a look around. He would come across the person he was searching for in the end anyways. He refused to believe that Zhuo Zhibo would miss such a great event.
“Li Qingshan, first layer Qi Practitioner…” Li Qingshan said.
As soon as Li Qingshan stated his cultivation, he heard a few sniggers.
“Even a first layer Qi Practitioner is trying to enlist in the Hawkwolf Guard. This kid is stupid!”
“Go home and drink milk! You shouldn’t have come.”
“Is he really a first layer Qi Practitioner? He doesn’t seem like it. Don’t tell me he’s lying!?”
“You won’t be far from death if you falsely report your cultivation.”
The people in the hall were second layer Qi Practitioners at the very least. If people possessed the innate talent to practise qi, most of them would work hard on cultivation. They would only come out after they had broken through to the second layer. As for those who practised internal martial arts and reached the innate realm, they would use their converted true qi to forcefully break through to the second layer. As a result, very few first layer Qi Practitioners wandered the world.
Even the envoy responsible for recording the information raised his head. “Is that true? Non-Qi Practitioners are forbidden from enlisting.” Although he was not a Qi Practitioner, he remained within the Hawkwolf Guard most of the time, so his insight was rather impressive. He could tell that Li Qingshan did not seem like a Qi Practitioner at all.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan understood a bad habit of his. After experiencing the dangers of the Boundless mountains, withdrawing all of his aura with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression had become almost an instinct of his. Even after developing true qi, he maintained the same habit.
Obviously, he had to firmly suppress his daemon qi, without allowing even a single sliver to leak out. However, there was no need for him to be so cautious with his true qi. Wearing his identity as a Qi Practitioner around could save quite a lot of trouble at times.
As a result, his aura completely changed. His true qi was no longer withdrawn and suppressed, now released naturally. He displayed the strength of a first layer Qi Practitioner.
However, it led to a roar of laughter in the hall. Even the gazes of doubt pulled back, no longer taking Li Qingshan seriously. The unknown was terrifying, which was why a donkey could scare away a tiger. However, once the donkey displayed everything it had, that was when everything would be over.
The envoy placed down his brush and also smiled. “I can see that you’re young. It’s not easy for you to possess this talent, so why don’t you go home and cultivate for a few more years? You can come once you break through to the second layer. The competition this time will be dangerous.”
Li Qingshan ignored the laughter and thanked the person for his kind-hearted warning. Afterwards, he said confidently, “I have confidence in myself!”
The envoy said nothing more, continuing to write.
No clan, no sect, no master. These were Li Qingshan’s details.
In just a short while, the envoy completed the records. He raised his head. “The competition begins in three days. You can go. There will be people who will arrange accommodation for you. You are welcome to stay here as well.”
Another envoy picked up a wooden tablet and hung it at the end of the wall together with everyone else’s names. There obviously was not any particularly complex information on it. On the front, there was his name, while on the back, there was his cultivation.
It amazed Li Qingshan. To a Qi Practitioner, background and masters were both useless. Strength was the only calling card, the only thing that people were wary of.
When he turned around, he instead looked at the Qi Practitioners like they were trash before shaking his head. In particular, he said to the people who mocked him, “Trash.” Arrogance was his nature, while mocking a whole crowd was his talent.
“Who are you talking to?” said a Qi Practitioner angrily. He was the person who told Li Qingshan to go home and drink milk earlier.
“I’m talking to whoever that answers me!” Li Qingshan said. The people who had not badmouthed Li Qingshan obviously would not feel like he was cursing at them.
The Qi Practitioner arrived in front of Li Qingshan in a flash. Suddenly, he raised his head, and true qi gathered. The envoy who recorded their information said, “Those who fight on the mountain will be executed without mercy.”
The Qi Practitioner’s hand trembled a few times before finally putting it back down.
The rules of the Hawkwolf Guard were no joke. In the very beginning, when the Hawkwolf Guard recruited people, they never provided any accommodation to these people. All they had to do was arrive on the day of the competition, but then many people were unable to.
Qi Practitioners stayed in Jiaping city to eliminate rivals, using everything that they had, whether it be poisoning, encircling, or ambushing. Often, it would end before it had even begun. This was why the rules were changed later on, where the people enlisting would all stay on the mountain, and any form of attacks against one another were forbidden. If they fought, they would be executed without mercy.
Li Qingshan said, “Come bite me, you idiot!” Just how did that go again? My discreetness is not a reason for you to walk all over me. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That was the principle he lived by. You know how to curse, but my mouth isn’t dumb either!
The Qi Practitioner laughed out of anger. “In three days’ time, I’ll let you know what being better off dead than alive means.” Some other Qi Practitioners sneered as well.
At this moment, Diao Fei entered the hall. He glanced at Li Qingshan before looking at the wall. He let out a sigh of relief. As it seemed, Li Qingshan really was a first layer Qi Practitioner, only concealing his cultivation using some sort of method. He sure had frightened him. However, it was still a mystery to him as to just how Li Qingshan had killed Qian Rongming. He dared not be careless.
The other people in the hall immediately shifted their attention from Li Qingshan when they saw Diao Fei. A third layer Qi Practitioner was a powerful contender for the competition this time. They needed to observe him carefully. Compared to him, Li Qingshan was just a clown. His death was near, and he deserved no attention.
Li Qingshan did not remain in the hall. He left the hall, and another envoy brought him up the mountain. He walked past the well-tended plants and the wonderful gardens. Having been managed by master gardeners, the scenery would change with every few steps. There were simply far too many beautiful things to take in.
Arriving before a house, the envoy pointed at a room. “That’s your residence. You should already know, but fighting is forbidden on the mountain. You can come to the back hall for your meals. If there’s anything else you need, you can just call us. As long as you don’t go overboard, we will do our best to satisfy your request.” His attitude was nothing special, but the service he offered was definitely thorough.
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Chapter 113 – Pearl Dew Pill
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Chapter 113 – Pearl Dew Pill
Li Qingshan entered his room and ingested and absorbed his remaining Qi Gathering pills. However, the Innate Method of Practising Qi also grew more difficult with progress. After ingesting the two pills, he could feel that the amount of growth was not particularly obvious. Of course, it had to be mentioned that this was after the daemon core had gobbled up most of it, and the energy had undergone the sumeru ring’s refinement. However, unbeknownst to him, Qian Rongzhi also arrived in the hall after he left. She lowered her head as soon as she saw Diao Fei, hiding the resentment in her eyes before recording her name as well. She thought Diao Fei had killed Qian Rongming. The people that could kill Qi Practitioners were obviously even stronger Qi Practitioners, but she did not probe into the matter.
Diao Fei felt aggrieved, but he made no attempt to explain himself. If he did, he would only seem to be afraid of her.
At noon, Li Qingshan arrived at the back hall. It was basically filled up with people already. The rosewood tables were so smooth that they were reflective; the faint smell of flowers permeated the place from a certain location. The windows were all open, depicting the picturesque scenery of the garden outside. It was an extremely beautiful and refined sight.
Delicious dishes were served up one by one, filling the long tables, allowing them to serve themselves. It was similar to the buffets of Li Qingshan’s previous life, but the quality of the dishes were fantastic, similar to the legendary emperor’s feast. After leaving Qingyang city, Li Qingshan had eaten quite a number of dishes made by so-called skilled chefs. However, they basically seemed like they were made by apprentices compared to the dishes of the chefs of the Hawkwolf Guard. The dishes made from various precious materials were all placed on the long table.
Li Qingshan gained an even better understanding as to why many Qi Practitioners wanted to join the Hawkwolf Guard. Let alone the other aspects, just the food was enough for people to eat like an emperor. He was utterly satisfied by the food, but he also attracted many eye rolls. Many Qi Practitioners came from sects and clans, so they obviously would not be as inexperienced as him. Even when Li Qingshan controlled his appetite to eat like a human, a bunch of people still secretly sneered to themselves, calling him a starving ghost.
Just as Li Qingshan ate a dish made from some sort of fish, there was a flash in front of him, and Diao Fei sat down opposite of him. He thought through what he was going to say. “Your qi concealment technique is very impressive. I couldn’t tell in the beginning.” Perhaps he believed that no one would be bold enough to ignore the rules of the Hawkwolf Guard, as he seemed much more relaxed now, without much caution or vigilance.
Li Qingshan smiled. “It’s probably just because I’m too weak!”
The corner of Diao Fei’s lips twitched. Are you really weak after silently killing a second layer Qi Practitioner and even reducing him to a terrifying state of just bones? He suspected Li Qingshan practised a cultivation method of the demonic path, which was why he liked to remain hidden. Unfortunately, Qian Rongming had really treated him as an easy target, which ended up costing his life.
Li Qingshan said, “By the looks of things, this shouldn’t be your first time!”
Diao Fei said, “Impressive. This is my second time.”
Then there was silence.
Li Qingshan said, “By the way, do you have Qi Gathering pills?”
Diao Fei said, “Of course I do. What do you need them for?” Qi Gathering pills were the most common pills for Qi Practitioners. They were obviously very precious, but they were very common as well.
Li Qingshan wiped his mouth and pushed his utensils to the side. “Can you sell some to me?”
Diao Fei said, “If you’re offering silver, you better forget it.”
It was just as Li Qingshan had been expecting. To Qi Practitioners, the gold and silver that ordinary people treasured held no great significance.
Li Qingshan said, “Of course it’s not silver. It’s talismans.”
“What!” Diao Fei was shocked. There was not a single Qi Practitioner who did not carry at least a few talismans with them. In order to take part in the competition this time, he had made ample preparations. They were the trump cards of Qi Practitioners, or even a second life to them. Selling talismans before the battle was like selling away your weapons right before charging onto the battlefield. It was basically unimaginable.
Li Qingshan immediately removed all of his talismans from his hundred treasures pouch and laid them out on the table. He was very confident in the security of the Hawkwolf Guard as well. He asked, “How’s that?”
Immediately, everyone’s gazes were drawn over, not just Diao Fei’s.
Diao Fei’s breathing halted slightly. Aside from two inferior talismans, the others were all low grade at the very least. Even rarer, there was actually a mid grade talisman, the Lightning Strike talisman. That was a treasure that could turn the tables in a battle at a crucial moment! Even third layer Qi Practitioners could be heavily injured or directly killed off if they were careless.
“One Qi Gathering pill for one.” Diao Fei immediately extended his hand towards the talismans. As long as he had them, he was guaranteed to win.
Li Qingshan scooped up all of the talismans. He smiled. “That seems a little low.”
“I’ll offer you fifteen Qi Gathering pills for the whole lot.” a Qi Practitioner in black to the side said suddenly. He was young, but he was dressed in nice clothes. He was clearly from an aristocratic clan.
Li Qingshan extended his hand towards Diao Fei. “Look, someone has raised the price.” The reason why he did this in the eye of the public was because he did not know the proper price.
However, before the Qi Practitioner had even finished what he was saying, someone else added, “I’ll give you fifteen Qi Gathering pills for just this one talisman.”
Li Qingshan was rather surprised as he looked at the talisman. Although it had the densest spiritual qi, he had never thought it would be worth so many Qi Gathering pills.
Many Qi Practitioners gathered over. All of their eyes shone. Li Qingshan believed that if he had not been in the Hawkwolf Guard, he would have been surrounded and attacked already, but now, no one was even bold enough to speak ill of him. Even two of the Qi Practitioners who mocked Li Qingshan earlier gathered over shamelessly.
The Qi Practitioner who had directly fallen out with Li Qingshan instead cursed under his breath with an ugly expression. “Idiot.” However, he became even more vicious inside, Without those talismans, I’d like to see how you die.
He had no idea about Li Qingshan’s plans. Li Qingshan did not plan to take part in the competition in the first place. With Wang Pushi’s guarantee, he would be out of his mind if he did not use it. And, Li Qingshan had enough trump cards on him. The talismans were nothing compared to them at all. Exchanging them for pills and rapidly converting it into his own strength was what mattered the most.
Li Qingshan stood up and said loudly, “Everyone please quieten down. I’ll be selling all of these talismans, but only to the highest bidder. We’ll exchange the goods at the same time, so it’s fair for everyone. First up, this Swift Breeze talisman…” He assigned a grade to his talismans according to the strength of their spiritual qi, and he actually began an auction on the spot.
The envoys in black within the hall all looked at one another, but no one interfered. However, they really had never seen anyone sell talismans here.
“I’ll pay one Qi Gathering pill,” someone responded immediately.
“Two.”
Li Qingshan said, “Are there any higher offers?” Only after asking for a while did someone offer three. Afterwards, no one contended anymore. As it seemed, inferior talismans did not interest Qi Practitioners much at all. He accepted the three Qi Gathering pills and handed the talisman to the Qi Practitioner.
In reality, the talisman had been sold for much more than usual. Normally, it would be very difficult for him to even get a single Qi Gathering pill for it, as everyone knew that pills for increasing personal strength mattered much more than external objects that offered temporary boosts.
But at a time like this, the situation had been reversed instead. No matter how many Qi Gathering pills they had, they could not increase their strength immediately, while with each talisman, even if they were inferior, they could immediately boost their strength slightly, giving them some more confidence in the upcoming competition. If they did not buy it, it was very likely for their contenders to receive it instead, becoming a tool for defeating or even killing themselves. Even inferior talismans of the lowest grades could become the blade of grass that broke the camel’s back.
On one hand, there was the wonderful future that came with joining the Hawkwolf Guard, while on the other hand, there was the miserable fate of defeat or death. They had no choice but to spare no effort.
When Li Qingshan reached the low grade talismans, the atmosphere gradually heated up. The number of Qi Gathering pills began to break five for each one now. When Li Qingshan sold everything apart from the mid grade Lightning Strike talisman, he had already gathered almost fifty Qi Gathering pills. He discovered that the size of the pills varied. Many of them were only the size of peanuts, so a single bottle could hold over a dozen of them.
As it turned out, the pills that alchemists refined were not originally pills, but pastes. The alchemists would then follow a standard and make them into pills. Alchemists of poorer abilities would produce pastes of lower efficacy, so in order to guarantee the same effects, the pills they made would be slightly larger according to the standard of Qi Gathering pills.
Many Qi Practitioners never participated in the prior bidding. Only when Li Qingshan took out the final mid grade talisman did their eyes suddenly light up.
“Ten Qi Gathering pills.”
“Twenty.”
“Twenty-five.”
The price immediately broke the record from before. This talisman was the actual talisman that could turn a battle around. It was also when Qian Rongming relied on when he confronted third layer Qi Practitioners. Whoever obtained it in the end would increase their chances by thirty percent at the very least. Many Qi Practitioners were determined to get their hands on it.
Li Qingshan smiled from ear to ear. With these Qi Gathering pills, it would be extremely easy for him to break through to the third layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi. He suddenly turned around and saw Qian Rongzhi standing at the door, gazing at him in resentment. She obviously knew what talismans Qian Rongming possessed.
Li Qingshan sneered slightly. Tha fellow failed when he tried to harass him, so he tried to kill him. Qian Rongming completely deserved death. If this woman was not sensible, he could send her off to see Qian Rongming as well so that he would have a companion on the path to the afterlife.
“I’ll offer you one!” Diao Fei said suddenly after remaining silent for so long. He was currently filled with regret. If he had made a deal with Li Qingshan back on the boat, there would be no need for him to come to this point.
The surroundings fell quiet. Everyone looked at Diao Fei. The highest bidding Qi Practitioner said coldly, “Are you joking with me!?” He was also a third layer Qi Practitioner, so he viewed Diao Fei as a powerful contender.
Diao Fei took out a bottle with great reluctance. “I’ll offer you a Pearl Dew pill!”
“What, a Pearl Dew pill!” The Qi Practitioners descended into an uproar. As it seemed, the Pearl Dew pill had quite a name about it. Li Qingshan was curious. He had no idea that a Pearl Dew pill was worth far more than a mid grade Lighting Strike pill.
Qi Gathering pills definitely were not a particularly good type of pill. The only reason why it had become widespread was because its materials were easier to gather, it was easier to refine, and its effects were more stable, becoming a necessity to the cultivation of most Qi Practitioners, who demanded cheap but good products.
Actually, there were even better pills. Perhaps due to a material that was very difficult to gather or a higher level of skill required to refine them, they were relatively rarer. However, just a single one of them would be worth several dozen Qi Gathering pills.
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Chapter 114 – A Stretch of Clouds and Mountains
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Chapter 114 – A Stretch of Clouds and Mountains
Diao Fei originally planned to keep it for opening the Yang Linking meridian, saving it for when he would break through to the fourth layer. However, he could not allow his rival to obtain this Lightning Strike talisman no matter what, so he could only bear the pain of giving it up.
Li Qingshan said to Diao Fei, “Let me see it!”
Diao Fei poured the Pearl Dew pill into his palm. A small pill, transparent like a droplet of dew, shone brightly. All of the Qi Practitioners in the surroundings struggled to hide their greed. A pill of superior quality could play a great role at crucial times when it came to breaking through. Qi Gathering pills could not be compared to it.
Li Qingshan suddenly regretted the fact that he did not finish off both of them back on the boat very much. My demonic thoughts, oh my demonic thoughts! He smiled. “Not too bad.”
Not too bad? Diao Fei was very dissatisfied with this evaluation. This is a Pearl Dew pill! Have you seen better pills before? The other Qi Practitioners all thought Li Qingshan was putting on an act as well.
Little did they know that not only had Li Qingshan seen better, but he had eaten many better as well. Only now did he realise just how nice Xuanyue had been to him. Although he had no idea what the name of the pills that Xuanyue had fed to him were, just a single one of them was countless better than the Pearl Dew pills that these Qi Practitioners desired so much. Sigh, speaking of which, I wonder how she is doing?
Achoo!
Over five thousand kilometers away, a black spiritual cat laid in a deep, blue embrace and let out a sneeze. A slender hand gently rubbed her smooth fur, as silky as moonlight.
A gentle voice said nervously, “Yue’er, have you caught a cold?” At the same time, she tightened her embrace, pulling in Xuanyue tightly.
“I’m a cat daemeown. Can cat daemeowns fall sick? Please use your head, meowster!” Xuanyue struggled hard, but she was unable to break free.
“As long as you aren’t sick. Your body is far too frail. Here, eat a pill!” Her slender fingers held a spiritual pill, delivering it to Xuanyue’s mouth. Its glow was hidden inside. It glistened and was transparent, just like a crystal. Compared to it, Qi Gathering pills were like mud balls, while Pearl Dew pills were like rocks.
“No more! No more! No more!” Xuanyue swung her head around, struggling even more.
“Alright, alright, alright. No more, no more.” She stowed the pill away. Her voice was filled with helplessness and doting, like a mother looking at the child she loved the most. It was as if even being capricious was a good thing.
Xuanyue raised her head, looking at the beautiful face that seemed to be frozen in sorrow even when smiling. She suddenly felt sad. Even when she ran away and had been brought back, this master of hers had not scolded her even once. Instead, she took care of her with even more devotion and attention, just like moonlight that illuminated her. She used countless spiritual pills to turn her from a mere spiritual cat into a Daemon General that could assume a human form in just a few decades.
She suddenly thought of that tall, wide figure, carrying her on his back while climbing the icy cliffs in the snowstorm, shedding a pair of translucent tears for her. I’m not a good pet!
She was just like a child who only realised her parents’ care and concern after having her own child. Only after trying did she understand that none of the things she possessed came so easily.
“Meowster, let me tell you a story!”
“Alright! I love hearing Xuanyue’s stories!”
Outside the windows were a stretch of clouds and mountains. Two mystical beasts pulled a beautiful carriage, treading through the air.
Back to Jiaping city, Li Qingshan had already returned to his room. He laid on his bed idly as he calculated his earnings today.
Around fifty Qi Gathering pills were enough to support his cultivation for three days; he could break through to the third layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi. As for the Pearl Dew pills, it would be used to break through the fourth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, which was going from the first layer to the second layer as a Qi Practitioner, opening his first meridian.
As a result, Li Qingshan shut himself in his room, entering secluded cultivation once again. His behaviour was common. There were many Qi Practitioners who would use these three days to make some final preparations, remaining in their room for the entire time.
He ingested the Qi Gathering pills one by one. Most of it was converted into daemon qi, while a small part of it was converted into extremely pure true qi. Although he could not revert to his original form to check, Li Qingshan believed his current daemon form would be even taller and studier. If he remained in the mountains, he would struggle to reach this level even if he spent day and night absorbing spiritual qi of the world. It was true. The cultivation speed of daemons was nowhere near as fast as humans. This was their natural disadvantage, but Li Qingshan did his best to use the methods of humans to make up for this disadvantage.
Although external pills were beneficial to cultivation, it would lead to an accumulation of impurities in true qi, leading to impure true qi. Apart from absorbing their effects, regular Qi Practitioners would also find ways to purify and refine their true qi, which would obviously take up quite a lot of time. However, with the assistance from the sumeru ring, Li Qingshan was saved from this part of the process, basically saving him a lot of time. It instead sped up his cultivation.
Li Qingshan meditated in his room quietly. Three days passed swiftly. He had ingested a year’s quantity for many Qi Practitioners, twenty-four Qi Gathering pills, in a single sitting, and only then did he break through to the third layer of the Innate Method of Gathering Qi. He originally wanted to continue cultivating, but unfortunately for him, it was time. He could only stand up and leave. He discovered that it had begun drizzling at a certain time while he was cultivating.
Under the lead of an envoy, he arrived at the location of the competition, which was a stone square. The rules were extremely simple. Qi Practitioners would go up there and fight or kill one by one. The victor would advance, while the loser would be dropped from the competition. The final three people would become Hawkwolf guards.
At the end of the square was a vermillion pavilion with layered eaves. Its colour was rather gloomy due to being wet from the rain. There were several figures vaguely visible in the pavilion. The pitch-black of Black Wolf uniforms was a colour that Li Qingshan was familiar with. After three days, Li Qingshan finally saw the people he was looking for.
Aside from the Hawkwolf Guards, there were a few people in informal wear, leaning on the handrails and chattering between themselves while at great ease. Beside them were fruits and snacks. It basically seemed like an audience watching a show, or perhaps it was a party for gambling.
This was because Li Qingshan could clearly hear them discussing the strength of the Qi Practitioners, telling one another how much they had wagered. It was so relaxed that it seemed like they were gambling on horse-racing or dog-fighting.
A Black Wolf guard with a bulbous nose held a list, which detailed the names and cultivations of the Qi Practitioners. “There’ll definitely be these two third layer Qi Practitioners in the top three. The only thing worth gambling over is just who among the second layer Qi Practitioners will emerge victorious.”
The Black Wolf guard beside him leaned on a column and said nonchalantly, “I’ll gamble on that woman.”
Bulbous nose looked at the list. “Qian Rongzhi? Why? She’s not exactly powerful.”
“Just a feeling.” The Black Wolf guard smiled like he was keeping a secret, but he looked towards the interior of the pavilion.
Bulbous nose seemed like he suddenly realised something and smiled understandingly.
The Hawkwolf guard suddenly said, “Oi, look at that kid. The one looking at us. That first layer Qi Practitioner. Why don’t we gamble on when he’ll die?”
“I’ll wager the first round.”
Two men sat before each other in the pavilion. They could see through the gauze curtains easily and see what was going on outside. There was a jug of green tea on the table, which wafted with a faint fragrance. Two beautiful attendants stood to the side.
One of the men was slightly chubby. He wore the dark-coloured Black Hawk uniform. He was the Black Hawk commander of Jiaping city, Zhuo Zhibo. He squinted his eyes as he smiled. “Sir Zhou, why don’t we have a little gamble of our own, huh?” He seemed to still be middle-aged, but his actual age had surpassed sixty at the very least. However, due to opening the four major meridians of yin and yang along with the Girdle meridian from practising qi and condensing a sea of qi, he seemed much younger.
Sir Zhou, on the other hand, seemed even younger. He only seemed to be in his thirties, dressed like a scholar. He had a long thin beard, which made him seem more solemn, just like a refined scholar. He waved his hand with a smile. “Nah, I’m not going to gamble. I’ll just be asking to lose if I gamble on your territory.” However, he did not smile at all inside. This bastard wanted to demonstrate his martial might to him again. How wretched.
Within Jiaping city, there was obviously only the district magistrage of Jiaping, Zhou Wenbin, who could stand on equal footing with Zhuo Zhibo. There had never been a place where two people of equal authority got along with one another. However, they each had their fears of the other and had different jobs. As such, they could maintain peace on the surface without invading each other’s territories. However, whenever a chance arose, they would want to demonstrate their strength to the other.
Under Zhuo Zhibo’s repeated request, Zhou Wenbin finally picked up the list. Afterwards, he saw a name, and his interest was piqued. “Commander Zhuo, there’s even a first layer Qi Practitioner enlisting this time?”
“There are reckless people every year.” Zhuo Zhibo had noticed this outlier a long time ago as well, but he did not pay too much attention to it. He had no chance. The difference was far too great. Although Wang Pushi had scolded him before because of Feng Zhang and had told him that someone new would be reporting to him, he basically never mentioned Li Qingshan’s name to him. Perhaps even Wang Pushi did not believe Li Qingshan could escape from Feng Zhang’s hands with his puny life given his skills. Moreover, that was several months ago.
Zhou Wenbin stopped smiling. He did not have Zhuo Wenbin’s might in Jiaping, but as he originated from the prefectural city of Clear River and had attended the Academy of the Hundred Schools, he had many more connections and was better informed. His memory was rather impressive as well. He could vaguely remember a friend from Clear River city mentioning something interesting in a letter to him. He mentioned a name that seemed to bear the surname of Li.
The White Hawk commander Gu Yanying, the woman who possessed the greatest authority and power in the Ruyi commandery, was the dream lover of all men. There was not a single man who had not been interested in her upon seeing her. Although all they could do was covet her, unable to approach her, everything related to her would be an interesting topic of conversation, just like the celebrities from Li Qingshan’s previous life.
And, his old friend Zhuo Zhibo had even been scolded by old Wang of the Clear River prefecture exactly for this matter, which only made the matter even more memorable.
“I’ll wager ten spiritual stones on this kid. He definitely has something to rely on for enlisting as a first layer Qi Practitioner. He’ll be able to rise up and become a Hawkwolf Guard.”
Zhuo Zhibo’s eyes narrowed. He smiled. “To think you just said you don’t gamble. Aren’t you even more interested in gambling than me?”
With a group of people above, they gambled on the fates of the people below. With a group of people below, they became the tools for gambling to the people above. The human past time of gambling did not change because of practising qi. Fighting and competing was an instinct of primitive creatures, but it was also present within humans. It was only presented in a different form.
Li Qingshan stood on the side of the square. A group of Qi Practitioners were filled with animosity towards him. The people who bought the talismans would not be grateful towards him because their odds at succeeding had increased. They would only hate him for making use of the situation and scamming them. Those who failed to buy any talismans would resent him as well for making their opponents stronger, let alone the people who had mocked him before he mocked them in return.
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Chapter 115 – Directly Passing
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Chapter 115 – Directly Passing
The Qi Practitioner who had directly confronted Li Qingshan before walked past him as he sneered. He whispered, “I’d like to see how you die. You better pray to the heavens that you don’t match up with me.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I trust that I won’t be matched up with you.” Afterwards, under the gazes of all of the Qi Practitioners, he made his way through the square and arrived below the pavilion. Two envoys stopped him. “What are you trying to do?”
Li Qingshan ignored the envoys. He raised his head and called out, “May I ask if commander Zhuo Zhibo is present?”
“What’s he trying to do?” “Is he sick of living?” The group of Qi Practitioners were stunned, and the Black Wolf guards in the pavilion were surprised as well.
Bulbous nose mumbled, “Looks like I’m wrong. The kid is going to die before the competition even begins.”
“Chase him away!” Zhuo Zhibo frowned. Was his name something a little Qi Practitioner could refer to directly?
Swish!
Two Hawkwolf Guards outside the corridor drew their swords conveniently, while the other Hawkwolf Guards remained the same as before, keeping the attitude of watching a show.
“I’ll wager that he’ll be able to endure three moves at the very least!” Bulbous nose’s words immediately made his two colleagues with the drawn blades slightly more serious. One of them even replied, “Then let’s gamble!”
Zhou Wenbin said suddenly, “Hold on! Commander Zhuo, that’s the person I’ve gambled on. I can’t accept the losses if he dies. He might be seeking you out for actual matters. Why don’t we see what he has to say?” The smile in his eyes grew deeper. He stood up and made his way to the corridor, while Zhuo Zhibo followed along. He felt slightly uneasy inside.
Zhuo Zhibo looked down on Li Qingshan from above. “What do you want?”
“Commander Wang Pushi sent me here.” There was a dark flash in Li Qingshan’s hand, which shot up the pavilion.
Zhuo Zhibo extended a hand and caught it. It was a Black Wolf tablet. The matter from several months ago suddenly crossed his mind. He raised his head and looked at Li Qingshan. “Are you that person?” He had never thought that the kid who had caused Feng Zhang to be expelled and earned him a scolding from Wang Pushi would actually still be alive. Moreover, he would actually be bold enough to show himself before him.
Li Qingshan spread his hands and shrugged. “In the flesh.”
Zhou Wenbin smiled due to the success of his scheme. “Commander Zhou? what’s this about?”
Zhuo Zhibo said with a sunken expression, “Sir Zhou has schemed well, so why must you ask despite knowing the answer?” He had always taken pride in his intelligence, but he had fallen for Zhou Wenbin’s scheme today, so he was in a horrible mood. As he looked at Li Qingshan, he was tempted to smack him to death.
“Does commander Wang’s word count?” Li Qingshan said, completely ignoring Zhuo Zhibo’s anger. From the moment he laid his eyes on Zhuo Zhibo, he had stopped worrying. From what he saw, Zhuo Zhibo was only at the level of a daemon that had just condensed a daemon core. He was within the range he could deal with.
The sixth layer, Qi Practitioners who had split open a sea of qi, were roughly similar to daemons who had condensed a daemon core. With how long daemons needed to cultivate for, it did not come without benefits. Their bodies were tough and their daemon qi was heavy, so they were much more powerful than humans of the same level. They basically possessed a one-sided advantage. Humans could only barely maintain a stalemate against them with spiritual artifacts and talismans as weapons. In the end, they would have to rely on intelligence and numbers to defeat daemons.
With the assistance from Xiao An who practised the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, Li Qingshan was obviously filled with confidence due to his strength. Since he knew it was impossible for Zhuo Zhibo to take a liking to him, and he was not a person who would bend over backwards to get people to like him, he would just go with the flow. However, in the eyes of onlookers, he seemed rather arrogant.
There was not a single person in the Clear River prefecture who was bold enough to say that Wang Pushi’s word did not count. At the very least, Zhuo Zhibo was not one of them. His expression changed a few times before recovering his composure. He even smiled a little, tossing the Black Wolf tablet back down. “Li Qingshan, you are now a Hawkwolf Guard. Wait down there.”
“Thank you for accepting me, commander Zhuo!” Li Qingshan clasped his hands, but he became even more cautious inside. People who could control their emotions were like venomous snakes hiding in the grass. They were even more terrifying than furious lions or tigers.
With that, the observing Hawkwolf Guards could not help but be taken aback, while the enlisting Qi Practitioners were thrown into an uproar. Just like that, the three positions had become two. The clown who was supposed to die in their eyes had actually passed directly using such a method, so the Qi Practitioners immediately felt that it was unfair.
“This is unfair! Why doesn’t he need to take part in the competition?” The Qi Practitioner who had confronted Li Qingshan and wanted him dead called out.
“He’s just a first layer Qi Practitioner. Even people like that can just join the Hawkwolf Guard?”
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi looked at Li Qingshan from afar. They were filled with surprise and shock, no less than the people around them. They said nothing. How could a measly Qi Practitioner change the decision of a Black Hawk commander? They wondered to themselves just how he was able to force Zhuo Zhibo into directly accepting him. Did he possess a powerful backer, Wang Pushi? Who was that?
Wang Pushi’s nickname, old Wang, had spread just too much, which instead made many people forget about his real name. However, as two well-informed, quick-witted people, they immediately realised it. Was it the legendary Scarlet Hawk commander, old Wang? It couldn’t be. He was a figure who watched over all Qi Practitioners in the Clear River prefecture, one of the three rulers over this expanse of one thousand five hundred kilometers.
However, aside from him, there was no one else who could force Zhuo Zhibo into making this decision despite being absent in person. Then they looked at Li Qingshan and felt that the regular sixteen-year-old now had an aura of mystery about him. If that really was the person behind him, he would be a figure that they could never afford to provoke.
Diao Fei thought about just how he had managed to establish a tie with a figure like that. It only seemed to make sense now that he could kill Qian Rongming without even batting an eye.
Zhou Wenbin looked at the clamorous surroundings with a smile and said to Zhuo Zhibo, “I was only just joking with you earlier. As I’ve said, I don’t like gambling at all, so please forgive me, commander Zhuo.”
“That may be true for you, but my word has always counted. Sir Zhou, are you perhaps looking down on my wager?” Zhuo Zhibo smiled sunkenly. He picked up a walnut from the platter of fruit and nuts on the table.
Li Qingshan suddenly felt a terrifying aura of murderousness. Out of everyone present, there were only three people who could clearly sense it. Li Qingshan was one of them.
The walnut shot off with enough force to pierce rocks, flying through the air. It smashed through countless droplets of rain, leaving behind an empty tunnel in its trajectory before slamming into the forehead of the second layer Qi Practitioner.
Bang!
The walnut shattered, and so did the skull. The Qi Practitioner’s expression remained furious as his head was thrown into the ground. His neck snapped as he collapsed in a twisted manner.
All of the Qi Practitioners shut their mouths, as if someone had grabbed them by the neck at the same time. Every single one of them were prodigies in their hometowns, standing above all. They held power over the lives and property of the people of the jianghu, let alone ordinary people.
Yet right now, a Qi Practitioner that was just as noble as them had his life taken away in such an easy manner; it was as simple as slaughtering a chicken. Moreover, the person who just died could have been any one of them. He was just unlucky, which was why he was chosen and made an example out of.
They looked at the cause of all this, at Zhuo Zhibo who stood in the pavilion. His short, chubby stature suddenly seemed wide and tall. They all suddenly realised something. This was Jiaping city, the place with the most and strongest Qi Practitioners within a region of several hundred kilometers. Currently, they happened to be standing in the territory of the Hawkwolf Guard, which possessed the most and strongest Qi Practitioners in the city. They were afraid of even uttering an extra word. Even their dissatisfaction vanished.
Li Qingshan exhaled. This was the reality.
A great disparity existed between each layer for Qi Practitioners. If second layer Qi Practitioners wanted to defeat a third layer Qi Practitioner, they could rely on a numerical advantage or a powerful talisman to achieve victory. However, against a fourth layer Qi Practitioner, they could only pray to the heavens that they could escape. Up against a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, it would be certain death.
And, the difference between the fifth and sixth layers was even greater than the previous differences; it was just like how it was impossible for a daemonic beast to defeat a daemon that had condensed a daemon core. For a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had split open a sea of qi, killing a measly second layer Qi Practitioner was even easier than eating or drinking. Let alone fleeing, they could not even react in time.
Normally, Zhuo Zhibo would have never been so intense with his punishment. After all, every single Qi Practitioner held great influence in the places that they came from, or they originated from clans or sects. He did not want to develop grievances for no good reason. However, he was furious right now, so he could no longer care. They were just a mere Qi Practitioner, so if they died, they died. Was someone supposed to come avenge them?
Zhuo Zhibo glanced past Li Qingshan nonchalantly. Li Qingshan could feel that the person he actually wanted to throw the walnut at was himself. However, he only returned his gaze with a smile. Zhuo Zhibo’s frown grew deeper. Normal people would be utterly frightened when they witnessed unstoppable power, and if that person was hostile to you as well, it would lead to severe mental pressure as well. As time went on, it could even drive people insane.
However, he saw no fear from Li Qingshan at all. Instead, he remained extremely calm and composed. Either Li Qingshan was an idiot who knew no fear, or he had something he could depend on. The answer was clearly the latter.
Zhuo Zhibo obviously did not believe Li Qingshan’s confidence originated from his personal strength, so it had to be due to his backing. However, Wang Pushi had never explained his relationship with Li Qingshan to him. He only told him about Feng Zhang’s expulsion and Li Qingshan’s offer without much thought. He seemed very unconcerned when he did that. Zhuo Zhibo could not help but look at Zhou Wenbin. This bastard had a lot of ties to Clear River city, so he must have known something.
Zhou Wenbin cleared his thoughts. “Commander Zhuo, I heard the White Hawk of the Ruyi commander met with this kid and even invited him to a cup of alcohol, getting officer old Wang to give the mental map of the Green province he carried around to him.”
“Really?” Zhuo Zhibo’s heart shivered. A name resounded through his mind, along with the white figure that he could never forget about even after catching just a single glimpse. He was rather well-informed as well, knowing that commander Gu had once appeared in a small, remote city. He even knew that Feng Zhang had gotten unlucky, embarrassing old Wang in front of commander Gu, which led to his direct expulsion.
However, he was unaware of the details at all, as none of the people present were people he could investigate. The reason why Zhou Wenbin knew about this was because his friend had dined with Hua Chengzan before with the presence of beautiful women.
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Chapter 116 – An Extraordinary Mindset
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Chapter 116 – An Extraordinary Mindset
Zhuo Zhibo’s gaze towards Li Qingshan became cautious. He frowned deeply. Li Qingshan’s casual attitude only seemed to verify his thoughts.
By now, the dead Qi Practitioner had already been carried away, and the order of the rounds were rearranged. A Black Wolf guard personally hosted below.
Although the Qi Practitioners were envious, jealous, and resentful of Li Qingshan, they were afraid of saying anything about it. From today onwards, he was a Hawkwolf guard. He was no longer an existence they could provoke.
The Black Wolf guards in the pavilion experienced various thoughts. They gazed at Li Qingshan with either disdain or curiosity. Regardless of the ground, an arrogant newcomer was not well-liked, let alone the fact that Li Qingshan had basically replaced their old colleague, Feng Zhang. Moreover, his strength was only at the first layer, which led to even more disdain. Many people wondered just how they would teach a lesson to this ignorant kid from the mountains.
Li Qingshan just stood below the pavilion, gazing at the platform. He was even more relaxed than the gambling Hawkwolf guards, ignoring all of the gazes on him. He discovered that it was indeed better to stand to the side and watch people fight for their lives instead of being involved as tools for gambling.
Two Qi Practitioners arrived at the centre of the square, standing ten steps away from one another.
The one to the left wore green casual wear and was in his twenties. He had fairer skin and no facial hair. His hands were empty, without a weapon. Li Qingshan could still remember that he had purchased two talismans from him, one inferior and one low grade. He clearly had some background, probably from an aristocratic clan, born with the talent to practise qi.
The person to the right was much older. He was in his thirties or forties at the very least, and he wore grey, tighter-fitting clothes. He had an extremely prominent red scar on his face. He gave off a sense of fierceness. There was a sword at his waist. If Li Qingshan had guessed correctly, he should have started off as a martial arts practitioner, having converted his inner force into true qi.
Both of them were second layer Qi Practitioners. Li Qinsghan was unable to determine just who was stronger or weaker. The Qi Practitioner in green definitely possessed quite a few powerful talismans, so he had an advantage in resources, but his battle experience would definitely be insufficient. Even if he had any, it would just be overpowering people weaker than him.
However, the Qi Practitioner in green had slaughtered his way out of the jianghu. His battle experience would definitely be plentiful. And, Yan Song had mentioned before that among lower Qi Practitioners, those who were originally martial arts practitioners tended to be stronger.
Within the drizzle, the two people faced each other, and with a clang of a gong, the first battle began.
The Qi Practitioner in grey moved. He turned into a grey flash, charging towards the Qi Practitioner in green. He conveniently drew the sword from his waist. The entire motion was smooth and fluid, completed in a single stroke. In the moment prior, he was ten steps away, but in the moment after, the shining, a cold sword had already stabbed towards the Qi Practitioner in green’s throat.
Li Qingshan cheered inside. He really did begin as a martial arts practitioner.
The Qi Practitioner in green spread his arms in no hurry, retreating backwards like a gliding bird. True qi circulated through his body, and he separated his hands. A fist-sized fireball flew out.
A technique!
Li Qingshan immediately gathered his attention. He had heard from Yan Song that true qi was not as simple as a stronger version of inner force. Aside from being able to make people faster and stronger, it could also be used to unleash various wondrous techniques. Talismans were basically all techniques that had been sealed within talisman paper, allowing them to be used at any time.
The rain vapourised from the heat of the fireball. Even the soaking ground dried up, teeming with white steam, which only demonstrated the power of the fireball. If a person was struck by it, they probably would end up becoming a human torch.
The Qi Practitioner in grey seemed extremely fearful as well, but he did not become frantic. He used a profound series of foot steps, moving left and right and actually brushing past the fireball. Although his hair and eyebrows were singed, he did not slow down.
The Qi Practitioner in green panicked. He had clearly underestimated the willingness of Qi Practitioners who originated as martial arts practitioners to risk their lives. He wanted to force back the Qi Practitioner in grey, so he stopped his retreat. The true qi in his body had yet to settle down either, so he was unable to use a technique in time. He made up his mind and fished out a talisman, slapping it on himself. A breeze sprang up below his feet, and he immediately became much more agile.
Li Qingshan learned that while techniques were powerful, they could not be used particularly quickly. If he were against Qi Practitioners similar to himself, he would be fine, as their reaction speed would be limited as well. However, against Qi Practitioners who started off with martial arts, he would struggle.
The Qi Practitioner in green pulled away. He unleashed fireballs and large swathes of steam rose up from the surroundings. Suddenly, one of them flew towards Li Qingshan. Just when he planned on dodging, a wind blade pierced through the air, cutting down the fireball. A hot wave of air surged over hime, causing his clothes to ruffle.
Li Qingshan raised his head. A Black Wolf guard stowed his blade away and saw him look over, sneering in disdain.
Within the swathe of steam, the Qi Practitioner in grey was dishevelled. He was covered in burn marks, but none of them were fatal. He was both vicious and cautious, sticking close to the Qi Practitioner in green.
The Qi Practitioner in green had instead panicked due to wasting true qi. The length that an inferior talisman lasted for was extremely limited, so the breeze below his feet gradually dispersed. He took out a low grade talisman this time.
Li Qingshan shook his head. The outcome had already been determined. Unleashing strength that could crush the opponent right in the beginning was the correct decision. Being indecisive would not work. However, he could also understand that talismans would vanish with each use. The more he used at the beginning, the smaller the chance of victory later on. In the end, it was very likely that he would not gain anything at all, ending up wasting the invaluable talismans.
A vicious light flashed through the eyes of the Qi Practitioner in grey. No one knew when, but he was also holding a talisman in his left hand now.
The talisman shattered, transforming into a flash of white light, blinding everyone. The Qi Practitioners on the side all looked away.
However, as Li Qingshan was further away, he saw it clearly. The talisman was just an inferior good. Aside from being able to dazzle people, it could do nothing else.
However, the Qi Practitioner in green was dazed. Due to fear, his body paused slightly.
A battle between masters would be determined in a single instant.
The light subsided, but a sword also flashed past. The Qi Practitioner in green produced meaningless gurgles. A glowing metal sword had pierced his throat. His eyes were filled with regret. He still had so many talismans he had yet to use. If he used them right from the beginning, he would definitely be the victor. Two streaks of tears fell from the corner of his eyes. He had been drowned out by regret and death.
The envoy announced loudly, “Victory to Liu Yiming!” He did not even mention the Qi Practitioner in green’s name. They would either make a name for themselves out of nowhere, or they would die nameless.
Rich battle experience and decisiveness became critical points to victory. Li Qingshan also realised that whether it be talismans or techniques, it was completely up to how the person used them. Even if sheep had the claws and fangs of wolves, they would still be sheep.
However, unfortunately, Liu Yiming failed to make a name for himself. He was matched up against a third layer Qi Practitioner in his second round. Fortunately, he was swift enough with forfeiting, saving him from losing his life pointlessly.
Droplets of rain fell from the gloomy sky. Round after round passed in the competition. Not every round would result in a corpse. Those who were outmatched could forfeit, and their opponent could not force them to keep fighting, which was basically an attempt from the Hawkwolf Guard to reduce injuries and death.
However, whether it be the spiritual artifacts or the techniques Qi Practitioners employed, they were all just too powerful. Basically every single one of them had stronger attacks than defences. Most of the time, there was not even the opportunity to admit defeat. Once they were struck by an attack, they would be dead. Victory and defeat, life and death depended on a single moment.
The second round of the competition ended, and four corpses were now placed at the edge of the square. These noble Qi Practitioners just laid in the muddy water, dead. Li Qingshan suddenly fought it to be all so foolish. They had originally obtained everything already, everything that an ordinary person could not obtain throughout their entire lives, yet they risked their lives for more, for better, only to lose their lives.
However, he suddenly realised that he was no different. He could not say that he had a grand dream, while everyone else just had wild ambitions. He could not help but shake his head in self-mockery.
However, he had no plans to change his mind. The saying of knowing when to be content is happiness was just a way for weaker people to comfort themselves. It was the belief of people who had lost their motivation to live and the spirit to forge ahead. Men had dreams far and wide. If they died before achieving their dream, how could they say that knowing when to be content was happiness? Constantly advancing through struggle was the only source of happiness. Even if they died as failure, it would not be a waste at the very least.
He dismissed his unaccommodating thoughts before looking back at the square. He no longer had any mockery and self-mockery in his eyes anymore. Instead, there was appreciation, appreciating the Qi Practitioners for unleashing all of their intelligence and strength to face off against their opponent, searching for victory in the danger of defeat, searching for life in the shadow of death. The vigour they demonstrated made death seem insignificant. They were flowing with battle intent and fighting spirit.
Zhuo Zhibo had been paying attention to Li Qingshan the entire time, clearly sensing the powerful fighting spirit from Li Qingshan and his gaze of almost admiration for the competition. This was not usual. The Black Wolf guards in the pavilion were afraid of mocking and making a ruckus due to his anger, but they were still haughty, acting like they were watching a battle between caged beasts. Even though they had also emerged from the same cage, only Li Qingshan admired the battle, desiring the battle.
Zhou Wenbin also paid attention to Li Qingshan. This youngster, no, man had an aura that heavily differed from normal people. He would usually hide it all and seem normal, but once an opportunity presented itself, it would all emerge from him and display itself.
However, no matter how special he was, it was all useless if his cultivation and strength were insufficient. A first layer Qi Practitioner in his teens could be regarded as rather talented in Jiaping city, but across the entire Clear River prefecture, it was nothing special at all. He would probably spend his entire life at the level of the Black Wolf guards. If he could split open a sea of qi, then he would be lucky. Zhou Wenbin then glanced at Zhuo Zhibo and shook his head. It would be difficult for even that wish to come true under this person’s command.
Li Qingshan still possessed very little experience in actual battles against Qi Practitioners. When he watched these battles, he benefited tremendously. Various novel techniques and moves were demonstrated before him. Not only was he watching, but he was also silently thinking of how he could handle them so that he would be prepared if he came across them in the future.
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Chapter 117 – Killing a Qi Practitioner
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Chapter 117 – Killing a Qi Practitioner
In the competition this time, there was no doubt that the strongest were Diao Fei and the other third layer Qi Practitioner. However, the person who attracted the most attention was Qian Rongzhi. There were many female Qi Practitioners, with quite a few attending the competition, but there were not many who were born with beauty like hers. Beautiful women would attract gazes no matter where they went.
However, out of the three positions available, Li Qingshan had already claimed one. The last two positions seemed to be in the grasps of the two third layer Qi Practitioners. As long as they did not meet in the competition, the other Qi Practitioners basically stood no chance.
The competition advanced very quickly. Many of the victories would be determined in a split second. Consequently, they reached the fourth round in less than four hours. Only four people remained in the square. It seemed like the two third layer Qi Practitioners could become Hawkwolf guards after defeating two more second layer Qi Practitioners, but the situation suddenly changed. The envoy read out the matches, but it was second layer against second layer and third layer against third layer.
The expressions of Diao Fei and the other third layer Qi Practitioner changed slightly. However, the two second layer Qi Practitioners suddenly erupted with hope. One of them happened to be Qian Rongzhi. She remained calm as if she had been expecting this.
When Qian Rongzhi made her way to the centre of the square, Li Qingshan looked down. The outcome was already determined. Since Qian Rongzhi possessed a mid grade talisman as a trump card, she vaguely surpassed her opponent in both cultivation and status. That was that.
As expected, Qian Rongzhi immediately took out a talisman as soon as the match began, but to Li Qingshan’s surprise, she did not activate it immediately. Instead, she said to the Qi Practitioner gently, “Young master Zhang, you should be able to tell that my mid grade talisman possesses tremendous power. However, I don’t want to harm you, so please forfeit!”
‘Young master Zhang’ could not help but hesitate. He had witnessed Qian Rongzhi’s strength before. Coupled with the mid grade talisman, his chances of victory were less than thirty percent.
Qian Rongzhi made full use of her advantages as a female. The drizzle drenched her clothes, sculpting out her beautiful figure. Her eyes were just as misty as the rain. She did not seem like she was threatening, but begging. “I really don’t want to become your enemy unless I have to. If the day comes, Rongzhi will definitely serve you well if you visit the Ancient Wind city.”
In the pavilion, Zhou Wenbin smiled. “Commander Zhuo, is that allowed too?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Why wouldn’t it? The competition is not just about cultivation in the first place. It’s also about intelligence.”
Li Qingshan could not help but admire this woman’s thinking. As expected, the Qi Practitioner known as ‘young master Zhang’ chose to forfeit under the gentle request of a beauty and the threat of the talisman.
Qian Rongzhi also crossed through the square, arriving below the pavilion and standing beside Li Qingshan. She even smiled at Li Qingshan. “I underestimated young master a few days ago. If I have caused any offence, I hope that you can forgive me.” Vaguely, she seemed to demonstrate awe, as if Li Qingshan was not Qian Rongming’s murderer, but a talented young man who made her heart throb.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had been referred to as ‘young master’, but he only felt a chill run down his spine. He replied with a soft ‘yep’ and stopped paying attention to her. Regardless of whether she was truly unaffected by Qian Rongming’s death or she hid the resentment deep inside, she was a terrifying beauty of viciousness like a snake or a scorpion. Her cruelty probably originated from the education of the large clan she came from. No matter how beautiful a woman like that was, he would never be interested.
Not only did Qian Rongzhi ignore Li Qingshan’s coldness towards her, she even tried to start a conversation. “Who do you think will win?”
Li Qingshan frowned and directed all of his attention to the square. The clash between the two third layer Qi Practitioners would be the headline match of the competition, but it was not as intense as imagined at all. They fought against one another warily.
After a few attempts at probing out the opponent, Diao Fei used the Lightning Strike talisman he had purchased from Li Qingshan. With a flash of scorching white light, a bolt of lightning as thick as a pillar descended from the sky, easily piercing his opponent’s protective true qi and charring him.
The traces of the lightning only vanished from the opponent’s face after quite a while. It was so powerful that even Li Qingshan was taken aback. Lightning was the punishment of the heavens. Even if he daemonified, it would still injure him.
The light in Qian Rongzhi’s eyes flickered. “This young master Diao grasped a good time.”
All techniques were about circumstances. Today, the clouds had constantly been rumbling with thunder; the Lightning Strike talisman was almost as effective as a high grade talisman during this rainy summer weather. It was not something weaker Qi Practitioners could fend off, becoming an absolute trump card.
Diao Fei also walked over to Li Qingshan’s side. Although he did his best to remain calm, he was unable to hide his joy. He even thanked Li Qingshan quietly. It was as if he no longer cared about the Pearl Dew pill.
Two mid grade talismans had become the determining factors of victory. The three people had become the final victors, basically building off what had happened on the boat earlier. However, the three of them definitely were not friends.
Zhuo Zhibo said from the pavilion, “Come up!”
“I refuse to accept this!” Suddenly, someone called out boldly. His face was twisted due to jealousy. He had become rather crazy due to his failures. He looked at Li Qingshan resentfully. “How can a piece of trash like you, a first layer Qi Practitioner, surpass me…”
Zhuo Zhibo did nothing. Instead, he said to Li Qingshan, “You’re already a Hawkwolf guard. When someone offends you, they’re offending the Hawkwolf Guard. You should know what to do!” It was as if he did not realise a difference existed between first and second layer Qi Practitioners at all. The other Hawkwolf guards all watched on with interest, waiting for Li Qingshan to be defeated. They wanted to see if he would still be able to stand there after that.
Li Qingshan turned around with ease and walked towards the Qi Practitioner. He learned that this person’s name was Lü Hui during the competition earlier. He had insulted Li Qingshan in the beginning before being labelled as trash. Li Qingshan said, “Since you want to die so much, I’ll give you what you want.”
To everyone else, that just sounded like boastful words.
“What’re you trying to do? You’re just a first layer Qi Practitioner!” Lü Hui watched as Li Qingshan gradually approached him. For some reason, he actually felt deep fear. Now that his head had mostly cleared up, he regretted his earlier words.
When he was twenty steps away, Li Qingshan stopped. He leaned forwards and bent his knees; he was like a tiger in the forest, stalking its prey and about to pounce. His temporarily condensed power suddenly erupted as he leapt forth.
Li Qingshan’s eyes were calm and composed like a young beast king who had gracefully leapt out of the forest. There was no ruthlessness or fury, only calmness due to confidence. It was enough to make people’s hearts shudder.
Lü Hui looked at the emotionless eyes and felt pressure that took his breath away. When Li Qingshan stopped, he had already begun circulating all of his true qi. However, due to Li Qingshan’s sudden acceleration, all he saw was a blur sweep past him. Li Qingshan moved just too quickly, to the point that it gave Lü Hui the false impression that only after quite a while did the gust of wind that the motion produced arrive. It slammed into Lü Hui’s face with the cold rain.
The figure in front of him vanished, and he felt agony in his chest. Lowering his head, he saw that his chest was empty. When he looked back with difficulty, all he saw was Li Qingshan clutching a bloody heart. He opened his mouth, but before he could even say anything, he had already collapsed face first into the ground.
The entire square immediately fell silent. Suddenly, the sound of the rain became incredibly clear. Everyone was shocked; even Zhuo Zhibo and Zhou Wenbin were fazed. They yelled out at the same time, “Body Practitioner!”
A second layer Qi Practitioner had been killed in a single stroke, and it was not through a sneak attack or a talisman but in a direct confrontation. Everyone felt a heavy, cold sensation. The Qi Practitioners looked at Li Qingshan like he was a monster. Was he really a first layer Qi Practitioner?
The Qi Practitioners present no longer grumbled about Li Qingshan avoiding the competition. Instead, they felt extremely fortunate. If he had taken part, there would probably be a few more corpses to the side of the square, which might have included them. As expected, he was not an idiot. He was bold enough to rip them off with talismans before the battle because he possessed absolute confidence in his strength, yet others actually still mocked him. Fortunately, none of them were like the idiot from before, actually stepping forward and antagonising him.
Even the Hawkwolf guards who had watched the competition unfold leisurely looked at Li Qingshan in shock. Originally, they felt much disdain towards this kid who openly joined the Hawkwolf Guard through the backdoor using his connections. But now, their opinions of him had completely changed. This kid was not someone they could just teach a lesson to.
The shock that Li Qingshan created even surpassed when Zhuo Zhibo killed the Qi Practitioner in a single move. The latter had used his overwhelming strength to crush his opponent, which only made sense, while the former still managed to crush his opponent despite being weaker in cultivation. Such a matter was simply extraordinary.
Li Qingshan tossed the heart aside and caught his breath. Earlier, he had instantaneously erupted with his physical strength and true qi. The outcome of the combination even surprised him a little. However, he was absolutely confident in himself when he launched the attack.
The Tiger Demon Leaps over the Ravine. The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart. Ever since he became a daemon, these moves seemed to have fused into his blood, becoming a part of his instincts.
Even when he did not have a sliver of true qi, he had used his physical strength and an opening to defeat Feng Zhang in a single stroke. Ever since then, he had been cultivating daily, and the daemon qi converted from several dozen Qi Gathering pills only made his body stronger. His true qi had almost reached the peak of the first layer as well, and it was as pure as it could get. As such, his strength changed in an overwhelming fashion.
As for Lü Hui, he was the opposite. He had just been through three rounds of battles, so he was at his weakest in both true qi and physical strength. With the disparity in conditions, the outcome became extremely clear-cut.
Li Qingshan reevaluated his strength. In human form, killing a third layer Qi Practitioner in a direct confrontation should pose no difficulty. He had yet to see any fourth layer Qi Practitioners, so he was uncertain about them. Of course, this was given that his opponent did not have too powerful of a trump card. However, in terms of trump cards, just how many people could surpass him?
Li Qingshan returned to Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei’s side. Both of them shuffled back slightly in an unnatural fashion. The terrifying power to injure and kill that Li Qingshan had erupted with caused them tremendous pressure.
Qian Rongzhi could no longer force out a smile. Not a single person would be able to smile when they knew the person right beside them had the power to kill them at any time, and that they just happened to be displeased with them.
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Chapter 118 – Fantastic Benefits
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Chapter 118 – Fantastic Benefits
Even the hands of the third layer Qi Practitioner, Diao Fei, became covered in cold sweat. Within a range of three steps, he would not even have the time to activate a talisman against such an opponent. He felt extremely relieved that he had not fallen out with Li Qingshan. Under the guidance of an envoy, the three of them climbed the lengthy stairs, with Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi following behind Li Qingshan instinctively. Afterwards, they crossed through a long corridor. Over a dozen Black Wolf guards parted to form a path for them. Li Qingshan clearly saw that there were both men and women among them. There were young twenty-year-olds, but there were also many middle-aged or even elderly people.
Li Qingshan studied them. Under the gloomy weather, their various faces turned into blurs in Li Qingshan’s mind. He did not try to remember them. He only silently estimated their strength. There were many third layer Qi Practitioners, with a few second and fourth layer Qi Practitioners. He did not see any fifth layer Qi Practitioners. The conclusion he reached was that he did not need to take special note of any of them.
Strength was the best calling card for Qi Practitioners. Before he knew it, Li Qingshan had also learned how to judge a person based on their strength. Only when Li Qingshan arrived before Zhuo Zhibo and Zhou Wenbin did he take special note of them. Their auras were so powerful that they could not be ignored.
Zhuo Zhibo scanned past the three of them, with his gaze pausing on Li Qingshan slightly. He smiled kindly. “Congratulations. From today onwards, you are a part of the Hawkwolf Guard. You’ve all done extremely well… In a moment, there will be a welcoming banquet. Little Ge, go take them to collect their items.”
“Yes, commander!” answered a short but powerful Qi Practitioner. He had a bit of a baby face, but he had a mustache. Additionally, he seemed rather funny but also very likeable.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Commander Zhuo, I won’t be disturbing you any further then. I’ll take my leave.” He did not even mention the matter of the spiritual stones, as he knew that Zhuo Zhibo would have the spiritual stones delivered to him once he returned. If he demanded for them before so many Black Wolf guards, it would be rather humiliating for Zhuo Zhibo and overbearing on Zhou Wenbin’s part.
Zhuo Zhibo urged Zhou Wenbin to stay with no sincerity at all before politely accompanying Zhou Wenbin down the stairs. Before Zhou Wenbin left, he said to the three of them, “Oh right. Don’t forget to report to the district government.”
In writing, the district magistrate was the highest ruler of Jiaping. He had the authority to dispatch the Hawkwolf Guard to assist his governance, so new members of the Hawkwolf Guard would have to report to the government and be recorded. While the Hawkwolf Guard was responsible for supervising the government, they could not directly disobey the orders of the district magistrate, thus creating a relationship where they checked one another. However, in reality, actual power would depend on their individual skill and strength.
Although he directed that to the three of them, anyone could tell that he was specially speaking to Li Qingshan. District magistrate Zhou was very interested in him.
Under the lead of ‘little Ge’, Li Qingshan finally entered the depths of the Hawkwolf Guard. The exquisite, extravagant buildings and pavilions made it seem like a royal palace rather than a government office. The envoys they came across along the way no longer possessed any arrogance at all. Instead, they were humble and polite.
‘Little Ge’ was very good at making conversation. He introduced the names and purposes of the structures along the way, mentioning stories or anecdotes with great ease. He also constantly asked Li Qingshan how he had managed to accomplish what he currently possessed.
“It was all by chance,” Li Qingshan smiled. He had already learned that ‘little Ge’ was actually called Ge Jian, and he was actually past thirty years old already. The reason why he was so polite was directly connected to the strength Li Qingshan had displayed earlier. Although Ge Jian was cautious of him, being treated as an equal was still a comforting fact.
Ge Jian said, “There aren’t a lot of people who practise that now. The body practising methods in the library are even close to getting moldy with how seldom people view them. However, I never thought the power would be so great. Even I want to try it out now. You’ll need to teach me well when I do try.”
He was just making conversation. Although Body Practitioners sounded like they were equals to Qi Practitioners, that was just Body Practitioners blowing their own trumpets. It was not some hidden, powerful path that people could take. It was just like the daoist ability of the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers. Most ancient cultivation methods were lost because they could no longer keep up with the times.
Compared to the powerful strength in battle, there were many disadvantages to the method of training the body. Every path was composed of the summaries of the countless lessons people before had learned. However, Li Qingshan was not a ‘person’, so he obviously had no need to follow the same path as these ‘people’ before.
Soon, they arrived at the depths of the mountain peak and entered a stone building carved out from the mountain. Ge Jian took the three of them through a series of stone doors. Every stone door was engraved with inscriptions. Even spiritual artifacts would not be able to blow them open. This was the armoury of the Hawkwolf Guard.
To the Hawkwolf Guard, there was not a single piece of gold, silver, or treasure worth protecting unless they were spiritual.
Ge Jian took out two Black Wolf uniforms for each person from the armoury first. Li Qingshan gently felt the smooth fabric. Through Ge Jian’s introductions, he learned that it was made from dark silk; it was both fire and waterproof and was tough enough to stop crossbow bolts. This was the best piece of clothing he had ever worn even with his two lives combined. However, he did not care too much about it. With his Ox Demon Forges its Hide, he had never been afraid of any crossbow bolts in the first place.
If that was all the benefits the Hawkwolf Guard had to offer, it would just be disappointing. However, Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi showed no signs of disappointment at all. They held the uniform like it was a treasure as they were distracted by their thoughts.
Qian Rongzhi’s thoughts included both resentment and joy. If she wore this uniform and returned to Ancient Wind city, those old coots would have to show some respect to her. Everyone who had once offended her, who had looked down on her, would have to pay.
Her hatred towards her family was actually dozens or even hundreds of times more intense than the feelings of someone like Li Qingshan who had cut off his family.
What Ge Jian took out next attracted all of their gazes. Even Li Qingshan showed anticipation. They were three delicately-crafted hundred treasures pouches, completely different from the ragged versions they possessed.
Ge Jian handed the three hundred treasures pouches to the three of them. “The items inside are all a welcoming gift.”
Li Qingshan channeled his true qi into it and sensed that the space in the hundred treasures pouch was the size of a box. It was ten times larger than the ruined hundred treasures pouch he had obtained from Qian Rongming. It could easily hold a larger weapon, and he could finally store his Cursive Sword Calligraphy away.
There was a bottle of pills in the hundred treasures pouch as well. Despite its size, it held thirty Qi Gathering pills. Every single one of them was only the size of a soybean, but they were perfectly round and translucent, teeming with spiritual qi. Their effects surpassed regular Qi Gathering pills. There were also three low grade talismans.
It amazed Li Qingshan. The Hawkwolf Guard truly were wealthy, truly a government office of authority of the best of the best. The benefits that came with a position were just so good. There really was a reason why so many Qi Practitioners would risk their lives desperately to join them.
To his side, Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi also showed surprise and joy when they took their hundred treasures pouches.
However, that was not all. Ge Jian then took the three of them into the armoury, opening three stone doors. When the third stone door opened, a brilliant glow flooded out, dazzling Li Qingshan.
The large armoury room was filled with various types of weapons. Whether it be blades, spears, knives, glaives, axes, hooks, or tridents, it had them all. Light flickered in there like stars in the night sky. Every single one of them was a spiritual artifact.
“How are there so many spiritual artifacts here?” The spiritual artifacts Qian Rongzhi currently saw was more than she had seen throughout her entire life. She had grown up in Ancient Wind city, so she believed the Qian family was one of the largest clans in the world, a tremendous existence that could not be shaken. Yet, when she came to the Hawkwolf Guard, only then did she realise she had just been experiencing tunnel vision.
Ge Jian explained, “Over all these years, we’ve killed many enemies, with many Qi Practitioners among them. Since we obtained their weapons that we have no use for, we offered them up as contribution, which ended up being stored here.”
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s contribution?”
Ge Jian explained patiently. As it turned out, Hawkwolf guards were not always busy with their duties. They just needed to deal with a few cases every month, and they would be permitted to use their other time freely. They could practise qi on the mountain or have fun outside, all depending on their preferences. They had great leisure.
Within the Hawkwolf Guard, strength was everything. No matter how hard a person worked, they could not be promoted if their strength was insufficient. As a result, in order to motivate people to work, they set up a contribution system. Whenever a case was completed, they could receive a corresponding amount of contribution, which could be exchanged for pills, talismans, or spiritual artifacts.
Moreover, the Hawkwolf Guard did not pay their salaries with silver. There was no silver on the mountain at all. Instead, they would give each member ten Qi Gathering pills for their cultivation.
A great salary, great benefits, and high amounts of freedom. When I work, I even receive bonuses, and I get respected wherever I go. Apart from the fact that the commanding officer doesn’t seem to like me, it’s basically a perfect job. But even if the commanding officer does dislike me, he’ll have to live it with. Who told him to send someone to come steal my things? Serves him right. If he develops spite against me because of this, then he’d better be careful when he goes out at night, just in case he falls into the hands of daemons.
Li Qingshan smiled subconsciously, which made Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei shiver.
Ge Jian said, “Everyone pick one as your weapon. If you don’t have confidence in your insight, I recommend that you choose a standard issue Wind-entwining blade. Be quick, because I still have to take you to your residences.”
The three of them immediately began picking eagerly. Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to choose a heavy weapon, the heavier the better. He had already chosen a long battle-axe, but he changed his mind and directly went to the rack to the west, choosing a Wind-entwining blade. He drew the blade from its sheath; it was covered with a cloud-like pattern, shining with cold light. He could tell from a single glance that it had not been used before, brand-new. There were inscriptions on the hilt so that as long as true qi was channeled into the blade, it could unleash wind blades. It was basically a well-made low grade spiritual artifact.
Ge Jian extended his thumb at him, praising his choice. Li Qingshan replied with a smile. He was extremely satisfied with the Wind-entwining blade as well, but he did not choose it because he was unconfident in his insight. Weapons all depended on circumstances. The current him no longer needed to go trample through the Black Wind stronghold.
An overly-large or long weapon could not be stored in the hundred treasures pouch, so it was difficult to carry around and unwieldy. He had begun with the blade at the very beginning, so it was perfect for him to return to the blade now. And, he currently lacked a way to launch long-range attacks. He could not just use the Cursive Sword Calligraphy against anyone and everyone. The Wind-entwining blade was imbued with the Wind Blade technique, so it suited what he was looking for.
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi also chose their respective weapons. Diao Fei also chose a Wind-entwining blade, while Qian Rongzhi chose a Water-splitting barb.1
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1. Water-splitting barbs might look like this:

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Chapter 119 – Hidden Killing Intent
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Chapter 119 – Hidden Killing Intent
There were many small, two-storeyed buildings on the mountain, sparsed between the exuberant vegetation. It was a quiet and tasteful set up. These were the residences allocated to the Hawkwolf Guard. A few had already been cleaned out for the three of them to choose from, which added to Li Qingshan’s understanding of the benefits that the Hawkwolf Guard provided.
Ge Jian said, “Once you have chosen, please clean up and change your clothes. When it’s noon, I will come to receive you again.”
Li Qingshan chose the residence that was the quietest and closest to the edge. After bidding farewell to Ge Jian, he walked over.
There were flowers and shrubs planted at the front, which had now bloomed. Li Qingshan was not skilled in this area of knowledge, so he had no idea what they were called. However, they did form an assortment of colors, which was quite beautiful. Butterflies floated around them, drinking nectar while there was a break in the rain.
Li Qingshan stood there and admired the area for a while before using his key to open the door. A dangling bamboo curtain split the antique style room into two parts. The front was a room to receive guests, while the back was a quiet tearoom.
The jar on his waist trembled. Li Qingshan said, “Come out, Xiao An. I’ve kept you in there for too long!” Opening the jar, a skull flew out. The various bones connected into a skeleton, standing in front of Li Qingshan. It shook its head at Li Qingshan, expressing that it was fine.
Those who practised the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty were neither alive or dead, neither dead or alive. They existed in a wondrous state, carrying the profound truths of buddhism. In terms of concealing auras, even Li Qingshan, who practised the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, could not be compared to him. After all, dead people had no auras.
Xiao An ran over to a wall and admired the antique paintings there before nodding at Li Qingshan, expressing that they were all the real deal.
Li Qingshan held the railing and ascended up the stairs. Xiao An followed behind him in a hurry, climbing up the stairs with a series of thumps.
On the square table, wisps of smoke curled up from a crane-shaped incense burner onto a rosewood screen. The decor and items in the room were extremely luxurious, but not overboard. With a single glance, Li Qingshan could tell that a master had designed this. Any item there was worth far more than what an ordinary person could afford in their entire lives.
Li Qingshan opened the window and looked out. His gaze passed through the treetops as he looked towards the entire sprawl of Jiaping city. The buildings were layered together neatly like matchboxes. A blue band of water glimmered at the centre of all of that, passing through the entire city. It was the Clear river.
If this was compared to what he saw when he was living in the cowshed in the Crouching Ox village, one was truly like hell, while the other was heaven. Now this was the unfettered life that Qi Practitioners were worthy of. Li Qingshan closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale all of his freedom and happiness.
The bloody slaughter in the rain immediately grew distant. Xiao An tilted his head and looked at Li Qingshan as the flames in his eyes flickered. He was also happy for him.
Li Qingshan called Xiao An, sitting down in front of the square table. Like a miser, he poured out the contents of the two hundred treasures pouches, looking through it carefully again. He smiled from ear to ear as he rubbed Xiao An’s head. “Once I formally take my post, I will definitely work hard and help you achieve your ability as quickly as possible, okay? Perhaps you’ll be able to practise qi by then as well? I’ll have to work even harder then and earn some more Qi Gathering pills.”
Xiao An nodded firmly, expressing agreement. He guessed at what ‘taking post’ meant.
A big monster and a small skeleton planned their lives in a serious manner like this. They were like the most ordinary people in this aspect. Work hard and make money! Make money and get married! So on and so on.
In the end, he stored everything back into the new hundred treasures pouch before giving the old one to Xiao An. “One each! You don’t have anything, so I’ll keep the larger one. But don’t worry, I will definitely find a better one for you.” The one hanging from Zhuo Zhibo’s waist seemed quite nice. Li Qingshan could not help but wonder to himself, Should I be hoping that you come for me? Or should I be hoping that you don’t come for me?
Obviously, Xiao An had no objections to this. He accepted the hundred treasures pouch and stored the scholar wood tablet in there.
Li Qingshan had a comforting hot shower and changed into the Black Wolf uniform, equipping his Wind-entwining blade. He told Xiao An to watch over the house before making his way out.
A banquet was held in a large hall.
Zhuo Zhibo sat in the primary seat with over a dozen tables to his two sides. Two people sat at each table, arranged according to their cultivation.
Ge Jian patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “You’ll just have to bear with it!” As he was a first layer Qi Practitioner, he had the weakest cultivation in the Hawkwolf Guard, so he could only sit at the very end. However, everyone knew that when it came to fighting, his strength was probably no less than third layer Qi Practitioners.
Li Qingshan expressed that he did not mind. As soon as he sat down, he caught a whiff of fragrance. Qian Rongzhi actually sat right next to him, telling him in a charming manner, “I’m technically the weakest. It really is unfair for you.”
Li Qingshan wondered whether this was really like the legends, where the colder you were to a beauty, the more the beauty became glued to you? However, this thought vanished in a flash. He could not forget this woman’s expression when she achieved what she wanted. If he really could accept her actions from before, that would not be called lenience, but having something wrong with his head. Trying to put on an act now was already too late.
However, since she had spoken to him in such a friendly manner, he could not lose in this aspect. He replied nonchalantly, “Looks like strength is what groups people in the world. It’s the same everywhere.”
Qian Rongzhi did not seem to hear his sarcastic remark, continuing to smile. She seemed to be in an extremely good mood after having joined the Hawkwolf Guard.
Zhuo Zhibo came very late. After saying some conventional greetings, he congratulated the three of them before introducing the Hawkwolf guards present to them one by one. Including the three of them, there were a total of thirty-one Hawkwolf guards in the region of Jiaping. Aside from the few who were in secluded cultivation or out on missions, everyone was present.
Under Zhuo Zhibo’s lead, everyone raised their cups and congratulated the three of them on joining the Hawkwolf Guard. No matter how cold and arrogant they were before, they were all colleagues now, so they obviously could not argue or bicker. At the very least, they could not make their disagreements and conflict too obvious and had to focus on staying united. Of course, Li Qingshan’s vague backing played quite a large role here.
Otherwise, people would have begun provoking him a long time ago. It was very impressive when Li Qingshan instantly killed a second layer Qi Practitioner, shocking everyone very much, but after some thought, the Qi Practitioner who died had already lost half the battle from the beginning after being frightened by him. Li Qingshan was just a first layer Qi Practitioner, at the lowest level among Qi Practitioners. There were plenty of third and fourth layer Qi Practitioners present, so they were not afraid of him.
If a regular newcomer had been so ‘arrogant’, someone would have definitely stepped forwards and taught them a lesson. However, Zhuo Zhibo had suggested to everyone to not act recklessly, but when he said that, he seemed rather cold and seemed like he was in thought.
As a result, Li Qingshan did not sense any hostility from Zhou Zhibo at all. The exact opposite happened instead. Just when he was drinking to his heart’s content, this great commander of Jiaping even walked over to his table personally.
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi stood up in a hurry, but Li Qingshan remained seated, which formed quite the contrast. He could take the initiative to repair his relationship with people who had been defeated by his hand, such as Yan Song and Liu Hong, which made him seem extremely wise.
However, against a powerful opponent like Zhuo Zhibo, he instead held his head up high. He did not believe that he could change Zhuo Zhibo’s opinion of him if he yielded now. And, he knew extremely well that these Qi Practitioners had a twisted sense of pride. If they were smacked in the face by those stronger than them, they would just pass it off as bad luck or that they deserved it. However, if they were provoked by those weaker than them, someone had to die.
Just like on the ship, he had only turned down Qian Rongming’s rude request, and that was enough for Qian Rongming to try and kill him in a sneak attack at night. Was Zhuo Zhibo any better? He had no confidence in that. Someone with authority like Zhuo Zhibo would probably only become even more twisted.
The peace on the surface right now was only due to a veil that Gu Yanying’s name had cast down. However, this veil would vanish very soon. He was not Gu Yanying’s subordinate, although he did hope very much that Gu Yanying could become his one day.
With his experience from his two lives, Li Qingshan understood his current position and their relationship extremely well. As a result, he made the choice that seemed the most appropriate to him. He did not feel that his current situation was all a fluke.
In the story of the ‘Exhausted Tricks of the Donkey’1, the tiger had only become afraid of acting recklessly because of how composed the donkey was. He did not mind learning from this donkey, bluffing his commanding officer a little. At the very least, he would be able to get a few days of peace. Once the truth was revealed, he would like to see who was the donkey, who was the tiger, and who had exhausted all of their tricks.
Zhuo Zhibo continued to smile just like before, but the killing intent in his heart only grew. He personally clinked cups with Li Qingshan and mentioned many personal things.
“Qingshan, this must be the first time you’ve left home!”
“Yep.”
“You don’t have to worry at all. All you need to do is treat the Hawkwolf Guard as your family. If you have any questions, fire away. Everybody here are your siblings. I’m your eldest brother, so it’s my responsibility to take care of you.”
Li Qingshan sneered inside when he was pulled aside by Zhuo Zhibo like this. He could tell that Zhuo Zhibo was trying to probe his relationship with Gu Yanring.
Li Qingshan directly stated that they had only met once, but it only made Zhuo Zhibo even more doubtful; this was Li Qingshan’s intention. Clever people would definitely overthink, and he welcomed Zhuo Zhibo to continue doubting like this. He knew just how quickly his strength grew. Once Zhuo Zhibo reached the bottom of this, just how much more powerful would he have become?
Diao Fei was extremely jealous of the treatment Li Qingshan received. Zhuo Zhibo basically had not even cast a second glance at him. He had no idea about the twisted truth behind all of this.
Zhuo Zhibo cast a glance at Qian Rongzhi before returning to his seat. Qian Rongzhi became even more enthusiastic towards Li Qingshan, acting as if she wanted to mend her relationship with him. As a matter of fact, she did not even wait for the female attendants, personally filling up Li Qingshan’s cup with alcohol. She had drank quite a lot herself, so she was utterly charming, causing quite a few Black Wolf guards to look over enviously. However, when they glanced at Zhuo Zhibo, they all looked away.
Li Qingshan did not hold back at all. He downed the alcohol as soon as it was poured, enjoying her treatment with indifference. His senses were so sharp such that he had realised a long time ago that Qian Rongzhi had some filthy ties with Zhuo Zhibo.
As it seemed, she had been busy during the three days he spent cultivating in seclusion. As expected, unspoken rules would be present everywhere. He only found her to be even more shameless. However, he could not care too much about other people’s matters. They could do whatever they wanted. The only thing he considered was whether these two hidden enemies would work together against him.
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1. Exhausted Tricks of the Donkey is a Chinese idiom that means that ‘all tricks have been exhausted’. The idiom comes from a story; once upon a time in the land of Qian (present day Guizhou), there were no donkeys. A person who had nothing better to do transported a donkey from the north and let it out to graze by the mountains. A tiger in the mountains discovered this strange creature, only gazing at it from afar in the beginning before slowly approaching the donkey. It was frightened away by a cry from the donkey, but in the end, it discovered that all the donkey could use was its hooves and that was all of the tricks it possessed. As a result, the tiger lunged on it and had a good meal. You can draw allusions to the current situation yourself.
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Chapter 120 – The Parlour of Clouds and Rain
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Chapter 120 – The Parlour of Clouds and Rain
Although he had absolute confidence in his strength, he did not want to be an idiot with no brains and all brawn. He answered all of Qian Rongzhi’s attempts to probe him out with a bunch of lies.
The banquet ended, and everyone dispersed.
On the highest point of the mountain peak, within the Black Hawk commander’s special residence.
Zhuo Zhibo asked, “How did your investigations go? Just what relationship does this kid have with commander Gu?”
Qian Rongzhi sat on Zhuo Zhibo’s leg as she ground her teeth. “He constantly went in circles, unwilling to tell the truth.” Just as Li Qingshan had expected, Qian Rongzhi had already established a relationship with Zhuo Zhibo during the three days on the mountain.
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Then let’s wait a little longer and see. I will get to the bottom of this. If he really is a person that she favors, you might as well forget about your revenge.”
Qian Rongzhi suppressed her hatred and extended her index finger towards Zhuo Zhibo’s face. She smiled charmingly. “My revenge is not significant at all. I have far too many siblings anyways. What matters is your face and your pride, great commander Zhuo, which you only have one of. You’ve seen it all today with the kid’s attitude towards you.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “If she really does stand behind him, it doesn’t matter even if he drags all of my pride through the mud. However, if that’s not the case, hmph, hmph!” He smacked Qian Rongzhi’s bottom. “You don’t need to urge me on. Even if he is favoured by her, I have my ways of dealing with him. Even if he’s a hero, I can reduce him to a piece of trash. Let’s see whether anyone takes him seriously then.”
Qian Rongzhi grumbled in a flirtatious manner and wriggled around in Zhou Zhibo’s arms, which aroused him. However, he then asked out of curiosity, “Since you don’t mind him killing your elder brother, why do you insist on vengeance?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Because he looks down on me. Everyone who looks down on me will pay the price.”
If Li Qingshan were present, he definitely would be dumbfounded. Not only was the result of his behaviour unlike the legends, making him steal the heart of a beauty, but it had even led to deep hatred. As it seemed, legends were only legends.
Zhuo Zhibo gazed at Qian Rongzhi deeply. He did not judge her. With how old he was, he had played around with many women before, but there were very few female Qi Practitioners. Even if he had, they would not necessarily be beautiful. As a result, Qian Rongzhi caught his attention at first glance. Qian Rongzhi also wanted to use the opportunity to elevate her position, so they were drawn together naturally. Their relationship developed into a sexual one as time went on. His body was currently declining, so it was no longer possible for him to make any more progress with practising qi. Enjoying himself was his greatest objective.
Qian Rongzhi said, “I heard that Body Practitioners are all relatively stronger.” With that, she set off Zhuo Zhibo’s beastial nature, and he threw himself on her. “I’ll have you taste my strength today.” Qian Rongzhi giggled as they went at it in the room.
Li Qingshan was currently submerged in a sea of books. The library of the Hawkwolf Guard was filled with various martial arts and secret manuals that they could freely view. It covered everything, whether it be fist styles, kicking styles, blade styles, or sword styles. Many of them could lead to a battle if they were tossed into the jianghu, yet they were like garbage here. They were placed around carelessly, with only an old man guarding it.
However, Li Qingshan failed to find any cultivation methods for Qi Practitioners. Just when he wanted to climb up the stairs, the old man stopped him. “Ten points of contribution for two hours. Credit is not taken.”
Li Qingshan could only give up on that. However, just these martial arts manuals had inspired him quite a lot. He stayed there for two hours before becoming afraid that Xiao An would worry about him. As such, he returned to his residence.
Afterwards, he continued his rather boring cycle of cultivating, eating pills, and practising qi.
However, just when dusk had fallen, Ge Jian knocked on Li Qingshan’s door and said in a mysterious manner, “I’ll take you to a good place.” He even purposefully told him to change his clothes and leave his blade behind.
Don’t tell me they’re trying to mess with me? That was what Li Qingshan thought, but he agreed readily. They would come sooner or later. He just needed to remain vigilant. At most, he could slaughter them all. He made Ge Jian wait for a bit as he returned to his room and brought Xiao An with him.
Arriving below the archway, he discovered that Diao Fei had already been waiting there.
Li Qingshan asked curiously, “Where are we going?” There was no need for them to kill Diao Fei as well, right?
Diao Fei said, “Brother Ge said he wanted to take us on a stroll so that we can see Jiaping city at night. Speaking of which, why don’t we bring along Qian Rongzhi as well?”
“A place like that isn’t suited for women.” Ge Jian let out a smile that all men could understand.
Li Qingshan and Diao Fei glanced at each other. Neither of them said anything. It was difficult to turn down something like this in the first place, not to mention that it was good will from a fellow colleague. Li Qingshan personally believed he was a ‘man who had dined with beautiful women’ before, so he did not mind it too much.
Ge Jian could not help but smile when he saw their reactions. He thought about Zhuo Zhibo’s orders again, to take Li Qingshan out for fun regardless of the cost. Make him play to his heart’s content, the more the better; it was best if he would toss aside cultivation or practising qi altogether.
Li Qingshan had no idea that Zhuo Zhibo had already moved against him. There was no need for any violence at all to destroy a person through other ways. Many a times, sugar-coated bullets were even more terrifying than torture or beatings. Luxury and indulgence could easily wear away a person’s willpower, making them descend into their most basic joys.
Zhuo Zhibo believed that Li Qingshan was just a bumpkin from the mountains, so how was it possible for him to endure such temptation? Even if Li Qingshan had truly been favoured by Gu Yanying, it was not like it was Zhuo Zhibo’s fault at all. The only person that could be blamed would be Li Qingshan for being useless. This was a vicious scheme he had come up with through his great grasp over human nature. It was utterly silent, but it was devastating.
Jiaping city was illuminated completely. Even though it was night, lanterns blazed brightly, making it drastically different from Qingyang city. It reminded Li Qingshan of the large cities from his former life again. Under Ge Jian’s eager guidance, the three of them entered the well-lit place, entering the most dazzling and busiest area.
The Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
This did not seem like the name of a brothel, but not only was it a brothel, but it was even the largest, most luxurious brothel within a range of several hundred meters.
From a certain perspective, this was the grandest structure Li Qingshan had seen so far in his time in this world. The pagoda-shaped building had a total of seven storeys, and the lantern light seemed to set the entire place ablaze.
Large numbers of people moved in and out of its huge entrance decorated with lanterns. It was even busier than the markets.
Before they had even entered, a steamy, exotic fragrance surged over. Li Qingshan shrugged. “It’s just a brothel.” Although it was quite extravagant, it still paled in comparison to the skyscrapers and neon lights of his former life.
Ge Jian said mysteriously, “You’ll know once you go in. This isn’t an ordinary brothel.”
Before the three of them had even entered, a person came out. He had been tossed from the third floor, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.
A homicide case? Li Qignshan shivered inside. In a certain sense, the Hawkwolf Guard were the police of this world. He had never thought he would have a case as soon as he officially took his position. However, the passers-by in the surroundings all hurried off with their own matters after being surprised in the beginning, acting as if nothing had happened at all.
As for the person on the ground, he actually stood up with a groan and cursed aloud while rubbing his waist. Even louder curses replied to him from the parlour, “What gang leader or branch leader? If you don’t have money, you’d better get out of here! If you’re not going to leave, we’ll cripple your martial arts and keep you around as a eunuch!”
The man tossed out from the third storey was actually a first-rate master, which was why he was uninjured. However, just how powerful was the person who managed to casually throw out a first-rate master?
That seemed to have shut the man up. He cursed beneath his breath a little more before joining the flow of people as if nothing had happened at all.
Ge Jian said, “Here, even the Hawkwolf Guard has to pay. It’s best if we don’t make any trouble.”
Li Qingshan said, “They’re just a brothel, so how are they so haughty?”
Diao Fei said, “The Sect of Clouds and Rain is renowned throughout the Clear River prefecture. They’re skilled in dual cultivation, and they’ve established parlours of Clouds and Rain in various large cities. This is only one of them, though it is my first time.”
Ge Jian smiled. “It looks like Diao Fei is the one with knowledge. Qingshan, you know what dual cultivation is, right?”
“Isn’t it just that?” Li Qingshan truly felt like his horizons had been broadened. Sure, there were violent organisations and government systems composed of Qi Practitioners, but there were actually even brothels run by Qi Practitioners. He could not help but let his opinion of Qi Practitioners crumble slightly.
Ge Jian said, “Dual cultivation is just like ingesting pills and herbs. They’re both ancient daoist methods, focusing on the unity of yin and yang. However, you’re right as well. It’s that, also known as sexual practices. Think about it. The women raised by a sect that specially studies sexual practices…”
Li Qingshan grinned. “Don’t tell me they’re harvesting yang to nurture their yin!” It was no wonder that Zhuo Zhibo wanted him to go out on the top of a woman. It would be far too hilarious.
Ge Jian laughed. “How could that be? If that’s really the case, why would there still be so many people? Anyways, you’ll know once you try it.”
Li Qingshan shook his head. “I think we should forget about it.” He did not feel like this was a good place.
Diao Fei wanted to leave as well. He would not have minded if it were a regular brothel. He had heard about many rumors regarding the Parlour of Clouds and Rain before. No matter when, pursuing pleasure would never benefit a Qi Practitioner’s cultivation.
As a result, Ge Jian flapped his gums and rambled, “It’s so tiring to practise qi, so shouldn’t we reward ourselves?” “Only a combination of work and play will benefit cultivation. It doesn’t matter if it’s just once or twice.” “You’re men, so stop being so indecisive. Just enjoy yourselves. Are you supposed to be afraid of women as men?”
He diligently played the most common role in the world, a vile, silver tongued person with ill intentions. A vicious friend was even more terrifying than an impressive enemy.
Under his persuasions and urging, he basically dragged the two of them into the brothel. A hubbub of noise erupted in their ears. Many men and women embraced one another with ruffled clothing, forming a scene of ecstacy. In such a bizarre atmosphere, no one cared anymore, releasing their desires. It was just like the scenes of indulgences in the legends, such that even Li Qingshan became rather dumbfounded despite being a modern transmigrator.
“Master Ge, you’ve made the girls wait quite a bit. You’ve booked the best room. Please go upstairs!” A plump woman covered in makeup received them. She saw Li Qingshan and Diao Fei. “Hmm? Little brothers, you seem unfamiliar.”
Li Qingshan saw true qi flow through the lady. She was actually a Qi Practitioner.
Ge Jian introduced the two of them, and the procuress said, “So you’re the young talents the Hawkwolf Guard has recently recruited. I hope you’ll take good care of this elder sister’s business in the future.” She extended her hand and touched Li Qingshan’s chest. “Oh? You’re quite able-bodied! You must be a Body Practitioner!” Her gaze towards Li Qingshan made it seem like she basically wanted to swallow him whole.
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Chapter 121 – Smacking the Courtesan
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Chapter 121 – Smacking the Courtesan
Li Qingshan knocked her hand away rudely, but Ge Jian said, “If you want us to take care of you, that’ll depend on what you have!”
“Don’t worry, it’s all the best. Lady Furong is currently waiting. Today, she’s not receiving any customers other than the three of you. You have no idea how many people we’ve offended because of this.”
At this moment, as if it was an attempt to prove what she said, a skinny man grabbed the procuress’s hand as he sobbed. “Mother, I have to see Furong tonight. I’ll give you anything you want.” Afterwards, two sturdy guards who were second-rate masters at the very least rushed over, grabbing him and throwing him out.
All of the men there showed envy and eagerness when they heard the three of them would be received by Furong. Even Diao Fei, who remained cold and indifferent most of the time, became curious.
The procuress rambled as she flirted with Ge Jian, ogling at him. Diao Fei would listen in at times and look at the men and women in the hall at others; there was too much to take in. He had spent most of his time cultivating in his sect, so he obviously had not seen something like this before.
Li Qingshan instead raised his head and looked up. The Parlour of Clouds and Rain was designed with a hollow centre, so he could see the very top right from the ground floor. It was covered in paintings of dancing and floating women. The corridors of each floor stretched upwards as rings, and the sounds of songs and musical instruments filled the entire place. The customers were most numerous on the ground floor as they spent time with pretty women of the lowest class. The burning aura of lust seemed to gush through the roof.
Absent-mindedly, Li Qingshan seemed to see the women in the paintings move. Their eyes revolved, charming all people. But at a closer glance, they seemed to turn back into paintings. Was he mistaken?
The best room was on the top floor of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, specially prepared for esteemed customers. Three Qi Practitioners from the Hawkwolf Guard were obviously the most esteemed customers they could have.
Under the lead of the procuress, they climbed up the stairs, passing by many rooms. Through his extraordinary hearing, Li Qingshan clearly heard the sounds of love between many men and women, which was enough to make people heat up.
They sat down on extravagant cushions woven from golden threads as the music from several instruments rang out from the curtain behind them, forming an atmosphere capable of taking their breaths away. Suddenly, a group of orchid-like dancers came up and performed a dance. They only wore thin veils, which exposed their graceful figures as their feminine features moved about.
As he tasted the fine wine in his cup and enjoyed the song and dance before him, an extremely faint, exotic fragrance entered Li Qingshan’s nose and mouth among the various other perfumes and fragrances. His mind seemed to become even more tipsy, making him want to submerge himself in it without the slightest care in the world.
Among the dancing women, the figure of a lady faded in and out, performing a fast and disorderly dance. She seemed like the moon in the night sky, surrounded by stars. As she was partially hidden, they would only be able to catch fleeting glimpses of her, only to see a face shrouded by a veil. Who was she? Was she Furong?
The pitch of the music from the instruments suddenly rose to the very top, and the dancers dispersed. The woman appeared before everyone, leaving her as the only one present dancing fervently. Li Qingshan and Diao Fei watched with so much concentration that they even failed to notice Ge Jian’s departure.
In the corridor outside, Ge Jian said to the procuress, “This is something arranged by our boss Zhuo. You can’t afford to neglect it, okay?”
The procuress smiled. “How could I? Our Parlour of Clouds and Rain does not plan on closing up in Jiaping city. Whether it’s Incense of Enchantment, Dance of Charm, or Sound of Decadence, I’ve used it all. I can guarantee you that the two of them will be utterly bewitched.” She glanced at Ge Jian’s crotch. “Master Ge, have you come as well because you couldn’t resist it any longer? Would you like our Furong to…”
Ge Jian said, “Shut up!” However, his face clearly was unnaturally flushed. He had lost control of his emotions slightly as well. Clearly, these three things had affected him as well. However, Zhuo Zhibo had purposefully ordered him to never touch that woman. Quite a few Qi Practitioners had been destroyed while they were on top of her, with even more regular people of the jianghu. The most terrifying part of all of this was that none of these people actually regretted it at all. They would still be willing to give her everything they possessed.
At this moment, the veil hit the floor in the room as if it was a slight accident during her fervent dancing. Furong stood there, at a loss as for what to do, and the music stopped conveniently.
The two men were stunned together. Li Qingshan felt incredibly amazed once again, but he was unable to accurately describe the woman’s appearance. It was hazy, like there was a layer of mist that separated them. Within it, he vaguely saw Xuanyue and Gu Yanying, or even going to an even more distant past, to his first love of his past life. His mind was lost, and his heart was enchanted.
Diao Fei stared straight at Furong as he murmured, “A’ning!” The wine in his cup had already spilt all over the floor, but he was not aware of it at all. Many memories flooded through his head, along with the unforgettable feelings of pain and happiness. He wanted to protect her, to have her all to himself.
Furong sneered inside with the success she experienced. This was basically a piece of cake to her, as easy as it could get. And, her target this time was only the teenager, which made it even easier. She had already begun thinking about how she would use him and how she could get some more pills. She had heard the treatment that Hawkwolf guards received was rather impressive, so she should be able to squeeze quite a lot out of him. However, he was only a first layer Qi Practitioner, so she probably could not squeeze him for too long. However, the other might be able to make her break through once again with her cultivation, reaching the third layer.
Thump! Thump! Thump! A few, gentle sounds rang out from the jar on Li Qingshan’s waist, which jolted Li Qingshan back to his senses. Xiao An was extremely clever. He would never make anything difficult for Li Qingshan, so he had always been extremely quiet when he was in the jar. This was the first time he had made a disturbance while in the jar.
Li Qingshan immediately sensed that there was something wrong with his body. He began practising the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, and the turtle shell-shaped daemon core in his body began to revolve and glow, suppressing everything. Whether it be his restless true qi or disorderly thoughts, all of it had been suppressed.
His mind suddenly cleared up. Spiritual qi gathered to his eyes as he looked at the lady called Furong again. The layer of mist on her face immediately dispersed, and her enchanting beauty suddenly faded away into mediocrity. She was not even as beautiful as one of her accompanying dancers or the female attendants sent to receive them. Even her facial expression seemed extremely fake, nowhere near as touching as before.
This felt like when a certain beauty on the internet from his former life took off her make-up. It was basically a travesty. However, this was much smarter than that. She could actually influence the senses of people, utilising the most beautiful components of the women he had seen before so that he would enchant himself.
None of these people had come to see this woman. They clearly only wanted to see the woman in their minds. This woman was shamelessly using the most wonderful memories of these people.
Was this an art of charm just like the legends? Li Qingshan frowned. He was not an idiot. He immediately understood the twisted, vile nature of this. Originally, he believed that while he could not wander through Jiaping city freely with his current strength, there were no opponents he could not handle, which was why he entered the Parlour of Clouds and Rain fearlessly. He was confident that as long as he kept himself under control, no one would be able to harm him. However, the various tricks and tactics of this human world had surpassed his imagination.
It was said that during the process of cultivation, various external demons would appear for cultivators, disturbing their minds and destroying their cultivation. Wasn’t this it?
Then he looked at Diao Fei beside him. He was basically bewitched as he stared at Furong. However, Furong looked at Li Qingshan in surprise. She had never thought that anyone would be able to break free from her charming arts. Under his pressing gaze, she could not help but take a step back.
Slap! There was a loud and clear smack.
Ge Jian and the procuress looked at each other. When they rushed into the room, all they saw was Li Qingshan standing up. On the other hand, Diao Fei was on the ground, having been sent flying by a slap. The clear outline of a hand remained on his face. A sliver of blood oozed from his mouth, only demonstrating the force of the smack.
Diao Fei was just about to fight back out of anger, but a hand clamped down on his neck. A terrifying murderous aura made him freeze. He felt like as long as he moved slightly, his neck would be snapped.
“What are you trying to do?”
Li Qingshan lifted him before Furong. “Look carefully!”
Diao Fei had already begun to circulate his true qi subconsciously. Fury and fear broke him out of his prior state. Furong seemed to have forgotten to continue using her charming arts after being taken by surprise, so Diao Fei experienced the same thing as Li Qingshan earlier. He saw the surprising difference and immediately became stunned. That was not his A’ning. A’ning was no longer a part of this world.
The procuress cried out, “W- w- what are you doing?”
Ge Jian yelled out in a righteous manner, “Stop!”
Li Qingshan let go. “His manner from before was disgusting, so I couldn’t help myself but to smack him.”
Diao Fei collapsed on the ground and only said after quite a while, “Thank you!” Originating from a sect, he knew much more about charming arts than Li Qingshan. He knew just what would happen if he fell for it. Once people had fallen too deeply into it, even their own family would not be able to wake them up from the enchantment.
Li Qingshan pointed at Furong and said to the procuress, “Get this ugly woman out of here, or I won’t be able to help myself against her either.”
Furong screamed out, “Just by you?!” She even had a deep, husky voice. She was used to controlling men in her palms through her charming arts, so when had she ever been treated like that? In particular, being called ‘an ugly woman’ infuriated her. However, her face became even more twisted and uglier as a result.
The procuress said angrily, “Master Ge, isn’t this newcomer of yours a little too unruly?” How could a measly first layer Qi Practitioner be so rude to her? If it were not for his identity as a Hawkwolf guard, she would have attacked him already.
Li Qingshan suddenly vanished from his location, appearing in front of Furong. He raised his right arm and lashed out viciously.
Within ten steps of him, he was even more terrifying than having a whole country as an opponent.
Li Qingshan used his powerful body and followed through with what he said. Although Furong was a second layer Qi Practitioner, she was not skilled in battle, as she focused on charming techniques. It was as if she had never imagined Li Qingshan would stoop as low as to hit a woman before so many people.
You bring me a fucking sham, a fake woman, to fool me, and you still have the nerve to call me unruly? You’re not in a good mood, but I’m in an even worse mood. The fury from being fooled had almost turned into anger out of humiliation. It put him in a horrible mood.
He responded with his actions; he turned his hand into a blur, forcefully dragging it through the air as it cracked like a whip, slapping Furong in the face. She spun around a few times where she was like a spinning top. Half her face bulged up, two teeth flew out, and she fell back on the ground as the world spun around her, dazed!
The dancers and attendants were all stunned. After all, this was lady Furong, the head courtesan of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. She had always stood above everyone else, such that even when an attendant served her tea that was slightly cold, they would be whipped. As for verbally insulting her, even just questioning her beauty slightly, that would only lead to death!
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Chapter 122 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (One)
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Chapter 122 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (One)
As for men, they all worshipped Furong like dogs. She would never even dream of a man giving her a slap across the face!
The procuress struck out in anger. Her chubby hands were filled with true qi as they struck towards Li Qingshan. Not only was Furong the head courtesan of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, but she was also her disciple. But to her surprise, Ge Jian blocked her. The procuress forcefully pulled back her hands. “You!”
Ge Jian said coldly, “Are you trying to attack a Hawkwolf guard?” He was stuck between a wall and a hard place as well. As long as Li Qingshan was still a Hawkwolf guard, he could not afford to just stand by and watch. This was about the pride and dignity of the Hawkwolf Guard. Most importantly, he doubted the procuress could defeat Li Qingshan with her strength.
The Parlour of Clouds and Rain gifted a large number of pills to Zhuo Zhibo every year, as well as offering various types of women. He received a share of it as well as Zhuo Zhibo’s errand boy, so he obviously did not wish to see the Parlour of Clouds and Rain suffer.
The procuress’ breathing heaved a few times before she replied with, “Fine!” She pulled up the dazed Furong and made her way out.
Li Qingshan instead returned to his seat. He said, “Hurry up. I’m waiting for the next part. Your Parlour of Clouds and Rain must have more than someone like that, right? Brother Ge, I’m waiting!”
All he heard were shrill, hoarse screams from Furong. She had finally returned to her senses. “I want to kill him! I want to kill him!”
Ge Jian looked back, and the sunkenness on his face had vanished. He smiled helplessly. “Qingshan, if you don’t like her, then you don’t like her. Why must you hit her? There aren’t a lot of women skilled in the arts of charm. It’s not like you can’t try them from time to time.” He made it sound like Furong had been wronged that even Diao Fei wondered whether he had made this happen on purpose or not.
“She’s just a whore, so if she has been hit, then she has been hit! There’s nothing you can do about it!” Li Qingshan leaned onto a soft cushion without minding much at all. He raised his chin, and a female attendant to the side hurriedly picked up a grape, feeding it into his mouth carefully. He seemed just like a scoundrel.
This damned brothel was actually bold enough to work with Zhuo Zhibo against him, so he wanted to copy garrison major Lu, demanding five kilograms of lean meat, minced finely without a speck of fat in there, then demanding five kilograms of fat meat, also minced finely without a speck of lean meat in there, and finally, demanding five kilograms of cartilage, finely minced and without a speck of meat in there.1
Out of the women who came to serve him next, he would ask for well-endowed and plump ones if they were skinny, slapping the procuress across the face. If they were plump, he would ask for skinny and pretty ones, also slapping the procuress across the face. However, he did not seem like garrison major Lu. He seemed more like a part from a crosstalk?
“Let me go check on them!” Only after Ge Jian had stepped outside did he show his anger. He never thought these ultimate moves of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain would actually fail to conquer a country bumpkin of a kid from the mountains. However, it was still not time for him to fall out with Li Qingshan. As long as Zhuo Zhibo had yet to get to the bottom of Li Qingshan’s relationship with Gu Yanying, Zhuo Zhibo would never be bold enough to fall out with him, and as long as Zhuo Zhibo was afraid of turning against him, he would be afraid of turning against him.
Most importantly, he was worried that even if he did turn against Li Qingshan, he would not be the kid’s opponent. Ge Jian had leapt in fright from the slap earlier. Within a range of ten steps, Li Qingshan could move as swiftly as a tiger or a panther if he suddenly wanted to attack. Even he was uncertain as to whether he would suffer from something like that. Were Body Practitioners really that powerful?
In less than fifteen minutes, Ge Jian had returned. Behind him was the procuress, who smiled from ear to ear as if nothing had happened at all. Who knew what Ge Jian had said to her. She even brought seven or eight young women with him, every single one of them with a great figure regardless of their differences. The eldest was only sixteen or seventeen, while the youngest was only fourteen or fifteen.
“Little brother, it seems like you don’t like mature women. Here are some women we’ve recently groomed. They’re guaranteed to be clean, so why don’t you pick a few to take back with you as maidservants? Their price is very negotiable.” The procuress pinched the cheek of a young lady beside her as she introduced them to Li Qingshan.
The women all looked at Li Qingshan, and many of their gazes were eager. Being sold and taken away before they had received any guests was the good fortune they were all hoping for, not to mention that this was an upright and sturdy young man, not some pot-bellied merchant or some bony old man.
Ge Jian said, “I think you should have a person or two to serve you on the mountain. With how big your bed is, it’s a waste if it’s just for one person.” Seeing how he could not complete Zhuo Zhibo’s mission, he came up with another plan. He saw how this kid seemed like a person who placed great emphasis on his ties with people. As long as an additional burden appeared beside him, they could use it to threaten him.
Looking at the young women who were lined up and waiting to be chosen, just like livestock, Li Qingshan suddenly felt sadness. He looked at the fat procuress again and felt even more disgusted by her. He was really tempted to just cut her down right here. However, he also knew that in a day and age like this, brothels were proper businesses. Many people who had daughters and were reluctant to raise them due to favouring males, or were unable to raise them, would send them here. It was basically a path for them to survive.
Li Qingshan asked, “Did you get into all of this willingly?”
The young women looked at one another before finally lowering their heads and saying yes.
Li Qingshan lost his interest in them. He stood up. “That’s it for today. I want to go home and sleep!” He made his way out, but when he walked past one of the young women, she shoved a piece of paper into his hand.
Qing Xiu looked at that tall, wide figure with eagerness. Ever since she had been abducted and brought here, many years had passed already. She had sunken into despair a long time ago, but the slap from Li Qingshan earlier made her recover a ray of hope, enough for her to take such a great risk. He was different from other men. If it were him, perhaps he would report it to the authorities and save her, as well as her siblings. It was said that the district magistrate was a good official, the best of the best. He would definitely help them.
However, she saw Li Qingshan suddenly stop, just unfurling the piece of paper there. Afterwards, he asked her, “Did you give this to me?”
Everyone’s gazes immediately gathered on that one woman. In particular, the procuress managed to catch a glimpse of the words written on the paper. There was some killing intent in her eyes.
Qing Xiu lowered her head deeply as if someone was staring daggers at her. She thought about the fates of the sisters who had tried to escape or betray the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Despair flooded her face. She was filled with deep regret. Inside, she wholeheartedly resented Li Qingshan. Are you an idiot? Don’t you know how powerful they are in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain? I’m done for because of you!
Li Qingshan stowed the piece of paper away as he patted the young lady’s shoulder with a smile. “I’m asking you. Why aren’t you answering me? You could have just mentioned it earlier.” I’ve bid my time for ten years! I’ve been filled with an urge to enforce and uphold justice a long time ago, just waiting for injustice!
He felt like he had spoken very amiably, but Qing Xiu only grew paler.
The procuress could already tell that Li Qingshan was a troublemaker. She immediately pulled Qing Xiu behind her. “She has lost her mind. Don’t take it seriously.” Qing Xiu had always been a clever and obedient girl. She never opposed anything that she was told to do, so the procuress thought she was just about done with her grooming, which was why she took her out to see Li Qingshan. However, she never thought that in such an important moment, she would actually do something like that. The procuress would definitely beat her to death later on and make an example out of her.
Li Qingshan said, “Didn’t you want me to choose someone? I’ll choose her!”
The procuress said, “Why don’t you take her away?” Then she turned to Li Qingshan and smiled. “There are plenty of girls in our parlour. It really would be wrong of us to let you choose one who has lost her mind!” She bickered in a babbling manner.
Immediately, two powerful guards took Qing Xiu away.
“Stop!” Li Qingshan raised his foot, about to chase them, but the procuress blocked him with her plump body in an agile manner. He wanted to make his way around her, but Ge Jian grabbed his hand. “Qingshan, where are you going? She’s just a whore, that’s all!”
This was what Li Qingshan had just said to Ge Jian, but Li Qingshan immediately turned around and answered. “You’re a whore! Let go of me!” He shook his arm. Ge Jian was no opponent of Li Qingshan’s great strength, so he was immediately forced to let go. His face changed. “What did you say?” He was a mighty Hawkwolf guard, yet he had just been labelled as a whore, so he could not help but lose his temper. He could not be bothered about holding back anymore.
The guards both possessed martial arts. They seemed like they were just walking, but they moved extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, they had left the room, merging with the crowd.
Li Qingshan paid no attention to Ge Jian, taking a step forward, but what he ran into was a pile of fat. The procuress felt like she had just been struck by a rampaging elephant, smashing through the window and corridor railing behind her as she flew towards the hollow centre of the building. She directly fell down from the seventh floor.
She screamed out along the way down, “Stop him!” With a palm strike, true qi surged out, and her plump body moved horizontally, landing in the corridor of the third floor.
Li Qingshan had already rushed out using the path that had been cleared by the procuress. All he saw was a crowd of heads. He could not see Qing Xiu at all, but he sniffed with his nose and caught a smell.
Out of his senses, the one that exceeded ordinary people the most was his sense of smell. The vision and hearing of ordinary Qi Practitioners would become extremely sharp as long as they practised true qi and opened their meridians. They could see mosquitos and hear ants walking from hundreds of meters away. However, their sense of smell would not grow by much, not even becoming on par with a stray hound on the street. This was due to their innate restrictions.
However, Li Qingshan’s sense of smell had become much stronger than a dog’s a long time ago. He pursued as he followed the trail that the smell left behind.
“Where are you going, little brother?” A few beautifully dressed women of the brothel rushed over from somewhere, filling up the corridor and entangling with him, grabbing his arms and legs.
Li Qingshan said, “Piss off!” He did not have any intention to go soft on women at all. With a spurt of true qi, he sent the women flying.
As he quickly descended down to the sixth floor, a valiant guard in yellow seemed like he had heard the procuress’ cries, so he rushed out from his room. He immediately spotted Li Qingshan and blocked his way rigidly. From his aura, he seemed like a first-rate master.
The guard had just thrown a first-rate master out today, so he was quite full of himself. When he saw Li Qingshan stride over, he could tell that he was a Qi Practitioner, but only at the first layer. As such, he was confident that he could take him on or even defeat him. He had always looked down on these people who directly practised qi due to their better innate talent. With the same voice he used when he scolded customers, he yelled, “Stop!”
“If it’s just frail women, so be it. They’ve just been used by people. However, for a good man like you to help the bad, you deserve death!” Li Qingshan said. He continued without stopping, and he had already drawn out the Wind-entwining blade. The shiny blade flashed.
The guard in yellow was just about to attack him, but his neck felt a chill before flying up into the air. The world spun around him such that he almost saw his own body. A few more guards wanted to rush over, but when they saw their leader’s head knocked into the air by the spurt of blood from his neck, their legs immediately seemed to become rooted to the ground as they became afraid to even take a step forward.
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1. This comes from a part in Water Margin where Lu Zhishen, or garrison major Lu Da in this part of the story, purposefully makes things difficult for a butcher who harasses people with over-the-top demands so that he could pick a fight with the butcher, who he ended up killing with three punches. This comes from chapter 6 of Water Margin.
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Chapter 123 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (Two)
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Chapter 123 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (Two)
Li Qingshan raised his foot, kicking the headless corpse off the floor.
While the men and women on the floor below were still confused by the procuress’ scream, a bloody corpse landed loudly before them. After a while of silence, someone cried out, “Murder!”
The lower floor immediately exploded. Their fleeting joy had shattered from shock. Li Qingshan laughed aloud at the sight. He looked around, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the emerald green of Qing Xiu’s clothes. She had already been taken to the fourth floor on the other side.
Li Qingshan leapt out; he was like a tiger lunging at its prey, like a hawk swooping down for a rabbit. He leapt across the opening in the centre of the building.
Just when Qing Xiu was about to sink into despair, there was a rush of wind, and Li Qingshan arrived in front of her. He stowed his blade back in his sheathe, while the two guards who had seized her sprayed with blood, falling backwards.
“You-” Qing Xiu stuttered that single word for quite a while, unable to say anything else. He was actually bold enough to kill people in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. She had never seen such a reckless person before. This was completely different from what she had been expecting originally.
Li Qingshan said, “If you’ve received any ill treatment at all, feel free to tell me!”
The building was in chaos. Guards surged out from everywhere, coming out from every corner of the building.
Qing Xiu complained in a hurry, “I- I’ve been abducted by them. I didn’t get into this willingly. If I don’t oblige, I’ll be beaten and even starved! I even have to practise martial arts! If I don’t, I’ll also get beaten and starved.”
“You bitch, shut your mouth!” With a boom, the procuress directly smashed through the floorboards and arrived on the fourth floor, but she only received Li Qingshan’s murderous gaze.
“Perfect timing!” Li Qingshan yelled out. The Wind-entwining blade produced a wind blade in the air, directly flying towards the procuress’s face.
The procuress had never seen someone so vicious before, directly trying to kill her without saying anything else. She spent most of her time welcoming guests and seeing them off. She could not even remember the last time she had to personally fight. She could not even utilise half of her true qi properly anymore, so with a scream, she fell back down to the third floor.
Looking up, all she saw was Li Qingshan appearing in the hole above, wielding his blade with both hands and directly swinging down. She did not even have time to pull out a talisman from her hundred treasures pouch, perhaps due to being stupefied. She dove onto the ground instinctively and rolled away like a ball.
One of them was adept with battle, while the other was not. One of them used their tough body to openly kill a second layer Qi Practitioner, while the other focused on dual cultivation and sexual practises. While she was a third layer Qi Practitioner, she only had the battle prowess of the second layer.
There was a flash of red, and the Wind-entwining blade sliced off a great piece of her bottom. The procuress squealed like a pig, losing all will to fight.
Before Li Qingshan had even landed on the ground, he kicked off the wall and flew over, catching up to the procuress. He stomped down on her back as he smiled viciously. “You old hag, let’s see where you run off to now!”
Whenever the procuress tried to struggle, she would feel the foot on her back crush down like a metal log, breaking all of her bones. A shiny blade was poised by the side of her face such that she became frozen.
A sharp sword stabbed over from behind. Before it had even arrived, green light surged three feet from the sword. Furong grasped the spiritual sword viciously as she directly stabbed at Li Qingshan.
“Good!” Li Qingshan was not surprised, but overjoyed. Shifting his body slightly, he let the sword pass by. Even the third layer Qi Practitioner procuress was not his opponent, let alone the second layer Furong. He turned his left hand into a claw and reached out, grabbing Furong by the throat and dragging her in front of him.
With one below his foot and one in his hand, he had killed two birds with one stone.
Li Qingshan directed his Wind-entwining blade at the procuress. “As a Qi Practitioner, you stand above most, leading an extravagant life, yet you still do such heartless things. Even if you’re dead, there’s nothing to regret.”
The procuress squealed loudly, “Spare me, good sir!”
“You cannot be spared!” Li Qingshan was just about to swing down with his blade.
“Stop!” Two voices rang out at the same time. One came from Ge Jian; the other was not Diao Fei, but a middle-aged man in sapphire-blue robes. He drifted down to the third floor like a falling leaf. He was actually a fifth layer Qi Practitioner with delicate facial features. He said in a sunken tone, “Sir, you seem to be very unhappy with our services.”
He was the true master of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Zhao Liangqing. Usually, only the procuress received guests, while he remained behind the scenes, using these women as human cauldrons for his cultivation.
If Zhuo Zhibo wanted to deal with a newcomer, he obviously would not ask for his permission, which was why he managed to set up the whole scheme. However, Zhao Liangqing did not mind it too much either. Catching the eyes of a vulture like Zhuo Zhibo would never lead to anything good. And, he thought it would be a piece of cake for Furong to deal with this person as well, but he never expected something like this to happen.
Li Qingshan thought about how if he did not use his daemon qi, he could easily defeat second layer Qi Practitioners, and he would have great confidence against third layer Qi Practitioners as well. However, it would be difficult to say against the fourth layer, while victory would be impossible against the fifth layer.
He called out loudly, “Ge Jian, go get our big brother Zhuo! I’ve found a nest of bandits who force women into prostitution! How can our mighty Hawkwolf Guard be afraid of some brat like you!” His voice was imbued with true qi. It shattered a few cups nearby and made the ears of many people ring.
Big brother Zhuo!? Ge Jian reeled back, almost falling over. He had personally witnessed how arrogant Li Qingshan had been to Zhuo Zhibo, so why did he call him big brother Zhuo now? He was clearly pulling in Zhuo Zhibo and the Hawkwolf Guard to protect himself.
Zhao Liangqing frowned heavily. Although Li Qingshan had demonstrated strength beyond what regular Qi Practitioners possessed, he was confident that he could kill him. However, he was afraid of doing so.
This was not only due to the two hostages in Li Qingshan’s possession, but also because of his identity as a Hawkwolf Guard. The Hawkwolf Guard was not invincible. It was the exact opposite actually. Due to various dangerous missions, their death and injury rate was quite high. If they died during their missions or were assassinated, and the culprit could not be found, nothing much would happen, and it would just be treated as a cold case.
However, if he killed a Hawkwolf guard in the eye of the public, he would be challenging the authority of the Hawkwolf Guard. Consequently, he would be hunted down. Even Zhuo Zhibo would not be bold enough to spare him. He would instead be the first one to try and kill him so that he could clear his own name and any doubts that came with it. If Zhao Liangqing was an independent cultivator, perhaps he would have the courage to kill upon being angered, but with such a large business behind him, he became more and more terrified of the consequences.
Li Qingshan sniggered. As expected, this wolf’s hide was quite useful. Only an idiot would serve as the hawk and wolves of the government and not make use of that identity. Since Zhuo Zhibo wanted to be his elder brother, then he would welcome him to.
Zhao Liangqing said, “Please release the people of my Parlour of Clouds and Rain!”
“They’ve committed crimes of forcing women into prostitution and harming young girls. They cannot be released. Oh right, you can’t leave either. As a Hawkwolf guard, I will be investigating you. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may be used against you in a court of law.” Li Qingshan had no idea what to say, so he just spouted some nonsense he had heard from his past life. He completely ignored Zhao Liangqing’s great strength as a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.
Zhao Liangqing’s face darkened. “Force women into prostitution? Do you have any evidence?”
Li Qingshan said, “I have a witness!”
Zhao Liangqing said in a sunken manner, “Where’s your witness?”
Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Two guards had grabbed the dejected Qing Xiu.
Zhao Liangqing grabbed Qing Xiu by the chin. “You do have quite some beauty. No wonder he’ll lose his temper over you. You can release the people now!”
Qing Xiu’s eyes teared up as she stared right at Li Qingshan. We really are done for now!
Li Qingshan said, “That’s a lady of your parlour! What’s she got to do with me?”
Zhao Liangqing said, “Oh, fair enough. We can’t keep a troublemaker like her around!” He put his hand on Qing Xiu’s shoulder. Before he could even use any force, Qing Xiu let out a miserable scream.
However, it was immediately drowned out by an even more miserable squeal, frightening Qing Xiu to the point where she closed her mouth. The blade in Li Qingshan’s hand fell, cutting off one of the procuress’ arms. He said with glowing, red eyes, “Why don’t you try to touch her again?”
Those heroes who surrendered after being threatened with a hostage were all idiots. Li Qingshan would never do something like that. You might be vicious, but I’ll be even more vicious!
Ge Jian finally gave up on resolving this matter by himself. This brat had a kind of fierceness and unruliness that came from the mountains and forests, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Everything today was a counterattack against the scheme Zhuo Zhibo had set down, but the entire situation had already developed out of his control. He crushed a talisman, which was used to call for reinforcements among the Hawkwolf Guard; he used this to alert Zhuo Zhibo of the critical situation.
Zhao Liangqing glared at Li Qingshan. He had not done anything, nor was he bold enough to do anything anymore. He could clearly tell from Li Qingshan’s gaze that if he were bold enough to kill Qing Xiu, Li Qingshan would be bold enough to behead the two women. This would be an almost irrecoverable loss to him. On one side was a mere lady who had just been groomed, while on the other side were two important helpers of his. It was obviously as clear as day to him who was more important.
The light in his eyes flickered as he circulated his cultivation method. Before everyone’s eyes, the rather feminine master of the parlour suddenly changed. He became extremely terrifying, like the horrifying demons or ghosts from those legends. An aura of brutality and cruelty crushed down on their hearts. The legs of the guards almost gave way.
He basically roared out, “I said, release them!” Within the Sect of Clouds and Rain, they could use their arts of charm to become as beautiful as ever, enchanting anything and everything, but they could also use it in the exact opposite fashion, turning into demons or ghosts and frightening all people. It was a technique that could directly shake the souls of people. With that, the noisy Parlour of Clouds and Rain immediately fell into silence. Everyone felt like a great horror had descended; they even became afraid of drawing too much attention just from breathing, let alone screaming and fleeing. Even Ge Jian was afraid of looking at Zhao Liangqing’s face. How was Li Qingshan, who had been in the face of it all, supposed to cope with this pressure?
However, Li Qingshan only smiled gently. “I said, release her!” He was a daemon in the first place, and his cultivation had surpassed Zhao Liangqing’s. The reason why the arts of charm were effective against him was because his body was powerful, and his desires were stronger than regular people, requiring the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to suppress them. However, when it came to frightening people, Zhao Liangqing was basically trying to teach a fish how to swim. He did not even need to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression against it. You’re trying to scare me? Would you like me to revert to my original form and frighten you to death!?
Zhao Liangqing saw how it was useless, so he could only give up on it. He stared straight at Li Qingshan. If his glare were a sword, it would have pierced Li Qingshan all the way through already.
“What are you looking at? If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll dig your, no, their eyes out.” Li Qingshan rubbed his blade against the procuress beneath his feet.
“What do you want?”
Li Qingshan pointed at Qing Xiu. “I want my witness!”
“Don’t even think about it!” Before Zhao Liangqing had even finished talking, Li Qingshan had cut off the procuress’ other arm. “I have two anyway. If I kill one, I still have another!”
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Chapter 124 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (Three)
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Chapter 124 – Splattering the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with Blood (Three)
The procuress squealed, “Save me, sir!” She really was a Qi Practitioner after all. She actually managed to remain conscious despite the pain.
Furong saw the bloody scene and heard how she was next. She screamed, “Save-” But before she could even finish her words, the grip around her neck tightened.
“Stop! Release lady Furong!” The Parlour of Clouds and Rain was thrown into an uproar again.
It was not just the people below. Even the railings from the higher floors were filled with people. Seeing such a rare disturbance, they all began discussing among themselves.
“Isn’t the Hawkwolf Guard backers of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain? Why have they turned against each other today?” News would always make it out one way or another. With how the Parlour of Clouds and Rain ran amuck in Jiaping city, they would have been closed down a long time ago if it were not for the Hawkwolf Guard’s protection. There were plenty of discerning people in the world.
“The kid hit Furong!”
“What! He could actually bring himself to do something like that?!” Many people ground their teeth furiously. They all treated Furong as a goddess from their dreams. Even if she could not be theirs, they would never let someone else just abuse her.
“Look, that’s Furong! She is being held by the neck by that kid!” It led to public anger. In their eyes, Furong was furrowing her brows from pain. Her beautiful face was filled with misery, enough to shatter their hearts. It caused pain to many of them.
“A’ning!” Even though Diao Fei had been smacked awake by Li Qingshan earlier, he was still captivated when he looked at Furong’s appearance. He had to bite his tongue viciously to return to his senses.
Furong’s cry for help spurred many practitioners of martial arts to save her. Those who did not know martial arts cursed furiously as well. Throughout the entire parlour, similar aggressive threats crashed down on Li Qingshan like a tidal wave. “Release lady Furong, or I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
“Hmph, you bunch of idiots!” Li Qingshan sneered. He did not speak loudly, but it easily drowned out the threats, booming through everyone’s ears.
He only looked at Zhao Liangqing. “Are you releasing her or not?” He had already placed his blade across the procuress’ neck.
Zhao Liangqing released Qing Xiu with trembled arms. Qing Xiu rubbed her shoulders and jogged over to Li Qingshan’s side, carefully avoiding the puddle of blood on the ground. As she looked at the procuress’ state, she could not help but feel sorry for her even though she knew about her various evil deeds and how all of her sisters had died to her hands.
However, Li Qingshan felt no emotions like that. His lips curled into a cruel smile. Since he wanted to be a hero, he obviously had to possess willpower greater than ordinary people. He would take the greatest delight in eliminating evil from this world.
“Li Qingshan, what are you doing!?” Zhuo Zhibo rushed over furiously with Qian Rongzhi and five or six other Black Wolf guards. When they saw what the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had descended into, they were all shocked.
Zhuo Zhibo personally believed that the perfect part about his scheme was that even if Li Qingshan did not take the bait, he would not be at fault at all. I’ve sent someone to take you to a brothel entirely out of kind intentions, so how can you say that I’m in the wrong? Even if he really did have a connection to Gu Yanying, it was not like he could say to her, “They took me to a brothel and screwed me over.” If Li Qingshan fell for it, he was dead, but if he did not, he could only put up with all of it silently. It was truly flawless. It was perfect.
In reality, if it were not for the tiny, unforeseen message from Qing Xiu, the only choice Li Qingshan would have had was to let this go after slapping Furong across the face, biding his time for revenge in the future. However, now that the opportunity had presented itself, he wanted to make a big mess to show Zhuo Zhibo. If he’s bold enough to set a trap, I’m bold enough to make a mess out of it!
Zhao Liangqing said, “Commander Zhuo, is this how your Hawkwolf guards handles matters? I can forgive him for not paying after visiting, but he’s even making trouble!”
“Is that what happened? He has gone too far!” “The Parlour of Clouds and Rain has done everything they can already, so what are you trying to do now?” “Release lady Furong! If you even touch a hair on lady Furong, I’ll cut you to pieces!”
Not paying after visiting? What a great crime! If that became a part of his reputation, there was no way Li Qingshan could remain in Jiaping city any longer! Zhuo Zhibo also said sternly, “Qingshan, is that the truth?” It was as if he was not behind Li Qingshan’s visit at all.
“It’s not. It’s them who…” Qing Xiu argued loudly from behind Li Qingshan, but she was drowned out by the sounds.
Li Qingshan spoke with his actions. With a spurt, his blade stabbed into the heart of the procuress. After that, he pulled the blade back out. There was not a trace of blood on it.
If you curse me, I’ll beat up the procuress. If you beat me up, I’ll keep beating up the procuress. If you slander me, I’ll kill the procuress.
“You-” Zhao Liangqing flew into a fury, but Li Qingshan placed his blade across Furong’s neck casually. He muttered to himself, “One is dead, but there’s still another!” He kicked the procuress’ heavy body off the floor as well. One killed was one dead.
Everyone in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain knew the procuress. They all knew about the fat woman’s slickness and viciousness. She had managed the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in Jiaping city for many years. She was responsible for receiving and seeing off all guests, so she could basically be described as famous. Now, she had been killed with a single stab, reduced to a corpse.
Silence descended. Everyone wanted to ask, Just who is this teenager? How is he so fierce?
As if he never thought Li Qingshan would actually be bold enough to commit murder right before him, anger rose through Zhuo Zhibo’s mind. If only he did not have to worry about her. Qian Rongzhi suddenly experienced a hint of fear. The teenager who could kill so easily that he could do it while holding a friendly conversation was not like the men she had seen before. He was definitely not an easy person to deal with.
When Li Qingshan lifted up Furong, Zhao Liangqing finally lost his temper. “How dare you?!” That was his money tree. The foundation of the entire Parlour of Clouds and Rain was basically with her. If the procuress died, he could find another, but if Furong died, the entire Parlour of Clouds and Rain would collapse.
Li Qingshan said to Zhuo Zhibo, “Commander Zhuo, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain has committed a multitude of sins. They’ve forced women into prostitution. The young woman beside me is a witness. Please judge them with impartiality!”
Zhao Liangqing looked over as well as if he was trying to say, I give you so many pills every year.
Zhuo Zhibo felt like he was at his wit’s end. Out of everyone present, he was the one afraid of consequences the most. He still wanted to use the authority he possessed to live out the rest of life wealthily. He would never be able to bring himself to take the risk of killing Li Qingshan. However, if he agreed with Li Qingshan, he would basically be slapping himself across his face, severing his source of wealth.
Li Qingshan targeted this mentality of his and viciously checkmated him. It had to be mentioned that the reason why he was bold enough to take such a great gamble under the threats of two powerful Qi Practitioners was directly connected to his personal strength.
Even if the worst-case scenario happened, he could use his hiding abilities to escape. Just by releasing some daemon qi, he could easily escape from here. However, he had clearly been overthinking now.
Zhuo Zhibo said earnetly, “Qingshan, you’ve been far too rash. Judging people is the district magistrate’s job. It’s not up to me!”
Zhao Liangqing looked at Zhuo Zhibo in disbelief. Exactly because of you, so many of my people have died, yet all you say is he has been too rash?
However, Zhuo Zhibo immediately glared back at him, which made Zhao Liangqing remember the difference in their strength, as well as who actually had a say in Jiaping city. He could only hold in his grievances. Impressive, Zhuo Zhibo!
“This magistrate is right here. What’s the case? Please do tell me!”
At this moment, Zhou Wenbin stepped into the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with his vermillion official robes with embroidered snakes.
“Sir Zhou!” “Sir Zhou is here!”
There was a great rustle that came with the movement of clothing.
Within the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, whether it be the common people downstairs or the valued customers upstairs, they all knelt for this man. There was not just fear for authority in their eyes, but also great admiration and respect. They all knelt willingly, from the bottom of their hearts.
Only now did Li Qingshan understand just what kind of prestige Zhou Wenbin possessed in Jiaping city. Only now did he realise that maybe Qing Xiu had given him the piece of paper to pass onto Zhou Wenbin to seek help from him.
Just by himself, Zhou Wenbin received far more respect than Zhuo Zhibo and his Hawkwolf guards combined. He said in a gentle and cultivated fashion, “Please stand, my people.”
Zhou Wenbin glanced at Zhuo Zhibo before glancing at Li Qingshan. When something major happened in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, he found out immediately. Not only did he find out about it, but he even understood the exact cause for it all. He even saw through Zhuo Zhibo’s scheme. He glanced at Li Qingshan and thought, This kid is a genius at making trouble. He had taken a small gamble only to win something huge. He actually managed to force Zhuo Zhibo into an awkward situation.
Zhuo Zhibo said coldly, “Sir Zhou, you’ve sure come in a timely fashion!”
Zhou Wenbin smiled. “It’s no problem, no problem at all!” With a wave of his sleeves, he floated up and arrived before Li Qingshan. He asked despite already knowing the answer, “Qingshan, what are you doing?”
“She has grievances. I originally wanted to take her to see you, sir, but I never thought there would be some vile people trying to stop me. I thought about how our mighty Hawkwolf Guard was righteous, purging evil in an awe-inspiring manner and speaking for the people, so how could I be afraid of these vile people? As a result, my hand slipped, and I killed a few of them. Please investigate the entire matter, sir.” Li Qingshan pulled out Qing Xiu from behind him and handed the piece of paper to Zhou Wenbin.
His idiomatic saying made Zhuo Zhibo’s eyebrows leap up as he cursed furiously inside. He was tempted to just cut down Li Qingshan then and there.
“My name is Qing Xiu. I come from the Fishes’ Gully. Seven years ago, I was playing around near the river and I was abducted, brought here…” Qing Xiu knelt and lowered her head in a graceful manner. Her speech became much more orderly. Clearly, she had thought through this countless times in her head already.
Zhao Liangqing said, “Sir, we’re being wrongly accused! We originally bought this girl for twenty taels of silver. I have a deed for proof. She just wants to run away, which was why she spun these lies to fool you, sir.”
Qing Xiu tried to justify herself, “No, I’m not! You’re the liar…”
Zhou Wenbin raised his hand and stopped their argument. “I will definitely get to the bottom of this case. There won’t be a single innocent person convicted, nor will there be a single guilty person spared.”
With an order, over twenty guards from the government entered. They were not Qi Practitioners, but they all possessed powerful martial arts. Under Qing Xiu’s guide, they went to save the other girls. However, they returned a while later with nothing. Clearly, they had been moved away already.
“Please check, sir!” Instead, Zhao Liangqing sent a male servant to retrieve a deed. The matter of Qing Xiu being purchased by the Parlour of Clouds and Rain for twenty taels of silver was clearly written on there.
Qing Xiu immediately teared up anxiously. “Sir, I haven’t been lying!”
Zhou Wenbin said gently, “Don’t worry, I will send people to Fishes’ Gully to investigate.” He knew that it was impossible for a place of wickedness to have anything clean. It was as clear as day who was telling the truth.
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Chapter 125 – Suing the Parlour of Clouds and Rain
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Chapter 125 – Suing the Parlour of Clouds and Rain
Over these years, Zhou Wenbin had invested millions of taels of silver into Jiaping city, easing the burden that came with taxes and costs to help the city achieve its current prosperity. As the magistrate of the district, not only was he not greedy, refusing to take bribes, but he even spent much of his own money into this place, governing Jiaping to a point where there was not a single beggar on the streets.
It was exactly because of that that he had been received with such reverence as soon as he came to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Of course, he did not do this because of the doctrines of great scholarly sages, or because he wholeheartedly wanted to be a good official where the people came first. Instead, he had deeper concerns to consider as a Qi Practitioner.
However, it was exactly under these circumstances that very few people were willing to sell their daughters into this pit of suffering. To a brothel, if they did not have a fresh and abundant ‘supply’, they would obviously go to great lengths and do everything that they could.
The Parlour and Clouds and Rain had never been too worried about this district magistrate; they relied on their relationship with Zhuo Zhibo and their backing from the Sect of Clouds and Rain. They would just slight him from year to year. Zhou Wenbin had his worries as well, so he was reluctant to stir up trouble, ignoring the Parlour of Clouds and Rain that had been so popular with the people. However, now that someone had served as the vanguard for him, he obviously would use this opportunity to benefit himself in one way or another, placing some pressure on the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Of course, he would just be applying some force to them. It was impossible for him to destroy them in a single stroke.
Li Qingshan frowned. He had been expecting this. If the Parlour of Clouds and Rain could be uprooted so easily, they would not be around still. Probably even the investigations at Fishes’ Gully would be pointless.
Anyways, a person saved was a person saved, while a criminal killed was a criminal dead. He did not plan on destroying the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in a single stroke either, but even if he could not destroy an evil organisation like this immediately, he wanted to deal a blow to them. However, it was still not enough right now.
Zhao Liangqing smiled with a sinister, complacent smile. “Sir Zhou, if there is nothing else, please punish Li Qingshan for murdering the innocent. And, please get him to release our head courtesan, Furong.”
What he said at the end actually led to a chorus of agreement from the entire crowd.
Li Qingshan said, “That’s a matter of our Hawkwolf Guard. An outsider like you has no right to butt in on this. Those guards blocked the Hawkwolf Guard from carrying out their business, so they only deserved death. As for the procuress, she directly attacked me. Many people can serve as witnesses. Big brother Zhuo has personally taught me before just how I should handle situations like this. I’ve only been complying with that.”
Zhuo Zhibo managed to force something out from his gritted teeth. “Master Zhao, these are all small matters, so it’s best if you don’t bicker over them anymore.” He had to bide his time until he got to the bottom of Li Qingshan’s backing. It was obvious just how he would erupt when he found out that Li Qingshan had no proper connection to Gu Yanying at all.
How could Li Qingshan waste such a perfect period of time? Obviously, he would screw him over whenever he had the chance. He would take advantage of him as much as possible first.
Zhou Wenbin said to Li Qingshan, “You should release that woman first!”
Li Qingshan called out, “Sir, we can’t release her! Here’s the evidence! I have grievances to settle! I want to sue the Parlour of Clouds and Rain!”
Veins popped out from Zhao Liangqing’s forehead, while Zhou Wenbin almost broke into laughter. You utterly crushed the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in a slaughter; you even killed off the procuress, yet now you actually have grievances, wanting to sue the Parlour of Clouds and Rain!
After coughing gently twice, he held back his smile. “For what do you want to sue the Parlour of Clouds and Rain?”
Li Qingshan lifted up Furong. “I want to sue the Parlour of Clouds and Rain for offering fake commodities. They’ve falsely labelled what they were offering, cheating the common people out of what they paid for. They’ve deeply hurt my feelings!”
Zhao Liangqing held back his intense urge to curse aloud. True qi surged from the centre of Li Qingshan’s palm, and Furong immediately fainted. Having fallen unconscious, she could no longer use her arts of charm. Even ordinary people could see her true appearance. Li Qingshan lifted her high up.
“Please look, everyone! This is the true appearance of the head courtesan, Furong. Why don’t you ask yourselves whether I was right earlier or not?”
Basically everyone rubbed their eyes at the same time before becoming stunned. Their dreams shattered. W- was this really Furong? Was this really the woman they dreamed of? Why had they gone as far as to spend every penny they had just to see her? They questioned themselves and realised that they really were idiots.
Regurgitation. Many people directly began vomiting This tremendous disparity between reality and their fantasies made them feel even sicker than eating a hundred flies. Filth poured and flowed through the magnificent Parlour of Clouds and Rain as if this was its original form.
There were also people who refused to believe it, perhaps due to falling too deeply into the arts of charm. They knelt on the ground as they wept bitterly while crying out, “That’s impossible! That’s not Furong! It’s all fake! It’s all a lie!”
Zhou Liangqing flew into a fury. He took a step forward, and true qi crushed down, A large part of the floor collapsed. However, two auras that were even stronger than his immediately locked onto him. One came from Zhuo Zhibo, while the other came from Zhou Wenbin. They were two sixth layer Qi Practitioners who had split open seas of qi.
Regardless of their reasons or intentions, they could not just stand down as Zhao Liangqing attacked Li Qingshan. The two of them were the symbols of law in Jiaping city, the presentation of the authority of the government. They could not allow the law and authority to be defied or broken. Li Qingshan seemed arrogant, but he stuck close to the word ‘reason’.
Li Qingshan did not even glance at Zhao Liangqing. All he said loudly was, “You spent astronomical sums of silver just to see this. Tell me, hasn’t it been unjust?” Afterwards, he casually tossed Furong to Zhao Liangqing, “You don’t need to ask for her. If it’s something like her, I don’t want her even if you’re giving her to me!”
Furong gradually woke up and saw how everyone’s gazes towards her were different now. She instinctively used her arts of charm, but it was very difficult for them to be enchanted again after the mental shock from earlier unless they possessed particularly weak willpower.
She screamed hysterically, “What’s wrong with you all? Don’t you like me? I’m Furong!” However, she was stopped by Zhao Liangqing, who ordered, “Send her to her room.”
Of course, as time went on, the memories of many people would blur, and perhap her arts of charm would regain the upper hand. However, who knows how long that would take. These techniques that could affect the minds of people did not just depend on the user, but also the environment. Since sounds and smells played a part, the verbal agreement of people could also affect it. When everyone said you were a great beauty, you would be a great beauty, but if the exact opposite happened, it would only make things more difficult.
Li Qingshan had basically destroyed the many years of painstaking effort from the head courtesan Furong and the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. It was no wonder why Zhao Liangqing would react so violently.
Zhou Wenbin smiled as he stroked his beard. “Well, you’ve basically agreed and accepted her out of your own free will with prior knowledge. It would be inappropriate for me to judge this.” If he agreed to Li Qingshan, probably half the men in all of Jiaping city would want to sue.
Afterwards, he said to Qing Xiu, “Lady, please return to my office with me. That’ll be the end of today!” He had already sent a guard of the government to travel through the night to Fishes’ Gully for investigations. Although it would probably lead to nothing, it was still worth a try.
In the end, he said to Li Qingshan, “You were involved in this case too, so you must pay a visit to my government office tomorrow.” Clearly, he had something he wanted to tell him, but it was inconvenient before the eyes of the public. As such, he reminded him again.
Li Qingshan said, “I understand, sir.”
Qing Xiu tidied up her clothes and thanked him, but Li Qingshan said, “You don’t need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you.” It made Qing Xiu’s eyes widen in confusion. However, at least she managed to escape from this abyss of misery, which was fantastic. Sir Zhou really is as rumored. He is a good official. I will definitely expose the Parlour of Clouds and Rain and save my suffering sisters.
Zhou Wenbin left with his guards and Qing Xiu, while Zhuo Zhibo departed with his Hawkwolf guards as well. Li Qingshan followed behind them obediently and even added, “Thank you for taking charge for me, commander Zhuo!”
The customers all dispersed as well. Many of them were utterly depressed or filled with indignation. They swore they would never come again.
But that was how matters were. They would be equal. Whenever there was someone unhappy, there would be someone happy. To the pleasant surprise of many dissatisfied housewives of Jiaping city, they discovered that their men had actually returned, no longer wallowing in the joyhouse constantly now. They were thankful that Li Qingshan had made a mess out of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. The men also discovered that compared to Furong, their own wives were all the greatest of beauties. As a result, they reconciled with their wives, and what happened next would go without saying.
Li Qingshan was in a good mood as well, so as a result, in the exact opposite fashion, Zhao Liangqing stared at the empty parlour and roared inside, I will make you wish you were dead.
It was quite a coincidence, as Li Qingshan was thinking of the same thing as well. He witnessed injustice, and if this source of all of it was not eliminated, it would never be over. You resent me, but I haven’t forgotten about you either!
However, it was inconvenient for him to assume his original form and kill Zhao Liangqing. They had just fallen out with each other, so if Zhao Liangqing was dead the next day, people would probably suspect him. He still wanted to save this valuable opportunity for Zhuo Zhibo.
Trump cards would only demonstrate their greatest strength when hidden away, unleashed in the final moment. Unless he ran out of choices, he would never resort to it. Right now, increasing his apparent strength on the surface was his priority. Right now, he could try his luck even when he came across fourth layer Qi Practitioners, so he believed that as long as he made it to the second layer of Qi Practitioner, he could match them evenly.
Along the way, Zhuo Zhibo and the Black Wolf guards all remained silent. Their gazes towards Li Qingshan became more hostile.
Li Qingshan was delighted by the peace he received. He directly returned to his residence and said to Xiao An, “It was all thanks to your warning today, or I would have fallen for their trick. How did you know I had fallen for the charming technique?”
Xiao An used his finger to write on Li Qingshan’s palm.
As it turned out, he could see through the thin walls of the jar with his fiery eyes, seeing Furong. The so-called white bone and great beauty was about seeing through all illusions such that the mind was just as clear and pure as śarīra, unaffected by any illusions of appearance. Let alone these mere arts of charm, even impressive illusions would fail to fool his eyes.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty completely surpassed the cultivation methods of the Sect of Clouds and Rain. It even far surpassed most of the cultivation methods of this world. The remaining portion of cultivation methods were not equal to it either. They could only be said to be a little closer to the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Li Qingshan spent an entire afternoon submerged in the library. He did not only look at the martial arts manuals, but he also gained a rough understanding of the cultivation methods of this world. There was no need for him to go to the second floor. There were plenty of informative books on the ground floor.
To the Qi Practitioners of orthodox clans and sects, the information was probably general knowledge, but to him, it was like opening the door to a brand new world. Every single bit of understanding was news to him.
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Chapter 126 – Encompassing Vows and Obsessions
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Chapter 126 – Encompassing Vows and Obsessions
First of all, cultivation methods were not split into detailed grades like spiritual artifacts or talismans, but their grades were instead more clear-cut than spiritual artifacts and talismans. The limit on cultivation determined the grade of the cultivation method.
For example, the Innate Method of Practising Qi that Li Qingshan practised would only amount to a third layer Qi Practitioner if he reached the ninth layer, which only illustrated that the cultivation method was not very great. It was basically the lowest, more rudimentary cultivation method in the cultivation method. He would have to find a new cultivation method to practise in the future.
There were many great cultivation methods that could directly allow Qi Practitioners to cultivate to the ninth layer, or even undergo the first heavenly tribulation, reaching the legendary Foundation Establishment realm. The books he read were ambiguous over whether there were even greater cultivation methods than that. All they said was that they definitely did exist, but they went into no reason as to exactly why. Clearly, the writer’s knowledge was limited in this area.
However, they did indeed exist. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was one of them. As for the very limit of the cultivation, the black ox had told Li Qingshan since the very beginning. It was bodhisattva.
By bodhisattva, he meant attaining bodhicitta and swearing four encompassing vows1—the boundless creatures, I vow to save; the endless afflictions, I vow to break; the limitless dharma, I vow to learn; the unsurpassable buddha way, I vow to accomplish. Finally, they would attain the fruit of bodhisattva.
That was how the buddhist scriptures put it. Xiao An had read about it on the ship, and he had written them in Li Qingshan’s palm, word by word. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty also had four encompassing vows:
The boundless creatures, I vow to slaughter; the endless afflictions, I vow to fell; the limitless dharma, I vow to destroy; the unsurpassable buddha way, I vow to end.
When Xiao An wrote these two sets of polar-opposite vows in Li Qingshan’s palm, he was expressionless, which was as clear as day, but Li Qingshan could feel that he was particularly solemn.
It had to be mentioned that Li Qingshan was unable to properly understand these two sets of vows. Of course, he refused to admit that he was illiterate. He only felt that this eminent buddhist monk must have experienced a tremendous stimulus for them to undergo such a drastic mental change.
After considering it, Li Qingshan found a more direct way of putting it—it was badass. As for just how badass it was, he had no idea! Perhaps no one in this world knew how badass it was!
Even in this world, a world with various great cultivators capable of moving mountains and filling seas, bodhisattvas could remain seated on their lotus platform, looking over all living creatures with a gaze of benevolence or indifference.
Cultivators were only bold enough to call themselves cultivators, but not immortals or buddhas. Those were not figures that existed in this world. Perhaps he would only see them once he ventured to that place beyond the Nine Heavens that the black ox spoke of. In Li Qingshan’s belief, they were even more powerful cultivators, so powerful that he could not even look up to them anymore.
The conclusion he reached was very simple. Just what level was an ability where the practitioner cultivated to become a bodhisattva? It was self-explanatory. If this made it out, it would not be as simple as purging demons. Instead, it would bring a storm to the nine provinces of the world.
Against cultivators of the same cultivation who practised weaker cultivation methods, Xiao An basically had a crushing advantage as he practised an ability as great as the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Moreover, Xiao An had only practised it for a few months and had basically just gained a rudimentary grasp. He had not even reached the first layer. As his cultivation progressed, this advantage would gradually widen and become even more evident.
These were Li Qingshan’s thoughts. Usually, Xiao An would just look at him from the side silently and be very satisfied. He did not think as much. All he wanted to do was remain by his side. He only desired a body of flesh so that he could remain by Li Qingshan’s side in a more open manner. He only wanted to become stronger to offer greater assistance to him and not serve as a deadweight.
With his extraordinary intelligence, he could comprehend the great horrors within the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty far more deeply than Li Qingshan. He could feel just what kind of great despair this eminent monk went through to create an ability like this, willingly casting themself into the hell of Avīci, using white bone to assemble a lotus platform, feeding off blood and flesh, deriving joy from despair, so much so that they felt like they had made it to paradise.
But for the sake of this objective, he would be more than willing to do anything, even if it meant slaughtering the boundless creatures, felling the endless afflictions, destroying the limitless dharma, and ending the unsurpassable buddha way.
Li Qingshan pulled out a hundred treasures pouch that was bright in colour from his bosom. He smiled. “Look at what this is?”
Where had he gotten the hundred treasures pouch from? He had obviously found it on the procuress. If he killed, how could he forget to rob? Having a strong sense of justice and assisting the weak went hand in hand with robbing the rich to give to the needy. He robbed the procuress to make up for his own neediness. Unfortunately, Furong did not have a hundred treasures pouch, or there would be another hundred treasures pouch in his hands. However, he could not be too greedy as a person after all.
“How is it? I said I’d do it, and I did it!”
The blood-red flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets flickered happily.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s have a look at our harvest this time.” He channeled spiritual qi into the hundred treasures pouch, and a new space opened up ‘before’ him. It was around the same size as his current one.
There were quite a few items in there. He swept past the miscellaneous items like cosmetics, clothes, and handkerchiefs. The only items that he paid attention to were pills, talismans, spiritual artifacts, and cultivation methods, items that were directly related to cultivation.
However, there were no talismans or spiritual artifacts in the hundred treasures pouch. Clearly, she had been a procuress for all these years, so she had stopped fighting a long time ago, which was why she was unprepared.
There were a few bottles of pills, but two of them seemed to be aphrodisiacs called the Pills of Passion. Li Qingshan had a whiff of the bottle, and he felt his crotch warm up. He had no idea what kind of materials it was made from to be so effective against Qi Practitioners.
There were two other bottles that happened to be the exact opposite; they were called Pills of Calming. He whiffed it, and his mind cleared up, but the flame in his crotch remained. His desires roared like fire, while his mind was as tranquil as water.
There was a cultivation method in there called the Minor Method of Clouds and Rain, which Li Qingshan looked through. Upon completion, it could be cultivated to the sixth layer of Qi Practitioner, allowing the cultivator to split open a sea of qi. It was much better than the Innate Method of Practising Qi. Unfortunately, it was a dual cultivation method. It had to be cultivated while man and woman went at it, treating the partner as a human cauldron. The Pills of Passion and Pills of Calming were for this; the cauldron would consume the Pills of Passion and freely releasing yin and yang qi, while the practitioner would consume the Pills of Calming, allowing them to harmonise their yin and yang, thus practising the Minor Method of Clouds and Rain.
It was no wonder that the Sect of Clouds and Rain would open so many brothels on such a large scale. It was so that they could find human cauldrons under a legitimate reason. Money was secondary. Practising qi was their primary focus. Otherwise, they would have been destroyed by the Hawkwolf Guard a long time ago with their behaviour of sexual debauchery.
It would obviously be impossible for Li Qingshan to practise such a troublesome cultivation method. Although the Innate Method of Practising Qi was quite an inferior cultivation method, it was easy to practise and a fantastic cultivation method for building a foundation. Unless they were prodigies of startling talent, basically everyone would start off with this cultivation method.
He tossed all of that aside, and in the end, he found two bottles of Qi Gathering pills. As it seemed, regardless of the sect that a Qi Practitioner came from, they would still have the basic pills. Although there were just around a dozen or so pills, it was enough to console him. As a result, the number of Qi Gathering pills on him exceeded seventy. He was rather wealthy now.
The other item that drew Li Qingshan’s attention slightly was a stack of unassuming accounts. It utterly confused him when he went through it, so he decided to hand it over to Zhou Wenbin tomorrow for him to take a look.
After all of that was money, a lot of money. Li Qingshan had never seen so much money in his entire life; the sum totalled to several hundreds of thousand taels of silver. Although they were all in the form of thousand tael silver notes, it still formed a thick stack. Although money was the Parlour of Clouds and Rain’s secondary purpose, they were as vicious as directly stealing money from their customers when it came to making money. Moreover, there was no place safer to store it for the procuress than her own hundred treasures pouch, so it was easy pickings for Li Qingshan.
If the Li Qingshan from before had obtained so much silver, he basically would have gone crazy from happiness. Just how much meat and ginseng could he buy? But now, he led an extravagant life, and his pills completely exceeded the effects of ginseng, so he actually had no aspect that required spending money anymore.
However, if he really did want to practise the Minor Method of Clouds and Rain, he should have been able to buy quite a few women with several hundred thousand taels of silver, right? He had a perverted daydream before stowing away all of the silver and Qi Gathering pills in his own hundred treasures pouch.
He handed the new hundred treasures pouch to Xiao An. “I said I’ll do it. This is for you.”
Xiao An placed his wooden tablet into his new hundred treasures pouch, returning the old one to Li Qingshan. He played around with the items inside in great joy. Only then did he seem particularly like a child.
Li Qingshan looked at him and smiled. He felt his tense nerves gradually ease up. He felt the peace that came with family. No matter what, he was not alone.
A Qi Gathering pill was tossed high up in the air, landing in Li Qingshan’s mouth. He began to meditate and cultivate again.
Currently, Zhuo Zhibo did his best to suppress his fury. “Fucking Li Qingshan! He actually played me like that…” Ge Jian and Qian Rongzhi were utterly silent out of fear, afraid of answering him.
“Commander, why don’t we just go all the way with him?” A Black Wolf guard made a gesture to kill, while the Black Wolf guards by his side were all aggressive. They were Zhuo Zhibo’s trusted subordinates, so they obviously had to share their master’s burden. In their eyes, no matter how powerful Li Qingshan was with his body practising arts, only death would await him if he was encircled by five third or fourth layer Qi Practitioners.
“If I could kill him, I would have personally killed him already!” Zhuo Zhibo held back his fury. “I’ve already sent people to investigate in Clear River city. We will get an answer before long. Let’s just wait till then. Right now, none of you touch him. Ge Jian, don’t go find him anymore. I will send other people to do that. Rongzhi, you’re all newcomers, so you’ll spend more time together. You must keep investigating whether he’s telling lies.”
Ge Jian was relieved, but Qian Rongzhi’s expression changed slightly. Despite her viciousness, Li Qingshan’s viciousness tonight had frightened her.
Ge Jian added in worry, “If we really do end up moving against him, Zhou Wenbin seems to favour this kid very much. And, regarding the vice commander…”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “If we really do move against him, no one will be able to save him in Jiaping city.”
Li Qingshan had no idea about these schemes in the shadows. Even if he did know, he would not have cared anyway. He was popping Qi Gathering pills like candy, increasing his own strength. As long as he became tough enough, he would finish off the damned Zhao Liangzhi first before dealing with the damned Zhuo Zhibo.
In just two hours, three Qi Gathering pills had already slid down his gullet, turning into true qi and daemon qi sliver by sliver. Although he could rely on the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to not become mentally exhausted, his ability of absorbing Qi Gathering pills did not surpass other Qi Practitioners by too much either.
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1. They are a legitimate part of buddhism. You can read about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vow
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Chapter 127 – Demonic Thoughts Rise Once More
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Chapter 127 – Demonic Thoughts Rise Once More
With the Qi Gathering pills inside, half was directly transformed into daemon qi by the daemon core. The remaining half then went through the purification and concentration of the sumeru ring. At the end, the amount for him was only a tenth of what he started with. Ten pills for him was only equivalent to one pill for someone else, which was why he could ingest them in such large quantities.
If regular Qi Practitioners were willing, they could also eat a pill every three days, or even a pill every single day. However, it would be extremely wasteful, as they would not be able to convert it all into true qi. The medicinal effects would linger in their bodies and cause detriments instead.
Li Qingshan was neither afraid of being wasteful nor was he afraid of any detriments. All he suddenly thought to himself was whether the daemon core was far too stingy.
Originally, it was simply too difficult to practise qi, which was why he suppressed the daemon core so that he could practise qi faster. But now that he had so many Qi Gathering pills, he tried changing it up.
His roots were based on the path of daemons, from the three superhuman abilities that the black ox had left him. After learning that the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers would not actually result in the Strength of Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, he automatically separated the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging.
This was the path that led beyond the Nine Heavens that the black ox had paved for him. If he completely focused on practising qi, he would basically be neglecting his essentials, his very roots. His original intention behind returning to humanity was for resources that the wilderness could not provide.
Now, the resources were in his hands. They were these Qi Gathering pills. It was time for him to return to his original path.
After thinking through this, his mind shuddered. He stopped cultivating on the same night and leapt through the trees with Xiao An. Just a while later, he had travelled far away from the Hawkwolf Guard, arriving on the other side of the mountain. He could not see Jiaping city here. Below his feet were cliffs several hundred meters tall and the raging waters of the Clear river.
When he first came to Jiaping city, it was this cliff that had blocked the flow of water. The water here flowed particularly rapidly, so over time, it dug out a deep cave at the foot of the cliff. It was suitable for cultivation.
Li Qingshan leapt off the cliff and entered the river, kicking up a splash several meters in height. The dark water surged over from everywhere, swallowing his body. There was a small splash beside him. Xiao An had leapt in too.
He swam for a while in the water, and as expected, he found an extremely deep underwater cavern that was pitch-black, just like the gaping mouth of a colossal beast. He felt no fear at all; instead, this sight left him overjoyed. He dove deeper, diving until he reached the very bottom of the cavern.
He sucked in deeply and unleashed his daemon qi, returning to his original form.
His pupils that were as scarlet-red as fire, his skin that was pitch-black like iron, and his teeth that were as sharp as knives all appeared underwater.
From a certain perspective, this was the actual Li Qingshan.
His colossal figure that towered at twenty-two feet forcefully parted the river water, but he did not kick up any currents at all. The water flowed around him, almost like it was viscous. The deep water could cut off his daemon qi very well. He only controlled the water as much as he could so that it would flow slightly better.
Xiao An watched over from one side silently. As such, it became even safer for Li Qingshan to cultivate here.
Although the daemon qi possessed an absolute advantage, the extremely pure true qi was like a clear flow in the raging river water. It was very thin and weak, but it was unending. It would not assimilate with the daemon qi either.
Li Qingshan waved his hand, and the water parted to two sides. He took out all of his Qi Gathering pills, and after a moment of consideration, he put ten away again for his usual cultivation.
Afterwards, he tossed all of the remaining Qi Gathering pills, over sixty of them, into his huge mouth filled with teeth, swallowing them in one gulp.
He was not practising the Innate Method of Practising Qi, but the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
In the pitch-black depths, his scarlet hair danced around as he stamped his hooves, butted his horns, and forged his hide. All of his movements were extremely smooth and fluid. This was the ability that had begun his path of cultivation, so he was as familiar as he could get with every single part of it.
Once the Qi Gathering pills entered his body, they were like several dozen water mines exploding in the water simultaneously. His raging daemon qi immediately circulated at ten times the speed, roaring and bellowing as if it wanted to rip his body to shreds.
Although Qi Gathering pills were the most practical and mildest of pills, the fate awaiting regular Qi Practitioners would be devastating if they ate so many in a single gulp. However, he was not a Qi Practitioner right now, but a daemon, a daemon who had condensed a daemon core.
“Suppress!” Li Qingshan bellowed out like a clap of thunder in the water.
The daemon core crushed down in suppression. The figure of a spirit turtle vaguely appeared around the daemon core, roaring out silently with its head raised. Its four huge, pillar-like legs landed in the raging flow of daemon qi.
The daemon qi that had basically run out of control immediately settled down, and the flow of daemon qi became much more tame. It flowed under Li Qingshan’s control, fusing with every part of his body.
The medicinal effects were converted into daemon qi by the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression and great strength by the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He was utterly delighted. Yes, now this was where his roots lay.
He did not stop moving. His body produced a strange sound like the screeching of steel being stretched. Strength filled his muscles that seemed to be forged from metal; they swelled and twisted, producing quiet, bulging sounds.
He was gradually growing larger!
Twenty-three feet! Twenty-four feet! Twenty-five feet!
In just a while, he grew by three feet. Great strength surged through him. Just a casual punch of his managed to place the water under pressure, just like a cannonball. He created a large pit several meters across in the mud underneath.
Although he had yet to reach the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and attain the strength of two oxen, his strength still grew evidently. Clearly, the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was just like its name. The strength of two oxen was not referring to two ordinary oxen, but two ox demons.
As his body transformed, his mind silently changed as well. He lost part of his prudence and caution as a human and gained some of the frenzy and confidence of a daemon.
With such strength, who couldn’t I kill?! Even if I’m up against Zhuo Zhibo, I could defeat him, so why should I fear a measly Zhao Liangqing? Why not use the night and go to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain to crush him to death and get some more pills for cultivation?
Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression and returned to human form. His violent nature settled down, but this thought lingered in his head. He seriously considered the benefits and costs that came with this.
His greatest worry was being exposed as a daemon. However, a tremendous difference existed between the fifth and sixth layers of Qi Practitioners as well, a fact that he was aware of. If he daemonified, he would have the strength of a sixth or even seventh layer Qi Practitioner. As long as he grasped the opportunity, he might even be able to kill him in a single strike, without raising anybody’s attention.
As long as he did it cleanly, it was possible for others to believe that Zhao Liangqing had fled or gone missing. Although he would raise suspicion after that, he was only a first layer Qi Practitioner on the surface. Who would think that he could kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it was worth a gamble. If he kept his trump card hidden away the entire time, it would be a waste. As long as everyone who saw his trump card ended up dead, his trump card was still a trump card!
Li Qingshan told Xiao An about what he was thinking, and Xiao An obviously did not object. Afterwards, the two of them began discussing deep under water about how they would assassinate a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, Zhao Liangqing.
It was both for the sake of eliminating an enemy as well as to obtain even more resources so that he could achieve the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength sooner.
Li Qingshan swam out from the cavern and followed the river downstream. He arrived in Jiaping city, climbing ashore in a quiet, remote area. He was completely dry. He quickly dove into a pitch-black alleyway.
He moved through the maze-like streets. The seven-storeyed building in the distance served as the most obvious guide for him.
The moon was bright that night, but he could only move in the shadows and darkness. He concealed all of his aura, whether it be his daemon qi or true qi. He was like a tiger prowling in the forest, his footsteps gentle and silent.
When a passerby brushed past him, he failed to even notice his existence. All he felt was a night breeze brush past him. In the hot, stuffy summer night, it was slightly cold, chilling him to the bone. The man shivered, unable to tell that it was an aura of murderousness.
Li Qingshan stood in the alleyway behind the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Past the twenty foot wall was the back courtyard of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Guards patrolled around the walls, both inside and out. It did not seem like a brothel, but more like a fortress.
Obviously, this could not stop Li Qingshan. He no longer treated people like masters of martial arts with too much importance. Scaling the wall, he first hid himself in a small, dense garden. He raised his head and breathed in deeply and slowly, taking in a lot of air. He gathered the various smells in the air.
He did not have a particularly deep impression of Zhao Liangqing’s scent, but he did with the head courtesan Furong’s smell. She had a unique perfume that could intoxicate people.
In order to strengthen his senses of smell, he released a tiny sliver of daemon qi. A black luster rapidly coated his entire body as his hair turned scarlet. At the same time, two bulges appeared on his forehead. His body swelled up by a foot as well as he turned into a muscly man who seemed like a black tower.
However, before he could change any further, he found what he was searching for. He was in no hurry to completely revert to human form either. He made his way towards the parlour. The quiet night that the Parlour of Clouds and Rain was experiencing had saved him a lot of trouble.
However, he discovered very soon that Furong’s smell did not come from above, but below. He infiltrated the cellar and discovered several hundred jars of fine alcohol, but he failed to find Furong. The smell was still below him. An underground palace was hidden deep below the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, which was no wonder why the guards had failed to find the abducted girls during their search.
Following the trace of the smell, he arrived before a wall. The smell ended there. Li Qingshan pressed his ear against the wall, and as expected, he heard the soft sounds of people talking. The underground palace was right there, but he was unable to find the way to open the path leading down. He was afraid of alarming them if he forced his way in. Moreover, he might leave behind too many traces.
In the end, it was Xiao An who was more thorough with his searching, managing to find a jar of alcohol stuck firmly to the ground; this was the mechanism to open it. However, Li Qingshan had already understood that this probably was not just an issue of thoroughness. He also needed a certain understanding of the structure of the building to perfectly grasp the mechanism.
Moving the jar, a path opened in the wall. As soon as the two of them entered, the wall closed behind them again. Before them was a dark staircase that winded downwards. Li Qingshan made his way down without any hesitation at all.
The sounds of moans rose and fell as two naked bodies slammed against one another with great intensity. Zhao Liangqing said viciously, “I have to kill him.” Furong answered with a messy reply.
Neither of them had used Pills of Calming for dual cultivation. Instead, they used the most primitive method to vent their repressed feelings.
After finishing up, Zhao Liangqing’s face was filled with exhaustion. He did not want to catch another glance of Furong. If it were not for the sake of cultivation, he would have never been willing to sleep with this woman. He ordered, “Bring those women over!”
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Chapter 128 – Crushing Zhao Liangqing to a Pulp
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Chapter 128 – Crushing Zhao Liangqing to a Pulp
Furong was surprised. “Are you planning to?”
Zhao Liangqing said, “I’m going to use them. From today onwards, none of these people are allowed to appear again.”
Use! That was an extremely cold word, as if he treated them as objects, but the reality was even colder. Not only did he treat them as objects, but he even wanted to use them as consumables.
“Doesn’t the sect forbid this?” Furong shuddered. She knew that he wanted to use a vicious cultivation method from the Sect of Clouds and Rain to drain away the vital yin qi of the girls. This was basically casting aside long term benefits for the sake of short term benefits. It was truly an art of the demonic path, which was why it had been stringently banned by the Sect of Clouds and Rain. If anyone was discovered using it, they would become an enemy of the world and be hunted down until they were dead.
Sects of dual cultivation had always been orthodox sects within daoism. The Minor Method of Clouds and Rain was not an evil cultivation method, but taking this path of cultivation required greater willpower than other cultivation methods. Otherwise, their minds would be gradually corrupted by lust, sinking into the demonic path and becoming a demonic art practitioner.
Zhao Liangqing said, “How am I supposed to break through quickly if I don’t use that? If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, who will know? Don’t you hate that kid as well? Once I open my Girdle meridian and break through to the sixth layer, I’ll be able to control weapons. I can assassinate him using a flying sword. It’ll basically be avenging you!”
As soon as Li Qingshan was mentioned, Furong immediately made up her mind. Without even putting on clothes, she made her way out, while Zhao Liangqing just laid on the bed with his eyes closed, resting.
As soon as Furong emerged from the room, a large hand with sharp claws grabbed her neck. With a crack, she collapsed on the ground. The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration quietly spread over. In just an instant, it swallowed her completely, reducing her to a white skeleton.
Furong’s aura had vanished!”
Zhao Liangqing suddenly snapped open his eyes as he bellowed out, “Who is it?” His voice reverberated through the underground palace.
Zhao Liangqing raised his guard to the limit, but all he saw was Li Qingshan pushing open the door and making his way in. There was a relaxed smile on his young face. “It’s me!” He had completely reverted to human form now, so his aura was only a first layer Qi Practitioner’s. He was exactly the same as when he made a mess out of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain earlier tonight.
When enemies met, their eyes would redden from rage. Zhao Liangqing stared at Li Qingshan with red eyes as he roared out, “You killed her?”
“Yep, I killed her. Sorry for interrupting you. I’ll be leaving first.” With that, Li Qingshan actually just backed out of the room again.
“Do you still think you can escape!?” Zhao Liangqing leapt up from the bed and dove outside. He did not even bother to grab his hundred treasures pouch on the side. He utterly hated Li Qingshan, so all he wanted to do was end his life as soon as possible. How was it possible for a mere first layer Qi Practitioner to be the opponent of him, a fifth layer Qi Practitioner? Even if he was empty-handed, he could easily kill him.
He really is looking for his own doom.
As soon as Zhao Liangqing barged through the door, he suddenly turned around and saw a skull condensed from blood-red flames bite down on him from the left. There was no heat, but he could feel the horrors of the fire from the bottom of his heart.
The true qi that surged out kicked up a wild gust of wind in the long, gloomy corridor. Zhao Liangqing raised his right hand and condensed a palm print out of true qi, smashing the fire skull to pieces. Just when he wanted to advance, he suddenly froze up as if he had been rooted to the spot.
A murderous aura and daemon qi that was ten times more terrifying than the fire skull surged out from behind him like the flowing and ebbing tide. He felt like as soon as he moved, the monster hidden in the tide would rip him to shreds. Cold sweat ran down his back.
Only now did he find the origins of the blood-red flames. A small skeleton stood right in front of him as blood-red flames flickered in its eye sockets. It did not show any intentions of attacking. Instead, it just stared behind him.
What was behind him?
Unprecedented fear seized him, but inside, he roared out that he refused to accept this. He was a Qi Practitioner with a great future. As long as he broke through to the sixth layer, a very good position would be waiting for him in the Sect of Clouds and Rain. He felt a lot of regret, regretting over why he had not slowed down a little and taken his hundred treasures pouch with him. He regretted facing something so terrifying while naked.
He slowly turned around and saw the true appearance of the horror.
The small, narrow corridor struggled to contain the colossal body that seemed to be forged from black iron. It could only crouch there, crouching in the darkness, even darker than the darkness. Long, scarlet hair draped down, seeming like both roaring flames and waterfalls of blood. The huge, scarlet pupils stunned him, immobilising him completely.
I’m dead!
This was the first time he had experienced a thought like that in his entire life, and it clearly appeared in Zhao Liangqing’s head. However, his instincts for survival urged him to fight back. He turned around as quickly as he had ever done so in his entire life, utilising every shred of true qi in his body to receive this terrifying monster.
He had no actual plans on taking this monster on in a deathmatch. He only wanted to slam it with his true qi and borrow the rebounding force to flee to the other side of the tunnel. The tiny skeleton was strange, but he was confident that he could deal with it. The monster’s size was so large that it would struggle to move through the corridor. He could escape with his life intact through another secret door.
There was still a chance! There was still hope!
Zhao Liangqing suddenly halted as blood and shattered organs sprayed out from his mouth. He lowered his head in disbelief. A huge claw had grabbed him with terrifying speed that he was unable to react to before gradually bringing him closer.
It was like a cat that had just learned how to hunt, studying the first rat it had caught.
Pain basically drowned out all of Zhao Liangqing’s thoughts. How did he encounter something like this? He was chasing a mere first layer Qi Practitioner. Did it come from that? How did he come across a monster like this?
He realised something. He said with difficulty, “Y- you’re… Li Qingshan?”
“That’s me!” His voice was like resonating metal, yet it was also like the gurgling of magma in a volcano that was about to erupt. He stated a truth with a solemn voice, a truth that brought Zhao Liangqing disbelief.
Li Qingshan truly felt surprised, as he was too weak! Zhao Liangqing was just too weak! The tremendous pressure he felt from Zhao Liangqing when he was in human form had vanished completely. Right now, all he needed to do was use a little bit of force, and he would be able to crush this fifth layer Qi Practitioner like a bug.
So it has always been me? I’ve never held enough confidence in myself? Li Qingshan was amazed.
“S- Spare me!” Zhao Liangqing said with difficulty as he constantly coughed up blood.
“Don’t even think about it!” Li Qingshan used some force, and with a squelch, there was an explosion of blood between his fingers. Zhao Liangqing was crushed to a pulp.
The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration surged over, converting every droplet of blood into a part of itself. It cleaned up the mess that Li Qingshan had created perfectly.
Li Qingshan reverted to human form. He stretched his arms and legs as he stood there while muttering to himself, “So much for taking you so seriously back then. Turns out, this is all you are.”
Xiao An extended his fingers like a sword. The bones scattered across the ground suddenly trembled, flying into his hundred treasures pouch. He had completely removed all traces of anything happening at all.
Just like he was in his own home, Li Qingshan walked into the extravagant bedroom in the underground palace, or should you say cultivation room. He picked up two hundred treasures pouches from the side of the bed before raising his head and studying the erotic art drawn on the walls. He evaluated, “How ugly!”
Xiao An gathered Zhao Liangqing and Furong’s scattered clothes as well. After hesitating, he did not tidy up the bed. He carefully removed the many tiny traces. As such, it seemed more like the two of them had fled in fear of punishment instead of being killed.
Li Qingshan was unable to do something like this. After confirming there was nothing else worth his attention, he asked, “You done?”
Xiao An nodded, and the two of them returned the same way they had come, silently leaving the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
By the time they returned to the mountain, it was already very early in the morning. Li Qingshan did not light a lamp either. He used the moonlight that flooded through the gauze window to inspect his harvest.
Furong’s collection and the earnings from the years that Zhao Liangqing was in charge of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain amounted to one million two hundred thousand taels of silver and a pile of gold and silverware.
There were a few talismans, and not a single one of them were inferior. They were low grade at the very least. There were even two mid grade talismans.
The Qi Gathering pills, over fifty of them, immediately made up for the pills that Li Qingshan had just consumed.
There were a few stones the size of pebbles that contained pure spiritual qi. They must have been the legendary spiritual stones.
However, these were not his greatest harvest from this trip. The greatest harvest was a small, translucent sword that he had found in Zhao Liangqing’s hundred treasures pouch. The sword was only a foot long, and it did not have a hilt. It was completely translucent as light basically flowed through it. It was clearly made from metal, yet it had the qualities of jade.
Li Qingshan held the small sword in his palms as he carefully inspected it. He could sense a gentle but extremely powerful spiritual qi flowing through it, surpassing the Wind-entwining blade on his waist. It was a mid grade spiritual artifact.
However, the sword did not even have a hilt, so how was it supposed to be used? Li Qingshan suddenly thought of the Soaring Dragon Elder, as well as Wang Pushi’s pitch-black baton. Was this sword supposed to be controlled like that too? He was uncertain, so he could only stow it away for now.
Li Qingshan was utterly delighted. As it turned out, things really were easier with the evil path. Human society sure was a good place. If he remained in the mountains and forests, he would never have so many pills to eat. His cultivation speed would definitely be much slower.
Although the cultivation of daemons would be calculated with centuries, he was confident that if this continued, he could drastically reduce his time.
The battle tonight had given him quite a lot of confidence. No matter how powerful a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had split open a sea of qi like Zhuo Zhibo was, he was confident he could take them on in battle.
“Zhuo Zhibo, oh Zhuo Zhibo. What nice things do you have in your hundred treasures pouch? Li Qingshan licked his lips as he wondered malevolently.
They truly targeted one another.
A long, long time ago, a young man walked through the deep mountains. A hawk flew in the sky while a wolf ran in front of him. They were his pets and playmates since young. They hunted for him and ensured that he was not lonely. They had gone through many difficult times with him.
As the will of the heavens went in the way of the boy, he picked up his treasured sword, and the hawk and wolf became daemons. They waged wars across the world, defeating countless powerful opponents with him and enduring many disasters at his side.
Until one day, the young man swept through the world and established the nine provinces, gaining the title of the dragon son of heaven. He had many gifted officials, many like the droplets of rain in the world. He also had many valiant generals, many like the clouds in the world, serve beneath him. His harem reached tremendous proportions, and he became the wealthiest in the world.
However, there was nobody, no other human, that he trusted more than his two most loyal friends. He crowned them as kings, giving them the authority to stand above all. When he returned to the heavens, he ordered them to protect this empire.
These were the origins of the Hawkwolf Guard.
Oh right, as for the name of the empire, it was called Great Xia.
Author’s Postscript
I like the name ‘Great Xia’. It’s the beginning of five thousand years of culture, while its creator is the legendary figure, Yu the Great. The people that came after him could only remain earnestly as humans, unable to be like their ancestors who mended the heavens, created humanity, served by many. What a pity!
The name ‘Great Xia’ by itself seems like a boundary between legends and history, also serving as a beginning and an end. Even more wondrously, its existence has been questioned. This kind of existence where it seems to exist yet is also debatable, this point of both beginnings and end, it where this novel and I lie.
Since I’ve said so much already, then I might as well ask for some tickets. Whether it’s monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, or review tickets, any ticket is fine!
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Chapter 129 – The Daughter of the Hawk God
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Chapter 129 – The Daughter of the Hawk God
With the arrival of the morning, a thick layer of mist shrouded the mountain. Opening his window and looking down, he saw Jiaping city swallowed by a sea of mist. Only the few, larger structures like the Parlour of Clouds and Rain were like islands in the sea, floating in the sea of mist.
No one had noticed what had happened last night aside from Li Qingshan. He lowered his head and looked at his right hand; it was a coarse hand covered in calluses. The markings of all those years of labour had not simply faded away with cultivation. It was also that very hand that had crushed an enemy to death the night before. The feeling of causing someone to burst remained clearly embedded in his palm and memory.
Ordinary people would probably sigh that their hands were covered in blood and become melancholic. However, he felt very wonderful and delighted. It was not due to the influence of his demonic nature that had made him cold-hearted. He could shed tears for Xiao An, and he could sob for Xuanyue, but scum like Zhao Liangqing was not even worth a sigh of his.
You could refuse to accept the darkness within you and keep acting like you were still a normal human, or you could accept it calmly and find some more scum like that, enjoying the pleasure that came with crushing them to a pulp.
Li Qingshan chose the latter without any hesitation at all. Just like how he had said since the beginning, why should he repress his interests? Aren’t there a lot of people worth killing in the world?
On their first day of joining the Hawkwolf Guard, newcomers were usually given the day to rest and grow accustomed to the new environment. The true training of the Hawkwolf Guard would begin today under the guidance of a senior.
Originally, that person should have been Ge Jian, but instead it was the ‘bulbous nose’ that had gambled on Li Qingshan. He slapped Li Qingshan’s shoulder with a smile. “Kid, you were really impressive last night. If it were me, I would have never been bold enough to do that.”
Just from that, Li Qingshan understood that this person was probably not a trusted subordinate of Zhuo Zhibo. Speaking of which, even if Zhuo Zhibo wanted to take a trusted subordinate, he would have never taken someone so inappropriate.
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi sat beside Li Qingshan. They both had their own thoughts as they remained silent.
‘Bulbous nose’ cleared his throat and began the first lesson of the Hawkwolf Guard, the history of the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan listened with complete focus. This was the first time he had understood where he was in so much detail. He was shocked by the grand tale from the lengthy history. He murmured, “The Great Xia empire?”
Just how would an empire founded by a cultivator be? To his even greater surprise, the commander of one of the government systems with the highest authority was actually a daemon. This was simply unbelievable!
However, he could understand what the founding emperor was thinking. His wives could fight among each other for his favour, while his children could kill one another for the throne. Even loyal officials and valiant generals could fall out with one another over their beliefs. The minds of humans were far too complicated. Only the loyalty of daemons would remain unwavering.
Although Li Qingshan refused to admit that Xiao An was his pet, he was unable to find a better description for their current situation. The reason why he could trust him so much was exactly because of his simple-mindedness, as well as his complete dependence on him.
‘Bulbous nose’ was akin to the most impressive storyteller as spittle flew out of his mouth like a river. He narrated this part of history in a magnificent manner, but when he reached there, he suddenly stopped. He looked at Li Qingshan while smiling. “Speaking of the highest commander of our Hawkwolf Guard, sir Guardian Hawk God, I must mention his daughter…”
Submerged in his thoughts, Li Qingshan suddenly raised his head. All he heard was bulbous nose slowly mention a name. “Gu Yanying!”
Li Qingshan closed his eyes slowly and sank into his thoughts again. The graceful figure in white appeared in his head again. When Yan Song mentioned Gu Yanying, he had said she possessed an extraordinary background, but Li Qingshan had never thought it would reach such a level.
‘Bulbous nose’ continued, “Of course, you can’t tell others about this. While this is a public secret within the Hawkwolf Guard, it’s also taboo. The White Wolf commander has specially put this in writing that he would watch anyone who blabbers chew their own tongues out. You better not think this is just an empty threat. It’s basically the greatest rule among us Hawkwolf guards of the Ruyi commandery. Just treat it like you never heard about it. It’s not like you’ll manage to establish any connections with such a great figure in your lives anyway.” As he said that, he glanced at Li Qingshan again.
Li Qingshan did not reply. After his slight shock, he recovered his composure. The target that the black ox had given him was far too distant. As such, his vision had never stopped in just this world from the beginning.
When your final objective was to fly in the sky, other people could tell you about just how tall Mount Everest was and how difficult it was to scale. You could agree, but you would not feel too much pressure. As a matter of fact, you might even feel that it was a much easier target.
Whether he could establish a connection with her would depend on fate, but if he could, he definitely would. He was not afraid of being labelled as lecherous by others, as he admitted he was lecherous. He also liked drinking, liked eating, liked crushing enemies to a pulp, and liked good pills and spiritual artifacts.
Passing through the busy streets, Li Qingshan arrived before the government office. At the entrance were a pair of huge, stone lions. Li Qingshan could tell that they were not just to scare away regular citizens and demonstrate the might of the government. Instead, the spiritual qi they emitted told him that the pair of stone lions would immediately come alive as soon as someone had intruded upon the place, tearing the intruder to shreds.
Compared to them, the two guards seemed more symbolic than anything else. When they saw Li Qingshan’s Black Wolf uniform, neither of them tried to stop him. After hearing him state his name, the guard immediately took him in.
The government office was busy. Various people hurried around under the orders of guards. It was as if they all had their own matters to attend to, not just to prove their innocence or to sue.
Zhou Wenbin received Li Qingshan in the garden behind the offices. Under the brilliant sun, the green-clothed Zhou Wenbin sat on a cushion under a large willow tree by a pond as he admired the scenery. He did not seem like a district magistrate, but more like a hermit. He was at great leisure, forming quite the contrast with the busyness in the government office.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “How elegant of you, sir!”
Zhou Wenbin waved his hand, and another cushion fell down before him, along with an exquisite tea set.
Li Qingshan sat down gracefully. Zhou Wenbin waved his hand, and steam rose up from the pond as if it were gathering in his palm, turning into water and landing in the teapot. Afterwards, it produced hot steam, and the fragrance of tea permeated the surroundings. He filled two tea cups.
Only then did Zhou Wenbin say leisurely, “We cultivator’s shouldn’t be held up by too many everyday affairs!”
Li Qingshan said in surprise, “Then why do you still hold the position of district magistrate, sir? Why not settle down in a beautiful land and properly focus on cultivation?”
“Now that’s something you don’t know about. This is one of the cultivation methods of the school of Confucianism, gathering the power of belief, which can also be used for cultivation. That’s why I’m the district magistrate of Jiaping city.”
Zhou Wenbin said patiently. Only then did Li Qingshan find out about a cultivation method like this, and it was an extremely effective cultivation method as well that did not require too much effort. The proteges and aides under Zhou Wenbin would handle the various government affairs for him, while he normally only needed to remain in the back courtyard, drinking tea and admiring the flowers. The paths of cultivation truly did vary.
Li Qingshan cut to the chase. “May I ask why you’ve summoned me here?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Are you aware that you’re living on borrowed time?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m really not aware of that.”
Zhou Wenbin said, “You’ve deeply offended Zhou Wenbin. He’s extremely cowardly, which is why he chose to put up with all of it. But don’t we both know that you don’t have any kind of backing like that at all? Old Wang in Clear River city should dislike you very much. Zhuo Zhibo will realise that sooner or later.”
Li Qingshan was unfazed. “Then what do you suggest, sir? Am I supposed to transfer to under sir?”
Zhou Wenbin replied, “I sure would like a subordinate like you. I’ve heard about what you’ve done in the Qingyang district, but you’ve directly increased the number of vice magistrates under me. It’ll even cost me a bit to pay and feed him.”
Only now did Li Qingshan think of the brother-in-law of the prefect, Ye Dachuan. Calculating the time, he should have arrived today.
“However, since you’ve joined the Hawkwolf Guard, you can’t just get away from this entire matter so easily anymore.”
Li Qingshan said, “My only option is to flee?”
Zhou Wenbin shook his head. “The crime of deserting or betraying the Hawkwolf Guard would be even greater than that. It’s enough to put you on the criminal list. Despite how vast the world is, just where can you go? Are you really supposed to flee into the mountains and forests and dwell with those daemons?”
Li Qingshan considered it; this was not necessarily a difficult matter to deal with.
Zhou Wenbin said, “If you want to avoid Zhuo Zhibo, there’s only one place you can go now.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Where?”
“The Academy of the Hundred Schools!”
“Where’s the Academy of the Hundred Schools?”
“Obviously in Clear River city.”
“What kind of place is the Academy of the Hundred Schools?”
“It’s a place where ordinary people cultivate, as well as the foundation of the Great Xia empire. As the district magistrate, not only do I watch over this region, but I also have the responsibility of choosing talents for the empire. I can recommend talented Qi Practitioners to study in the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Even your duties as a Hawkwolf guard will be temporarily set aside. Obviously, you wouldn’t need to worry about Zhuo Zhibo anymore. I’ll be honest with you, I came from the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts. That place is much more beneficial to your cultivation than being a Hawkwolf guard.”
Li Qingshan said, “May I ask why you are favouring me so much, sir?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Your talent is so-so, but I like your disposition very much. I don’t wish to see you get destroyed in the hands of a crafty ruffian. There will be a day when you return to the Hawkwolf Guard, so I wouldn’t mind you coming to Jiaping city, and we can keep working together.”
Some people might detest your disposition, but there would obviously be others who liked your disposition. With ill will came goodwill. Such a matter was very fair.
Li Qingshan considered it for a while before answering, “Thank you for your kind offer, sir. There will be a day when I go there and check it out, but it’s not right now. I still have things I want to do in Jiaping city.”
He speculated that the Academy of the Hundred Schools was a place like a school. It was a school for Qi Practitioners to raise talents for the Great Xia empire so that they could overwhelm the talents of other sects. However, since it was a school, it would definitely come with school fees, and moving about would become inconvenient. At the very least, he could not go on a killing spree under the name of justice.
He needed flesh and blood to assist Xiao An’s reconstruction of his body, and he also needed to obtain even more Qi Gathering pills from these missions. These two matters supplemented one another, and Jiaping city was highly suitable for him to complete both. Most importantly, he was not afraid of Zhuo Zhibo, not even a bit.
Zhou Wenbin frowned. “It seems like you don’t understand the strength of sixth layer Qi Practitioners.”
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Chapter 130 – The Art of Controlling Artifacts
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Chapter 130 – The Art of Controlling Artifacts
Li Qingshan obviously understood the strength of sixth layer Qi Practitioners. Splitting open a sea of qi and condensing a daemon core went hand in hand. He knew exactly how much his strength had grown after condensing a daemon core. It was basically a change in quality.
However, he would never complain if it meant he could get more information on his opponent. He also wanted to know just what humans used against daemons in battle. A fifth layer Qi Practitioner like Zhao Liangqing was nowhere near enough, so he asked with an open mind, “Please enlighten me, sir!”
Zhou Wenbin said, “The strength of humans does not lie with themselves. Whether it’s true qi or their physical strength, there’s no way they can contend with regular daemons. You should be aware of that.”
Li Qingshan nodded. “The strength of humans lies in their use of tools.” He could recall the classes of his previous life very well, how his teacher had said that the greatest difference between humans and animals was the invention and usage of tools. Even in this world of cultivation, this aspect remained the same.
Zhou Wenbin’s eyes lit up. “Well said. But have you realised the importance of tools right now? For example, the Wind-entwining blade on your waist. What kind of strength increase do you think it provides to you?”
Li Qingshan rubbed his Wind-entwining blade instinctively before shaking his head. The Wind-entwining blade was not a bad weapon, but it was not essential to the current him. It did not increase his strength in any qualitative fashion.
Zhou Wenbin said, “That’s because you’ve yet to learn how to properly use the tool. The blade right now is just like the teeth and claws to a beast. You can only use it based on your instincts. The blade and sword-wielding people of the jianghu are actually just slightly stronger wild beasts.”
Li Qingshan leaned forward and picked up the teapot, filling up Zhou Wenbin’s cup. “Then may I ask what is the proper way to use a tool?”
“Like this!” Zhou Wenbin’s eyes shone, and there was a powerful flash from within his wide sleeves. It swam past him with lightning speed, sometimes down low and sometimes high in the sky, producing an unending streak of light.
Under the afternoon sun, the blade of the sword reflected the sunlight, flickering across the two of them.
The streak of light rushed into the sky, piercing through the green willow branches. Willow leaves fell down like rain. However, before the ‘rain’ had even hit the ground, the sword flashed again and skewered over a hundred leaves before slamming against the tree bark.
Zhou Wenbin extended his hand, and the streak of light moved again, sweeping across the calm surface of the water and cutting it open like an extremely sharp pair of scissors. Suddenly, the sword vanished. It pierced through the reeds on the side of the pond before returning to Zhou Wenbin’s sleeve.
Li Qingshan was dazzled by all of this. If he did not daemonify, there was no way he could deal with a sword like that. He had witnessed the terror of being hunted down by a flying sword in the ancestral hall of the Dragon’s Gate sect in the past, but no one was controlling that flying sword, so all it did was charge straight ahead rashly. As a result, his understanding of the terrors of flying swords were not deep enough.
Only now did he understand that he basically had no chance to forcefully take on a real flying sword, as without the restrictions of the human body, the agility of the flying sword had exceeded the great techniques of any supreme swordsmen.
It was possible to imagine that if you failed to knock away the lightning-fast flying sword in a single strike when you fought against it, the flying sword would be able to move around like a snake, worming into your heart. You might not even be able to reach your opponent. You would not even be able to throw your life at the enemy.
This was the case unless you could deal with the sharpness of the flying sword and surpass its speed, but just how many people could achieve such a feat? This was the proper way to use a tool, the thing that humans relied on to overwhelm daemons.
He had basically seen this method of using tools in the hands of the Soaring Dragon Elder of the Sword Collection palace before. There was obviously a huge difference between Zhou Wenbin and the Soaring Dragon Elder’s swords, but due to the drastic disparity in strength back then, all of it seemed to flash past him like rain in a storm, as flickers of light possessing devastating power.
Back then, this indomitable, terrifying power had overwhelmed his mind, and he actually failed to comprehend its wonders and horrors. He had not been as shocked as right now. Another reason for his shock was that he realised that he himself would be able to use a tool like that as well.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Calling them tools is a relatively more common name, but more accurately, this should be called ‘controlling artifacts’. Sword artifacts are relatively common spiritual artifacts. There are a myriad of other spiritual artifacts in the world, which can be used to kill, defend, or bewitch. Anyway, there are a myriad of ways to use them as well. As long as your true qi is sufficiently strong enough, there’s no need for you to be restricted to your arms and legs. You can use many spiritual artifacts at the same time, and killing people will become as easy as winking.”
“However, all of this requires you to open your four yin and yang meridians, reaching a balance in yin and yang. Subsequently, you need to open your Girdle meridian and split open a sea of yin and yang qi. Only then can you achieve this. As a matter of fact, there’s even a saying that only Qi Practitioners who have split open a sea of qi can be regarded as real Qi Practitioners, embarking on the path of cultivation. In short, it’s extremely easy for a sixth layer Qi Practitioner to kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.”
What he was trying to say was, It goes even more without saying what would happen if a mere first layer Qi Practitioner like you were matched up against a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. Even if you have some achievements as a Body Practitioner, it’s impossible for you to be Zhuo Zhibo’s opponent.
Li Qingshan was convinced from the bottom of his heart. “I see. Thank you for your guidance, sir. However, I haven’t chosen to remain here because I’m unaware of the dangers I’m in.”
The two of them stared at each other silently. One was determined, while the other one was in doubt.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Since you insist on staying, I won’t say anything more. If you need any help, you are welcome to come to the government office to come find me. However, at the end of the day, you are still under Zhuo Zhibo’s command. It’s impossible for me to fall out with Zhuo Zhibo over you, so do take care.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “That only makes sense.”
Li Qingshan’s relaxed, casual attitude even made Zhou Wenbin doubt himself. Does this kid really have a powerful background?
“There is a matter that I’d like to ask you about, sir. Where can I learn the art of controlling artifacts?” Li Qingshan was highly intrigued after witnessing Zhou Wenbin’s display. He immediately thought of the small, hiltless sword he found in Zhao Liangqing’s hundred treasures pouch the night before. As it seemed, Zhao Liangqing had prepared it for when he broke through to the sixth layer, but now that it had fallen into his hands, he wanted to make full use of it.
Zhou Wenbin gazed at him deeply. “Do you really think the sixth layer of Qi Practitioner is that easy to break through to?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll try my best and see.” His gaze was filled with great confidence. At least from the aspect of a daemon, he had already reached that level.
Zhou Wenbin did not comment on that. All he said was, “There are many people in the cultivation world who know regular arts for controlling artifacts. It’s nothing for me to teach you beforehand.”
Li Qingshan asked curiously, “They are non-regular arts for controlling artifacts?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “The Sword Collection sect has special arts for controlling swords. It’s not artifacts, but swords. The Umbral Yin sect has ghost control arts, using ghosts as their artifacts. Some demonic path cultivators refine and pilot corpses, thus using corpses as artifacts. There is not a single sect’s artifact control art that is completely original, but it’s impossible for me to know them all either.”
The Umbral Yin sect! Ghost control arts! Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. He thought about the page he had obtained from the witch. Wasn’t that the Umbral Yin Ghost Control technique? There must have been a connection between the two. If he understood the origins of the witch, he might be able to find out about Xiao An’s origins. He asked in a hurry, “Where’s the Umbral Yin sect?”
To the cultivators of the Green province, this was essential knowledge. Zhou Wenbin casually explained it. He failed to notice the change in Li Qingshan’s expression.
Li Qingshan memorised eight words, ‘Down south, the Myriad Ghosts abyss’. This was the first time he had heard anything about this colossal sect of the Green province, but since Zhou Wenbin did not go into detail, he did not ask any further either.
His strength was still insufficient. He could not go to somewhere so far away. Xiao An had yet to remember much, and he had not recovered his body yet… Under these countless reasons hid a selfish excuse. He did not want Xiao An to leave his side! He did not want to be lonely!
It was rather funny now that it was mentioned, but a tough guy like him, a daemon who could stand over twenty feet tall and crush people like ants, was no different from an ordinary person inside. He was afraid of loneliness.
As a result, for the first time, he was no longer as determined as before when an opportunity to investigate Xiao An’s origins presented itself.
The sunlight was cut to pieces by the blade-like willow leaves, scattering all over the teenager. He was not particularly handsome, but there was a rare sliver of uncertainty on his bronze, sculpted face. However, it turned into determination immediately, determination to uphold his promise and let nature take its course.
Zhou Wenbin patiently explained the method of controlling artifacts. As expected, the principle behind it was not complicated, but it had a strict requirement on cultivation. While Qi Practitioners could not easily connect with the spiritual qi of the world after splitting open a sea of qi, they were moving in that direction, allowing them to sense various objects with a spiritual nature.
Of course, all living things were spiritual nature, including every blade of grass or flower. However, with greater spiritual qi came stronger senses. While they could not control plants to harm their opponents, Qi Practitioners could pick a spiritual artifact and soak it in their own true qi constantly. Eventually, they would establish a slight sensory connection with the spiritual qi, allowing them to control it from afar. It was like controlling a piece of metal while using their own bodies as a magnet.
Li Qingshan expressed his gratitude. It was exactly these pieces of common knowledge that would instead bring him even greater help, as public knowledge to Qi Practitioners was an essential foundation. He had come from the country, without a master or a sect, so he had no chance to learn about such matters at all.
Zhou Wenbin smiled as he stroked his beard. “So you only plan on expressing your gratitude verbally?”
Li Qingshan was surprised. Did he plan on accepting backhanders?
Zhou Wenbin hinted, “You must have had quite the harvest last night, such as silver?” Li Qingshan had taken the procuress’ hundred treasures bag, which obviously did not escape his eyes.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. “You’re the mighty district magistrate, a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who rules over several hundred thousand people, yet you’re asking money from a broke kid like me?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Must you speak so loudly? It’s not like I’m asking it for free. It’s exactly because I rule over too many people that there are far too many areas that require money. You have no use for silver anyway, so you might as well give it to me. I’ll exchange it for Qi Gathering pills.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “Why’s that?” He would be more than willing to exchange silver for Qi Gathering pills. Unless he actually planned on buying women, he really had no use for the silver.
Zhou Wenbin was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, but he actually required silver?
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Chapter 131 – The Places of Darkness
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Chapter 131 – The Places of Darkness
Zhou Wenbin explained, and only then did Li Qingshan understand that he did not have it easy as a district magistrate. In order to maintain a sufficient ‘approval rating’ so that the citizens of Jiaping city would be grateful to him, the person who watched over them all, he had to reduce taxes and costs, begin construction projects both on land and over water, and establish public facilities. Moreover, he had to ensure high salaries to maintain honesty among his subordinates, maintaining a group of aides to help him handle governance. As a result, he often struggled to make ends meet.
Zhou Wenbin spread his hands and smiled bitterly. “It’s pitiful for a government official like me. Not only am I working without a salary, but I even have to find ways to raise money.”
Li Qingshan found this rather funny. In this day and age, although the disparity in wealth was enormous, this was not necessarily a bad thing to the common people.
In the Great Xia empire, regardless of rank or status, not a single official was paid a salary, but they did not have to hand up any taxes or money either. Even when they found gold or silver mines, the local government would control it.
This was impossible in any empire or kingdom that Li Qingshan knew about, but this was the reality. The items that interested cultivators were different from ordinary people in the first place. If Zhou Wenbin wanted to, he could squeeze millions of silver taels out from Jiaping yearly, but there was no point to that at all.
However, there was one type of mine that the empire would own, namely spiritual stone mines. The salary that government officials like Zhou Wenbin and Zhuo Zhibo collected were spiritual stones.
As a result, Li Qingshan took out the several hundred thousand taels of silver he found from the procuress and handed it to Zhou Wenbin.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Aren’t you going to ask just how many Qi Gathering pills you’ll get?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve never been a stingy person, but of course, I do hope that others can be more generous with me as well.”
Zhou Wenbin took out a small bottle with a total of twelve Qi Gathering pills. He handed it to Li Qingshan and said, “Since this is your first time, I’ll give you a special price. If you find more silver, you are welcome to exchange it with me. However, it’ll be a hundred thousand taels for a pill.”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s very fair.” When he thought about the astronomical price of a single, tiny Qi Gathering pill, he could not help but be rather amazed. However, if it were the jianghu instead, there were plenty of people willing to pay a hundred thousand taels of silver for a single Qi Gathering pill.
Li Qingshan then took out the accounts he had found from the procuress and handed them to Zhou Wenbin. “I’m wondering if there’s any evidence against the Parlour of Clouds and Rain on there.”
Li Qingshan did not want to raise suspicion with his actions, so he did not take it out immediately. However, he thought about how there were still many girls trapped in the underground palace beneath the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. As such, he needed to find a way to get Zhou Wenbin to search through the parlour again so that the girls could be openly rescued. Otherwise, they would basically starve to death down there if nothing happened.
Zhou Wenbin did not even glance at it. He clapped his hands and a servant immediately came over and retrieved the accounts, taking it to the government office. Those aides who were skilled in this area would look through it.
Before long, a person who seemed like an advisor walked over. At first, he glanced at Li Qingshan in surprise. The Hawkwolf Guard was impressive, but there were no ordinary Black Wolf guards who could sit at the same level as the official that he served. Afterwards, he bowed at Li Qingshan slightly before reporting to Zhou Wenbin, “Sir, there are many issues with it…”
Li Qingshan looked at the pond as he wondered how he would put it. Only after Zhou Wenbin and the advisor were done talking did he say, “Sir, is this enough evidence to take down the Parlour of Clouds and Rain?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Do you really think that we can take down the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with a single set of accounts? You’re underestimating the strength of the Sect of Clouds and Rain far too much. The person I sent to Fishes’ Gully has already returned. Qing Xiu’s entire family is already dead. They’ve handled this matter very cleanly.”
Li Qingshan was furious. “Those bastards! Sir, you serve the government, so how can you fear a sect?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “I’m not afraid of them. I’m just helpless. These cultivation sects all have their own foundations and legacies. Some larger sects have been around for longer than the empire itself. Even when the founding emperor was around, he could only pacify them at most, making them promise to peacefully coexist as long as it did not get in the way of their interests. Afterwards, the Academy of the Hundred Schools was established, raising talents to contend against them.”
In short, they would not purposefully come and make trouble for Zhou Wenbin, but Zhou Wenbin did not want to make things difficult for them either. He had come here to cultivate, not to actually serve as an upright official and speak for the people. However, no one could blame him for anything.
Li Qingshan thought, Fortunately, I crushed Zhao Liangqing, or I would have never been able to achieve anything through the law!
“As a result, you have to prepare against plots from the Sect of Clouds and Rain as well. Sometimes, they might even be more terrifying than Zhuo Zhibo. Zhuo Zhibo is a part of the Hawkwolf Guard, which is why he fears you backing. However, they might not have so many qualms. Most of the losses of the Hawkwolf Guard arise from conflicts with these sects, killed off silently and soundlessly. There have even been hawk commanders like Zhuo Zhibo or district magistrates like me who have been killed off mysteriously.”
Li Qingshan was not too surprised. He had witnessed an example of this already. Despite Gu Yanying’s identity, she still failed to kill that White Lotus Mother. Although she forced the latter into hiding, she still lost many subordinates.
The White Wolf guards under her command were powerful cultivators who had undergone a heavenly tribulation and reached Foundation Establishment at the very least. They were figures who could run amok through Jiaping city or even the Clear River prefecture. The Soaring Dragon Elder of the Sword Collection palace did not fear the authority of the Hawkwolf Guard at all. He was even bold enough to kill the Dark Queen’s beloved pet right in front of Gu Yanying or even fight with her. And that was with the Hawk God standing behind Gu Yanying. This only demonstrated the fearlessness of these cultivation sects.
He could not help but sigh in amazement. “Regardless of the day or age, it’s all about strength. Stuff like status will never be as convenient as strength.”
Zhou Wenbin said, “You should have a mental map of the Green province, right? If you don’t mind, let’s take a look.”
Li Qingshan unfurled the mental map of the Green province.
Zhou Wenbin stroked the map gently. “What a nice thing.” Countless specks of light lit up on there like the twinkling stars of the night sky.
“The places that light up all have people with status in the government. Even fifth layer Qi Practitioners would not be bold enough to kill a first layer Qi Practitioner Hawkwolf guard like you publicly. However, there’s nothing like that beyond the specks of light. There is only strength. You must remember this. As long as they have absolute confidence, people will be bold enough to attack you over the contents of your hundred treasures pouch. Not only will your wolf hide fail to protect you at times, it can even draw in hostility.”
Li Qingshan looked at the mental map he had gone through many times already and gained a new understanding. The stars were bright and clustered, but they would never surpass the immensity and darkness of the night sky. These remote mountains and marshes were lawless lands. They were the place where daemons and demons danced, a battlefield for cultivators.
A revelation like that brought him far more help than a few additional Qi Gathering pills. It gave him a completely new understanding with respect to his identity and position. However, not only did he feel no fear, but he even felt enlightened instead.
As it turned out, he was still worrying about how he could finish off Zhuo Zhibo without raising too much suspicion if Zhuo Zhibo decided to turn against him, but now, these areas of darkness beyond the light brought him convenience. He could openly slaughter everyone and anyone before pushing all of the blame onto an unknown, powerful cultivator or some terrifying daemon passing by.
Zhou Wenbin failed to see any fear on Li Qingshan’s face at all. That was an emotion that every single cultivator of orthodox origins would reveal when they heard something like this for the first time. Even Zhou Wenbin himself had not been an exception, which was why he decided to remain in the light for his entire life, protecting himself and distancing himself from that world of darkness.
He could not help but admit that there really was something different about this teenager. He seemed to have a deep interest in battle, slaughter, chaos, and disorder, but he was not like a brainless madman who lived to fight. Instead, he was courageous but not reckless.
Perhaps he was more suited to joining some large sect instead of walking down the path of the Hawkwolf Guard or the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Basically every large sect prefered disciples like this. Whether it be for purging demons or for purging the orthodoxy, they all required people who could fight.
In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators seemed to have detached from the mortal world, avoiding all contact with the bloodshed and affairs of mortals, only needing to meditate and chant everyday, dwelling in the wilderness. They would be able to elongate their lives or even achieve eternal life.
If it were based on their true intentions, who would be bold enough to take risks and fight with people? Who didn’t want to walk the path of longevity peacefully, devoting all their time to making spiritual artifacts and talismans, refining pills, and ingesting medicines, spending all their time cultivation and seeking enlightenment instead of learning techniques? However, this path was riddled with far too many hardships, and it was just far too crowded.
Everyone required pills and medicines, but there was a limit to spiritual herbs. Everyone required blessed lands to cultivate in, but there was a limit to nice dwellings. They could choose to stand aside and watch others enjoy the pills, medicines, blessed lands, and rapid cultivation. Meanwhile, they themselves would gradually decline before turning into a pile of bones in a grave, or they could contend with others and see who was better.
Not only did they have to contend with the heavens for their fate, but they had to contend with humans for victory.
Even if peace was brought to the world, and there was harmony among all people, wouldn’t the daemons, demons, ghosts, and monsters hidden in the darkness want to regain the upper hand and rule over the nine provinces? In this wilderness without order, who knows how many sects had been established and destroyed. They could only follow the most primitive principle—survival of the fittest. Only the strongest would be respected.
Between the Sword Collection palace and the Umbral Yin sect, one wielded swords, while the other controlled ghosts. Perhaps they were not the sects that were the best at cultivation, but they each possessed their advantages. They had followed this principle and survived and thrived under it.
Li Qingshan stowed the mental map of the Green province away. He said, “Since I’ve already offended them, I might as well offend them a little more. I have this identity, so if I don’t use it, it’ll be a pity.”
Zhou Wenbin knew that it was impossible for him to have any chances at reaching a compromise or reconciling after killing the people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain in public. Thinking about his youthful mentality and his lingering anger, he said, “Fine then. I’ll give around another dozen guards to you. Although this set of accounts can’t take them down, it’s enough to press them and make them spit out some silver.”
At this moment, a caretaker came over and reported, “Sir, there’s a fatty at the door wishing to see you. He said he’s the district magistrate of Qingyang city. These are his documents.”
Zhou Wenbin smiled. “Looks like your old boss is here.”
Li Qingshan smiled as well. “Maintaining peace in the city is the job of the vice magistrates in the first place. Wouldn’t sending sir Ye instead of me be more appropriate?”
Zhou Wenbin waved his hand. “You go tell him that. I’m going to start cultivating, so let him know to see me tomorrow.” Clearly, he did not take an ordinary person like Ye Dachuan seriously. All he needed to do was pay him a little more silver for the sake of the prefect.
Li Qingshan arrived at the front of the government office. He saw Ye Dachuan pointing around with the advisor. “Look, now this is a big city. Big cities are just different. Although it’s a little worse compared to Clear River city, it’s way better than that shitty place of Qingyang.” The advisor was delighted as well as he stood beside him. Finally, he felt like he had achieved some success after following this fatty.
“Sir Ye, it has been quite a few days. How have you been?”
Ye Dachuan turned around and saw Li Qingshan in his Black Wolf uniform. Although he knew Li Qingshan had actually become one, he still could not help himself. “Y- you’ve really…”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I have great riches and honour to give you! Do you want it or not?”
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Chapter 132 – The Clouds Disperse and the Rain Scatters
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Chapter 132 – The Clouds Disperse and the Rain Scatters
Why would Ye Dachuan decline? He agreed to it in a hurry as he grabbed Li Qingshan by the hands. “You truly are my bringer of good fortune, no, nobleman!” He remembered how Li Qingshan’s current status was already completely different from before.
Li Qingshan asked, “Where are protector Yan and the others?”
Ye Dachuan said, “They’ve returned to the Iron Fist school to tidy up. The Iron Fist school of Jiaping city said they wanted to visit you later at night, but I never thought I would see you first.”
Over a dozen guards arrived behind Li Qingshan. “Sir Li!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “This would be your sir Ye!”
“Sir Ye!”
Standing in front of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Ye Dachuan was excited. Would he be visiting the largest, most luxurious brothel on his first day in Jiaping?”
Li Qingshan said, “Sir Ye, don’t forget that we’ve come here today to make trouble.”
Ye Dachuan replied, “I haven’t forgotten, I haven’t forgotten. Squeezing money out of them is our priority.” Afterwards, he ordered righteously, “Charge in and sweep through this whorehouse!”
“Yes, sir!” The guards charged in like wolves and tigers, startling all the women in there. The guards came out, but when they saw the bringer of disaster, Li Qingshan, none of them were bold enough to stop them.
Ye Dachuan borrowed Li Qingshan’s might. “Where’s your boss? Where is he?”
A lady said fearfully, “We don’t know either.”
Ye Dachuan said, “Search!”
Li Qingshan stood aside and watched on as the group of guards from the government searched through the entire parlour. He quietly reminded Ye Dachuan. “Looks like they’ve already fled. There might be a treasury or something here, just like the Black Wind stronghold.”
Ye Dachuan’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard the word treasury. “Search the cellar!” With his sharp instincts towards money, he found the mechanism in just a while even without any further hints from Li Qingshan, opening up the door to the underground palace.
Ye Dachuan looked at the murky door and became slightly afraid, but his desire for treasure still triumphed. He ordered the group of government guards to enter first before pulling Li Qingshan along with him.
As expected, they found the imprisoned girls very soon, proving the guilt of the Parlour of Clouds and Rains. As for Zhao Liangqing and Furong’s disappearance, they were obviously explained to have fled from justice.
Ye Dachuan was not disappointed either. Although Li Qingshan had taken away their hundred treasures pouches, the underground palace still contained much gold and silverware, as well as general treasure. It amounted to quite a fortune.
“Congratulations, sir Ye. You’ve done a great service as soon as you’ve arrived in Jiaping city.” Li Qingshan smiled as he raised his head and looked at the paintings of dancing and floating women. He casually drew his Wind-entwining blade and tossed it out, brushing past the tip of a parlour guard’s nose and slamming into the wall near the entrance.
“If you don’t explain what we found today, no one is allowed to leave. You’ll be executed without mercy.” Zhao Liangqing would have never personally carried out the abductions. These guards and hired thugs would definitely be involved in the matter.
“What! Zhao Liangqing has vanished?” Zhuo Zhibo leapt up as he looked at Ge Jian who reported to him.
Ge Jian said, “Yes. Today, Li Qingshan took out a few accounts from the parlour and requested for a warrant from Zhou Wenbin to search the parlour again. In the end, not only were Zhao Liangqing and Furong absent, but they even found the abducted girls in the underground palace. They’ve already been taken back to the district government office. After being questioned by Zhou Wenbin, he has already judged Zhao Liangqing to be guilty and ordered for his capture. He has also confiscated all of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain’s property.”
Zhuo Zhibo sat down slowly. There was something off about all of this. As long as Zhao Liangqing remained here, there would be a time when he made a return. No one would be able to convict him. Had he returned to the sect to report this matter and come up with a countermeasure against this, which was why Li Qingshan managed to get the opportunity to do all this?
He struggled to understand this affair. For a second, he even suspected Zhao Liangqing was dead, but he dismissed this thought immediately. Who was able to kill Zhao Liangqing? He had already reached the peak of the fifth layer, only a step away from becoming a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. In all of Jiaping city, the only people who could kill him were Zhuo Zhibo himself and Zhou Wenbin. However, Zhou Wenbin would never take such a risk and become enemies with the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
Only a bastard like Li Qingshan would be bold enough to be so reckless, but it had already been mentioned more than enough times that Li Qingshan was just a first layer Qi Practitioner. He was not Zhao Liangqing’s opponent.
Qian Rongzhi seemed to be in thought. Li Qingshan was basically a bringer of misfortune. Just last night, Zhuo Zhibo had set down a trap in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, yet today, the parlour had been destroyed.
Zhou Wenbin had never expected such an outcome after just sending a few people to harass them a little either. The Parlour of Clouds and Rain was reduced to an empty shell. The girls all explained what they went through tearfully, exposing the many acts of violence the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had committed and identifying many servants and guards involved. Meanwhile, Zhao Liangqing and Furong were the two people behind it all.
He did not even need to report this to Clear Ringer city. Zhou Wenbin’s authority in Jiaping was basically unmatched, so with an order, over a dozen heads struck the ground, beheaded cleanly. Several dozen people were also thrown into jail. Afterwards, he ordered for Zhao Liangqing and Furong’s arrest, and only then did he write a report to Clear River city for the prefect to question the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Your disciples have committed such crimes, so you need to explain yourselves at the very least.
Since they were under the reign of the Great Xia empire, they were forced to accept and abide by its laws. At a time like this, even the Sect of Clouds and Rain would be forced to expel Zhao Liangqing and the others to distance themselves from the matter.
With Zhou Wenbin’s prompt action, it only took him an afternoon to utterly amaze Li Qingshan. “Very impressive of you, sir.”
Zhou Wenbin paced around as he asked softly, “Tell me honestly. Were you behind this or not?”
Li Qingshan said, “Only if I had the strength.”
Zhou Wenbin stared at him for a while and saw nothing from Li Qingshan’s expression. This was just an idea he came up with on the spot as well, feeling that Li Qingshan would be involved somehow. He patted Li Qingshan on the shoulder. “Alright then. You have pretty good luck.”
At this moment, Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei arrived at the government office as well to report to Zhou Wenbin.
Qian Rongzhi recovered her friendly manner. “How imposing of you last night, Qingshan. You really shouldn’t have done all of that without me. We joined together, so how could you not call me along?”
However, Diao Fei finally began to understand Li Qingshan’s dispute with Zhuo Zhibo. He was not bold enough to offend Li Qingshan, nor did he want to be on good terms with him, so he made do with a quick greeting.
Li Qingshan smiled at them and could not be bothered to answer. He bid farewell to Zhou Wenbin. After which, Ye Dachuan pulled him away to go find Yan Song for a celebration.
Diao Fei called out from behind, “Qingshan, hold on.”
Li Qingshan looked back. “What’s the matter?”
Diao Fei actually felt his heart skip a beat. This teenager who was more than just a few years younger than him actually made him feel fear. However, he had weathered many trials in the past after all. As such, after taking in a deep breath, he immediately composed himself. He was not a piece of trash inexperienced with battle like the procuress. He refused to believe he was not Li Qingshan’s opponent if they really did end up fighting with his strength at the third layer.
“From tomorrow onwards, we have to carry out a trial mission together. Shouldn’t we discuss it tonight?”
Li Qingshan frowned. “Together? A trial mission?” He had no interest in being stuck with the two of them.
Zhou Wenbin explained, “This has always been a rule of the Hawkwolf Guard. After joining the Hawkwolf Guard, you need to go through a few trial missions before you’re actually accepted. Afterwards, you’ll have to go to Clear River city and meet the two commanders. Normally, there are very few people who fail the trial missions. Most of the time, it’s just a formality. However, if you don’t accept it, it’ll give Zhuo Zhibo a reason to expel you.”
Li Qingshan understood that there were rules within the system. He said while standing there, “Alright, we can discuss it.” He was very curious about just what mission Zhuo Zhibo would give them.
They stated their backgrounds for the sake of formality. “Qian family of the Ancient Wind city.” A clan as tiny as that obviously did not raise Zhou Wenbin’s attention, but when he asked about Diao Fei’s background, the reply he received left him slightly surprised. “Green Vine mountain? Your master’s the Green Vine Elder?”
“Yes!”
“Did your master agree to you joining the Hawkwolf Guard?” The reason why Zhou Wenbin asked that was because clans were different from sects. Clans were all established in cities. They were under the reign of the empire and were willing for their clansmen to become a part of the empire. However, most sects were located in mountains or the wilderness, so they had their own rules that they followed. Most of them were reluctant for their disciples to become the hawk and wolves of the empire.
Diao Fei’s face sank, reaching an even darker skin tone, and his slanted eyes directly slanted upwards.
Zhou Wenbin did not ask any further. He put down his brush. “You can go now.”
After leaving the government office, Ye Dachuan said, “You must both be the young talents of the Hawkwolf Guard as well. I am Ye Dachuan, a vice magistrate of this district. Seeing how we’ve run into each other, would you like to go drinking with us?”
Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei both looked at Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan said, “Let’s go.” Both of them agreed to it.
The four of them walked along the main street. Although it was near dusk, people still bustled about. However, they would see their Black Wolf uniforms and avoid them from a distance away. Even carriages would temporarily stop, afraid of getting in their way.
Only then did Li Qingshan realise that the Black Wolf uniform was actually so mighty. He arrived at the restaurant that Ye Dachuan had agreed on with Yan Song and the others, entering a private room upstairs. Yan Song and Li Long had already been waiting there. When they saw Li Qingshan, they stood up in a hurry. “Qingshan, you travelled so quickly.”
Li Qingshan casually introduced his two colleagues, and Yan Song said, “So you both come from great backgrounds. Nice to meet you.” However, he felt slightly taken aback inside. Out of the three of them, Li Qingshan had the weakest cultivation and background, yet they seemed to follow him as their leader without any objections at all.
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi greeted them out of courtesy as well. With their cultivation and identities, there was no need for them to take Yan Song too seriously.
After a few cups of alcohol, Yan Song asked Li Qingshan about his cultivation of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve just reached the third layer. I probably need some more time before I can reach the fourth.”
Yan Song was surprised. The Innate Method of Practising Qi would increase with difficulty. He was not very surprised by how Li Qingshan could understand the first layer so quickly and reach the second layer, but after just a few days, he had actually broken through to the third layer already. This speed was truly rather surprising. “It has only been seven or eight days. I originally thought your talent for cultivation was only so-so, Qingshan, but I never thought I had actually underestimated you.”
“What! Seven or eight days?” Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi were both stunned. Only then did they learn that it had not even been ten days since Li Qingshan formally began practising qi, yet he had already reached the third layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi. He was basically a cultivation genius mentioned in the legends.
Li Qingshan smiled and did not provide any explanations. Who knew how many Qi Gathering pills he had eaten, and he had the sumeru ring of a Golden Core master to refine his true qi. If he failed to achieve something like this, his talent would just be far too mediocre.
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Chapter 133 – Pushing for the Second Layer
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Chapter 133 – Pushing for the Second Layer
When Yan Song heard about Li Qingshan’s actions during the past two days, he became so shocked that his mouth hung agape. The Sect of Clouds and Rain was powerful. Even with the entire Clear River prefecture in perspective, it was one of the stronger sects, an existence that far surpassed the Green Vine mountain and the Qian family. Even the Iron Fist school came nowhere close to it.
The main Parlour of Clouds and Rain was established in Clear River city. It was a place where the powerful and affluent visited, and they had acquaintances far and wide. Even the vice commander Hua of the Hawkwolf Guard would frequently visit there. It was said that he was the closest with the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
Li Qingshan had actually offended them, no, destroyed the Parlour of Clouds and Rain as soon as he had arrived in Jiaping city. He was utterly audacious.
Li Qingshan said, “I was only seeking justice.” He subconsciously pressed the sheath of his Wind-entwining blade. He already knew where justice lay.
It was a moonless night. All was silent. In the pitch-black residence, Li Qingshan sat with crossed legs and closed eyes.
True qi constantly circulated through his body. He followed the method provided by the third layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, circulating it along his meridians. Even with the assistance of the Qi Gathering pills, it grew at an extremely gradual rate now.
He wore the sumeru ring on his finger. It did not stand out in the darkness, nor did it react when Li Qingshan channeled in his pure true qi.
It was like he was guarding a great treasure room, but he could not go in and take a look. He could only pace around the entrance, guessing at its contents.
He could resist the temptation of the wealth a Golden Core master had accumulated over many years, but he was unable to resist what the black ox had mentioned before it had left. “I’ve left something in there for you.”
Th black ox could give such a terrifying ability of the demonic path like the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty to Xiao An, so since he had told him about this in such a solemn matter, just what treasure would it be?
Would it be a legendary weapon? A tremendous, supreme ability? Or a miraculous pill or medicine that could allow him to ascend and reach beyond the Nine Heavens upon ingesting it?
He was afraid of thinking about it normally. The more he thought about it, the more restless he would become. He sighed inside, Brother ox, oh brother ox. Just what did you leave for me? Couldn’t you have given it to me directly? Must you make things difficult for me? I’m even forced to open the sumeru ring through the methods of humans. Back then, it was you who wanted to turn me into a daemon, so I turned into a daemon.
Although that was how he lamented, he felt like the black ox definitely had his reasons for this. The black ox must have expected him to return to human society as a human, which was why he gave him a trial like this. Did he want him to accomplish something with human cultivation?
He was unable to understand why, so he just stopped thinking about it. He needed this identity as a human. In just the past two days he had spent in Jiaping city, he had obtained over a hundred Qi Gathering pills. The stronger he grew, the easier it would be for him to obtain pills and the safer he would be.
At the end of the day, he still could not depend on transforming in public. Most of the time, he would still have to rely on his path of practising qi, but the first layer of Qi Practitioner was just too weak.
He suddenly stopped cultivating. The essential ideas behind the fourth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi floated through his head slowly, word for word. All of it was extremely clear.
He was attempting to open the Yang Heel meridian of the eight extraordinary meridians so that he could break through to the second layer of Qi Practitioner. This would be the first meridian he had to open, and it would also mean that he would formally set foot in the path of practising qi. It could be said that the significance behind this was utterly different from the first three layers of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
Under the control of his mind, his true qi flowed into his left leg like water, sinking to his ankle, to the Shenmai acupoint. This was the beginning of the Yang Heel meridian. If he wanted to open the Yang Heel meridian, this was where the door for opening it lied.
He no longer sat on his bed with his legs crossed. Instead, he maintained a strange posture, where he leaned forward on his arms and legs with his left leg extended. It looked like some sort of yoga pose.
Xiao An had originally been crouching beside the bed, directing all his focus to the pile of buddhist scriptures and classics that Li Qingshan had brought back for him, but now, he had placed down his books and was watching Li Qingshan carefully.
What Li Qingshan wanted to do was knock on the door!
True qi rushed towards the Shenmai acupoint wave after wave, but the door remained firmly shut, without any intention of opening up. Let alone opening the acupoint, he could not even shake it up.
He knew his accumulation of true qi was still not enough. He had yet to reach the peak of the first layer with his quantity of true qi. The ordinary method would be to continue accumulating true qi over time, and in just a few months’ time, the true qi in his body would become like a great river, easily smashing through the obstructing dam.
What he was trying to do right now was to smash through the dam as a tiny stream, so it was truly difficult. However, just like how he would eventually succeed but all he could do was control the present, he had to give it a try and make an attempt. Only then would he be satisfied. He chewed up another Qi Gathering pill to replenish his true qi.
After several attempts, he failed to benefit at all, so he finally stopped. However, he did not give up. Instead, he concentrated on controlling his true qi; he constantly concentrated it further, turning it from a stream into ice, into a long spear. It became a hundred times smaller, but also a hundred times tougher.
Afterwards, when he could not condense it any further, the ice spear rushed towards the great dam in an unstoppable manner.
There was a sudden sting of pain from the bottom of his foot, but Li Qingshan completely ignored it. Instead, he was joyfully surprised. This time, the true qi had not been blocked. It stabbed into the Shenmai acupoint, and under his control, it inched deeper with great difficulty.
A gentle sound seemed to ring through his body. A hole formed in the dam that blocked the stream as true qi rapidly surged through the Yang Heel meridian.
A speck of light suddenly lit up inside him, like the first star in the endless cosmos.
Before Li Qingshan could even celebrate, the true qi slapped into another obstacle, the Pushen meridian, also located near his ankle.
The true qi shattered upon collision and did not condense together again. Under the invisible pressure of the Yang Heel meridian, it was forced back out.
He failed in opening his meridian!
Even the Shenmai acupoint he opened closed up once more.
Li Qingshan breathed in heavily. Who knows how many times Yan Song had called him a cultivation prodigy, but he could not even open his first meridian today, even struggling to reach the second layer of Qi Practitioner. Only then did he understand that the path of practising qi would not be simple.
In comparison, daemon cultivation was much more mindless. All they had to do was inhale and exhale spiritual qi of the world or ingest spiritual medicines and pills so that their daemon qi would constantly grow. Once they reached a certain level, they would condense a daemon core automatically. The cultivation that came after that would be the same as before, constantly gathering daemon qi in the daemon core. Upon reaching another certain level, there would be a crackle of heavenly lightning. If they survived, they would become Daemon Generals. If they failed, they would be burnt to a crisp. It was as simple as that.
Most daemons began as wild beasts or even plants, cultivating based on their instincts. If the entire process required even just a tiny bit of intelligence and thought, there would be no daemons in this world.
However, while it was simple, it took time. Let alone plants, even if an ordinary wild beast in nature wanted to become a Daemon General, it would take them a century at the very least. Moreover, they would have to eat a spiritual medicine at least on par with the spiritual ginseng to have a chance. There were plenty of daemons who took several centuries.
Opening meridians was both a gift from the heavens to humans, as well as a shortcut that humans had discovered. However, no matter how great of a shortcut it was, he still had to take one step at a time.
In the eyes of other Qi Practitioners, a person like Li Qingshan was utterly out of his mind. He had only practised qi for a few days and already wanted to open his meridians, even sighing about how difficult it was to practise qi after failing.
However, Li Qingshan did not become discouraged. He grabbed a Qi Gathering pill and shoved it in his mouth first, but he did not eat it. He tried to break through again.
With his experience from the first time, it was much easier for him to rush through the Shenmai acupoint, but after that, he dared not lose his concentration. Chomping down, he crushed the Qi Gathering pill. As he replenished his true qi, he focused on the next obstacle.
Four hours passed. He had eaten a total of twenty-five Qi Gathering pills and had attempted to break through thirteen times already. The greatest attempt so far was rushing through three acupoints in the leg, the Shenmai acupoint, Pushen acupoint, and Fuyang acupoint. The true qi flowed through his left leg like an unstoppable stream, but it was blocked again once it reached the Jūliao acupoint in his hip.
Once he was blocked, it would be like working against the flow, making it recede. The true qi would be directly pushed out, and the connected acupoints would close up again. There were a total of twelve acupoints within the Yang Heel meridian. Regular Qi Practitioners probably would choose to give up now.
But not Li Qingshan. The effects of the pill he could not absorb in time would all go to the daemon core anyway. The daemon core never cared about what went its way. If there was anything, it would absorb it, so he had no need to worry about being wasteful, much less about any potential issues due to an accumulation of unabsorbed medicinal effects. As a result, Li Qingshan became more and more fearless with his experiments. Succeeding was good, but failing was not necessarily bad either.
He could feel that the acupoints he had opened would become slightly easier to open the next time he tried, even if they had closed up again. Through this process, Li Qingshan had built up quite a lot of experience. He had also gained an even deeper understanding of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
After some consideration, Li Qingshan took out a pill. It seemed like the clear dew on flower petals at dawn. It was not a Qi Gathering pill, but the Pearl Dew pill he had received from Diao Fei. This was the pill that Diao Fei had been saving up for his push to the fourth layer. It was rather wasteful for pushing to the second layer of Qi Practitioner, but it was perfect for Li Qingshan, who had not taken his time with accumulating true qi.
However, if he failed this time, it would be a waste of a good pill.
Li Qingshan did not hesitate much. He decided to gamble on it.
When the Pear Dew pill slid down his throat, Li Qingshan even clearly felt the coolness and fullness of the pill, but once it reached his belly, it turned into a raging flood.
The flood fused into his true qi, immediately turning the tiny stream into a turbulent river. It surged through the Shenmai, Pushen, and Fuyang acupoints with basically no resistance at all. Next, it made a twist and gushed through the Jūliao acupoint, arriving at the Naoshu acupoint behind his shoulder. Only then was there a slight resistance.
However, Li Qingshan had already concentrated all his attention on this, so how could he just stop there? He rushed through the Naoshu, Jianyu, and Jugu acupoints near his shoulder one after another.
At this moment, the true qi began to show signs of weakening, but he had already been prepared for this. He ate Qi Gathering pills one after another without stopping, urging on the true qi to extend through the Dicang, Jùliao, Chengqi, and Jingming acupoints.
The true qi was extremely close to the brain now, quite required great caution. Many Qi Practitioners would momentarily lose control and have the true qi rush into their brains, mentally incapacitating them. Obviously, Li Qingshan did not want to experience a fate like that.
Despite how scary it was, no harm was caused in the end. He rushed through the four acupoints, and in his body, eleven specks of light lit up, like stars in the dark cosmos. They were joined by a faint trajectory of light, like a star map.
He finally saw the final point on the star map. It was the Fengchi acupoint located at the back of his head. As long as he linked up this acupoint, he would have opened the Yang Heel meridian, forging a highway for true qi through his body. He would have reached the second layer of Qi Practitioner, as it was known among humans, as well.
However, his true qi had already run out. The replenishing effects of the Qi Gathering pill were unable to reach so far. It was just like an army that had its supply chain cut off. They could collapse at any time.
All he felt was exhaustion, as if he had just gone through an extremely tough journey during that time. He could clearly see the end, but he was unable to take a step further. The moment when his true qi collided with the Fengchi acupoint would be the moment when all of his efforts would go to waste, but he was unable to stop his true qi.
Did he fail?
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Chapter 134 – The Second Layer of Qi Practitioner
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Chapter 134 – The Second Layer of Qi Practitioner
With a Diamond Sutra cast aside on the ground, Xiao An leapt behind Li Qingshan and placed a bone finger on the Fengchi acupoint on the back of the latter’s head.
He seemed to hear the chiming of bells.
True qi rushed towards its final target, that great untraversable dam. Afterwards, it easily seeped through as if there was not an impenetrable wall blocking its way, but a soft sponge instead.
The final speck of light lit up, expanding in all directions like river water returning to the ocean. True qi flowed through the Yang Heel meridian constantly with no more obstruction anymore.
Li Qingshan had finally opened his first meridian, reaching the second layer of Qi Practitioner.
The Yang Heel meridian was like a highway, stretched from his head to his foot through his body, forming a passageway through his entire body. The acupoints were no longer closed. Instead, as every single one of them lit up, his whole body experienced change.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. His surroundings became clearer and brighter than before, as if a layer of dust had been wiped away. The chirps of the summer insects outside his window were clear and layered. He even felt like he could count just how many insects were chirping. From time to time, a leaf would be blown off a tree, landing on the tiles of the roof. It would be as clear as a clap of thunder.
His sense of smell had increased by the least, but he could smell the fragrance of each flower outside the window, and the grass outside gave off a grassy smell from being baked by the hot, humid, summer night. As for his sense of taste, he knew it had become much stronger even without testing.
This was the strengthening of his five senses that came with the opening of the Dicang, Jùliao, Chengqi, and Qingming acupoints.
When he got up off his bed and stepped on the ground, there seemed to be a layer of air cushioning his feet. His body had become extremely light. He felt like as long as he used a little bit of force, he could fly through the sky. These were the changes brought on by the Shenmai, Pushen, and Fuyang acupoints on the bottom of his foot.
He casually raised his arm, and the Naoshu, Jianyu, and Jugu acupoints lit up. True qi flowed through his arm naturally to his hand, bursting out from his palm and striking the wall from afar. It left behind a hand print.
Every single movement seemed so smooth and natural. He personally felt like the meridian had connected his whole body together. Who knows how much faster he could circulate his true qi now.
It was like when emperor Yang of Sui completed the Grand Canal, connecting north and south, allowing people to move and transport goods freely. His efforts prompted economic exchange across the entire country. These acupoints were all like important hubs for transport.
However, none of these hubs seemed as important as the Fengchi acupoint, as the qi of the body was not all it was connected to.
Fengchi, or Wind Pool, was where wind evil accumulated. As mentioned in the Fundamentals of Nature: Acupoints along skeletal indentations, wind is the primary cause of all diseases. Once wind evil entered the brain, it would cause all types of diseases. As a result, it was an extremely important acupoint within the human body.
The moment he opened the Fengchi acupoint, some qi seemed to surge out as if he had opened a new cavity apart from his mouth and nose, allowing him to breath. However, he was not breathing air, but the qi of the world.
Of course, this was not exactly connecting with the spiritual qi of the world, but it was the first time he had sensed the existence of the spiritual qi of the world. It was just like wind, a qi that constantly flowed around.
When he used the mental cultivation method that came with the fourth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, a gust of ‘wind’ would enter his body from the back of his head from time to time, reaching all the way to his feet. He could not help but shudder before feeling pleasure spread through his body.
On the back of the heads of wild beasts was a horizontal bone, the Henggu. Once they refined it, they would awaken their intelligence. As for humans, they had a Fengchi on the back of their heads. Opening the Fengchi allowed them to connect with the world.
Li Qingshan exhaled gently. The art of practising qi that humans created was extremely impressive. And, he could feel that practising qi provided assistance to daemon cultivators as well, just like how his physical strength would increase naturally once his daemon body became larger.
The two supplemented one another in a positive feedback loop.
Did brother ox leave the thing for me in the sumeru ring and encourage me to practise qi because he wanted me to merge these two different cultivation methods so that I can find my own path? Li Qingshan guessed. However, no matter what path he took, he was still a tiny shrimp who had just set off. He was nowhere close to achieving that.
There was a saying that the rocks from other mountains were tough enough to shape jade1. He would be sitting between two of these mountains and having them rub and collide with one another. Just what kind of sparks could he produce?
Li Qingshan suppressed his eagerness and delight as he said to Xiao An, “Did you help me out earlier?” It was definitely not a coincidence for him to be able to open his Fengchi meridian so easily.
The blood flames in Xiao An’s eyes were rather dim. His finger from earlier had drained him substantially.
While Li Qingshan was cultivating with his eyes closed, he watched slowly and gradually, his gaze managed to pierce Li Qingshan’s skin and muscles, akin to what modern radiography could achieve, looking through Li Qingshan’s body clearly. However, it was also clearer and more vivid that anything radiographic imaging could produce.
He saw the existence of the meridian and saw how Li Qingshan’s true qi constantly climbed upwards. Eventually, it climbed to the very top and rushed towards the Fengchi meridian at the back of his head. However, it clearly did not have the power to open it.
As a result, at that critical moment, he poked the Fengchi meridian.
By the human body, one really was just referring to a combination of bone and flesh. Even the wondrous meridians and profound acupoints were based on flesh. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty could control both flesh and bone.
Xiao An’s current cultivation was still too weak. He had yet to even reach the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. If he did, just a single finger of his would be enough to shatter bone and peel off flesh. Although he still did not have that kind of strength, he was able to lend Li Qingshan a helping hand at his time of need.
He needed to be extremely careful with the finger. The back of the head was already a weak point of the human body. If he messed up, it was very likely for him to kill Li Qingshan. If it were not for the toughness of Li Qingshan’s body, Xiao An would have never been bold enough to attempt such an action. It had also drained away all of his mental energy, making him even more tired than after a fight against a terrifying daemonic beast.
Xiao An held a wolf-hair brush and finished writing. Only then did Li Qingshan learn the whole story. He could not help but become speechless. “Isn’t the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty a little far too powerful? If I had your help, wouldn’t it be much easier for me to practise qi?”
Xiao An shook his head. He dipped his brush in ink and wrote four words. “Haste is not speed.”
Li Qingshan said, “Really? I want to finish the Innate Method of Practising Qi sooner, and then switch to a new cultivation method.”
Xiao An asked Li Qingshan a few questions regarding the Innate Method of Practising Qi through the paper.
Li Qingshan actually did not know how to answer them. Only then did he discover that he had yet to understand the Innate Method of Practising Qi completely. Afterwards, he asked in surprise, “You’ve practised the Innate Method of Practising Qi before as well?”
Xiao An shook his head before nodding. Afterwards, he wrote away.
As it turned out, Xiao An had been listening along silently when Yan Song passed the Innate Method of Practising Qi to Li Qingshan, which he found to be rather familiar. Now that he had witnessed Li Qingshan break through to the second layer of Qi Practitioner tonight, this sense of familiarity grew stronger. He naturally understood many important aspects that came with practising the Innate Method of Practising Qi, comprehending its essentials. Afterwards, he found that Li Qingshan’s method of practising seemed to deviate from it slightly, so he could not help but ask him a few questions.
Originally, Li Qingshan did not find the Innate Method of Practising Qi to be very profound or complicated, but after seeing the points that Xiao An mentioned, he felt like he had suddenly been enlightened. He was like a primary school student who had just started going to school with regards to the path of practising qi, practising addition keenly, but suddenly, the times tables descended upon him.
He rubbed Xiao An’s head and smiled bitterly. “Looks like my talent for comprehension really is horrid!”
Actually, Li Qingshan’s comprehension was not that bad. Instead, the problem was that he had never received guidance from anybody on the path of practising qi.
The path of cultivation was about four words—wealth, companionship, method, and environment. Companionship ranked second, which mostly referred to master-disciple relationships. Every single person required the guidance of a senior so that they could stand on the shoulder of giants. It would always take much less effort compared to fumbling around by themselves.
Xiao An was not using his natural talent for comprehension, but much of the knowledge hidden deep within his memories.
Xiao An was immediately left at a loss as for how to comfort him. Li Qingshan smiled. “I’ll have to rely on your guidance in the future then. Though, I must say, it’s far too inconvenient, but it’ll be fine once you reconstruct your body. Don’t worry, it won’t be too long.”
Li Qingshan continued to meditate, following Xiao An’s guidance and going through the first to the fourth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi again, stabilising his current cultivation bit by bit.
A few Qi Gathering pills were obviously eaten during the process. Afterwards, he discovered that he had less than thirty Qi Gathering pills on him now, immediately dropping from being well-off to just being able to make ends meet. This was the price that came with walking two paths. He probably would not have much income in the foreseeable future, so he had to carefully calculate and budget his remaining Qi Gathering pills.
The sky lit up. There was knocking on the door, and Li Qingshan went downstairs, opening up. All he saw was Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi standing at the entrance. He asked, “What’s the matter?”
Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi were about to speak, but they ended up forgetting what they were going to say. They stared at Li Qingshan in shock as they said in disbelief, “Y- you’ve broken through to the second layer?” Just the night before, they had been amazed by Li Qingshan’s cultivation speed, yet today, he had taken them by surprise again. It was just like how Li Qingshan sighed to Xiao An about his horrible talent for comprehension. Jealousy was the only thing Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi could feel right now.
Li Qingshan nodded in an unconcerned manner. “Yeah, I spent some time cultivating. If there isn’t anything else, I’m going back to cultivating.” With that, he was about to close the door.
“Hold on, didn’t we discuss this last night? The trial mission!”
Li Qingshan remembered it. “Oh, I almost forgot.”
The two of them congratulated Li Qingshan reluctantly. Afterwards, Li Qingshan tidied himself up slightly, bringing along Xiao An before going with the two of them to receive the mission.
The Black Wolf guards they came across along the way were all surprised when they saw Li Qingshan, all congratulating him with various expressions. After all, there was no matter more joyous than a breakthrough to cultivators. No matter how they thought of him, they could not lack common courtesy.
At the same time, there was respect towards strength. Second layer Qi Practitioners formed the very bottom of the Hawkwolf Guard, but Li Qingshan was a tough figure who managed to easily defeat a second layer Qi Practitioner and even frighten third layer Qi Practitioners while he was at the first layer. Now that he had broken through again, he had basically become one of the stronger people in the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city.
Arriving in the main office of the Hawkwolf Guard, Zhuo Zhibo waited for them there in person. It was a tradition for the commander to personally give the first trial mission to newcomers. When he saw Li Qingshan, he was surprised at first before smiling. “You’ve broken through again. You really are young and promising. Your future prospects are immeasurable.”
Li Qingshan cut to the chase and said, “I was just lucky. Commander Zhuo, may I ask what our trial mission is?”
Zhuo Zhibo waved his hand, and an envoy in black passed a document to him. Li Qingshan unfurled it, and even with his mental fortitude, he could not help but be stunned.
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1. Rocks from other mountains are tough enough to shape jade is basically saying that the advice of others can benefit you. In other words, it’s referring to other people or things (or cultivation methods in this case) that can improve you.
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Chapter 135 – A Thousand Qi Gathering Pills
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Chapter 135 – A Thousand Qi Gathering Pills
If Zhuo Zhibo was plotting to murder him and wanted to send Li Qingshan to a dangerous place, he would not have been so surprised.
However, it was clearly written in crimson ink on the top of the document—the Qian family of Ancient Wind city!
Diao Fei and Li Qingshan looked at Qian Rongzhi at the same time. Qian Rongzhi was not surprised at all. She continued to smile like before.
Zhuo Zhibo said, “You don’t need to wonder anymore. Rongzhi has placed the greater good over her family. She has reported the various misdeeds and crimes that the Qian family have committed against the law of Great Xia. All of it is written there.”
Diao Fei also looked at the document in Li Qingshan’s hand, which listed the many crimes of the Qian family. Some tenant farmers had caused trouble because the rent for the farm was too high, so the Qian family killed off all their families overnight. A woman caught the eye of Qian Yannian on the streets. He knew that she was already married, so after the family rejected his demands for her, he directly ordered the execution of the husband and her abduction, forcing her into becoming a concubine of his. As a matter of fact, a district magistrate had even been killed because he refused to serve as a puppet. Several dozen crimes were listed in a neat manner. All of them were horrible crimes punishable with death.
Diao Fei came from a sect, so he had never had so many people around him all the time. Although the sect also resided in the darkness, its deeds were never so disgusting. He could not help but ask, “Is this true?”
However, Li Qingshan did not doubt the veracity of these crimes. The Qian family dominated Ancient Wind city. There were no organisations that could keep them at bay. With absolute power came absolute corruption, so it would not be strange no matter what they did. He just found it strange that Qian Rongzhi would do this.
He mumbled, “Putting the greater good over family?” Was Qian Rongzhi trying to lure him to the territory of the Qian family, and then plot to kill him? That would be the most logical conclusion. However, doing so would drag her own family into trouble. Just what was Qian Rongzhi planning? Could there be any fate apart from destruction awaiting the Qian family after making it onto the list of the Hawkwolf Guard?
Li Qingshan continued to look through the document. Below listed the cultivation of the various people of the Qian family. The first on the list was the patriarch of the Qian family, Qian Yannian. He was a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. There were no fourth layer Qi Practitioners, but there were two at the third layer, five at the second layer, and thirteen at the first layer.
Li Qingshan raised his head. “Commander Zhuo, isn’t this a little too difficult for our first trial mission?” At the very least, he could tell from the surface that the three of them were not a force that could shake up the Qian family.
“Really?” Zhuo Zhibo looked at Li Qingshan as if he wanted to see any traces related to Zhao Liangqing’s death from his face. However, the result only disappointed him. “We can’t just listen to everything we hear. As a result, the mission this time is not to kill, but to investigate. If Rongzhi was right, then report back, and I will personally clean them up. Qian Yannian’s birthday is in a few days’ time. You will be going under the guise of attending the birthday, and with Rongzhi coordinating with you from the outside, this cannot be any simpler.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m just worried it won’t be that simple.”
Zhuo Zhibo continued to chuckle. “All of the missions from the Hawkwolf Guard have their risks. However, with greater risks comes greater rewards. Why don’t you have a look at the second page?”
Li Qingshan turned to the second page of the document. It was actually an analysis of property, detailing the expected pills, spiritual artifacts, and various other benefits that would come from destroying the Qian family. In particular, there was a special note that the benefits might become even greater after the birthday. It was impossible for them to learn so much detail if they did not have someone from the Qian family on their side.
Zhuo Zhibo explained patiently, “If you find out that it’s all true, I obviously do hope that you could directly settle this matter. It’ll save me some trouble. Although Qian Yannian is a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, he is already extremely advanced in age, so he’s nowhere close to his prime. According to the rules, everything you gain from a mission belongs to you. Originally, trial missions don’t offer contribution, but if you really do succeed this time, I will give you five hundred points of contribution each.”
Li Qingshan said, “This seems like something I can’t decline. Fine then, I’ll accept the mission. When do we set off?” Declining was pointless anyway. Since Zhuo Zhibo was still maintaining his calm on the surface, he would let him continue doing so. No matter how many schemes there would be, he would confront them head on and break through them with force. He wanted to see just what traps could handle a daemon like him.
“Right now!”
On the raging waters of Clear river, a two-storeyed sailboat pierced through the waves. The sails depicted a tiercel with its wings unfolded. This was a boat exclusive to the Hawkwolf Guard. Its design was ingenious, and it was put together with great precision. The internal decor was extravagant, and its performance was even more extraordinary. It could sail against the flow and still move much faster than the great ship that Li Qingshan had previously taken. As it travelled through the water, all other boats would avoid it, and even those great ships were no exception.
A teenager sat on the railing of the ship as he seemed to admire the scenery of the shores. From time to time, waves would sweep up and drench his clothes. He played around with a few spiritual stones in his hand; he seemed distracted.
Li Qingshan was thinking over the plan with this mission, but he clearly was not someone wise. He was unable to devise strategies, only react to changing circumstances. However, there was one thing he was certain about. It was no longer appropriate for him to revert to his daemon form, or even if he managed to hide it from the public, he would still raise suspicion. However, he believed his own strength was more than enough to handle most situations.
“Sirs, the two other sirs have invited you to the cabin!” A boatman made his way over and said politely.
Li Qingshan returned to the cabin and Diao Fei said politely, “Qingshan, let’s discuss our plan.”
Li Qingshan said, “You’d better just ask her. Qian Rongzhi, just what are you planning? Do you want to lure me into Ancient Wind city to kill me? To avenge your unlucky elder brother?”
Qian Rongzhi smiled obsequiously. “Are you that easy to kill? You’ve finally admitted that you killed Qian Rongming! Originally, I thought it was Diao Fei, but turns out it was you. However, he’s not my elder brother.”
Li Qingshan said, “So what if I did? If he’s not your elder brother, is he supposed to be your younger brother?”
Qian Rongzhi replied, “He’s not anything to me. Actually, we don’t have any connection by blood at all. It’s just because I had the talent to practise qi that Qian Yannian adopted me, which barely makes us siblings. However, now that he’s dead, he’s dead. I have no plans to avenge him. As a result, you don’t need to be wary of me. The three of us arrived on the same boat and are now leaving on the same boat as well, so you can call that fate. There’s even more reason for us to watch out for one another’s backs now.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “So you weren’t actual siblings. Would you still call that a clan?”
Qian Rongzhi sneered. “What clan? At most, they’ll just harass some ordinary people. I’ve heard that true clans can refine pills such that untalented children can also become Qi Practitioners. As for the Qian family, they’re a clan who can’t even protect their own bloodline, so they’re just subpar fakes at most.”
Only then did Li Qingshan find out that clans could be divided like that. After hearing her tone, he asked out of curiosity, “Do you really plan on turning against the Qian family this time? Hasn’t the Qian family shown you great kindness?” Allowing an ordinary person to become a Qi Practitioner was basically a life-changing kindness, yet Qian Rongzhi’s attitude on this was very strange.
Qian Rongzhi rubbed her cheek as she chuckled. “Yeah, they showed great kindness. Aren’t I returning this great kindness right now?”
Her expression was so ghastly that even Li Qingshan and Diao Fei, people who frequently witnessed death, shivered inside.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve put on an act and put up with it for long enough now. As long as you help me out this time, I don’t care what you do to me.”
Not only was Li Qingshan completely uninterested in this suggestion, but even Diao Fei felt the same. As long as their minds were mature enough, it was impossible for lust to blind them to the point where they would stop caring for their own lives, unless they were up against someone like Furong who knew the arts of charm.
Diao Fei said cautiously, “I don’t want to become an enemy of a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. Our mission is only to investigate. You come from the Qian family, so you must know where the pill room is. There’s no need for us to confront Qian Yannian.”
Qian Rongzhi cursed, “You coward. As soon as the pills are refined, they’re immediately delivered to Qian Yannian, stored in his personal hundred treasures pouch. You haven’t even seen him, yet you already frightened by his identity as a fifth layer Qi Practitioner?”
“You…” Diao Fei stood up angrily, but Li Qingshan extended his arm and stopped him. He said to Qian Rongzhi, “I have no interest in becoming enemies with a Qi Practitioner three layers stronger than me either. If that’s your plan, you better forget it. We’ll be leaving after we’ve completed our investigation. Would Qian Yannian be bold enough to pick a fight against the Hawkwolf Guard?”
Qian Rongzhi finally grew serious. “Do you know why the Qian family has no fourth layer Qi Practitioners? It’s because that old coot has become so senile that he does not even have the confidence to subdue fourth layer Qi Practitioners. He’s afraid that someone will replace him as the patriarch, so he has cut off the supply of pills to every single person who’s about to break through to the fourth layer.”
Li Qingshan and Diao Fei were surprised. He was even willing to sacrifice the development of the clan to maintain his own declining authority; this patriarch was simply terrifying.
Qian Rongzhi said, “When the time comes, I’ll secretly move against him first so that we can kill him in a single stroke. The remaining ones aren’t even enough for you to take them seriously, right?”
Li Qingshan and Diao Fei looked at one another. Not only did Li Qingshan take third layer Qi Practitioners lightly, but even Diao Fei was confident that his actual battle experience had exceeded those pieces of trash that a clan had groomed and had not gone through any life-threatening battles.
In the end, Qian Rongzhi played her trump card against them. “There are at least three hundred Qi Gathering pills in Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch, as well as a few other extremely precious pills that are no worse than Pearl Dew pills. Although his spiritual artifacts aren’t as great as the ones from the Hawkwolf Guard, he should still have a few, which would still be worth a few hundred Qi Gathering pills. If you include what the other Qi Practitioners possess, the total wealth might very well reach a thousand Qi Gathering pills.”
This figure stunned both Li Qingshan and Diao Fei. The Qian family really was just like what its name meant—money. They were a living treasury of a clan. Although they were a subpar clan, they were still a clan after all, having existed for over a century. As such, they must have built up quite a lot of wealth over time. Just like how wealth could tempt people, Qi Practitioners were no less greedy than ordinary people when it came to pills and spiritual artifacts; in fact, their greed might even be greater.
Qian Rongzhi extended her hand. Diao Fei hesitated before placing his hand on there. Afterwards, Li Qingshan extended his hand over as well. Their hands were placed on one another.
As a result, for their common goal, these three people who disliked one another or were even hostile to one another temporarily reached a truce, advancing towards Ancient Wind city.
After docking, they switched to horses. They travelled during the day and rested at night. Five days later, the three of them arrived before Ancient Wind city.
Immediately, someone recognised Qian Rongzhi. They called out, “The young miss has returned! Report it to the patriarch!”
Li Qingshan discovered that Qian Rongzhi’s expression had changed unknowingly, becoming just like when he had first met her. There was some reservedness within her arrogance, as if she constantly took pride in her identity and clan. No one could have imagined the terrifying hatred within her.
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Chapter 136 – Two-faced
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Chapter 136 – Two-faced
Ancient Wind city was a mountain city, located on a slope of the Boundless mountains. The entire city was built on the side of the mountain. All of the streets and alleyways in the city were sloped.
Passing through the deep, quiet city gates, a main road slanted upwards before them. At the end of it was a palace-like estate, lording over the entire city. It was even more imposing than the Hawkwolf Guard in Jiaping city.
Lanterns and streamers decorated every single household on the sides of the street, as if they were welcoming a grand celebration. However, there was no joy at all on the faces of the passersby.
The news of Qian Rongzhi’s return as a Hawkwolf guard quickly reached the grand estate, which seemed to trigger some kind of mechanism. Over a hundred burly men flooded out and chased away everyone on the sides. They stood ten steps apart from one another on the side of the main road as they remained focused.
When the three of them rode past, the men called out loudly, “Welcome back to the clan, young miss!” However, the clip-clopping sounds of the horses still reached the estate.
Qian Rongzhi raised her head and traveled at the very front, while Li Qingshan and Diao Fei remained half a horse behind, staying to her left and right. They were like her personal guards.
They had all agreed on this in the past few days. Only by showing respect to Qian Rongzhi could they make the people of the Qian family lower their guards. For the sake of a thousand Qi Gathering pills, something as insignificant as this was obviously not a problem. However, Li Qingshan felt like Qian Rongzhi was not simply acting right now. She did have some complacency and pride after returning home with success.
The gate of the estate stood several meters tall, and there were even several dozen steps before it, making them seem rich and influential. A pair of stone lions gazed down in an imposing manner, but Li Qingshan only found them to be rather fiendish.
The crimson gates opened loudly, and a skinny old man in extravagant clothing emerged from the gate. He was the patriarch of the Qian family, Qian Yannian. He had personally come to receive the three of them.
“Patriarch, Rongzhi was fortunate enough to complete the task and join the Hawkwolf Guard.” Qian Rongzhi dismounted from her horse and bowed gracefully. Before she could even bow completely, a pair of skinny hands grabbed her arms. “Haven’t I said it before? Just call me grandfather. You are now a person of the government, so how can you bow to an old man like me?”
Li Qingshan and Diao Fei looked at one another. Qian Yannian’s movements were startlingly quick. They were not slow like an old man’s at all. Although his tone was gentle, he gave off a pressing aura. This was the pressure that weaker Qi Practitioners naturally experienced before more powerful Qi Practitioners.
Qian Yannian said, “The two of you must be Zhi’er’s colleagues!”
Diao Fei clasped his hands. “We are. Under sir Zhuo’s orders, we’ve accompanied Rongzhi on her visit to home and to congratulate old master Qian on your one hundred and thirty second birthday.”
Li Qingshan clasped his hands as well as he smiled. All he did was study the main target of the mission this time. Qian Yannian had thin, grey hair, and his face was covered in faint, age spots. His nose was all soft, like dangling rubber that was close to melting, and his skinny body held up his luxurious clothes, making him seem like an old monkey in human clothes. It was rather funny, but also rather sickening.
If it were not for his shining eyes and swift movements earlier, Li Qingshan would have doubted whether this old man who was close to death was actually their greatest opponent or not in the mission this time.
First-rate masters who had practised internal martial arts only had a lifespan of around a century, provided that they had not suffered any internal injuries. A fifth layer Qi Practitioner could only have a few decades more than that. At Qian Yannian’s age, his cultivation had already begun to decline. Qian Rongzhi had been right about this piece of information.
Li Qingshan glanced at Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch as he wondered whether there really were several hundred Qi Gathering pills in there or not. His gaze had already passed over Qian Yannian’s shoulder. Currently, he was looking at the people behind the gate, or more accurately, the group of Qi Practitioners behind the gate. There were males and females, old and young, scholars and monks. They were not people of the Qian family, but people who had come to celebrate the birthday. Their gazes back at Li Qingshan were not as enthusiastic. As a matter of fact there was even disdain and coldness.
Li Qingshan remembered what Zhou Wenbin had said before. As hawks and wolves of the government, they were extremely repulsed in the entire cultivation world, particularly with people from sects. Every single person liked to be free, without any restraints or under anyone’s control, yet the Hawkwolf Guard just happened to watch over the entire world as representatives of legalism who protected the law.
Qian Yannian waved his hand. “Please!”
In a quiet room, Qian Yannian no longer seemed as bold as he was before everyone. Instead, he looked at Qian Rongzhi with reddened eyes. “Where’s Qian Rongming?”
Qian Rongzhi said sorrowfully, “Rongming- Rongming was killed by someone.”
“What!” Qian Yannian grabbed Qian Rongzhi’s shoulders firmly. “Who? Who did it? Why are you fine?” Qian Rongming was not an outsider he had adopted, but a direct descendant of his Qian family, a descendant with enough talent out of over a hundred of his grandsons that had come out of taking wives and concubines without restraint.
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s Li Qingshan. It’s the kid who was with me today. He’s the one responsible for Rongming’s death.” She actually told him the entire story in detail.
Qian Yannian could only accept the truth. He said viciously, “If he weren’t a Hawkwolf guard, I would definitely tear him to pieces.” Afterwards, he used his shrivelled hand to rub Qian Rongzhi’s tender cheek. “But fortunately, I still have you.” Indecency flashed through his eyes.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Grandfather, you might be willing to spare him, but he isn’t willing to spare you!”
“What did you say?” Qian Yannian was surprised.
“We’ve come this time under a secret mission from the Hawkwolf Guard. We’ve come to investigate the Qian family!”
“How can that be possible? I’ve managed to run Ancient Wind city as tightly as a steel bucket. It’s not like we’re stingy when it comes to areas we have to cough up for. Why would the Hawkwolf Guard direct their attention towards me?” The lecherous light in Qian Yannian’s eyes vanished, replaced by fright. Small clans like his were afraid of the Hawkwolf Guard the most. Once they attracted the attention of these hawks and wolves, they would get hunted down and torn apart.
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s Li Qingshan again. He took brother Rongming’s hundred treasures pouch and became greedy, and he’s also envious and hateful of me, so he spoke ill about the Qian family to our commander Zhuo.”
Qian Yannian said, “Why didn’t you dispute that for the Qian family? What’s the point of having you around then? Slut, are you trying to betray the Qian family?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “How didn’t I dispute it? However, Li Qingshan even had backing from Clear River city. He joined the Hawkwolf Guard without even competing against the others. Zhuo Zhibo is afraid of offending him, so he ordered us to come and investigate. The only reason why Rongzhi is here today is all due to the great kindness the Qian family has shown. If it were not for the Qian family, if it were not for grandfather, the Rongzhi of right now would not exist. How can I betray the clan?” As she said that, she began to tear up, as if she wanted to prove her innocence with death.
Qian Yannian thought about how she had also been so obedient, so he eased up slightly. “Then what do we do now? Why don’t we give him some bribes, and then you can make a small sacrifice for the Qian family?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Grandfather, he’s a hungry wolf, as greedy as they come. All he wants to do is devour the Qian family whole. He’s not someone that can be satisfied by casting a bone his way. If you don’t believe me, just pay close attention to their reactions.”
Qian Yannian said, “Then what am I supposed to do? If I hadn’t listened to you and sent the two of you off to become Hawkwolf guards, this problem would have never happened.”
Qian Rongzhi became vicious. “You can’t let them, in particular, Li Qingshan, leave Ancient Wind city alive.”
Qian Yannian said, “You want me to plot against Hawkwolf guards!?”
“If Li Qingshan remains, the Qian family will never have peace. I will shift the blame of their deaths to other people. Grandfather, this is all for the sake of the Qian family.”
Quite a while later, Qian Rongzhi emerged from the quiet room. The resplendent sunlight seemed to purge the darkness in her heart. As soon as she made her way into the courtyard, a middle-aged man stopped her.
“Big brother!” Qian Rongzhi bowed politely.
The middle-aged man extended his hand towards her cheek, but Qian Rongzhi avoided it. “Don’t be like that, big brother!”
This was Qian Yannian’s eldest grandson, Qian Xingwei. Although he lacked the talent to practise qi, he still practised internal martial arts. He was the head caretaker of the entire Qian family.
Qian Xingwei was furious. He grabbed Qian Rongzhi by the chin. “Quit acting around. Do you really think you can be all high and mighty just because you’ve joined the Hawkwolf Guard? As long as you’re still a part of the Qian family, you have to listen to me. Don’t forget about the great kindness the Qian family has shown to you.”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Yes, big brother. Rongzhi would never dare to.” Suddenly, a few people walked over from afar. Only then did Qian Xingwei release her. He ordered, “Come to my room tonight.” He watched Qian Rongzhi walk away as he spat and said, “So what if you’re a Qi Practitioner!?”
What he could not see was the sinister smile on Qian Rongzhi’s face.
Everyone would pay.
……
Night had fallen, and the lanterns had been lit.
There was a merry hubbub in the hall; all the important guests had come to wish Qian Yannian well. Although the birthday party was the next day, most of them had arrived a day early in order to show respect. Out of them, the most valuable guests were obviously the dozen or so Qi Practitioners. Li Qingshan and Diao Fei used their identities as Hawkwolf guards to get some of the best seats.
Qian Yannian introduced everyone one by one. When he reached Li Qingshan, he said, “This is a young hero of the Hawkwolf Guard, sir Li Qingshan!”
No matter what everyone was thinking, they all said words of courtesy like ‘Pleased to meet you’ or ‘Admirable’.
“Your name’s Li Qingshan?” A sharp voice rang out. Li Qingshan looked over, and all he saw was a scholar sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out. His hair was in a mess, and he seemed like a rather unruly person. He was also a third layer Qi Practitioner; he looked over with hostility.
Li Qingshan said, “That’s me. And who are you, sir?”
“That’s Gong Liangbai, known as the Wild Scholar by the people of the jianghu. He comes from the Humble Maple academy.” Qian Yannian introduced the two of them first. Afterwards, he asked Gong Liangbai, “What’s wrong? Do you know sir Li?”
In a world where even a district magistrate was a powerful cultivator, an academy was not just a place for studying. Instead, it was similar to buddhist and daoist temples. Practising martial arts and practising qi were all a part of it too.
Gong Liangbai did not even glance at Qian Yannian. He only stared at Li Qingshan. “Do you know Wei Dandong?”
Li Qingshan said, “I don’t.”
Gong Liangbai said, “But he knows you. If I’ve guessed correctly, you should be from Qingyang city, right? A few months ago, this junior brother of mine paid a visit there. Since young, he has always been rather sickly. Originally, he went there in search of a cure, but he never returned.”
Li Qingshan suddenly remembered the sickly scholar who had come for the spiritual ginseng back in Qingyang city. He was the first first-rate master to die to his hands in the snowy landscape in front of the mountain god temple. The other first-rate masters were all middle-aged, but only he was in his twenties, so Li Qingshan had some impression of him.
“I think I’ve seen him around.”
Gong Liangbai subconsciously straightened up. “And then?”
Li Qingshan said, “I killed him.”
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Chapter 137 – It’s the Thought that Counts
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Chapter 137 – It’s the Thought that Counts
Gong Liangbai leapt to his feet, pointing at Li Qingshan with widened eyes. He was left temporarily speechless as if he had never expected him to admit it so easily.
Li Qingshan drank his wine in a composed manner as he said indifferently, “So much for being an academy. You study the teachings of scholarly sages, yet you produce criminals who kill and rob. You even need me to clean up after your academy for you! You’d better return and think over that properly!”
Li Qingshan had never thought that he would come across an enemy here, but thinking about it, this place was not too far from Qingyang city either. He had come across Qian Rongzhi as soon as he had left home, while the news of the spiritual ginseng had drawn in many masters of the surrounding region as well. There were not exactly a lot of Qi Practitioners within several hundred kilometers of this place, so even if they gathered together, they would only form a small group. It was nothing surprising for them to appear in Ancient Wind city right now.
However, if I killed a bandit of a scholar, then I killed him. What are you going to do about it?
The guests all discussed, “To think there was a grievance like this!” “The Hawkwolf Guard’s just far too arrogant. Even after killing someone, they still have the audacity to say that they were cleaning up after them. “ “Yeah, since when were second layer Qi Practitioners bold enough to speak to third layer Qi Practitioners like that?” “Be quiet, don’t cause trouble.”
Although they did not know the entire story, most of them stood on the Humble Maple academy’s side instinctively. The schools of Confucianism and Legalism were technically both a part of the hundred schools of thought and a part of the Great Xia empire, but to most Qi Practitioners, scholars were always more pleasing to the eye than the police.
Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei were instead rather accustomed to Li Qingshan’s behaviour. As long as reason was on his side, he would act like no one was of importance. He was the same when he faced Zhao Liangqing and Zhuo Zhibo, let alone a scholar.
Invisible true qi surged out and made Gong Liangbai’s robes ruffle. Simultaneously, he pushed over the thick, long table in front of him, causing a clatter.
“That junior brother of mine was only a step away from the innate realm. Originally, he should have been able to reach the second layer of Qi Practitioner very soon. It’s all because of you!”
Li Qingshan remained seated. “Fortunately, I had acted soon enough. He was already bold enough to act in such an unruly manner when he was just a first-rate master. If he made it to the innate realm, that would be the end of the world.”
There was a flash of white light, and Gong Liangbai drew his sword from his waist. He pointed it at Li Qingshan from afar. “Others might be afraid of the draconian laws of your Hawkwolf Guard, but the disciples of our school of Confucianism aren’t!”
“It’s not a matter of being afraid or not, but a matter of right or wrong. If I were wrong, I wouldn’t even mind kneeling. However, to think that as a scholar, you won’t even listen to reason, acting purely on your emotions. Where did all of the things you learned from studying those books go? Did a dog eat them?”
“I’m going to lose my mind at you!” Gong Liangbai was unable to retort his words. He took a step forward and swung down with his sword right over Li Qingshan’s head.
Diao Fei pressed down on his Wind-entwining blade as he entered a half-kneeling posture.
Li Qingshan remained unfazed. He did not move, continuing to drink his wine with a lowered head. He said indifferently, “If you even touch a hair on me, let’s see if there will still be a place in the world that can shelter you. Will the Humble Maple academy protect you?”
The sword stopped above Li Qingshan’s head and trembled slightly, but it did not fall all the way down. Gong Liangbai’s expression changed as he gazed at Li Qingshan below his sword. This teenager did not give off any sense of might the entire time, but there was a certain kind of courage that could not be overlooked when he went about his matters.
Despite being the host, Qian Yannian simply allowed the matters to unfold. He did not try to interfere, exactly because of what he had heard from Qian Rongzhi. He wanted Li Qingshan to suffer heavily at the hands of others, but he never imagined the end result would be like this. He could not help but reevaluate Li Qingshan. This teenager who had killed Qian Rongming was really a piece of work.
If he continued to stand aside, it would be far too inappropriate of him. “Both of you are my guests. I really do hope that you can put aside any irreconcilable grievances and avoid any conflict. Just do it for my sake.”
Li Qingshan placed down his cup and raised his head. “Have you thought it through now? If you have, piss off. Stop embarrassing yourself here.”
With a swish, the sword swung down and cut off the corner of the table. Gong Liangbai looked around. He felt like everyone was looking at him and mocking how he was afraid of even touching a hair on Li Qingshan. He rushed out of the hall.
Qian Yannian ordered people to chase him. His eyes swiveled, and he had already come up with a plan. He glanced at Li Qingshan. Kid, you won’t be able to remain arrogant for much longer.
The banquet continued, and this time, the centrepoint actually became Qian Rongzhi. As the young miss who had brought glory to the Qian family, the atmosphere gradually eased up and warmed as she spoke and smiled as if nothing had happened at all.
Many young Qi Practitioners had their eyes glued to her. They were very attracted to her.
Qian Rongzhi used a toast to shoot glances at Li Qingshan and Diao Fei, indicating to them that the plan was successful. Afterwards, when she looked back at Qian Yannian, her gaze seemed to change again.
Li Qingshan only smiled, tilting his head back and drinking all of his wine.
Under the beams of moonlight, Li Qingshan and Diao Fei returned to their residences, reeking with the smell of alcohol.
Diao Fei said, “Originally, I thought I was pretty arrogant, but you’re ten times as arrogant as me.”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s not called being arrogant, but being honest. What’s wrong with being honest?”
Diao Fei replied, “Yeah, yeah. The Hawkwolf Guard is not something they can just trifle with.” As he thought about the tremendous sum of wealth that was about to enter his hands, he seemed to become even drunker.
Li Qingshan said, “There are some things I want to discuss with you.”
Suddenly, Diao Fei discovered that Li Qingshan’s pupils were even clearer than the moon, and they gave off a faint, murderous aura as if they were shining red.
He said discuss, but after Li Qingshan was done talking, he returned to his room to rest, leaving Diao Fei dazed on the spot.
That was not the plan!
Someone was deviating from the plan, and someone was coming up with a new one as well.
“I’ve managed to convince Gong Liangbai to stay for a few more days. I’ll introduce you to him. There are a lot of prying eyes right now, so let’s do it after the birthday party and cover it up as you throwing your life away at him to drag him down. As long as this succeeds, you will have done great for the Qian family,” Qian Yannian said to Qian Rongzhi.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Rongzhi is willing to put herself through thick and thin for the sake of the Qian family.”
In the still of night, Xiao An fiddled around with the Qi Gathering pills in the centre of Li Qingshan’s hand. He raised his head as if he was asking. “Is this all that’s left?”
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. “Yep, and that’s with me holding back! But don’t worry, there will be a lot very soon. There’ll be a thousand of them!” He casually tossed a Qi Gathering pill into his mouth and began cultivating. He needed some time to consolidate his current cultivation.
The brilliant moon set in the horizon before rising once more, illuminating the mountain city. Lanterns that gave off a red glow filled the Qian estate, making it seem like it was on fire.
Numerous guests had gathered. Every single one of them had come to celebrate Qian Yannian’s birthday. The banquet extended out of the hall, all the way down the hill. There was a great hubbub of noise. It all seemed like a noisy, fiery river.
The entire Ancient Wind city was involved!
However, there were only around a dozen tables within the main hall of the Qian estate, reserved for special guests. The eldest grandson, Qian Xingwei, held a list of gifts as he personally received the guests outside. He declared loudly, “The Xuanzheng Master of the Skyriver sect gifts a pair of blood crystals.”
“Gong Liangbai of the Humble Maple academy gifts ten jade fragrance fruit.”
Most of these were rare treasures Li Qingshan had never even heard about. When Diao Fei and he arrived before Qian Xingwei, Li Qingshan thought about it before fishing out his final Qi Gathering pill, placing it in his hand.
Qian Xingwei was stunned. Was he gifting a single Qi Gathering pill?”
Li Qingshan said, “You should declare it.”
“S- sir Li Qingshan and Diao Fei of the Hawkwolf Guard g- gifts one Qi Gathering pill.”
The guests were surprised. They wanted to see just who was so stingy, but all they saw was Li Qingshan completely composed, while Diao Fei had buried his head deeply. The bystanders all felt embarrassed for him, but they were unable to see the mixed emotions of his face, the sweat dripping from his forehead, or hear his mumbles.
“Just like travelling thousands of kilometers to gift the feathers of a goose, it’s the thought that counts!” A grizzled old man in grey clothes came up with a smile as he mediated the situation. The aura he radiated belonged to the third layer of Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan said, “You must be that, that someone of the two elders of the Qian family? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!” The only two third layer Qi Practitioners of the Qian family were known as the two elders of the Qian family. They were Qian Yannian’s foster sons, and they had come to receive guests for Qian Yannian.
The corner of the old man’s eye twitched. He repressed his fury. “That’s me. Please come this way, sir.” Last night, Qian Yannian had gathered the core members of the Qian family in a hurry to discuss his plan against Li Qingshan. He already knew about Qian Yannian’s plan. Once tonight passed, Li Qingshan was a dead man. There was obviously no reason for him to get angry over a corpse.
Li Qingshan said, “May I ask where the other elder is?” Afterwards, he saw another old man when he followed the old man in grey’s gaze. He said to Diao Fei indifferently, “Brother Diao, why don’t you go over there and get to know him?”
The old man in grey found this rather strange. Li Qingshan was actually ordering a third layer Qi Practitioner Hawkwolf guard around, and what was the purpose behind getting to know him? However, before he could think too much about it, Li Qingshan had grabbed his hand and walked towards the banquet. He asked, “Is it here?”
He threw behind Diao Fei, who stood within the flow of people. He looked around in uncertainty with his slanted eyes like a lost child. Then he looked at Li Qingshan again before finally moving his feet and making his way over to the other old man.
His mumbling became slightly louder. A female attendant walked past him and strangely heard from the mouth of this sir from the Hawkwolf Guard. “He’s far too arrogant!”
Qian Rongzhi stood beside Qian Yannian. She felt that something was off before suddenly realising something. Her expression suddenly changed.
The old man in grey accompanied Li Qingshan to his seat, but he discovered that Li Qingshan had suddenly stopped talking and was now looking at him with his deep, pitch-black eyes. He asked, “Are you all trying to kill me?”
“You sure know how to joke!” The old man laughed, but he could not laugh for much longer. He felt like Li Qingshan’s hand had turned into an iron clamp around his wrist, and it was gradually tightening, which suddenly made his expression change.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
There were three explosions that rang through the great hall, resounding through the entire estate.
Air rushed outwards as the crowd pulled away in fright. All they saw was a pitch-black person pointing at Diao Fei with difficulty in the centre of the empty area. He wanted to say something, but he was unable to say it. He gave off a charred smell.
Qian Yannian roared out furiously and in surprise, “What did you do?!”
Diao Fei had only used the time when they were talking to stick three Scarlet Fire talismans on the other elder of the Qian family. Subsequently, he ignored everyone else, including the infuriated Qian Yannian, and looked past the crowd at Li Qingshan nearby.
Originally, Diao Fei had thought about how even he would be in danger if he were within ten steps of Li Qingshan.
And just how far away was this old man in grey from him? Half a step?
And back then, Li Qingshan had only been a first layer Qi Practitioner. He had reached the second layer now.
Among the cries, Li Qingshan grabbed the old man by the throat with a single hand, lifting him up. A crazy, murderous smile filled his face.
With a crack, Li Qingshan snapped the old man’s neck and tossed him towards Qian Yannian.
“Here’s a gift of a pair of corpses as well. It’s the thought that counts after all. I hope you can kindly accept it!”
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Chapter 138 – Striking First
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Chapter 138 – Striking First
Neither of the two elders of the Qian family, third layer Qi Practitioners, were easy targets. It was impossible for Diao Fei to kill either of them so easily in a direct confrontation.
However, they never thought that someone would actually attack them at this banquet while in the eyes of the public. They died on the spot without even being able to put up a struggle.
From now onwards, the Qian family no longer had any third layer Qi Practitioners.
The masters of the Qian family were among the guests as well. Under the encirclement of several dozen Qi Practitioners, Diao Fei approached Li Qingshan nervously. This was the first time he had discovered that being close to a certain person would offer a sense of safety.
The night before, Li Qingshan had only told him three things. “Don’t tell Qian Rongzhi. We’ll do it during the banquet tomorrow. Leave Qian Yannian to me!”
Those three things left Diao Fei conflicted for an entire day and night. Finally, he made up his mind to throw his life on the line.
Li Qingshan completely ignored the several dozen Qi Practitioners. Instead, he took out the document from the Hawkwolf Guard and read it aloud, “Due to reports from Qian Rongzhi, the Qian family has broken many rules as listed below. One, killing the innocent. Two, plotting to murder government officials…”
His voice that had been imbued with true qi was even louder than the explosions from earlier. It even reached the foot of the mountain. Everyone stopped eating, raising their heads to listen.
“Qian Rongzhi!? That’s impossible!” Qian Yannian was about to attack him, but when he heard Qian Rongzhi’s name, he was stunned. Out of all the children, how could the smartest and most well-behaved girl who brought him great joy betray him? However, when he looked back in surprise, Qian Rongzhi had already stopped standing beside him at a certain time.
Li Qingshan continued reading without interruption. “…Under the orders of the Black Hawk commander of Jiaping city, Zhuo Zhibo, we have come to investigate, and after verifying this matter, we will be executing Qian Yannian and his accomplices on the spot!”
Qian Yannian searched through the crowd for Qian Rongzhi. She had already crossed through the crowd and arrived beside Li Qingshan and Diao Fei. She looked at Li Qingshan with a sunken face. He had completely destroyed her plans.
The three words, ‘on the spot’, reverberated through the surroundings. All schemes, all plots, were rendered useless before Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan placed down the document and said, “Those unrelated to this, please leave immediately, just in case you get drawn in. If you get in the way of the administration of justice, you will be executed without mercy!”
Qian Yannian’s eyes widened. “Was it really you? You slut!”
Gong Liangbai said, “Miss Qian, is this all true?”
Qian Rongzhi bit her lip. “This is all true. You are welcome to ask any citizen of Ancient Wind city. They all know about it! Our commander Zhuo is on the way right now, so everyone please leave quickly!”Although she utterly hated Li Qingshan, she was forced to stand on his side at a time like this, or the furious Qian Yannian would destroy her.
Every single person near Jiaping city had heard about Zhuo Zhibo before. Who would actually be willing to get in the way of the Hawkwolf Guard over the heinous Qian family? The Qi Practitioners all looked at one another. Someone moved first, causing them to all scurry outside. However, they looked at the trio like they were dead people.
They did not plan on staying behind and helping out the Qian family. A very important reason to that was because the Qian family did not require their assistance at all. A third layer Qi Practitioner and two second layer Qi Practitioners would be instantly destroyed before Qian Yannian’s wrath.
That was what they thought, but they instead fled even faster. If Zhuo Zhibo really did arrive and saw the corpses of three Hawkwolf Guards, wouldn’t they face an unexpected disaster if they were treated as accomplices of the Qian family?
They moved very quickly, and the guards and attendants all used this opportunity to flee as well. In the blink of an eye, the hall was empty. Only the people of the Qian family remained, along with two corpses.
Countless guests fled down the mountain. Only the people of the Qian family moved against the flow, rushing towards the hall.
Li Qingshan said, “Qian Yannian, it’s time for you to face retribution for your crimes.” Compared to stealthy assassinations, he preferred something like this much more—direct confrontations that would be as straightforward as it could get.
Li Qingshan looked back at Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi behind him. He had used a special method to band these two conflicting colleagues together with him to face the opponents before them.
Qian Yannian stomped over furiously as the tiles cracked. He stared straight at Qian Rongzhi. “You ungrateful slut!” With Li Qingshan’s announcement, he no longer had any room to maneuver about. All schemes and plans were useless now. Even if he killed the three of them now, the Qian family would enter the blacklist of the Hawkwolf Guard, becoming targets for them to hunt down. The Qian family was approaching the edge of destruction.
Qian Rongzhi, who he had taken great pains to nurture from young, had caused all of this. He roared out hoarsely, “I gave you everything!”
Qian Rongzhi smiled instead. She smiled very sweetly. “Grandfather, haven’t I come to return the kindness?” Afterwards, she said to the remaining second layer Qi Practitioners in the hall. “We’re only killing direct descendants of the Qian family. You’ve all been oppressed by Qian Yannian for all these years. Do you plan on dying with them now?”
Out of the five second layer Qi Practitioners, only one was a direct descendant of Qian Yannian. Originally, all of them had been glaring at Qian Rongzhi furiously as well, but with that, they began to look at one another.
The furious Qian Yannian would never spare the three Hawkwolf guards, but they all knew the consequences of killing Hawkwolf guards in public! If they remained here, they really might end up becoming suspects of this horrible crime, turning into criminals who would be hunted down across the world. No place would be able to shelter them anymore.
“Shut up!” Qian Yannian attacked out of anger. A palm strike condensed from true qi tore through the air towards Qian Rongzhi.
With a flash of light, a blade was drawn from a sheathe, sounding just like a tiger’s roar.
A Wind-entwining blade was placed across Qian Rongzhi’s pale face, cleaving the palm strike in two; the redirected force struck the ground and the door frame. It left behind a great ditch in the ground, and the entire door frame collapsed. Between it all was the pale-faced Qian Rongzhi.
Li Qingshan gripped his Wind-entwining blade as he said to Qian Rongzhi without looking back, “Keep talking!” This woman really did have a clever tongue that was rather useful.
However, Qian Rongzhi’s response was turning around and fleeing!
Li Qingshan was taken aback. As it turned out, he still ended up overestimating this woman. However, he had never thought that the second layer Qi Practitioners of the Qian family would all flee from the hall as well, bursting out the windows. Even the second layer Qi Practitioner related to Qian Yannian by blood, basically his son, did the same.
This was not only due to Qian Rongzhi’s words, but also due to Qian Yannian’s control over the past few years, which had left the entire clan disjointed. They had no sense of unity at all. He was able to keep them together using the threat of his strength and offers of pills during usual times, but once they faced a great threat, they immediately collapsed like a pile of sand.
Qian Yannian ignored Li Qingshan and Diao Fei. He launched another palm strike and slammed a second layer Qi Practitioner against the wall. All of his bones and organs shattered. The Qi Practitioner looked at Qian Yannian and cried out, “Father!” Out of these people, he was Qian Yannian’s only son.
Qian Yannian said with bloodshot eyes, “All traitors will die!”
“I’ll leave here to you. I’m going to go hunt them down!” With that, Diao Fei actually left as well. He did not have the courage to face a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.
Due to different reasons, the main hall had become a place of disaster that all people had to avoid. The only two people left were Li Qingshan and Qian Yannian.
Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “That works too. All the benefits are mine then!” Afterwards, he raised his head and said to Qian Yannian, “Today is your birthday, then the same day next year will be your death day.”
Qian Yannian made his way towards Li Qingshan. His stature that was as skinny as an old monkey suddenly became much larger and taller; he almost cast down a shadow that enveloped Li Qingshan.
“Die!”
A hundred and thirty two years ago, a child was born in Ancient Wind city. He was born into a poor family, where he even struggled to keep himself fed, constantly harassed by others. This continued until he caught the eye of a passing daoist one day, who took him into the mountains to cultivate.
Thirty years later, he emerged. He had already become a middle-aged man approaching his forties. He went knocking on doors and killed every single person who had once harassed him; these people were also near their forties. Afterwards, he founded the Qian family.
He never had any experience with women, so he took wives and concubines like a madman. Every single woman who caught his eyes became a plaything to him. He did not have a proper dwelling, so he took the property of the local aristocrats, building the current Qian estate. He wanted to make up for everything he had once lacked in the past.
Almost a century had passed since then. The Qian family became the only large clan in Ancient Wind city, having five generations living under one roof. There were several hundred children and grandchildren. He wanted his own bloodline of authority to continue.
Qian Rongzhi rushed out of the hall as she thought rapidly, I need to escape from here as quickly as possible and find a place to hide. After Qian Yannian kills Li Qingshan, I’ll be next.
“You slut, you bitch! How dare you betray our Qian family? You will suffer a horrendous death! Grandfather will kill you!”
Before Qian Rongzhi had travelled far, she heard a series of curses directed at her. Looking back, she saw that it was the eldest grandson of the Qian family, Qian Xingwei. He was afraid of becoming involved with a battle between Qi Practitioners, so he had used the flow of people earlier to arrive outside the hall. However, he refused to leave, so he hid in a corner, waiting for his grandfather Qian Yannian to resolve everything.
Qian Rongzhi stopped. She turned back and looked below the mountain. The people of the Qian family were currently rushing over to kill her. There were countless familiar faces among them, which also floated through her head. Lecherous faces, gazes of disdain, threatening punches, and so on melded into a mess with the countless faces.
She rubbed her temples as she experienced a splitting pain in her head. Two thoughts began to entangle and conflict with one another.
One was life. One was death.
Qian Xingwei saw how Qian Rongzhi had stopped, lowered her head, and was now trembling uncontrollably. He thought she was afraid, so he roared, “You slut! You whore! The Qian family should have never adopted you! I should have skinned you alive before!”
Qian Rongzhi raised her head. She was smiling. She even used her slender fingers to fix her hair as she made her way towards Qian Xingwen.
Life was the desire to survive, while death was the nefarious flames of revenge!
At that moment, life was no longer important. Death filled her mind.
“W- what are you trying to do?” Qian Xingwei finally experienced a tinge of fear. Due to Qian Yannian’s presence in the past, she would never resist no matter what he did to her. He was accustomed to her obedience as well, which was why he was bold enough to stand forward and curse her. Only now did he seem to remember that Qian Rongzhi was a powerful Qi Practitioner.
“Save me, grandfather!” Qian Xingwei used his movement technique to leap outside as he called out.
Qian Rongzhi extended her right hand and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him before her. She pressed her index finger against Qian Xingwei’s forehead. “What are you running for?” Her long nail pierced his skin, drawing blood.
“S- stop! I’m your elder brother!”
Qian Rongzhi said gently with a clear smile, “You wanted to skin me alive. Is this how you do it?” Like a sharp paper knife, her nails slid down as horrendous shrieks filled the area before the hall.
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Chapter 139 – Don’t Use My Things
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Chapter 139 – Don’t Use My Things
“Xingwei!” Qian Yannian heard the shrieks outside, so he could not help but take a step forward. Li Qingshan would never let an opening like this slip by. He swung the Wind-entwining blade at Qian Yannian’s waist.
The blade moved swiftly and forcefully. Qian Yannian’s expression changed as a result. He never thought a second layer Qi Practitioner could produce such a fierce attack.
In Qian Yannian’s eyes, Li Qingshan was only able to kill the old elder in grey due to his underhanded sneak attack. He did not take Li Qingshan seriously at all. He only treated him as an annoying insect he could flatten to death at any time.
He did not flatten him immediately because he was still hesitating over the consequences that came with killing a Hawkwolf guard. He was thinking whether there was an actual way out of this or not.
However, the swing of Li Qingshan’s blade clearly told Qian Yannian that, I’m not asking whether you want to kill me right now. Instead, I want to kill you!
“Kid, you’re asking to die!” Qian Yannian yelled out. His right hand similar to a chicken’s claw opened up and grabbed the blade forcefully, catching the swift attack.
At a closer glance, a tiny distance separated the blade and the hand. Qian Yannian and Li Qingshan’s true qi clashed violently in that tiny distance.
They were like two armies waging war on an extended front. One side was composed of elite soldiers, but they were unable to match the opposing army that outnumbered them one hundred to one.
Li Qingshan’s blood vessels swelled up as he poured all of his strength into the blade, but it failed to move an inch further.
Qian Yannian was surprised as well. With his strength, he actually failed to rip the blade out of Li Qingshan’s hand. This kid’s strength was simply startling.
The almost indestructible Wind-entwining blade creaked painfully.
Despite their various thoughts, only a moment had passed, and the two of them basically reacted at the same time. Qian Yannian threw a punch at Li Qingshan’s chest, while Li Qingshan reached towards Qian Yannian’s head, completely ignoring the attack. As soon as they had clashed, Li Qingshan already seemed like he wanted to drag Qian Yannian down with him.
There were many aspects Li Qingshan had no confidence in, but his defences were not one of them. I got plenty of hit points and a high defence. Taking a couple of your blows won’t do anything, but if you’re hit by even a single one from me, you’re dead!
Qian Yannian felt like if he followed through with his strike, his head would be crushed. He was old, so he valued his life, so why would he risk it against Li Qingshan? He released the Wind-entwining blade and retreated in a hurry while throwing out over a dozen punches.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to advance with his advantage, he saw the punches condensed from true qi fly over. He produced a flurry with the Wind-entwining blade and protected himself.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! With a series of collisions, a violent gust of wind swept out. The huge table was knocked onto the ground as all the lanterns and candles in the hall were extinguished.
Li Qingshan staggered backwards as his legs carved out two deep marks in the marble tiles.
With a crack, he kicked off the huge, broken door frame behind him with a foot and steadied himself. He raised his eyebrows.
“You’re a Body Practitioner!” Qian Yannian cried out. The true qi earlier would have smashed apart the organs of ordinary second layer Qi Practitioners. They might have even been ripped to pieces on the spot, unless their bodies had been strengthened by the arts of training the body.
Li Qingshan did not feel the slightest bit of displeasure. Instead, it was satisfying, like he had just stretched his body. He stared at Qian Yannian as his eyes revealed bloodthirsty excitement.
Qian Yannian looked at Li Qingshan. Contempt had vanished from his eyes, replaced by some caution, but it was only some. He had just been too careless earlier, which was why Li Qingshan had the opportunity to swing his blade. It was impossible for second layer Qi Practitioners to match fifth layer Qi Practitioners; this was simply common sense.
“Do you really think you can kill me just because you can endure a few attacks from me? Since you seek death, I’ll give you death. Then I’ll go kill that slut Qian Rongzhi.”
Outside, Qian Xingwei’s shrieks grew more and more miserable, but Qian Yannian completely ignored them now. Although he liked this eldest grandson very much, he had plenty of grandchildren. It did not matter if a few died.
Li Qingshan did not just stand around as Qian Yannian spoke. He grabbed his blade with both hands and raised it high above his head. His extremely pure true qi circulated along the Yang Heel meridian, channelling into the Wind Entwining blade through his arms and coating the blade with a layer of light. As he swung down, he produced an extremely sharp wind blade that whistled towards Qian Yannian.
Qian Yannian sneered. With a deep breath, a streak of golden light emerged from his nostril, piercing through the wind blade and shooting towards Li Qingshan. It left behind a thin, golden streak in the air.
A flying sword? But I thought only sixth layer Qi Practitioners could use them?
Li Qingshan was rather surprised, but he responded immediately. This should not have been a flying sword, but some kind of technique. However, it was much more powerful than regular techniques. It basically gave a fifth layer Qi Practitioner the methods that only sixth layer Qi Practitioners could use. The information that Qian Rongzhi had provided about how Qian Yannian was only as strong as a fourth layer Qi Practitioner was completely false.
As a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, Qian Yannian obviously did not practise the Innate Method of Practising Qi that had a limit at the third layer. Instead, he practised a stronger cultivation method, the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi.
This was the Geng Metal Swords of Qi1 of the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi. The lungs were metal attributed, and it condensed a sharp aura within it. The lungs were linked to the nose, which produced swords of qi. The streaks of light sliced through the air as they produced a sharp whistling sound similar to sirens. Just the whistling alone would have been enough to kill ordinary people.
Li Qingshan bent his knees and leapt high into the air. The sword qi brushed past the soles of his feet. Taking advantage of the opening, he leapt towards Qian Yannian, rapidly closing the distance between them.
Qian Yannian saw Li Qingshan lunge over, and he snorted once again. His eyes were filled with viciousness.
Suddenly, another sword of qi emerged from his nostril, stabbing towards Li Qingshan in the air. At the same time, the other sword of qi made a turn under his control, stabbing towards Li Qingshan’s back.
The lungs were split into the left and the right, so there were two Geng Metal Swords of Qi as well, one left and one right, which formed an ultimate killing move.
Li Qingshan used his right foot to hook onto the beam above, and with a tug, he leapt up, essentially dodging the swords of qi by a hair’s breadth. However, in the next moment, a sword of qi surged up, piercing through the beam. He bent backwards suddenly, and the sword of qi brushed past his face, dazzling his eyes.
Li Qingshan was already prepared. The blade in his hand lit up, and without any sign, it landed on the sword of qi.
Clang!
The blade and sword collided. It actually left behind an extremely small knick on the Wind-entwining blade, but the sword of qi collapsed as well. However, before he could celebrate, the collapsed sword of qi condensed once again, but it had lost an undetectable sliver of sharpness.
Li Qingshan flew backwards as the swords of qi pursued him. He constantly leapt about and made turns within the large hall. He would avoid the swords of qi by a hair’s breadth every time. He was as agile as a monkey.
Whenever the swords of qi were unavoidable, he would swing out with his Wind-entwining blade, temporarily blocking it.
He discovered that while the swords of qi were similar to flying swords, they were not as nimble or swift as Zhou Wenbin’s flying sword. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to dodge them. However, this must have been due to Qian Yannian’s insufficient strength. If he reached the sixth layer, the swords of qi definitely would become weapons no weaker than flying swords.
Qian Yannian paled out of anger as he constantly snorted angrily. He placed more focus on controlling the Geng Metal Swords of Qi as he tried to chase down Li Qingshan. However, he would keep a sword of qi by his side out of great caution as well; this was not only to guard himself against an attack from Li Qingshan, but also because his mind had deteriorated with his old age, so it was rather difficult for him to split his attention between two swords of qi. However, he believed that a single sword of qi was more than enough to kill Li Qingshan. With one attacking and one defending, he was undefeatable. He had no openings.
Li Qingshan was amazed. As it turned out, fifth layer Qi Practitioners were impressive. He wondered what cultivation method this old man practised. Although he did not know about the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi, he did understand that these two swords of qi must have been a technique that was bound to the cultivation method, which was why Qian Yannian could control them so freely. In comparison, the Innate Method of Practising Qi was just like its name, only able to practise qi. It did not offer any proper accompanying techniques.
Back when he killed the naked Zhao Liangqing, he had used the absolute difference in their strength to directly crush him. He had killed him in a single stroke, which was why he had not experienced the strength of a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.
Although there was no one present now, he was in no hurry to transform. It was easy for him to kill Qian Yannian in a single attack, but once he returned, the entire world would know he killed Zhao Liangqing. As a result, he came up with a prudent plan. He would simply play around with this old man for now and practise his abilities so that he could understand the essence of the second layer through actual battle.
Qian Yannian believed he had gained the upper hand, but he never imagined that Li Qingshan only treated him like a hunk of meat on the chopping block, currently thinking about how to carve it up. Moreover, he wanted to have some fun before he got down to business.
He could see how he could not kill Li Qingshan so easily. He was also afraid that Qian Rongzhi would escape and was worried that Qian Rongzhi was telling the truth, that Zhuo Zhibo was already on his way. As a result, he was in a hurry to end this battle, which was why he took out a well-made hundred treasures pouch.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He had finally seen the main reason for all of this. Afterwards, he saw Qian Yannian fish out a talisman, just about to use it.
Li Qingshan roared out, “Stop, you old coot!”
Qian Yannian mocked him and said, “You’re finally afraid?”
Li Qingshan said frigidly, “Whether it be the pills, spiritual stones, or talismans, everything in your hundred treasures pouch is my property. You best not use it, or you will die very soon!”
Your things are mine! You best not use them! That was as arrogant as one could get.
Qian Yannian had utterly lost his temper as well. Without any hesitation, the talisman in his hand exploded with light.
Several hundred feet in front of the hall was a large, square terrace connected to five stairways, leading to various parts of the Qian estate. However, there was only one path that led up the mountain to the main hall.
Tonight, due to the birthday celebration, every single person of the Qian family had been mobilised. They had mobilised all the forces they had for the celebration. As a result, they gathered over from all directions due to the alarming activity on the mountain. There were even several people of the Qian family who knew neither martial arts nor how to practise qi. They all wanted to understand what had happened.
They saw a single figure standing on the terrace. People with better eyesight spotted her and cried out, “That’s Qian Rongzhi!” “Kill her!”
Everyone in and near the Qian estate had heard Li Qingshan’s previous words. Many of them ground their teeth at the thought of this traitor of the Qian family. However, when they got a little closer, they were all dumbstruck.
Qian Rongzhi was covered in blood as she smiled crazily and joyfully. A person covered in blood laid on the ground as he constantly gasped and moaned. She was holding something in her hand that fluttered in the night breeze.
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1. The Geng Metal part comes from the ten heavenly stems. They don’t really mean anything by themselves, heavily depending on the context. For example, they can be incorporated into calendars or used for fortune telling.
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Chapter 140 – Paradise in Purgatory
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Chapter 140 – Paradise in Purgatory
“Argh!” Many of the more timid cried out, almost falling down the stairs. Meanwhile, rumbles constantly rang out from the main hall behind the terrace. The large building tottered in the darkness as if it could collapse at any time.
Qian Rongzhi glanced back. As it seemed, Li Qingshan could still last a while longer, which would give her enough time to do what she wanted. She really was grateful to him.
Of course, you would be utterly wrong if you thought her opinion of Li Qingshan had changed. In her eyes, the best outcome of the battle would be for Li Qingshan and Qian Yannian to die together.
“Master! Master! Is it you?” A middle-aged woman identified the person on the ground from his hoarse shrieks. She choked back tears as she said, “Qian Rongzhi, you slut! You mad woman! Since when has our master done anything to you? Not only have you tried to seduce him, but you even want him dead?”
“I seduced him?” Qian Rongzhi licked the blood from the corner of her mouth. “Wasn’t he the one who said he wanted to skin me alive? I asked him whether this was the correct way about it, but he wouldn’t say anything. Did you know that?” She kicked the bloody person off the terrace, who rolled down the steps.
People parted to the sides, avoiding him like the plague. Just as their attention was drawn away by this blood person, a water arrow pierced through the crowd.
The middle-aged woman who had just spoken before had her throat pierced all the way through. She lowered her head and glanced at it in disbelief. This little slut was actually bold enough to attack me? That was her last thought before collapsing on the ground.
“Seems like you don’t know either,” Qian Rongzhi murmured.
Dark clouds shrouded the moon as the world turned dark.
Over a thousand people of the Qian family gathered on the terrace, only increasing in number. The flickering torches illuminated her bloody, beautiful face. It became twisted with the flickering firelight.
A young man in luxurious robes wailed, “Father! Mother!” Afterwards, he looked at Qian Rongzhi in utter hatred. “Let’s get her together, everyone! Let’s kill this mad woman and help out great-grandfather. Our Qian family will definitely survive this threat!”
With someone rousing them together, over a thousand people charged over menacingly. Their might was enough to frighten ordinary people to death. Even mosquitoes could kill elephants if they were sufficient in number. Moreover, even Qi Practitioners would run out of true qi, not to mention the fact that there were over a dozen first layer Qi Practitioners among them.
Qian Rongzhi was facing a dire situation.
However, there was no fear on her face at all. Instead, there was a hysteric smile. She moved her rosy lips gently and casually listing a bunch of names, “Qian Ronghui, Qian Rongcheng…”
There were old and young, men and women, out of the people that she had named. The one similarity they shared was that they were all Qi Practitioners, and their surnames were originally not Qian. However, they had been adopted by the Qian family due to their talent of being able to practise qi. They were taken aback when they were mentioned, and they halted.
“Haven’t you had enough of the abuse from the people of the Qian family? They view us as livestock, as slaves, yet you still want to die for them right now? The Qian family is already on the brink of destruction. Everyone from the Qian family will be slaughtered by the Hawkwolf Guard.”
Qian Xingwei’s son, the young man in luxurious robes, called out, “Don’t listen to her bullshit! Great-grandfather will deal with everything very soon. A horrible fate awaits all those who betray the Qian family!”
The people with the blood of the Qian family all echoed his words. The group pushed closer once more, and the swathe of weapons was only ten steps away from Qian Rongzhi now. However, due to their fear of Qian Rongzhi’s strength, they could not help but slow down.
Before they had even realised it, the people who Qian Rongzhi had named were avoided by the rest of the crowd. People even looked at them with gazes of caution.
Qian Rongzhi said, “The old coot Qian Yannian is in the main hall right behind here. If he could leave there, he would have left a long time ago. If you don’t consider for yourselves right now, it’ll be too late.”
Rumbles constantly rang out from the main hall. The people in there were clearly engaged in an intense battle. Qian Yannian, who had weighed on their hearts constantly and ruled over Ancient Wind city for almost an entire century, had clearly encountered a powerful opponent.
If Qian Yannian were present, all dissent would vanish. However, Qian Yannian was not here. Many people thought uneasily, is the Qian family really going to be destroyed?
The person who had been mentioned at the very beginning, Qian Ronghui, finally gave in. “What do you want?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s still not too late for you to leave the Qian family right now, or none will be spared when the clan is destroyed!”
Qian Ronghui hesitated. Many people hesitated. The young man called out, “Qian Ronghui, are you betraying our Qian family as well?”
Qian Rongzhi said with a corrupting voice, “You see? That’s how the people of the Qian family treat you. Do you want to die under the Wind-entwining blades of the Hawkwolf Guard?”
Qian Ronghui glanced at the main hall in the darkness one last time before roaring out, “Alright, I’ll leave the Qian family. From now onwards, I have no ties with the Qian family anymore.” He turned around and made his way down the mountain. He did not plan on getting involved in this. He did not have the same, deep hatred for the Qian family as Qian Rongzhi. With him as a first, other people were tempted as well. They were prepared to leave.
The people of the Qian family cursed aloud. They pointed many of their weapons at Qian Ronghui. Qian Ronghui yelled out, “Move!”
“Did I say you could leave?” Qian Rongzhi’s icy-cold voice made Qian Ronghui halt. He turned around furiously. “What else do you want!?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “If you leave right now, just wait until the world turns against you and tries to hunt you down!” Afterwards, she said to everyone, “I know you all. None of you even think about leaving here today. Right now, as long as you are not a direct descendant of the Qian family, you can clear your names by offering up the heads of the people from the Qian family. Otherwise, only death awaits you.”
She was amidst danger, but not only did she not beg out of fear, but she even threatened everyone present viciously.
Everyone was thrown into a state of disarray. There were not a lot of direct descendants of the Qian family. Even they did not have the determination to die for the Qian family. They had just been tied to the Qian family, which dragged them down, let alone others.
She could understand what Li Qingshan felt; this feeling was utterly fantastic.
The pressure reached the limit. The air was reeking with the smell of blood. In the scorching summer night, under the illumination of firelight, droplets of sweat rolled down the foreheads of many people. Everyone was wary of the people around them as they tried their best to distinguish who was a direct descendant and who might try to clear their names between the firelight and darkness.
Within a century-old clan, the connections between the people were as dense and complicated as a spider’s web, with countless grievances and resentments woven into it all.
Within the darkness, no one knew where the first blade fell and where the first shriek rose up. It seemed to set off a chain reaction. The first splash of blood was like a tiny spark falling on a swathe of dried grassy plains. It rapidly evolved into a raging wildfire.
Someone called out, “Kill these traitors!” “Encircle the Qian family!” Others called out, “For revenge!” There were even more shrieks and wails.
Pairs of eyes that had been dyed red by blood were unable to recognise whether the people beside them were family or foe. They swung their blades at everyone who approached them.
Many talismans turned into lightning and fire, erupting within the crowd.
The sounds of spears stabbing into flesh and blades cutting through bone wove together into a requiem. The estate of the Qian family devolved into a purgatory of asura.
Qian Rongzhi laughed crazily at the centre of the massacre. Great joy flooded her heart and head. All of her memories burned brightly. She had forgotten about the hidden threat from Qian Yannian. She had even forgotten about the boundary of life and death. She felt like this was heaven and that she was in paradise right now. Even if she died here immediately, none of it would matter anymore.
There were people who wanted to kill this traitor of the Qian family out of anger, as well as people who charged towards her after being carried away by the bloodbath.
However, out of everyone present, just who could kill a second layer Qi Practitioner? They all died to the Water-splitting bard, reduced to corpses, forming a ring around her. Gradually, no one dared to approach her. The tiny ring formed by corpses became the only land of peace within this purgatory of massacre.
Not a single person of Ancient Wind city would be able to forget about this night. They all raised their heads and watched this from within the city. They watched as the prosperous clan that had dominated Ancient Wind city for a century collapsed in the flames of disaster. They showed mixed emotions of fear, surprise, and joy.
Most of the Qi Practitioners who had fled from the hall had not left. They watched on in the darkness as well. They saw the horrific sights within the firelight and were all taken aback. None of them had thought that this would happen.
Originally, they thought Li Qingshan’s declaration was just a joke where he bit off more than he could chew, something that would lead to his death. Qian Yannian would kill these three Hawkwolf guards swiftly before fleeing with the core members of the clan.
However, the matter had developed beyond their expectations. The Qian family was being destroyed! Qian Yannian remained in the main hall. He did not come out to end all of this. Someone had actually managed to stop him.
This was impossible! Even if they worked together, just a single arm from Qian Yannian was more than enough to kill a third layer Qi Practitioner and two second layer Qi Practitioners, unless there were other people from the Hawkwolf Guard hidden away, or had that Zhuo Zhibo already arrived in Ancient Wind city silently?
This was the most logical conclusion. It also explained why Li Qingshan was so arrogant. All of the Qi Practitioners felt fortunate that they did not remain on the mountain. In their eyes, the Hawkwolf Guard was not a system that could be reasoned with. It was even less likely for any of them to go assist the Qian family.
Once fire ran out of fuel, it would be the time for it to be extinguished. The flames of disaster used people as fuel. When most of the people were dead, it gradually subsided as well.
In an extremely short amount of time, over a thousand people were dead or injured. Blood flowed down the steps as corpses lay strewn.
On the top of a tree that no one noticed, the blood-red flames in Xiao An’s eyes flickered as he watched all of these horrific sights unfold from beginning to end. He did not show surprise or fear like ordinary people. Instead, he was in thought as if he had comprehended something.
Tonight, Li Qingshan had made up his mind about striking, so he did not bring Xiao An with him, which was why he was not trapped in the jar and could move about freely. He could not help but worry for Li Qingshan. No matter how powerful Li Qingshan was, Xiao An still arrived outside the main hall using the darkness of the night, but he ended up seeing this, and he was unable to shift his gaze anymore. Li Qingshan’s aura was extremely strong. He did not need his worry.
An eminent monk of buddhism created the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. The essence behind it originated from buddhism. As a result, he read and studied many buddhist scriptures to comprehend the true meaning behind it.
However, the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty completely overturned the scriptures, reversing the essential ideas. Even for him, a person that the black ox had deemed to be very talented, would frequently be confused.
In Li Qingshan’s eyes, he just had to devour flesh and blood with great ease, and his cultivation would advance rapidly. He did not even need to eat pills. However, only he understood the difficulties behind it all. Whenever he hid within the dark jar, he never felt bored at all. He had not even considered boredom before. He constantly thought about the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty; he was like an ascetic monk in seclusion.
Now that he had witnessed this, he comprehended something.
Suddenly, a figure flew out from the main hall, landing on the terrace heavily. He wore a tattered Black Wolf uniform and seemed to be in a rather horrible shape. He was Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 141 – Qian Yannian’s Death
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Chapter 141 – Qian Yannian’s Death
The lightning from the talisman immediately illuminated the dark hall, but it could not hide the two balls of red light that had suddenly appeared.
The scorching white lightning struck the iron-like skin viciously, but it failed to leave a trace behind.
Qian Yannian took a step back. He looked at the huge monster that stood like an iron tower behind him as he became frantic. “D- daemon!”
He could not sense any daemon qi at all, but the tremendous pressure that had almost materialised crushed against his chest such that even his breathing became sluggish.
His mind was a mess. How could a teenager who seemed like a regular, weak second layer Qi Practitioner transform like this? This was an ability that completely exceeded his imagination.
Li Qingshan stretched a little. The sharp horns on his head almost reached the beams up top. He lowered his head and looked at Qian Yannian below as he said with a voice that sounded like resonating metal, “I said to stop! Why didn’t you listen? Huh?”
Qian Yannian roared out crazily. The two Geng Metal Swords of Qi turned into two streaks of golden light, stabbing swiftly towards Li Qingshan. It seemed like he would struggle to dodge an attack like this with such a cumbersome body, but Li Qingshan did not plan to dodge either.
Before the Geng Metal Swords of Qi could even touch Li Qingshan, they were blocked by the shield shaped like a turtle’s shell, directly crumbling into pieces under the attack of daemon qi. They failed to condense again.
Qian Yannian reached towards his hundred treasures pouch instinctively. Inside were talismans that could save his life, pills that could turn the situation around. The hundred treasures pouch was a second life to Qi Practitioners.
A sharp, crescent claw extended out from an index finger that seemed like a metal column. With a sharp, resonating screech, it stopped before Qian Yannian’s forehead, forcing him to halt. He was afraid of even moving a finger. It was so fast that he was unable to react.
If Li Qingshan wanted to kill him, the claw would have penetrated his head already, claiming his life.
Qian Yannian’s voice trembled as he said, “What do you want? I can give you everything! Just don’t kill me!”
Li Qingshan fished the hundred treasures pouch from Qian Yannian, holding it between his fingers before picking up the tiny, toy-like Wind-entwining blade.
Qian Yannian’s expression was mixed between fawning, flattering, and fear. Afterwards, it all collapsed like a mask.
Li Qingshan pierced Qian Yannian’s chest with the blade without any hesitation at all. This was not a fatal wound to a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, but it was enough to take away most of his battle prowess, especially so when he was an old man over a hundred years old.
Qian Yannian’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
Li Qingshan flickered his finger, which shattered Qian Yannian’s chin like a ballista.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan drew out the Wind-entwining blade, retreated a few steps back, and gradually shrank once again, returning to human form. He said to Qian Yannian, “Let’s continue now! Do be aware that I’m coming to kill you now!”
Having lost his hundred treasures pouch, his two Geng Metal Swords of Qi, and suffered a stab in the chest, Qian Yannian was like a heavily injured, clawless and fangless beast. All he let out were meaningless howls and growls.
It was as if he knew fleeing was no longer possible. Qian Yannian forcefully sealed off his wounds with true qi and charged towards Li Qingshan while mobilising all his true qi.
Before Qian Yannian had even arrived, a fierce gust of wind rushed over. Qian Yannian shone with a faint, metallic lustre.
Li Qingshan swung down with his blade as hard as he could. Qian Yannian did not try to dodge it. He condensed faint golden qi blades with his arms and stabbed them at Li Qingshan’s ribs.
Clang! The Wind-entwining blade that Li Qingshan had imbued with true qi and great strength cut through Qian Yannian’s protective Geng Metal true qi and left behind a bloody gash on his shoulder.
Li Qingshan ignored it. Wiping and twisting the blade, he swung it towards Qian Yannian’s neck this time. There was a clang of metal again, and he felt two stabbing sensations of pain from his ribs.
Qian Yannian’s blades of qi easily cut through the Black Wolf uniform that could even stop crossbow bolts; it also broke through Li Qingshan’s protective true qi, but it was unable to pierce Li Qingshan’s skin that was as tough as an ox demon’s hide.
There was a string of heavy barrages. Within such a tight space, neither of them took a step back, nor did they try to dodge. They launched several dozen attacks against their opponent.
Li Qingshan’s Black Wolf uniform was already in tatters, while Qian Yannian was covered in blood. The wound on his chest constantly oozed with blood.
Qian Yannian’s eyes reddened. He was like a wild tiger. In the end, he did not even try to use any moves. He just tackled Li Qingshan into a pillar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! They smashed through five pillars in the hall, and the entire structure collapsed, kicking up dust everywhere.
Li Qingshan was covered in dust. He seemed to be in quite a horrible shape, but his eyes remained as tranquil as water the entire time. An attack as crazy as that obviously could not harm him, but a devastating battle like this was what he wanted.
A fifth layer Qi Practitioner who knew he was going to die, who fought like a caged beast, possessed tenacity beyond Li Qingshan’s imagination. Even when he was heavily injured, he could still unleash startling battle prowess.
Li Qingshan discovered that with his strength as a second layer Qi Practitioner, it would be very difficult to defeat Qian Yannian despite his tough body.
All of his true qi was blasted away wildly. Li Qingshan basically could not counterattack at all, and finally, a fist landed firmly on his chest. He did not try to stabilise himself. As a result, he flew over thirty meters away, landing heavily on the terrace. He did not even forget to add, “How powerful!”
There obviously was a reason for his act. He wanted to kill Qian Yannian in public, not kill him in a single strike. He purposefully made a disturbance to clear up any potential suspicion that he was related to Zhao Liangqing’s death; he wanted to hide his identity as a daemon.
Not only could he appear weak to his hidden enemies to numb their sense of danger, but he could also mislead some of them as well so that they would not be in a hurry to kill him; this would earn him even more time to grow. It truly was quite the plan.
However, before Li Qingshan could take pride in the facade that he had spun, he became stunned when he looked around.
The heavy smell of blood enveloped the entire terrace. The moist, sticky blood dried and blackened. Over a thousand corpses, men and women, old and young, were piled on the terrace and steps. It was impossible to imagine just how horrific of a sight it was unless people had seen it in person.
There were countless arms and legs, countless twisted faces, and countless eyes that remained wide open even upon death. Li Qingshan had been locked in a ‘battle to the death’ with Qian Yannian within the hall, so he was in no shape to care about the shrieks and howls outside. He basically turned a deaf ear to it all. Now that he had seen it in person, he felt deeply shocked even when he had killed many people with his own hands before and believed he had grown accustomed to bloodiness and death.
Who was it? Who did all this?
The moon emerged from the dark clouds, coating everything with a silver glow. The surroundings were deathly silent. There were no chirpings of insects, as if all the living creatures there had been stunned, afraid to make a disturbance.
The person behind all this, Qian Rongzhi, currently held a Water-splitting barb as she sent the survivors who still groaned and breathened in the piles of corpses off to hell.
Qian Ronghui retreated with difficulty. “Don’t, Rongzhi! We have no grievances!” He had been sucked into the bloody massacre in the very beginning, but with his strength as a peak first layer Qi Practitioner, he had managed to survive. However, all of his true qi was depleted, and he was covered in wounds. He basically had no strength left.
Qian Rongzhi responded, “During the autumn four years ago, on August 15, you called me a whore!” The Water-splitting barb stabbed into Qian Ronghui’s head mercilessly.
Qian Yannian followed Li Qingshan outside the hall. He saw this and was immediately stunned. He recovered a sliver of rationality. Was the Qian family over just like this?
Qian Rongzhi looked back at Qian Yannian. There was no fear on her face. Instead, she said with great satisfaction, “Haha, grandfather, do you see now? All of your descendants are dead!”
With a wild howl, Qian Yannian descended into even greater madness. He ignored Li Qingshan, charging straight towards Qian Rongzhi.
Li Qingshan held the Wind-entwining blade that was covered in knicks, but he did not swing it. This woman was wicked and two-faced. She had repeatedly worked against him, so why would he save her?
Watching Qian Yannian charge over, Qian Rongzhi took out three fire talismans and launched them at Qian Yannian as fireballs.
Boom! Boom! Boom! With three explosions, fire rose into the air as the shockwave blasted away the corpses.
However, before Qian Rongzhi could celebrate, she saw Qian Yannian forcefully charge through the fire. His remaining strands of hair were singed away, and he was charred all over. He was even still on fire as he charged towards her recklessly.
Qian Rongzhi finally showed a sliver of fear, but she did not flee. She gripped the Water-splitting barb tightly, and it shone with azure light as it stabbed towards Qian Yannian.
Suddenly, verdant, green vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around Qian Yannian like a snake. He erupted with Geng Metal true qi, tearing away the vines, but he had halted due to it. The azure light pierced his chest and blood gurgled from the wound that Li Qingshan had originally dealt him. It now flowed relentlessly.
Qian Yannian staggered a few more steps forward. Even more green vines sprouted beneath him, wrapping around him. He was like a moth caught in a spider’s web. His struggle became more and more powerless.
Diao Fei had returned at a certain time. He held his right hand in a seal before his chest as he stared right at Qian Yannian. The green vines came from a technique he used.
Only then did Li Qingshan learn that Diao Fei did not practise the Innate Method of Practising Qi, but probably a cultivation method from Green Vine mountain!
Qian Yannian seemed like she never imagined her strike would be effective either. Her face lit up crazily, but she did not rush up to finish him off. Instead, she retreated over a dozen steps away cautiously. “Grandfather, your concubines, wives, and children are all here. Do you see them? Look, just right beside your foot! Oh, you’ve kicked your beloved concubine’s head. But that doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve also helped you kill all the traitors of the Qian family. What do you think? I’ve returned all the kindness the Qian family has shown me!”
Qian Yannian howled, but he had already reached the end of his rope during his battle against Li Qingshan. This charge took up the last of his energy. He only remained alive due to his heavy true qi. He glared at Qian Rongzhi viciously as if he wanted to dig out a piece of her.
However, Qian Rongzhi only smiled widely and chattered endlessly, “I remember, you promised me in the past that you would make me the leader of the Qian family. Of course, I knew you were lying to me. Why would you make an outsider, moreover a woman, the leader of the family? But now, there’s no one else who can inherit the position of patriarch, so just let me inherit it.”
Then she seemed distressed. “But now, the Qian family doesn’t have anyone left, so there’s no point in being a leader anymore, so I think I’ll return the position to you. You are the first and last patriarch of the Qian family.”
Every single word from Qian Rongzhi was like a blade, piercing Qian Yannian and making him tremble all over. However, his chin had been crushed, so he was unable to utter a single word. He raised his head and let out a spurt of blood before the green vines swallowed him.
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Chapter 142 – Carrying out Justice
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Chapter 142 – Carrying out Justice
The verdant green vines formed quite a contrast with the world of blood and darkness. It extended and grew, teeming with vigor as it formed a tight cocoon.
For quite a while, only the rustling of the green vines were present.
Qian Rongzhi had stopped talking at a certain time. She just stared at the verdant cocoon dazedly.
After confirming Qian Yannian’s death, Diao Fei rushed up urgently and removed the vines. He searched through Qian Yannian’s body, but he obviously failed to find the hundred treasures pouch.
He could not help but turn back and look at the tenacious sixteen-year-old, but all he saw was him standing among the blood and corpses, gazing at the night sky. His gaze was basically drawn away by the night sky. The moonlight enveloped his body as if all of this bloodiness had nothing to do with him.
The stars in the summer night sky were extremely resplendent, where even the moon failed to drown them out. Li Qingshan discovered that compared to all of these corpses, the starry sky was still prettier.
He was not putting on an act like he was contemplating the philosophies of life. Instead, he just suddenly felt lament, but he was unable to describe what he was lamenting over. He could not help but think of that dream again, where all the stars were submerged in a sea of blood.
After thinking about all that, Li Qingshan lowered his head. “How many did you get?”
“Three. Two escaped.”
“That’s pretty good.”
“You’re too kind.”
It was a very short conversation. Diao Fei obviously would not ask where Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch was like an idiot, nor did he ask Li Qingshan to give him a share of it. Originally, he had his own plans as well, which was to chase down the utterly harmless second layer Qi Practitioners. After that, he would quietly return here to check on the development of the situation. If Li Qingshan were dead, he would leave quietly and report back to Zhuo Zhibo. Such an approach ensured that he would be in no danger at all.
However, he had never thought that Li Qingshan would actually be able to reduce Qian Yannian to such a state. Diao Fei knew the best himself. His Entangling Vines could never capture a fifth layer Qi Practitioner under ordinary circumstances. Qian Yannian was clearly at the end of his rope—all because of Li Qingshan.
Although it all seemed extremely difficult, Li Qingshan had truly managed to tire out and waste away a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. It was still best for Diao Fei to maintain some respect for the powerful.
Although the Qi Practitioners below the mountain were far away, they had many ways to see what happened on the mountain. All of their faces were filled with disbelief. From the beginning till the end, they had not seen a single hidden master from the Hawkwolf Guard. It had just been the teenager, all by himself. As a second layer Qi Practitioner, he had actually managed to battle with Qian Yannian for so long?
In the end, he even won somehow. Had Qian Yannian really grown senile to the point where he would be defeated like this? This was probably the only explanation.
Gong Liangbai murmured, “How’s this possible?” He spoke the minds of all the Qi Practitioners present.
With a clang, the Water-splitting barb fell to the floor; faint sobs followed.
The moment Qian Rongzhi saw Qian Yannian’s corpse, she shuddered. Her smile vanished completely, and she remained dazed for quite a while as a warm liquid flowed down her face. They were not tears of blood, just ordinary tears.
She did not know why she was crying. She just suddenly burst into tears.
Li Qingshan and Diao Fei looked at each other. Neither of them said anything.
Li Qingshan took in a deep breath and announced, “Today, the Hawkwolf Guard, composed of Li Qingshan, Diao Fei, and Qian Rongzhi, has formally carried out justice and executed Qian Yannian here.” He paused before adding, “And we’ve destroyed the Qian family as a warning for others. You Qi Practitioners are naturally endowed, so take this as a lesson. If you turn a blind eye to what is right and wrong, act as you please, and defy the principles of nature and morality, this will be your fate!”
His loud, clear voice drowned out Qian Rongzhi’s sobs. It reached the bottom of the mountain clearly, resounding through the entire city.
The first cheer came from a gloomy corner in an alleyway. It came from an abject scholar. He could not help but sigh in admiration, but even when he did so, he did it carefully. Two years ago, the Qian family wanted to build a garden, so they forcefully demolished his ancestral home. His wife and children became homeless, and out of pure anger, his wife fell sick, which almost claimed her life. He managed to make it through this rough patch after great difficulty, renting a small room and relying on his calligraphy to barely make ends meet. However, the indignation remained within him. Originally, he wanted to repress it for the rest of his life, but he never thought there would finally be a day of retribution.
However, his cheer was like the start of a chain reaction. It led to a tremendous clamour, rising steeply and reaching the terrace at the top of the mountain, as if it was a response to Li Qingshan’s proclamation.
All Li Qingshan saw was Ancient Wind city ablaze with lanterns. Countless people emerged from their homes, cheering in excitement. Many people hugged each other tearfully as they walked around the city. It was as if a huge celebration of a festival was taking place. The lanterns and firecrackers that the Qian family had forced them to prepare finally came into use. However, they were now celebrating the end of the Qian family.
Li Qingshan smiled. Perhaps there were many innocent people among the corpses on the ground. However, he was not some perfect hero, scrupulous over morality. Couldn’t he just bear the burden of a few human lives? If the entire Qian family was slaughtered, then they were slaughtered. There was nothing he was afraid to admit.
How could the misfortune of one be compared to the misfortune of many?
Only the expressions of the Qi Practitioners hidden within the darkness changed drastically. Li Qingshan’s threatening tone clearly targeted them. They found it humiliating, and they felt furious, but at the same time, they could not help but repress it. They even felt a sliver of fear. They subconsciously checked themselves to see if they were the same as the Qian family or not.
Barely killing Qian Yannian and the destruction of the Qian family led to cheers from all; it was as if Li Qingshan was a god who enforced law, standing on an altar and glaring and provoking all sorts of evil spirits. No one was bold enough to openly confront them. All could only shrink back and tremble.
Li Qingshan did not show any respect to these people. It did not necessarily mean that they had all committed heinous deeds like Qian Yannian just because they came to celebrate the birthday. As a matter of fact, they would probably try to explain themselves as completely ignorant of the Qian family’s actions. However, there was not a single person who could not hear the cries, wails, and howls that even echoed through the clouds. Unfortunately, they probably all just turned a deaf ear to it. They were knowledgeable about protecting themselves. They would not offend a Qi Practitioner clan over some common people.
The Qi Practitioners all remained hidden in the darkness as they left Ancient Wind city. They all memorised one name.
Li Qingshan said, “Have you cried enough?”
Qian Rongzhi raised her head in confusion.
Li Qingshan said, “If you’ve cried enough, then let’s go. Our mission is complete!” He had already obtained what he wanted.
With that, he glanced at the top of a tree in the distance before making his way down the mountain with no regard to Diao Fei or Qian Rongzhi.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Hold on!”
Li Qingshan turned around in doubt, and all he saw was Qian Rongzhi smile from ear to ear. She wiped away her tears and said, “I still haven’t grabbed anything yet!” Afterwards, she flipped through the pile of corpses as she said, “If you leave behind a weak girl like me, I’ll be scared.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. Originally, he thought the pressure she was under would ease up after achieving revenge. Perhaps she would not achieve instantaneous comprehension about everything in the whole wide world, but at least she should have developed some understanding towards life and lose some of her pettiness and viciousness. However, the reality was the exact opposite. Revenge had indeed released certain things in her heart.
However, what was released was not some great feeling of joy, or any repressed purity or kind-heartedness. She finally did not have to act as the young miss of the Qian family anymore. As she laughed amidst the pile of corpses, the craziness seemed to become a part of her, twisting her even more.
Only now did Li Qingshan understand that instantaneous enlightenment and repentance was all just stuff from fairytales. The true norm of the world was that while the world was easy to change, the nature of people were not. There were both buddhas and demons in the world, or perhaps, that was the norm as well?
Qian Rongzhi bowed slightly. “Thank you for helping out today. Only then was I able to achieve revenge. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to offer up myself.” She smiled from ear to ear. She seemed to be in an extremely good mood.
Li Qingshan did not stop at all, while Diao Fei walked away even faster, acting like he was avoiding the plague. They pulled away from Qian Rongzhi’s crazy laughter.
Qian Rongzhi paced around through the corpses like a pitch-black ghost. She had stopped searching for things a long time ago. Instead, she was more like an artist, admiring her greatest piece of work, like a tourist strolling through a wonderful garden.
She would stop from time to time, holding a familiar face and saying some things to it. Even when there was no reply, she would still giggle for quite a while. Compared to this purgatory of corpses, she seemed much stranger and more terrifying.
Having received Li Qingshan’s signal, Xiao An did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained hidden to one side, sinking into an intense thought process.
The eminent monk was gifted with both fortune and wisdom. The world seemed like it was on fire, in a sea of misery, with all people submerged within it. They were afflicted with greed, hatred, and ignorance and were unable to break free from it. As a result, the eminent monk practised Mahāyāna buddhism, yet he was still unable to help and save all living creatures. He either took pity on their misfortune or was furious at their incapability.
With pity came endless benevolence. With fury came an endless urge to kill.
In the face of the great tribulation of the world, between life and death, he discovered that there was still something obstructing his heart. He gained an understanding of himself again, so he followed his true nature, swearing the four encompassing vows. As such, nothing obstructed him anymore, allowing him to overcome the tribulation.
Just like māra with their natures of great malevolence, they understood their natures and slaughtered freely, achieving ishvara or unencumberance, standing on equal footing to buddha.
“Oh, I understand now. The eminent monk was an ultimate genius who saw how all the living creatures were so foolish and stupid. They would never listen to him no matter what he said, and they would never understand him no matter how he put it, so it cast a shadow in his heart, but then it was repressed by the three words ‘I am benevolent’, so he could only keep it repressed inside, unable to release it. As a result, he experienced tremendous pressure.”
“Compared to bringing salvation to an idiot, no, a bunch of idiots, it was just easier to kill them off with a single stroke. It’s just like a group of flies surrounding him all day long, so he caught one, split open its stomach, and dragged out its organs, using its own organs to choke it. Heh, even its tongue would stick out! Afterwards, he would raise his blade; once it fell, whoosh, the whole world was peaceful.”
In a small inn below the mountain, Xiao An wrote down his understanding on a piece of paper and told Li Qingshan. That was what Li Qingshan said after thinking about it.
His words left Xiao An utterly stunned. He felt like with what Li Qingshan said, this eminent monk was nowhere near as impressive as he seemed to be. The White Bone Bodhisattva was one who possessed great wisdom and great power even after descending into the demonic path, but now, all the pains and sufferings this bodhisattva went through seemed no different from the hardships of common people.
Li Qingshan said, “Look, Xiao An, let me tell you. If you want to live as a person, the most important part is being happy. It’s not different for skeletons either. You can’t go to the extremes. Everyone who goes to the extremes has something wrong with their heads. If you come across someone, you are welcome to reason with them, but if reason doesn’t work, just give them a swing of your blade.”
Author’s Postscript: It all seems to be too intense lately, so I added some wisdom from Li Qingshan to ease it up. We’re currently approaching the name and synopsis of this volume step by step. Oi, oi, oi, instead of caring for some twisted woman, let’s worry about our cute Xiao An instead. That’s more important. Look, when it comes to writing, the most important part is the monthly tickets. You all understand me.
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Chapter 143 – Bountiful Returns
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Chapter 143 – Bountiful Returns
Li Qingshan continued, “Alright, look. You wanted to be a good person, but you’re basically bending over backwards for slaps to the face. And then you couldn’t put up with that, so you became a bad person, basically killing everything and everyone in sight mindlessly. You couldn’t bring salvation to all living creatures, so you decided you would destroy all living creatures. If that’s not a mental disorder, what would it be? If you should comprehend this ability, then comprehend it. If you should cultivate it, then cultivate it. But don’t take it all too seriously.”
As a result, a certain powerful being beyond the Nine Heavens became labelled as someone suffering from a mental disorder.
If the black ox were present, it would have definitely chimed in with praises, not because of how impressive what Li Qingshan saw was, or how intelligent he seemed. Instead, it was the exact opposite. This all sounded slightly stupid, but contemplating the philosophy of life, the truth of the world, had never been his specialty.
He was not a wise man. He did not have great wisdom or knowledge. He was not a benevolent man either. He did not have great benevolence or great mercy.
He was a courageous man. He gave off an aura of unruliness and fearlessness. If he could not think it through, then he would just stop thinking about it. He would approach matters in whatever way that made him happy.
This was easy to say, but even great cultivators countless times more powerful than Li Qingshan could only carefully comprehend and understand the essence of an ability created by immortals and buddhas beyond the distant Nine Heavens. It was impossible for them to be like what Li Qingshan had said, “Don’t take it too seriously.”
People could not go without reverence and fear, yet those who were courageous were fearless. At the end of the day, abilities and cultivation methods would only be tools to me, existing purely for the sake of achieving what I want. This would never be reversed, where it supersedes my original goals.
Xiao An obviously treated Li Qingshan’s teachings as the gold standard. He viewed it with much greater importance than the essential ideas from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Although he did feel that there was something off about Li Qingshan words, he definitely would not be wrong. Instead, either Xiao An had not thought it through, or there was something wrong with this eminent monk. However, it did clear up his messy, abstruse thoughts, preventing the ability from affecting him too much.
Probably no one would have imagined that something as wondrous as this would arise from a half-assed teacher and an ignorant student.
Li Qingshan felt rather proud of himself. Whether it be Xiao An’s talent or his intelligence, they were both extraordinary. Moreover, Xiao An was still a child, so he needed his guidance that served as a beacon.
As he said that, Li Qingshan’s stomach rumbled again. He would always become famished after a great battle. He went out and had a great meal before coming back and locking his door.
Li Qingshan calmed himself down from his excitement and took out Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch. “Now let’s see what we’ve gotten in return for all of this!”
As soon as he channeled true qi into it, he could not help but gasp. The space inside was as large as a store room. This was the largest hundred treasures pouch he had obtained so far. It was even slightly larger than Zhao Liangqing’s.
Li Qingshan was worried that Zhao Liangqing’s hundred treasures pouch had been imprinted by the Sect of Clouds and Rain, so he was afraid of carrying it around with him. There was no possibility with this one, so it could replace the one he obtained from the Hawkwolf Guard.
There were various items stored in the hundred treasures pouch, forming quite an assortment.
The first thing that Li Qingshan searched for were pills.
For once, Qian Rongzhi was not lying. He took out small bottle after small bottle, placing them onto the table. Before long, the table was covered by them. The pill refining arts of the Qian family did not seem to be particularly impressive. Each Qi Gathering pill was the size of a longan at the very least, and each bottle only held three of them.
However, even with that being the case, there were over four hundred of them. This was Qian Yannian’s greatest tool to control the Qian family, but it was just easy pickings for Li Qingshan now. Just these pills were enough for him to reach a whole new level with his daemonic path.
He probably could reach the second layer with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, and afterwards, he would be able to practise the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. As for the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he had basically been practising it everyday, even when he practised qi. Most of the power from the Qi Gathering pills had been devoured by it. Although there was still a very long road ahead of him before he could face the first heavenly tribulation and become a Daemon General, he was travelling very swiftly towards it.
With over a hundred bottles of Qi Gathering pills placed together, Li Qingshan was overjoyed by the sight. He smiled from ear to ear like a poor man who had suddenly won the lottery. He casually took out a pill, tossed it into the air, but he did not swallow it immediately. Instead, he sucked on it like candy. The Qi Gathering pill that was refined from several dozen medicinal herbs was extremely bitter and astringent. It viciously stimulated his mouth, but Li Qingshan sucked on it like he was tasting tea. There was a certain sweetness to it.
Xiao An saw how Li Qingshan’s brows were furrowed as he smiled ear to ear before counting through the Qi Gathering pills on the table. He thought of the sight when Qian Rongzhi spoke to the corpses again.
The collection was not limited to Qi Gathering pills. There were several bottles of relatively more precious pills similar to Pearl Dew pills. They were called Hundred Herb pills and were basically a stronger version of the Qi Gathering pill. As they required even more precious herbs and had a greater requirement on the alchemist’s ability, there were not a lot of them. There were only around a dozen in total. Li Qingshan planned on saving them for important moments when he needed to break through.
Aside from that, there were other pills for strengthening vitality like Blood Invigoration pills. Clearly, the old coot Qian Yannian knew his life was coming to an end and wanted to last for a little longer.
The twenty-seven talismans exceeded all of the talismans Li Qingshan had collected so far ever since he began cultivating. Looking at the squiggly writing on the talismans, Li Qingshan only managed to recognise a small portion of them. Five of them were mid grade Lightning Summoning talismans. This daoist talisman was extremely powerful. If it were used during a lightning storm, it could even summon heavenly lightning. It had startling power to incapacitate or kill.
Even without the other talismans, if Qian Yannian used these five Lightning Summoning talismans together, he could basically kill any Qi Practitioner below the sixth layer instantly. Even sixth layer Qi Practitioners would have to be wary.
If Li Qingshan did not possess the tenacity from daemonifying, only death would await him from making trouble with Qian Yannian.
However, to Li Qingshan’s slight pity, there were not a lot of spiritual artifacts. There were only two at the low grade. Clearly, Qian Yannian was not skilled at forging artifacts, nor did he go around killing Qi Practitioners like the Hawkwolf Guard.
Out of the two low grade spiritual artifacts, one of them was a patterned, hidden blade around a foot in length. Once true qi was channeled into it, a blade five feet in length would extend out from it, becoming an extremely long sword. Li Qingshan immediately gave it to Xiao An.
The other spiritual artifact was rather special. It was a wooden buckler the size of a washbasin. When he tried channeling true qi into it, the tiny buckler suddenly expanded to the size of a pedestal. It became much heavier as well.
Li Qingshan already knew that some spiritual artifacts could transform, such as Wang Pushi’s metal baton. However, this was the first time he had obtained something like this, and it was for defence as well.
However, he found this spiritual artifact to be extremely fitting. With this, he would be able to wield a huge shield in hand and run around carelessly. If he came across an enemy, he could slam them with the shield. Just who would be able to block an attack like that?
Aside from that, the pouch contained items that ordinary people desired. The first item out of all of them was gold and silver. There were one and a half million taels of silver notes, which was slightly less than he had imagined. Qian Yannian had ruled over Ancient Wind city for all these years, yet he had not even accumulated as much wealth as Zhao Liangqing. However, with further thought, it did make sense. The Qian family was a large household, so they had a lot of people that needed to be fed. And, most of the money would probably be in the hands of the caretaker under Qian Yannian’s command.
However, there was not just money. There was a large pile of deeds for property as well. Just from a casual glance at it, he could tell that the Qian family owned most of the real estate in Ancient Wind city as well as much of the fertile land outside the city.
According to the rule, everything that a Hawkwolf guard obtained from a mission would belong to them. In a single night, Li Qingshan had become a great landowner. As he compared this to the days he spent in the cowshed, he could not help but sigh in amazement.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to check out Qian Yannian’s cultivation method that allowed him to emit sword qi from his nostrils, but he failed to find it. However, he was not particularly affected by this. He had contribution once he returned to the Hawkwolf Guard anyway, so he could check out their library. And, before he reached the ninth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, he had no plans to change cultivation methods. He was in no hurry to find a new one.
The sounds of celebration outside continued. Gongs and drums rang through the air as firecrackers were set off. They seemed to celebrate for the entire night.
Li Qingshan smiled. He ate another Qi Gathering pill and began cultivating.
Xiao An meditated as well, sitting beside him with his legs crossed.
The morning next day, the district magistrate who had a weathered and rather miserable face, but also happened to be smiling from ear to ear, knocked on Li Qingshan’s door. When he saw Li Qingshan, he was taken aback. He had never thought that the great sir Hawkwolf guard who had destroyed the Qian family and shocked the Ancient Wind city the night before would actually be so young. He basically doubted whether he had the right person or not.
Li Qingshan said, “Sir, what’s the matter?”
The district magistrate was extremely familiar with the voice that pierced through the darkness last night. After confirming that Li Qingshan was the person he was looking for, he stated his reason for visiting.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to respond. The district magistrate wanted to parade him through the streets as a hero. He said that the hand-held carriage was already prepared downstairs. Li Qingshan obviously declined.
The district magistrate did not try to insist on it. No one would be bold enough to force someone who seemed like a vicious god like him into anything.
Li Qingshan said, “If you want to do that, you’ll be better off sending people up the mountain to clean up the remains instead. The weather is warm right now, so it might lead to diseases if you don’t.”
The district magistrate said, “Thank you for your reminder, sir. I’ve already sent people to deal with this. There’s an open pit near the Qian estate, at the bottom of the mountain to the west. I’ve tried to gather the people to move the remains there to be buried, but they all find it to be a foul job. Moreover, since it’s the remains of the people of the Qian estate, none of them want to do it.”
Li Qingshan considered it. “There should be quite a lot of gold and silverware left in the Qian estate. You can send people in to gather them and pay the people with those items. You need to deal with this today. We can’t afford any delays.”
The district magistrate was overjoyed. He agreed in a hurry as he thought to himself about how well Li Qingshan understood the common people. If Li Qingshan had not spoken, no one would have been bold enough to touch the items of the Qian estate.
Li Qingshan had another plan for all of this. After sending off the district magistrate, he said to Xiao An, “Can you really cultivate like this?”
Xiao An nodded.
Li Qingshan said, “Around how long do you have to take?”
Xiao An shook his head.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright. Then we’ll stay here for a while. It’ll be perfect for me to settle down and cultivate a little as well. Once we return to Jiaping city, it probably won’t be as peaceful as before.”
“How impressive of you, Li Qingshan!”
In the office of the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city, Zhuo Zhibo held a letter in a small garden as the corner of his eyes twitched. He lost his temper and shattered the stone table with a slam of his hand.
His contact in Clear River city had responded to his letter. He finally knew everything that had happened under the lone pine tree outside Qingyang city.
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Chapter 144 – The Vicious Tiger, the Venomous Snake and the Vulture
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Chapter 144 – The Vicious Tiger, the Venomous Snake and the Vulture
Li Qingshan did not have any backing at all. As a matter of fact, Wang Pushi had not even taken a liking to him, which was why he had directly sent him to Zhuo Zhibo’s command. If Gu Yanying really did take special note of this kid, Wang Pushi would obviously treat this kid carefully, just like how Zhuo Zhibo would carefully serve someone Wang Pushi cared about.
This was a principle that could not be more simple. Zhuo Zhibo had just been too cautious, constantly wondering, What if? The aspect that had affected him the most was still the kid’s attitude. He was just too haughty, to a point where Zhou Zhibo felt like he possessed a powerful backing.
With the cruel truth now revealed, Zhuo Zhibo only felt like he had been viciously played. His face reddened before darkening. His fury towards Li Qingshan immediately erupted.
“Please calm down, commander Zhuo,” Ge Jian persuaded in a sensible manner.
Zhuo Zhibo said frigidly, “As a Black Hawk Commander, I stand above millions. Who knows how many lives I have control over. It has been so many years since someone has been bold enough to play me like this! Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan, how very impressive of you!”
Ge Jian said, “Though, the kid probably won’t be able to return from Ancient Wind city. There’s no need to be angry over a dead person, commander.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “It’s just a pity that I couldn’t kill him personally. And that Zhou Wenbin, he’s nothing good either.”
Ge Jian said, “He has been sent here all alone to serve as the district magistrate. He does not have a single Qi Practitioner under his command, so why does the commander have to put up with him? Our Hawkwolf Guard has the responsibility of monitoring the government. Why don’t we find some evidence of crimes and try to make him guilty?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Shut up. What evidence can you find? He comes from the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He has countless colleagues, and even the prefect appreciates him very much. If I fall out with him, I’ll only disappoint commander Wang.”
Ge Jian said, “Yes, sir. I’ve misspoken.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Let’s just wait for the news of this kid dying on duty!” Afterwards, he would immediately set off for Ancient Wind city and destroy the Qian family to avenge Li Qingshan, showing off the might of the Hawkwolf Guard. That old man Qian must have saved up quite a lot of things over all these years. It was time for harvesting.
This was Qian Rongzhi’s original scheme. They would kill two birds with one stone, destroying the Qian family and Li Qingshan, while Zhuo Zhibo would obtain some rich spoils of battle as well.
At dusk, Li Qingshan arrived at the open pit to the west of the mountain that the district magistrate had mentioned. The pit was not particularly large, but it was more than enough to hold the remains of over a thousand people.
There was a heavy rotting smell from the pit. Li Qingshan subconsciously held his breath. It had only been a day, but the corpses had rotted quite a lot. It was even more unbearable than the heavy smell of blood last night.
The recruited civilians were currently moving the corpses over, stripping them of their clothes and throwing it into a fire on the side before tossing the pale corpses into the open pit.
Every single person furrowed their brows as they covered their noses and mouths with moist cloth. If it were not for the hefty rewards from the district magistrate and the threat of a disease outbreak, none of them would have been willing to do this. Not only was it disgusting and unbearable, but they also felt like it would all lead to misfortune.
Black smoke rose up from the fire, floating directly into the sky. There was not the slightest breeze in the wilderness. The red sun that was about to set continued to produce a scorching heat, causing the foul air to shimmer.
Countless crows circled in the air as they cawed. They would dive down from time to time to feast on the eyes of the corpses.
All of this seemed even more ominous compared to the night before.
There probably was no other place more foul than this in the world.
The district magistrate originally maintained a wide berth from all of it, but when he heard that Li Qingshan had come as well, he rushed over in a hurry and said, “Sir, how do you find this? Is it sufficient?”
Li Qingshan nodded, but before he could even reply, the district magistrate glanced at the open pit and covered his mouth as he vomited. In the end, he scrambled away from there.
Once all the corpses were thrown into the pit, the civilians began filling up the pit with soil. This lasted until the sun had set and night had descended. Only then were they almost done.
Li Qingshan hesitated before throwing the jar in his hand into the centre of the open pit. He allowed the people to bury it together with the corpses.
Li Qingshan stood at the edge of the pit for quite a while. Even after quite some time, the stink did not disperse.
“Did you know that plants grow particularly well in places where corpses are buried? When I was young, I poisoned a dog to death. I buried it in the garden house, and from then on, the flowers that bloomed every year would be particularly beautiful.”
Li Qingshan turned around. Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi stood nearby.
Qian Rongzhi made her way over and looked at the pit. “In under a year, this will become the place with the lushest vegetation.”
Li Qingshan had no interest in joining this conversation with her. Meanwhile, Diao Fei said, “The mission has been complete. It’s time for us to return, right?”
Li Qingshan said, “I still want to stay here for a while. I want to deal with the property and land under my name. You should return first.”
Qian Rongzhi sneered as she said, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of running now? You don’t know Gu Yanying at all, do you? How is it possible for a bumpkin like you to know a woman like that? Zhuo Zhibo has probably already gotten to the bottom of this now. It will be your time to die when you return. However, how are you supposed to run away? There won’t be a single place in the world to shelter you if you bear the crime of betraying the Hawkwolf Guard.”
Li Qingshan grabbed Qian Rongzhi by the throat and said calmly, “Do you believe that I can kill you right now? And have you buried with those other people?”
“Stop, Li Qingshan!” Diao Fei wanted to go up and stop him, but Li Qingshan raised his left hand towards him, and he stopped.
Qian Rongzhi said with difficulty, “If you kill me, then you’ll have to silence Diao Fei as well. Can you really manage that?”
Diao Fei’s expression changed drastically. He could not help but take a few steps back as he raised his guard. After last night, he no longer believed that he was Li Qingshan’s opponent.
Li Qingshan was unfazed. His hand gradually tightened, and Qian Rongzhi’s face became bright red. Fear appeared in her eyes. Just when she felt that her neck was about to snap, the grip suddenly loosened, and she collapsed on the ground on her knees, gasping heavily.
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t piss me off.” He stared right into Qian Rongzhi’s hateful eyes. “Go back and tell Zhuo Zhibo that I’ll be returning to Jiaping very soon. If he’s sick of waiting, he can come to Ancient Wind city to find me. I welcome him at all times.”
Afterwards, he crouched down and said to Qian Rongzhi, “If you’re scheming to kill me, then you’d best be prepared. You’ll only have one chance. If you fail, I will use everything I have to kill you. Of course, it’s best if you forget about that, or perhaps one day when I’m in a bad mood, I’ll just kill you off to cheer myself up.”
Hatred was gradually replaced by fear. Qian Rongzhi felt an indescribable pressure from his calm voice. The suffocating feeling felt even more realistic than being choked earlier.
“W- what benefit would I get out of your death?” Qian Rongzhi dodged Li Qingshan’s gaze as she said stiffly.
Just like how people would always meet their match, once her vicious ‘wickedness’ was compared to Li Qingshan’s cruel and overpowering ‘wickedness’, it would naturally shy away in response.
Li Qingshan stood up and left the pit, making his way back to Ancient Wind city.
Qian Rongzhi stood up and flicked off the soil from her body. She tidied her clothes and recovered her smile. She stared at Li Qingshan’s back as she said to herself, “One… chance?”
Diao Fei shivered inside. He asked, “Are you going back?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I’ve managed to return home after so much difficulty, so how I can leave so soon?”
Diao Fei was actually relieved by her reply. He was clearly the greatest cultivator out of the three of them, at the third layer of Qi Practitioner, and he was the oldest, so he was the most experienced in roaming the jianghu. As a matter of fact, he was even more widely-renowned compared to the two of them. His name of Diao Fei, or master Diao, was widespread in the jianghu. It was not something that a name like the Black Tiger could rival. He was known for his craftiness, coldness, and being difficult to handle.
However, he felt like he was standing between a venomous snake and a vicious tiger, constantly feeling like he could die at any time.
This was not a false impression. Whether it be Qian Rongzhi’s devilish schemes or Li Qingshan’s forceful methods, there was nothing ensuring Diao Fei’s personal safety. He faced the most amount of danger.
Qian Rongzhi wanted Qian Yannian to kill Li Qingshan, so Diao Fei would be finished off with him. When Li Qingshan directly confronted Qian Yannian, it was also very likely for Diao Fei to die if Qian Yannian unleashed his trump cards right from the beginning, summoning the Geng Metal Swords of Qi and using the Lightning Summoning talismans. Li Qingshan would not just sit by and watch this happen, but he would never expose his identity as a daemon just for him.
It had to be mentioned that Diao Fei had not gone through those life-threatening dangers when he roamed the jianghu for nothing. His senses were extremely sharp.
Earlier, when the black, vicious tiger pressed down on the colourful venomous snake and let out a threatening growl, the unrelated Diao Fei would involunatily become one of the venomous snake’s cards, which would make the vicious tiger consider whether it should show no mercy this time.
Diao Fei left in a hurry. In the end, he glanced at Qian Rongzhi from afar before vanishing into the darkness. He decided to never go on a mission with the two of them again, no, he would maintain his distance from them at all times.
The colourful venomous snake stood before the pit of a thousand corpses that she was personally responsible for as she silently produced new venom. She was even rather thankful for the threat from the black vicious tiger earlier. Once she showed her venomous fangs, that would be when she would die. Even if she succeeded, she would be ripped to shreds by a furious tiger.
However, she was not too worried. Patience had always been the best characteristic of a venomous snake. She could put up with the Qian family for over a dozen years, to the point where everyone believed she had already become docile, without any grievances towards the Qian family. It was even to the point where Qian Yannian let her go to Jiaping city to become a Hawkwolf guard.
She had already reached the second layer of Qi Practitioner three years ago. She possessed the ability to leave the Qian family. At that time, Qian Yannian had basically trusted her already, giving her as much freedom as she wanted. If she wanted to, it was completely at her discretion to flee, leaving the range of the Qian family’s influence so that Qian Yannian could not find her.
Ordinary people would have run out of patience a long time ago. They would have used the opportunity to break away from the clan, but she did not. She was willing to endure another three years of humiliation so that she seemed even more obedient, allowing her to win even more trust, just for a single opportunity to inject her venom into the throats of her enemies.
She would continue to wait patiently for a chance that would probably never appear. However, she felt like there was no need for her to do anything much at all. The figure of a vulture in the air had already enveloped the tiger. The tiger might have been startlingly fierce, but it was still too young at the end of the day.
Author’s Postscript: I really like this analogy. Hehe, how perfect! If you like it too, give me a monthly ticket in agreement! ^_^
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Chapter 145 – Pale Flames of Bone Smelting
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Chapter 145 – Pale Flames of Bone Smelting
However, there were many parts that seemed strange to Qian Rongzhi.
She had already gained some understanding as to what kind of person Li Qingshan was. He might have been courageous and staunch to his morals, but he was not stupid. Anyone knew it would be a futile effort to face a sixth layer Qi Practitioner while at the second layer, but he was fearless.
She had purposefully probed him earlier, confirming once again that he really did not have any backing he could rely on, so just what was he relying on?
When they came, during the night on the boat, Qian Rongming went to make trouble for Li Qingshan. He did not die at Diao Fei’s hands, but his hands, as he used a special method to hide his strength.
Was his true strength beyond the second layer of Qi Practitioner?
Qian Rongzhi thought of something. Zhao Liangqing and Furong’s mysterious disappearance might have purely been a coincidence, but she knew Qian Yannian’s strength very well. Even if he managed to get past the two Geng Metal Swords of Qi, there would be many powerful talismans waiting for him in Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch, so why had they not been used?
She shut her eyes and began to recall the past as best as she could. Washing away the blood and craziness of last night, it reappeared before her.
Qian Yannian stared at her furiously, but he did not say anything to her. Why? His chin had shattered. He was covered in many wounds, but the critical one was located at his chest, which was why her Water-splitting barb had pierced him so easily.
When Qian Yannian emerged, he was basically on his last breath already. Li Qingshan seemed to have been knocked out in a horrible shape, but he did not seem to be injured at all. He had defeated Qian Yannian in a direct confrontation.
Li Qingshan must have had an extremely powerful trump card, which was why he was bold enough to be so haughty and arrogant.
She thought about Qian Yannian’s wounds. Li Qingshan’s arts of forging the body might have been much more powerful than he had displayed, powerful enough for him to steal Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch, shatter his chin, and pierce his chest in a single instant. Afterwards, he was knocked away as an act. If that were the case, everything made sense. All of Li Qingshan’s actions and words fell in place together.
Just like how thieves were petty people, yet they were more clever than kings, Li Qingshan had never thought that everything he did would be deduced in such detail.
Qian Rongzhi saw something else. A vicious tiger laid within the woods, waiting for the vulture to dive down from the sky. Who was the predator? Who was the prey? That was undecided!
The idiot, Zhuo Zhibo, was bold enough to bear the word ‘intelligence’, or ‘zhi’ in his name, yet he failed to see the danger hidden in this. As it turned out, he was just like Qian Yannian. They seemed clever and experienced, but they had actually wasted away instead, now just fools. However, it was not their fault. It had been far too long since their strength alone was insufficient to defeat their opponents, so they obviously stopped using their heads.
She obviously was not kind enough to warn Zhuo Zhibo. It was just like before. She would be happy no matter who died. Hopefully, they would fall in battle together.
For the first time, she felt like Li Qingshan had a slightly greater chance at victory, as he hid in the darkness. Those who hid in the darkness were terrifying. She understood this very well herself. If she used this matter to threaten Li Qingshan right now, she would definitely die, but if she reported this to Zhuo Zhibo, there would probably be no benefit either. Moreover, if she lost the gamble, she would have to be buried along with Zhuo Zhibo. Li Qingshan’s warning was not a joke.
Then, if she wagered on Li Qingshan, was it possible for her to get a share of Zhuo Zhibo’s corpse?
She seriously considered these possibilities. Being a crafty, petty person really was much more difficult than being an impractical person of noble character. At this moment, her cold thinking completely discarded any consideration for her own honour or disgrace, even more than a wise and open-minded king. Everything was for the sake of benefit.
A cold breeze suddenly swept towards Qian Rongzhi from the pit. It caused her to shiver. Unknowingly, it was already very deep into the night.
She turned around and saw a green will-o’-wisp floating above the pit.
Even ordinary people would be startled by that, let alone her, the reason behind all of this. However, she only cursed jokingly, “Damned ghosts!” Afterwards, she cast aside the matter regarding Li Qingshan. There were even more important matters for her to attend to at the moment!
Now, it really was time for her to pay a visit home.
She raised her head and smiled at the starry sky. Father, mother, my brothers and sisters, you must be all sick of waiting!
After Qian Rongzhi left, something startling happened beneath the soil in the pit.
Web-like cracks expanded over the jar. It exploded violently, and Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration spread out in all directions, devouring all of the corpses and the foul flesh and blood, turning it into a part of the flames. It burned even more vigorously.
The dim depths tuned into a brilliant sea of fire. The foul, rotting corpses turned into clear, surging flames.
The will-o’-wisps vanished from above the pit.
With a rattle, over a thousand skeletons fell to the bottom of the pit.
Xiao An sat at the centre of the raging flames with his legs crossed, controlling the fire while absorbing the energy of the blood flames.
The skulls at the bottom of the pit stared at him silently with their empty eye sockets.
Xiao An extended his index finger downwards, and the blood flames turned into thousands of snakes, slithering through the skulls.
Blood flames similar to his lit up in the empty eye sockets. All of the skeletons began to shake, constantly banging against one another and producing a hurried rattle. Afterwards, they flew up, and the scattered bones assembled together.
Over a thousand skeletons of various sizes leapt about at the bottom of the pit, dancing around in the flames. The rattling of the bones were like percussive instruments, while the chattering of teeth was like singing. They surrounded Xiao An like they were holding a grand sacrificial ceremony.
The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration could be divided and imbued into corpses, developing a link with Xiao An so that he could control them at will. He knew this already. However, there was no point to this at all. The weak skeletons could not even defeat weaker practitioners of martial arts.
A skull flew over and landed in Xiao An’s hand.
With eye sockets to eye sockets, their blood flames burned together.
Within the brilliant redness of the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration, a sliver of pale whiteness gradually appeared.
Joy appeared in Xiao An’s eye sockets. This was an evolved flame of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty—the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting.
The fire was just like its name. It could smelt white bone.
If it were ordinary flames, it could only burn white bone to ashes no matter how hot it was, but as it was licked by the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting, the skull melted like candy. This process was extremely gradual and just as unbelievable.
After a very long time, the skull melted completely, turning into a droplet of pale-white liquid that dripped onto the centre of his forehead.
Afterwards, he raised his head, and a bone arm landed in his hand. He continued to smelt it.
As he smelted the white bones, the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting burned more and more vigorously. It smelted Xiao An’s white bones as well.
This process was a hundred times more painful than using blood to cultivate. It felt like countless steel needles, saws, and grindstones piercing, cutting, and rubbing against his body.
Just a single instant of it was enough to drive an ordinary person into insanity, or even death, let alone enduring it. However, the flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets burned brilliantly. He was fearless.
Whenever it almost became too painful to endure, a snowstorm would appear before him. He would return to that snowy night below the Ice Sword cliff.
Li Qingshan had waved his hand and knocked him aside, telling him to leave before vanishing into the snow and wind, climbing up the Ice Sword cliff alone and embarking on a road to death.
He stood in the wind and snow, alone, for a very long time. He did not hide as Li Qingshan had instructed. Instead, his body had stiffened. Coldness pierced his bones. He thought in fear, Would he die? Afterwards, he collapsed on his knees and agony filled his body.
In the end, he managed to catch up to them and lent Li Qingshan a helping hand at a crucial moment, as he had no idea just where else he was supposed to go apart from there.
Once everything ended, he watched on as Li Qingshan roared at the sky. He said nothing, but he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
The influence of that night on him was no less than what Li Qingshan experienced.
How could what he was going through right now compare to the pain back then?
The roaring Pale Flames of Bone Smelting enveloped him completely, smelting away the impurities and imbuing him with even more bone fluid; this process continued endlessly.
Before he rebuilt his body, he wanted his new body to be even stronger so that he could catch up to his steps.
……
Li Qingshan arrived at the local government office and handed the pile of property deeds to the district magistrate so that he could auction them off.
The district magistrate was utterly flattered. “Sir, I probably won’t be able to sell them all immediately.”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s urgent, so it’s fine even if you lower the price a little. Just treat it as a boon from me to the citizens of Ancient Wind city.” With a tremendous sum of several hundred Qi Gathering pills on him, he did not care too much about the silver. He had considered just throwing it all into a fire, but that would definitely lead to great turmoil in Ancient Wind city, which was why he did this.
The district magistrate said, “Sir, you sow endless good karma. I must thank you for your kindness for the sake of the people of Ancient Wind city.”
Karma? Li Qingshan smiled. That was not something he believed in. “Just get it done within a month.” Even without a warning, he did not believe the district magistrate would rip him off. At most, he would just skim a small part of it, which only made sense.
The district magistrate said, “Sir, are there any other matters?”
Li Qingshan made his way out through the door, “I’ll be staying in the city for a while. Just don’t annoy me.”
Li Qingshan obviously did not continue staying in an inn. After all, he was the largest landowner of the city. He chose a small courtyard on the mountain side. It was close to the Qian estate, and the surroundings were extremely tranquil. Most important, he could see the pit from there.
He stood in the courtyard. There was an overarching grid with grapevines and below it was a rocking chair. Beside it was a great water tank to put out fires. A carp lived in the tank, swimming around freely. A rippling, crescent moon reflected on the dark water surface.
Xiao An never mentioned it, but he could vaguely sense that the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was an extremely impressive ability. It did not require any pills of medicines, progress could be made rapidly, and it possessed astonishing power.
However, everything was balanced and equal. It required talent far beyond the reach of ordinary people. It required people to endure intolerable pain.
Xiao An was just a child, but he was a very clever and very strong child. He did not need his worry. The only thing he worried about was the future. Their future.
After all these years, Xiao An’s family have probably all passed away already! Perhaps there would only be a few gravestones waiting for him once he returns, and afterwards, I’ll adopt him.
Li Qingshan scratched his head. “Haha, my damned demonic thoughts.”
In the end, he decided to not think that much. He just sat down on the ground and tossed a Qi Gathering pill into his mouth. Chewing it to pieces, the bitterness and astringency spread through his mouth, which instead cleared up his head. He began to cultivate.
A ray of sunlight fell on his face. His eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes.
In the eastern horizon, setting all the clouds alight, a red sun slowly but firmly rushed into the sky, radiating with endless light and warmth and dispersing the fog. The endless view of golden wheat rippled in the morning wind.
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Chapter 146 – The Illusionary Riches of Human Society
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Chapter 146 – The Illusionary Riches of Human Society
Looking down from this vantage point, Ancient Wind city seemed like a series of steps, and the rows upon rows of roofs and buildings were built upon these steps. Currently, all of it was doused in a layer of red light.
Many people flowed through the intersecting streets and alleyways. There were vendors selling breakfast, people buying groceries, and travelling merchants who had risen early. It was a clamorous sight of society.
The sight from here was extremely vast and wide, which opened his mind and allowed him to see further as well.
“So the scenery here was actually so magnificent?” Li Qingshan sighed in surprise slightly. He took in a deep breath and began practising martial arts, moving his arms and legs around.
He sensed the flow of true qi through his body. After eating nine Qi Gathering pills last night, it had strengthened slightly yet again. His cultivation at the second layer was gradually consolidating.
He was not in a hurry to revert to daemon form and eat a huge quantity of pills.
That was because he could feel he would remain here for a while, and he would have to go back to Jiaping city for his next portion of Qi Gathering pills. Instead of eating a large number of pills and suffering from a temporary shortage, it would be better for him to take it slowly. The daemon core would naturally absorb a part of it.
He found a set of clothes from the past owner of the room and changed out of his Black Wolf uniform. Afterwards, he left the place and made his way down a series of stairs. He ordered some local specialty snacks in a store with the word ‘tea’ written on a plaque.
He felt like he was a tiny step closer to completing his great dream of eating all the delicacies of the world. Afterwards, he went off on a stroll in satisfaction. He purposefully moved very slowly so that he could appreciate the scenery along the way.
Who knows how long it had been since he had settled down and done something like this. Ever since he began cultivation, every single day was tense and pressing. Even when he returned to human society and arrived in the ancient Jiaping city, he had to deal with an endless number of problems constantly.
He had punished the wicked, assassinated a powerful opponent, and taken precautions against enemies. Even when he had the slightest leisure, he had to take advantage of every moment to cultivate, afraid to relax even by the slightest bit.
He had almost forgotten what leisure was like. He recalled the past, those times he spent on Crouching Ox hill, watching over the ox as it grazed, looking at the mountains, playing a reed flute, and avoiding the oppression of his elder brother and his wife. Unknowingly, a morning passed like this.
It seemed like two completely different lives. They each had their own charms, but he preferred his current lifestyle more. He was not someone who would lament about the past.
Looking at the clamorous crowds on the streets, he had already developed a sense of estrangement with it all unknowingly. He was still a Qi Practitioner of the lowest and weakest level, but he had gone down a diverging path of no return from ordinary people.
Ordinary people seemed to walk on level crowds, getting married, having children, covering daily necessities, until they passed away. On the other hand, cultivators seemed to be climbing a mountain that they could never reach the top of. Every time they made progress, they would see new things. Their lives would be elongated, spared from the grasp of death.
An official notice had already been placed before the government office. They even stationed a literate, minor officer there to read it aloud, announcing that all the property of the Qian family would be auctioned off in seven days.
Several hundred people gathered in front of the government office, forming a tight encirclement. They all pointed or indicated at it as they discussed.
Li Qingshan stood within the crowd and stared at it for a while like everyone else. The district magistrate sure was fast.
Afterwards, he passed through the crowd and entered a small bookshop. He paid two taels of silver and purchased several books of leisure, including poems, history, and random essays in general. Afterwards, he checked out a musical instrument shop and spent thirty-five taels for two scores and a jade flute.
Returning home, he sat down on the rocking chair below the grape vines and casually flipped open a book, reading through it carefully. The sun had already risen into the sky, turning from red to white. It pierced through the dense leaves of the grape vines and scattered on the slightly yellow pages as well as his face.
Right now, he seemed especially like a teenager and not a fearless cultivator, a decisive Black Wolf guard when it came to killing. The sharpness of his chiselled face seemed to mellow slightly, while his gaze that was like drawn blades was sheathed once more. They became deep and clear.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core gradually revolved within his body with unprecedented translucency. Water vapour flowed out from him naturally, moistening his clothes.
He failed to notice that he had become completely engrossed by a great war within a history book.
That was a certain type of mood and a certain way of cultivating.
A bow that was not in use had to be unstrung. He eased up from being so tense, nurturing his mind and body, only so that he could shoot an even more powerful arrow in the future, perhaps soon.
Not every single person could be so leisurely. There was a small town several dozen kilometers from Ancient Wind city. It was called Shangguan town, as most of the people living there had Shangguan as their surname.
Although they possessed a rare surname, they were not some clan of the martial arts society. The people were just the most ordinary common people.
However, there was a family in the town who went from being an ordinary family to the wealthiest and most influential family in the town, just because they produced a daughter who bore the surname Qian. They had whitewashed walls and jade-green tiles with countless servants. There was cheerful singing everyday. Everyone in the village was envious of them.
A rider in black on a fine, white horse slowly advanced along the path that connected Shangguan town to Ancient Wind city.
Qian Rongzhi looked at Shangguan village on the horizon from afar. Her mind that had been as still as water suddenly became a mess. She could not help but tighten her grasp around the Water-splitting barb on her waist. The cold weapon brought her a sliver of warmth.
The sun blazed in the sky, yet there was a sliver of lingering gloom in her eyes. She mocked herself, “Qian Rongzhi, oh Qian Rongzhi. You really have overestimated yourself.”
She had been taken away from this family. After she became accomplished with cultivation, Qian Yannian permitted her to return home and see her family. Ever since then, she frequently returned. She treated every single person in the family with great warmth. She wanted Qian Yannian to believe she treasured her ties and her past. Moreover, she wanted to make the Qian family believe they could control her using these people.
But now, she had already broken free from all of this. It was pointless for these facades to exist anymore. Her heart gradually turned cold. It was time for her to end it.
No one should be able to derive happiness from her misfortune! Nobody!
The vermillion gates of the Shangguan estate were wide open as blood flowed out from under the screen wall at the entrance.
Qian Rongzhi clutched her Water-splitting barb and frowned in thought as she stood behind the screen wall. There were over a dozen corpses strewn across the ground. There were guards, servants, servant girls, and maidservants…
She could name every single person there, but now, they were all dead.
She ventured deeper into the estate and saw more and more corpses. When she arrived in the internal courtyard, she saw a madam on the floor. She was originally a country woman, but her head was now adorned with precious jewelry, and she wore expensive silks from the south. However, she had been reduced to a blood mess now.
Qian Rongzhi had basically forgotten the name of this madam, as she had called her ‘mother’ for too long.
However, she felt her heart ease up for some reason. She gazed at the corpse deeply before stepping over it.
Afterwards, there were even more familiar people. Siblings.
Despite it being noon, the ancestral hall was still very dark. Several tablets stood in the heavy darkness as it enshrined the past ancestors of the Shangguan family.
A white-haired old man with a darkened face held a chubby, middle-aged man. He cast his cold, hateful gaze at Qian Rongzhi as she walked in; he yelled, “Shangguan Rongzhi, I knew you would return here!”
Qian Rongzhi said with mixed emotions, “Third uncle!”
This old man was Qian Yannian’s nephew. He had practised martial arts for many years. Finally, he broke through to the innate realm, reaching the second layer of Qi Practitioner to become one of the masters of the Qian family. Last night, he managed to escape from the main hall of the Qian family. Diao Fei did not choose to pursue him, which was why he managed to escape alive.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Did you do all this?!”
The third uncle said, “That’s right. Shangguan Rongzhi, you traitor! How dare you still call me third uncle! You killed the entire Qian family! You destroyed the Qian family! You’ve destroyed my everything. I will never forgive you. I will kill your entire family.”
“Rongzhi, save me!” The chubby, middle-aged man’s body jiggled. Snot and tears flowed across his face, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of sorrow.
This was the person she called father. Qian Rongzhi said furiously and fearfully, “Father, I’ll definitely save you! Qian Haode, release my father!”
Qian Haode said, “Now you know fear? You bitch! Throw away your weapon and kneel!” Qian Rongzhi hesitated at first, so he crushed the chubby man’s shoulder. The man howled and Qian Haode ordered, “Kneel!”
With a clang, Qian Rongzhi threw the Water-splitting barb aside and knelt. She inched forward on her knees as she begged in anguish, “Please! Release my father!”
Qian Haode smiled crazily and complacently. He refused to just kill her off. Not only did he want to kill off her entire family, but he even wanted to torture her closest family right in front of her.
Qian Rongzhi inched closer on her knees. She reached backwards with her right hand and true qi sucked the Water-splitting barb back into her hand. She leapt up from below, stabbing towards Qian Haode.
Qian Haode pulled the chubby man in front of him as a meat shield, blocking his body firmly. Then he grabbed the man’s other shoulder, waiting to force back Qian Rongzhi before torturing him viciously again. He wanted this bitch to regret her actions.
However, he felt a chill in his chest. Qian Rongzhi had no intention of pulling back. The Water-splitting bard stabbed deep into the meat shield, and the tip entered Qian Haode’s chest. True qi turned into blue light, piercing through him.
“You-” Qian Haode and the chubby man looked at Qian Rongzhi in disbelief. However, the anguish on her face had already vanished completely. It was replaced by cold satisfaction.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “It would have been rather difficult for me to kill you otherwise!”
Qian Haode said, “Shangguan Rongzhi, y- you venomous bitch! You won’t even spare your own family!”
Qian Rongzhi corrected him, “I’m not Shangguan Rongzhi. I’m Qian Rongzhi! Most of my family is dead already. Only you remain. From today onwards, I won’t have any family at all.” She drew out the Water-splitting barb viciously.
Qian Haode and the chubby man collapsed on the ground together. Qian Rongzhi did not even glance at the chubby man. She removed the hundred treasures pouch from Qian Haode and said sweetly, “Thank you, third uncle.” Just like an obedient little girl.
Qian Haode raised his hand with difficulty as he tried to gather true qi. The Water-splitting barb stabbed through his head without any hesitation at all. “There’s no need to hold back with Rongzhi.”
“Rongzhi, s- save me!” The chubby man extended his hand with difficulty and grabbed Qian Rongzhi by the corner of her clothes.
“Who are you?”
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Chapter 147 – The Arts of Alchemy
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Chapter 147 – The Arts of Alchemy
“I’m your father!” The chubby man called out as blood spurted out from his mouth.
“You have a daughter?” Qian Rongzhi was taken aback. She thought about it seriously. “Oh, you did. However, didn’t you sell her off already? Afterwards, you used the money to take a few concubines!”
The chubby man said with difficulty, “I did all of that for… for your sake so that you would… would have a good future. You should be… be thanking me.”
“Everything I possess right now came from my desperate and painful struggles! Stop trying to claim credit for yourself!” Qian Rongzhi suddenly lost her temper and kicked his hand away.
The chubby man opened his mouth, but he said nothing. Hatred and despair filled his face. He finally passed away.
“You derived fortune from my misfortune, and now, you’re suffering misfortune because of my fortune. It’s very fair, isn’t it?” Qian Rongzhi muttered to herself. She made her way out of the estate, throwing everything behind her.
All of her memories had been eliminated now.
Qian Rongzhi held a grand funeral in Shangguan town. She undertook the most noble and tedious ceremony, throwing joss paper into the air.
She knelt before the memorial tablets, almost crying to a point where she fainted as she held the coffins. Eventually, she forced her up, thanking every single person who had come to mourn in anguish.
“Rongzhi was just under the order of the government. Who would’ve thought that it would lead to such a disaster.”
“Sigh, to think that a girl as good as Rongzhi would suffer a fate like this. The people of the Qian family really have no conscience at all.”
Night descended. Everyone dispersed, and the gate was firmly shut. A pair of white lanterns before the gate swayed in the wind.
After turning down the neighbours who wanted to help watch over the coffins, Qian Rongzhi leaned against the coffins of her entire family in her white, mourning apparel. She took out a jar of wine from her third uncle Qian Haode’s hundred treasures pouch and took a cup from the altar. She poured away the wine that was offered to the dead and filled it up again. She toasted to the memorial tablets before drinking all of it.
The next day, the coffins were buried, and she had already become a great, filial daughter in utter sorrow.
Just like the customs, she mourned for seven days. By the seventh night, over a dozen alcohol jars were scattered on the floor. Suddenly, she felt a chill and opened her eyes in a daze. Over a dozen figures stood before her. They all had extremely familiar faces, staring at her coldly. The chubby man cursed and scolded her loudly in anger.
She let out a drunken laugh, pulled out the Water-splitting barb, and swept out with it. The chilling wind dispersed, and the shadows screamed.
Her mind cleared up. When she looked around again, there was not a shadow at all. It was difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake while drunk.
Bang! A jar of alcohol was thrown onto the memorial tablets, and the tablets scattered on the ground. The alcohol splashed everywhere. She held a candle and gently let go. The fire spread rapidly, swallowing the names on the tablets and spreading throughout the entire ancestral hall.
She made her way out of the blazing ancestral hall, disappearing into the darkness without even looking back. Behind her, the fire spread across the entire estate.
Another person swore the oath to never return home again.
The flute resounded through the dusk, lasting for a very long time.
Li Qingshan placed down the jade flute. He felt like it really did have a better tone compared to the reed flute he used in the past.
He began a quiet lifestyle. Everyday, he would cultivate, read and play the flute. During his leisure, he would stroll through the city and eat something new. Life was very peaceful.
Plop! There was a splash in the water tank. A carp waved its huge tail.
“Stop messing around!” Li Qingshan said, “I’ll give you a larger pond in a few days!”
The water tank immediately fell quiet.
A few days ago, he crushed a Qi Gathering pill of very poor quality and scattered it in the water tank. The next day, the carp grew larger, and on the day after that, it grew larger once again; then today arrived. The water tank had already become cramped. It could no longer swim around freely.
Li Qingshan looked at the huge, red carp in the water tank. “I might as well just have you cooked.”
With a swish, the carp swam to the bottom of the tank.
“It’s just a pity that my culinary ability is only so-so!” Li Qingshan laughed. He reached towards the water take, and his daemon core revolved. The water in the tank surged out, constantly changing shape in the air as the carp swam through it.
Li Qingshan took the carp and made his way towards the Qian estate. There was a large pond in the Qian estate that could hold this bastard.
Leaping over the wall, the large estate was empty. It had gone from being lively and bustling to deserted and quiet. It had only been ten days since someone tended to the place, and weeds had already begun growing on the pathways with dodders climbing up the beams. Within the vitality was a feeling of decay, while the stone steps were even worse. The dried traces of blood that could not be cleaned off gave off an even more ominous feeling.
So many days had passed already. Not a single person in this city was bold enough to approach this place. They would only look from afar and sigh.
Although he had made the district magistrate auction off the estate as well, Li Qingshan knew without even thinking that no one would buy it. Before long, it would fall into disuse completely and become a ghost house.
The lotus flowers had already wilted and fallen away in the pond, but the lily pads remained verdant.
“No one will eat you here.”
With a splash, Li Qingshan threw the carp into the lotus pond. The carp raised its head and bobbed up and down, as if it was thanking him before opening its mouth.
“Fine. Let’s just say it’s your lucky day.” Li Qingshan smiled and placed a Qi Gathering pill into its mouth. Only then did it turn around and swim towards the depths of the lotus pond.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to turn around and return, he suddenly saw a speck of firelight in the distance. It pierced through the shrubbery and shadows. He passed through the shrubs and approached the speck of firelight. He caught a whiff of a heavy fragrance from afar.
Entering through the door, he saw a large, circular, three-legged cauldron that currently gurgled with white steam. There was a heavy fragrance with the steam.
A pretty figure sat on a cushion in front of the cauldron with her hands extended, sending true qi into the cauldron. The amount of steam varied over time, controlled by true qi.
Li Qingshan recognised her with a single glance. “Qian Rongzhi, what are you doing here?”
Qian Rongzhi did not answer him. A while later, she pulled back her hands and regulated her true qi slowly. The cauldron top opened violently and steam filled the entire room.
Li Qingshan found this smell to be extremely familiar. “You’re refining pills!” He looked around and discovered that this should have been the alchemy room of the Qian family. It was also where all the Qi Gathering pills in his hundred treasures pouch came from.
He had eaten quite a few Qi Gathering pills before, but this was the first time he had seen someone refine pills. Then he looked at the huge cauldron. It was covered with green rust, but it continued to shine. It was actually a low grade spiritual artifact.
Originally, Li Qingshan believed that the Qian family would store something like that in a hundred treasures pouch if they possessed it, but he never thought it would be like this. The cauldron was so large that Qian Yannian would barely be able to fit it in his hundred treasures pouch if he placed it in completely. The inscriptions on low grade spiritual artifacts were limited. Since the cauldron could spray water, it obviously could not shrink.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “This is my home!”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s mine now.”
“I’ve already bought it from you. According to our deal, everything in the Qian family is mine. That obviously includes this cauldron. It sure has been a profit for me.” Qian Rongzhi took out the deed to the estate as she smiled.
“Let’s just say you were lucky.” Li Qingshan turned around to leave. He did not feel any pity at all. Even if Qian Rongzhi had not done all of this, he would have never bothered to search through the estate anyway.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Do you want to learn alchemy?”
Li Qingshan stopped. He looked back. “What do you want?”
Li Qingshan had already realised that apart from the most rudimentary cultivation and practising of qi, there were also several subsidiary occupations on the path of cultivation, such as making talismans, refining pills, forging artifacts, formations, and so on. Cultivators would normally learn one or two of them, which would bring about great benefits to their cultivation.
He could tell from the objects in Qian Yannian’s hundred treasures pouch that Qian Yannian had not studied forging artifacts or formations much, but he was rather skilled at creating talismans and refining pills. These also happened to be the areas he was interested in.
“I want you!” Qian Rongzhi hesitated before biting her lip and looking at Li Qingshan in complete seriousness. She said with a hint of embarrassment, “You must think that I’m a lascivious woman, but actually, I’ve never done anything with a man…”
She believed she had mostly understood Li Qingshan now, so she secretly came up with a plan. Although it was rather surprising for her to come across him tonight, it was perfect for her to try it. Li Qingshan would probably turn her down, and she would react with becoming overwhelmed by grief. Then she would tell him about her sorrowful childhood and shed a few tears when it mattered. She refused to believe she would not earn his sympathy. They would sleep together, and he would swear a pledge of love. With how straightforward and generous he was, she definitely would be able to get something out of him.
However, just when she had come up with a serious plan and written a script for all of this, Li Qingshan’s improvisation completely kicked in once more.
He interrupted her with a smile. “Alright. Teach me alchemy, and I’ll sell my body for just this once.” Although he found her actions to be appalling, there was no reason for him to turn down something as great as this. I’m a man, so am I supposed to be afraid of being ripped off by you?
Qian Rongzhi’s expression stiffened. Although she had thought of many possibilities before, she had never imagined that Li Qingshan would be such a scoundrel. It was completely different to her plan. She could not continue the act any longer. She suddenly recalled the first time she had seen him, when he was drinking and eating in the restaurant with all those women. She had misunderstood him far too much.
The vine wanted to climb onto a tree, to suck out tree sap and receive even more sunlight. Hopefully, it would kill the tree as well. However, never did it think that it had wrapped around a metal pole.
As a transcender, just what hadn’t he seen? Qian Rongzhi’s actions were nothing but commonplace in the society of his former life. Even news for entertainment and magazines for gossip could not be bothered reporting something like that. At most, they were just not as vicious and crafty as her.
Qian Rongzhi laughed dryly. “You sure know how to joke.”
Li Qingshan said, “Since the joke is over, let’s get to the point. What do you want in exchange for teaching me alchemy? Though, let me just say that I myself can be included in the deal for free. I won’t loathe you at all.”
Qian Rongzhi understood that seduction was useless against Li Qingshan, and even if she succeeded, only he would benefit. Not only was there no point to all of it, but it would even cost her, so she revealed her true colours and cut right to the chase. “I want the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi.”
Li Qingshan said, “The cultivation method that Qian Yannian practises? I’ve already checked. It wasn’t there. Choose something else.”
“That old bastard must have destroyed it.” Qian Rongzhi cursed.
Li Qingshan said, “There are cultivation methods in the library of the Hawkwolf Guard. You can check it out once you go back.”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I’ve already checked. There’s plenty of garbage that lets you cultivate to the sixth or seventh layers, but there’s not a single one that reaches the tenth layer of Qi Practitioner.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Where’d you get the contribution from?”
Qian Rongzhi only smiled.
Li Qingshan said, “Forget that I asked. Where else can you get tenth layer Qi Practitioner methods from?”
Qian Rongzhi asked, “Don’t you find me to be very shameful?”
“That’s your freedom. It has nothing to do with me.”
Author’s Postscript: Yep, this is Li Qingshan’s attitude. He’s neither an impotent man, impervious to lust, nor a lustful man who does too much of it. It took me quite the effort to write him like that, but I like it very much. If you like it too, then give me a monthly ticket!
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Chapter 148 – Refining Pills and Forging Artifacts
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Chapter 148 – Refining Pills and Forging Artifacts
Qian Rongzhi found Li Qingshan to be just too strange. He did not seem like a teenager at all, and the more she understood him, the more she found his thought process to be different from regular people. She thought about it before explaining with a smile, “Regarding Qi Practitioner methods that can be practised until the tenth layer, there are five that are the most famous.”
“Which five?” Li Qingshan gathered his attention for this important information. Qian Rongzhi originated from a small clan, but according to the official documents, Qian Yannian had once joined a large sect to cultivate, so he must have seen a lot.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Do you know that every person possesses all five elements?”
“The five organs, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys1?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s not as simple as just the five organs. The study of the five elements is extremely profound. I can’t explain it in a short amount of time, but every single person can choose to cultivate one of them. By focusing all of their efforts on a single one, their speed at practising qi will increase significantly. There are many cultivation methods for practising true qi of the five elements. The five most renowned methods are the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi, the Yi Wood Method of Living Qi, the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, the Bing Fire Method of Burning Qi, and the Wu Earth Method of Unyielding Qi.”2
Besides a few special sects, such as the Sect of Clouds and Rain, many of the actual, large sects would make their disciples choose one of the five cultivation methods to practise.
Li Qingshan had originally been considering just which cultivation method to choose after completing the Innate Method of Practising Qi, but now he had a vague direction, no longer carried away by those make-believe divine arts or secret techniques. Although it was not absolute, he believed this world followed the survival of the fittest.
If a cultivation method could become renowned, it would mean that countless people had actually used and experienced it themselves. As a matter of fact, who knows just how many generations of people had improved it, making it universal. And, when it came to cultivation, they could use the experience of predecessors as a reference. It really was true that all’s well when everyone’s well.3
Li Qingshan said, “Is it possible to practise whatever true qi you want?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Of course not. Everyone is biased towards different elements. The large sects all have their methods to test this, which they will then use to choose the most suitable cultivation method for you to practise. However, I’ve heard that talented geniuses can practise two or even three types of true qi at the same time. Their quantity of true qi exceeds cultivators of the same level who only practise a single true qi, and it’s easier for them to break through.”
“Since when did you become so nice?” Li Qingshan was surprised by how Qian Rongzhi demanded nothing from him.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “I was never a bad person!”
Li Qingshan said nothing.
Qian Rongzhi said, “If you don’t believe me, I can teach you how to refine pills as well.”
Li Qingshan asked, “You don’t want anything in return?”
Qian Rongzhi replied, “I don’t want anything in return.”
Li Qingshan answered, “That sounds great!” However, he did not seem particularly happy at all.
Qian Rongzhi actually began to teach him in detail. “Alchemy requires three most basic things. The first one is materials, whether it be the most common medicinal herb or the most precious medicinal herb. There is a limitless assortment of them, spanning an enormous range. The second is the formula. Every pill has a set formula, which has an extremely detailed requirement for materials and time of the day. The third is the cauldron, or should I say, the fire. Refining materials according to the formula is alchemy…”
Li Qingshan listened closely, and before he knew it, four hours had passed, and he only managed to gain a basic understanding of the art of refining pills, alchemy. This art was just too extensive and profound. Even if he devoted his whole life to it, he might not necessarily reach the peak. Right now, he had basically only learned about it slightly. He could not even be considered as having grasped the basics.
Qian Rongzhi said, “This is roughly all I know regarding alchemy. If you want to study it further, you’ll have to ask someone more competent.”
Li Qingshan nodded.
Qian Rongzhi pointed at the cauldron beside her. “Do you want to try? There are still a lot of medicinal herbs left.”
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback. He wondered whether she had changed. However, after hearing so much about alchemy, he was itching to give it a try, so he sat down before the caldron. He personally controlled the cauldron and refined pills under Qian Rongzhi’s guidance. However, as the fire was slightly too intense, he destroyed a batch of Qi Gathering pills.
Qian Rongzhi did not show any pity, nor did she scold him. Instead, she encouraged him to keep trying.
Li Qingshan said nothing either. He continued to try. His true qi was extremely pure, and he could control it as freely as his own arm. During the process of alchemy, his control over it deepened. After wasting another two batches, he finally succeeded. He pulled both hands back, let out a deep breath, and smiled.
Qian Rongzhi also praised him very much.
Li Qingshan saw the horizon light up. Knowingly, a whole night had already passed. She stood up and placed a few bottles of Qi Gathering pills on the ground as compensation for the destroyed batches and as fees for her guidance.
Qian Rongzhi watched Li Qingshan leave through the door, and she picked up the Qi Gathering pills. Just like how Li Qingshan did not rejoice over her generosity earlier, Qian Rongzhi showed no joy right now either.
The information regarding the Qi Practitioner methods of the five elements and the rudimentary alchemy was not actually a secret at all. And, the pills that Li Qingshan had left behind were far more than the number he had destroyed. Moreover, even if she had been the one making them, it would be impossible for her to say she would succeed every time, so she made quite a profit from this transaction.
Ordinary people would be very happy, but she felt something enough to turn people cold inside. That was an extremely cold sense of alienation. He would never owe people, nor would people ever owe him. At any time, as long as she tried her schemes against him, he would throw her on his kill list without any hesitation at all. He would never just put up with it.
She tasted failure once again. This was not a man who could be controlled by his emotions. Did he really not have a single point of weakness on him?
Li Qingshan did not think as much as her. He only felt happy over learning something new. The path of cultivation was so broad and deep. There were endless mysteries waiting for him to explore. Learning from others was not a bad thing.
The flames roared in the pit. Currently, the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting had already occupied almost half of the entire space.
Xiao An’s skeleton became glassy like jade. Compared to before, his bones were even more powerful and tough now.
The white bones in the pit had smelted his skeleton, which he had completed now. There were still several hundred white skeletons in the pit.
However, Xiao An continued smelting the white bones.
The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration and the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting were only the most basic techniques from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Their greatest use was not to harm people, but for cultivation. The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration were for completely absorbing the essence in flesh and blood such that not a single shred of it went to waste. On the other hand, the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting could melt the bones into fluid, which could be used to strengthen himself.
Besides that, it had one more use, which was for forging artifacts.
Practitioners of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty were different from other cultivators. The weapons they used were extremely special. There was a special part of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty devoted to forging weapons, which recorded several dozen special artifacts.
The Blood Sea Banner, the Trisepultural Robes, the Skull Prayer Beads…
Xiao An decided to use these several hundred skeletons to forge his first white bone spiritual artifact, the Skull Prayer Beads.
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1. This has to do with Chinese medicine, which you can read about here. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zang-fu)
2. It’s the ten heavenly stems once again, which I mentioned when the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi appeared for Qian Yannian. You can read about it here. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Stems)
3. The last sentence is a reference to an advertisement for a shampoo brand called 好迪 (hǎodí). It’s basically a motto that they say at the end of the advertisement as a play on their brand name.
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Chapter 149 – The Flesh and Blood of a Thousand People
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Chapter 149 – The Flesh and Blood of a Thousand People
Xiao An parted his hands and several hundred skeletons flew before him with a series of rattles, forming a tight sphere.
The Pale Flames of Bone Smelting surged up and swallowed the sphere of bones. Its surface gradually melted.
Xiao An brought his hands together and sat in a meditative pose; his eyes were directed to his nose, and his nose was directed to his heart. However, there was nothing. He had no eyes, no nose, and no heart. He chanted the buddhist scriptures, but he made no sound.
This was an extremely strange and terrifying sight, yet he happened to give off an aura of solemnity and righteousness. There was nothing related to evil or the undead.
The process of melting the bone sphere was extremely slow, but under Xiao An’s control, the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting burned more and more vigorously.
Unknowingly, another half a month had passed. Ever since that night when he learned alchemy, Qian Rongzhi had visited him several times, but she failed to get any benefit out of him, so she hurried back to Jiaping city. The only message she left behind was that she would await his return to Jiaping city.
As for Li Qingshan’s peaceful lifestyle, it finally began to fall apart.
Although the Qian family’s reign over the Ancient Wind city had collapsed, it would not turn the city into a happy paradise where people could live in peace. This world was not a fairytale world where people could live happily.
In the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. The people of the martial arts society that Qi Practitioners had originally suppressed began to show up. They formed gangs and fought for territory. Every single day, they would have several battles on the street over the possession of each brothel in the city, with even more battles and assassinations that happened in the dark.
On this day, Li Qingshan went to a restaurant he frequented and ordered a table of delicious dishes. As soon as he began to eat, a large number of people flooded the place and ordered all the customers to leave. It seemed like the leaders of the two largest gangs in the western part of the city wanted to negotiate something.
A burly man arrived before Li Qingshan’s table and said impatiently, “Are you done eating? If you’re done, then get out of here!”
Li Qingshan looked at the burly man before looking at his table of food and drinks. He shook his head firmly. “I’m not done.”
The burly man said, “Kid, have some sense. Don’t act like you have a tough backbone. I’ve crushed many bones in the past few days.”
Against a threat that had no substance and had no deterrent influence at all, Li Qingshan could not even rouse his anger. He just sighed over how he really had been a little too laid-back recently.
The burly man lost his temper. He launched an attack without any hesitation at all. He was just as he seemed on the surface, all brawn and no brain, no, he did not even have brawn actually.
The burly man flew out of the restaurant and knocked down a wall. However, with one man down, several dozen stood up. They all leered at him. They yelled out a few threats that had just about the same substance as the previous one before charging over together. Afterwards, they all flew out of the restaurant.
Only then did the remaining people suddenly seem to come to a realisation. They stood there trembling and watched Li Qingshan finish his meal, place the money on the table, and make his way out of the door. He muttered to himself, “What peaceful life? If I didn’t have the strength, I wouldn’t even be able to have a proper meal.”
The two gang leaders walked over from the two ends of the street as their own people surrounded them. In order to show their contempt for each other, they had both chosen to come late out of pure coincidence. However, they just happened to catch Li Qingshan at the entrance, or should one say, Li Qingshan just happened to catch them at the entrance.
As soon as Li Qingshan made his way down the steps of the restaurant, he raised his head and looked at the hazy sky. Summer was almost over.
“Who are you?”
Li Qingshan thought about how they truly were the bosses after all. At the very least, they would ask about their opponent’s origins and name. Of course, this was very likely due to overestimating him. The several dozen men groaning on the ground played quite an effect.
“I am Li Qingshan of the Hawkwolf Guard. You are their bosses. Your crime of attacking a Hawkwolf Guard on the street cannot be forgiven. Today, I will be executing you on the spot… forget it, I don’t have much interest in killing lately, so let’s just say it’s your lucky day.”
As Li Qingshan spoke and his aura rose, the two bosses turned sheet-white. Even in ten year’s time, the people of Ancient Wind city would not forget about his name. Of all the people they could run into, why him?
When Li Qingshan said ‘executing you on the spot’, their knees had already given way. They could not even plead for their lives. They just closed their eyes, waiting for their deaths. However, Li Qingshan’s tone and aura suddenly declined like a singer unable to hit a high note; it was as if he had just chosen to give up on it.
Only when Li Qingshan’s figure vanished did their subordinates help up the two bosses. They looked at each other with the joy of surviving a disaster. In the end, the two of them put aside their differences because of this encounter and celebrated together, forming a new gang. The rest was self-explanatory.
Li Qingshan returned to his courtyard and smacked his face in the mirror. “Get yourself together, Li Qingshan!”
Suddenly, he felt like he understood the mindset of those so-called masters, like ‘someone like you is unworthy of me killing you’. However, he immediately made up his mind to abandon this mindset. You’re still just a low level Qi Practitioner. You’re nowhere close to the point where you can be pretentious. Yep, no matter who provokes me in the future, I’ll step over them, even if it’s just a piece of shit on the ground.
Then, Li Qingshan looked towards the pit. Xiao An, are you well?
He had already begun to miss Jiaping city and Zhuo Zhibo.
Only when he was under pressure did he have motivation. Compared to this peaceful, tasteless lifestyle, he would much prefer running into powerful enemy after powerful enemy, where he needed to do everything he could to kill a way out. However, once he returned this time, Li Qingshan probably could give him a surprise.
Although he had been rather lazy, he had not stopped cultivating in the past half a month. With almost two hundred Qi Gathering pills down his belly, not only did his daemon qi grow tremendously, but he had even completely consolidated his cultivation at the second layer as well. Pure, plentiful true qi flowed through his Yang Heel meridian endlessly. He had touched on the boundary of the fifth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi as well.
Within the pit, the tremendous sphere of bones had already melted completely. It formed a pure-white, crystalline sphere, but at a closer glance, it was actually an extremely hideous skull.
The several hundred skeletons had only managed to be smelted into this tiny prayer bead. Xiao An held the prayer bead between his fingers. If he wanted to gather a string of the Skull Prayer Beads, he would need fourteen at the very least. White bone spiritual artifacts were actually so difficult to forge.
This was also the reason why Xiao An had chosen the Skull Prayer Beads as his first spiritual artifact. Every single item recorded in the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty possessed devastatingly great might. They were not items he could forge and play around with at his current realm.
However, he could forge the Skull Prayer Beads one by one. There was no need for him to forge them all at once. He could take it step by step.
Xiao An held the prayer bead in his hand. He could sense that his mind was connected to it; it was as if the prayer bead was not an independent spiritual artifact, but a part of his body. The reality was not far from that either.
The flames in the pit subsided, returning to his skull. Only two balls of fire remained in his eyes. He leapt through the soil and left the pit by following Li Qingshan’s aura.
Having lost the invisible supporting force, the layer of earth on top immediately collapsed. It was discovered by people on the very next day. The remains of the Qian family had vanished into thin air. It became a mystery.
In the darkness, Li Qingshan opened his eyes as he smiled. “Xiao An, are you done?”
The glassy little skeleton stood before him with red and white mixed around in the flames in his eyes.
Li Qingshan rubbed his head. “You really are much more pretty.” At least from the perspective of a skeleton, that was.
Xiao An opened his hand and presented the Skull Prayer Bead like it was a treasure.
Li Qingshan picked up the prayer bead. “What is this?” The prayer bead suddenly broke free from his grasp and flew around the room. It formed a white blur as it produced a string of swishes. It was actually no slower than Zhou Wenbin’s flying sword.
Li Qingshan was stunned. “Is this… a spiritual artifact?” It was a mid grade spiritual artifact at the very least.
With a smile, Xiao An bent his finger, and the prayer bead in the air suddenly swelled in size, turning into a huge skull. The teeth chattered as they collided together, like it was producing a strange laughter. Its eye sockets contained red and white flames similar to Xiao An’s.
When a child obtained something good, he would obviously show it off to the person who was the closest to them.
When Li Qingshan learnt the whole story of Xiao An forging an artifact, he could not help but sigh emotionally once more. The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty sure was nice. This White Bone Bodhisattva was very thorough with his considerations. If there was no weapon, they would suffer against the enemy even if their abilities and techniques were powerful.
Due to being connected to the user, the white bone spiritual artifacts could be wielded with great ease, however Xiao An liked. As a result, it was even more powerful than regular spiritual artifacts.
In fact, calling it a white bone spiritual artifact was not particularly correct. Even though it was just a single prayer bead, it was far more powerful than just a spiritual artifact. However, due to Xiao An’s limited cultivation and materials, he could only forge it to such a level for now.
The Skull Prayer Beads were the easiest to forge, but they definitely were not the weakest. Fourteen beads formed the smallest string of prayer beads. It would be followed by eighteen, twenty-one, until one thousand and eighty, resulting in a total of ten levels. They could try immortals and buddhas and possessed boundless powers.
Li Qingshan expressed his admiration once again before asking about what he cared the most, “Can you sense just how many more sacrifices you need before you can rebuild your body?”
Xiao An lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers before raising his head and extending a single finger.
He still required the flesh and blood of a thousand people!
Li Qingshan said, “That’s a very formidable task, but at least we have some sight of it. Let’s go cause a massacre then!”
The moment he extended his finger, the world was destined to lose a thousand evil people.
On the same night, Li Qingshan went to the government office and received the silver from selling the property from the district magistrate. Although they had been sold in a hurry, there were still over a million taels of silver. It was enough to exchange for ten Qi Gathering pills from Zhou Wenbin.
They did not even wait for the next day. Li Qingshan hurried out of the city with Xiao An during the night. He did not even glance back at Ancient Wind city. He no longer had any plans to return here.
In the pond of lily pads on the mountainside, a carp swam around freely, shaking up the lily pads. Their destiny had ended today. Who knows whether they would meet again.
Li Qingshan strode through the darkness in a straight path. By dawn, he had already arrived at a port on Clear River. He boarded a large ship and sailed downstream, heading directly towards Jiaping.
In Jiaping city, Zhuo Zhibo said, “In other words, he really did defeat Qian Yannian?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Yeah. I find it quite difficult to believe as well. That old coot Qian Yannian had weakened with age. He was far too useless. He probably never thought Li Qingshan would be a Body Practitioner, so he was careless, and Li Qingshan managed to get him. Looks like you’ll have to take action personally.”
When Qian Rongzhi left Ancient Wind city, she travelled slowly as she had hired a great cart in order to bring the spiritual artifact cauldron with her. She had only just arrived back at Jiaping.
Zhuo Zhibo immediately summoned her to confirm the news he received from Diao Fei. Not only was Li Qingshan still alive, but he had even defeated a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.
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Chapter 150 – From Dawn till Dusk
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Chapter 150 – From Dawn till Dusk
Not only did Qian Rongzhi give Zhuo Zhibo no warning that Li Qingshan might have been hiding his strength, but she even purposefully misled him, making it seem as if Li Qingshan had won out of pure luck. Even when there was no element of profit in the matter, she was tired of this old thing right in front of her. She hoped very much that he would be killed like that old bag of bones called Qian Yannian. These methods of just allowing matters to develop without making a sound would often be much more terrifying than those straightforward schemes.
Zhuo Zhibo also sneered just like he would normally. “It’s good that he’s alive. That’ll save me a trip, and I’ll be able to take his life personally. I’ll be able to vent what I’ve pent up.”
“Are you going to kill him as soon as he returns?” Qian Rongzhi’s smile was hidden deep within her pitch-black eyes. She was ready to watch a fascinating show.
However, Zhuo Zhibo said instead, “I’ll need to put further thought into this matter.” Despite being the commander, he was not bold enough to kill a Hawkwolf Guard in public. Afterwards, he sneered, “But he’s still under my command, so do you think he’ll be well off? I’ll show him just whose command this Hawkwolf Guard office is under.”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Is there anything on this mountain, in Jiaping city, that doesn’t belong to you? Even I’m no different.”
Zhuo Zhibo let out a hearty laugh. He would continue watching over Jiaping city until the day he died; he was just like the iron hawk, watching over everything.
When the Clear River twisted around the mountain once more, Li Qingshan directly leapt off the boat. Under a series of cries from the people on the boat, he climbed up the cliff face.
He returned to his residence first and set Xiao An down before going to see Zhuo Zhibo. He wanted to see just how this commander Zhuo would treat him now.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “Subordinate Li Qingshan greets commander Zhuo.” That was what he said, but he stood with his chest held high, standing as straight as an arrow. He showed no respect at all.
Zhuo Zhibo no longer tried to act all polite either. He questioned coldly, “Why didn’t you return immediately after completing the mission?”
Li Qingshan answered in a manner that was neither too humble or arrogant, “I obviously had matters to attend to.”
Zhuo Zhibo became even more displeased. To think that someone who was about to die would still be bold enough to act so arrogantly. “I’m deducting half of your contribution. You can leave!”
He had actually lost half of the contribution he had earned after so much difficulty. That was equivalent to several dozen Qi Gathering pills. Anyone would be irritated by that.
Li Qingshan held back his anger. He did not try to dispute it. He just turned around and left. He also could not kill a Black Hawk commander on this mountain.
Right now, they were targeting one another, but due to the same reason, they could not directly attack one another. However, they were already sharpening their knives.
As soon as Li Qingshan left the office, he ran into Ge Jian.
However, Ge Jian had been waiting for him. He sneered as he said, “Li Qingshan, do you really think you’re a big deal just because you killed an old man who had a foot in the grave? How dare you speak to the commander like that? Now you know the consequences, don’t you?”
Li Qingshan said, “You really are a good dog raised by Zhuo Zhibo.”
He said that with confidence. Obviously, he did not need to worry that Zhou Zhibo, who was in the office, would miss it; the latter’s face darkened.
“What did you say?!” Ge Jian lost his temper after being insulted right to his face. This was no longer the first time Li Qingshan had humiliated him. He had only endured it because he was worried about the latter’s backing.
Li Qingshan mocked, “To think that you would be bold enough to bark at me here!”
Ge Jian choked up. Originally, he wanted to infuriate Li Qingshan. As long as Li Qingshan attacked him first, there would be grounds for Zhuo Zhibo to interfere. But indeed, without Zhuo Zhibo, where would he get the courage to provoke Li Qingshan? This fellow was a monster who had killed a fifth layer Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan waved his hand. “Come, let’s go to the front, and you can tell me clearly. I’ll let your scheme succeed for once. Let’s see whether Zhuo Zhibo comes to save you or not.”
Ge Jian would never follow him. Once that happened, even if Zhuo Zhibo’s plan succeeded, he would be dead. He tried to put on a front. “D- don’t be cocky. I’m looking forward to the fate that you’ll suffer.”
Li Qingshan did not spare an additional glance at him. He made his way to the library. Just when he was about to climb up the stairs, he was stopped by the old man who guarded the library. “Who let you up?”
Li Qingshan said, “I have contribution, so of course I can go up!”
“Move. The library is currently under maintenance. Miscellaneous people are forbidden from entering.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned slightly.
All the old man felt was an invisible pressure against his chest, so heavy that he struggled to breathe. He forcefully endured it. “What, do you plan on forcing your way in?”
Li Qingshan slowly raised his right hand. The old man gulped as all of his muscles tensed up. His measly amount of true qi that had been eaten away by the passage of time began to circulate furiously. He could feel that as long as Li Qingshan tried, he could launch a devastatingly terrifying attack. Under the tremendous pressure, he did not even have the confidence to receive a single attack from him.
However, all Li Qingshan did was pat the old man’s shoulder. “Take care!” Afterwards, he turned around and left the library.
The old man broke out into a cold sweat and breathed heavily as he leaned on his knees. He had wandered the jianghu for many years, but he had actually been frightened by a half-grown junior. He was utterly humiliated. He yelled at Li Qingshan, “You’re the one who should take care!”
What Li Qingshan experienced afterwards was basically the same. There were no spiritual artifacts or pills. The contribution he had earned after great difficulty became a meaningless number.
Li Qingshan wanted to exchange for a new Wind-entwining blade, but he was turned down. Originally, Hawkwolf guards could exchange their weapons destroyed in missions for free. However, none of these people said that he did not deserve to. They just came up with various reasons to shrug off his request, but unless he gave them a beating, there was no other way for them to yield to him.
These important places that held items and wealth were obviously under the control of Zhuo Zhibo’s trusted subordinates. As a matter of fact, there was not even a need for Zhuo Zhibo to say anything. All he needed was a signal and that would be enough to prevent Li Qingshan from accessing anything in the Hawkwolf Guard.
In the end, Li Qingshan arrived before an extremely old building, with one, large word on it—Falconry. This was where the Hawkwolf Guard issued missions. It was probably the only place on the mountain not under Zhuo Zhibo’s control.
It was not that he was unable to control. Instead, it was because there were no spiritual artifacts or pills here. There were just a pile of troublesome missions. However, exchanging the contribution from the missions for actual things required Zhuo Zhibo’s permission.
Li Qingshan smiled. As long as this place was still open to him, all was well. To him right now, whether it be spiritual artifacts or pills, none of them were urgent. What he required the most right now was in the falconry.
There were a few Black Wolf guards accepting missions in the hall. When they saw Li Qingshan enter, they immediately fell quiet. Their mouths moved soundlessly as they communicated via true qi. They discussed between one another silently.
Li Qingshan made his way over to the counter. The envoy in black stood up in a hurry and said politely, “Sir, you’ve just returned. Do you plan on going out again?” On this small mountain, there were not a lot of secrets. He had heard about the disagreements between Li Qingshan and Zhuo Zhibo, but he was afraid of disrespecting Li Qingshan as well.
Li Qingshan said, “I want to see what missions there are.”
The envoy in black immediately took out a thick book. “Please have a look, sir.”
The book was dark all over as if it was covered in countless layers of filth. It also seemed like the colour of congealed blood. It felt ominous just from a single sight of it. However, it shone with a gentle glow, and as he held it in his hand, it gave off a slight warmth.
Li Qingshan said, “This book is probably pretty old.”
The envoy explained obediently, “It has existed since the office was established in Jiaping city. It’s probably over a millennium old.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then it really is quite old. Does this book have a name?”
The envoy said, “This is just a low grade spiritual artifact used to record missions. It does not have a formal name, but the people of the jianghu call it the blacklist!” Although he was just an envoy, he naturally revealed pride as the person in charge of the blacklist.
Li Qingshan said, “The blacklist? Why’s that? What’s the story behind it?”
The envoy said, “That’s because names that make it onto the blacklist will definitely die.”
Li Qingshan smiled, “Dearth, old age, illness, and death go hand in hand. Even if you don’t make it onto the blacklist, you’ll still die.”
According to his knowledge, the White Lotus Mother who had sacrificed two hundred thousand people should have made it onto the list as well. She even required a mighty White Hawk Commander like Gu Yanying, a Golden Core cultivator, to personally take action. However, Gu Yanying still seemed to have failed to bring her to justice. At the end of the day, it was still all about strength in this world. Nothing was definite.
However, to the people of the jianghu, it basically was a list of death considering the fact that it was written by Qi Practitioners. Afterwards, Li Qingshan realised the things he was about to do next was quite similar to what the White Lotus Mother had done. However, he was on the side of law, moving as someone carrying out the law. He had the license to kill.
Although the envoy was displeased by Li Qingshan’s joke about the blacklist, he was afraid to rebuke him. He just told Li Qingshan about how to use it.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan understood why it was called the blacklist. He would see a string of names with each page. There were normal names among them, as well as strange daoist or dharma names. It was used in a rather similar fashion to mental maps. All he needed was a thought and the list would be arranged according to different criteria.
These criteria included the amount of contribution, the danger level, the strength of the opponent, the estimated gains, and so on. If he selected one of the names, he would receive a set of extremely detailed information, including their cultivation method, spiritual artifacts, area of activity…
Li Qingshan sighed inside. The Hawkwolf Guard really was a major organisation that had existed for several millennia. There was rigour to the organisation, and they were fully-equipped. This information had basically simplified the steps of investigation, allocating all the work that could be completed by ordinary people to ordinary people. Afterwards, they would confirm the crimes and make the list so that the Hawkwolf Guard could hunt them down one by one.
Every single Qi Practitioner was a powerful master who stood above many, with longevity as their greatest objective. Cultivating and practising qi was their greatest priority. There was not a single Qi Practitioner who would waste their time on these miscellaneous tasks, being ordered around by others like servants. Otherwise, no matter how great the benefits of the Hawkwolf Guard was, it would still not be an attractive occupation to Qi Practitioners.
“Once you’ve chosen your mission, sir, there will be a file that you can read up on whenever you’d like. The information in there is all the most detailed information our leads have obtained. However, we cannot ensure that it will be completely accurate. You’ll need to adapt to circumstances,” the envoy gave a warning as a formality.
“Of course,” Li Qingshan replied. With a thought, the list was now ordered according to descending strength. He glanced at the name at the very top—the Zombie Daoist, sixth layer Qi Practitioner. He was on the list for capturing living people and turning them into zombies en masse. The danger level was extremely high, and the contribution that came with the completion of the mission was actually as much as twelve thousand points.
But clearly, there was no one who could complete this mission apart from Zhuo Zhibo and the Black Wolf commander who had never shown himself. Of course, Li Qingshan possessed the strength to complete it, but he only paused on it slightly before flipping further until the last few pages.
The last few pages of the blacklist mostly contained the names of gangs and sects, not the names of individuals. These were places like the Black Wind stronghold. They no longer possessed a single person that was worthy of being regarded as a single target by the Hawkwolf Guard.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan chose his missions.
The envoy was stunned. “Sir, do you really plan on accepting these missions?”
Li Qingshan nodded without any hesitation at all. “Go retrieve the files. I’ll be setting off right now.”
The envoy instructed some people in a hurry, and before long, other envoys brought over stacks of documents. Many of them seemed extremely old, with dust floating around in the air near them. Clearly, they had only just been wiped down.
Li Qingshan placed all the files and documents into his hundred treasures pouch and left immediately. As soon as he made it out the door, a few Black Wolf guards hurried over. “What mission did he choose?”
Afterwards, they looked at one another, stupefied.
“What is the kid planning?”
“Carrying out justice and protecting the weak? Don’t kid with me.”
“No matter how many missions he completes, he won’t get anything in exchange for it as long as he doesn’t have commander Zhuo’s permission.”
In the main office, Zhuo Zhibo drank tea leisurely. “So what’s the kid up to.”
Ge Jian smiled, “The kid ran around, but he has nothing at all.” His anger had finally eased up slightly.
Zhuo Zhibo placed down the tea cup. “Toying around with him before we take his life isn’t necessarily bad. I’d like to see just how much longer he can endure this for.”
Ge Jian said, “I think he’ll have to endure it no matter what.”
At this moment, a Black Wolf guard walked in hurriedly, “Commander, that kid has found a reason to leave the mountain!”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Oh, he wants to avoid me? What mission did he accept?”
The Black Wolf guard said, “More than one.”
“How many?”
The Black Wolf guard said in a strange manner, “He accepted twenty-seven missions.”
“What! Bring them over.” Zhuo Zhibo took the mission document, which had a dense list of the missions that Li Qingshan had accepted. However, the contents of the missions surprised him very much, not because they were too difficult, but because they were too easy.
The pirates of the Water Snake gang, the horse bandits of the Giant Deer valley, and so on. All of them were missions that the Hawkwolf Guard had accumulated over time but could not be bothered completing.
That was because the targets in the mission were all just ordinary people of the jianghu. At most, these people would be carrying around some silver on them, while spiritual artifacts and pills went without saying. And because they were far too easy, the contribution they offered was as low as it could be. At most, new Black Wolf guards would just use it for practise before never looking at them again. They would much rather remain on the mountain and cultivate instead.
As an office of the lowest tier within the Hawkwolf Guard, black iron, they were completely composed of Qi Practitioners, and they primarily targeted other Qi Practitioners. They mainly served as a deterrent force to martial arts practitioners.
As a result, this led to the formation of a tiny vacuum of law in the system. This place was called the jianghu.
Ge Jian said, “If that’s the case, he has managed to find another reason to leave Jiaping city.”
Zhuo Zhibo snorted. “If he wants to do the manual labour, let him do so.”
By now, Li Qingshan had already left the mountain. He calculated in his mind that completing these missions should roughly amount to a thousand people.
This was his main goal: to help Xiao An rebuild his body. For the sake of this goal, he could temporarily put aside everything else.
Right now, his choice in joining the Hawkwolf Guard seemed to be more and more correct. Otherwise, where else was he supposed to ask about bad people? And, if he committed a massacre against ordinary people as a Qi Practitioner, even if they were all bad people, it would attract a great deal of attention. It might have even earned him a spot on the blacklist, which would force him to oppose the government.
It was simple now. The information provided by the Hawkwolf Guard was extremely detailed. Every single person who could make it onto the blacklist of the Hawkwolf Guard through their cultivation method and martial arts alone were sinful, and they all occupied a single region for most of their lives, so they were very easy to find. All he needed to do right now was to go find them one by one with his license to kill, and then kill out a bloody path from dawn till dusk.1
Li Qingshan placed his hand on the porcelain jar on his waist and thought to himself, Don’t worry, Xiao An. Very, very soon you’ll be able to breathe air, taste delicious food, feel warmth, and smile just like the other children.
Li Qingshan did not directly leave the city. Instead, he paid a visit to the government office first. He wanted to exchange the several million taels of silver on him for some Qi Gathering pills. He could feel that he would be gone for quite some time after this departure, and his enemies would not be carrying hundred treasure pouches. They would not be a ready source of Qi Gathering pills. He also gained a deeper understanding as to why the Hawkwolf guards were reluctant to hunt down these annoying insects.
Zhou Wenbin saw Li Qingshan, and his eyes lit up, “You’re already at the second layer. You’ve been progressing much faster than I expected.”
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for your concern, sir. With a powerful enemy right by my side, I obviously cannot tarry.”
Zhou Wenbin said, “As long as you know. I heard you killed Qian Yannian in a direct confrontation?”
Li Qingshan said, “I just got lucky!”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Even if it were all luck, it’s still an unbelievable achievement for a second layer Qi Practitioner to kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. Though, I must warn you again that sixth layer Qi Practitioners are completely different from those at the fifth layer.”
Li Qingshan nodded. Afterwards, he thought of the various things that Xiao An could do. If he was measured according to the standard of Qi Practitioners, he was at the sixth layer or even higher, and he was as swift as lightning with boundless strength. Even if a low grade spiritual artifact landed a blow on him, it would fail to injure him at all. He was much more powerful than regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners. If he really became involved in battle, and it was a Qi Practitioner’s duel where he could not use the Skull Prayer Bead, all he had to do was rush over and forcefully pierce the protective true qi and dig out their hearts; he would win just like that.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty had completely exceeded the powerful abilities of this world. The further Xiao An progressed, the more evident his terrifying strength would be.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Although the Sect of Clouds and Rain has expelled Zhao Liangqing, they’ve sent people to investigate. You’ve probably caught their attention. People from sects often don’t have any qualms when they go about their business, so do be careful.”
Li Qingshan said, “Thank you for the warning, sir. I will be careful.” The Sect of Clouds and Rain had lost their business in Jiaping city, as well as a master who was about to break through to the sixth layer. A reaction like this was expected.
Zhou Wenbin said, “Nothing good will come out from striving for a moment of glory. Why don’t you take my advice and go to the School of the Hundred Thoughts to cultivate for a while? You can avoid him temporarily, and once you’re no longer a fledgling, would you still need to fear a measly Zhuo Zhibo?”
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1. Yes, there are a few movie name puns in this paragraph.
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Chapter 151 – The Auspicious Casino
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Chapter 151 – The Auspicious Casino
Li Qingshan said, “Is the Academy of the Hundred Schools really that great? So much so that you think of it constantly, sir?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “That’s the foundation of Great Xia, the place that gathers all the young talents across the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture. Of course, it’s a good place. What do you think of my talent for cultivation?”
Li Qingshan praised, “Sir, you are obviously outstanding to have reached the sixth layer of Qi Practitioner at your age and become the magistrate of an entire district, standing above millions.” He could not help but sigh inside. It spanned one thousand five hundred kilometers. That was the size of western Europe. Just what kind of sight would it be for all the talents in an area as large as that to gather in one place, cultivating and learning together?
Zhou Wenbin shook his head with a bitter smile. “How am I outstanding? I’m just barely the average. As for my status as a district magistrate, true prodigies have no need for these additional factors for cultivation. They would never waste time on governing people. All they need to do is focus on cultivation, and they will make it further than me.”
He was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, yet he was barely the average?
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. “There are many generations of people of talent in the world. There’s no need to underestimate yourself, sir.” He was not surprised by the fact that there were many people better at practising qi than him, as he understood that his talent for practising qi was nothing special, and he had only just started. He did not have any guidance either, constantly relying on common pills like Qi Gathering pills.
It was very likely for those from large Qi Practitioner clans to begin cultivating since young. They would be able to resolve their queries by asking powerful masters or seniors, and they would eat precious pills that he would not have even heard of. If their cultivation talent was just rather decent on top of all of this, they would be prodigies of cultivation.
Whether it be time, resources, or talent, there were plenty of people that surpassed him. There was nothing unfair about having people at a higher cultivation than him. This was what a head start was. Regardless of the world or age, this would always happen. Compared to grumbling, he might as well put in some more effort instead. Were those kings and lords really just born more superior than everyone else?
Zhou Wenbin said, “Your commander Hua Chengzan is the same. Although he comes from a renowned clan, he has always remained in the Academy of the Hundred Schools to study. Even now, he has yet to completely leave it. When I see him, I even have to call him senior brother! There’s a saying that that the talents of the world all emerge from the hundred schools. You really should consider it!”
“Then I must check it out in the future. When that time comes, I hope you can help me out, sir.”
Li Qingshan had once heard from Gu Yanying that Hua Chengzan was a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. Gu Yanying had even lectured him to stop hanging out with women so much. Back then, he still did not really have a perspective on what a tenth layer Qi Practitioner was, but now, he understood just what that meant. He had opened all of his extraordinary meridians and was a single step away from the first heavenly tribulation. Even if Li Qinghan daemonified, there was no way he could defeat someone like that.
Zhou Wenbin said, “This falls within my duty, so you can’t call it help. I’m basically under no constraints in Jiaping city, and there’s not really any work I’m forced to do either. It’s all up to me. However, there is something I must do, which is choose a hundred talented men and women every year to send them off to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to study.”
The requirements were surprisingly lax. Li Qingshan asked, “That simple? As long as you have the talent to cultivate?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Entering is easy, but remaining is difficult. How long you can remain there for will be up to your own ability.”
Li Qingshan pondered silently for a while. “Oh right, do you still need money, sir?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Ever since I became the district magistrate, there hasn’t been a single time when I don’t need money. Looks like you’ve reaped quite the harvest this time!”
Li Qingshan took out several million taels of silver notes and handed it all over, dismissing it as all from the Qian family. He obtained over fifty Qi Gathering pills from Zhou Wenbin, and as a result, the number of pills on him broke three hundred once again. It would be enough to last him a short while.
Regular Qi Practitioners experienced a limited frequency of ingesting pills. However, to a daemon like him, he could never get enough of them. He would be forced to budget it carefully. If only there was a day when he could eat pills as he wished.
Moreover, the Qi Gathering pills he obtained from Zhou Wenbin all had fantastic purity and quality. Every single one of them was tiny. Although their effects were the same, they were much smaller than Qian Yannian’s Qi Gathering pills.
“Were these pills refined by you, sir?”
Zhou Wenbin said, “I once studied beneath a renowned master of the school of Medicine who specially focused on alchemy and apothecary. It’s just Qi Gathering pills, so it obviously proves no difficulty to refine.” The materials for Qi Gathering pills were relatively easy to collect as well. As the magistrate of an entire district, a single order of his could prompt countless people to go searching for medicinal herbs.
Li Qingshan thought about how if he had the opportunity, checking out the Academy of the Hundred Schools would be quite a good idea. It was impossible for him to seek guidance over refining pills, creating talismans, or formations from a person he just came across on the street. It would be best if he formally studied a little instead. Out of wealth, companionship, method, and environment, he could not go without companionship.
But now was still not the time. There were many powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators in Clear River city. It would be very easy for Xiao An to be discovered if he just hid in the jar like this. He needed to rebuild the boy’s body first.
Li Qingshan stood up and bid farewell, leaving the government office. He did not travel in the direction of Clear river, but westward instead. He left the city along the main path.
Thirty-five kilometers away from Jiaping city, within the Auspicious casino of Silver Mountain town.
Although Silver Mountain town was just a town, it was more prosperous than most cities, as there really was a mountain of silver here. Who knows how many silver mines were hiding beneath the mountain, and who knows just how many people had struck it rich overnight and lost their lives on another night.
Although the Auspicious casino was a casino in a town, it was no worse than those first-rate casinos. Moreover, it welcomed everyone, regardless of wealth, treating everyone the same. As long as you had silver, you could gamble and try your luck there.
Whether it be the mine owners who had suddenly struck it rich or those miners who worked in precarious situations, they would all come here to try their luck.
Under the brilliant lantern light, curses, laughter, and roars of anger poured into everyone’s ears. The smell of sweat, smoke, and perfume mingled together.
Everyone’s gazes were firmly fixed on the gambling table. They clenched their hands as their eyes widened. Their expressions changed and twisted with the numbers on the dice. There was pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy.
However, the expressions of the gamblers would often end in anger and sorrow. Only Shi Jixiang1 remained in pleasure and joy. He was the boss of this Auspicious casino. He held two large, golden spheres in his hands as he constantly looked around. His chubby face seemed like a smiling buddha’s, always plastered with a smile. When he looked down from the second floor of the casino, there would be benevolence in his eyes as well. What a group of idiots!
Two large men carried up another man as he struggled. “Boss, we’ve caught him.”
The man knelt on the ground and wept. “Boss Shi, great hero Shi, grandfather Shi, please, I beg you. I’ll give my mines, my property. I’ll give it all to you. Please show some benevolence and spare my family!”
“If I spare you, who’ll spare me?”
“Then, could you please extend the loan. I will definitely gather all the money for you.”
Shi Jixiang said, “If you are in debt, you gotta pay it. That’s how the world works. Even your wife and daughter are busying themselves in the joyhouse. You’re a man, so how can you just loaf around? Why don’t you get into the mines and put some back into your work?!”
“Y- you actually…”
Shi Jixiang sighed helplessly. “People can die, but debts can’t. If you vanish, what am I supposed to do?”
“Shi Jixiang you son of a bitch! The dice were rigged… you cheated me… Even if I die, I’ll never spare you!” The man suddenly lost control of his emotions. He owed this usury a snowballing debt. He would never be able to pay it back in his lifetime. The only fate waiting for him was dying in the pitch-black depths of the mines.
However, before he was even done, he was knocked out by a slap from a large man beside him.
However, Shi Jixiang lost his temper at the man. “Why did you hit him with so much force? What if you end up killing him? Are you supposed to replace him in the mines for me? Tsk tsk, look, what a pitiful person. I can’t fall asleep whenever I see someone as pitiful as him, so don’t let me see him again.”
The burly man obliged and carried the man out.
Only then did Shi Jixiang recover his smile. He liked to gamble a lot, and he knew how to gamble very well. With his gambling techniques, he had brought ruin to several mine owners already. He had already become the largest mine owner in all of Silver Mountain town. As for the mine owners who did not gamble, he had plenty of ways to deal with him, as not only was he good at gambling, but he also possessed first-rate martial arts. He could spend tremendous sums of money to gather a group of good men who could both fight and oppress.
With those two things, he would become the only mine owner in all of Silver Mountain town, and he would continue smiling like that.
“It’s right here!”
Outside the main entrance, a young man held a piece of paper and confirmed the two words on the plaque above the entrance to be ‘Auspicious casino’. Afterwards, he strode in.
The guards at the entrance studied him and welcomed him with smiles. They did not try to stop him at all. Only once the young man had entered did they discuss with smiles, “Not a bad stature.” “Heh, he probably could do a year or two in the mines.”
Li Qingshan liked to eat and drink, and with his rather unsuccessful experiences of having women attend to him while dining, he had basically tried prostitutes already. However, this really was his first time gambling.2 He found novelty in everything, so he constantly looked around. He arrived before a gambling table. They were playing an extremely simple game of Big or Small3. As a result, he just casually tossed in one thousand taels of silver notes, betting it all on big.
This surprised the gamblers, but they had seen larger bets before. As a result, they just dismissed him as some ignorant young master who had managed to escape from his clan.
“The bets have been cast! Roll!” And just as expected, it was big.
Li Qingshan accepted his silver cheerfully before betting it all on big again.
A while later, the ruckus in the surroundings gradually vanished. The gamblers’ mouths all hung agape with mixed expressions as they looked at the small hill of silver notes and silver pieces in front of Li Qingshan. He had already won sixteen rounds consecutively. The dealer had been changed twice as well, but that was not enough to stop his winning streak. He threw all of that into a bet once again.
In the beginning, there were still some gamblers who gambled with him and managed to win some money, but now, there was no longer anyone bold enough to gamble the same as him.
A boy servant arrived beside Li Qingshan. “Brother, our boss has invited you to the second floor for a talk.”
Li Qingshan glanced upstairs and said loudly, “If you want to talk, then get down here and talk. What, you’re afraid of people winning against you while you run a casino?” He slammed the marble table and left behind a faint print on the thick, heavy stone.
Shi Jixiang finally could not smile any longer. Afterwards, he issued orders, Clear the casino and gather the people. A tough one has come this time, a second-rate master at the very least. He seems like he has come to make trouble. He can’t just be appeased with money.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and his lips curled into a smile. It would be for the best if you cleared the casino, and the more people the better. If you can gather a thousand people, I’ll burn some incense on your grave, if you have a grave that is.
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1. Shi Jixiang’s given name, so Jixiang or 吉祥, can mean auspicious. This also means that the casino can be called the Auspicious casino, which is a name you would give to a casino considering the aspect of luck and good fortune, but the casino can also be called Jixiang’s casino. Moreover, there’s a Hong Kong movie from 1972 called The Casino, which shares the same chinese name as the name of the casino.
2. If you’re wondering why eating, drinking, visiting prostitutes, and gambling are listed together, there’s a Chinese idiom that basically describes the four activities. Basically, they go hand-in-hand for indulging in worldly pleasures. Li Qingshan wants to try them all.
3. Big or Small is a rather common gambling game in China. Basically, you just roll one or several dice and see whether the sum of the dice forms a larger sum (‘big’), or a smaller sum (‘small’). There’s more information here.
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Chapter 152 – Flaws in the Plan
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Chapter 152 – Flaws in the Plan
A while later, there was not a single gambler left beside him. Several dozen hostile men replaced them, armed with swords and blades; they either sneered or glared at Li Qingshan.
All of the doors and windows were shut now; not even a fly would be able to escape from here.
Only then did Shi Jixiang slowly make his way down from upstairs. He spoke like everything was under his control, “May I ask who you are, brother? If you tell me about your identity, you might even make a new friend today. If you’re lacking money to cover travelling expenses, feel free to mention it. I, Shi Jixiang, am not a stingy person.”
Li Qingshan looked around and said in a pity, “Just this much?”
Although he had originally come with the intention of purging evil, it was obviously impossible for him to scour every corner of Silver Mountain town after killing Shi Jixiang. He lacked both the time and energy for that. There were still another twenty-six missions and over nine hundred people waiting for him.
However, when it came to something like teaching a lesson, basically everyone who should have been here was here!
Shi Jixiang was unsure about his motives, but he could tell that Li Qingshan had no plans to answer him. He was infuriated, and he took off his thin clothes, revealing a bulky upper body and the tattoo of a buddha. He sat down in front of Li Qingshan. “I’ll gamble with you this time.”
Li Qingshan saw him strip and was ready to fight, but when he heard that, he was slightly surprised. Then he said, “That works.”
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
Shi Jixiang rolled the dice viciously. He stared firmly at Li Qingshan with his small eyes. For some reason, he felt uneasy when he met those calm, unperturbed pupils that clearly divided the colours of the latter’s eyes. However, he had fought and killed for many years now, so his mental fortitude was rather impressive. He forced back his uneasiness and slammed down the dice cup with a bang. He asked aggressively, “Big or small?”
Li Qingshan casually cast his bet. Just like before, he bet all the silver on the table and went with big once again.
Shi Jixiang raised an eyebrow. He channeled inner force into the cup before immediately lifting it. He roared with laughter. “One, two, and four. That’s small. You lose?” At the same time, he circulated his true qi, and the men in the surroundings eyed Li Qingshan closely, ready to fight at any time. They were all wary of Li Qingshan flying into a rage from his loss and trying to hurt any of them.
Li Qingshan laid out his hands. “And then?”
Shi Jixiang was stunned. Originally, he thought that Li Qingshan would furiously label him as a cheat. “What and then? If you’re willing to gamble, then you need to be ready to lose.”
“Alright. I’ve lost. All of the silver is yours.” With that, Li Qingshan kicked the marble gambing table.
Not a single person present had thought that the heavy, sturdy, still table could be launched with such terrifying speed and might in a single instant, whistling through the air.
Shi Jixiang’s eyes narrowed as he was shocked. Even masters of external martial arts do not possess such strength! At the same time, he reacted by leaping up. The extraordinary martial arts he took pride in seemed so slow now. He could only watch as the dice and dice cup was launched into the air while the marble table slammed into him.
Boom!
Dust was kicked up into the air as the marble table slammed Shi Jixiang into the wall. It firmly lodged the lower half of his body into the wall as his bones shattered under the collision of the table.
The men in the surroundings still seemed to be lost. Didn’t they win? How had their mighty boss Shi been reduced to such a horrible state in the blink of an eye?
Li Qingshan ignored them. He walked over to the marble table.
Shi Jixiang really was a first-rate master after all with how tenacious his vitality was. His lower body was crushed, but he still managed to remain conscious. “W- w- who are you?”
Li Qingshan said, “A Hawkwolf guard on a mission. I find it annoying when people like you smile. This expression suits you better.” He conveniently caught the falling dice on his side, “And, you can’t decide big or small through these.” Without even looking back, he threw them backwards.
The dice pierced a man who was just about to launch a sneak attack on him with his blade.
“Just what are you going to use for a gamble with me?”
Everyone immediately understood their disparity in strength and the fact that death was near. They rushed for the entrance without any regard anymore. They wanted to open the main entrance that they had just shut firmly.
A man looked back in fright. A stream of fire that seemed like a dragon rolled over from Li Qingshan’s waist. Wherever it passed by, everyone was reduced to nothing, only leaving behind a set of clothes that fell to the ground slowly. This was basically even more terrifying than any bloody sight. He pushed against the entrance firmly before losing all consciousness.
The fire snake opened its mouth and lunged towards Shi Jixiang before pausing again and looking at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan waved his hand to express there was nothing more he wanted to say to him. However, Shi Jixiang opened his mouth. He was the one who had something to say, but his face was already lit up by the firelight.
The fire snake immediately swallowed Shi Jixiang.
The gamblers had not dispersed. Instead, they paced around outside the entrance. The night had just begun. They had yet to enjoy themselves fully!
They believed that this ignorant kid from another place would suffer very soon, and the casino would reopen. However, there were other people who believed that only those with the ability would take a risk like this and that the kid would be a difficult opponent. As a result, they split into two sides and gambled on this matter.
However, they waited for a very long time, and the casino still had not opened up again. However, none of them were bold enough to force their way in either. People of the government opened the entrance only after the next morning arrived. The large casino was completely devoid of people.
There was a speck of light in a tiny inn in the middle of nowhere.
Li Qingshan unfurled his mental map of the Green province and planned his destination for the next day. He used an invisible line to connect twenty-seven specks together.
Twenty-seven specks, one thousand people.
Xiao An sat to one side, looking at the mental map and Li Qingshan. He seemed to be in thought.
Li Qingshan asked, “Do you remember the number? How many was it?”
Xiao An dipped his finger in a cup of tea and wrote on the table, “Fifty-seven.”
Twenty-six specks, nine hundred and forty three people.
Li Qingshan corrected the number in his mind. He did not deal with Shi Jixiang’s property. Ever since Xiao An gave him a clear goal, that had become his greatest priority that he eagerly wanted to complete.
If he could be a little faster, Xiao An would be able to recover his body a little faster.
However, he did not go without any benefits. Shi Jixiang was swallowed by the flames, but he left behind a few talismans. Originally, this person had planned to use them as trump cards, but before absolute strength, he basically had no chance to use it.
Li Qingshan raised his head and smiled. “We’ll be done very soon. Let’s go to Giant Deer valley tomorrow and go find the horse bandits. What do you think? The route I planned is pretty good, isn’t it?”
Xiao An then wrote on the table. “But if this continues, we’ll alarm the others very soon. They will go into hiding.”
“That’s true. We can only move a little faster then and travel day and night. If they end up hiding, that’ll be troublesome.” Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback. He rubbed his chin in thought and found that Xiao An really had a good point.
These people were not mobs from games who would pace around in the same place, waiting to be slain. Though, once they were slain, new ones would definitely spawn, as there would never be an end to people like them.
News always spread rapidly through the jianghu. As long as he repeated this a few more times, probably all the figures of the jianghu on the blacklist would realise that their end was coming, and then they would subsequently vanish into hiding. Just which Qi Practitioner would waste their precious time to scour the world for them? Li Qingshan did not want to waste this time either. This was also the reason why the Hawkwolf Guard could not eliminate them all!
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Chapter 153 – The West Gate Granny
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Chapter 153 – The West Gate Granny
Xiao An was willing to search for them with him slowly, to advance slowly with him. If they found someone, they would kill them, but if they did not, there was no need to panic. However, seeing how impatient Li Qingshan was, Xiao An did not want him to trouble himself over his matters, so he came up with an idea.
“Why don’t we find a way to gather them together?”
Li Qingshan gasped in admiration. Compared to looking for them one by one, he could try inviting all of them to a certain place before taking them down in a single swoop. If he wanted to grind mobs, then he obviously had to lure mobs. Why hadn’t he thought of such a simple principle?
He rubbed Xiao An’s head. “I couldn’t tell, but this little head of yours sure can scheme.”
Flattered, Xiao An lowered his head in embarrassment.
After being inspired like that, Li Qingshan’s thoughts immediately sprang to life. Afterwards, he searched through the files from the missions and finally found a name.
Shen Xihua. He occupied an island on a large lake to the south. He called himself the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers. He was a confident romantic and had a rather obscene nature. In the past, he had committed over a dozen acts of sexual assault. He was also the person with the highest cultivation in Li Qingshan’s twenty-seven missions, at the first layer of Qi Practitioner. He was extremely renowned among the unorthodox martial arts practitioners, and the files mentioned that he had vast connections.
In the eyes of the Hawkwolf Guard, he thrived in a zone that no one had any interest in, yet he could also defeat all practitioners of martial arts. He could be described as a master who lived within the cracks of the system.
Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “Just from a single birthday celebration, Qian Yannian managed to invite so many people to congratulate him. You might be slightly weaker, but you shouldn’t be much worse. Right now, all I need is quantity, not quality.”
Of course, there probably was not a coincidence like his birthday had just come up, but whether it was getting married or having children, there were plenty of excuses! If he did not have any excuses, he could create one for him, and then invite many masters on the blacklist over to celebrate.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips gradually curled up. Perhaps there would be many unexpected extras to it all!
……
Silver Mountain town, the third day after Li Qingshan had left.
In the middle of the night.
Amidst the thick mist.
A magnificent carriage was pulled along slowly by a horse. As the wheels rolled over the cobblestone road, it did not produce any sound at all; it was as if a layer of foam separated it from the ground. It stopped silently in front of the Auspicious casino.
A handsome teenager in red disembarked from the carriage and entered the casino with his head held high.
Shi Jixiang was gone, but he had five leaders beneath him. Two of them died at Li Qingshan’s hands that night. The other three had been watching over the mines and other property, which was why they managed to avoid it.
Currently, they had gathered together with their subordinates and were locked in an intense discussion over how they were supposed to divide this chunk of meat. They went into so much detail that it even included Shi Jixiang’s concubines. The three of them laughed obscenely together. The atmosphere was rather harmonious. They got along rather well.
However, their faces changed as soon as they reached the topic of the profitable Auspicious casino. They argued so furiously that they almost drew their weapons.
The young man in red walked into the casino at this very moment. He seemed alone and very frail, with no signs of martial arts or qi. However, he behaved in a very arrogant manner, so obviously he was not well-received.
“Where the hell did this kiddo come from? This isn’t a place you should have come to. Hurry up and get out of here!” As soon as the person finished talking, his head fell from his shoulders. His expression was still one of shock. He had no idea why the world had suddenly flipped on him.
Only at this moment did a cold snort ring out from the carriage outside the casino. A withered finger extended out from the curtained windows of the carriage.
The teenager in red smiled. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“An innate master!” The three leaders immediately paled in fright. It was not just an innate master, but one that was unimaginably powerful.
Probably only Qi Practitioners who had split open a sea of qi like Zhuo Zhibo could witness the true gateway to practising qi. Even powerful sixth layer Qi Practitioners would have to rely on spiritual artifacts if they wanted to kill someone from several dozen meters away, yet she managed to do so with true qi alone.
This was completely different from using techniques. If Li Qingshan used a suitable technique, he could launch such a long-ranged attack as well, but in terms of using his true qi alone, ten meters would have been his limit, and he would have only been able to knock people away, not behead them. As for regular second layer Qi Practitioners, being able to reach three meters away would already be an impressive feat.
After all, if the power of techniques was the same as directly using true qi, why would Qi Practitioners put effort into creating techniques and condense true qi into techniques during battle?
An old, screechy voice rang out, “You’ll answer whatever question he asks. If you don’t know, then investigate. If he doesn’t get his answer, all of you will die.”
Everyone in the casino trembled all over. The boy in red took out a portrait. “Was he the person who came to the casino that night?”
Depicted in a life-like fashion within the portrait was Li Qingshan.
A while later, the boy reported back, “Ma’am, I’ve confirmed that he’s Li Qingshan. He has left Silver Mountain town now. I wonder where he has gone.”
“He has probably gone to Giant Deer valley.” She seemed to have grasped Li Qingshan’s tracks completely.
“Then let’s set off now!”
“How impatient.”
This time, an old hand extended out from the carriage curtains, except the long nails were painted bright red. It was a rather strange sight.
A series of cries rang out in the casino. An ordinary blade suddenly began to dance and swing around as white streaks, killing everyone in the casino one by one.
Compared to directly killing people with true qi, borrowing a ‘tool’ or ‘artifact’ was still much simpler. Of course, this would be even more simple if it was a spiritual artifact.
Everyone in the casino knew martial arts, and the three leaders were all second-rate masters as well. However, against the nimble blade, they could not hold their ground at all.
In just a few seconds, the casino became littered with corpses. Only then did the blade drop to the ground with a clang.
The teenager in red was slightly surprised. All he heard was the old voice in the carriage. “They’ve insulted my Jie’er, so how can they be left alive?”
The teenager immediately showed great happiness. He entered the carriage and threw himself into the arms of an old woman.
The old woman was dressed in red and had a head full of grey hair. Her face was shriveled, but as she held the handsome young man, they seemed like a pair of lovers. They were not the only two in the carriage. There were three more young men, all dressed in red and just as young and handsome.
One of them grumbled, “Granny is picking favourites. Granny only spoils Jie’er.”
Jie’er said, “We’ve all sworn that we would serve granny for the rest of our lives, so you’re not allowed to be jealous. Granny, why must you personally look into this matter? Can’t you just send disciples from the disciplinary hall?”
“It’s very likely that what happened to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in Jiaping city is related to this person. You’ll need a sixth layer Qi Practitioner at the very least to kill Zhao Liangqing without raising any attention. If we send regular disciples, we’ll just be sending them to their deaths. There’s no point in staying in Clear River all the time either. We can relieve our boredom by going on a stroll.”
The granny’s formal title was the West Gate Granny, not because her surname was Ximen, or West Gate, but because the Sect of Clouds and Rain had four gates and four grannies representing the four directions. Every single one of them were powerful ninth layer Qi Practitioners who had opened all eight extraordinary meridians.
There was no longer anyone bold enough to refer to her by her actual name within the sect, while other people gradually forgot about her original name as well. Only the title of West Gate Granny that represented her status remained, replacing her name.
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Chapter 154 – The Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers
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Chapter 154 – The Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers
The teenager who had just been grumbling said, “It’s all because granny became interested when she saw how well-built and tough Li Qingshan was, but granny already has us, so granny can’t be so fickle.” He spoke with a tone like he was in love. The teenagers all looked at the West Gate Granny with utter infatuation. It was not forced at all. They were just like when the men of Jiaping city saw courtesan Furong.
As a second layer Qi Practitioner, Furong’s arts of charm were already enough to drive regular people crazy and strike fear into the hearts of Qi Practitioners, so just how powerful would the arts of charm of this ninth layer Qi Practitioner, the West Gate Granny, be? It was not something that a few normal boys could resist. Even Qi Practitioners would always do whatever they could to fulfil their desires, let alone ordinary people.
The West Gate Granny said in a spoilt manner, “Alright, alright. I’ll kill him as soon as I see him.”
“As long as granny loves us, does it matter if granny has other men? We’re all good brothers.”
As they spoke amorously, the carriage rolled slowly and silently over the cobblestone path. Upon closer inspection, a gap of around an inch remained between the carriage wheels and the path as if a cushion of air existed.
The horse’s hooves landed on the ground as normal. After a few inscriptions flashed, the treasured horse that usually pulled the carriage during the day could now take off effortlessly. It rushed off at an unbelievable speed.
They left behind a casino full of corpses. Afterwards, the little caretakers under the little leaders gathered together and began a new discussion, just like the grass that never stopped sprouting on the plains. Perhaps, people originally unrelated to all of this would join in as well, which would be followed with further conflict and slaughter; this was the jianghu.
Li Qingshan still ended up going to Giant Deer valley, as it was not very likely for these horse bandits to accept the invitation from the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers. The files indicated that the horse bandits were composed of people with the bloodline of barbarians. Every single one of them had a great, brown beard.
Even if the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers invited them, it was probably unlikely for these barbarian horse bandits to visit the island on their horses, so he wanted to just finish them off conveniently.
The horse bandits dwelled on the vast, grassy plains. They had no set place where they stayed. The Giant Deer valley was only one of their resting places.
After Li Qingshan realised that it was all futile, he did not give up. Instead, he laid on the ground and used his nose before closely studying the traces there. He was like a wild beast with extremely sharp senses.
As his daemon form gradually strengthened, the world in his eyes became richer and more colourful. There were many layers to it. His tracking ability had almost become part of his instincts.
The smell and traces from the ground were still very fresh. They were not far, and from the traces on the ground, there were at least two hundred horse bandits, which made Li Qingshan’s eyes light up.
As a result, he immediately set off. True qi gathered in his feet, and he crossed through the grass that stood as tall as a man. He moved swiftly under the amber sky as night set in, and two hours later, he had covered fifty kilometers and finally found the horse bandits.
Within the smoke, the horse bandits rushed at the travelling merchants, letting out war cries. The merchants did their best to stop them and raise their defenses, but the thrumming of horse hooves were unable to hide the fear in their eyes. The curved blades lit up the surroundings with dazzling, white light.
Suddenly, someone said, “What’s that?”
A cloud of dust rushed over from the north-west direction, heading directly towards the group of horse bandits. A figure leapt high into the sky, through the dust and smoke, landing on the mount of the bandit leader.
Li Qingshan stood on the horse’s saddle and pressed one hand against the bandit leader’s head while his other hand grasped the reins. He forcefully turned the horse around. The moment he brushed past the mercantile caravan, the merchants all raised their heads and saw a teenager in high spirits. His expression gave everyone a false impression; it was as if he was not holding the head of the bandit leader, but a huge chunk of gold.
Someone murmured, “That’s a person!”
The horse bandits rushed over as they cursed. They could not worry about the caravan anymore. They had to save their leader.
After that, no one ever saw the infamous horse bandits of Giant Deer valley anymore.
After arriving in the middle of the boundless wilderness, Li Qingshan swung down with his right hand and slammed the horse bandit’s head into his chest. The tremendous force spread to the horse, and it collapsed onto the ground loudly.
When the horse bandits arrived, Li Qingshan had already vanished. They raised their heads swiftly, and a sky of fire filled their gazes.
The number changed to seven hundred and fifty five.
Just a day after Li Qingshan had left Giant Deer valley, the carriage arrived.
The same teenager in red disembarked to check. “Granny, he’s not here.”
“This kid is pretty quick.” The West Gate Granny unfurled a mental map and pointed at a location, “Let’s go to the next place.” It was exactly the same as Li Qingshan’s original route. She had a complete grasp over how Li Qingshan would go about his missions.
However, the boys all refused. They all grumbled about how it was just too boring. They had grown accustomed to the joys and pleasures in Clear River city. They disliked all the travelling.
The West Gate Granny said in a doting manner, “Alright, we’ll rest when we get to the next city.”
……
It was a tiny puddle on the map, but when he saw it in person, it was a huge, misty swamp.
“This is the place. This bastard sure knows how to live.” Li Qingshan stowed the mental map away and cast his gaze into the distance, piercing through the mist. He vaguely made out an island. The island was covered with green, shady willow trees, with some red walls and green tiles poking out.
Next to the lake was a city. The scenery was wonderful, yet it was also highly convenient. This really was a good place for someone to settle down and live out the rest of their lives. However, when he thought about how someone like him could settle down and live out the rest of his life, Li Qingshan felt extremely discontent. Afterwards, he licked his lips as he imagined the smiles dropping from their expressions with the malevolence and pleasure of a daemon.
Using the night, he tread across the water and stepped onto the island on the other side. Only then did he see the luxurious estate clearly.
There were many armed guards patrolling outside the estate. The security was very tight, but to Li Qingshan’s eyes, such a security system was basically non-existent.
Li Qingshan gently kicked off the ground and landed on the eaves several dozen meters away before rushing towards the largest building.
Behind a veiled curtain, the pale bodies of people moved around. Moans and verbal teasing constantly sounded out.
“Master, you’re so good!”
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose. He felt like he would always intrude at a time like this. At such a late time of the night, the bad people would be going at it in bed, while the good person could only watch the eroticism that was vividly presented before his eyes.
A gentle cough drowned out all of the sounds within the obscenity. Someone sprang up from the bed and lifted the veiled curtain. “Who is it?”
Two pairs of eyes met. Both of them were rather stunned.
Li Qingshan had never thought that Shen Xihua would actually be elderly. Most of his hair had greyed already. Only then did he suddenly remember that the files detailed that there had been an attempt to bring him to justice, but he discovered them and fled, which led to the case being placed aside. As a result, even a young boy would become an old man after all this time.
On the other hand, Shen Xihua saw a young man in cloth robes sitting boldly on an armed chair, glaring right back at him. Although he did not give off any special aura, just his ability to appear in Shen Xihua’s bedroom silently was enough to shock him.
“Put on your clothes. There are some things I want to discuss with you.” Li Qingshan placed something on the table before standing up.
Shen Xihua rushed to the table. He saw the item and stiffened. His face paled as he cradled it in his hands carefully. Coldness pierced his bones. He trembled once more, and he became even whiter.
It was a black wolf baring its fangs and claws, forged out of black iron.
In a small pavilion shaded by trees, Li Qingshan leaned on the railing and gazed at the scenery of the lake. Shen Xihua had put on clothes and rushed over while he cradled the Black Wolf tablet in his hands. “Sir, may I know your name and why you’ve come to my humble abode?”
Li Qingshan took back the Black Wolf tablet. “Don’t you know what you’ve done? You’re the culprit, Shen Xihua!” He had seen quite a lot of detective television series in his past life, so he copied how they naturally exuded confidence.
With a thud, Shen Xihua’s knees crumbled to the ground. “Sir, they were all deeds that I committed when I was young and muddle-headed. Sir, you are a great man, so please just spare me. If there’s anything you require, I will do everything I can to ensure it is obtained or achieved.”
A powerful figure among the unorthodox martial arts practitioners of the jianghu, a first-layer innate master, had lost all of his bearing, kneeling on the ground and begging for his life. Li Qingshan had not even done anything to him yet; this was all just from seeing his Black Wolf tablet.
Shen Xihua felt extremely helpless. Who would be willing to serve a kid who was several decades younger? As soon as he saw the Black Wolf tablet, he thought about running, but he was reluctant to abandon everything he had built up. And, if the Hawkwolf Guard really tried to find him, they would always find him. As for fighting, that was even more impossible. Let alone his fate if he lost, even if he somehow managed to win, his entire family would accompany him to the grave whether it be because of infuriating the Hawkwolf Guard or killing a Hawkwolf guard.
When Li Qingshan stood before him, he was no longer just a lonely teenager, but a terrifying system of violence from the government. Anyone from the so-called jianghu could only act subserviently before this system. Of course, it was impossible for him to understand the hostile relationship between Li Qingshan and Zhuo Zhibo. That was something well beyond his reach.
However, Shen Xihua was still hopeful. Since Li Qingshan had not attacked him right from the get-go, it meant that he still had a chance. As a result, he gathered his courage to come here so that he could hear what Li Qingshan wanted to say to him.
As expected, Li Qingshan said, “I have something I want you to do for me.” He sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion and looked at Shen Xihua from above. He did not tell him to walk over and sit down with him.
Li Qingshan could treat ordinary people with courtesy, but if he was supposed to dwell on this bit of courtesy with someone like this fellow, there would be something wrong with his head. Compared to murder or robbery, he found these acts to be even more disgraceful. If it were not for the sake of his plan, he would have wanted to kill Shen Xihua right now.
Shen Xihua’s face lit up. “Please let me know, sir.”
Li Qingshan took out twenty-four files and tossed them before Shen Xihua. “I want you to invite all the people mentioned in there to here, including their subordinates and disciples. The more the better.”
Shen Xihua’s expression changed drastically. He immediately thought of what Li Qingshan was trying to do. He was such a young teenager, yet he was actually hiding such terrifying thoughts. He actually wanted to take out all the unorthodox masters within the surrounding region of several hundred kilometers in one fell swoop.
Li Qingshan said, “It can be a birthday, having children, or other reasons. You might have obtained a peerless cultivation method or divine weapon for everyone to come and appreciate. You can handle the exact details.”
Shen Xihua said, “Sir… t- that’ll be unrighteous of me to do!”
Li Qingshan broke into laughter. “You’re a rapist, yet you still mention the word ‘righteousness’?”
Shen Xihua became bright red. He disputed groundlessly, “Those are all matters of the past. I even left quite a lot of money for those women. T- they aren’t necessarily unhappy with the outcome…”
Before he was even done, a great force pushed his head down. With a bang, his head struck the ground heavily, drawing blood.
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Chapter 155 – The Pill Seizing Gathering
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Chapter 155 – The Pill Seizing Gathering
Li Qingshan stepped on Shen Xihua’s head and breathed in deeply. He said in a deep voice, “Out of the women you speak of, three of them have committed suicide. I don’t know about the others, but let me warn you. Don’t piss me off!”
“Yes… yes…” Shen Xihua murmured. He was willing to face a second layer Qi Practitioner with his strength at the first layer. Even if he could not defeat them, he could still escape, but only then did he realise that he was wrong. The step was so fast that he could not react at all.
As for the heavy, murderous aura, he found it to be even more stifling than the pressure on his head.
Li Qingshan gradually lifted his foot. “Consider it!”
Shen Xihua kept his head lowered for quite a while before raising it. “Are you going to spare me if I do?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m not here to discuss with you. You can accept it or turn it down. You are welcome to try your luck.”
Under Li Qingshan’s contemptible gaze, Shen Xihua said, “I accept.”
Li Qingshan smiled and personally helped him up. “You could have just said that from the beginning.” He had no plans to spare Shen Xihua. However, since he planned to use him, he could not express this intention of ‘I’ll definitely kill you’. Otherwise, that would not be called gallantry, but idiocy.
Shen Xihua’s expression eased up slightly. Li Qingshan saw how his facial features were neat and dignified. He must have been handsome when he was young. “You came from a well-off family, basically a clan. Why did you do all of those things?”
Shen Xihua said, “I was ignorant in my youth. I was ignorant. Sir, when would you like for these people to be gathered here?”
Li Qingshan said, “The sooner the better.”
Shen Xihua said, “I don’t really know some of them, and there are a few others who have their own plans as well. Even if I do invite them, they won’t necessarily come!”
Li Qingshan said, “That’ll depend on your ability as the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers then. And, it doesn’t have to be them. You are welcome to invite all of your good friends who have committed crimes with no conscience at all. The more the better. If there are too few and the gathering is far too cheerless, I might end up becoming upset.”
Shen Xihua’s heart shivered. The person before him was young, but he was definitely not a soft-hearted figure. Otherwise, he would have never been able to come up with such a terrifying scheme. Now, all he could do was follow through with the plan reluctantly.
He invited Li Qingshan to stay in a smaller building near the lake and ordered his people to serve him carefully and not to disturb him.
The next day, an invitation card was delivered into Li Qingshan’s hands. After receiving Li Qingshan’s approval, several dozen copies were made and sent off. They reached the hands of the various masters on the blacklist.
This was the news on the jianghu, The powerful unorthodox master, the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers, who has fallen silent for quite some time, has obtained a bottle of pills. These pills can allow martial arts masters to reach the innate realm. He wants to sell it to a group of masters, so he invites everyone to the Island of Cherishing Flowers on the eighth of the eighth month, at the beginning of autumn. You will contend against one another for it. The event will be called the Pill Seizing Gathering.
Li Qingshan sighed inside. This was basically what happened when he obtained the spiritual ginseng in the past. Shen Xihua was already an innate master, so he obviously could not use this pill, but to other first-rate masters, this was an irresistible event. Even if they found it to be suspicious, they would still come and check it out. After casting his bait, he could wait quietly for the fish to bite.
From that day onwards, Shen Xihua would visit him in person daily. He was extremely considerate for his needs.
Li Qingshan meditated and practised qi every day, without setting a foot outside his residence. The only thing the people on the island knew was that he was a valued guest of the island lord; they were afraid of disturbing him. Combined with the fact that they would sometimes hear him muttering to himself, they found it to be extremely strange and were even more reluctant to approach him.
As a result, Li Qingshan just meditated and practised qi regardless of day or night, ingesting the Qi Gathering pills like water and converting it into daemon qi and true qi. In less than ten days, he had already ingested two hundred of them.
The effects were extremely obvious. On the second of the eighth month, his Innate Method of Practising Qi finally broke through to the fifth layer. His true qi became even more powerful as they constantly raged through the Yang Heel meridian. His ability to sense the spiritual qi of the world through his Fengchi acupoint became even sharper as well. It was like a blurry image that gradually cleared up. He was able to distinguish the meaning within the image bit by bit.
Although he had not reverted to his daemon form, it must have grown by quite a lot as well!
Li Qingshan left his residence. The sky was gloomy. It had begun drizzling three days ago.
The heat of summer receded and coolness gradually set in. It was almost autumn.
The eighth of the eighth was an auspicious day, while autumn was primarily about desolation, which made it an even better time to kill.
Li Qingshan already felt rather eager. He threw a punch and true qi pierced the air, erupting with splashes on the surface of the lake. He looked back. When he saw Xiao An leaning on the rail, he could not help but smile. Looking at his body of white bones, he thought of some things. Before all of this, there were still some preparations he needed to make.
During the morning of the third, Shen Xihua visited once again.
Li Qingshan said, “Go prepare some clothes for children.” Xiao An would be rebuilding his body, but it was obviously impossible for him to rebuild his clothes as well. He needed clothing.
Shen Xihua found the request to be rather strange, but he dared not think too much about it. “Clothes for children? What size? Is it for a boy or a girl?”
“A boy around seven or eight years old. Don’t worry too much about the exact size,” Li Qingshan said. He felt rather excited inside. He felt like a father who was about to welcome his child into the world.
The next day, Shen Xihua delivered over a dozen sets of clothes of various colours and styles. They were all made from silk of the highest quality. He even brought many toys for children.
Li Qingshan smiled. He thought about how Xiao An was no ordinary child, so why would he play with these wooden toys? However, he did not mention it. He told Shen Xihua to continue preparing for the ‘Pill Seizing Gathering’.
He was determined to go through with this ‘Pill Seizing Gathering’. However, he soon thought of how a great scheme like this that could overturn the entire jianghu tended to be the specialty of villains. And, his thought of killing everyone in the gathering had an even more villainous vibe.
However, he felt fantastic. It was a wonderful time since Xiao An was about to gain a new life. He sighed emotionally just like a poet. “With death comes birth.” Afterwards, he gained some understanding towards the true meaning behind the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
After Shen Xihua left, Xiao An emerged from behind the curtains. He gently caressed the beautiful silk clothing with his bone fingers as he imagined how he would look like when he wore them. He raised his head and their eyes met. There was silence. The only sounds present were the pitter-patter of rain outside the window. However, the two of them felt silent joy inside.
Afterwards, Xiao An began to play with those toys happily, the pinwheels, spinning tops, and bamboo dragonflies.
It surprised Li Qingshan. Afterwards, he thought about how he did not show enough care and concern for Xiao An. Thinking further, he realised that the thing that he seemed to do the most with Xiao An was killing people.
Killing people was not necessarily a bad thing. In this cruel world, it should have been a crucial skill for survival. Adult beasts had to teach younger beasts the art of hunting.
That was how Li Qingshan comforted himself to avoid too much self-guilt. Afterwards, he just sat there and leaned his head against his hand. He thought deeply into the issue of Xiao An’s education. He needed to take him out to see the world more often in the future so that he could feel nature and all those things!
Afterwards, he could not help but begin grinning. He felt warmth. The world was very cruel, but he was not alone.
……
Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit. The day before the eighth, Li Qingshan finished ingesting all of his Qi Gathering pills such that he was at his peak condition.
By tomorrow, once those bastards all gather in the hall, what am I supposed to say as an opening line?
For the sake of my personal happiness, please die, you twisted lot!
Seems even more villainous.
……
“Am I pretty?” The West Gate Granny asked.
“Y- you are!” A naked man covered in tattoos that depicted nine dragons lowered his head and called out in fright. The blood of his companions slowly flowed beneath his feet. Just because they laughed when they saw this ugly, old woman, they ended up falling apart into pieces.
“Then why aren’t you looking at me?” The West Gate Granny said with a sunken voice.
The man slowly raised his head before becoming stunned. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before. Her cold eyes and nobility shook up his mind, almost making him lose control of himself.
The portrait of a man suddenly appeared before him. The voice that was as beautiful as an oriole’s song asked, “Have you seen this person before?”
He shook his head in a daze, blaming himself for being unable to help her at all.
“Then you can go die!” The shrivelled mouth spat out these brutal words.
The man immediately shattered his own skull with a palm strike. Even before he died, he still gazed at the West Gate Granny with infatuation. He smiled. Originally, he thought that he would only be a pirate for the rest of his life, but he had never thought he would be able to die for the person he loved. He felt happiness from the bottom of his heart.
My life… was all worth it.
Leaving the den of the Water Snake gang, the West Gate Granny said furiously, “Just where did the brat go?”
In the past few days, she followed the most optimal path for Li Qingshan, but she failed to find any signs of him. She completely lost track of him.
Finally, she could not help herself anymore and lost her temper, causing a great massacre. Behind her, the corpses of the Water Snake gang lay strewn on the ground. They would never be able to attack and rob people on the rivers again. Every single one of them smiled happily, dying for the sake of love.
A teenager in red took out a vermillion invitation card from the bosom of the leader and handed it to the West Gate Granny.
The West Gate Granny looked at the invitation card. After a while of thought, she revealed a sunken smile. “I see. This kid has got some brains. I’ve underestimated him. Let’s go to Lakeside city.”
On the eighth of the eighth, near Lakeside city on the Island of Cherishing Flowers
Li Qingshan tidied up his thoughts and took out his knicked Wind-entwining blade, hanging it on his waist. He looked out the window and saw many small boats moving through the wind and rain, stopping at the port. Many people emerged from them.
Most of them carried weapons and were vicious-looking. He could tell with a single glance that they were not kind folk. They matched up with the resources from Li Qingshan’s file one by one.
These unorthodox masters were worried about this being a trap, and they were wary of one another, so they all brought their best subordinates, just in case. However, unbeknownst to them, someone within the shade of the green willows was counting them like sheep.
Two hundred and eighty one… Three hundred and forty two… Five hundred and fifty seven.
This lasted until night time. The number had already exceeded Li Qingshan’s expectations.
The island was decorated with lanterns and streamers, with a feast set up in the hall. With Shen Xihua as the host, these martial arts masters gathered in the hall. It was quite the banquet.
Shen Xihua smiled and spoke cheerfully, without giving away anything at all.
Some people said impatiently, “Island lord Shen, where are the pills? Please take them out and show us!”
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Chapter 156 – The Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an
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Chapter 156 – The Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an
Shen Xihua smiled. “Please settle down, everyone. I hope you can enjoy yourselves in my humble abode while I go retrieve the pills.” He retreated to the darkness outside the hall, and his smile immediately vanished. Something seemed to weigh on his mind.
“Sir, the island lord has invited you to the back of the hall,” a servant said to Li Qingshan politely.
Li Qingshan walked through the corridors, and two fierce men leapt out from the bushes in the darkness, blocking his way. “Who are you?”
The servant said in a hurry, “Good sirs, are you guests of our island lord?”
The two people studied Li Qingshan. “Why haven’t we seen or heard about someone like you?”
Li Qingshan said, “Not everyone is available for the likes of you to see or hear about.”
“What did you say!?” The two became enraged. They wanted to draw their blades.
With two thuds, the two of them fell back into the bushes in the darkness, reduced to corpses.
“You can go see the king of hell!” Then Li Qingshan said to the servant, “Let’s keep going.”
The servant shivered and obliged in a hurry.
Shen Xihua rubbed his hands uneasily within his study room. Suddenly, he saw Li Qingshan arrive and invited him to sit down in a hurry before pouring some tea for him. He treated him with the utmost hospitality.
Li Qingshan said, “Island lord Shen, what do you want to say to me? Get to the point. I can’t wait any longer.” With his ears, he could clearly hear the ruckus up ahead. His blood had slowly begun to boil.
Shen Xihua lifted up his robes and knelt down before Li Qingshan. “I’ve already followed all of your orders, sir, so please just spare the lowly me!” In all these days, Li Qingshan had never been willing to promise that he would spare him. It made him worry to a point where his food turned tasteless, and he could not even get a wink of sleep.
Li Qingshan said, “How did you know I would kill you?”
“Do you really plan on sparing no one, sir?” Shen Xihua raised his head in great surprise as he stared at Li Qingshan closely. Desperation began to fill his eyes.
Li Qingshan said, “It’s not that I’m not sparing you. It’s just that you cannot be spared for what you have done.”
Shen Xihua croaked, “But I’ve already reformed myself completely!”
Li Qingshan said, “Reformed yourself completely? What about six months ago? What were you doing then? Do you really think the Hawkwolf Guard wouldn’t know?” Although there were rather few core members to the Hawkwolf Guard, they had countless informants and spies within the various major cities as a Qi Practitioner organisation that did not care about silver.
No one had ever bothered with the mission of killing Shen Xihua in all these years, but the flow of information had never stopped; this was just to guarantee that the Hawkwolf Guard would know exactly where he was and what he was doing if there was a day they remembered him again.
Abruptly, Shen Xihua thought of something. Half a year ago, he had drunk a little and saw a beauty pass by in Lakeside city. As a result, he took her to the island and forced himself on her, reliving his youth.
He continued to argue, “But I’ve already accepted her as a concubine.”
“Just how many more concubines do you plan on accepting like that? Why don’t you tell me that?” Li Qingshan’s tone was very calm the entire time. His anger was like hot, flowing lava beneath an icebound mountain. It could erupt at any time.
Shen Xihua’s expression changed several times. He pressed down with one hand and a tile sank. A series of mechanical sounds rang out from underground, allowing a large, metal cage to spring out and trap Li Qingshan.
The place where Shen Xihua had invited Li Qingshan to sit was actually a trap, and the mechanism was extremely clever. It had not even taken a blink of an eye for the cage to appear after Shen Xihua pressed down on the tile.
Shen Xihua yelled, “Li Qingshan, you’ve gone too far! Since you won’t spare me, then let’s die together!”
The bars to the cage were as thick as an adult’s arm and solid all the way through. They were also inscribed with many glyphs. When Li Qingshan’s fingers touched the bars, he immediately felt like he was being stabbed by needles. At the top of the prison was the image of a strange beast that seemed like a tiger, yet also not a tiger.
Shen Xihua said, “I invited a great master of mohism to create this mechanism. It’s known as the Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an1. Even powerful daemonic beasts can’t escape, so you better give up on that thought! Let me ask you again. Are you going to spare me or not? If you agree, I can release you. I can even help you kill them.”
“If I say I’ll spare you, you’ll just believe me?”
Shen Xihua seemed extremely conflicted. “I’m willing to gamble on it. I believe that you’re a man.”
Li Qingshan shook his head silently and slowly.
Shen Xihua screeched, “Don’t regret your choice! You’re in my hands now. All you need to do is nod, and we can sit down and discuss matters. Your cultivation might be higher, but there might always be a time when you need someone like me.”
Li Qingshan burst out into a roar of laughter, which thundered through the entire room. It felt like a great gust of wind had been whipped up, blowing books and paintings on the ground and shattering vases and jars.
Shen Xihua blocked his hears as he resisted it with all of his true qi. He was shocked. Was he really just a second layer Qi Practitioner?
All the unorthodox masters in the front hall only stared at their trembling cups. The entire building seemed to be tottering. They became alarmed.
“What is happening?” “Is that someone laughing?” “What powerful inner force!” “It comes from up ahead. Didn’t Shen Xihua go there to retrieve the pills? Has someone tried to steal the pills?”
With that, everyone became restless. “Let’s go over there and take a look!” “Who the hell is so stupid to try steal from the jaws of tigers?”
Li Qingshan stopped laughing and said to Shen Xihua, “Do you think that someone like you, someone no different from an animal, is worthy enough to become associated with me?”
Even bad people had pride. Shen Xihua said, “Y- you’ve gone too far!”
A group of unorthodox masters rushed in and asked in surprise, “Island master Shen, what’s going on?” “Who’s this?” Everyone who entered the study were first-rate masters. Those who were weaker and the subordinates could only gather around outside and watch.
“You’ve forced me to do this.” Shen Xihua’s expression was twisted as he said to everyone, “Everyone, settle down. I want to tell you about something that’s related to all of your lives.”
Everyone quietened down. Shen Xihua said, “This is a Hawkwolf guard, sent to kill us.”
When they heard ‘Hawkwolf guard’, everyone paled in fright. They prided themselves as masters who had made it onto the blacklist and treated their subordinates with so much arrogance that they would even claim that the Hawkwolf Guard could do nothing to them. However, they actually feared this terrifying organization that controlled the blacklist the most.
“In other words, there are no pills at all!?”
“Fuck you, Shen Xihua! You were actually working with the Hawkwolf Guard against us!”
Everyone began to think of retreat. They looked at Li Qingshan like he was a man-eating tiger. The young man sat boldly on the armed chair with his hair draped down, hiding his face. Even when he was trapped in the cage, he gave off a terrifying sense of might.
Shen Xihua threw out a stack of paper. “Look at that. These are official documents from the Hawkwolf guard. He has come this time just to kill us all. All of you know what happened to the Auspicious casino in Silver Mountain town. This kid was the one behind it all. Do you all plan on being next?!”
They picked up the files one by one and found their own names. Afterwards, they trembled in utter fright. Their glory of being on the blacklist had already become a death sentence.
“Island lord Shen, what do you want us to do?”
“We’re in for a penny and in for a pound!”
“Killing a Hawkwolf guard!? Have you lost your minds?”
“If we don’t kill him, he’ll kill us.”
Just as everyone engaged in a bitter debate.
Li Qingshan let out a gentle cough and attracted everyone’s attention. He said, “Everyone who should be here is here!”
“Tian Zhonghao.”
A coarse, short and mischievous-looking middle-aged man shuddered. “What do you want?”
“In the past, you studied martial arts under old fist master Wang of Bamboo Willow town, but because he found you lacking in sincerity, he refused to teach you martial arts. As a result, you poisoned him to death, stole his martial arts manual, and became a highwayman. Over all these years, you held up travellers, killed them, and stole their goods. You even developed a liking to eating the hearts and livers of living people, right?”
He was being watched by all, Li Qingshan was trapped in the cage, and he was reluctant to embarrass himself, so he said in a tough manner, “What about it?”
Li Qingshan no longer paid any more attention to him. He continued, “Yue Ruyong, you loved to kidnap the children of wealthy families for ransom. If they were bold enough to report it to the authorities, or they refused to pay the ransom, you would cut off the ears or fingers of the children one by one, delivering it to their families. Am I right?”
Yue Ruyong had vicious eyes and pointed ears with a cold expression. He sneered. “Those kiddos are born more fortunate than everyone else. Of course, they should suffer a little.”
Li Qingshan no longer paid any more attention to him either. He just named these people one by one until he reached the very end. “As for the people who were not mentioned, whether you’re a thief or a bandit, or whether you’ve helped propagate evil, committed countless crimes of evil yourself, or are hatching sinister plots, you cannot be forgiven for your crimes, and you will be executed on the spot according to the laws of Great Xia.”
“And you, Shen Xihua. You will pay for what you have done!”
Everyone laughed aloud, “Just by you?” “Has he lost his mind?” “We do need to kill him!” However, the laughter gradually subsided.
All they saw was Li Qingshan standing up from the armed chair and grabbing the bars of the Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an with both hands before pulling at the bars. His flesh swelled, his muscles bulged, and his clothes ripped.
Blue light that seemed like electricity flowed through the bars, gathering in Li Qingshan’s hands. He felt like he was being stabbed by hundreds of needles. Obviously, he did not pay too much attention to something insignificant like that. However, despite his brute force, the bars still failed to budge.
After being taken aback, Shen Xihua eased up. “It’s useless. My Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an is not something you can destroy.”
The masters from the blacklist all sneered as well. They looked at Li Qingshan like he was a dumb, wild beast.
Li Qingshan’s hair was draped down, so it covered his face. However, the corner of his lips had also curled into a smile. It seemed slightly twisted.
“What’s this?!” Shen Xihua sensed the change in Li Qingshan’s aura first. Only a Qi Practitioner like him could sense a change like that.
However, soon afterwards, everyone saw the change with Li Qingshan’s body. Li Qingshan’s tall, sturdy body seemed to become even taller. His dark hair shone with a smear of scarlet, while his bronze skin seemed to grow darker. In particular, his arms actually became black like iron.
Creak. The metal cage twisted painfully. The blue electricity became more and more intense, but it was unable to stop the reality of the bars that were as thick as a person’s arm being gradually pulled apart.
Shen Xihua took a step back, “T- that’s impossible! Y- you’re-” Afterwards, he yelled out, “Everyone, get him together! Kill him!”
The masters of the blacklist knew that they could not be soft-hearted here. They made up their minds and charged over together. They swung their various weapons towards Li Qingshan. The blades, spears, swords, and halberds all shone with light. They feared that Li Qingshan would actually break out, so they wanted to make use of the time while he was busy to deal a killing blow. However, Shen Xihua had already backed away quietly.
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1. According to mythology, Bi’an is one of the nine sons of the dragon. It is half-tiger, half-dragon and favours litigation and is placed over prison gates to keep guard.
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Chapter 157 – The Vicious Tiger Emerges from the Cage
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Chapter 157 – The Vicious Tiger Emerges from the Cage
Many boats of various sizes were docked at the wharf.
The drizzle continued to pour down, creating countless ripples on the lake’s surface. A thin layer of fog formed above the lake. The firelight in the glazed covers on the boats created a hazy yellow. Everything seemed peaceful.
Many men were left behind to watch over the boats to prevent anyone from severing their path of retreat. Inside their cabins, they all discussed the great laughter from the island earlier.
With a thunk, a double-masted boat seemed to hit something. It shook violently before rapidly sinking.
The men left behind on the boats all heard that. They emerged on their decks and saw the boat of the Blue Wolf gang sink. Apart from the people of the Blue Wolf gang who fell into panic, the others all stood on their decks and laughed aloud, watching on leisurely.
However, there was another great thunk very soon, and another boat began to sink slowly. A third soon followed.
Everyone all sensed that something was wrong. They called out, “What’s going on?” “Oh no, there’s a water ghost sinking the ships!” “If you can swim, go down and take a look!”
By water ghost , they were obviously not talking about an actual ghost, but someone lurking under the water.
Immediately, over a dozen able-bodied figures leapt into the water. After their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness in the water, they became stunned. All they saw was two large balls of fire, red in the centre and white on the edges, in the pitch-black, icy depths. None of them had ever seen such brilliant, lively fire before.
The fire rapidly expanded as they grew closer. They finally could see the source of the two balls of fire now. They could not help but become dumbfounded.
It was a huge skull that stood even taller than a man, like the skull of a giant. However, it seemed like it had been revived from the abyss of hell right now. Its eye sockets were brimming with lively fire as it looked at them brilliantly.
Afterwards, it opened its mouth and lunged towards them. The same kind of fire burned within its mouth like gates to the furnace of hell.
Xiao An stood in the pitch-black depths with his hands together in a prayer position. He controlled the Skull Prayer Beads and swallowed these people one by one before smashing it towards the other ships. The huge skull would immediately leave behind a great hole after a single collision.
With each thunk, a boat sank.
On the wharf, no one could hide their fear anymore. The boats were all destroyed, and the people who had entered the water had not emerged either. They had no idea what was hiding in the water. They were trapped here now.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! There was a string of gentle sounds, and the people on the shore collapsed on the ground like puppets cut from their strings.
Everyone cried out, “There’s an enemy attack!” “Where?” “Get out here! Get out here for me!”
No one could see the white streak that rushed through the rainy night. The Skull Prayer Beads had already reverted to their original, bead-like form, moving rapidly through the rain; it was like a sixth layer Qi Practitioner controlling an artifact. It was not something these people of the jianghu could discover.
Even more people collapsed on the ground. The cowardly swung their weapons wildly. They looked around, but all they saw was the dark of night. The calmer people tried to find out the reason for the deaths of the others. Very soon, they discovered a thumb-sized hole that connected their chest and back, but there was not a shred of blood from the wounds at all.
Just as they contemplated this, someone shouted out, “It seems to be… fire!”
The other people also discovered that the holes seemed to possess a speck of firelight. The wounds rapidly grew, and the holes grew as well. However, not a single droplet of blood was shed the entire time. The fire devoured the flesh and blood of the deceased quietly.
Every single person who had the right to receive an invitation to this Island of Cherishing Flowers were people who had lived with their lives on the line every single day; they were people who would even lick the blood off their blades. However, they all became frightened out of their wits when they saw the people beside them drop dead one by one, unable to see the enemy and only left with this strange sight. They all staggered backwards.
The flames swallowed all of the flesh and blood, reducing it to white bones in the blink of an eye. The colour of the flames became brighter as well, brimming with life. Afterwards, as if they were not done, they swelled and erupted, turning into thousands of sparks and landing on the other people.
The fire passed through their clothes without leaving behind a trace. However, once it came into contact with fresh blood and flesh, it was like fire to oil. It would rapidly spread and evolve into a roaring flame.
A series of miserable shrieks rang out at the wharf, with several dozen people on fire. In the blink of an eye, not a single sound was left. All that remained were several dozen sets of white bones.
Xiao An emerged from the water and counted to himself. Six hundred and ninety-seven.
The remaining sets of skeletons were now clad in a layer of pale flames. The white bones melted like snow very soon, turning into several droplets of fluid before merging with his body.
Just when Xiao An wanted to make his way to the garden and assist Li Qingshan, he suddenly sensed something and turned around.
His flaming eye sockets pierced through the fog. From extremely far away, he saw a great, black ship slowly sail over.
Xiao An thought about what to do. He still ended up deciding to go to the garden.
……
“Hah!”
Li Qingshan sucked in and produced an explosive shout. Pure true qi mixed with daemon qi turned into a Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar with a great gust of wind, directly landing on the few incoming martial arts practitioners. They were immediately blown away as they spat out blood. Their faces and chests were reduced to a bloody mess. It was impossible for them to survive.
Although this was a Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar that had been weakened countless times, it was still not something mere masters of the jianghu could endure.
Right off the bat, Li Qingshan’s roar killed several first-rate masters.
These so-called first-rate masters who were accustomed to always getting their way with their powerful martial arts had witnessed the true disparity in strength between them and the Hawkwolf Guard.
With the creaking of metal, Li Qingshan forced open a great hole between the bars. The inscriptions on the Daemon-trapping Cage of Bi’an dimmed, and the spiritual qi dispersed.
Li QIngshan walked out like a vicious tiger emerging from a cage. He gave off a pressing aura. The martial arts masters all took a step back as they looked at Li Qingshan in surprise and fright.
Li Qingshan’s stature returned to normal. He would never expose his daemon form before so many people unless he was certain he could clean them all up. The person he needed to eliminate immediately was obviously Shen Xihua, who could sense his daemon qi.
“Oh no, the boats! The boats have been destroyed!” A lackey suddenly rushed in and shouted out.
“What? Who did that?” Tian Zhonghao grabbed the lackey by the shoulders and exclaimed.
“I- I don’t know!”
All of them looked at Li Qingshan. Although they had heard it from Shen Xihua, they had only just realised that this teenager of the Hawkwolf Guard actually wanted to trap them all here so that he could slaughter them all.
Li Qingshan smiled. Xiao An had begun as well. Afterwards, his eyes narrowed, and he gazed through the crowd at Shen Xihua, who hid among them and was about to flee. He yelled, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
Shen Xihua shuddered inside. He turned around in shock. Li Qingshan had already drawn near as his voice resounded. With the roaring wind, he lunged over.
Some of the martial arts masters were unable to react in time, so they ended up blocking Li Qingshan’s path. They felt like a rampaging elephant had struck them, and they were directly knocked several meters away. Their bones all shattered as they passed away, unable to let out a single sound.
There was a flash of a talisman, and it burned away to ash.
A golden figure rose up from Shen Xihua’s body. He was quite fast with his reaction. At that critical moment, he used a Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings before forcefully turning around and throwing two punches downwards at Li Qingshan’s stomach.
Li Qingshan ignored the attacks. He formed a tiger’s claw with his right hand and viciously reached towards Shen Xihua. “Go die!”
The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart.
His five fingers were like five steel chisels. They forcefully stabbed through the golden light. True qi and light clashed violently, producing an ear-splitting screech.
Shen Xihua was utterly shocked. He had never thought that the Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings could be ripped through with empty hands. However, he knew that his time was up, so all of his true qi gathered in his fists violently as he punched at Li Qingshan’s chest.
Li Qingshan forcefully endured the two punches, but he only tottered slightly. His right hand pierced through the golden light and stabbed into Shen Xihua’s chest. He tugged outwards and dug out a bloody heart.
The surroundings suddenly fell quiet. The strongest person present, Shen Xihua, could not even survive a single attack from Li Qingshan. Once again, this was a heavy mental blow to the many martial arts masters present.
They could no longer care about anything now. They all took out their trump card talismans, biting the tips of their tongues and spraying blood on them. The talismans activated and shattered, releasing light. However, all of them chose to flee outside. They did not even care about their subordinates. Not a single one of them tried to throw their lives at Li Qingshan.
When the vicious tiger descends from the mountains, the birds and beasts scatter.
“Talismans? I have them too!” Li Qingshan casually fished out a Swift Breeze talisman from his hundred treasures pouch and activated it with true qi. Whirlwind wrapped around his arms, and his body seemed to become much lighter. He took a step, and he felt like it was cushioned with air, allowing him to take off into the sky.
In the air, he drew his knicked Wind-entwining blade with a reverse grip and swept out with it.
The swiftest masters who had reacted first had already made it past the walls. They were cut in half by a wind blade. Their blood and organs scattered on the ground.
After using the Swift Breeze talisman, his swift body became ghostly. There were a series of blurs and splashes of blood erupted. Describing him as a tiger among a flock of sheep was no longer enough now.
This was no longer a battle, but a one-sided massacre. Before an absolute difference in strength, tricks and techniques were already pointless. All he needed to do was swing the Wind-entwining blade gently and heads would hit the ground. He could kill with each step, all the way from the study room to the courtyard, and then to the main hall. He was like a living asura.
The martial arts masters fled in all directions like a swarm of bees. They could only resent how their parents had only given birth to them with two feet. They had cursed Shen Xihua thousands of times inside by now.
One of them looked back and saw Li Qingshan flicker, rapidly approaching him, so he knelt down on the ground and yelled out, “I’m a spy from the government!” Afterwards, he blinked, and Li Qingshan stopped in front of him with his completely nicked blade paused. With another blink of his eyes, Li Qingshan had already arrived elsewhere. The person felt feeble as he collapsed on the ground. He basically crawled and rolled his way to a corner of the massacre.
With that as an example, many people copied him. They knelt on the ground and shouted out, “I’m also a spy too!”
For a moment, there were spies as far as the eye could see. Li Qingshan did not have any accurate information on these lackeys either, so he became rather hesitant.
On the distant lake surface, several dozen balls of firelight lit up in the tin fog; it was followed by shrill whistles in the air that rapidly drew closer.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Under the deafening sounds, the Island of Cherishing Flower was immediately reduced to a sea of fire.
A black cannonball pierced through the ceiling and landed five steps in front of Li Qingshan. It erupted with dazzling light and waves of heat, directly blowing away the people nearby like they were paper.
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Chapter 158 – Reconstructing Flesh and Blood
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Chapter 158 – Reconstructing Flesh and Blood
Many people stood on the deck of the great ship. There were both monks and daoists. They all stared at the Island of Cherishing Flowers in the distance anxiously.
If people of the jianghu were present, they would definitely cry out in surprise, as basically all of the orthodox masters who had some renown to their names within several hundred kilometers of Jiaping were gathered here.
There was black and white in the world. The so-called orthodox was not necessarily pure and honest, upholding the virtues of justice and righteousness, but they were a bunch of people who followed the law and protected order. There were quite a few who included the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, and courtesy as a part of their teachings as well. They might have been hypocrites, but most of the people in this world liked to stand under the light. This was just how virtues worked.
At the end of the day, the hypocrite Yue Bujun still performed many good deeds of purging evil and helping the weak, while the actual wretch Tian Boguang had truly harmed countless ordinary people.1
However, the battle between the black and the white, the orthodox and the unorthodox, had never ceased.
In simpler words, young and inexperienced martial arts practitioners all wanted to live a lavish life of being luxuriously adorned and able to throw money around. The simplest and most direct way was to become a bandit. They would be able to steal money and women. There would also be many people who were reluctant to do this but still shared the ambition of a lavish life, so they became young, gallant wanderers, young heroes. Destroying a bandit’s nest was obviously not a bad choice. They would also obtain money, women, and something else, renown.
If a young hero destroyed countless nests of bandits and managed to survive, they would become a great hero. If a petty thief managed to steal tremendous wealth and countless women, they would become great thieves. These two people would obviously have a great cluster of grievances, but that did not matter. They would have many friends, and as a result, two groups of people existed in constant conflict with one another.
In more complicated words, they had accumulated countless grievances over the generations. They had enough grievances to last them a few lifetimes. Every single unorthodox master on the Island of Cherishing Flowers had enemies on the ship.
The unorthodox masters were not the only ones who had become restless over the news of the Pill Seizing Gathering. These people became restless as well. They thought of how their enemies would reach the innate realm and confront them, killing them and then taking their money and women. As a result, they could not just let it happen. And, if there really were pills that great, who wouldn’t want them?
As a result, they secretly planned this operation. However, these orthodox masters all seemed to follow a teenage girl as their leader. They stood around her courteously.
The girl was only around thirteen or fourteen years of age. She stood at the bow of the ship in plain clothes. Her face was filled with an experienced sense of maturity, but due to her baby face and the fact that she was just not that old, it was quite a funny sight.
An old monk with grey eyebrows bowed. “Miss Hua, what do you think?”
The girl narrowed her eyes to peer through the thin fog like a general. She did not answer him.
The old monk raised his head and looked at everyone helplessly. Then they all looked at a girl in violet beside the young miss.
They were all renowned figures of the jianghu, but they were helpless before this young miss, not only because she was a second layer Qi Practitioner at such a young age, but also because she came from a great clan. When she was outside to see the world and toughen up, she befriended the great hero Yu’s daughter, Yu Zijian, who was the woman in violet beside her. That was also why she agreed to assist them.
As soon as they arrived by the lake, she had taken out a small boat from her hundred treasures pouch. She tossed it into the water, and it transformed into a huge ship, which stunned all of them. With her assistance, they were extremely confident in succeeding this time. They would definitely be able to grant these people a graveless death.
Yu Zijian said, “Chenglu, why don’t you answer him?”
Hua Chenglu raised her hand in a composed manner to shut Yu Zijian up. Afterwards, she waved the small banner in her hand and passed an order. “Turn the ship around and prepare the cannons!”
The ship slowly turned. The port faced the Island of Cherishing Flowers, and then several dozen small, wooden hatches opened up and large, black cannons extended out.
However, the entire ship was a single mechanism, so it did not require any sailors to control it. Instead, she could achieve all of that through the tiny banner in her hand. As a result, her mighty order no longer seemed so mighty. It seemed rather funny instead. None of them knew how to react to this.
Yu Zijian whispered, “Chenglu, are the Fire Dragon cannons really that powerful?”
Due to being doubted, her mature little face became agitated. She pointed at the Island of Cherishing Flowers. “Watch as I flatten the entire place!”
Afterwards, she ordered loudly, “Open fire!”
The black cannons erupted with several dozen flashes like the roaring of fire dragons, planting the same number of mushroom clouds on the Island of Cherishing Flowers in the distance. They destroyed most of the structures there in a single instant.
The lovely hall collapsed while the exquisite structures burst into flames. The Island of Cherishing Flowers that Shen Xihua had tended to for all these years was being reduced to ashes with his death.
The orthodox masters on the deck were all shocked. They personally believed that if they themselves were on the island, they would have never been able to escape alive. Martial arts practitioners were just far too weak compared to actual innate masters.
Yu Zijian murmured, “How powerful!”
There was a sliver of complacency in Hua Chenglu’s eyes, but she did not show it on her face.
Yu Zijian asked in worry, “Chenglu, will there be any innocent people on the island?”
Hua Chenglu advised earnestly, like she was her senior, “Zijian, you can’t scruple over small matters if you want to achieve big things. You’re still far too young.”
The other orthodox masters all felt that this girl truly lived up to her background of originating from a renowned clan. They completely ignored Yu Zijian’s question. As long as they could blast all of these bastards to death, who would care if there were any innocent people or not? They stood on the boat in the distance and watched as their enemies were reduced to ashes. There was nothing more joyful than that.
Yu Zijian smiled gently and generously. “Zijian, even if there are innocent people, they’ll be laying their lives down for the sake of the martial arts society. All of the people of unorthodox origins are cruel and crafty. If we can’t be more decisive and smarter than them, how are we supposed to defeat them? You need to learn from miss Hua.”
Yu Zijian curled her lips, but she did not try to rebuke that. She just felt like her father had changed recently. In the past, if she was ever bold enough to say something like this in front of fellow people of the martial arts society, great hero Yu would have frowned and scolded her already. If she refused to oblige, he would even draw his sword. Although he had never swung it at her, he had never been so gentle to her.
Due to his daughter’s friendship with Hua Chenglu, great hero Yu had now become greatly respected by his fellow members of the martial arts society. He basically would even laugh in his dreams over this. Not only did Yu Zijian’s future prospects become limitless, but even he as her father benefited as well. As a result, he became very amiable with his daughter. In particular, whenever he was in front of Hua Chenglu, he would basically set the norm of a loving father.
Under the flattery from the orthodox masters, Hua Chenglu tried to smile it off like she was unfazed. She waved the banner in her hand and launched a barrage of cannonfire again.
The entire Island of Cherishing Flowers was now engulfed in fire and smoke.
The barrage landed on a huge shield and dispersed as violent gusts of wind. Li Qingshan lowered his spiritual artifact shield as he looked at the surface of the lake in surprise. What is going on?
He was not surprised by the existence of guns and ammunition in this world. Instead, he wondered just who was trying to interfere and blow the Island of Cherishing Flowers to pieces.
However, there was no point for him to think too much about this. After all, they had assisted him instead. Cannonfire on such a level did not pose any threats to him. As he held the shield that had already transformed to the size of a table, he strolled through the cannonfire like it was nothing. He was completely unscathed.
However, to these unorthodox masters, it was basically the end of the world. Not a single super master burst out yelling, “You have cannons? Well I have divine martial arts!”2 They were all blown to pieces as they sobbed for their lives, saving Li Qingshan the trouble of hunting them down individually.
Xiao An crossed through the cannonfire easily as well and arrived before Li Qingshan.
Under the constant booms, Li Qingshan nodded; his voice was drowned out by the cannonfire. However, his lips parted, and he seemed to say, “You can start!”
Both of their eyes seemed to shine.
Xiao An brought his hands together in a prayer position, with the Skull Prayer Bead between his palms. Afterwards, he lowered his head and chanted scriptures quietly.
Flames flowed out like water, silently spreading through the heavy smoke, descending over the collapsed walls and extending towards the buildings, swallowing every single corpse it came across along the way.
Four hundred and twenty seven, three hundred and eleven, two hundred and twenty five, one hundred and thirty one…
He counted to himself inside. Suddenly, Xiao An raised his head, and his eyes were filled with joy. All of the flames began to flow back to him, wrapping around him like a snake. It turned into a cocoon that enveloped him. Gradually, Xiao An disappeared inside. All that remained was a great, scarlet cocoon composed of fire floating in the air.
Li Qingshan stared right at the cocoon of fire without shifting his gaze at all. He clenched his hands firmly as he suddenly became nervous.
The explosions continued. At this moment, a cannonball whistles through the air, passing through the thick smoke and flying towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan extended his left hand with lightning speed and caught the cannonball.
Boom!
The cannonball exploded in his hands, charring it. He continued to stare at the cocoon like nothing had happened at all. He did not even turn his head.
Time trickled by. After who knows how long, the cannonfire subsided, while Li Qingshan simply sat down by a destroyed wall, leaning his head on his hand.
At this very moment, there was not a single matter, not a single person, that was worth his attention aside from Xiao An. Even Xuanyue and Gu Yanying formed no exceptions. His ambition that lied beyond the Nine Heavens was temporarily set aside as well.
Hua Chenglu smiled on the deck of the ship. “It’s done!” She swung the small banner and ordered, “Let’s set off and go take a look!”
“What’s that?” Suddenly, someone called out and pointed behind the ship.
Everyone looked over and became extremely stunned. A horse carriage tore through the fog and rapidly rolled over the surface of the water. It arrived before the ship very soon and gradually came to a halt.
The West Gate Granny lifted the curtain and frowned. This was the Wave Breaker of the Hua family! She had seen it in Clear River city before. She could not be wrong. This mechanical ship had been created by several great masters of modhism. The Fire Dragon cannons on it were powerful, and it possessed several hundred mechanical puppet soldiers as well. Every single one of them possessed the strength of a weaker Qi Practitioner. They were extremely costly to create.
The Sect of Clouds and Rain was powerful, but it was unable to ignore the influence the Hua family had over the Clear River prefecture. She called out loudly, “May I ask which fellow of the Hua family is present?”
Hua Chenglu leapt off the railing and replied, “Hua Chenglu is present.”
The West Gate Granny said, “So it’s you, brat. You’ve stolen your family’s ship and come out to play? Be careful of being spanked for getting involved with these untrustworthy folk.”
None of the orthodox masters had any objections to being labelled as untrustworthy folk. Regardless of their gender, they all looked at the West Gate Granny in infatuation and lamented, There are actually beauties like her in the world. Even her wrinkles seemed to be extremely charming.
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1. These characters come from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer written by Louis Cha, which you are welcome to check out. For those who have read the book or watched adaptations faithful to the book, you should be familiar with these references.
2. This is a reference to the 1993 Hong Kong movie, The East is Red, where a group of Chinese people are under fire from the Spanish navy, and a great martial arts master bursts out, catching all the bullets and yelling, “You have science? Well I have wondrous martial arts!”
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Chapter 159 – The Aspect of Great Beauty
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Chapter 159 – The Aspect of Great Beauty
However, Hua Chenglu was unfazed. She did not back down at all. “So it’s you, the old coot! This ship was mine in the first place. You’re the one who stole the carriage of the Sect of Clouds and Rain and came out to play!”
The West Gate Granny said in displeasure, “You’re so young, yet your mouth is already so foul. When I see your father, I must mention this to him. Right now, I have matters to attend to, so I’m not going to bother with a brat like you!”
Hua Chenglu immediately rebuked her and said, “When I see big brother Chengzan, I’ll mention it to him as well, how an old hag like you is harassing me just because of my young age!”
The West Gate Granny snorted coldly, and the carriage sped off towards the Island of Cherishing Flowers, forming a pair of tracks on the surface of the water.
A boy in red said unhappily in the carriage, “Granny, why won’t you teach that little girl a lesson?”
The West Gate Granny said, “Her father and elder brother are not people to be trifled with. They’re difficult to deal with, or I would have taken her measly life a long time ago. Hmph, there’ll be plenty of times when she’ll cry in the future. If you hadn’t thrown a tantrum for some roasted chestnuts and wasted time, we would have arrived a long time ago and dealt with Li Qingshan already. We wouldn’t have run into this girl.”
If regular second layer Qi Practitioners were bold enough to be so rude to the West Gate Granny, she would have killed them a long time ago. However, since she came from the Hua family, she had to show some respect to her. Hua Chengzhan’s identity as a Scarlet Wolf commander had some weight in the Clear River prefecture.
The teenager in red curled his lips. “It’s not like I was the only person who wanted to eat them. Moreover, it’s not too late right now either. Li Qingshan is definitely still on the island.”
Hua Chenglu watched the carriage glide away from the deck. She snorted coldly as well, but her tender snort was nowhere near as powerful as the West Gate Granny’s. Instead, she seemed more like she was just grumbling. She swung down the small banner, and the Wave Breaker broke through the waves, moving towards the Island of Cherishing Flowers.
Within the smoke, the outline of the island gradually became visible.
The shine of the cocoon of fire grew dimmer and dimmer, like a sun that was about to set. All that was left was a scarlet sphere that rapidly shrank.
Rain fell from the sky, landing on the cocoon and rising up as white steam.
The cocoon was filled with red light. Xiao An laid in there, curled up like he was in his mother’s womb. The flames were no longer like flames, but more like a viscous fluid, like the amniotic fluid of the womb. Moreover, it contained the tremendous energy of life, gradually soaking him completely.
He had already comprehended a sliver of the essential ideas of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Right now, he was going from death to life, entering a realm of neither death or life, transforming white bone into great beauty.
He formed a buddhist hand seal with his bone fingers and something profound seemed to be invoked.
From white bone to flesh, flesh and blood was reconstructed.
Li Qingshan had already begun to hold his breath.
With a great crack, a crevice appeared in the cocoon, spreading in all directions.
Li Qingshan was basically sitting on the edge of his seat now.
A tender hand extended out from the cocoon. It was white with a touch of red, like it was sculpted from blood jade. His blood vessels were almost visible.
Li Qingshan leapt to his feet, but he was afraid of disturbing him. He gritted his teeth, and he suddenly felt his eyes moisten and redden. He had witnessed in person as Xiao An went from being a spirit to a skeleton, and then to a new life with blood and flesh again. He was filled with great joy for some reason. He believed that regardless of how brutal and bloody his path would be, he had more than just murderousness and hatred.
Crack! Crack! With a series of cracks, the cocoon shattered. Flames rose up from inside as a petite figure figure stood among them, reborn amidst fire.
The wondrous smell of sandalwood permeated the surroundings, immediately masking the pungent smell of gunpowder and smoke. It was calming.
Li Qingshan took a step forward. “Xiao An, you’ve finally… huh?”
The flames dispersed. A little girl stood naked at the centre of the flames that seemed like lotus petals. Her hands formed a buddhist seal. Her skin was pale and smooth, like polished jade. There was a red mole between her eyebrows, and her eyes were like two black pearls. There was not a speck of impurity or filth on her from head to toe. She was as pure as a red lotus.
She looked at her own hands in a daze, as if she was unable to believe she had actually recovered her body of flesh. She raised her head and looked at Li Qingshan. She seemed to be rather unfamiliar with moving her face, so she was expressionless. However, her eyes that were like black pearls suddenly erupted with endless joy as she extended her arms towards him.
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback before rushing over quickly. He embraced her firmly as tears flowed from the corner of his eyes.
He was just like a father who had been waiting outside the delivery room the entire time. Although he had only just found out that the child was not a boy that he had been expecting, this small surprise was not particularly important at all. It was unable to change the joy within him.
Li Qingshan said constantly, “Wonderful!”
A while later, Li Qingshan suddenly felt that his mouth was rather clumsy. He had no idea what to say. He wiped away his tears and said, “Let’s get you dressed first!”
Xiao An nodded obediently in his arms.
Li Qingshan released her and flipped through his hundred treasures pouch. He said in distress, “Though, there are only clothes for boys. Sigh, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Xiao An shook her head as if she was saying, I’ve forgotten too. So many years had passed already. Whether she had been a spirit or a skeleton, gender had never mattered.
Li Qingshan was helpless. He thought about how the witch must have dressed her like a boy when she abducted her in order to deceive everyone. As a result, she had been under the impression that she was a boy the entire time.
Li Qingshan checked Xiao An again to confirm that he had not mistaken. However, he discovered that her body was covered in red marks. With her tender skin that was no different from a newborn’s, even silk would scratch and bruise her, let alone his rough hands.
He asked in concern, “Did I hurt you?”
Xiao An shook her head. Compared to the incineration of the blood flames and the pain from the bone smelting of the pale flames, this type of pain was basically happiness.
Li Qingshan carefully dressed her, like he was carrying a great treasure that could easily break.
Xiao An’s eyes widened. She wanted to tell him that she was not that fragile, but she enjoyed his care and concern very much as well.
Li Qingshan could not help but touch her face, which was quite the sensation to his hand. It was so soft that it seemed like it would dissolve in his hands. He brushed past the red mole on her eyebrow and vaguely recalled that this was the mark that the droplet of ginseng juice had left behind. Did it appear on her body of flesh as well?
Xiao An was like a doll, standing there obediently without moving at all, allowing him to touch her. She could feel the warmth from the tip of his fingers as she felt eager.
Li Qingshan rubbed her bald head and smiled, “It’s a pity you don’t have hair. Though, it’ll grow very quickly.”
Xiao An blinked her eyes and suddenly took a step back. She clenched her elegant hands and held her breath, using everything that she had. Soon afterwards, dark hair began to sprout wildly, and before long, it had reached her shoulders and subsequently her waist.
Li Qingshan said in a hurry, “Enough, enough.”
Only then did Xiao An stop. Her hair had already grown down to her knees. It was moist and thick like kelp and naturally curled. It was so dark that it was not glossy at all, making it extremely unique.
She wore a beautiful set of silken garments and seemed just like a little young master with extremely delicate features. Li Qingshan was unable to describe how much he liked it. He was filled to the brim with joy and could not help but laugh aloud. He felt like the future was bright, and there was nothing that he could not achieve.
At this moment, the whinny of a horse rang out from the surface of the lake. Li Qingshan turned around and saw a carriage emerge from the thick fog, approaching him rapidly. Behind it was a great ship.
Li Qingshan frowned. If he had guessed correctly, the cannonfire earlier originated from the great ship, while the carriage seemed to possess a powerful aura. There was also hostility. This did not originate from his abilities as a Qi Practitioner, but as a daemon.
The carriage sped ashore and stopped quietly before Li Qingshan.
All Li Qingshan saw was an old woman in great red robes disembarking from the carriage. She gave off a pressing aura. Even from Zhuo Zhibo, he had never sensed an aura so powerful before. Out of the people he had previously seen, the person closest would be Hua Chengzan, but her aura was much weaker than Hua Chengzan’s.
She was a ninth layer Qi Practitioner.
The West Gate Granny made her way out of the carriage, but her gaze slid away from Li Qingshan, landing on Xiao An beside him. Afterwards, her gaze became fixed. She was filled with shock as she murmured, “Brilliance like the Essence of Spring, Gaze as Smooth as Light, Skin Smooth like Ice and Jade, Powdered Jade Sculpting—how can a person possess so many aspects of beauty? Wait, i- is this the legendary Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty? That’s impossible!”
The West Gate Granny was very knowledgeable, so it was obviously impossible for her to be stunned by just the appearance of a child. The string of phrases she uttered were not just simple praises.
In the Sect of Clouds and Rain, the standards and names for labelling the appearances of people included the Aspect of Floral Fairness and Moon-like Beauty, the Aspect of Natural Bone-deep Beauty, the Aspect of Peach Blossom Beauty, the Aspect of Supple and Tender Beauty, the Aspect of Admirable Beauty1, and so on. They were finely divided into nine tiers, with some better than others. Anyone who possessed an aspect of beauty would find great ease in practising the arts of charm of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, while higher aspects of beauty could easily attain effects akin to transcendency.
The current sect master possessed the Aspect of Peach Blossom Beauty. She was chosen by the previous sect master and accepted as a disciple, which was the reason for her current accomplishments. As for the West Gate Granny, she possessed the ‘Aspect of Red Flight‘ from the Aspect of Colourful Frolicking Beauty, allowing her to stand out and thus allowing her to become one of the four great grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain. As for Furong, her appearance was nothing special, but due to her charming, graceful figure, the West Gate Granny had accepted her as a disciple, which made her the courtesan of Jiaping city.
Out of these numerous aspects of beauty, there was one aspect that only existed in the legends—the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty.
The Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty fused many aspects of beauty, making it the leader of all fragrances, the champion of all beauty. It made the West Gate Granny name a list of aspects of beauty upon seeing her before finally reaching this unbelievable outcome.
According to the legends, this was an omen to throwing the world into disarray. Although it would not necessarily be accurate, the charm of this aspect of beauty was a source of disaster. It could collapse cities and kingdoms.
The West Gate Granny immediately tossed Li Qingshan aside. She even forgot all about the disappearance of her outstanding disciples, Zhao Liangqing and Furong. She stared right at Xiao An as she walked over. She was basically even more excited than Li Qingshan earlier. “You’re so beautiful! Wonderful!” If she could take her in as a disciple and bring her back to the Sect of Clouds and Rain…
With a swish, Li Qingshan blocked the West Gate Granny and also interrupted her thoughts. He asked, “Who are you? What are you trying to do?”
The West Gate Granny raised her head in displeasure and looked at Li Qingshan, who was much taller than her. However, the arrogance on her face made it seem like she was looking down on him instead. “Oh, you’re Li Qingshan? Who are you to her?”
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1. Yes, these are all idioms in Chinese that essentially mean the same thing—extremely beautiful. This is one of the translator’s struggles. ;-;
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Chapter 160 – I Must Kill Her
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Chapter 160 – I Must Kill Her
The West Gate Granny originally planned on killing Li Qingshan as soon as she saw him. It did not matter whether Li Qingshan was actually related to their disappearance or not. She would put an end to the entire matter.
However, now that she saw how Xiao An was so close with him, she could not kill him anymore, just in case she ended up falling out with this dear disciple of hers. As for trash like Zhao Liangqing and Furong, if they were dead, they were dead. Their deaths were not worth her attention.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He was unable to describe his relationship with Xiao An. Instead, he answered with a question. “And who are you? What has this got to do with you?”
“She is the West Gate Granny of the Sect of Clouds and Rain!” Hua Chenglu leapt off when the ship arrived near the shore and landed gently on the ground. She possessed a masterly set of movement techniques, so she arrived before Li Qingshan after just a few bounds.
The orthodox masters all disembarked from the ship as well. They planned to search for the pill that could allow people to directly reach the innate realm.
When Li Qingshan heard the name of the sect, he was immediately taken aback. While Zhou Wenbin had warned him already, he had never thought the Sect of Clouds and Rain would actually send such a powerful master against him. It had really taken him by surprise. As it seemed, he was not the only one who understood the principle behind a lion using its full strength to catch a rabbit. The Sect of Clouds and Rain would not actually be dumb enough to send lackeys one by one to him for him to practise on.
All Hua Chenglu saw was the Black Wolf tablet on Li Qingshan’s waist. She asked in surprise, “You’re a Hawkwolf guard? What are you doing here?” Afterwards, she looked at Xiao An beside him and praised, “What a beautiful child!”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m obviously here for a mission. You seem rather familiar.” Hua Chenglu was young, but she had arched eyebrows and vermillion lips on her apple-shaped face. She was extremely charming. He seemed to have seen something similar somewhere before.
Hua Chenglu said, “Since you’re a Hawkwolf guard, you’ve obviously met my elder brother, Chengzan. You’re carrying out a mission? Did you also hear that they would gather here?”
Only then did Li Qingshan come to a realisation. A man as handsome as Hua Chengzan was rare, so his impression of him was obviously deep.
“I was the person who gathered all these people here. There were many servants and guards among them, as well as spies from the government. You’ve blasted them all to pieces indiscriminately. Whatever, thank you for your assistance. You’ve saved me quite the trouble.” If it were not out of consideration for the innocent people on the island, he would have never bothered to kill them one by one in such a troublesome manner. All he needed to do was daemonify and unleash a Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar, and it would all be over.
Hua Chenglu’s eyes widened. “What? You gathered all of these people here?”
The orthodox masters behind her all shivered inside. The Pill Seizing Gathering was actually a scheme of the Hawkwolf Guard. What a ruthless young man. He actually wanted to gather all of these unorthodox masters together and kill them in one fell swoop. The pills would obviously go without saying now.
The West Gate Granny paid no attention to anyone else. All she did was stare at Xiao An, and she liked her more and more. Xiao An felt unnatural, so she hid behind Li Qingshan.
The West Gate Granny suddenly circled behind Li Qingshan and grabbed Xiao An’s hand. She said to Li Qingshan, “This girly possesses tremendous fortune to be chosen by me. I want to take her as my disciple and bring her back to Clear River city. Will you allow it?”
She used her arts of charm. In a trance, Li Qingshan saw a great beauty before him, currently pleading at him in a desperate manner. He could not turn down any request of her. However, when he heard she wanted to take away Xiao An, he suddenly shuddered and yelled out, “Don’t even think about it!”
When he looked at the West Gate Granny again, she no longer possessed any beauty at all anymore. Her skin was all pitted, yet she still painted her lips vermillion. She was an old monster who plastered herself with cosmetics. She only seemed sickening.
Li Qingshan thought of Furong and thought about how this old hag actually wanted to take Xiao An to a place like the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Fury rose through his head. Killing intent immediately erupted as red light shone in his eyes. He was tempted to kill the West Gate Granny on the spot, and it was not because of any good or evil. Even if you were a kind-hearted person in your past ten lives, even if you’re a being of pure benevolence, I’ll still cut you to pieces out of pure hatred if you mention a request like that to me.
Even the thought of daemonifying and killing the old hag on the spot before silencing everyone present crossed his head. However, he gave up on that in the end. He was both reluctant to kill the innocent, and he lacked confidence in his ability to kill the West Gate Granny. He could only hold back his anger and glare at the West Gate Granny. I must kill this old hag.
Hua Chenglu shivered. She felt like the ordinary teenager had suddenly turned into a terrifying beast such that he could swallow her in a single bite. The knees of the weaker orthodox masters directly gave way as they crumpled to the ground.
The West Gate Granny was slightly taken aback. She had never thought that a second layer Qi Practitioner like him could actually break free from her arts of charm. However, she paid no attention to the killing intent that Li Qingshan gave off. The anger of the weak was not worth the attention of the powerful.
The West Gate Granny said in a sunken manner, “That’s not for you to decide. We need to ask what the child wants.” She smiled at Xiao An. “Good girl, don’t you want to go back with granny? Granny has everything.” Her bearing suddenly became extremely amiable again.
She believed that Li Qingshan possessed a heavy aura of murderousness as a Qi Practitioner, which was why he could resist her arts of charm. However, against a little girl who had never practised qi before, it would be a piece of cake.
Never did she think that Xiao An would actually shake her head emotionlessly, completely unaffected by her. Her attitude was even firmer than Li Qingshan’s. The very essence of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was to transform all forms and to see through all forms. It was naturally immune to arts of charm and illusions. Even if the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain were present here, she would not be able to make her waver.
Hua Chenglu mocked, “West Gate hag, can’t you see that they’re not interested in you? You better just stop trying to flatter them.”
The West Gate Granny said in irritation, “Shut up, brat!” She was utterly perplexed inside. Did the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty come with natural immunity to charms? However, it made her even more earnest instead. She had to take this girl back to the Sect of Clouds and Rain no matter what.
Hua Chenglu was furious after the West Gate Granny scolded her in front of so many people. She came from the Hua family, and she even came from the main branch. Her father was the patriarch. She had been spoilt since young. She was the little princess of the Hua family. Even her own parents had never scolded her like that.
The West Gate Granny no longer bothered with her anymore. She changed the topic of conversation and asked Li Qingshan, “Li Qingshan, I’ve come all this way this time to ask you just where Zhao Liangqing and Furong are.”
Li Qingshan said indifferently, “The two disciples of your esteemed sect committed crimes and were exposed, so they fled in fear of punishment. How would I know where they went? But if you know where they are, you’re more than welcome to tell me. I’ll definitely bring them to justice.”
The West Gate Granny said fiercely, “Don’t play with me. How are you bold enough to claim that this entire matter has nothing to do with you? In my opinion, they fell to your hands. The Sect of Clouds and Rain will not let this matter go so easily.”
Li Qingshan said, “Zhao Liangqing is a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. I’m only at the second layer, so how am I his opponent? Don’t you even think about placing the blame on me, old granny. Though, if I do meet them again, I’ll definitely kill them. That’ll result in great merit in the Hawkwolf Guard. It’s worth several hundred points of contribution.”
The West Gate Granny and Li Qingshan bickered rapidly and furiously. As such, Hua Chenglu was unable to chime in. However, when she saw how Li Qingshan handled the West Gate Granny who was far more powerful than he was like she was no one special, even actively rebuking what she said to the point where she paled, Hua Chenglu’s anger subsided slightly. She purposefully praised him loudly, “Kid, you’re young, but you have quite the backbone.”
“Old woman, you’re completely unreasonable. This kid is only a second layer Qi Practitioner. If he comes across a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, he won’t even have the time to flee, so how is he supposed to fall to his hands? Oh right, I forgot that the disciples of the Sect of Clouds and Rain all rely on their looks to get by. They’re all weak as hell, so it’s nothing surprising if he killed him!”
Li Qingshan glanced at her. She was so young, yet she spoke like an old man, constantly calling him ‘kid’. However, seeing how she was basically on his side, he forgave her for this tiny aspect.
First, Li Qingshan had ridiculed the West Gate Granny, and now, Hua Chenglu had mocked her, so she was utterly furious. “You’re just asking to die!” Her aura was like a great tidal wave as it kicked up wind and rain. It slammed into Li Qingshan wave after wave. The orthodox masters nearby were only struck by the collateral waves, yet they felt like they were heavily injured, heaving their chests. Only when they backed to several dozen steps away did they feel better.
They all looked at the West Gate Granny in utter shock. They had already heard from Hua Chenglu that she was a ninth layer Qi Practitioner, but none of them had ever thought that a ninth layer Qi Practitioner would actually be so powerful. Just the collateral damage had caused them internal injuries. Just what kind of pressure was the kid from the Hawkwolf Guard supposed to be under then?
“Then why don’t you try it!?” Li Qingshan shielded Xiao An behind him. He crossed his arms and held his chest high as he looked down on the West Gate Granny. He was like a rock near the ocean, bombarded by the wind, rain, and water but completely unshaken.
Hua Chenglu was the closest. She felt her chest tighten as she truly sensed the difference between the second and ninth layers. She wanted to retreat, but she refused to embarrass the Hua family, so she forcefully endured it. Under the great pressure, even her vision blurred. Only her willpower remained.
Suddenly, she felt her wrist tighten, and she was pulled aside. The pressure decreased drastically, and her eyes cleared up. She looked up, but all she saw was Li Qingshan’s large, sturdy back.
As it turned out, Li Qingshan saw her little face pale, so he pulled her behind him to shield her as well. Her elder brother Hua Chengzan had treated him well, and she had constantly stood on his side as well. The reason why the West Gate Granny was afraid of attacking him was exactly because of her. Obviously, he had to keep his protective charm safe.
Hua Chenglu gasped lightly as she felt shaken up. She thought, So brother and dad have always just been coaxing me when they clashed with me. This old woman is actually so powerful. This kid is also at the second layer, so how is he so powerful? He is actually unfazed by the old woman’s aura.
Li Qingshan’s actual strength was much more than the second layer. Instead, he was a daemon equivalent to the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Practitioner. And, he had not been sheltered like Hua Chenglu. Instead, he had emerged through taking thousands of lives. Consequently, his murderousness and viciousness were extremely heavy. Regular ghosts could not even get within ten steps of him, so he obviously did not fear the West Gate Granny’s aura.
Then Hua Chenglu looked at Xiao An, who was completely fine as well. She felt even more depressed as a result. She called out from behind Li Qingshan, “Old woman, do you really plan on becoming enemies with the Hawkwolf Guard and the Hua family?”
The West Gate Granny saw how her threat was useless, so she could only pull back her aura. However, she felt utterly frustrated. If Hua Chenglu was not here, she would silence all of these orthodox masters before executing Li Qingshan. Even a powerful ninth layer Qi Practitioner like her was not bold enough to kill a Hawkwolf guard in the eye of the public.
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Author’s Word
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Dream Teller’s Word
The month is finally over. I’m sitting in front of my computer and letting out a great exhale. I feel utterly tired and filled with joy.
I know I’m writing a book that’s completely different from the Chronicles of Xu Xian, or even a book that’s the exact opposite of the Chronicles of Xu Xian. One is about a gifted romantic, noble and graceful, while the other is about a fierce gallant, dyeing his blade with blood. One is about tending to his harem, while the other is about levelling up and training.
The previous book began as fan fiction and achieved success through its female characters, while this book went with the most common levelling stream. Afterwards, not a single, real female character appeared in four hundred thousand characters. There’s not a hint of romance in the plot.
Readers criticized the fighting scenes in the previous book, yet this book just happened to have a lot of fighting. Compared to calling it a risk, you might as well just say that I’ve lost my mind.
However, I need to do this. I must not be restrained to a single theme, a single style. Those good ideas in my head include countless worlds, whether they be science fiction, eastern fantasy, city, western fantasy, or apocalyptic. And, these stories require different methods to be narrated and different main characters to act out, whether they’re crazy, cruel, melancholic, or hot-blooded. You won’t see a single similar main character or story from me.
However, I’m just too weak. I must admit that I lack the ability to fulfil this dream. I lack the ability to tell so many beautiful dreams.
As a result, I wrote Legend of the Great Sage. I threw away the scenes of romance I was skilled in the most, to write scenes of battle that troubled me the most. I picked up the walking stick for levelling and training, learning how to set up and achieve climaxes, learning how to ensure constant releases.
Originally, the fixed storyline would have resulted in an epic fail, which would result in me turning around and going back to my original tropes. However, I managed to break through with the storyline with my own hard work and your support. That’s right, both were crucial. Writing webnovels has never been about a single person.
My attempts have also led to successes. My battles have become much smoother, and the plot is now planned and has gained its own rhythm. The novel aspect of this all was that I failed to even write four hundred thousand characters with my first book, Transmigratory Druid, and when I reached here with the Chronicles of Xu Xian, I was worrying about what I would write every single day. With Legend of the Great Sage right now, I have a grand, majestic world waiting to be displayed!
The results of the book so far are very good, but to me, it’s nowhere close to being enough. The first aspect is my own problem, as I still haven’t written well enough. The book has yet to reach the level of fascination I want, but I’ll turn this into a problem for you very soon.
Whether it’s training or killing people, it’s all just supplementary to the story at the end of the day. It’s impossible for Li Qingshan to eat pills and stomp enemies, levelling all the way until he meets the black ox beyond the Nine Heavens. That’s far too dry and far too boring.
I’ve been thinking hard just how to construct a cultivator’s world. I’ve also been thinking about how a cultivator’s life would be. There’ll definitely be quite a lot of these bonds of family, friendship, and love.
I purposefully set aside many things in the first four hundred thousand characters to learn many new things. However, setting aside does not mean giving up. It’s so that they can become even greater when I pick them up again. Learning is not about losing myself, but for perfecting myself.
I’m not nobody. I am Dream Teller.
A new month, a new beginning. Please believe in me. When I lack confidence, please support me, no matter how.
Let’s finish telling this dream together!
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Chapter 161 – Forcing Back the West Gate Granny
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Chapter 161 – Forcing Back the West Gate Granny
The West Gate Granny waved her hand. “Miss Hua, I’ll show some respect to your Hua family, but don’t try biting off more than you can chew. This is an important matter of our Sect of Clouds and Rain. You best not interfere. Take these people and get out of here!”
Hua Chenglu refused to oblige. “Since he’s a Hawkwolf guard, then he’s under my elder brother’s command. I can’t just turn a blind eye to all of this. If you have the skill, why don’t you kill me as well? Then there’ll be no one to report you. Otherwise, you’re a kidnapper of children and a murderer of a Hawkwolf guard.”
The West Gate Granny’s face became even more frigid. She had thought of this several times already. If she were just a regular member of the Hua family, she would have done it a long time ago. Nothing would happen as long as she left behind no evidence.
However, Hua Chenglu was the little princess of the Hua family. Even if there was no direct evidence, the Hua family would never spare her as long as they found out she had passed by Lakeside city. Even the Sect of Clouds and Rain would not be able to protect her.
As a result, the West Gate Granny could only change up her attitude. She said to Li Qingshan earnestly, “Children really know nothing. A girly with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty will only serve as the source of a colossal disaster to you. If you hand her to me, you’ll be able to end your grievance with the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Moreover, I have everything you want, whether it be pills or spiritual artifacts. I can let you pick whatever you want.”
Xiao An grabbed the corner of Li Qingshan’s clothes, while Li Qingshan only said two words to the West Gate Granny, “Piss off!”
The West Gate Granny was completely angered now. She raised her hand that was no different from a chicken’s claw and true qi surged out violently. Just from a few feet away, it pierced Li Qingshan to a point where his face twisted in pain.
Hua Chenglu stamped her foot and called out, “How dare you!”
The West Gate Granny hesitated for quite a while before viciously pulling back. Clearly, she was not bold enough to do that. “This girly will definitely end up with the Sect of Clouds and Rain. I would like to see whether you can keep hiding behind a girl.” With that, she climbed into her carriage and took off into the fog.
Hua Chenglu let out a deep sigh, and Li Qingshan eased up as well. He turned around and said, “Thank you for upholding justice and providing assistance.” If it were not for Hua Chenglu, he was confident that while the West Gate Granny would not have been able to catch them so easily, his daemon form and Xiao An’s ability would have been exposed, leading to endless trouble. As for killing the West Gate Granny, that was basically impossible for him right now.
Hua Chenglu nodded in a rather generous fashion. “It’s no problem.” Afterwards, she waved her small hand. “Let’s talk on the ship.”
Li Qingshan nodded and boarded the Wave Breaker with Xiao An and Hua Chenglu. The group of orthodox masters still ended up searching through the ruins of the island as they refused to believe that this was all a scheme. However, they obviously found nothing.
Someone said in wonder, “Why aren’t there any corpses?”
“Don’t tell me they were all blasted apart by the cannons?”
“But they couldn’t have been blasted to a point where they vanished.”
Li Qingshan became wary. Devouring flesh and blood on a large scale for the sake of training would definitely lead to suspicion. If he attracted the attention of someone sharp-witted, he would become suspicious sooner or later. He needed to become even more careful. Fortunately, Xiao An had already reconstructed his body, so they were in no hurry to gather more corpses. They could hold off with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty for now.
As he rubbed Xiao An’s head, he thought about how a child like her was involved in killing and fighting every single day after she followed him. Now that she had finally recovered her body, it was time for her to enjoy the happinesses of ordinary children. Seeking greater power to protect her was his responsibility.
Xiao An raised her head to look at Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan smiled at her, and Xiao An’s lips twitched as well, smiling rather unnaturally in response.
Li Qingshan pinched her cheek and smiled. “You need quite a lot more practise. As a person, you’ll be better off if you smile more.”
Xiao An lowered her head in embarrassment as her face blushed.
Although Li Qingshan had no idea what the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty was, he did find her to be extremely cute. He thought back to when Xiao An was still a spirit. Her face was completely pale. She did not seem to possess the same charm as right now.
Little did he know that a body reconstructed using the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty could be described as the most perfect body in the world. The White Bone Bodhisattva might not have been described as possessing heavenly fragrance and beauty. He only pursued the limits of forms and appearances in the world, and the core secrets hidden within could not just be passed off as ‘heavenly fragrance and beauty’.
Hua Chenglu yelled at the shore, “If you don’t board now, I’m leaving!” The orthodox masters quickly gave up on their search and returned to the ship.
The pitch-black night descended as rain drizzled. Masters stood to the sides.
“Please!” Hua Chenglu invited Li Qingshan into the cabin. They passed through a corridor lit by lanterns and arrived in an extremely fancy dining hall.
There was not a single lantern in the dining hall, but it was fully lit. Half-transparent crystals were embedded in the walls, producing gentle, white light. The atmosphere was pleasant, neither too dry nor too humid, neither too cold nor too hot. It fully exhibited the luxury that Qi Practitioner clans could enjoy.
Hua Chenglu and Li Qingshan sat in the seats of honours as the orthodox masters sat to the two sides. They chatted happily as they were in extremely good moods. While they had failed to find any pills, knowing that their greatest enemies had been blown to a pulp was a very delightful matter.
Great hero Yu even bellowed out, “Bring the alcohol! We killed those bastards, so we need to properly celebrate!”
Everyone responded loudly. There were also envious people among them, who thought about how his appearance was vicious and looked even more villainous than a villain, yet he somehow had such a charming daughter who managed to befriend someone from the Hua family. They sneered inside over how his wife must have been unfaithful, or there was no other explanation.
Hua Chenglu glanced at him before ordering people to prepare some tea and snacks for guests in an extremely old-fashioned manner.
Great hero Yu shut up in a hurry and smiled apologetically. “Let’s drink tea. Tea is no different.”
If a grown man behaved like Hua Chenglu, Li Qingshan might have found it perfectly normal, but she was only thirteen or fourteen. She still had a hint of childishness to her, making her look like a child trying to act like an adult. It was rather funny.
And, there was no need for any orders at all. She just had to wave her banner, and a few mechanical puppets would emerge from beneath the cabin, clinking and clanking, delivering her tea and snacks. It made her actions seem even more childish instead.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had seen puppets like this, so he became extremely curious. He was amazed by the wonders of this world once again. These puppets seemed to be made out of wood. A face was carved on their heads, and their joints were clearly defined on their arms and feet. They were extremely nimble as well, without any stiffness in their actions. It was possible to imagine them moving as swiftly as the wind when the need arose.
Xiao An’s gaze became even more fixed than him. Only when the puppets walked away did she withdraw her gaze reluctantly.
Li Qingshan thought of something and took note of that.
Hua Chenglu sipped some tea and asked sternly, “Just how did you offend that old hag?”
As a result, Li Qingshan told her the entire story regarding the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, but he hid the fact that Zhuo Zhibo was trying to screw him over. Hua Chengzan would definitely be much more familiar with Zhuo Zhibo than himself. Lodging a complaint over the heads of his superiors would never end up well, let alone through a young girl like Hua Chenglu.
When Hua Chenglu heard about how the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had been forcing people into prostitution, she became bright red from fury. However, when she heard how Li Qingshan had killed the procuress and executed a search warrant against them, she praised, “You’ve done well. The Hawkwolf Guard needs good men who defy brutal suppression like you. I really haven’t saved the wrong person.”
Li Qingshan grinned, but he forced back his smile and said sternly too, “That’s my responsibility!”
Hua Chenglu asked out of curiosity, “What other missions have you undertaken before?”
“I’ve only just joined the Hawkwolf Guard recently, so I haven’t undertaken many missions.” Then Li Qingshan told her about his mission in Ancient Wind city and his plan with the Island of Cherishing Flowers this time.
Hua Chenglu was utterly engrossed by it all. She would chime in from time to time. She led an extravagant life, yet for some reason, she had such a great thirst for blood. When she heard about the destruction of an entire clan, she became overwhelmed by excitement, forcing Li Qingshan to go into much detail.
In the end, she said in quite some pity, “It’s just a pity that my big brother won’t let me join the Hawkwolf Guard so soon. Otherwise, I’ll be able to carry out missions together with you, Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan thought, With the Hua family’s strength, you can literally eat pills whenever you want, so why would you have to busy yourself with these missions? If I were you, I would eat my way to Daemon General before leaving the clan.
However, he said, “That is because commander Hua cares for you. Only when you’re powerful can you carry out missions. I believe there’ll be a day when you become a Hawkwolf guard who even surpasses me.”
Hua Chenglu said, “Exactly. That’s basically what my big brother said to me.”
Li Qingshan thought, So your elder brother coaxes you like this too!
If the entire scene was presented as a new report, it would have been, “The leader of our country, Hua Chenglu, received Li Qingshan in a cordial manner and engaged in a deep conversation, affirming and supporting Li Qingshan’s job. Our leader has also encouraged him to continue with his hard work so that he can strive for the better.”
The orthodox martial arts practitioners watched all of this unfold as bystanders. They felt rather mixed inside. After all, aside from Xiao An, the two of them were the youngest out of everyone present. Most of them were first-rate masters and were only a step away from the first layer of Qi Practitioner, but it was this exact obstacle before the innate realm that separated their statuses.
Yet, they just had to admit that no matter how many times they heard of Li Qingshan’s actions, they felt astounded. Then they thought of the unorthodox masters who prided themselves in making it onto the blacklist and called them idiots inside. Afterwards, they made up their minds to never make it onto the blacklist no matter what. Otherwise, who knows when they would be cut down in one fell swoop from attending a gathering.
After what happened on the Island of Cherishing Flowers, the orthodox martial arts society within several hundred kilometers of Jiaping city experienced great prosperity. The ethos of the jianghu became extremely positive as well. Young and great heroes emerged one after another, every single one of them following the law, respecting the old, and cherishing the young. Even if they became involved in some dirty deeds, they would do it secretly and with great care. They would never do it openly. Li Qingshan had truly done well.
In just a short while, the ship arrived on the shore and everyone disembarked. Hua Chenglu extended her hand and waved it. The huge ship rapidly shrank before landing in her hand. Then she stowed it away in her hundred treasures pouch. She lamented, “The lake is too small. We can’t go speeding around.”
Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s eyes lit up once more with this sight.
Before they could set off, the orthodox masters had already prepared a celebration banquet in the Lake Viewing restaurant of Lakeside city.
Li Qingshan sighed gently. I have to continue this act. She helped me so much this time, so I need to make her happy at the very least.
And, while he could not see, hear, or smell her, Li Qingshan could clearly sense that the West Gate Granny was still close. The ambiguous sense of hostility and killing intent enveloped him constantly. He was afraid that the West Gate Granny would immediately come for his life as soon as he left Hua Chenglu’s side.
Putting on an act for a young girl was always better than risking his life against an old woman. Although he had become determined to kill the West Gate Granny, now was not the time. The West Gate Granny’s age was already so advanced, so it was no longer possible for her to make anymore progress with her cultivation. Meanwhile, he was constantly becoming stronger. As long as he had some time, he would be able to kill her without injuring himself at all. What was the point in risking it all right now?
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Chapter 162 – Birthday Present
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Chapter 162 – Birthday Present
Great hero Yu finally obtained his alcohol in the Lake Viewing restaurant. He drank to his heart’s content. He even used his tipsiness to toast Li Qingshan. Afterwards, other people came to toast him as well. They all fawned over him.
“Sir Li, do you have another nickname called the Black Tiger?” There were even some people who recognised Li Qingshan, recalling his extremely distant nickname.
Li Qingshan quickly dealt with their praises and questions and helped Xiao An to another piece of fish. “Try this. It’s quite nice.” Now that she had finally regained her sense of taste, she obviously had to make up for everything she had missed out over such a long period of time.
Xiao An lowered her head and ate obediently. Although she was expressionless, she remained bright red the entire time; it was like she was drunk.
An old monk made his way over and studied Xiao An. “Sir Li, your little friend gives off a very strong buddhist aura!” He was a diligent monk who had some cultivation about him, so he could sense the impact of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty on Xiao An.
Li Qingshan laughed. “My Xiao An will become a bodhisattva in the future!”
The old monk was taken aback. He placed his palms together in a prayer. “That’s sinful, that’s sinful. Sir, you mustn’t talk nonsense!”
Li Qingshan laughed. “How can common people understand the ambitions of the great? Right, Xiao An?”
Hua Chenglu was still the person that everyone crowded around. When she heard that, she glanced at Li Qingshan and shook her head. She had no idea whether this kid was audacious or simply foolish. Didn’t he know that a ninth layer Qi Practitioner was looking for him now? If it were not for her, he would have been torn to pieces a long time ago. He would not be able to go on about common people and great people here.
At this moment, a handsome young man arrived before her gracefully and whispered. He seemed to say something with deep affection.
Hua Chenglu’s smile vanished. She replied to him with a question, “Do you think you’re worthy?”
She was not particularly loud, but everyone present had sharp ears. They all looked over. Everyone knew what the young man was trying. In particular, the other young heroes present all sneered inside. You want to get involved with the Hua family? Why don’t you check yourself in the mirror first? Afterwards, they felt glad that they had not attempted the same thing.
Li Qingshan thought, Bastard, aren’t you a little too bestial? You won’t even spare a thirteen-year-old girl. If you were in my previous life, you would’ve been shot! However, this girl sure was realistic. She was unlike those young misses from the stories, who would be touched by true love and end up eloping with scholars.
The young man’s face became bright red. He covered his face and left in embarrassment.
Yu Zijian asked, “You just had to turn him down. You didn’t have to be so cruel to him.”
Hua Chenglu said, “He never had any sincere intentions in the first place, so why am I supposed to be all polite to him? Moreover, he didn’t even have the courage to say that he was worthy. He lacks confidence and has an inferiority complex. That’s just annoying.” Towards the end, she seemed to remember something, and her face became rather resentful.
The small incident failed to influence the atmosphere of the celebratory banquet.
After the banquet, the masters all bid farewell. They said they would be returning to eliminate the remaining unorthodox forces. In reality, they were just taking advantage of the situation so that they could claim a piece of the territory and wealth left behind by these unorthodox masters. There were a few young men on par with young heroes who were reluctant to part with Hua Chenglu.
Just when it was as noisy as it could get, Li Qingshan approached Hua Chenglu and whispered something into her ear.
Hua Chenglu had received a few toasts from people as well, so her face was slightly flushed. When she saw him approach her, she was rather displeased in the beginning, but when she heard his words, she was surprised. She glanced at Xiao An before smiling and nodded.
The young heroes were all envious of him. This kid sure knew how to climb upwards. If he became the son-in-law of the Hua family, he would basically experience a meteoric rise in status, wealth and everything else. In the past few days, a few of them had attempted similar things as well, but Hua Chenglu had shut them all down in a haughty manner. It was rare for her to smile after hearing something like that.
Just as Li Qingshan wanted to give something to Hua Chenglu, she waved her hand and turned it down. Li Qingshan did not insist either. He only gazed at her deeply, which embarrassed Hua Chenglu instead, making her shift her gaze. In the end, she placed something in his hundred treasures pouch and glanced at him in concern. She mentioned something again, but Li Qingshan only smiled and shook his head. With that, they finally stopped talking.
It was impossible for the Hua family to stand up for him over something as small as this. Zhuo Zhibo of the Hawkwolf Guard seemed to hate this kid very much as well, while the Sect of Clouds and Rain could endure the price that came with eliminating him. When the banquet ended, everyone left the restaurant and boarded their own carriages or horses.
Hua Chenglu emerged from the restaurant. Yu Zijian asked curiously, “What were you talking about with him earlier?” She thought that he was the same as the young heroes. Did she understand what would happen between man and woman at such a young age?
Hua Chenglu said in thought, “It’s nothing.”
Yu Zijian said, “What nothing? You two got along so well earlier. He might not be bad, but he’s far too vicious. He doesn’t suit you.”
Hua Chenglu finally understood what she was asking about. She smacked her over her head. “You’re so young, so what are you thinking about these random things for? He doesn’t suit me, so he’s supposed to suit you? You’re the one who’s interested, so don’t say that I am. He only wanted to buy a gift for that child. Afterwards, he bid farewell to me. I was afraid he would end up being caught by that old woman, so I tried to persuade him to travel with me, but he refused.”
Yu Zijian clutched her head and gazed at the restaurant in concern. “He’ll be fine, right?”
Under the rain and darkness of the night, the West Gate Granny parked her carriage in a dark alleyway. She firmly locked onto Li Qingshan’s aura in the restaurant. She refused to believe that the little princess of the Hua family would actually spend every moment of her time around this man. As long as she had the smallest opportunity, she would be able to strike. Taking away a single child and even accepting the child as a disciple would not exactly be a crime.
She watched the people scatter, but the West Gate Granny suddenly sensed that she had completely lost track of Li Qingshan’s aura. It was like he had simply vanished into thin air. She could not help but rush out of the carriage. She tore through the curtain of rain like a red ghost, basically treading on air. She circled around the restaurant a few times, but she failed to sense Li Qingshan’s aura at all.
Landing on the eaves, she screeched, “This is impossible!” How could a mere second layer Qi Practitioner hide his aura so well, enough to avoid her senses? “Li Qingshan, get out here!”
Her voice rolled through the entire city. It was unknown how many families she had alarmed, but Li Qingshan obviously would not answer her.
Instead, Hua Chenglu grinned and yelled at the eaves, “How’s that, old woman? You can’t find him now, can you?”
Yu Zijian let out a sigh of relief. She shot a glance at Hua Chenglu. “How can you just hit me like that?”
The West Gate Granny glared at Hua Chenglu viciously before flying away again. She expanded her search range, but in the dark rain, the streets were as complicated as a maze. Li Qingshan was like a fish that had been released back into the water. He had swum away, vanishing completely.
Hua Chenglu rolled her eyes at Yu Zijian. “Slow-witted!” She took out a small, delicate carriage from her hundred treasures pouch and tossed it on the ground. Just like the ship earlier, the carriage rapidly expanded, but it was drawn by two wooden horses.
The wheels rolled, and the carriage took off into the rainy night.
In the carriage, Yu Zijian managed to last until midnight, but without the support of true qi, she was just mentally weaker. As such, she laid down on the soft, golden, silken pillows and fell asleep.
Hua Chengzu leaned on the window sill and thought about everything that had happened tonight. From blasting the Island of Cherishing Flowers to hosting the celebratory banquet, no one has been bold enough to call me useless! I’ve done two significant things as well! Afterwards, she smiled complacently. She seemed just like a child.
Then she thought of what Li Qingshan had said to her earlier in the restaurant.
“Can you sell me one of your humanoid puppets?”
“I don’t have a lot of things that I can offer. I only have a few spiritual stones and a few dozen talismans. Would that be enough?”
When this utterly reckless and foolish young man who would remain almost insanely stubborn before the pressure of a ninth layer Qi Practitioner said this, he was extremely stern. He even seemed like he was begging her.
He made her think of someone. He would also lower his proud head for the sake of a girl, doing all that he could to make her happy. Melancholy unbefitting of her age appeared on her face. She no longer tried to act mature anymore either. She only sighed. “Big brother Chengzan.”
At this moment, her eyes lit up. Outside the window, Li Qingshan stood in a dark alleyway in a straw rain cloak with Xiao An beside him. She was also wearing a small rain cloak. He clasped his hands at her with a smile, and Hua Chenglu straightened herself and returned the greeting. The carriage had already passed him now. All that was left before her were rain-soaked walls, but the sight still lingered in her mind.
The young man stood in the dark wind and rain, but he seemed to give off a powerful and positive light. He was like a hard piece of rock, unable to be affected by anything. He was still very weak, but he possessed a certain sense of strength that was no less than her elder brother’s or even surpassed his in certain aspects.
She was infected by him. She made up her mind. I’ll definitely help you, big brother.
Li Qingshan lowered his large, bamboo hat and held Xiao An’s hand. “Let’s go. Do you want me to carry you on my back?”
Xiao An shook her head.
Holding hands, they vanished into the pitch-black curtain of rain.
Five kilometers from Lakeside city, two rain cloaks, one large and one small, hung in front of a ruined temple.
Fire blazed in the temple, purging the moisture and darkness. Two shadows, also one large and one small, were projected onto the earthen walls.
Li Qingshan said with a mysterious smile, “Close your eyes.”
Xiao An just closed her eyes obediently.
“You can open them now. Tada! Look what this is!”
Xiao An opened her eyes and saw Li Qingshan holding a small, wooden person in his arms. It was the same humanoid puppet she had seen on the ship. Her eyes shone with surprise and joy.
Li Qingshan placed the puppet onto the ground, and it immediately expanded to the size of an adult. Under his command, it clinked and clanked as it moved around.
“This is a birthday gift for you! Yep, today is the birth of your new life. The eighth of the eighth. That’s a good number. I got this from miss Hua. Although miss Hua is a little childish, she’s not a bad person. I’ll definitely return this favour to her in the future. So what do you think about it?”
Xiao An blinked her eyes as her long eyelashes moved rapidly. Her eyes were rather moist. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but she halted. She was still unable to speak.
“You still can’t speak?” Li Qingshan found this to be quite the pity. He hated the witch even more now.
Xiao An shook her head sadly.
Li Qingshan rubbed her head and encouraged her with a smile. “There’s no need to force yourself. You can go slowly. I know what you’re trying to say even when you can’t talk.”
Xiao An stood up and began fiddling around with the puppet. She controlled the puppet and made it move around, and before long, she became happy again. She forgot about all of her worries, even though she would always forget to move her face and smile.
Author’s Postscript: Ruthlessness does not make a hero, and taking pity does not make you any less of a real man. Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers; head-bowed, like a willing ox I serve the people. Yep, this is the feeling. If you like this feeling, please give me the monthly tickets in your hands!
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Chapter 163 – For Scaring Children
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Chapter 163 – For Scaring Children
Li Qingshan smiled on the side. His mind was at peace. Although he was unable to put their exact relationship into words, the conclusion he could reach was as clear as day. She was family to him, family that brought him warmth.
As a lonely transmigrator, he had lost his parents at a young age and was even oppressed by his only family. After settling their debts, he no longer seemed to possess any more ties. However, her arrival changed everything. To him, she had only been a pitiful creature that required his care in the very beginning, but afterwards, he would often receive care and assistance from her instead.
She was the one who found the spiritual ginseng and paved his path of cultivation. Back then, he was still contemplating about how he was supposed to return the favour multiple times over, but now, he had completely dismissed that thought. If she brought him a hundred spiritual ginseng right now, he would eat all of them without holding back at all. After all, as family, there was no need to put any further thought into matters like that.
Sometimes, he wondered whether the black ox had already calculated this. If it were not for her existence, he would probably be ten times as vicious as now. With the ability from the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, it might have even been possible for him to run around killing Qi Practitioners for their pills. He might have even done whatever he wanted to fulfil his own desires, becoming a daemon through and through.
He had no confidence in the bottom line of his morality. No one was born a hero, a genuinely good person. He believed circumstances could change people. With absolute power and loneliness, it would definitely lead to absolute freedom and indulgence. But right now, he needed to take care of her safety, so he could not take too many risks. He needed to serve as a role model to her. He could not do whatever he wanted.
It was exactly because of her existence that he could live like a human and not fight purely for the sake of his desires. As the head of the family, he had to bear some responsibilities and seriously consider for the present and the future.
He no longer had many regular Qi Gathering pills left, and for the sake of breaking through to the fifth layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, he had used up a bottle of Hundred Grasses pills as well. He was in desperate need for more pills so that he could maintain his cultivation speed and deal with the great, hidden threat of the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
The simplest and most direct method was obviously to redeem them from the Hawkwolf Guard. Out of his twenty-seven missions, he had only completed twenty-one of them, as some people did not come to the Island of Cherishing Flowers. The remuneration for each mission was pitiful as well, but due to the quantity of missions, it still amounted to over three hundred points of contribution in total. He could exchange for a single Qi Gathering pill with five points of contribution. If it was combined with his original two hundred and fifty points of contribution, he could have exchanged for over a hundred Qi Gathering pills.
However, Zhuo Zhibo opposed him, which made things extremely difficult for Li Qingshan. No matter how many missions he completed, that fellow would never permit him to exchange for anything.
Originally, he was wholeheartedly focused on helping Xiao An to recover his body, so he had no interest in dealing with Zhuo Zhibo’s provocations. Now that this goal was achieved, it was time for him to kick aside this obstacle in his way.
When he thought of that, killing intent arose in his heart. Zhuo Zhibo, you better just die obediently! I might not be able to deal with ninth layer Qi Practitioners, but I’m more than enough to deal with you!
Xiao An immediately sensed Li Qingshan’s changes. She looked back at him.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Let’s spend some more time outside, just in case that old woman blocks our way. After this, we’ll go back and butcher Zhuo Zhibo.”
Xiao An nodded happily.
The next day, the rain showed no signs of stopping.
Li Qingshan set off with Xiao An. Because there were no particular places he wanted to go to, he would stop and rest whenever he came across a place that seemed fun or offered good food. They stopped and went as if they were on holiday.
One day when he was near a tea stall on the side of the road, he suddenly heard people on the neighbouring table mention his name. He could not help but listen in closely.
“This Tiger Butcher, Li Qingshan, is the reincarnation of a god of slaughter. As soon as he was born, he began killing. He began killing people when he was nine. Ever since he joined the Hawkwolf Guard, he became even more hopeless. First, he destroyed the Qian family, slaughtering all of them, over a thousand people. He killed them mercilessly, regardless of their age or gender. He even laughed aloud as he killed them. There were so many corpses that even the pit could not fit them all…”
As it turned out, these were some people of the jianghu who had come here to shelter from the rain. That was what a sallow, skinny man said in great detail as he sipped some crude alcohol.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to react. His nickname seemed to have changed again. Though, the Tiger Butcher did sound much better than the Descended Tiger and the Black Tiger. However, since when did he slaughter the entire Qian family? He clearly only killed three people. The rest was all due to Qian Rongzhi. She was the one who laughed aloud as she killed them, so why did they describe him like a mass murderer? However, becoming the main character of the rumours of the jianghu was a rather interesting experience at the same time. He listened closely.
“If you bunch of cowards saw that many corpses, you would have wet yourself in fright. However, Li Qingshan is no ordinary person. After killing over a thousand people, he still did not feel satisfied, so he set up a great scheme on the Island of Cherishing Flowers. The Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers, Shen Xihua, the Soaring Godrat, Zhao Ruyong, the Iron Palms of Mountain-splitting, Tian Zhonghao… You’ve all heard of these people, right?”
After receiving everyone’s affirmation, the sallow, skinny man continued, “He tricked them all onto the Island of Cherishing Flowers and wiped them out in one stroke. He even laughed aloud as he killed them.”
However, someone objected, “I heard that the Island of Cherishing Flowers was flattened using cannonfire.”
“What would you know? He killed them all before blasting the place down. My uncle’s friend’s master was on the ship back then.” The sallow, skinny man said proudly. Then he added, “Did you know that the pit outside Ancient Wind city was later exhumed, and they failed to find a single corpse at all? It was the same with the Island of Cherishing Flowers. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
The sallow, skinny man suddenly stifled his voice. Only after enough suspense did he say, “Cannibalism!” It led to a great gasp of fright.
Cannibalism! Li Qingshan’s eye twitched, while Xiao An’s lips curled up. She found it hilarious.
Li Qingshan pinched her cheeks. “Eat your food!” Although these rumours had many absurdities about them, they were surprisingly accurate from a certain aspect.
Xiao An stuck out her tongue.
Someone on the table beside him questioned, “That is over a thousand people, so how could he have eaten them all?”
The sallow, skinny man faltered. He was unable to answer that question.
Li Qingshan shrugged. As it seemed, it was true. Rumours would stop with the wise!
Afterwards, Li Qingshan understood very soon just what wishful thinking meant inside a restaurant.
“It’s said that the Tiger Butcher stands twenty feet tall and has a girth of twenty feet as well. He has a green face and curved teeth, with a head made of metal! He can move as swiftly as the wind, and he’s as loud as thunder! He loves to eat human flesh, and he needs four or five people to fill him for each meal!”
“That’s a daemon, right?”
In a corner of the restaurant, Li Qingshan slapped his forehead. He felt like if these rumours continued to spread, his true form would become exposed.
Xiao An could now smile in a very natural manner.
In the dead of night, a child cried constantly within a certain household. He threw a tantrum for some candy, or he would refuse to go to sleep.
His mother said, “You can’t eat candy at night! It’s bad for your teeth!”
The child refused to relent.
The mother finally lost her temper. “If you keep crying, if you keep crying, the Tiger Butcher is going to eat you!”
The child immediately stopped crying. He fell completely silent. A long while later, he said softly, “Mummy, I don’t want candy. Just don’t let the Tiger Butcher eat me.”
The mother smiled in satisfaction.
On the streets outside, Li Qingshan finally understood what daemonification meant! His nickname was now extremely effective at scaring children and could make them stop crying. It firmly took root within the hearts of the common people. It assisted countless households in disciplining their children.
The Hawkwolf Guard possessed many powerful people, but they mainly targeted Qi Practitioners, which was rather distant from the lives of ordinary people. Moreover, he had just killed a few people at most in the mission this time.
However, from just the two times that Li Qingshan was involved, he had caused over a thousand deaths with countless witnesses. As a result, his nickname spread extremely rapidly, leading to great fame. The situation soon became completely out of control.
In the Iron Fist school within Qingyang city, the first disciple, Wang Lei, asked, “Is this all true?”
Liu Hong said, “Aside from the part about cannibalism, the other parts probably aren’t just baseless rumours. I could tell a long time ago that nothing good could come out of this kid, that he would disturb the jianghu. However, I never thought he would be so vicious such that he would directly destroy half of it. Don’t be jealous of your junior brother. There’s nothing good about roaming through the jianghu.”
“Wise be master. To think that I had almost attacked him,” Wang Lei said in lingering fear. He had never thought that a bumpkin from a village would become such a terrifying figure. From them on, his envy of Li Long vanished. The jianghu was just far too dangerous. He was better off remaining in Qingyang city obediently and waiting to take over his master!
“That is nothing. I even punched him a hundred times!” Liu Hong said proudly. This matter that had humiliated him before now became a great honour for him. He would mention it to whoever he saw from then on.
Many masters would pass through Qingyang city. When they heard he had punched the Tiger Butcher Li Qingshan a hundred times and that he was still standing there in one piece, they admired him deeply. Even those stronger than him developed some respect for him.
Afterwards, on his deathbed, Liu Hong even specially ordered his disciples to engrave a great sentence on his gravestone. “Here lies the person who once punched the Tiger Butcher a hundred times,” so that later generations would look at it in reverence.
Soon afterwards, a great sculpture was erected at the entrance of Crouching Ox village. It depicted a young man. He was able-bodied and wielded a blade; his gaze was vicious. The sculpture seemed life-like. It was Li Qingshan.
It was Half-village Liu, caretaker Liu, who had paid a hefty price to invite the most renowned sculptor within the local region to create it. On the day the sculpture was completed and put in place, the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers rang out. Village head Li organised everyone in the village to pay their respects to it.
Many years later, mountain bandits appeared once again in the region of Qingyang. They pillaged and plundered many villages, but Crouching Ox village was the only one they were afraid to approach due to this statue, bringing them peace. Out of deep gratitude, the villagers erected a temple. They would all come to pay their respects right before the beginning of winter every year. It became a great festival, called ‘Respecting the Tiger Butcher’, but this was a story for another time.
Zhuo Zhibo frowned heavily in the office of the Hawkwolf Guard within Jiaping city. Recently, Li Qingshan had caused him just far too much trouble. He wanted to kill him with a borrowed blade, to lead him to his doom. When the West Gate Granny came to investigate in Jiaping, he was confident that Li Qingshan was deeply involved in the entire matter. He even provided a portrait and information regarding his missions to her, but he never expected it all to fail.
He had never imagined that the kid would be lucky enough to befriend the daughter of the Hua family, such that even the West Gate Granny was helpless against him. He had brought renown upon Li Qingshan instead.
However, he was not particularly worried. Sitting right in front of him right now was the West Gate Granny. Just as Li Qingshan had suspected, the West Gate Granny was unable to find Li Qingshan anywhere, so she just waited for him to come to her here. She was determined to obtain the girl with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty.
Author’s Postscript: Push, everybody! We remained around the forties last month with the ranking. The target this month was originally to make it within the thirties, but you’ve given me twenty-third instead, so Dream Teller thanks you all! I will work even harder with my writing. The setup is almost complete. What I actually want to write will gradually unfold. I don’t just want to bring you hot-bloodedness and satisfaction, but also warmth, smiles, and sentiment. Speaking of which, I paced around a few hundred times in the living room yesterday. I thought of what I would be writing soon and was utterly overjoyed. Just you watch as the good stuff comes!
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Chapter 164 – The Moving Undercurrent
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Chapter 164 – The Moving Undercurrent
“Granny, there’s no need to worry. You are welcome to wait here. I refuse to believe the kid won’t return to Jiaping for the rest of his life! If he really doesn’t return, then he’s a deserter who’s betrayed the Hawkwolf Guard. I’ve worked with the Sect of Clouds and Rain for all these years, so I’ll definitely give your esteemed sect a satisfying conclusion to the matter of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. I’ve already taken back the Parlour of Clouds and Rain that Zhou Wenbin closed down. Your esteemed sect only needs to send people here again and you’ll probably be open for business once again very soon.”
Zhuo Zhibo said rather enthusiastically, both for the sake of dealing with Li Qingshan and for the many benefits that the Sect of Clouds and Rain could offer.
The West Gate Granny said indifferently, “Thank you for your kind intentions, commander. The Sect of Clouds and Rain will be sending people over very soon. I definitely must request the commander to take good care of them. However, I’ll have to leave Jiaping city very soon.” At the end of the day, a world of cultivators was still all about strength. Although she needed Zhuo Zhibo, she was still extremely haughty.
Zhuo Zhibo was surprised, “Why’s that?”
The West Gate Granny said, “It’s the sect master’s order. I can’t disobey it.”
“Why did you esteemed sect master… Was it because?”
A sliver of sunkenness flashed across the West Gate Granny’s eyes, “That’s right. It’s all because of the girly from the Hua family. Our Sect of Clouds and Rain can’t just shrug off any pressure from your vice commander Hua.”
“I see!” Zhuo Zhibo was filled with regret. He could not kill with a borrowed blade then. However, he would never be bold enough to grumble about Hua Chengzan.
The West Gate Granny said, “Though, the kid’s only a second layer Qi Practitioner. There’s no need for me to do anything. Just you would be enough, commander Zhuo! Our sect master has already promised that as long as you can hand the girl beside the kid to the Sect of Clouds and Rain, our sect will give you a bottle of Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain to you as remuneration.”
Zhuo Zhibo was interested. The Sect of Cloud and Rain’s Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain were unique to them. They required extremely rare spiritual herbs and a special secret method to refine. Although they could not strengthen true qi, they could purge the impurities within true qi, saving a tremendous amount of time on purifying true qi. They were so valuable that just one of them was worth several hundred Qi Gathering pills. The Sect of Clouds and Rain was really paying the price this time. He had no idea just what was so special about the girl that she could raise so much attention from the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
However, he appeared unfazed on the surface, “How can you say that, granny? How can I attack my own subordinate? I will bear the girl you spoke of in mind. I won’t disappoint your esteemed sect master.”
The West Gate Granny said, “There’s one more thing. I want to take this disciple of mine to pay a visit to the Clear River city.”
“Disciple?” Zhuo Zhibo wsa confused, but he saw Qian Rongzhi who had been attending to them silently the entire time speak sweetly, “Thank you, granny.”
Zhuo Zhibo’s face immediately sank, “Rongzhi, what’s this all about?”
During the few days the West Gate Granny spent in Jiaping city, Qian Rongzhi had been the one receiving her. In just a few days, she managed to establish a tie with her and convince the eccentric West Gate Granny to accept her as a disciple. However, Zhuo Zhibo had only just heard of the news, as if he had served as a springboard to her.
Qian Rongzhi smiled, “Granny knew I had never joined a sect before, so she agreed to accept me as her disciple. I want to go to the Sect of Clouds and Rain to cultivate for a while, so I hope the commander can give approval.”
Her cultivation talent was acceptable and she had some beauty about her. She possessed an ordinary aspect of beauty. Although it was nowhere close to the level of the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty, it was still enough to catch the West Gate Granny’s attention. At the same time, she was extremely skilled at manipulating people, such that all of her actions and words suited the West Gate Granny’s strange tastes. As a result, she was chosen to become her disciple. None of this was a coincidence.
She was like a poisonous vine, extending and reaching towards all opportunities and climbing upwards no matter what the cost was, just for more sunlight and due. In her eyes, Qian Yannian was nothing. Zhuo Zhibo was nothing. Even the West Gate Granny was nothing. They were all just tools to be used by her.
The West Gate Granny was a ninth layer Qi Practitioner, while Zhuo Zhibo was only at the sixth layer. She did not even need to compare them to know which tool would be better. With the protective umbrella of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, she no longer needed to bend over backwards to fawn up to Zhuo Zhibo. As a result, her attitude towards him just changed.
The Hawkwolf Guard was only a job. It did not forbid its members from joining sects, just like Diao Fei who came from a sect. Obviously, if Zhuo Zhibo wanted to obstruct her, he had many ways to make things difficult for Qian Rongzhi. However, right in front of him was the sunken-faced West Gate Granny, so how would he be bold enough to do that? The West Gate Granny only mentioned it to him before leaving with Qian Rongzhi. She was not asking for his opinion or permission.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. She was confident. The reason why she had only told Zhuo Zhibo about this right now was to remove all of his opportunities to get in her way. If the opportunity arose, Zhuo Zhibo definitely would have taken it. There was not a single man who would be willing to let go of a docile, obedient woman that they could toy with however they wished.
Zhuo Zhibo squinted his eyes, “Rongzhi, you’ve managed to get yourself into a good place. As your commander, I’m obviously happy for you. Only if you learn some skills from the Sect of Clouds and Rain can you complete your Hawkwolf Guard missions better. I’ll permit you to take a few months’ leave, but there won’t be any pills. At the same time, I need to take you three newcomers to Clear River city to see the two commanders, so you can just go ahead for now.”
He made his decision very quickly. If he insisted on getting in her way, he would derive no benefit at all. As a result, he could only agree to it reluctantly. Although he knew that Qian Rongzhi’s sugar-coated words were mostly insincere, his pride as a man was still hurt from being abandoned so easily. He developed resentment towards Qian Rongzhi. She was as shameless as they came.
Before Qian Rongzhi boarded the carriage, she bowed gracefully, “Thank you, commander. In the coming days, Rongzhi will serve the commander again, in return for your great kindness.” She added inside, If you’re still alive, that is.
Even if she had managed to join the Sect of Clouds and Rain, her status as a Hawkwolf Guard remained the same, so before she had obtained strength that surpassed Zhuo Zhibo, she would have never been so disrespectful to Zhuo Zhibo. However, she had a feeling that Zhuo Zhibo would definitely die under Li Qingshan’s hands. This was a woman’s intuition, and it was mostly based on her instincts from all the calculations she made. There was obviously no reason for her to be polite to a dead person.
Zhuo Zhibo said, “No problem!” He watched the carriage leave. He felt how there was nowhere to vent the urge in his crotch, so he shattered the stone table in front of him with a slam.
In Clear River city within a small garden in the Hua estate, Hua Chengzan said to Hua Chenglu, “Alright. The West Gate Granny has been summoned back from Jiaping city for questioning. She won’t be able to cause any problems to the kid for now.”
Hua Chenglu nodded, “Good.”
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s rare of you to request something from me for the sake of others.”
“What for the sake of others? This has to do with your Hawkwolf Guard. I’m not requesting you either. I’m helping you. Don’t you know him?”
Hua Chengzan said helplessly, “Alright, alright, you’re helping me. We don’t actually know each other. We just met each other once. Though, I never thought that kid would actually emerge from there alive. He probably has it tough under Zhuo Zhibo’s command!”
Hua Chengzan seemed to be in thought. Almost a year had passed since then and Hua Chengzan’s memory of Li Qingshan had already become mostly blurred. Only when Hua Chenglu mentioned him did he recall it all. He felt rather amazed. He had never thought he would actually be able to emerge from the mountains and actually be bold enough to become a Hawkwolf guard under Zhuo Zhibo, even making so much trouble for Zhuo Zhibo.
Hua Chenglu asked, “Why would he have it tough?”
“Even if I tell you, you won’t understand the matters of adults.”
Hua Chenglu utterly hated that, “What matters of adults? That Li Qingshan’s just a few years older than me, and he’s only a second layer Qi Practitioner. His cultivation’s no different from me.” Her cultivation had already reached the peak of the second layer. She was basically only a step away from the third layer now.
“Then why don’t you go kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner?”
“Why would I go kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner?!”
“The kid’s not just a Qi Practitioner, but a Body Practitioner as well. A month ago, he destroyed a Qi Practitioner clan during his first mission and killed a fifth Layer Qi Practitioner. The master of the parlour from the Sect of Clouds and Rain is also a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, so it’s very likely that he was behind his death as well. Moreover, he was only a first layer Qi Practitioner back then.”
This information did not just come out of his strength as a cultivator, but from the might of his authority as well. The Hawkwolf Guard had eyes and ears littered across the world. However, Hua Chengzan never paid much attention to this usually. There were several dozen black iron Hawkwolf Guard offices under his control, so why would he pay attention to one in measly Jiaping city? Only when Hua Chenglu mentioned it did he order people to investigate it and very soon, a very detailed report was placed on his desk. The information he received surprised him quite a bit.”
Hua Chenglu was surprised. It was no wonder the West Gate Granny would be looking for him. He was actually so powerful. It was no wonder why he could resist the West Gate Granny’s aura and pressure as well, as well as why he was able to escape from the West Gate Granny so easily.
“Don’t think too much about it. You best prepare yourself for the admission examination at the start of spring. I’ve checked the girl you brought back already. Her temperament isn’t bad, much better than you. Here’s an Innate pill for her. She should be able to directly practise qi after ingesting it.” Hua Chengzan handed a pill to Hua Chenglu. This was the power that actual Qi Practitioner clans possessed. They could use pills and medicines to overcome the restriction of innate talent.
As for Li Qingshan, he was just an interesting subordinate to Hua Chengzan. He did not deserve too much attention. As long as Li Qingshan managed to stay alive, he believed he would see him very soon again.
Li Qingshan looked at the full moon in the crowd of people within a small city near Jiaping. He thought, It’s Mid-Autumn again! Although he had budgeted as hard as he could, he still ended up polishing off all of the Qi Gathering pills on him. With several hundred Qi Gathering pills now in his belly, the effects were evident.
In a remote place, he had transformed back into daemon form and he had already reached twenty-seven feet. His strength increased once again. He was close to the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength now.
However, as soon as he stopped ingesting pills, his cultivation speed immediately slowed to a halt, enough to make his hair stand on end. It was about time for him to return to Jiaping city. That old woman couldn’t be so patient!
He casually broke a mooncake in half and handed a piece to Xiao An, before carrying her through the sea of people. He emerged from the celebrating people and made his way towards Jiaping city.
After returning to Jiaping city, Li Qingshan and Xiao An erased all of their auras and snuck back onto the mountain. Li Qingshan twitched his nose and just as expected, he caught the whiff of a familiar smell. That was the unique and heavy fragrance that the West Gate Granny possessed. Just as expected, the West Gate Granny had been waiting for him here.
There were many different ways for cultivators to cover their tracks, but they would always forget about their odour. Li Qingshan followed the freshest trail in pursuit and only when he reached outside the city did he finally confirm that the West Gate Granny had already left Jiaping city.
Li Qingshan gazed at the mountain peak, at the black hawk forged from mental. He smiled. Zhuo Zhibo, the pills on you should be able to assist me in reaching the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength!
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Chapter 165 – Clashing with Zhuo Zhibo
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Chapter 165 – Clashing with Zhuo Zhibo
But how was he supposed to go about it?
Li Qingshan considered this question carefully. Climbing up the mountain and launching a sneak attack on Zhuo Zhibo was not a bad choice, but he needed to revert to his daemon form for sufficient strength.
However, his figure that approached thirty feet was even slightly taller than the two-storeyed buildings on the mountain. Probably even people below the mountain would be able to see him. It was far too easy for him to be exposed. Moreover, if he failed to kill Zhuo Zhibo in a single strike, allowing Zhuo Zhibo to call out, everyone would know his identity. He had to find a way to lure Zhuo Zhibo out of Jiaping city, and only then could he strike. However, how was he supposed to lure him out?
“Xiao An, do you have any ideas?”
Xiao An wrote in the air as fire flowed from the tip of her finger. She produced a single word. “Wait.”
Li Qingshan came to a realisation. She was right. Zhuo Zhibo wanted him dead very much right now, but he probably would not do it in Jiaping city. He would probably find a way to draw him out of the city, and that would be the most optimal time for him to strike.
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. “You really are clever.” However, he refused to just wait like this. He had to do something while he waited. “Though, let’s still go back and properly trigger him so that this bastard can make up his mind sooner!” He smiled evilly. If I don’t show you what’s what, do you really think that I’m that easy to walk all over?
“Commander Zhuo, I’m back!” A thunderous bellow pierced through the silence on the pitch-black mountain.
All of the Hawkwolf guards were alarmed. They roused from their cultivation or sleep and rushed out.
Li Qingshan stood in front of the Zhuo Zhibo’s office and yelled loudly, “I’ve already completed twenty-one missions, but it goes without saying that the contribution will be halved, right? And after that, I won’t be able to exchange them for anything, so I might as well just give them all to you. I don’t mind.”
“Oh right. When I went out this time, I just happened to run into vice commander Hua’s younger sister. I have a big mouth, so I couldn’t help but mention everything you did in Jiaping city to her. Vice commander Hua definitely wouldn’t take it to heart, so please don’t mind me.”
“Why don’t you shut up!?” A figure rushed out of the office in a flash and suddenly appeared in front of Li Qingshan. It was Zhuo Zhibo. He lashed out in a fury. His right sleeve was filled with true qi as it swung towards Li Qingshan like a metal hammer.
“What are you doing, commander Zhuo? Are you trying to kill your subordinate?” As Li Qingshan said that, he lifted his shield to block. He was only fearful of Zhuo Zhibo’s flying sword, so there was no reason for him to care about heavy attacks like this.
Thud! The heavy sleeve slammed into his shield and produced an extremely deep sound. A sound wave expanded into the surroundings and made the nearby tree leaves rustle.
Li Qingshan experienced a tremendous force and took four steps back in a stagger. With each step, he would leave behind a deep pit in the tough, marble ground. The impressiveness of sixth layer Qi Practitioners amazed him, but he was completely unscathed. When he checked the shield, it was no different from him as well. It was only a low grade spiritual artifact, but it was one that purely focused on defence, so it was impossible to destroy it so easily.
Of course, the force of that attack would have been enough to shatter a second layer Qi Practitioner’s body, making them vomit blood and die on the spot. However, Li Qingshan’s body was nowhere near as fragile as that.
Zhuo Zhibo became even more furious. He formed a seal with his hands, and a flash of light appeared in his eyes. True qi began to burn vigorously like hydrogen, illuminating the entire square in front of the office.
Li Qingshan could feel a wave of heat from afar, so he leapt backwards in retreat. He saw a fire dragon wrap around Zhuo Zhibo, illuminating the latter completely. Zhuo Zhibo’s clothes ruffled with a layer of scarlet light. He seemed like a god of fire. The marble below his feet showed signs of melting, which only demonstrated the terror of the heat that he emitted.
Sixth layer Qi Practitioners were not just powerful because of their artifact control, but also because of their techniques.
“Go!” Extending his finger like a sword, he pointed at Li Qingshan. The fire dragon rushed towards Li Qingshan with a roar. It was as fast as lightning. Regular people only saw a flash of light. They failed to make out the fire dragon.
“Hah!” Li Qingshan bellowed out and pushed his shield forward. The shield had already expanded to its limit as it collided with the fire dragon’s head. At the same time, he had already shrunken closely behind the shield.
Boom! Firelight erupted in the surroundings and the fire dragon directly turned into a sea of fire.
This time, Li Qingshan allowed himself to be knocked away. Only when he collided against a large tree several dozen meters behind him did he come to a halt. Leaves flittered down from the branches as he praised loudly, “Impressive moves, commander Zhuo!” Apart from his arm that ached slightly, he was unscathed.
This exchange demonstrated the importance of choosing a suitable spiritual artifact. After some verbal sneers, he needed a shield to soak up the damage.
However, he seemed to have gone a little too far with his provocation this time. From how determined Zhuo Zhibo was to finish him off once and for all, he did not seem to care about the circumstances anymore. It was far too irrational of him.
Zhuo Zhibo had commanded the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city for all these years, but no one had ever provoked him in such an open manner. After Qian Rongzhi played him and Li Qingshan humiliated him like that, his fury had overcome any of his remaining rationality.
Zhuo Zhibo saw how his fire dragon had failed to kill Li Qingshan, so with a wave of his hand, a small blade seven inches in length began to circle around in his palm. It brushed against the air and thrummed as if it were bloodthirsty and eager to kill.
All of Li Qingshan’s hairs pricked up. He felt an intense sensation of danger. The flying blade was over a dozen meters away from him, but he felt like someone was holding it against his neck already, prepared to behead him at any time.
The shield shrunk, and he stowed it away in his hundred treasures pouch. At a time like this, a shield that could only block a single direction was useless. He gathered all of his attention on the flying blade in Zhuo Zhibo’s palm.
If Zhuo Zhibo really did use the flying blade, Li Qingshan would only have a single option—fleeing.
He had already looked into the path of controlling artifacts. The range a sixth layer Qi Practitioner could reach was around thirty steps; this was not a particularly large range. It was not like the legends, where a sword immortal could behead someone from thousands of kilometers away.
However, if it were combined with the terrifying speed of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, it would be a true killing machine. If Li Qingshan was capable of something like that, killing everyone that deserved death on the Island of Cherishing Flowers would not have required so much trouble.
However, it was not like Li Qingshan had not considered this. He had already prepared a Swift Breeze talisman. If it came to fleeing, then he would flee. He held great confidence in his own two feet.
Now, he had already retreated to a hundred steps away, just in case Zhuo Zhibo lost his mind and no longer cared about anything anymore. Even if Zhuo Zhibo tried to hunt him down, it did not matter as long as he was not killed. However, if that really did happen, he planned on reporting Zhuo Zhibo to Zhou Wenbin and escalating the entire matter.
The news that Zhuo Zhibo had deducted contribution from his subordinate and that he was trying to hunt down a meritorious officer would spread like wildfire. It was not like Li Qingshan would be the target of humiliation for the matter. This was called having nothing to lose. By then, probably the people in Clear River city would become displeased with Zhuo Zhibo, and he would be labeled as incompetent.
Ge Jian called out in a hurry, “Commander Zhuo, please calm down!” Though, he had not thought as deeply as Li Qingshan. He was just afraid that Zhuo Zhibo would kill Li Qingshan in the Hawkwolf Guard out of pure anger. That would lead to great trouble.
The Hawkwolf guards all gathered over, and Zhuo Zhibo forced himself to calm down. He stowed his flying blade away and glared at Li Qingshan viciously. “Li Qingshan, that’s impressive of you!”
Although he had remained in Jiaping city for many years now, it was impossible for him to make everyone acknowledge him and act like they saw nothing at all. If he killed someone here, any person, not just a Hawkwolf guard under his command, he would receive punishment if he lacked an appropriate reason.
As the representatives of legalism, the protectors of the law, the Hawkwolf Guard could do whatever they wanted in the dark, but on the surface, they had to protect the laws of Great Xia. Once they crossed the line, nothing good would await them.
Sixth layer Qi Practitioners were like gods within Jiaping city, but in the eyes of the people above, they were nothing. Not a single person would care if one died.
Seeing how Zhuo Zhibo behaved as he had expected, afraid to kill him here, Li Qingshan relaxed as well. He brushed off the leaves on his shoulder. “Thank you for your praise, commander Zhuo. I’m very impressive! I drank a little too much earlier, so I ran my mouth a little. I hope you can forget and forgive, commander!”
Zhuo Zhibo turned around furiously. He felt extremely unhappy. Never had he found the identity of Black Hawk commander to be so restricting like today.
They targeted each other right now. If they were two regular Qi Practitioners, they would have faced off against one another already, unleashing everything that they had at hand in a great battle. However, it was exactly because of their identities that they were both forced to consider the consequences. Both of them needed an appropriate place to settle this matter.
Li Qingshan returned to his dwelling and smiled brilliantly at Xiao An. “Now, we wait.” Afterwards, he took out the bottle of Hundred Grasses pills. Originally, he wanted to save it for when he would break through, but in order to maintain his cultivation speed, he could no longer care too much now. He believed that there would be even better and even more pills in Zhuo Zhibo’s hundred treasures pouch. There was no need for him to conserve his pills.
The next day, Li Qingshan went to the government office to find Zhou Wenbin. He wanted to exchange for some pills. Zhou Wenbin had already heard about his crazy actions last night, but he said, “This works as well. You’ve made your disagreements public, so now, he’s actually afraid of casually moving against you.”
Li Qingshan exclaimed, “Why would he be afraid of moving against me?” The reason why he did this was to hurry Zhuo Zhibo along. The sooner he came for him, the better. Then he could turn the tables and kill him off instead.
Zhou Wenbin said, “You’ve just fallen out with him, so if you die soon afterwards, basically everyone will know that he’s responsible. He must be gritting his teeth right now, holding in his urge to kill you so that he can deal with you at an appropriate time.”
Li Qingshan groaned inside. He hoped that this would not take too long. As he groaned here, he had no idea that Zhuo Zhibo was grinding his teeth so hard that his gums bled. On the mountain, the Black Hawk commander roared out, “I’ll definitely kill him with my own hands! I’ll definitely kill him with my own hands!”
Who knows when the two of them could escape from the gazes of the public and properly battle it out to their hearts’ content.
With a flip of his hand, Li Qingshan took out all of his spiritual stones from his hundred treasures pouch. “I want to exchange for some more pills.” Even without Zhuo Zhibo, he still had to continue with his usual business. He had polished off the remaining bottle of Hundred Grasses pills last night, so he no longer had a single pill that could be used for cultivation on him.
Zhou Wenbin asked, “Do you really want to exchange them? Spiritual stones are far more valuable than Qi Gathering pills.”
Li Qingshan obviously knew that. He had almost gathered a thousand Qi Gathering pills by now, but he had not even obtained ten spiritual stones so far, and they were all spiritual stones of the worst, most inferior grades.
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Chapter 166 – Finally
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Chapter 166 – Finally
Spiritual stones were basically the item that possessed the most stable price among cultivators. Qi Gathering pills could not compare to it. Only low level Black Wolf guards like him would receive Qi Gathering pills as a salary. Zhuo Zhibo and Zhou Wenbin both earned spiritual stones. To stronger cultivators, low level Qi Gathering pills provided no benefit at all. They could even lead to detriments. However, they could always keep using the pure spiritual qi contained within spiritual stones.
There were many uses to spiritual stones. They could be used in forging artifacts, formations, mechanisms, and so on. The puppet that Li Qingshan gave Xiao An was powered by spiritual stones as well. The most common use for spiritual stones was to constantly provide true qi during battle.
Right now, Li Qingshan mostly engaged in close combat, so he did not need it too much, but once he made it to the sixth layer and could wield artifacts, a few extra spiritual stones would be equivalent to an extra life.
Li Qingshan had only taken out these spiritual stones after considering his current needs. A bird in hand was worth two in the bush. Many times, short-term benefit would surpass long-term benefit.
Seeing how Li Qingshan had no objections, Zhou Wenbin was obviously willing to make the trade. In the end, he took out eight bottles of Qi Gathering pills. Each bottle held twelve pills, amounting to almost a hundred. He exchanged them for the spiritual stones in Li Qingshan’s possession, basically relieving Li Qingshan’s urgent needs.
For the next few days, Li Qingshan would stroll around randomly with Xiao An in the city aside from cultivating in his dwelling. He bought everything she liked for her.
However, his infamy as the Tiger Butcher had spread through Jiaping city as well. It was so significant that it could basically clean the streets. No matter how busy it was, as long as he walked over, someone would cry out, “The Tiger Butcher is here!” In the blink of an eye, the street would be cleaned out, leaving behind a single child in the middle of the street crying. When he walked past the kid, the child would even stop crying, becoming stunned from fright.
Whenever he entered a store to buy something, the shopkeeper would always firmly refuse to take any money from him.
Zhou Wenbin sent people to invite him over once again, telling him to not roam the streets so casually. Otherwise, he would not alarm the citizens of Jiaping.
Afterwards, all that was left in Li Qingshan’s life was cultivation. He would meditate and train in his small residence every day. Fortunately, he was accompanied by Xiao An, so he was not lonely. However, he ate the Qi Gathering pills at a rapid pace. He would basically eat over a dozen, up to twenty, every single day, and that was when he was holding back. If he wanted to, he could have polished them all off in a single day. His body was basically like a bottomless hole.
As a result, he also became a regular visitor of the government office.
Li Qingshan said in a loud, clear voice, “Sir, look at this bottle of Pills of Calming. They’re high grade pills that only the Sect of Clouds and Rain can refine. When you consume them while cultivating, it can calm your mind and bring you great benefit. And look at these Pills of Passion. When you use them in bed, it’ll amplify the experience.” He raised his eyebrows and made an expression that all men understood.
After some consideration, Zhou Wenbin used four bottles of Qi Gathering pills to exchange for them, which made Li Qingshan overjoyed.
Three days later, at noon, Zhou Wenbin sat in front of a pill cauldron to refine pills. Ever since he became the district magistrate, he had constantly made people gather medicinal herbs for him so he could refine pills. As a result, he ended up with many Qi Gathering pills. He was preparing to get rid of them in a cultivator’s market when it was appropriate, but Li Qingshan’s arrival had saved him some trouble. It put him in a good mood. He needed to work harder on refining pills.
A maidservant reported, “Sir, that sir Li has come to visit again. He’s waiting for you in the guest room.”
Zhou Wenbin found this to be rather strange. Why did Li Qingshan come to visit him again? When he arrived in the waiting room, he saw that the long table in the room was piled full with a wide assortment of items. It was like a small stall that sold miscellaneous items, and the stall owner was Li Qingshan behind the table.
“Please take a look, sir. These were all gifts to Qian Yannian when he was celebrating his birthday. You can tell with a single glance that these spiritual herbs are teeming with spiritual qi, so they must be wondrous for refining pills. And look at these jade statues. Aren’t they life-like? If you like them, You can take them all. I’ll give you a discount.”
Under Li Qingshan’s silver-tongued persuasion and the fact that their past dealing had always been rather pleasant, Zhou Wenbin took out a few more bottles of Qi Gathering pills and bought everything.
A few more days passed, and Zhou Wenbin sat in front of Li Qingshan once again.
Zhou Wenbin said, “We’ll just be drinking tea and talking today. Don’t even think about mentioning Qi Gathering pills.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he stifled his voice and said, “Sir, do you want talismans?”
Zhou Wenbin finally could not help himself anymore. He asked, “What do you need so many Qi Gathering pills for? It’s not like you can eat Qi Gathering pills like regular meals! The amount of Qi Gathering pills you have received from me is enough to last you for three years!”
Li Qingshan was unable to explain that he actually was able to eat Qi Gathering pills like regular meals. He could only say, “I just want to save up a reserve, to be on the safe side.”
Zhou Wenbin said, “The path of cultivation mainly depends on yourself. At the end of the day, pills are just items external to you. They can only assist…”
Li Qingshan agreed to his words, but he thought inside that if it were not for all those pills Xuanyue had provided to him, how was he supposed to condense a daemon core so quickly? If he did not use these items external to him, it would take him a century at the very least to become a Daemon General.
After Zhou Wenbin finished talking, Li Qingshan asked again, “Do you really not want them?”
Zhou Wenbin sighed and shook his head firmly. As the district magistrate, it had been many years since he had fought against someone. He had no need for talismans at all.
Xiao An squatted by the wall outside the government office and played around with the ants using a twig.
Whenever Li Qingshan made deals with Zhou Wenbin, she would wait outside. Whenever other people tried to talk to her, she would just ignore them.
Under a great aspen tree, a nest of red ants and a nest of black ants engaged in an intense war. Who knows how many of them were inside the dense swarm. While the red ants were smaller, they were extremely fierce and possessed the upper hand.
Xiao An watched with great concentration. The warm sunlight of autumn landed on her face and seemed to penetrate her tender skin. As she saw how the black ant army was about to collapse, the twig in her hand suddenly turned into a blur.
“Little sister, what are you doing here all by yourself?” A smiling scoundrel squatted beside Xiao An and asked with malicious intent.
Xiao An did not even raise her head. The scoundrel saw how no one was around, so he suddenly lifted up Xiao An and carried her away on his shoulder.
Xiao An did not put up any resistance. Her hair and hands draped down as she continued to hold the twig in her hand. She stared at the ant nest nearby.
The scoundrel quickly boarded a carriage, and the carriage took off. He was overjoyed. He had earned three hundred taels of silver from doing this. The task that his boss gave him was as simple as it could get. Although it was possible for him to offend the Tiger Butcher, no one would know that he was responsible.
However, as he had placed all of his attention onto Xiao An, he failed to realise that the war between the ants under the great elm tree had suddenly ended. The outcome was that all of the red ants were dead.
At that moment, the twig had stabbed out thousands of times, stabbing all of the red ants to death, without even touching a single black ant. Not even an antennae.
The carriage sped down the street and made a sharp turn into a dwelling. The scoundrel carried Xiao An down the carriage. “Boss, I got her!”
Several men drank together with their chests bare. They all stood up. “So fast!”
“Whenever I, Speedy-hands Xiao Zhang, strike, how can I not be fast? Though, it sure was strange. This kid did not even cry or call out along the way.”
“She’s probably a mute!”
“I think she’s just a simpleton. Who knows where the Tiger Butcher got her from. Though, she sure is pretty. Don’t tell me that that bastard has a thing for children like this!”
The laughter suddenly stopped. They had not even sensed the arrival of death. Their expressions stiffened, and in the next moment, they turned into flames.
A while later, Ge Jian entered the small courtyard in casual wear and said in confusion, “Where’d they all go?”
By now, Xiao An had already returned to the entrance of the government office. She held the same twig as before as she squatted below the great elm tree. The dense swarm of black ants had still not dispersed. The twig blurred once more.
The small disturbance under the great elm tree was broken up. All of the black ants were dead as well.
Xiao An seemed to sense something, and she suddenly raised her head.
“That’s all not a problem!” Zhou Wenbin personally accompanied Li Qingshan to the entrance of the government office. After some thought, he took out another two bottles of Qi Gathering pills from his hundred treasures pouch and shoved them into Li Qingshan’s hands. He said sincerely, “Qingshan, I’m just giving them to you as a friend. If you don’t have anything to do, go for a stroll on the streets. Give me some peace!”
The autumn breeze swept up the fallen leaves, drifting past Li Qingshan. No one understood the pains of dual cultivation as a human and a daemon!
Xiao An tossed aside her twig, ran over, and grabbed him by his hand.
Li Qingshan smiled at her and shook what was in his hands. “Let’s go back. I got my hands on another two bottles!”
In the Hawkwolf Guard, Ge Jian reported, “Commander, the kid has been a frequent visitor of Zhou Wenbin lately. During noon earlier today, Zhou Wenbin personally accompanied him to the entrance of the government office. Everyone saw it. It’s just like what I said. If the kid had no one to rely on, he would never be so haughty.”
“And regarding the little girl he brought back, I’ve investigated her as well. We have no idea about her origins. She seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Her name is Xiao An, and she sticks to Li Qingshan like glue. I’ve already sent people to grab her, but for some reason, they failed to do so. If we don’t make a response and remain silent the entire time, people will probably look down on us!”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Hmph, Zhou Wenbin, am I supposed to be afraid of you? Don’t worry, the kid will die soon. I would like to see how Zhou Wenbin will protect him. Go summon him over right now.”
Ge Jian’s face lit up. “Commander, you’ve come up with an idea?”
……
In the residence, various items were scattered across the ground messily. Li Qingshan had emptied out his entire hundred treasures pouch and was now searching through everything carefully. “What else is there? What else is there that I can exchange?” He behaved like a gambler who had lost everything, flipping through his own house in search of any last objects that were worth money so that he could attempt a comeback.
Xiao An squatted beside him and leaned on his hand, looking at Li Qingshan in pity. She tried to think of ways that she could help him, and in a moment of inspiration, she patted Li QIngshan’s shoulder and pointed at her own chest.
“You have an idea?”
Xiao An nodded and smiled. As it turned out, the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty could also refine pills aside from forging artifacts. Of course, the materials for that were still the flesh and blood of people.
Li Qingshan said after careful consideration. “I just can’t bring myself to practise cannibalism.” And, if he held another massacre, it would definitely give them away. He saw how Xiao An became rather gloomy, so he pinched her cheek. “But thank you.”
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Opening the door, he saw Ge Jian. “Commander Zhuo summons you.” Although he seemed completely normal, he gave off a heavy sense of complacency.
“Alright.” Li Qingshan frowned and lowered his head, answering him in a seemingly unwilling manner. However, joy flashed through his eyes. Finally!
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Chapter 167 – A Trap in the Morgue
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Chapter 167 – A Trap in the Morgue
“Seventy-five kilometers east, there’s a village called Cave town. Recently, many able-bodied men have been dying strangely. There were even people who saw corpses leaving the morgue on the side of the town in a single-file. I suspect that it’s a Qi Practitioner’s work, so investigate the matter,” Zhuo Zhibo said coldly as he tossed some files in front of Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan glanced at it and raised his head. “Walking corpses? Does this have to do with the Zombie Daoist?” When it came to refining corpses, Li Qingshan could not help but think of this criminal at the top of the list for the Hawkwolf Guard in Jiaping city. He was able to run amuck while being hunted down by the Hawkwolf Guard for such a long time, which only demonstrated his strength.
Zhuo Zhibo said, “What? You have objections? This is just an investigation…”
Li Qingshan interrupted him. “Of course, I don’t have any objections. This is just an investigation. It’s not like there’ll be any dangers. Don’t worry at all, commander Zhuo. I will do a very good job investigating the matter. Even if I run into the Zombie Daoist, I have my ways of escaping alive.” Now that an opportunity had presented itself after so much difficulty, how could he turn it down? However, he gave plenty of hints to Zhuo Zhibo. Commander Zhuo, if you don’t do it personally, you won’t be able to kill me.
Zhuo Zhibo finally found it to be rather odd. It seemed like Li Qingshan was not afraid it was a scheme from him at all. Zhou Zhibo was not an idiot. He had just always been overcome by rage. Now, he sensed that something was amiss. Did this kid really have some powerful trump card?
“The kid you brought back can’t go on the mission with you. She can remain within the Hawkwolf Guard!” He had not forgotten about the bottle of Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain. If it were exchanged for actual gold and silver, it would truly be valuable enough to buy entire cities. Pills like that could not be purchased with gold and silver.
“She won’t be separating from me. If there’s nothing else, I’ll set off right now.” Li Qingshan grew solemn and left immediately.
Seventy-five kilometers was not particularly distant for Li Qingshan. With Xiao An by his side, he had already arrived at Cave town before midnight.
Li Qingshan made his way down the empty streets until he exited the place. He arrived in front of a gloomy structure and raised his head to see the word ‘morgue’ written on the plaque above the entrance.
There would be many outsiders who would die in a foreign land due to accidents or illnesses, with no one to tend to them. The morgue was where they would be stored so that their family could come and find them and take their remains back to be buried in their homeland someday.
This was an act of pure generosity that people undertook. However, many corpses would be placed in the morgue without anyone to collect them for years. As a result, yin qi would gather and resentment would leak out, making it extremely easy for ghosts and ghouls to appear. As a result, they placed great emphasis on the environment and the fengshui, and they would often request priests to come and release these dead souls.
However, the morgue in this village was overgrown with grass, and the walls were close to collapsing. It was unkempt. Clearly, it had been abandoned for a very long time now. Probably no one tended to it anymore. If he wanted to investigate, this was the best place to start with.
In order to make Li Qingshan agree to the mission, Zhuo Zhibo had put forward quite a generous amount of contribution for this mission. It was not like it mattered how many points of contribution dead people possessed anyway. However, what Li Qingshan thought was that once he finished off Zhuo Zhibo, he could obviously use these points of contribution to exchange for pills.
Reaching the entrance of the morgue, Li Qingshan took out his Wind-entwining blade first. Then he took out his small shield, equipping it on his left hand. Afterwards, he placed over twenty talismans in a talisman pouch on his waist so that he could use them at any time.
Although he was confident in his own strength, he was not an idiot. It was very likely for this matter to be related to the sixth layer Qi Practitioner, the Zombie Daoist, and another sixth layer Qi Practitioner, Zhuo Zhibo, would probably arrive afterwards, spying on him in the darkness. As a result, he could not afford to be careless. He needed to raise his guard to a hundred and twenty percent, just in case he messed up something so simple.
Only after preparing everything did he step over the door sill and enter the morgue.
There were several dozen coffins in the morgue. Some were extremely old, but some were brand new. The ground was covered in joss paper that was blown about by the chilling breeze. The ruined, cloth curtains floated around like ghosts. It was very creepy.
This sight would leave ordinary people utterly frightened, but Li Qingshan was someone who had emerged through slaughter after all, so his own aura of murderousness was powerful.
Xiao An on his side had her eyes wide open, without any fear at all. Instead, there was some eagerness. Her feelings for corpses were probably the same as Li Qingshan’s feelings for Qi Gathering pills.
Li Qingshan made his way over to a pitch-black coffin and drew his Wind-entwining blade. He stabbed it into the crevice between the lid and coffin. With a twist of his wrist, the lid was thrown high into the air, falling to the ground. A middle-aged man laid in the coffin and was purple all over. He had been reduced to a corpse a long time ago.
As Li Qingshan walked away, he wondered just how this man had died.
He was not a diener, so he obviously had no idea how to conduct an autopsy. He had only opened the coffin out of boredom so that he could take a look. He was waiting here for Zhuo Zhibo to appear.
The morgue was located in the wilderness and was far away from the village, so it was a good place to battle it out against Zhuo Zhibo. He was even considering whether he should set up a trap or not.
As soon as Li Qingshan turned around, the man in the coffin suddenly opened his eyes, and a pair of fangs extended from his mouth. Just when he was about to attack Li Qingshan, he saw a little girl propping herself up on the side of the coffin, staring at him closely and placing her index finger on his forehead.
Li Qingshan turned around. “Don’t just eat anything you find. Who knows how long it has been there.”
Xiao An stuck out her tongue, and the coffin was already empty by the time she withdrew the fire. She suddenly sensed something. There seemed to be the auras of living people here. She closed her eyes, and as expected, she sensed living people hiding in a few of the coffins in the surroundings.
As soon as Li Qingshan made his way to the centre, inscriptions suddenly lit up below his feet, and he felt a tremendous suction force appear from below his feet. His body now felt like it weighed several tonnes, and his true qi immediately became sluggish.
At the same time, the lids of the new coffins all suddenly burst open. Four figures leapt out; they raised their hands, targeting Li Qingshan.
Springs were set off, and crossbow bolts were launched endlessly.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish…
There were only four of them, but the arrows made it seem like an entire army. Countless crossbow bolts shot over from all directions and all angles, without a single crevice to dodge into.
The shield on Li Qingshan’s left hand suddenly expanded, guarding him completely. There were a series of thuds, followed by great explosions.
The moment the bolts struck the shield, they exploded with startling power. If someone had been hit by one of these bolts, they would have died for sure.
Booms rang out from behind Li Qingshan as well, but he did not look back at all. Xiao An had already drawn her hidden blade, producing a series of blurs with it and knocking down each crossbow bolt with great precision.
However, there were various, densely-packed inscriptions below their feet. Even more lit up, enveloping the two of them, and the pressure became even heavier.
The shield struck the ground loudly.
“Senior brother, we’ve got him!” A delighted cry rang out.
However, what answered the voice was the shiny edge of a blade!
After Li Qingshan had left, Zhuo Zhibo sat back in his seat with his eyes closed, resting. Ge Jian stood to one side, afraid to ask anything about it.
After quite a while, Zhuo Zhibo snapped open his eyes. “Ge Jian, go gather everyone. We have to go provide reinforcements to Li Qingshan.”
Ge Jian was delighted, but he was also puzzled. “Commander, do we really need everyone?” If they really were worried that Li Qingshan would survive, just having Zhuo Zhibo go by himself would have been enough. It would be easier for them to cover up the entire matter and distance themselves from his death as well.
“If I tell you to gather them, go gather them!” Zhuo Zhibo said in displeasure. He felt slightly uneasy. He also began to think that maybe Li Qingshan was not as easy of a target as he had imagined.
“Yes, commander.”
Before long, Ge Jian had returned to Zhuo Zhibo with six Black Wolf guards. Li Qingshan had basically come into contact with all of them before. These were the same people who had obstructed Li Qingshan when he wanted to exchange his contribution for spiritual artifacts and pills. The people that Zhuo Zhibo told Ge Jian to gather were obviously not regular Black Wolf guards, but his actual trusted subordinates.
Looking at these people, Zhuo Zhibo’s sliver of uneasiness gradually vanished, while his hatred towards Li Qingshan only intensified. They could no longer reconcile now. He had to kill Li Qingshan.
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Do you know why I’ve summoned you all here?”
“Is it because of Li Qingshan?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Exactly. That kid has gone overboard with me. If I don’t kill him, I’ll never be able to rest at ease!”
“Please excuse me for what I am about to say. Li Qingshan might have some skill, but he’s only a second layer Qi Practitioner. He doesn’t need all of us to be mobilised, right?” A balding Black Wolf guard in his sixties said.
His name was Xie Nande. He was both one of the most experienced members of the Jiaping Hawkwolf Guard, as well as the strongest among them, which was why he was bold enough to question Zhuo Zhibo’s command.
The others felt the same.
Zhuo Zhibo understood that he needed to give them a satisfying reason. “Old Xie, I’ve already told the Zombie Daoist about Li Qingshan. I said to him that I’m sending him a great gift. The body of a Body Practitioner is fantastic for refining corpses. I refuse to believe that it won’t interest him.”
A mighty Black Hawk commander of the Hawkwolf Guard was actually working with their most wanted criminal. Moreover, he wanted to betray his own subordinate and sell him to the enemy.
However, none of the Black Wolf guards present found it to be anything strange. Xie Nande said, “Then there’s even less of a need for us. The old daoist’s skill with refining and nurturing corpses is simply startling. Even regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners aren’t his opponent. Li Qingshan is dead for sure.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “The old daoist has remained hidden in the Zombie cave the entire time, so we could never even lay a finger on him. If we can lure him out and kill him this time, it’ll be a service of great merit. The old daoist is hiding a lot of good things on him too. Killing Li Qingshan will just be secondary, simply because it’s convenient.”
Xie Nande clasped his hands. “Commander, your schemes run deep, much deeper than anything I can ever think of. I am willing to serve you to the end of my life!” The other Black Wolf guards agreed loudly as well. The Zombie Daoist’s head was worth over ten thousand points of contribution, so if everyone obtained an equal share, they would receive over a thousand points at the very least. They would be able to exchange for quite a lot of good things.
As soon as dawn broke, a total of eight Hawkwolf guards left Jiaping with Zhuo Zhibo at the lead. They pursued Li Qingshan. This was an extremely terrifying force, enough to easily trample through many small sects and clans.
A few Hawkwolf guards watched them leave as they discussed amongst one another on the square below the giant hawk.
“Tsktsk, Li Qingshan is probably done for this time.” The Hawkwolf Guard with the bulbous nose shook his head and sighed.
“Shh, be quiet. We shouldn’t talk about it,” said a Hawkwolf guard beside him in warning.
“What’re you afraid of? All of those snitches have left with commander Zhuo.” Bulbous nose was unfazed.
“What are you talking about?” A cold voice rang out from behind them.
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Chapter 168 – Disciples of Mohism
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Chapter 168 – Disciples of Mohism
Everyone turned around in surprise. When they saw who it was, they all bowed in a hurry. “Commander Lao, you’ve emerged from seclusion!” “Y- you’ve broken through to the sixth layer!”
This person happened to be the Black Wolf commander of the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city, Lao Xishan. He seemed to be around forty years old and had a rectangular face. Seeing everyone’s shock, he smiled slightly through his seriousness. All of his hard work for cultivation, the days he spent in seclusion, was all for the sake of today. He asked sternly, “Who did you say would be done for?”
No one dared to answer him. Lao Xishan actually did not need anyone to answer him either. As the vice commander, he had his own trusted subordinates in the Hawkwolf Guard, so he knew about the entire matter already.
“I’ll go assist commander Zhuo.” He shot off in Zhuo Zhibo’s direction. He glided down the mountain like a great bird, disappearing into the thin mist of the morning very soon.
The remaining Hawkwolf guards all looked at one another. Li Qingshan had managed to make such a great disturbance despite only having just joined the Hawkwolf Guard three months ago. Commander Zhuo and commander Lao had always opposed one another, so now that he had broken through to the sixth layer as well, Jiaping city would probably become noisy.
……
Li Qingshan lowered his shield and swung his blade. With a flash, a wind blade directly slashed towards the closest assailant.
The person did not seem to think that Li Qingshan would still be able to swing his blade under such circumstances, nor did they expect him to be capable of swinging it so swiftly. He summoned a puppet soldier before him to block the attack.
With a bang, the puppet soldier was sliced open and components scattered all over the ground.
Everyone was surprised. They called out, “He can still move! Everyone be careful!”
Li Qingshan managed to make out the assailants’ appearances. They were all young men in their twenties and dressed in similar, deep blue robes. They all wielded strange, shining crossbows. The storm of tiny bolts came from the five crossbows. They were far more powerful than the legendary repeating crossbows.
Li Qingshan took a step forward. Under the tremendous weight, the ground felt like mud. Consequently, his feet sank into the ground deeply, all the way up to his thighs. The glowing inscriptions were originally written on the ground, but they floated in the air after activation, so they were not destroyed with the ground.
“Let me!” With a bellow, a burly man with a full beard slammed through a wall loudly, appearing in the morgue. He held an extremely thick, bronze cannon in his arms. The cannon was covered in inscriptions as it shone with light. It was actually a mid grade spiritual artifact. The mouth of the cannon that was sculpted like a vicious dragon’s head began to gather specks of light.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had felt so much danger. Even when he was on the Island of Cherishing Flower and under the barrage of the cannonfire, he did not feel so much danger. Most importantly, the presence that the cannon-wielding man gave off was at the sixth layer of Qi Practitioner.
“Who are you? Why are you ambushing me?” Li Qingshan originally thought this was the Zombie Daoist, who had set up a trap against him after receiving news from Zhuo Zhibo. However, no matter how he looked at him, he did not look like the Zombie Daoist. Moreover, the techniques he used were completely unrelated to what the Zombie Daoist was capable of, so he held back his urge to fight to ask those questions. If these people still would not stop, then he could only daemonify and massacre them all.
“Hmm? Why is the Zombie Daoist so young?” These young men in navy blue also saw Li Qingshan’s appearance, and one of them asked in confusion.
“Stop, senior brother! That’s the uniform of the Hawkwolf Guard!” Another person recognised Li Qingshan’s Black Wolf uniform and called out to stop him in a hurry.
The light had finished gathering now. An utterly blinding stream of scorching white light blasted out from the cannon, piercing the ceiling and leaving behind a streak of light in the night sky.
Xiao An loosened his grip on the Skull Prayer Bead in his hand, and the red light in Li Qingshan’s eyes faded away as well. He looked at the great hole above in amazement. Even if he had daemonified, he would still suffer from such a cannon blast.
He lowered his head again and asked them, “Who are you?” Afterwards, he stowed his Wind-entwining blade back into its scabbard.
His actions reduced the hostility of the young men. They also placed down their crossbows. The young man who had recognised Li Qingshan’s uniform said, “We’re disciples of mohism. We’re here to carry out a mission. You must be a Hawkwolf guard.”
“I am. I’m also carrying out a mission.”
“Please let us see your tablet!”
Disciples of mohism! Li Qingshan understood now. He tossed his Black Wolf tablet to the people, and they glanced at it before easing up. They said loudly, “Alright, alright. It’s all fine. Undo the formation. This was all a misunderstanding!”
“Sigh, what the hell!” “Didn’t you say the Zombie Daoist would come? Why did a Hawkwolf guard come instead?” The mohist disciples grumbled. One of them stowed away a scroll. The scroll was covered with inscriptions that were exactly the same as the ones on the ground, without any differences at all.
Li Qingshan immediately felt his body lighten. He picked up the shield on the ground, but he discovered that the shield was all charred from the explosions prior. Just a few days ago, it had blocked Zhuo Zhibo’s fire dragon, and now that it was struck by a barrage of explosions, a lot of its spiritual qi had dispersed.
Suddenly, there was a swift gale, and the burly man with the full beard stowed away his bronze cannon and charged over. Xiao An raised her hidden blade, but she stopped after a glance from Li Qingshan. The burly man was hostile, but he did not have any killing intent.
The man grabbed Li Qingshan by the collar and roared, “Kid, you’ve messed up my plans!” He wore the same navy blue robes as the other mohist disciples, but he was bare-chested. His right sleeve was tied around his waist, revealing his robust arms and chest. He seemed extremely tough.
Li Qingshan released his true qi to block the incoming attack of spittle. He looked at the man calmly, but before he could say anything, the other mohist disciples had already arrived. They pulled back the man and said in persuasion, “Please calm down, senior brother!”
The man stamped his foot and bellowed, “This formation scroll for the Painted Prison can only be used three times, and that’s it! My Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light costs a spiritual stone for each blast! All of that comes from me, so of course you lot wouldn’t mind!”
“Our Fire Crow bolts don’t grow on trees either.”
Li Qingshan tidied up his clothes and said, “I think you should all think over what you just did, launching an attack at whoever comes through that door. If I wasn’t strong enough, I would have been killed already.”
The burly man glared at Li Qingshan angrily. He was basically on the brink of pulling out his Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light again, but his junior brothers managed to stop him, “It’s all a misunderstanding!” However, they thought inside, To think that he would be bold enough to say something like that to a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. They all say the Hawkwolf Guard is haughty. Looks like it’s true.
“It’s all a misunderstanding. If we’ve offended you in any way, please forgive us. I’m Zhang Lanqing. This is my senior brother, Hao Pingyang, and these are our three junior brothers, He Yishi, Jin Yuan, and Jin Bao,” Zhang Lanqing introduced them one by one. Although he was only in his twenties, he had a darker complexion, and his voice was sluggish and level. He seemed to be extremely mature and level-headed. Amongst the group, he was second to the burly man, Hao Pingyang, in terms of strength. He was at the fifth layer of Qi Practitioner.
As for the three others, He Yishi was at the fourth layer. He was quite tall with a long face and slightly swollen eyelids. He answered his senior brother with a casual ‘yep’ before looking at Li Qingshan and answering him with a reluctant ‘yep’. Afterwards, he lowered his head to fix the puppet that Li Qingshan had destroyed.
Jin Yuan and Jin Bao were brothers. The elder brother, Jin Yuan, was at the fourth layer, while Jin Bao was at the third layer. They saw how Li Qingshan was only at the second layer, and he had also destroyed their trap, so they were reluctant to pay any attention to him.
Jin Bao said to Hao Pingyang, “Senior brother, is your Painted Prison potentially fake? It can’t even trap a second layer Qi Practitioner. If the Zombie Daoist really did come, wouldn’t he break out of it in an instant?”
“Fuck off, cunt. I spent a huge price to buy this. It’s the kid that’s strange.” Hao Pingyang calmed down and studied Li Qingshan in confusion. He had fallen into the Painted Prison and received attacks from the Thousand Mechanism crossbows under an encirclement of five Qi Practitioners even more powerful than him, yet he had actually managed to emerge unscathed. This was clearly abnormal.
The formation scroll of the Painted Prison had been prepared for sixth layer Qi Practitioners like the Zombie Daoist. If ordinary people fell into it, they would be crushed to a point where their organs ruptured. Qi Practitioners would become completely immobilised as well.
More strangely, the pretty child by his side clearly did not give off any signs of practising qi, but she was actually able to stand in the formation safely as well. If it were not for the fact that he had tried the formation once in the past, he really would have suspected it to be fake.
Li Qingshan’s sense of pride that had developed from his landslide victory on the Island of Cherishing Flowers was crushed as well. There were still many powerful abilities and methods in the world that he had yet to learn about. The trap that these mohist disciples cast down was simple, but it was extremely dangerous.
They used joss paper to hide the inscriptions on the ground, and then they would use it to immobilise their opponent before launching a barrage of arrows, killing the enemy on the spot. If that was not enough, they could use the cannon to kill them off. It was all linked together and every part was lethal. If regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners faced this, they would probably end up dead. They would not even have the opportunity to fight back.
“Were you trying to ambush the Zombie Daoist here?”
Zhang Lanqing said, “Yeah. Were you thinking of the same thing?” Hao Pingyang glared at him. “Just by him? He wants to finish off the Zombie Daoist just by him?” He pointed at Li Qingshan’s nose. “Kid, this no longer has anything to do with you anymore, so I would advise you to scram!”
Li Qingshan pointed backwards with his thumb. “I’ve only come to investigate. The Zombie Daoist has nothing to do with me. However, isn’t he right outside?” Although he hid his aura extremely well, his faint stink of corpses was unable to escape Li Qingshan’s nose.
“What!” The five of them looked outside the door. Hao Pingyang gathered his concentration to sense the surroundings. As soon as he discovered an extremely hidden aura spying on them, he bellowed out, “Get out here!”
Click! Click! The five of them immediately removed their empty bolt magazines and reloaded their crossbows with new ones. A long box clipped onto the Thousand Mechanism crossbows. Every single magazine contained thirty-six extremely small Fire Crow bolts, which could be fired instantaneously. If they did not possess a spiritual artifact shield that specialised in defence like Li Qingshan, even powerful Qi Practitioners could be caught unprepared, losing their lives under the barrage of bolts.
“Jejejeje!” A high-pitched laughter rang out from outside. A daoist priest in yellow daoist robes with a pale-white mask appeared at the entrance and said, “You’ve actually set up a trap against this granddaddy daoist of yours. You kiddos sure are bold.” He studied Li Qingshan. “You must be Li Qingshan. You really are good material for corpse refinement. Zhuo Zhibo, that old kiddo, hasn’t lied to me this time.”
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Chapter 169 – The Zombie Daoist
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Chapter 169 – The Zombie Daoist
Li Qingshan understood. As expected, Zhuo Zhibo had sold him out. Of course, this was not particularly surprising. It would have been surprising if he had not done that. Right now, he was only worried about whether Zhuo Zhibo trusted the Zombie Daoist’s strength or not. If he did, he might not personally come to kill him.
Then, the Zombie Daoist said to Zhang Lanqing’s group, “You lot might be lacking in comparison, but I’ll treat you all equally and turn you all into zombies…” He basically treated them like their heads were all on the chopping board already.
Before the Zombie Daoist had finished talking, the five mohist disciples had pulled the trigger on their Thousand Mechanism crossbows and unleashed a storm of Fire Crow bolts.
Li Qingshan stood to one side. All he saw were the completely scarlet, three-inches long Fire Crow bolts. They basically emerged from the crossbows in a stream, moving startlingly fast. They were also extremely densely-packed, making it almost impossible to dodge.
Before the Zombie Daoist could even respond, several dozen Fire Crow bolts struck him. The bolts heated up in his body before blowing apart.
There were a string of explosions and fire sprouted from various parts of the Zombie Daoist, blowing him to pieces.
Zhao Lanqing and the three others were delighted, but Li Qingshan drew his Wind-entwining blade once more. Hao Pingyang bellowed, “Be careful, it’s all fake!”
Li Qingshan glanced at Hao Pingyang. He really was the strongest one after all. He was brawny on the outside and sharp-witted on the inside. If the Zombie Daoist could be finished off so easily, it would have been impossible for him to remain atop the Hawkwolf Guard’s list for so long. Although he had used a broadcasting technique, it was possible to tell with careful listening that the voice did not come from the Zombie Daoist at the entrance at all. The mask was just to cover the face.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
The lids of several dozen coffins in the morgue flew off at the same time with zombies rising from them. Their eyes were wide open with their arms extended in front of them. Their sharp canines were clearly visible. They rushed towards the six people in the morgue.
In order to avoid raising any suspicion from the Zombie Daoist, Hao Pingyang’s group did not clear away these zombies, so they immediately became surrounded.
Five zombies lunged towards Li Qingshan. He was already prepared. The Wind-entwining blade in his hand erupted with light, and blades of light shot towards the four directions.
The blade entered the bodies of the zombies and produced the muffled thump of a blunt blade hacking into wood. The five zombies only paused slightly. The ten, purpley-blue arms continued to extend towards Li Qingshan. Their long nails were like daggers, and from their black colour, Li Qingshan could tell with a single glance that they were poisonous.
Hao Pingyang bellowed at Li Qingshan, “You need to go for the head!” The highest number of zombies lunged towards him. There were a total of eight, but he was composed as ever. He raised the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light and smashed it towards the head of a zombie in front of him. Then he circulated his true qi and swept out horizontally. The seven zombies were all knocked away, landing heavily on the columns and coffins. As a matter of fact, two of them directly smashed through the walls and flew out.
He was on a rampage, seeming like a god of war.
However, aside from the one that had its head crushed and the two that had their bones completely shattered, the five others all sprang up from the ground agan. They could not feel pain, nor were they afraid of death. They lunged over again.
After receiving Hao Pingyang’s reminder, Li Qingshan thought, So much for being a transmigrator, I’ve forgotten such a common piece of knowledge!
He grabbed Xiao An and leapt up.
The ten arms and the fifty nails were like the mouth of a beast, closing down on his feet. The five zombies all raised their eyes together, looking at Li Qingshan in the air with their pupilless eyes. They leapt up at the same time. Their knees were unable to bend due to rigor mortis, so it seemed like they had springs beneath their feet.
Li Qingshan stomped down forcefully and crushed the head of a zombie, pushing off its shoulders and piercing the ceiling of the morgue.
Dust and shattered tiles fell down as a ray of moonlight landed on the morgue.
In the air, Li Qingshan held Xiao An with his left hand as he firmly gripped the Wind-entwining blade with his right, resting it on his shoulder. He glanced down cautiously, taking in the entire morgue.
The four zombies in the sky were unable to attain the same altitude as him, so they fell back to the ground.
However, Li Qingshan did not pay any attention to them. He had never been looking at the zombies in the first place. Although they were mostly invulnerable and possessed great physical strength, they lacked intelligence and techniques. Their reactions could not even be compared to regular wild beasts.
Whether it be his strength, speed, or reactions, he completely surpassed these zombies. As long as a few hundred or a thousand of them did not surround him, they could not touch him at all.
He was only cautious about a single person—the Zombie Daoist who had only spoken but never appeared. According to the files of the Hawkwolf Guard, he knew concealing techniques and possessed a Submerged Shadow sword. He was extremely skilled at sneak attacks.
The autumn wind rustled through the surroundings of the morgue, sweeping up dead grass and twigs, but there was not a single person at all.
In the end, he locked his aura onto Hao Pingyang. If Li Qingshan were the Zombie Daoist, there would be two choices he would consider if he wanted to win. One was killing the weakest first, to weaken his opponent’s strength, while the other was directly killing the strongest and obtaining an absolute advantage.
However, he would definitely expose himself if he killed the weakest. It would cost him true qi, and it could even lead to openings, which could lead to his own death. As a result, the most optimal choice was to wait for an opportunity to heavily injure Hao Pingyang.
Hao Pingyang and Li Qingshan were already prepared and were stronger, so they did not fear these zombies. However, Zhao Lanqing and the others did not have it as easy. The zombies were right beside them. They had just emptied their magazines, and they had no time to reload their crossbows.
Several dozen zombies lunged over from all directions. They were clearly mindless creatures with no intelligence, but they seemed to have been rigorously trained, splitting up the five of them tactically.
Jin Bao was the weakest. He rolled on the ground in horrible shape as the ten nails of a zombie stabbed deeply into the ground where he was previously standing. If he had been a second slower, he would have been disemboweled. Before he could even get up, three zombies lunged over with their teeth and claws, stunning him completely. He had no weapons, only his empty hands. How was he supposed to stop these zombies? He could only close his eyes and wait for death.
Jin Yuan called out, “Jin Bao!” He wanted to save his younger brother, but four zombies stopped him. He could barely hold his ground. He Yishi and Zhang Lanqing were no different.
“Use the puppet, you idiot!” Hao Pingyang saw how his junior brother was in danger, but he had no intentions of trying to save him. He was the same as Li Qingshan, currently focusing all of his efforts into looking for the Zombie Daoist. He did not dare to lose focus. He was the only sixth layer Qi Practitioner present. If he were injured in a sneak attack or even killed, none of the people here would be able to leave alive.
The claws and teeth fell, but there was no cry. Instead, there was the sound of striking wood. At the moment of danger, Jin Bao had summoned a puppet to block the zombies, allowing him to survive.
The three zombies pulled out their teeth and claws before plunging them back into the puppet emotionlessly. Bang! Bang! Bang! With three consecutive, heavy blows, splinters flew from the puppet as it became riddled with cracks. The claws of the zombies could even pierce steel. If it were not for the fact that the puppet had been specially made, it would have been destroyed in a single strike. However, even with that being the case, it could not last for too long.
At this moment, the four zombies that previously targeted Li Qingshan lunged towards Jin Bao under the influence of an invisible force. The greatest use of puppets was for attack, not for serving as a shield. As a result, it fell into pieces with a clatter.
Despair filled Jin Bao’s eyes as he called out, “Save me!”
Hao Pingyang sighed inside. As he wielded the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light, he was about to charge up and assist him, disregarding the threat in the darkness.
A bolt of scorching, white lightning descended from the sky with the rumble of thunder. It charred several zombies by Jin Bao’s side and stunned all the other zombies in the morgue.
As Li Qingshan descended from the ground, he threw out a Lightning Summoning talisman, but he did not even check the effect of it. He stared straight at Zhang Lanqing, and his Wind-entwining blade swept out as a streak of light.
“Nice!” Hao Pingyang praised loudly. He raised his Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light, and it gathered specks of light. The dragon’s head actually targeted Zhang Lanqing as well.
With everything happening around him, Zhang Lanqing was unable to save Jin Bao in time despite his superior strength at the fifth layer, as he was handling seven zombies. However, he was able to protect himself. However, facing the incoming blade and the charging Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light, his breath immediately became stifled, revealing fear and disbelief.
Clang!
The Wind-entwining blade arrived a foot before Zhang Lanqing and produced a metallic sound that was no softer than the thunder earlier. A small sword appeared out of nowhere.
His blade immediately gained a huge nick, but the small sword was sent flying by Li Qingshan’s great strength as well, spinning away uncontrollably.
Using the previous bolt of lightning, Li Qingshan had finally grasped the whereabouts of the Submerged Shadow sword.
At this moment, the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light unleashed a dazzling streak of light, striking the small sword in the air and directly reducing it to a piece of scrap metal. It fell from the sky.
A miserable wail resounded within the darkness of a corner, and a blurry figure appeared, drifting towards the door.
Li Qingshan and Hao Pingyang turned around at the same time and rushed in the direction of the miserable wail. They charged out of the morgue and saw a figure in the distance that was rushing off in a hurry.
“Come!” Hao Pingyang tossed aside the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light and extended a foot towards Li Qingshan behind him.
“Go!” Li Qingshan gained a proper footing on the ground, crushing the tiles beneath his feet. A shockwave spread through the surroundings as he drew strength from the ground. Unleashing his full strength, he punched the bottom of Hao Pingyang’s foot.
Hao Pingyang shot off like a human cannonball, rushing past the bushes and rapidly approaching the figure. He smiled viciously as he spread his arms; true qi surged out, slamming against the temples of the figure’s head. With a spurt, the head exploded.
Li Qingshan was instead disappointed. He thought about how the Zombie Daoist was truly crafty.
Hao Pingyang limped back while holding a headless corpse and tossed it to the ground. “Another fake!”
When his flying sword was destroyed and his mind was injured, the Zombie Daoist was actually still able to think about leaving behind a substitute to flee. He was well-prepared, and his reactions were fast.
Li Qingshan lifted up the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light and studied it. When he heard that, he spread his arms and shrugged, tossing the cannon back to Hao Pingyang.
Hao Pingyang caught the cannon and stowed it back into his hundred treasures pouch as he patted his foot with a frown. “Kid, that punch was too much!”
Li Qingshan said, “If it weren’t enough, how were you supposed to catch up to him?”
Hao Pingyang suddenly said, “The Submerged Shadow sword has been destroyed, so that bastard has been greatly weakened. It’s a good time to kill him.”
Li Qingshan said, “His specialty lies in refining and controlling corpses, not controlling a sword. This is only one of the places he nurtures corpses. Don’t tell me you plan on entering the Zombie Cave in search of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who is skilled at concealing techniques? And, it’s just like what you said, this has nothing to do with me.”
The two of them conversed outside the morgue as the battle continued inside, but they had no intention of interfering.
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Chapter 170 – The Zombie Cave
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Chapter 170 – The Zombie Cave
Although the zombies’ attacks were vicious, they completely lacked order, so the four mohist disciples managed to gain their footing and regroup. Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi controlled five puppets to hold off the zombies for a while before suddenly dodging to one side, revealing the brothers behind them. They wielded a loaded Thousand Mechanism crossbow in each hand and pulled the triggers.
Sixty Fire Crow bolts scattered outwards. The hides of the zombies could not be penetrated with regular weapons, but they were unable to stop the Fire Crow arrows, which subsequently exploded in their bodies, easily tearing them to pieces. Just a single wave of bolts mowed down a large swathe of them. They no longer seemed so vicious or terrifying anymore.
The remaining seven or eight zombies could no longer pose a threat to them. The humanoid puppets charged up and sharp blades sprang out from their arms, slaughtering the zombies in a mechanical and precise manner.
The nails of the zombies would only leave behind white marks on the puppets, but the sharp blades from the puppets could pierce their heads in a single stroke. Now that they were evenly-matched in terms of numbers, the zombies were not the opponent of the puppets. They were all slain.
The four of them all let out breaths of relief and sat down. Within the Academy of the Hundred Schools, mohist disciples competed against one another using puppets as well, but their contests had never been so dangerous.
Seeing how he had managed to mow down the zombies that had almost claimed his life earlier so easily, Jin Bao was left in a state of disbelief.
Actually, their strength completely surpassed a few dozen zombies. If they were on open ground and standing in formation, all prepared with their Thousand Mechanism crossbows, these zombies would not even be able to reach them. They would be slain on the spot. Even the sixth layer Qi Practitioner, the Zombie Daoist, could not deal with five Thousand Mechanism crossbows so easily.
However, once everything happened so close to them and required them to adapt to the circumstances, they were completely useless.
Hao Pingyang pointed at them and cursed, “You’re embarrassing. You’re fucking embarrassing. To think that you were bold enough to look down on him as a second layer Qi Practitioner. If it weren’t for him, would you all still be alive? With your pig brains, you can’t even tell the difference between real and fakes. My formation scroll has gone to waste, just like you lot.”
They all reddened with shame. Jin Bao grumbled, “Senior brother, I almost just died. Sure, you might not comfort me, but do you have to make it sound so bad?” Although his words were vicious, the mohist disciples clearly were not particularly afraid of their senior brother.
Zhang Lanqing clasped his hands and bowed deeply at Li Qingshan. He said earnestly, “Thank you for your assistance earlier!” Even now, the danger he felt from the swing of the blade earlier still made him fearful. Originally, he was still rather unhappy about how Li Qingshan had destroyed their trap, but all that remained now was gratitude. It was just like what Hao Pingyang had said. Even if Li Qingshan had not come, their trap probably would have failed to harm the actual Zombie Daoist.
Li Qingshan patted his shoulder. “”It was very impressive of you to have managed to hold back your urge to fight back.”
Zhan Lanqing smiled awkwardly. “I was stupefied from fright.”
Li Qingshan could not help but laugh. Zhang Lanqing sure was honest.
The several hundred Qi Gathering pills he ate were not for nothing. Whether it be his strength as a Qi Practitioner or a Body Practitioner, it had all grown tremendously compared to when he faced off against Qian Yannian. Coupled with his fierce murderousness from taking the lives of over a thousand people, he was like a god of slaughter when he descended from the sky. He truly did possess the aura to make people succumb to him.
If he fought against Qian Yannian again in a fair battle now, the battle would no longer be as hopeless as before. In other words, he possessed the strength to threaten fifth layer Qi Practitioners.
However, Hao Pingyang’s Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light was even mightier than Li Qingshan. Zhang Lanqing felt like prey that had caught the attention of two predators when these two attacks locked onto him. He had been utterly stupefied, unable to react at all.
Jin Yuan pulled Jin Bao over. “Thank you for saving my younger brother!” Then he said to the ashamed Jin Bao, “Why don’t you say something?!”
“That… Thank you too, but are you really just at the second layer? How can you be so powerful?” Jin Bao’s age was the closest to Li Qingshan out of everyone present, but he was still a few years older than Li Qingshan. However, he still seemed childish, so he instead appeared younger than the weathered Li Qingshan. There was now some admiration in his gaze towards Li Qingshan. No matter where the powerful went, they would earn respect.
Before Li Qingshan could even answer him, Hao Pingyang smacked Jin Bao’s head. “That’s called a Body Practitioner, you idiot. Haven’t you seen those brainless muscleheads from the school of the Military? Do you live under a rock?”
Li Qingshan thought, To think that you can still bring yourself to call me a musclehead.
Jin Bao flew into a rage from embarrassment and frustration. “If you hit me again, I’m going to turn against you!”
Hao Pingyang raised his hand before placing it back down. “You want to act up? Why don’t you give it a try!?”
Jin Bao leapt up. “Hao Pingyang, fuck your granny!” Afterwards, he was stopped by Zhang Lanqing and the three others who dissuaded him.
“Originally, the Zombie Daoist wanted to use the Submerged Shadow sword to assassinate your senior brother Hao, but he presented no openings, so the Zombie Daoist was afraid to act rashly, which was why he summoned the zombies to surround you.” Li Qingshan smiled. These disciples of mohism sure were straightforward. They seemed a little like the university students from his former life. While they were not young, they were still rather naive. Even the short-tempered Hao Pingyang did not possess a condescending sense of superiority even though he smacked and cursed his junior brothers without holding back. They were different from the Qi Practitioners that Li Qingshan usually saw.
Jin Bao was stunned. Only then did he understand why Hao Pingyang did not immediately assist him.
Li Qingshan continued, “But earlier, when you fell into danger, your senior brother Hao wanted to save you even if it meant risking his life.”
“Senior brother…” Only now did Jin Bao understand that he had almost been used by the Zombie Daoist as a trap to kill Hao Pingyang.
Zhang Lanqing, He Yishi, and Jin Yuan all looked at Hao Pingyang. None of them could think much about it during the chaos earlier, but now that they thought about it, not only had they failed to offer any assistance at all, but they had even almost dragged Hao Pingyang down with them.
“Bullshit. Why would I save him? If an idiot like him dies, it’ll save the school of Mohism from feeding him instead.” Hao Pingyang’s bushy face reddened slightly.
He Yishi said in thought, “The Zombie Daoist was unable to find any openings with senior brother Hao, which was why he then tried to kill senior brother Zhang.” They all thanked Li Qingshan once again.
At that moment of danger, Li Qingshan had used the flash from the Lightning Summoning talisman to immediately locate the Submerged Shadow sword, which was why he was able to deal that attack. Not only had he saved Zhang Lanqing’s life, but he had also given Hao Pingyang the opportunity to fire his cannon. He had basically turned the tables around. He had been far more useful than the four of them.
Li Qingshan said, “We’re all in one boat. Though, you don’t seem like you’ve practised any martial arts before, have you?” When they engaged the zombies in close combat earlier, they basically fought based on their instincts, reactions, and true qi alone. Their moves could not even match a third-rate master of the jianghu, which was why they suffered so much.
Zhang Lanqing smiled bitterly. “We’re disciples of the school of Mohism. Over all these years, all we’ve learnt is engineering, creating puppets, and building cities and structures. Although we did attend a few classes in the school of the Military’s exhibition hall, how can we actually match disciples of the school of the Military? If I go back, I’ll definitely make up for my lack of martial arts.” The others all expressed their agreement.
Only then did Li Qingshan learn that they were engineers and fighting did not fall into their studies. Not all Qi Practitioners had the ability to kill and plunder. There were Qi Practitioners who specialised in professions as well.
“What do you plan on doing next?”
Hao Pingyang said, “Obviously to press forward into the enemy’s lair!”
Li Qingshan said, “The Zombie Cave is not a place you can simply barge into. The morgue is only one of his places for nurturing corpses. After he’s done nurturing them, he’ll take them into the Zombie Cave. Who knows how many zombies have accumulated in the cave over all these years. It’ll be extremely dangerous.”
The reason why the Zombie Daoist was able to remain alive while being hunted down by the Hawkwolf Guard was closely related to his cave. He usually hid himself underground, staying in the complicated caverns that were as confusing as a maze. No one knew where his dwelling actually was, and if they tried searching for it, they would face an endless attack of zombies. If anything happened to them, they would die in there and become part of the zombies.
When Zhang Lanqing and the other three heard that they would be entering a pitch-black cavern after the danger earlier, they all began considering retreat. “Senior brother, why don’t we return to the academy first and get a few powerful helpers before we go looking for the Zombie Daoist?”
Hao Pingyang glared at all of them. “Return to the academy? What about the mission? We’ve managed to get out after so much difficulty. You all know how long it takes to travel to and from here. By then, who knows whether the Zombie Daoist would have moved his hiding location. You might not mind embarrassing yourselves, but I do!”
The four of them looked at one another. Before they left, their master had said that they were to listen to all of Hao Pingyang’s orders during the mission.
“His flying sword has been destroyed, and his mind was shaken up. He won’t be able to refine another flying sword in time. Killing him now is the best opportunity we will ever have.” That was how Hao Pingyang put it, but he looked at Li Qingshan. He was not confident that the five of them could kill the Zombie Daoist. However, he had developed a very high opinion of Li Qingshan with his performance in the battle earlier. If Li Qingshan were willing to join them, their chances at success would increase significantly.
Li Qingshan began to hesitate. He wanted to wait for Zhuo Zhibo, but he had no idea whether Zhuo Zhibo would actually come. If Zhuo Zhibo were not coming, he would definitely treat the Zombie Daoist as his target. A sixth layer Qi Practitioner must have many pills. It could resolve his current shortage. However, the issue right now was whether to work with these disciples of mohism or not. Together with Xiao An, the two of them alone should be enough to kill the Zombie Daoist.
“If you join us, Qingshan, I’ll give you my share of the rewards.” Seeing how he was unable to change Hao Pingyang’s mind, Zhang Lanqing wanted to make this journey into the cave safer by recruiting Li Qingshan. He also wanted to pay back Li Qingshan for saving his life.
Jin Yuan and Jin Bao added, “We’ll do the same.”
He Yishi hesitated, “Me too.” As long as they could complete this mission, not only would they still have their pride in tact, but the Academy of the Hundred Schools would give them a reward as well, so it was not like he would get nothing out of this.
Hao Pingyang said, “Kid, you’re a second layer Qi Practitioner, yet you have a share that is even greater than mine, so let’s not talk about any compensation for earlier anymore. We’ll split the things on the Zombie Daoist seventy-thirty, alright?”
In order to avoid any disputes, they agreed on the share that they would be receiving before they set off. They would compensate everyone for their losses with what they received before splitting up the remaining items, with Hao Pingyang claiming thirty percent and the other four claiming seventy percent. As the main powerhouse of this mission, Hao Pingyang was rather generous with how everything would be split up.
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Chapter 171 – With Generosity comes with Ties of Friendship
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Chapter 171 – With Generosity comes with Ties of Friendship
Li Qingshan raised his head. “Alright, I’ll do it!”
He could kill the Zombie Daoist together with Xiao An. However, even back when he killed the fifth layer Qi Practitioner, Qian Yannian, it had been passed off as purely a coincidence. As such, if he killed a sixth layer Qi Practitioner now, anyone would know that he had a hidden trump card. Who knows how much attention he would attract, and this happened to be a secret that he could not afford for anyone to probe into.
And, he was not fixated on the items within the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch. The bounty that the Hawkwolf Guard had placed on the Zombie Daoist’s head amounted to over ten thousand points of contribution. Five points could exchange for a Qi Gathering pill so that was over two thousand Qi Gathering pills. Now that was the largest share. If he worked with these mohist disciples, he would be able to earn these points of contribution reasonably, without raising any suspicion.
Zhang Lanqing and the others were surprised and overjoyed by this. Hao Pingyang grinned as well.
However, Li Qingshan followed up with, “However, I’m not too satisfied with how everything is going to be split up.”
Zhang Lanqing and the other looked at one another, while Hao Pingyang frowned as well. He was still dissatisfied after claiming a seventy percent share; wasn’t that a little too greedy? What made everything worse was that if Li Qingshan wanted more, he could not afford to turn him down.
Li Qingshan smiled. “I’ll just take thirty percent, the same as you, senior brother Hao, as I’m confident that I’ll be about as useful as you when it comes to protecting everyone. As for the remaining forty percent, you should split it among yourselves!”
Everyone was taken aback by that. They had never thought that Li Qingshan would turn down these benefits in such a willing manner. Forty percent of the wealth of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner could interest all Qi Practitioners. None of them would give up on it so easily.
Zhang Lanqing felt rather ashamed over how poorly he had behaved earlier. “Qingshan, t- that wouldn’t be right of us!”
“There’s nothing wrong or right of you. If you want me to join you, then let’s split it like that! If you were thinking about paying back the favour from earlier, you’d better save it. Your lives are worth far more than just a share of benefits.” Li Qingshan was never a stingy person. He took a liking to these disciples of mohism, so he would not let them go empty-handed. This was just the way he handled matters.
As the saying went, generosity came with ties of friendship. Petty people who only focused on small gains could never achieve anything significant. A generous, confident person had no need to worry about going without friends.
Hao Pingyang laughed happily as he slapped Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Alright, I like you, kid!”
That stirred up the valiant spirit in He Yishi as well. He said proudly, “Our lives are precious, so let alone a certain cut of benefits, even the benefits from ten Zombie Daoists are worth less than our lives.” He was not boasting. They could reach the fourth or fifth layers at such a young age, so reaching the sixth layer was not beyond their reach. Their future development would definitely surpass the Zombie Daoist’s.
Although they were not skilled in battle as disciples of mohism, the mechanisms and puppets that they could create were items that all Qi Practitioners desired. They would be worth even more than regular spiritual artifacts. Every single disciple of mohism was a respected existence wherever they went. The Zombie Daoist who hid underground and refined corpses could not rival their statuses.
The brothers, Jin Yuan and Jin Bao, were inspired as well. Jin Yuan said, “If we work together, what’s there to fear about the Zombie Daoist? We’ll earn our share fair and square!”
Jin Bao said, “I’ve embarrassed myself, so I need to redeem myself. I can’t let others look down on us mohist disciples.”
The gloomy morgue became filled with vigour from these young men. Originally, killing the Zombie Daoist was a rather fearful mission, but now, it was a task that required them to work hard together to complete. Their fear had already vanished.
Hao Pingyang extended his hand. “Then let’s work together and get him!” Several hands stacked on top of him as everyone looked at one another with smiles. They all felt much closer with one another. They no longer treated Li Qingshan as an outsider anymore. It was as if they had not just met a moment ago, but were old acquaintances.
Xiao An leaned on her hand as she sat on the roof of the morgue. When Li Qingshan fell back down, he left her up there to keep an eye out. He also told her to avoid using her powers unless she had to, so she just watched as the Zombie Daoist fled from the morgue. Her eyes were not particularly special, but they could see through all illusions and truths. Concealing techniques were a form of illusions, so they were completely useless against her. She wanted to go down and warn Li Qingshan, but in the blink of an eye, the Zombie Daoist had fled already, so she could only give up on that idea.
If she had pursued earlier, there probably would have been a very great chance for her to taste fresh flesh and blood! However, as long as Li Qingshan told her to do something, she would always oblige obediently.
The desolate moonlight fell on her emotionless face as she listened in on the conversation below. She seemed rather cold.
As her cultivation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty deepened, her mind seemed to gradually return to when she was a spirit. However, that previous state was the numbness that came from losing a sense of individuality from all the torture, but now, it was indifference that came with clearly understanding everything.
When she controlled the fire and swallowed everyone one by one, it was not as simple as absorbing the essence within their flesh and blood. It was unlike what regular evil or demonic cultivators did, sacrificing living people to forge artifacts and treasures, who would then be denounced and hunted down by humanity.
Whether it be the blood flames or the pale flames, they were all a part of her. As she fused with the flesh and blood, especially when it came from living people or people who had just died, she could clearly sense their resentment, fury, pain, fear…
The barrage of all of these negative emotions was enough to make a regular person collapse in a single instant. Even cultivators with sturdy wills would be shaken up by that, developing doubt about their own actions and existences. They would be haunted by these dead souls for the rest of their lives. This was the most difficult psychological test of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
However, she did not feel troubled at all. Just like reading a buddhist scripture, she read the wails of pain and anguish of the deceased, without any pity or sympathy at all, just like gods and buddhas who sat up high on the lotus throne, taking in the suffering of all life with a clear, indifferent mind. It was not that these emotions were suppressed, but rather they were unable to develop these emotions.
She could neither be moved by friendship and hot-bloodedness, nor would she be troubled by the curse of resentment. There was no difference between the red and black ants. All living creatures were equal. All of them could be killed, apart from him.
Within the morgue, they discussed the plan as the sky in the east gradually lit up.
Suddenly, Xiao An stood up and cast her gaze into the distance. Looking past the wilderness, she saw a group of people rapidly drawing closer. She leapt down from the roof and arrived beside Li Qingshan.
Just from making eye contact once, Li Qingshan understood that Zhuo Zhibo was finally here. He said to the mohist disciples, “Please go first. I have some personal matters to settle. I’ll catch up to you later.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Just what is there that is more important than hunting down the Zombie Daoist?”
Li Qingshan only smiled, while Hao Pingyang did not ask him any more questions. Seeing how determined he was, Hao Pingyang said, “Alright then. We’ll set off first and wait for you at the entrance of the Zombie Cave.”
The morgue emptied out and Li Qingshan pressed down on his blade as he waited. After a while, he suddenly called out, “Commander Zhuo, since you’re here, please show yourself!”
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Chapter 172 – Human Mentality in the Face of Danger
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Chapter 172 – Human Mentality in the Face of Danger
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Black Wolf guards clothed in their dark uniforms directly pierced through the walls and entered the morgue.
Dust rose up in the surroundings, but none of it reached them. Their clothes fluttered with their true qi as they stared at Li Qingshan coldly.
A sharp killing intent gathered and wrapped firmly around Li Qingshan. Although the strongest was only the fifth layer Xie Nande, they were much more powerful than Zhang Lanqing and the others.
They were professional killers, a pack of wolves for hunting prey. Every single one of them had survived countless life-threatening battles. If Zhang Lanqing were pitted against Xie Nande, he would kill the latter in a single clash.
However, Li Qingshan sat down instead. He held the scabbard of the Wind-entwining blade in one hand without even looking at these Black Wolf guards. The rolling dust reached five steps away from Li Qingshan, but it was unable to advance another inch further. Xiao An stood beside him as her eyes that were like black pearls revealed yearning.
All of his paths, front, back, left and right, had been sealed. All that remained was the pitch-black, holey main entrance of the morgue with cold wind whistling into the structure. A black shadow stepped over the door sill. With the wind, an iron hawk arrived. The hawk’s wings were highly raised, its eyes were circular, and its beak was curved like a hook. It stared straight at Li Qingshan as if it could come alive at any time and kill him.
The might he gave off alone surpassed the other Black Wolf guards combined.
Li Qingshan finally raised his head. “Commander Zhuo, what an impressive group!”
Zhuo Zhibo scanned the morgue filled with corpses and asked in doubt, “Did you do all of this? You repelled the Zombie Daoist?”
“It’s as you can see.” Li Qingshan spread out his left hand.
Zhuo Zhibo sneered. “He’s just a piece of trash!”
If the wolves and the hawk had surrounded the Zombie Daoist, he would never have been as relaxed as when he faced the disciples of mohism. Even if he tried to flee with everything that he had, they would still end up killing him and ripping him to pieces.
Li Qingshan agreed, “He really is just a piece of trash.”
They had fallen out already, so Zhuo Zhibo no longer tried to hide his blatant killing intent. “You’re about to die, so do you have any last words?”
Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile. “I won’t die.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Yes, you won’t die too soon. We have the most skillful interrogators here. We will cut you open bit by bit, but we won’t let you die.”
He wanted to take pleasure in Li Qingshan’s expression of fear and despair, but he was disappointed. Li Qingshan only smiled. A pair of snowy-white canines that were slightly longer than usual protruded from his mouth, and even the child beside him remained unfazed.
Not a single Black Wolf guard in the surroundings butted in as Li Qingshan and Zhuo Zhibo spoke with one another. Even their expressions remained the same. Even the eyes of the weakest among them, Ge Jian, shone brightly. He firmly locked onto Li Qingshan’s aura, unwilling to drop his guard even by the slightest.
Although they were enemies, Li Qingshan could not help but praise them. Now these were true warriors. As the most powerful system of violence within the Great Xia empire, even the weakest Black Wolf guards possessed such composure.
He possessed absolute confidence about defeating them. The only issue now was that he could not let any one of them escape!
Li Qingshan stood up. With a shing, he drew the Wind-entwining blade that was so damaged it seemed like a saw. He reached into his talisman pouch with his left hand and held a Lightning Summoning talisman. Xiao An held her blade in one hand and the Skull Prayer Bead in the other.
They did not even have to make eye contact, and they had already decided on a battle tactic. It would be the same as the tactic they had employed against the Zombie Daoist earlier. They would erupt with all of their strength and kill the strongest, Zhuo Zhibo, instantly. After that, the rest would just be lambs for slaughter. Even if they managed to escape, hunting them down would be easier.
Zhuo Zhibo nodded, and seven Wind-entwining blades were drawn from their scabbards.
The battle was about to erupt, but a bellow suddenly rang out from outside, “Li Qingshan, is there something wrong with your legs? How slow do you have to be?!”
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback. “Why did you return?”
At this moment, Zhuo Zhibo looked back and saw a burly man with a full beard standing several dozen meters away. The aura he gave off and the bronze cannon in his arms made Zhuo Zhibo’s eyes narrow.
Hao Pingyang said, “I’ll come back here if I fucking want to. Since when do you care?” Zhang Lanqing and the others stood beside him, holding loaded Thousand Mechanism crossbows as they frowned.
Zhang Lanqing said, “Aren’t you done with your matters? If you’re done, then hurry up and come over!”
Zhuo Zhibo said frigily, “I was wondering why you were so fearless. Looks like you’re getting help from others. No wonder you thought you would live.”
Li Qingshan completely ignored him. He yelled back at Hao Pingyang, “I can’t go over right now, so you should go first! There’s no need to wait for me!”
Hao Pingyang exclaimed, “If I want you to come over, then you come over. I would like to see who stops you! I’ll blast them to pieces!”
Li Qingshan felt rather helpless, but also rather touched. He sheathed his blade and said to Zhuo Zhibo, “Commander Zhuo, looks like there just isn’t enough time today!” With that, he made his way over to the main entrance of the morgue with Xiao An.
The moment he brushed past Zhuo Zhibo, both of them could sense the startling killing intent from the other, but neither did anything.
Ge Jian said, “Commander!”
Zhuo Zhibo raised his hand to signal for him to shut up.
Li Qingshan arrived beside Hao Pingyang. Hao Pingyang whispered, “What’s going on?”
Li Qingshan laughed, “We just have some small disagreements.”
“Small disagreements?!” Hao Pingyang exclaimed. A small disagreement was enough for a group of Black Wolf guards to surround him with their killing intent bare? Their leader was even a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, an Iron Hawk commander!
Jin Bao said with lingering fear. “Even from so far away, with his back towards me, that man feels so terrifying!”
……
The reason behind Cave town’s name was a huge cave that existed near the town.
One of the branches of the Clear river flowed into the caves, disappearing inside. Boats and people would suffer the same fate as the river. In the past, there would be curious villagers who wanted to investigate and explore the caves, but not a single one of them would return. As such, it basically turned it into a forbidden zone.
However, the name that the Hawkwolf Guard gave to this mission location was Zombie cave. It was the hiding location of their most wanted criminal, the Zombie Daoist. He was a terrifying existence even to the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city.
Zhuo Zhibo had once personally led a squadron in an attempt to complete this mission, but he ended up losing four Black Wolf guards while failing to find the Zombie Daoist’s exact hiding spot. As a result, the reward for completing the mission increased again and again, setting a record within the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city.
Li Qingshan currently stood at the entrance to the Zombie cave. The cave was several dozen meters tall and extremely wide. It was like the gaping mouth of a beast, expelling a cold breeze. Li Qingshan could vaguely smell a stink in the breeze. It was the stink of corpses. He cast his gaze into the depths, but it only vanished into the darkness in the end. The stalactites drooping from the ceiling of the cave were like the teeth of a beast’s mouth.
The rising sun in the east was unable to weaken the gloominess here.
Zhang Lanqing took out a small boat and tossed it into the water. The boat expanded rapidly to a size where it could hold eight people. There were many oars that extended from both sides, making it look like a centipede.
“You still should go first. Those people won’t spare me. They’ll definitely catch up to me.” Li Qingshan had already given the rough story to them. They were all infuriated, but after they felt fury, fear followed. The Hawkwolf Guard was infamous among Qi Practitioners.
Jin Yuan and Jin Bao lowered their heads. They said nothing. From the clash earlier, they had already learned about the difference in strength that existed between them and the Hawkwolf Guard.
He Yishi was uncertain as he said hesitantly, “That works too. It’s always easier when you flee alone.”
Hao Pingyang was furious. “When there are benefits, we get along so well in harmony, but once there’s danger, you scatter like chaff in the wind, only caring for yourself. Do you still have the slightest decency as a human being?”
Jin Yuan and Jin Bao were both ashamed, while He Yishi said, “I’m just saying!” However, he grumbled inside as he wondered whether Li Qingshan was purposefully using them to evade the danger waiting for him.
Zhang Lanqing said, “Yeah, Qingshan. You’ll be safer if you stick with us. Once the mission ends, we can go to Clear River city together. You can file a complaint at the Hawkwolf Guard in Clear River city. We’ll all serve as your witness!”
Hao Pingyang said, “That’s not a bad idea. If that won’t work, then you might as well just resign from the Hawkwolf Guard. Next spring, when the Academy of the Hundred Schools is taking in new students, you can come to our school of Mohism. I’ll personally teach you engineering.”
Li Qingshan took note of all of their responses. Hao Pingyang was truly a bold, straightforward man. Although his temper was not the best, and his mouth was foul at times, his virtues could not be dulled by these insignificant flaws. Zhang Lanqing was a loyal person as well, and he was prudent with his thinking. The other three were far worse in comparison. Their loyalty, hot-bloodedness, and enthusiasm could be roused, but it would never last for too long.
However, Li Qingshan did not resent them over this. There was nothing strange about their behaviour. Not all of his attempts at friendship would be reciprocated. Even if all five of them no longer wanted Li Qingshan around them, he would not find it strange at all. Instead, it was already extremely rare that there were two people who actually wanted to help him. Now they were people truly worthy of being friends with. The three others would just be acquaintances at most.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, I’ll accompany you for a little longer.”
Hao Pingyang said, “That’s more like it!” The seven of them boarded the boat, and under Zhang Lanqing’s control, the wing-like oars on the two sides immediately began to move. The boat traveled with the flow, entering the cave.
Soon after they had left, Zhuo Zhibo’s group reached the entrance of the cave as well.
Ge Jian asked, “Commander, what do we do?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Let them scout ahead and clear the obstacles. Once they’ve utterly exhausted themselves, we’ll kill them all and push the blame onto the Zombie Daoist. Then we’ll kill the Zombie Daoist.” That determined everyone’s fate; it demonstrated Zhuo Zhibo’s cold-bloodedness.
“Yes, sir!” The Black Wolf guards obliged loudly, following his decision.
Zhuo Zhibo cracked a joke. “I sure am lucky. I didn’t kill him at the very beginning, and he has brought me more benefits instead.”
If a boss told a joke, how could the subordinates afford to keep a straight face? The Black Wolf guards all chimed in with smiles. “Those mohist disciples must be carrying a lot of good stuff.”
The boat traveled with the flow, moving extremely quickly. It reached the depths of the cave very soon, which gradually narrowed. The surroundings were pitch-black, so a small lantern lit up at the front of the boat.
Although Qi Practitioners could all see at night, darkness still affected their vision. The person who truly remained unaffected was Xiao An, and Li Qingshan even found the darkness to be even clearer than daytime.
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Chapter 173 – A Horde Springs Alive
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Chapter 173 – A Horde Springs Alive
Li Qingshan said, “This boat’s pretty good. Xiao An likes it very much as well!” Xiao An currently leaned against the edge, focusing all of her attention on the tiny, wing-like oars paddling in the water.
Zhang Lanqing smiled. “I made it myself. So she’s called Xiao An. Won’t it be dangerous for her if she comes with us?”
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. “She can take care of herself. Why don’t you use propellers?”
“What are propellers?”
Li Qingshan gave a slight explanation, and Zhang Lanqing understood the idea. He immediately sank into his thoughts. “What a special design. It seems like it’ll be more…”
Li Qingshan said, “Be careful!”
Distracted, the boat immediately hurtled towards some rocks. Zhang Lanqing returned to his senses and steered the boat in a hurry. He patted his chest to calm himself down. “So close.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Keep your head clear! Don’t become distracted as soon as you think of new concepts!”
Zhang Lanqing said, “I’ll try it out when I get back. Qingshan, if you join the school of Mohism, you’ll definitely become quite accomplished.”
Li Qingshan said, “Perhaps.” Advice from others could be helpful at times.
On the side of the cave that the boat had just passed by, a pair of emerald eyes lit up in the pitch-black grooves that light was unable to reach. It was actually a preserved corpse. Its entire body seemed to have become part of the cavern wall, covered in moss. Who knows how long it had been there for already. It did not even give off any stink anymore. It did not give off any aura either. As such, even Li Qingshan failed to notice it.
As if it had received some kind of order, it broke free from the cave with a struggle, but its movements suddenly halted. A shiny, white prayer bead floated nearby.
Even though it only possessed a subservient consciousness and a desire for flesh and blood after being refined, it still experienced an instinctual fear towards the prayer bead. The Skull Prayer Bead pierced its head and red light emerged from its body, turning its flesh into fire and its bones into fluid. It became a part of the tiny prayer bead.
In the depths of the cave, an old man who was as thin as a stick opened his eyes. He had lost the connection to a corpse he had just awakened. Before the connection was lost, something very strange had happened. There was a ripple as if there was a sense of fear.
Such a matter was obviously absurd. How could corpses feel fear? Even if their souls were still restrained to their bodies, they had lost the ability to fear a long time ago. It must have been a false impression.
Afterwards, he thought of what he had discovered in the huge, open pit outside Ancient Wind city for some reason.
He was a cultivator who sought corpses. Even though he was infamous, holding the top spot on the blacklist, he was not bold enough to run amuck, killing people and turning them into zombies. Once he crossed a certain threshold, the Hawkwolf Guard would send even stronger people to hunt him down. This cave could not stop cultivators who were truly powerful.
As a result, he spent most of his time as a grave robber. As soon as he heard about the incident in Ancient Wind city, he took action. That was a thousand corpses, with quite a few Qi Practitioners among them. He would definitely be able to find fantastic corpses to refine. However, when he arrived, all he found was an empty pit. All he felt was shock and fear. He felt fortunate that he had come late.
It had been quite a few years since he last felt fear.
Then he thought about what had happened in the morgue. The body of a Body Practitioner was quite tempting, but he had never trusted Zhuo Zhibo before, so he was extremely careful. The trap cast down by the disciples of mohism seemed like a joke in his eyes. While he did lose his Submerged Shadow sword out of carelessness, forcing him to flee which exasperated him, he did not feel fear. He had experienced dangers and setbacks that were far more severe than that in his life.
However, just as his substitute fooled his opponents, and he managed to escape from the morgue, he saw something strange. An extremely pretty child sat on the roof under the moonlight, looking at him quietly. It was as if she saw through his concealing technique completely. She did not give off a particularly powerful aura, but her dark, calm eyes made him shudder from the depths of his very soul. He felt as if he had encountered his natural enemy.
However, he managed to escape from her gaze very soon, and the shuddering feeling became an illusion. However, the sight became firmly embedded in his head without dispersing at all.
He felt like there was some sort of connection between all of this, but he failed to pinpoint what it was.
He shook his head. All he had lost was an insignificant corpse, so why was he thinking so much? He cast his thoughts aside and sneered. The intruders would die very soon, becoming a part of his zombie army.
He leaned against a stone coffin beside him. The coffin was engraved with glyphs that extended to the ground. It was locked up firmly by iron chains.
With this treasure, no one could kill him. Not even Zhuo Zhibo!
Xiao An leaned on the edge of the boat and gently played around with the water. She silently scooped up the Skull Prayer Bead, but when she turned around, all she saw was Li Qingshan staring straight at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.
The Skull Prayer Bead was no regular spiritual artifact. Instead, it was more like a part of her body, which was why it could fly very far away; it could even see and hear for her.
To be frank, she did not like the taste of zombies too much. Some of them were dry, and some of them were like a delicacy she had eaten a while back, a kind of pastry that was hard and tough. However, the good part was that they were combustible and not that noisy.
Hao Pingyang suddenly said, “Something is approaching!”
They all looked ahead. Zhang Lanqing pierced the lantern, and the light gathered together like a searchlight, piercing through the darkness. They could vaguely make out something floating on the surface of the water. It was clustered together and pale. It did not drift along with the flow of water, remaining stationary instead as if it were awaiting the arrival of the boat.
“They’re corpses!” He Yishi cried out.
The pale objects were all floating bodies that had swollen up in the water. They seemed like fatties floating on the water, covering the entire area. Who knows how many there were.
Hao Pingyang said, “Don’t let them get near!”
They fished out their Thousand Mechanism crossbows and aimed at the floating corpses, firing their Fire Crow bolts. With a series of swishes, the floating corpses exploded one by one.
Li Qingshan drew his Wind-entwining blade and channeled true qi into it in an attempt to launch a wind blade, but the blade did not respond at all. He hit it a few times and confirmed that the blade was completely destroyed now. A low grade spiritual artifact really could not endure the wear in his hands. Although he could achieve the same results through true qi alone, it would be far too wasteful of true qi. It was not worth it.
Zhang Lanqing passed a Thousand Mechanism crossbow and a few magazines of Fire Crow bolts to Li Qingshan. “I need to steer the boat! You use it!”
“Alrighty!” Li Qingshan accepted the Thousand Mechanism crossbow and aimed at the surface of the water, launching a barrage and blowing up seven or eight floating corpses. He had learned archery before, so he was more accurate than Jin Yuan and Jin Bao, earning him some praise.
Li Qingshan suddenly felt a gaze lock onto him. Looking back, all he found was Xiao An looking up eagerly at the Thousand Mechanism crossbow. She no longer looked at the oars anymore.
“You try!” Li Qingshan passed the Thousand Mechanism crossbow to her, and she accepted it happily.
Hao Pingyang tried to stop them in a hurry. “Don’t mess around!” He was frustrated with how Li Qingshan did not take everything seriously. How could he give such a dangerous weapon to a child? The Thousand Mechanism crossbow was powerful, so it would be bad if Xiao An was unable to wield it properly and fired them randomly on the boat.
He reached towards the crossbow in Xiao An’s hand, but he grabbed nothing. He was surprised. Looking back, he only found that Xiao An had already arrived at the nose of the boat, shooting at the corpses. Moreover, her accuracy was outstanding. She basically took out a corpse with each bolt.
Li Qingshan patted Hao Pingyang’s shoulder. “I told you that she could take care of herself. She’s taking care of you now as well!”
Hao Pingyang shot a glance at him; this kid was mysterious. Even the child by his side was so strange.
With Xiao An at the helm, the others all stopped shooting, saving some of their Fire Crow bolts as they watched on. They would praise from time to time, “Nicely done!”
Jin Bao smiled complacently. “Zombie Daoist, do you think you can handle us with these puny tricks? Looks like there’s nothing impressive about you at all.” However, as soon as he finished talking, he caught the whiff of a stink. The smell was so sharp that it basically made him dizzy.
Hao Pingyang said, “Hold your breaths! The foul smell is poisonous!”
The boat just happened to have reached where the floating corpses had first appeared. Li Qingshan could clearly see that while the corpses had been blown to shreds, doing so also released the gas within their bodies, which turned into a thick, pale green gas. It filled the entire cave and grew thicker the further they advanced. Even the lantern light was unable to pierce through it.
Everyone held their breaths in a hurry. As Qi Practitioners, the circulation of true qi in their bodies could replace their breathing. However, as the poisonous gas became thicker, their eyes began to sting and water. Even their skin gave off a burning smell. Even without Hao Pingyang’s warning, they all released their true qi instinctively.
Just as everyone fended off the poisonous gas and was disoriented, something moved in the water. Li Qingshan noticed it first. “There’s something in the water!”
Splash! Splash! Blue hands rotten to a point where their bones were visible extended out from the water, grabbing the oars and then the edge of the boat, climbing aboard. They revealed eyeless, noseless heads while producing terrifying groans.
Just when He Yishi had aimed his Thousand Mechanism crossbow, there was a gust of wind from above, and he raised his head in a hurry. He saw a shriveled corpse lunge towards him through the poisonous gas from the dark roof of the cavern.
“Above too!” Hao Pingyang bellowed. He swung his Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light and smacked the corpse away.
Li Qingshan raised his head. On the ceiling of the cave, on those teeth-like stalactites, were dried corpses that lunged down one after another.
Specks of emerald light glimmered on the two sides of the cavern. Corpses broke free from the walls of the cave one by one, opening their shriveled mouths and lunging at the boat. The quiet cave suddenly seemed to spring alive, becoming a terrifying hell filled with vicious, horrifying corpses.
He Yishi and the others raised their crossbows as if they were confused as to where to shoot.
Although they had said that they wanted to redeem themselves, a mentality for battle could not be developed so easily. It required plenty of battle experience, or they had to be geniuses at fighting like Li Qingshan.
Clearly, they possessed neither of the qualities. Jin Bao pulled the trigger of his crossbow in a hurry, basically shooting at his own companions, but he failed to hit a single zombie.
The Wind-entwining blade sliced through the air in an arc and beheaded two shriveled corpses. Li Qingshan said, “Leave the ones above to me. You all get down and focus on the ones in the water.” They all crouched down in a hurry. Without saying anything more, Hao Pingyang lifted his cannon and smacked away all the corpses lunging over from the two sides.
Before they could even get a footing in this chaotic situation, shrill screams rang out from the nose of the boat and rapidly drew closer.
Zhang Lanqing paled in shock.
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Chapter 174 – Shooting Game
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Chapter 174 – Shooting Game
The large corpses that floated on the surface of the water suddenly released poisonous gas and began moving at startling speeds. They sprang up from the surface of the water and flew towards the boat in the darkness.
He Yishi’s mouth hung agape as his Thousand Mechanism crossbow drooped down. Terrifying corpses filled every single inch around him. He felt like he had been thrown into a terrifying nightmare, unable to wake up. Even for prodigies of the Academy of the Hundred Schools like them, the fate that awaited them after being pulled into the water was as clear as day.
Hao Pingyang roared out as he swung his Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light around, smashing it into the floating corpses, but he failed to send them flying away. The corpses all exploded and released large amounts of poisonous gas. The black, murky fluids they sprayed out landed on the boat with a hiss and smoke rose up. It landed on Hao Pingyang’s face as well. While it was stopped by his true qi, it did make him seem rather miserable.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The floating corpses exploded on the boat, and dense, poisonous gas enveloped the entire vessel. Their visibility was reduced to less than an inch away. All they could hear was the moans and groans of the corpses resounding through the cave.
Having lost his sense of sight, Jin Bao panicked inside. He yelled out, “Brother! Brother!” He felt like only he was left in this terrifying hell. He yelled out as he shot at the water. He also released his true qi instinctively, blocking out the gas and attacks from all directions. The boat was simply too small, so he was unable to use his puppets.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! He ran out of Fire Crow bolts in a single instant from how quickly he fired them, vanishing into the thick gas. Most of them landed in the water and produced even more violent waves. It made it seem like the tiny boat was traversing through stormy seas, yet it was unable to advance even an inch forward. Countless corpses jammed the oars as they climbed up, pulling the boat into the water.
“Oh no! The boat is going to sink!” Jin Bao called out frantically. At this moment, a moist yet shrivelled hand suddenly grabbed his hand through the gas!
“Argh!” Jin Bao screamed as he staggered back and ran into someone. Although he managed to knock the hand away with a spurt of true qi, he was still shaken up.
Jin Yuan heard his brother’s scream in the gas and also called out, “Jin Bao, what’s wrong?”
“I- I-” Jin Bao heaved. He crouched down with everything that he had. The Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light whistled above his head, yet the fierce gale it kicked up failed to make the poisonous gas disperse. Instead, the gas only grew denser.
“Oh no, I’m running out of true qi!” He Yishi’s voice cracked. He no longer possessed the same valiance from before. Not only did he have to release his true qi to protect every inch of his body while within the poisonous gas, but he even had to repel the corpses from time to time as well, so he was running out fast.
The four others all fell quiet. Zhao Lanqing was dumbfounded, while Hao Pingyang wielded the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light swiftly, attempting to repel all the zombies that climbed aboard.
Li QIngshan knitted a net of blades with his Wind-entwining blade, cutting all of the shriveled corpses that fell down from above to shreds. He felt helpless over how his companions responded. The water corpses were terrifying, but they were nowhere near as powerful as the zombies in the morgue. Even prepared masters of the jianghu could deal with them.
The Zombie Daoist had successfully made use of the geography available to him, unleashing his powers to his full ability to overwhelm them psychologically and waste away their true qi. Even though he was not exactly a strategist, he was a tactician. It was possible to imagine just how deadly it would be if the Submerged Shadow sword was present as well, launching sneak attacks from within the thick gas.
Li Qingshan reached towards his talisman pouch, but he smiled again and pulled his hand back. He said to Zhang Lanqing, “Prepare to set off!”
Zhang Lanqing answered with a question, “What?”
Xiao An seemed no different from before, but she moved with the agility of a monkey. She grabbed the Thousand Mechanism crossbow from Jin Bao’s hand, and with two clicks, she reloaded them. She spread her hands, and the crossbows sprayed out with bolts. She began to turn around on the spot. The Fire Crow bolts sprayed out violently in a circular fashion, brushing past everyone and landing on the water corpses climbing up the boat with great accuracy.
Boom! Boom! Boom! There were a string of explosions that occurred so closely to one another that it seemed like a single explosion. The waves of air and water it kicked up blasted the boat from the surface of the water.
Zhang Lanqing cried out as he channeled all of his true qi into the boat. A stream of air spurted out from the back, and it began to fly, rushing out of the poisonous gas. It left behind a layer of remains and countless hands that suddenly extended from the water.
As his vision cleared up, He Yishi could not help but celebrate. Looking at everyone else, he discovered that they were the same as him. Only Li Qingshan and Hao Pingyang remained calm.
The howl rose up once more as the huge, floating mass of corpses slammed towards the boat as they sprayed with poisonous gas.
Unknowingly, Xiao An had already arrived at the nose of the boat. Her clothes ruffled violently as the fierce wind blew her seaweed-like hair behind her, brushing against Zhang Lanqing’s face. His eyes widened. All he felt was that this quiet child seemed to be shining with blinding light.
Her expression remained the same as before. She held the two crossbows with her pure, small hands, standing firmly among the unrest. The floating corpses exploded in the air. None of them managed to get closer than ten steps from the boat.
Bang! The boat landed in the water once again and kicked up countless waves. It shot forward at full speed, throwing behind the dangerous region of water. A series of cheers rang out from the boat. Hao Pingyang could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
Li Qingshan placed his hand on Xiao An’s shoulder and smiled in approval. Even he would not have been able to do all of that so flawlessly even if he managed to control his power. At the end of day, someone from his side would still be more reliable. My Xiao An is unlike your people who drag you down!
The corner of Xiao An’s lips curled up as she smiled back at him. Then she blinked her eyes, which twinkled like stars.
Li Qingshan nodded slightly, and the Skull Prayer Bead was thrown into the water once again.
Hao Pingyang murmured, “Can you still call her a child?” Even a sixth layer Qi Practitioner like him was unable to do any better than Xiao An. Of course, his position in the team was not like those regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners who could control artifacts either. The explosive power of the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light was enough to kill any sixth layer Qi Practitioner, and it possessed a tremendous range. It was a weapon even more terrifying than regular flying swords, but it was not suited for the prior close combat.
Li Qingshan shrugged. Those people behind you are the children. Before he could even reply, Hao Pingyang had already begun cursing, raining them with spittle, “You bastards. So much for trying to redeem yourselves. Why don’t you redeem my ass? Even a child is better than you. I think the three of us will instead be safer without you lot.”
They looked at one another and lowered their heads, unable to talk back.
Xiao An returned the Thousand Mechanism crossbow to Jin Bao and passed the other one to Zhang Lanqing. She felt that this trip was very interesting. It was much more interesting than Jiaping city. At the very least, shooting zombies was more fun than stabbing ants.
If Hao Pingyang and the others knew that their difficult battle was only just an interesting shooting game to her, they would have been utterly stunned. However, compared to the dangers she had gone through with Li Qingshan, this was indeed like a game; there was no danger at all.
Zhang Lanqing said, “You can keep it. I have another one as a backup.” Zhang Lanqing wanted to rub Xiao An’s head, but she avoided his hand. He did not find it awkward. He rubbed his own head with a smile.
Jin Bao said reluctantly, “I’ll give mine to you too.” He was indebted to Li Qingshan and Xiao An for helping him out twice, yet he was unable to return the favour, and this feeling was further compounded by how generous Zhang Lanqing was. He was unable to swallow his pride over this given his young age. Moreover, the crossbow was completely different when it was in this child’s hands compared to his. If Xiao An wielded it, he instead felt even safer than wielding it himself. His life seemed to be in better hands.
Afterwards, the two of them even gave her ten magazines of Fire Crow bolts each in an extremely generous manner. This was a cost they had to pay if they wanted to complete this mission. Compared to wasting it in their own hands, they would be better off giving them to this child.
Li Qingshan thanked them in Xiao An’s place. These two crossbows were true lethal weapons. In the hands of a regular third or fourth layer Qi Practitioner, they were enough to threaten Qi Practitioners two or three layers higher, and it would not cost them much true qi at all. This was not something regular low grade spiritual artifacts could achieve. These crossbows would be worth several hundred Qi Gathering pills at the very least.
Xiao An lowered her head and played around with the Thousand Mechanism crossbows. Their design was extremely delicate. Who knows how many components went into making them. They were made out of wood, but they weighed heavily like metal.
Despite all that, Li Qingshan had actually still underestimated the value of these two crossbows. These disciples of mohism did not even bring a single talisman with them. All they brought were a few puppets, a crossbow, and as many Fire Crow arrows as possible. That was how much confidence they placed in this weapon.
If this item was sold on the free market, it could easily fetch over a thousand Qi Gathering pills. It was expensive due to the input from the disciples of mohism. However, as their creators, the materials did not cost so much, which was why they could afford to be so generous.
As soon as they had left the region of water, the Skull Prayer Bead transformed into a huge skull and spat out flames, cleaning up all the corpses there. Regardless of whether its prey could or could not move, it had a feast before leaving.
A while later, a series of black figures arrived quickly. They were the Hawkwolf Guard under Zhuo Zhibo’s lead. They did not have to use a vessel. Their personal strength was sufficient.
Like monkeys, they extended their hands and grabbed the stalactites on the ceiling to propel themselves forward, or they kicked off the moist, slippery walls. Once their force was spent, they would easily kick off the air and arrive at the other wall. They kicked off both walls and moved no slower than the boat that went with the flow. Both their reactions and movements were the best of the best.
The most graceful was Zhuo Zhibo. He did not even have to move his legs. Instead, he simply stood above the surface of the water like he was on ground as he advanced rapidly. At a closer glance, there was a tiny blade below the tips of his feet.
They stopped scouting now. Xie Nande said, “That’s strange. There were clearly sounds of battle earlier, so why isn’t there a single corpse at all?”
“Who cares. Let’s just catch up to them and slaughter them all. We don’t have to worry about any of them escaping in this cave.”
“Didn’t you want to use them to kill the Zombie Daoist?”
“I don’t think they’ll even be able to reach the Zombie Daoist’s den.”
After a while of thought, Zhuo Zhibo suddenly waved his hand and made a gesture to kill. The cave constantly twisted and turned. In a place like this, Hao Pingyang would not be able to unleash the might of his cannon. There was nothing to fear.
The eyes of the Hawkwolf guards all lit up as they surged with murderousness. Some of them became excited and let out cries, while others licked their lips in a blood-thirsty manner. “It has been quite some time since we last hunted together.”
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Chapter 175 – I’ve Caught You
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Chapter 175 – I’ve Caught You
That was indeed the problem that Li Qingshan’s group was currently facing. With the boat docked in the water, the cave ahead of them was no longer a single, straight path. Instead, it split up into three. Every single path seemed roughly the same, pitch-black and leading to who knows where. Splitting up was obviously impossible. Who knows how many more forks there would be deeper in. It would definitely exceed the number of people that they had.
“What do we do?” Li Qingshan gained an even deeper understanding of why the Hawkwolf Guard had not killed off the Zombie Daoist yet. He even doubted whether he could achieve it himself. The most difficult part would not be the battle, but the search.
Hao Pingyang smiled complacently. “Why would I come down here without preparations? I knew I couldn’t depend on you lot, so I prepared for the worst-case scenario.” As he said that, he fished out a wooden spherical object that seemed like a rugby ball. Afterwards, he twisted the top, and with a series of clicks, several tiny, hexagonal holes appeared on the object. It seemed like a bee’s nest.
With a buzz, a swarm of tiny insects emerged from the nest. They were not bees, but tiny bugs that flickered with light like fireflies.
Xiao An’s eyes lit up again. She extended her hand and caught one. She discovered that they were not actual insects, but extremely delicate mechanical bugs. Their abdomens were embedded with some unknown, green crystal. Every single one of them was an exquisite piece of art.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s this?”
Hao Pingyang said, “Just watch and you’ll know.” Under his control, the swarm of insects split into three groups and flew down the three caves.
Hao Pingyang twisted the top of the nest again, and a green light shot out, forming a sphere in the air.
There was a large speck of light and countless smaller specks in the ball. The small specks of light divided into three groups and formed three twisted paths from the large speck of light. At a closer glance, those were three caves that differed in shape and size. It actually formed a three-dimensional map in the sphere of light.
Li Qingshan immediately understood its purpose. He praised the wonders of mohism once again. Afterwards, he saw the specks of light separate and leave behind even more paths, sculpting out a detailed map.
Hao Pingyang said, “I found it in the warehouse. It’s a puppet for searching and building maps. Everyone rest up and catch your breaths. Once I find the Zombie Daoist’s den, we can set off.”
“Senior brother sure is prepared!” Jin Bao praised. They all sat down and consumed pills to regather their strength.
Hao Pingyang focused on controlling the puppet insects. Before long, one of them discovered a cave with signs of human excavation. Soon afterwards, the insect was destroyed by something, and the connection was lost.
“Damn insect!” A shriveled hand crushed an insect. The Zombie Daoist rubbed the stone coffin beside him like he was rubbing the face of his lover. “Don’t worry. There’ll be fresh blood very soon. It’ll be the blood of Qi Practitioners.”
Li Qingshan pointed at the sphere of light. “Seems like it’s there!”
Zhang Lanqing and everyone else was overjoyed. The target was right before them now.
Hao Pingyang said, “Once I recall all of the insects, we’ll set off!” When the last mechanical bug returned to the nest-like object, Hao Pingyang stood up and gave the order to set off. However, he suddenly frowned and looked at the cave behind him.
Li Qingshan said, “It looks like I’ll only be able to accompany you till here!” At the end of the day, he still needed to deal with his own matters in person. Zhuo Zhibo had already survived two clashes against him, but he could not allow that to happen again. It was time to put an end to it.
Zhang Lanqing said, “What!” Afterwards, he sensed a powerful aura from the cave and a sharp killing intent, which made his heart jump. He Yishi and the two brothers could feel the determination behind the killing intent, so their faces changed. They could not help but look at Li Qingshan.
They spent most of their time learning how to build things in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, but they were not naive. They understood what collateral damage was. If the Black Hawk commander was truly determined to kill Li Qingshan, he probably would not care about them. He would try to silence them with death instead.
Hao Pingyang said immediately, “We’ll set off right now! Lanqing, steer the boat!”
Li Qingshan shook his head. “No, the boat is not fast enough to shake them off. This has nothing to do with you in the first place, so you should go first. I’ll catch up and regroup very soon once I shake them off.”
“Qingshan is right. It’ll be more difficult for them to find him if he’s alone. The cave is as complicated as a maze, so they might not necessarily be able to find him. If we flee together, we’ll be caught in a pincer attack from in front and behind. Senior brother, you should make up your mind!” He Yishi could not help but say. He did not want to fall out with a Black Hawk commander over a single kid he had met recently. There was no benefit at all, and it would bring him life-threatening danger instead.
The Zombie Daoist had lost his Submerged Shadow sword, and his traps were destroyed as well. He was as weak as he could get. Even without Li Qingshan, they were confident that they could take him down. His thoughts even became darker. He even began to think about how there was no need to give up that thirty percent share if Li Qingshan was no longer with them.
Hao Pingyang said, “Let’s fight them!” However, aside from Zhang Lanqing, who stood up nervously, no one else said anything more.
The aura drew closer and closer. Jin Bao said, “Qingshan, you can leave Xiao An with us. We’ll take good care of her.” Xiao An possessed two Thousand Mechanism crossbows, so she was extremely powerful, and she would not be receiving a share. Of course, they would never admit that was what they were thinking.
“How can you do that? Didn’t we say that we’re all in the same boat? If it weren’t for Qingshan, we would’ve all died in the morgue already,” Zhang Lanqing could not help but say. Li Qingshan was his saviour. How could he turn his back on his saviour?
He Yishi grumbled, “He did not save my life previously.” He was a noble disciple of mohism. A great future awaited him, so why would he risk his life over something like this?
“You!” Zhang Lanqing was left speechless as he pointed at He Yishi. No matter how he looked at it, He Yishi and the others would all be dead once those Hawkwolf guards killed Li Qingshan.
Jin Yuan lowered his head and grumbled slightly ,”Senior brother Zhang, you’re a fifth layer Qi Practitioner! We’re not as powerful as you, so if we stay behind, we’ll just make things more troublesome instead.” You’re strong, so of course you’re confident. We’re weak, so we’ll be killed very easily.
“You three idiots!” Hao Pingyang was extremely disappointed in his three junior brothers. Not only was this traitorous behaviour, it was foolish as well. Once the Hawkwolf guards killed Li Qingshan, wouldn’t they come to silence them as well? They were as foolish as they could get for not trying to pool their strength together, instead seeking temporary safety.
He raised his hand up high. This was no longer messing around with his junior brothers, but a heavy hand bearing his exasperation and disappointment in them. He wanted to smack them to their senses, but the hand was caught by Li Qingshan.
The hearts of people were not exactly dark, but they were not exactly bright either. A calculating aspect of personal interests would always exist in the mind of every single person, but everyone’s choices would be different. In the face of true, life-threatening danger, just who could stick it out with you?
Li Qingshan wanted to scorn them with laughter, but he continued to smile. “They’re right. You won’t be able to help me much. You’ve witnessed my abilities as a Body Practitioner as well. It’ll be easier if I flee by myself. However, Xiao An will be staying with me.”
With that, Li Qingshan leapt off from the back of the boat with Xiao An gently before Hao Pingyang could try to persuade him any further. He said, “Take care! I’ll see you later!” With that, he vanished into the dark cavern.
Zhang Lanqing was still stunned. He Yishi rushed over and took over control of the boat, steering it towards another cave that led to the Zombie Daoist’s den. They parted there.
Actually, Li Qingshan did not have particularly high hopes for them. Although he had never seen the Zombie Daoist, he could tell just how cautious and crafty their opponent would be from the two times they had clashed. If the Zombie Daoist was not completely confident in achieving victory, he would definitely vanish into the caves that were as complicated as a spider’s nest. If he chose to remain, that would be rather terrifying.
Only people who hid their strength like Li Qingshan could ignore this danger. However, the disciples of mohism had already demonstrated how strong they were on the way here.
Of course, he would not take pleasure in their misfortune, hoping that they would all die. He was not so narrow-minded. Moreover, Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing had shown him plenty of gratitude and loyalty. He truly hoped they would be safe.
However, he was neither a babysitter, nor was he a saint. As long as he maintained a clear conscience and did whatever he could, he would leave the rest to fate. He would leave it up for them to choose!
Zhuo Zhibo sensed the two auras in the two caves as he arrived with his Black Wolf guards. Li Qingshan was not trying to hide himself.
Ge Jian asked, “Commander, which path do we take first?”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Let’s kill Li Qingshan first. We can deal with the disciples of mohism slowly.” This was his main objective in the first place.
As the aura drew closer, Li Qingshan smiled. He used the ability to control water from the spirit turtle’s daemon core to walk on the surface of the water, charging forwards. The walls around him rapidly receded, sometimes sinking and sometimes turning, like it went on forever. He constantly encountered new forks and chose between them without any hesitation at all.
Suddenly, the gurgling of water rang out from ahead. Li Qingshan felt like he had returned to the days he spent cultivating under the waterfall in the mountains, listening to this sound every day. The sound grew louder and louder until it became deafening. The area in front of him opened up as the rushing, underground water suddenly plummeted, forming an underground waterfall.
Li Qingshan leapt several dozen meters into the air and landed on an island in the water. He looked at his surroundings and the entire area was empty. It was a huge cavern, around half the size of a soccer pitch. It was enough for him to daemonify and move about freely.
This was not a coincidence. Instead, it was the battlefield he had chosen when the mechanical bugs had searched through the cave. Perhaps, it would be more apt for him to call this place the burial ground for these Hawkwolf guards. Looking at it in person, it seemed even more perfect than how it seemed on the map from the mechanical bugs. He breathed in deeply and shot a glance at Xiao An. Xiao An immediately submerged herself in the water.
Without waiting for too long, killing intent rushed into the cavern. Li Qingshan raised his head and saw Zhuo Zhibo and his Black Wolf guards fly down from the waterfall, landing in front of him. They scattered quickly and surrounded him.
Zhuo Zhibo said coldly, “I’ve finally caught you!”
Li Qingshan smiled, “No, I’ve caught you!”
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Chapter 176 – Killing Zhuo Zhibo (One)
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Chapter 176 – Killing Zhuo Zhibo (One)
The waterfall gurgled endlessly in the gloomy depths. The underground river plunged off the edge, falling into an underground lake in the large cavern. A tiny island protruded from the lake.
Zhuo Zhibo and the seven Black Wolf guards surrounded Li Qingshan. Every single one of them sneered. Ge Jian said, “Kid, don’t tell me you’ve lost your mind from fear!”
“Don’t waste any words on him. Just kill him!” said a Black Wolf guard impatiently.
Xie Nande added, “Yeah, commander. We still need to chase down those disciples of mohism.”
“I have my plans!”
Zhuo Zhibo seemed to enjoy the current feeling very much. He raised his hand to silence the Black Wolf guards and said to Li Qingshan, “Do you regret becoming enemies with me now? If you knew how to conduct yourself and showed a little respect when you first arrived in Jiaping, I wouldn’t have wanted to kill you so much. If you kneel and beg me right now, I might spare you.” The feeling of absolute power over the weak would always bring him great pleasure.
Li Qingshan lowered his head to look at the embroidery on his Black Wolf uniform. “The uniform depicts a wolf, not a dog!” Seeing how he pissed off the seven Black Wolf guards, he raised his head. “Don’t get mad. There’s nothing wrong with being the powerful’s dog, but I just happen to dislike that.”
Cold light flashed through Zhuo Zhibo’s eyes. With a wave of his hand, a small, shining blade appeared in his grasps. “Before I kill you, there are some things I want to ask you about. If you answer them honestly, I’ll give you a quicker death…”
“Don’t worry. No matter what you say, I’ll give you all a quick death.” Li Qingshan interrupted him with a sneer as the canines in his mouth seemed longer than usual.
Suddenly, Zhuo Zhibo felt a terrifyingly powerful daemon qi erupt from Li Qingshan’s body, kicking up a violent gust of wind in the cavern. The Black Wolf guards all raised their hands in fright as they stared at Li Qingshan in disbelief.
Li Qingshan pulled off the Black Wolf uniform on him, revealing his sturdy chest. His bronze skin gradually darkened, gaining the lustre of steel. Two specks of light lit up in his eyes as his black hair turned scarlet, draping down. He rapidly grew taller—three feet, five feet, seven feet… However, he was unable to reach the ceiling. His aura rapidly rose as well, until it reached the very peak.
Li Qingshan looked down and muttered to himself, “I seem to have grown taller again!” The pills he had eaten in the past few days had not gone to waste. He was around twenty-seven feet now, close to thirty feet. Just by standing there, he was taller than a double-storeyed building. His body that seemed to be forged from black iron seemed immovable like a mountain.
Zhuo Zhibo’s eyes widened as he said in disbelief, “You’re a daemon! That’s impossible!” Li Qingshan had met Wang Pushi and Gu Yanying before, which was why he had joined the Hawkwolf Guard in the first place. With their cultivation, it was impossible for them to have failed to notice Li Qingshan’s true form.
Suddenly, he recalled that the major pillar of the Ruyi commandery possessed the bloodline of daemons as well. However, as her bloodline was just too sacred within Great Xia, even more noble than many members of royalty, many people would often forget about that. Was this a scheme of hers?
From a certain perspective, he was not wrong. However, this was not a scheme. It was just a misunderstanding. All of this resulted from a moment of interest and a sigh from her. If Gu Yanying was truly trying to set up some kind of scheme, even the current Li Qingshan would have no right to partake in it.
“Commander, what do we do!?” Ge Jian cried out frantically. He could clearly feel that Li Qingshan only needed to reach over, and he would be crushed. When he realised he had been constantly provoking such a terrifying thing in the past, he became shaken up.
“I understand now. You killed Zhao Liangqing and Qian Yannian like this,” said Zhuo Zhibo. He had already calmed himself down. Li Qingshan was not the Daemon General that he originally believed him to be. Although he could assume a human form, he only possessed the strength of the sixth or seventh layer. He was not undefeatable.
At this moment, Li Qingshan suddenly understood why those villains in those stories would always ramble a little, like Zhuo Zhibo had done earlier. This was because the feeling of being in complete control was delightful. He could understand it now.
However, with all the examples he had seen in the past, he had to hold back his emotions. He said with his deep, metallic voice, “You’re right…” He seemed to lift his left foot carelessly, or should you say his left hoof, before stamping down violently.
Innate ability, the Ox Demon Tramples!
“Jump!” Zhuo Zhibo noticed that something was off first and leapt into the air. Most of the other Black Wolf guards had been experienced members of the jianghu as well in the past, so their reactions were not slow either. With a spurt of true qi from the balls of their feet, they rushed into the air like rockets.
Only a third layer Qi Practitioner reacted a little slow. Just when he wanted to jump, the shockwave reached his foot and spread through his body. All of his bones shattered in a single instant, and even his skin cracked open. He exploded with a bang.
Zhuo Zhibo and the Black Wolf guards with him gazed down in fright. They did not look at the dead Black Wolf guard, but at the entire island. With a rumble, the tiny island shattered, becoming riddled with cracks and reduced to pieces. At the centre of it all was Li Qingshan’s left foot.
The lake water churned violently, swallowing the pieces of rock and soil. The island in the centre of the land had shattered and sunk from Li Qingshan’s stomp, forming several hundred vortices of various sizes. Li Qingshan stood above the shockwave, standing among the whirlpools as he gazed up with his fiery eyes.
Zhuo Zhibo tightened his grasp around his tiny blade. What terrifying power was that? That was not something a regular daemon possessed!
If Li Qingshan were no different from a regular daemon, what would be the point of practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength? With his recent cultivation, he was close to breaking through to the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He felt that his strength had grown significantly once again. Although it would become more difficult with progress, requiring even more resources than before, the power it would bring would be even greater as well.
Xiao An hid within the water as her lips curled into a smile. She was in no hurry to interfere, as she could feel that Li Qingshan was in high spirits. He wanted to vent.
Li Qingshan said with some pity, “This move seems rather difficult to use, so let’s try this instead!” He took in a deep breath and roared at the ceiling.
The Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar!
The sound wave shook the surroundings as the wind swept out like blades and swords. It was countless times more powerful than the wind blades from the Wind-entwining blade.
Zhuo Zhibo’s expression changed. “Oh no!”
The sound wave arrived before the gust of wind. The two Black Wolf guards who were struck first clutched their heads in pain as their true qi had basically been scattered away completely. Just when they were about to fall from the air, the following gust of wind reduced them to a bloody powder, blowing it everywhere.
The roar resounded through the cavern, echoing about for quite a while. The other Black Wolf guards barely managed to recover from the tremor of the sound wave. Their hearts completely sank with this sight.
The enemy before them could not be compared to anyone they had ever fought before. If just a single strike landed, even if it were a careless one, they would be crushed to pieces. They would be dead. Fleeing after they were injured was no longer possible.
Li Qingshan said, “That’s not a bad move!” He should have said that it was not a bad following move. Having been forced into the air by the Ox Demon Tramples, even Qi Practitioners would struggle to maneuver themselves. They could not avoid the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar.
Li Qingshan basically massacred Zhuo Zhibo’s subordinates like he was experimenting with them right in front of the latter, which both startled and angered Zhuo Zhibo. He even developed a sliver of fear. He had never thought that the prey that would definitely fall to him this time would actually manage to reverse their identities, turning himself into the predator instead. It descended into a one-sided slaughter for Li Qingshan.
This kid is even more dangerous than the Zombie Daoist. If I don’t find a way to turn the situation around, even I will be in danger today.
Zhuo Zhibo chanted rapidly and parted his hands, producing a ball of fire. The fire surged into a scorching fire dragon, illuminating the entire cavern. It let out a great roar before charging towards Li Qingshan, swinging its claws and baring its fangs. He had channelled his full strength into this attack. It was no longer the same as the time at the Hawkwolf Guard. Even if he could not heavily injure Li Qingshan, he wanted to turn the situation around and gain the upper hand.
Li Qingshan completely ignored the incoming, scorching flames. He extended his sharp claws and grabbed the dragon by its neck.
The dragon’s roar halted!
However, Zhuo Zhibo was delighted. He practised the Bing Fire Method of Burning Qi out of the methods of the five elements. He could ignite his true qi, turning it into scorching flames and amplifying all techniques that involved fire. It was a form of true qi that was extremely suited for battle, only paling in comparison to the Geng Metal Method of Sharpening Qi in terms of killing power. It even surpassed it in terms of large scale destruction.
The heat from the flames were even enough to melt steel in a single instant. Since he was bold enough to use his bare hands against it, he better leave a hand behind then! However, his smile immediately stiffened.
Under Zhuo Zhibo’s control, the fire dragon struggled desperately in Li Qingshan’s hand. Its flames burned more and more violently, almost to a point where they were golden. However, it remained firmly trapped in Li Qingshan’s hand.
There was a flash of red light through Li Qingshan’s eyes. He crushed down with his great strength; the fire dragon shattered into countless sparks, drifting through the air. “The same move is useless against me.” There were not even signs of charring on his hand.
The five elements reinforced and neutralised one another. His daemon qi had always been of the water element, so it was perfect for neutralising fire. The daemon qi on daemons completely surpassed the true qi on humans of the same level, so extinguishing Zhuo Zhibo’s flames posed no difficulty at all.
The four remaining Black Wolf guards used this opportunity to launch their strongest attacks. They knew that this was a matter of life or death, so they used everything that they had. Low grade or even mid grade talismans turned into fire, wind blades, and lightning as they darted towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!” A faint, blue screen of light encapsulated him. Not a single attack could pass through the shield and reach him.
The Black Wolf guards all sank into despair. How were they supposed to defeat an opponent they could not even touch?
Zhuo Zhibo was filled with regret. It was not like the grievances between him and Li Qingshan had reached the point of no return. If he had known earlier, he would have never antagonised this fellow over the slightest prejudice.
Ge Jian called out, “Let’s retreat, commander!”
“This turtle shell is pretty good. I just wonder if it can block the attacks of mid grade spiritual artifacts,” Li Qingshan mumbled to himself. He raised his head and looked at Zhuo Zhibo, waiting for him to continue. However, Zhuo Zhibo gave a decisive order, “Retreat!”
As if they had been spared, the remaining Black Wolf guards used everything that they had, sticking several acceleration talismans on themselves and fleeing in all directions.
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Chapter 177 – Killing Zhuo Zhibo (Two)
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Chapter 177 – Killing Zhuo Zhibo (Two)
Zhuo Zhibo did not even try to use his flying blade. The range of his artifact was thirty steps. This was quite a distance to regular people, but with Li Qingshan’s terrifying physique, he only needed to take a step and extend his hand. With just that, he would be able to reach Zhuo Zhibo easily.
Zhuo Zhibo was not crazy enough to engage in close combat against such an opponent. He would probably die in Li Qingshan’s hands before his flying blade had even managed to pierce Li Qingshan’s barrier. He could not afford to die here. As long as he could return and expose Li Qingshan’s true form, powerful masters of the Hawkwolf Guard would come to deal with him themselves. How could the Hawkwolf Guard accept daemons into their ranks?!
Ge Jian looked back as he fled for his life. He discovered in fright that Li Qingshan had vanished from his previous location. His colossal body moved with unbelievable speed, appearing in front of him in a single moment. Before he could even react, all he felt was his body tighten and ache; then he lost all consciousness.
Li Qingshan grabbed Ge Jian and casually tossed him towards another Black Wolf guard.
The Black Wolf guard heard the whistling wind from the projectile. When he turned back to look, all he saw was Ge Jian bleeding from all of his orifices, only inches away.
With a bang, the two of them collided against a wall and were reduced to a pile of flesh of blood. They slid down from the wall slowly, stuck together forever.
Li Qingshan opened his mouth, and the spirit turtle’s daemon core shot out, piercing the other fourth layer Qi Practitioner and reducing him to a corpse.
In the blink of an eye, only Zhuo Zhibo and Xie Nande remained. The unstoppable group of Hawkwolf guards had basically been annihilated. All of this took quite some time to explain, but there actually was not the slightest pause as the massacre unfolded.
Zhuo Zhibo fled the fastest. He had already arrived at the cave above the waterfall. Xie Nande also strode over the water and reached halfway up the waterfall, but he suddenly saw the daemon core turn around in the air and fly towards him. He cried out, “Save me, commander!”
Zhuo Zhibo would have never stopped for him. Xie Nande let out a crazy howl and used everything that he had. The true qi he had cultivated over all these years surged out like the tide, swinging towards the incoming daemon core.
However, any form of resistance was pointless before absolute strength. The daemon core only paused slightly before suddenly speeding up and piercing Xie Nande’s head, leaving behind a tiny hole.
Whether they were at the fifth layer or the fourth layer, they seemed just as easy to kill as ordinary people to Li Qingshan now.
Zhuo Zhibo completely ignored what was going on behind him, rushing straight for the cave. The cave was quite spacious, but Li Qingshan was simply too large for it. As long as he could make it in there, he would be able to escape.
Suddenly, he felt great danger. He forcefully twisted his body in the air, and a white prayer bead emerged from the waterfall and brushed past him. It scraped his chest with lightning speed, taking away a chunk of him.
“It’s you!” Zhuo Zhibo saw the child who often followed Li Qingshan around blocking the entrance to the cave. She had no expression as she stood among the silent flames. Although she did not give off any aura, the sense of danger she emitted was no less than Li Qingshan’s.
And, she could control artifacts. This child was actually at the sixth layer or even higher than that, but how could she be so young? Zhuo Zhibo was unable to understand it.
Li Qingshan recalled his daemon core and saw how he was beginning to fall. With a thought, he used his daemon qi, and a pillar of water rose up from the centre of the lake, lifting him up towards Zhuo Zhibo.
There was a vicious beast in front and behind him, and they were each more terrifying than the next.
The suffocating killing intent basically made Zhuo Zhibo’s heart stop. At that moment, he was filled with regret. He never had any irreconocible disagreements with Li Qingshan. If he had just ignored Li Qingshan from the beginning, he would still be the authoritative Black Hawk commander of Jiaping city. He would have both women and power. He never would have been reduced to such a state.
However, it was already too late for regret. In the face of life-threatening danger, Zhuo Zhibo no longer cared. He launched his flying blade at Xiao An. If she moved out of the way to dodge, then all would be well. If she did not, then he would drag her down with him even if it would cost him his life.
As expected, Xiao An remained exactly where she was. She formed a seal with her hands, and the Skull Prayer Bead flew towards Zhuo Zhibo as well.
Li Qingshan called out, “Xiao An!” He was helpless as he watched the flying blade pierce Xiao An’s chest.
At the same time, the Skull Prayer Bead landed on Zhuo Zhibo, but it was blocked by his protective true qi, so it failed to penetrate him. However, it managed to send him flying, falling down from the waterfall.
Li Qingshan extended his huge tiger claws towards Zhuo Zhibo with a gust of wind. Zhuo Zhibo had lost his balance, and his true qi was shaken up, so it was impossible for him to dodge. Li Qingshan immediately used his full power, his unstoppable physical strength and his tremendous daemon qi, to shatter the true qi around Zhuo Zhibo, before crushing down. There was the cracking of shattered bones and blood sprayed from Zhuo Zhibo’s mouth violently. Most of his body had been squashed. He could no longer employ any more tricks.
Li Qingshan rushed over to Xiao An’s side. “Are you alright?”
Zhuo Zhibo knew that the only thing awaiting him was death now that he had fallen into Li Qingshan’s hands. He laughed crazily as he spurted with blood. “She has been struck by my Spiritual Flame blade. She’s dead.”
Xiao An shook her head to express that she was fine.
Li Qingshan was still worried about her, so he picked her up like a doll, cradling her in his hand. He saw that her beautiful skin was completely fine. There was just a small hole in her clothes.
“H- how’s that possible!?” Zhuo Zhibo widened his eyes, refusing to accept this. Even Qi Practitioners would be dead for sure if vital points like their heads or hearts were pierced.
Xiao An’s flesh and blood, including her vital points and her heart, had all been refined by herself. It was only a representation of a body. Her true form was just a skeleton. Even if her body, her flesh, was destroyed, she would still be alive and kicking.
Something like a heart could be repaired if it were pierced. It would not take her much effort at all. That was why Xiao An had not dodged, ‘throwing her life away’ in the clash against Zhuo Zhibo.
Zhuo Zhibo suffered from his lack of information. If he had not been so determined, he might have been able to maneuver himself between Li Qingshan’s fingers for a while.
Li Qingshan lifted Zhuo Zhibo before him. “You’re much weaker than I imagined you’d be.”
Zhuo Zhibo said, “Don’t kill me, I can give you a lot of benefits…” At the same time, he concentrated on the Spiritual Flame blade. He wanted to find an opportunity to deal a fatal strike against Li Qingshan.
“You’d better keep all of that to yourself!” Li Qingshan completely ignored Zhuo Zhibo’s nonsense, directly crushing him to death. The best way to resist being tempted by the enemy was obviously to shut them up for good.
The Spiritual Flame blade fell into the water quietly.
Zhuo Zhibo had seen Li Qingshan’s true form. Li Qingshan would never allow him to exist for any longer in this world. And, the only benefits he needed right now were pills, large quantities of pills. As long as his cultivation strengthened, there would be plenty of benefits. The Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring was still on his finger. Even all of Zhuo Zhibo’s wealth probably would not be worth as much as a single item in there.
Li Qingshan found a hundred treasures pouch within the bloody mess. He signalled. “Xiao An, time to clean up!”
Flames immediately surged over, taking away Zhuo Zhibo’s corpse without even leaving behind a single droplet of blood. Afterwards, it scattered and swallowed the corpses of the other Black Wolf guards, turning them all into the purest form of energy.
Whether it be the bones or the flesh and blood of Qi Practitioners, they completely surpassed what ordinary people could provide in terms of quality. It was equivalent to a rare delicacy. The colour of the Skull Prayer Bead became purer once more.
Afterwards, the flames returned with seven hundred treasures pouches and seven low grade spiritual artifacts. Li Qingshan picked up the Spiritual Flame blade that had fallen into the water. This was a true mid grade spiritual artifact. It would definitely be priceless, but before he could even inspect it properly, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. “Someone is coming!”
Xiao An nodded, expressing that she had sensed it too. This person had concealed his aura as much as possible, but slivers of it had still leaked out, unable to fool their senses. The person was actually a sixth layer Qi Practitioner as well.
Li Qingshan said to Xiao An. “Let’s hide and see who it is.” He began to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. The daemon core returned to his dantian, and he returned to human form, hiding all of his aura. He sank into the depths of the murky lake water with Xiao An.
Before long, a figure arrived at the cave opening, scanning through the cavern silently and secretively. The darkness underground drastically affected his vision, preventing him from seeing what was in the water.
However, Li Qingshan managed to see him clearly. He also wore a black uniform from the Hawkwolf Guard, but his embroidery differed from regular Hawkwolf guards. Li Qingshan immediately understood that he was the Black Wolf commander who had never shown himself before. He wondered why he had come as well.
This person was Lao Xishan. He had come here in pursuit of Zhuo Zhibo, wanting to seek an opportunity to avenge himself. However, as soon as he encountered the first fork, he had almost lost track of Zhuo Zhibo. He had only chosen one of the paths because of the number of people he could sense. He had only just broken through to the sixth layer, so he struggled to control his true qi a little, which was also why Li Qingshan had managed to discover him so easily.
Lao Xishan widened his eyes and inspected the cavern with great caution. The daemon qi he had sensed earlier was no joke. If he really did run into a powerful daemon, it would be extremely dangerous. The auras of the Qi Practitioners had vanished one by one earlier, so they must have been doomed. He was reluctant to follow in their steps.
However, after sensing for quite some time, he failed to discover anything in the end. The daemon qi seemed to have vanished into thin air. The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression was so effective at hiding auras that even a ninth layer Qi Practitioner like the West Gate Granny failed to discover Li Qingshan, let alone a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had only broken through recently like him.
Don’t tell me that Zhuo Zhibo is dead? That was what Lao Xishan thought. His emotions were very mixed. He felt both joy and pity. He had bided his time and steeled his resolve to become stronger. After all these years, he was about to settle his grievances with his old enemy, but his enemy had died in the hands of some daemon. However, at the end of the day, his feelings were still more on the positive side. He made up his mind to take no risks and returned quietly along his original path.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An emerged from the water and sat down by the water to rest. They wanted to see what they had obtained!
But suddenly, Li Qingshan wondered about how Hao Pingyang and the others were doing. Had they found the dwelling of the Zombie Daoist yet? Hopefully they were fine!
Blood flowed unceasingly from Jin Bao’s body. His eyes were wide open with regret while his face was frozen with the fear of death. However, it was unable to stop the arrival of death. Someone had ripped him open viciously from his chest to his abdomen, disemboweling him. It was a horrific death.
This time, Li Qingshan was unable to save him.
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Chapter 178 – Iron Plate Corpse
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Chapter 178 – Iron Plate Corpse
The boat travelled with the flow. For a moment, the boat was quiet. The atmosphere was rather cold.
Hao Pingyang’s face was completely sunken as he sat at the very front, gazing at the depths of the cave as splashes of water landed on him. Zhang Lanqing frowned, focusing on steering the boat with his head lowered.
Jin Yuan and Jin Bao both felt rather awkward and ashamed. They said nothing either.
Suddenly, He Yishi said, “How many years have we known each other? We only met Li Qingshan less than a day ago. Are we supposed to drift apart as seniors and juniors over a single outsider now?”
They had all entered the Academy of the Hundred Thousands when they were young, and they had joined in the same year. Although a difference existed between their strengths due to their varying talents and level of work, it had never affected their relationship. Or in other words, Hao Pingyang did not look down on them due to being stronger. Instead, he took care of them.
Jin Yuan said, “Yishi is right. Senior brother Hao, please calm down. Qingshan will be fine. Our priority right now is to work together against the Zombie Daoist so that we can complete the mission our master gave us.”
After a moment of silence, Hao Pingyang sighed heavily and nodded slightly. He said, “Prepare yourselves. This time, that kid’s not here to take care of you anymore.”
Jin Bao said confidently, “Don’t worry. We’ll definitely do well this time!”
These scenes and images flashed through Jin Yuan’s head, but they had already lost their original colour. They were pale white. All that was left was Jin Bao’s dead expression.
His tears fell endlessly. He took one last glance at his younger brother. He was afraid to stop, so he continued to run around mindlessly in the pitch-black caves like a headless fly. The heavy, beastial breathing from behind drew closer and closer.
A boulder suddenly appeared before him. The path ahead had ended. Unknowingly, he had actually reached a dead end!
Why would this happen? If he had stayed behind and received the enemies with Li Qingshan, would he have suffered the same fate? Yeah, it must have been different. Even a Black Hawk commander could not be more terrifying than this monster.
Bang!
Jin Yuan abruptly turned around, and he saw a head fly over in the darkness, bouncing a few times on the ground before rolling over to his feet. It was the head of a puppet. He had released it to block the monster, but it had been completely destroyed in a single stroke.
A tall, wide figure walked over from the darkness in front of him. Its shoes seemed to be made out of metal as they scraped against the ground. Its eyes revealed a bloodthirsty light as four, long canines protruded from its lips. It heaved constantly like a starving beast.
“Aaaargh!” Jin Yuan howled as he launched a barrage of Fire Crow arrows with the Thousand Mechanism crossbow in his hands.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
They only produced sparks when they landed on the black figure. The sharp bolts failed to pierce the monster’s hide, and the string of explosions failed to harm it at all. Instead, that infuriated it, making it let out a roar.
It was possible to see through the firelight that the monster was adorned in a set of iron plates. It did not wear it like armour. Instead, it was embedded in its body, covering its every inch and muscles. Even half of its face was metal, which made it seem particularly cruel and vicious.
“D- don’t come over! Senior brother, save me!”
The monster lunged at Jin Yuan with lightning speed. A sharp claw stabbed viciously into Jin Yuan’s chest, lifting him up into the air. It bit down on his neck and gulped down the fresh blood.
Jin Yuan struggled for his life, constantly beating the monster’s body, but it was useless. His body gradually weakened, drooping down after twitching a few times. His last thought flashed through his head.
If I didn’t flee, I could have died with senior brother and everyone else at the very least. Senior brothers, I’m sorry!
The frantic sound of a bell suddenly rang out in the depths of the cave. The monster raised its head and let out a furious, reluctant roar while holding Jin Yuan’s corpse. The monster rushed off in the direction of the bell.
The monster arrived in a spacious cavern with the two corpses before leaning on Jin Yuan’s corpse again, sucking blood from his neck.
The stone coffin was now gone from the altar in the cavern, while the thick chains around the coffin now wrapped around Hao Pingyang firmly. Surprisingly, He Yishi and Zhang Lanqing were right beside him. They were tied up as well. They seemed haggard, barely breathing.
The horrific deaths of the siblings left Hao Pingyang utterly devastated. He roared out, “Jin Yuan! Jin Bao!” The chains rattled from his movement; the sight saddened Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi as well.
“Jejejeje!” The Zombie Daoist let out a crazy laugh. “Did you really think that a bunch of trash like you could deal with this daoist? Have you finally witnessed how powerful the Iron Plate corpse is?”
He spent all these years hidden underground, studying the art of refining corpses. Useless rotting corpses and zombies were not the only things he refined. Things like that could only be considered as the very basics in the path of refining corpses. They could be used for dealing with the weak, but against stronger Qi Practitioners who were skilled in battle, they were basically useless. Only when he had refined an Iron Plate corpse could he be considered someone who knew how to refine corpses.
The Zombie Daoist said, “Do you know just how much effort I spent refining this Iron Plate corpse?”
Hao Pingyang and the other two cursed aloud.
The Zombie Daoist paid no heed to them and continued, “It took me several years of work. I dug up graves everywhere, and who knows how many people I had killed. I had only managed to find twelve suitable corpses from over a thousand. Afterwards, I forged steel until it was molten and poured it onto these corpses, layer by layer, replacing their flesh and blood. Just this process took me three years and destroyed half of the corpses that I had.”
“Afterwards, I constantly watered them with blood, constantly refining them with my techniques. Only then did the corpses gain some consciousness, turning alive once again. This took another three years. In the end, only a single one succeeded.”
“The owner of this corpse was originally a first-rate master who practised external martial arts. I doused him in molten iron when he was still alive, even using true qi and pills to sustain his life, preventing him from dying so that he could accumulate enough resentment and grievance. Only then did I start refining him, and as expected, only he succeeded. You really can’t afford to show benevolence as a person!”
He Yishi shivered all over. Just how terrifiying of a torture was that, being doused by molten iron? What the Zombie Daoist was implying made his heart grow even colder.
The Zombie Daoist laughed crazily, “Although it took a decade of hard work, it was worth it! It was worth it!” The Iron Plate Corpse was invulnerable, and it could move as swiftly as the wind. Its body was as tough as a spiritual artifact. Even sixth layer Qi Practitioners would be forced to avoid it if they encountered one.
When Hao Pingyang and his junior brothers barged into the dwelling, the Zombie Daoist, who had been prepared the entire time, released the Iron Plate Corpse. There was only a single possible outcome after that.
That was equivalent to being encircled by two sixth layer Qi Practitioners, who were further supported by a group of zombies. They became heavily injured very soon. Jin Bao used the opportunity that arose when Hao Pingyang struggled against the Zombie Daoist and when the Iron Plate corpse attacked the others to flee. Jin Yuan immediately followed him, but in the end, they were both caught by the Iron Plate corpse and killed.
The Zombie Daoist had vented all of his repressed feelings from across the years. He calmed down and said sinisterly, “Do you know why I’m telling you all this? That’s because I’ll turn you all into Iron Plate corpses as well! With the experience from last time, it’ll definitely be very easy this time round.” This was the terrifying aspect of refining corpses. If he had enough time, he could create an army alone.
Hao Pingyang continued to curse vigorously, while blood drained from Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi’s faces. If they were going to be refined into Iron Plate corpses, just the process alone would be enough for them to wish that they were dead.
He Yishi’s mind gave way. He sobbed and begged, “Please, don’t kill me! I’ll give you whatever you want! Once I formally become an engineer, I’ll be able to make a lot of spiritual stones! I can’t die here!”
Hao Pingyang said, “Don’t beg him! He won’t spare you. As disciples of mohism, even if we have to die, we should die like men. Master will avenge us.”
He Yishi said in resentment, “It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t brought us along, none of this would have ever happened! It’s all your fault!”
Hao Pingyang was stunned. He was speechless.
Zhang Lanqing said, “He Yishi, have you lost your mind?”
He Yishi said, “I haven’t lost my mind at all. You’re the same as him. Just because you’re at the fifth and sixth layers, you scold and beat us however you want. All you have is better talent and a higher cultivation, so what’s so impressive about that?”
Hao Pingyang’s heart turned cold. Despite his higher cultivation, he only took a thirty percent share. If he wanted to, he could have embarked on this mission with much better companions. All he wanted to do was to take care of the juniors he was close with, but he never thought it would all end up like this.
The Zombie Daoist chucked like he was watching a show.
He Yishi tried to suck up to the Zombie Daoist. “Sir daoist, enlightened master, this one is willing to slave away for you. I’ll do anything you want, as long as you spare me.”
The Zombie Daoist said, “Alright. If you want to slave away for me, there’ll be plenty of opportunities.”
After pausing slightly, he said, “That is, once you become a zombie. Compared to living people, zombies are much more reliable. Tsktsk, you probably won’t be able to become an Iron Plate corpse with your talent.” Then he turned to Hao Pingyang. “You, on the other hand, are pretty good. It’s just a pity that the kid called Li Qingshan didn’t come with you. Otherwise, I’ll have three Iron Plate corpses. No one will be able to oppose me in Jiaping city anymore!”
As soon as He Yishi showed delight, he plunged into despair once again. He was ashen.
Even as a zombie, he was not as great as Hao Pingyang. That only added insult to injury.
There was a gentle sound, and a tiny figure quickly flew over.
“Who’s there?” The Zombie Daoist suddenly turned around and gazed into the pitch-black cave. He forced the restless Iron Plate corpse back under control before waving his right hand as he commanded four zombies to leap forth.
He had specially refined these four zombies. They were much more powerful than the zombies in the morgue. Although they were not as powerful as the Iron Plate zombie, they were equivalent to Qi Practitioners of the third or fourth layer. However, after they leapt over, he did not hear anything from them again.
The Zombie Daoist’s expression changed. His connection with the zombies was severed at the same time. “Who is it? Get out here!”
“Brother Hao, you really are bad at making friends!” Li Qingshan walked over from the entrance.
Zhang Lanqing said, “Qingshan!”
The Zombie Daoist became overjoyed instead of angry. “It’s you!” He studied Li Qingshan. “You really are a piece of great material. If you’re refined into an Iron Plate corpse, you might even be more powerful than him.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Be careful, that’s an Iron Plate corpse!”
“Too late!” Cold light flashed through the Zombie Daoist’s eyes. He rang the bronze bell in his hand, and the Iron Plate corpse lunged towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan retreated rapidly as he drew his Wind-entwining blade. He launched it as hard as he could, past the Zombie Daoist and directly towards the chains around Hao Pingyang’s limbs.
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Chapter 179 – Zombies Know Martial Arts
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Chapter 179 – Zombies Know Martial Arts
“Don’t even think about it!” The Zombie Daoist extended his hand and easily grabbed the Wind-entwining blade that had flown past him. He swung it heavily against the stone altar, and the ruined blade immediately shattered.
With a swish, the Iron Plate corpse swiped at him with its claws and left behind three gashes on the Black Wolf uniform that could even block crossbow bolts.
Li Qingshan was forced out of the dwelling in horrible shape. He called out, “Xiao An!”
Twang! A crossbow bolt pierced through the air with a shrill whistle.
The Zombie Daoist suddenly looked around. All he found was the same child who sat on the roof of the morgue under the moonlight standing there silently, holding a Thousand Mechanism crossbow in each hand.
She launched sixty Fire Crow bolts, which turned into sixty specks of light. From above, below, left, and right, they sealed off all the places where the Zombie Daoist could dodge.
“Trying to lure the Iron Plate corpse away?” The Zombie Daoist sneered. Since he could not dodge, he would not dodge. He was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner after all. Aside from being able to refine corpses, he possessed powerful true qi as well, so how could he be killed so easily?
True qi surged out from his sea of qi in his dantian, coating his body. The low grade spiritual artifact robes swept before him, and with the input of true qi, they turned into a steel screen.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The Fire Crow bolts landed on the robes and were immediately set off, exploding loudly.
Although the robes had been reduced to dust, the Zombie Daoist was completely unscathed. He pulled out the same Thousand Mechanism crossbow. “Let me try now!” He had just taken this from Zhang Lanqing. He planned on returning the favour.
Zhang Lanqing had never thought that a weapon he had created would instead become a tool for the enemy.
Xiao An did not try to take it on forcefully. She retreated behind a stone pillar. There were a few clinks, and a few Fire Crow arrows landed on the rock before exploding loudly. They blew apart the stone pillar, but Xiao An had vanished behind it.
The Zombie Daoist frowned. Suddenly, he turned the Thousand Mechanism crossbow towards Hao Pingyang. “What are you trying to do?” The Zombie Daoist fired away.
Hao Pingyang just happened to be lunging over with his broken chains in an attempt to launch a sneak attack.
Xiao An had not been trying to defeat the Zombie Daoist using the crossbows. Instead, she had saved Hao Pingyang, aiming a few Fire Crow bolts accurately at the chains. The Zombie Daoist was extremely alert, so he obviously noticed it.
Hao Pingyang did not try to dodge at all. He swung the chains heavily and blew up the crossbow bolts in the air. He roared out as he charged at the Zombie Daoist like he wanted to take him down with him. He wanted to unleash all the rage within his heart.
The Zombie Daoist stood exactly where he was as he faced the enraged Hao Pingyang. He constantly fired away with the Thousand Mechanism crossbow in an extremely controlled manner, pausing slightly after two or three bolts each time. He was not like Jin Bao and Jin Yuan, who fired all the bolts mindlessly.
The light from the explosions constantly illuminated his face, lighting up his sneer. How was it possible for him to be defeated by an enemy he had just caught?
Just when Hao Pingyang reached five steps away from the Zombie Daoist, the exploding crossbow bolts blew away the metal chains, creating an opening. In the end, a single crossbow bolt managed to cross through this opening, landing directly on his chest.
Hao Pingyang used his true qi desperately to block it, but he was still blown away. He slammed against the stone wall several meters away heavily, making all of his efforts go to waste. A Qi Practitioner without spiritual artifacts was like a tiger that had lost its fangs and claws. Moreover, he was a frail tiger right now.
The Zombie Daoist placed down the Thousand Mechanism crossbow as he looked down on him. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he shielded his waist in a hurry, but it was already too late. A tiny figure rushed past him with unbelievable speed, stealing the bell from his waist.
The Zombie Daoist was startled, but he was not shaken up. He said coldly, “Do you really think you can control the Iron Plate corpse now that you have the bell?” The bell was only a tool for summoning and keeping the Iron Plate corpse under control. What actually controlled the corpse was his own will. Moreover, the bell was only useful if it were used by the master of the corpses.
Xiao An turned around and rushed out of the cave. All she saw was the Iron Plate corpse rushing about in pursuit of Li Qingshan. Although his speed had been amplified by the Swift Breeze talisman, his Black Wolf uniform was still in tatters. However, his wounds were not severe thanks to the Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
If it were not for the fact that there was no reasonable way to explain it, he would have transformed and killed the Iron Plate corpse a long time ago. The Iron Plate corpse was fast and strong, but it was dumb. It did not know any moves. It was not his opponent.
Xiao An jingled the bell, but the Iron Plate corpse continued to pursue Li Qingshan like it had not heard it at all. Just as the Zombie Daoist had said, the Iron Plate corpse could only be controlled by him.
Xiao An placed down the bell and raised her small hands.
Li Qingshan dodged a swipe from the Iron Plate corpse by a hair’s breadth. The Iron Plate corpse seemed to hear something, suddenly looking back. All it was saw pale, red flames filling the entire cavern, surging over.
Its heart that was filled with resentment and bloodthirstiness suddenly developed a familiar sensation of fear.
The Iron Plate corpse did not have true qi or daemon qi. It relied on its iron plates to block all attacks from techniques or spiritual artifacts. However, it struggled to stop the invasion of fire now. The pale, red flames swallowed the Iron Plate corpse and coiled around it like a snake. All of it surged into its mouth until not a single flicker was left.
The Iron Plate corpse’s movements suddenly halted. Pale, red flames seemed to appear in the depths of its eyes. The shriveled brain within its skull was burnt to a crisp, transformed into a furnace that began to control the Iron Plate corpse’s body.
Xiao An waved the bell, and the Iron Plate corpse immediately arrived before her. Of course, what controlled it was not the bell, but Xiao An’s fire. Her fire could control the dead upon embedding itself in their bones.
The bodies of ordinary people and even Qi Practitioners were not worth controlling, as their flesh and blood would naturally decay. Moreover, unrefined skeletons were limited in strength. It would not be worth her effort.
However, the Iron Plate corpse was different. After being refined, it would never decay, and its physical might was tremendous, basically seeming like the Iron Plate corpse was prepared for her. This was the absolute power that higher abilities had over lower techniques. Their cultivation was clearly similar, but it could not even threaten her.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Nicely done!” With that, he had gained a powerful lackey, drastically strengthening him. Moreover, everything would become more convenient, including killing the Zombie Daoist in a perfectly justifiable fashion.
Xiao An copied Li Qingshan and shrugged as she smiled slightly.
Back in the dwelling, Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi, who had just seen a glimmer of hope, plunged into despair once again. They believed that before long, the Iron Plate corpse would return with Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s dead bodies, just like what had happened to Jin Yuan and Jin Bao.
Hao Pingyang stood up with difficulty as he supported himself against the wall. He glared daggers at the Zombie Daoist, but he was riddled with injuries now. Moreover, most of his true qi had been consumed. He no longer had any spiritual stones to replenish it either, so he posed no threat to the Zombie Daoist at all.
The Zombie Daoist was teeming with confidence, but whenever he thought of Xiao An, he would always feel rather uneasy. Suddenly, his eyes widened. His connection with the Iron Plate corpse had actually been severed.
He immediately lost all his composure, rushing out of the cavern without caring at all. This was the fruits of several years of labour. He had placed so much effort into it, so he could not afford to lose it. He had to regain control over the Iron Plate corpse no matter what the price was.
Before he could even exit the cavern, a tall figure blocked the entrance. It was the Iron Plate corpse.
The Zombie Daoist used his chants and techniques in a hurry, but all of his commands were like stones cast into the sea. He did not receive any replies at all.
Xiao An waved the bell, and the Iron Plate corpse lifted its claw and reached towards the Zombie Daoist.
The Zombie Daoist was filled with disbelief. How was it possible for his control over the Iron Plate corpse he had spent so many years refining to be taken away so easily? If this really were possible, there was no point for any corpse refiners to exist at all.
However, the cruel reality was presented right before him, regardless of whether he believed it or not. Ten years of hard work had been taken away from him after just a while of satisfaction. This felt like raising a child after so much difficulty, only for them to call someone else father. It was enough for him to cough up blood.
“Nice!” Hao Pingyang called out. Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi were delighted as well. They did not know the art of refining corpses, so they had no idea how strange this all was. They only felt that Li Qingshan was extremely lucky, actually managing to turn the tables in such an unbelievable fashion.
With his mind perturbed, his actions descended into a mess as well. There was a bloody flash, and four vicious wounds appeared on the Zombie Daoist’s chest. The pain, however, jerked him back to reality. He turned around and fled. As long as he was still alive, all was still possible. He already possessed the experience of refining corpses, so there would always be an opportunity for him to make a return if he escaped.
The Iron Plate corpse blocked the Zombie Daoist’s path, raising a hand and launching a punch. It crushed the air, causing it to whistle.
The Zombie Daoist layered his true qi in front of him instinctively to block, but the Iron Plate corpse forcefully blew it apart with its terrifying strength, sending him flying.
The Zombie Daoist’s eyes widened as he looked at the Iron Plate corpse. It’s impossible for my Iron Plate corpse to be so powerful!
He understood the strength of what he refined the best. The current Iron Plate corpse was far more powerful than when he controlled it.
This was obviously due to Xiao An’s pale, red flames. Her flames could turn ordinary skeletons into powerful warriors, so it obviously offered quite a boost to the Iron Plate corpse as well.
And, when the Zombie Daoist controlled the Iron Plate corpse, he could only give it orders, which the Iron Plate corpse would then complete out of its desire for blood. It would only attack instinctively, paying no attention to its moves or how it used its strength.
However, under the control of Xiao An’s flames, the Iron Plate corpse was basically like her clone. She could control its movements down to the finest detail.
This was like an ordinary person who had suddenly developed internal martial arts and learned the moves. They would obviously become much stronger.
Before the Zombie Daoist could even return to his senses, the Iron Plate corpse had strode over in pursuit. Its steps seemed to follow some kind of pace, making it impossible to read the direction of its attacks. It differed drastically from its straightforward method of attack from before.
The Zombie Daoist took a great step backwards and avoided the range of the Zombie Daoist’s claws. Afterwards, he watched on in disbelief as the Iron Plate corpse jumped up and launched a roundhouse kick across his face viciously.
The tremor from the attack made the Zombie Daoist’s face ripple and twist. He spat out a few teeth. Why did the Iron Plate corpse know roundhouse kicks!? He had never heard of any Iron Plate corpses using roundhouse kicks against its opponents. They all used their claws and teeth.
Before the Zombie Daoist had been dropped to the ground, the Iron Plate corpse rushed up and grabbed him by his calf. With a shoulder slam, it knocked him into the ground before picking him up and throwing him against a stone pillar to the side.
The Iron Plate corpse’s movements made it seem like a master of martial arts. It demonstrated true skill, conquering power with technique and focusing all on speed.
Li Qingshan even saw many moves that copied his Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Who knows how many times Xiao An had seen Li Qingshan practise these two fist styles. She unleashed all of it through the Iron Plate corpse now. As a result, the Zombie Daoist could not even put up any resistance.
Li Qingshan sighed. It was true. If zombies knew martial arts, they were unstoppable.1
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1. I believe this is referring to this video. https://k.sina.cn/article_6444230627_m1801b27e300100hmgk.html
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Chapter 180 – The Zombie Daoist’s Death
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Chapter 180 – The Zombie Daoist’s Death
Bang! Thump! Bang! Bang!
The mighty sixth layer Qi Practitioner, the Zombie Daoist, seemed like a sandbag. He was thrown around by the Iron Plate corpse as the world spun around him. The only reason why he did not perish immediately was because of his protective true qi. However, he was unable to break free from the Iron Plate corpse’s grasp. Even if he remained alive, he would just serve as a toy to Xiao An for a little longer.
At the beginning, Hao Pingyang and the other two still cheered them on, but now, they were completely stunned. A layer of cold sweat covered their backs. As it turned out, the Zombie Daoist had not been using the full power of the Iron Plate corpse. If the Iron Plate corpse had been so vicious right from the beginning, the five of them would not have been its opponent even if they worked together.
Li Qingshan went up to help up Hao Pingyang. He took out a recovery pill and Qi Gathering pill, feeding it to him. “Are you fine, brother Hao?” Then he glanced at Jin Yuan and Jin Bao’s corpses. “I’ve come too late!”
Hao Pingyang thanked him with difficulty. Afterwards, his lips seemed to be glued together. He was unable to say anything more. The threat of death had receded, so pain and exhaustion immediately overwhelmed him. He did not go without fear either.
“Just rest!” Li Qingshan patted his shoulder. He settled down and leaned against the wall, meditating.
Then, Li Qingshan went to free He Yishi and Zhang Lanqing from the rope. Their situation was basically the same as Hao Pingyang. Zhang Lanqing still managed to force out some words of gratitude, while He Yishi was completely stunned. His eyes were wide open as his mouth hung slightly agape. This was something that was originally worth celebrating over, but he was unable to cheer up at all. He just wanted to burrow into a crack in the wall and hide forever.
Li Qingshan said to Xiao An, “Just enough will do!”
The Iron Plate corpse grabbed the Zombie Daoist by the head and smashed him into the ground.
In the beginning, the Zombie Daoist still tried to put up a desperate struggle, letting out some howls and roars, but he did not even have the strength to resist now. Blood oozed from his head. The situation was no longer a battle, but a child’s mean game.
Xiao An lacked Li Qingshan’s abhorrence towards evil. To her, the Zombie Daoist’s life was no different from the life of those red and black ants. Of course, the Zombie Daoist was a little better. He was both fun and tasty.
With a jingle, the Iron Plate corpse stopped. Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan, asking him whether he had anything he wanted to ask.
Li Qingshan drew his finger across his neck. The Zombie Daoist was actually still conscious. He raised his bloody head and looked at Xiao An. “It’s you, it’s you…” Perhaps it was a moment of inspiration right before death, but he was now extremely certain that she was the one who had taken away all the corpses in the pit. She was not an ordinary child, but a monster even more terrifying than the Iron Plate corpse.
His voice came to a halt. The long, metal claw on the Iron Plate corpse’s right index finger swept past the Zombie Daoist’s neck and blood sprayed out. However, the Zombie Daoist was still alive. He stared straight at Xiao An. All these years of practising qi had granted him tremendous vitality.
The Iron Plate corpse bit down on his neck and sucked to its heart’s content, draining his blood dry. The Zombie Daoist’s blood flowed through its body, transforming into new strength, while the Zombie Daoist withered like an empty juice carton.
Hao Pingyang’s eyes widened. He basically struggled to believe that the crafty, powerful Zombie Daoist who had almost taken their lives here would actually meet his end like this. Although they were enemies, he still believed it would be a little more difficult to kill the Zombie Daoist, that he would not just die in such a hilarious fashion.
But in reality, the weak were so worthless in the eyes of the powerful that they were like toys. Before an absolute difference in strength, there might not even be time for blood to warm up. There would only be endless despair, such that even death would come in an almost hilariously easy fashion.
Li Qingshan had experienced this sensation once before, and he had sworn to never experience it a second time. This willpower constantly pushed him forward to becoming stronger.
As Hao Pingyang and the other two meditated and rested, Li Qingshan looked through the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling. The dwelling had been roughly chiseled out from the natural cave system, forming several rooms.
The room for the stone coffin was only one of them. There was a bedroom as well, which possessed all the furniture and decoration of a home, not just a stone seat and a stone table. There was even a kitchen that possessed a stove and all the kitchenware as well. As it seemed, even the Zombie Daoist liked to eat cooked food. He sure knew how to live in the gloomy depths of the earth.
The remaining rooms were all for refining corpses. They were filled with corpses that were either waiting to be refined or had been refined to a certain degree. The several hundred corpses were all left to Xiao An, who reduced them to flames. The Pale Flames of Bone Smelting turned the bones into fluid, which returned to her hand and merged with the other bone fluid before being smelted further by the pale flames.
Li Qingshan knew that she was forging a second Skull Prayer Bead. She had benefited quite a lot from this mission as well. Just the number of zombies she had devoured reached into the hundreds, while Zhuo Zhibo and the Black Wolf guards were equivalent to several hundred ordinary people as well. She had refined them all, which benefited her cultivation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty tremendously.
With her experience from before and her greater strength, she refined it extremely swiftly this time. In just a single moment, the bone fluid condensed together, forming a round prayer bead. It danced and revolved in the centre of her hand with the other Skull Prayer Bead. She had gained another artifact that she could control and wield.
The agility and might of the Skull Prayer Beads exceeded regular mid grade spiritual artifacts. Regular Qi Practitioners only controlled a single flying sword or blade. If they had anymore than that, they would become distracted, and their power would decrease. As a result, they just focused on a single one instead, unless the spiritual artifact came in a set. However, spiritual artifacts that did come in a set were extremely rare, and they would not necessarily be as agile when used.
Every prayer bead was linked to Xiao An’s mind. They were basically her clones, extremely nimble and clever. Only when she assembled the minimum number of prayer beads, fourteen, could she be considered to have forged the Skull Prayer Beads of the lowest tier. However, they would be powerful enough to destroy any and all Qi Practitioners.
With a higher ability from beyond the Nine Heavens like the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, Xiao An’s rate of growth in terms of strength would increase with her cultivation. She could easily crush cultivators of the same level now. Once she reached higher cultivation levels, she would even be able to suppress or kill opponents above her cultivation.
Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s hair. “I really can’t help but feel proud when I see you.”
The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, and the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression were all extremely powerful abilities. As Li Qingshan practised them simultaneously, his strength also grew rapidly, but he was still slightly worse compared to the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Xiao An pressed her cheek against the back of his hand to comfort him.
Li Qingshan pinched her smooth, young cheek and smiled. “I need to keep working hard as well. I can’t let you exceed me. Let’s go!”
With the bountiful spoils this time, his strength would definitely leap forward. He wanted to open the sumeru ring sooner, to see what the black ox had left for him, even though he already had some idea about what it was.
The two of them returned along the same path. Hao Pingyang and the other two had already retrieved their hundred treasures pouch, having recovered using the spiritual stones and pills inside.
Hao Pingyang said, “It’s impossible to describe my gratitude with words. In the future, if you ever need me, just let me know, brother. No matter how dangerous or difficult it is, I won’t even question it.”
Li Qingshan said, “You’re too kind, brother Hao. We had all agreed on this in the first place. It’s just a pity that I couldn’t arrive sooner, or…”
Hao Pingyang became gloomy. He sighed heavily. As the leader of this mission, he felt very ashamed over Jin Yuan and Jin Bao’s death. However, if they had not deserted them, they would have lasted until Li Qingshan arrived even if the Zombie Daoist had caught them.
Li Qingshan said, “Please restrain your grief, brother Hao. After all, there’s no such thing as being absolutely safe when you come out for missions. You’ve already done everything that you could.”
Hao Pingyang handed a hundred treasures pouch towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “This is the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch!” Ever since he saw what was inside Zhuo Zhibo’s hundred treasures pouch, he became extremely eager towards the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch. He had also been a sixth layer Qi Practitioner for many years, so it must contain quite an impressive sum!
“Please split it, brother Hao!”
Hao Pingyang only took out a few books from the hundred treasures pouch before handing it back to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan was surprised. “Huh?” Surely the Zombie Daoist was not this poor!
Hao Pingyang explained, “Everything in the hundred treasures pouch should have gone to you, but our mission was to retrieve this method for refining and nurturing corpses so that our masters and senior brothers in the school can study it. That’s why I took the books. If you’d like them, I can make a copy for you once we get out. There’s still quite a lot of things in there. I haven’t looked through it properly.” As he said that, he handed the hundred treasures pouch to Li Qingshan again.
Li Qingshan declined and said, “I have no need for these techniques for refining corpses. As for everything else, I’ll just take thirty percent like what we agreed on.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Don’t say anything more. If you don’t take it, that means you’re looking down on me.” Li Qingshan was basically responsible for defeating the Zombie Daoist all by himself, such that he was fortunate to still have his life intact. He would never be able to bring himself to take a share from Li Qingshan.
Zhang Lanqing chimed in as well, “Qingshan, just accept it. You deserve it all.”
He Yishi wanted to say something, but he lowered his head instead. He did not dare to speak. After making such a great fool of himself, he felt utterly embarrassed. Now, Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing basically treated him like he was not there at all. They did not ask for his opinion. He felt both wronged and resentful inside.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright. If that’s the case, I’m not going to hold back.”
Hao Pingyang eased up slightly. “Let’s get out of here!” He stowed the corpses of the Jin brothers into his hundred treasures pouch so that he could take them back and have them buried.
Li Qingshan took the Zombie Daoist’s corpse. That was worth several thousand Qi Gathering pills. However, the Iron Plate corpse could not be stored in his hundred treasures pouch, and its appearance was far too horrifying as well. As a result, he found a bamboo hat and a straw cape to cover it up, making it follow behind him.
They boarded the boat, travelling along the same way as they had come here, this time against the flow.
Although it was not as tense and scary as when they first came here, the atmosphere was much heavier. The three of them were all troubled inside. They were in no mood to talk.
Only the flowing water splashed and gurgled constantly in the darkness.
Li Qingshan leaned against the side of the boat and admired the cave, but he struggled to settle down. His bosom warmed up as Xiao An leaned against him quietly.
Li Qingshan smiled towards her, gently caressing her soft, wavy hair and smelling the faint fragrance of sandalwood. His heart gradually calmed down.
At this moment, a ray of light suddenly appeared in the endless darkness.
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Chapter 181 – Two’s No Different from One
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Chapter 181 – Two’s No Different from One
Hao Pingyang said, “We’re at the entrance!” Everyone’s faces became much brighter after seeing the light.
The light drew closer and closer, becoming brighter and brighter. In the end, it swallowed the boat.
Their surroundings suddenly opened up into the endless wilderness. Red clouds filled the horizon. It had actually been less than half a day since they entered the cave, but it felt much longer than that.
The three of them were even more touched by this sight. They felt like an entire eon had passed.
Lao Xishan emerged from a corner and glanced past everyone before locking onto Li Qingshan in the end. “You’re Li Qingshan?” This was the first time he had met this infamous figure who had shaken up the entire Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping. Lao Xishan noticed that he was only a second layer Qi Practitioner, so he already began to look down on him. Since this fellow was bold enough to work against Zhuo Zhibo with this measly amount of strength, he sure was as reckless as they came. It was probably a fluke that he managed to kill Qian Yannian. Though, he sure was lucky to still be standing here alive.
Li Qingshan said politely, “I’m Li Qingshan. Greetings, commander. May I ask for your honourable name?”
“I’am Lao Xishan. You can just call me commander Lao.” Lao Xishan nodded in a rather dignified manner before furrowing his brows. “Have you seen Zhuo Zhi- commander Zhuo?”
Li Qingshan said, “I only met him once in the morgue outside the town, but I didn’t enter the cave with him. Instead, I entered with my friends from the school of Mohism, but I didn’t see him again after that.”
Lao Xishan sank into his thoughts. He knew that Zhuo Zhibo had come for Li Qingshan, but he did not suspect that Li Qingshan had killed Zhuo Zhibo. Even if there were a few disciples of mohism assisting him, it was impossible for them to be the opponents of Zhuo Zhibo and his group of elite Black Wolf guards. As someone who had endured Zhuo Zhibo for all these years, he understood Zhuo Zhibo’s power the best.
He could only place all the blame on the tremendous daemon qi. He had heard rumors that many powerful daemons hid underground. Zhuo Zhibo must have been extremely unlucky to run into one of them!
Li Qingshan said, “Commander, what brings you here?”
“I’ve obviously come for the Zombie Daoist. I’m preparing to enter the cave to search for him.” Lao Xishan had to distance himself from Zhuo Zhibo’s death to avoid raising any suspicion as well.
Li Qingshan said, “Then there’s no need for you to go in, commander. We’ve already killed the Zombie Daoist. His corpse is in the hundred treasures pouch. I’m about to report back on the success of the mission.”
Lao Xishan was extremely doubtful. “What? You lot actually managed to kill the Zombie Daoist just by yourselves?”
Hao Pingyang was in a bad mood, and Lao Xishan’s words only made it worse. He clasped his hands at Li Qingshan. “Qingshan, we’re in a hurry to report back, so we’ll bid farewell to you here!”
Li Qingshan ignored Lao Xishan and clasped his hands back at him. “Alright then. Brother Hao, I hope that you have a safe trip back. I’ll see you in the future then. When that happens, I have to share a satisfying drink with you.”
Hao Pingyang smiled as well. “Alright, then that’s that. When that happens, I’ll invite you to the wonderful liquor our school of Mohism has to offer.”
Zhang Lanqing said, “Count me in too. We’ll definitely meet in the future. The Academy of the Hundred Schools will be recruiting new students during the third month next year. You can’t miss it, Qingshan.”
Hao Pingyang said, “If Qi Practitioners in the world join neither clans or the hundred schools, they’ll have to depend on their own comprehension for cultivation, which makes it almost impossible for them to achieve anything. You’re young, and your talent is fantastic, so it’s a perfect time for you to join the academy. Perhaps we might even become juniors and seniors.” He glanced at Lao Xishan. “If you find it unsatisfying, you can just resign from the Hawkwolf Guard and come to Clear River sooner so that you can prepare for the entry exam.”
Li Qingshan was quite touched by his sincerity. “If I can brother Hao senior, it would be my honour. I’ll definitely be there next year.”
Lao Xishan saw how none of them, including Li Qingshan, took him, a mighty sixth layer Qi Practitioner and a Black Wolf commander, seriously, so his face turned cold. “The Hawkwolf Guard is not a market. It’s not a place where you can come and go as you please. Even if you join the Academy of the Hundred Schools, you’ll be a disciple of the school of Legalism. You’ll have nothing to do with the school of Mohism.”
Li Qingshan and Hao Pingyang glanced at Lao Xishan. Both of them ignored him and told each other to take care.
Zhang Lanqing clasped his hands. “Qingshan, you have to come!” He Yishi, on the other hand, kept his head lowered the entire time, without uttering a single word.
It was getting late, and the birds in the trees were restless.
After the three of them departed, Lao Xishan basically commanded Li Qingshan. “Li Qingshan, tell me exactly what had happened. Did you really kill the Zombie Daoist, and you weren’t fooled by a substitute? Where’s the corpse? Let me check it!”
If this were all true, perhaps he would be able to get a share of the merit. The contribution for killing the Zombie Daoist amounted to twelve thousand points. It would be for the best if Li Qingshan offered all of it to him, and he would accept him as a trusted subordinate. Both of them would be satisfied.
Li Qingshan vaguely sensed what he was trying to get at. He said indifferently, “You’ll see it once we get back to Jiaping city, commander.”
“That’s rude of you. How dare you disobey my orders. You have no sense of respect at all,” Lao Xishan said furiously. He was as complacent as he could get right now. Not only had he split open a sea of qi and reached the sixth layer, Zhuo Zhibo was likely dead as well.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would take over the position of Black Hawk commander and claim the leader’s seat within the Hawkwolf Guard. With how much authority and status that came with the position, he could never allow such an arrogant subordinate to exist below him.
“That’s how commander Zhuo described me as well. Let me just give a word of advice to commander Lao. Don’t become arrogant from your successes, or it might very well lead you to misery.” Li Qingshan frowned. This bastard had basically become blinded by status, losing all of his humanity, just being some shitty commander.
“How dare you try to teach me a lesson!” Lao Xishan was infuriated, and his murderous intent was stirred. However, before he could even draw his blade, his surroundings suddenly darkened. A tall, wide figure in a cape suddenly appeared before him. Within the shade of its bamboo hat was a vicious face half covered in metal plating. Lao Xishan cried out, “Zombie!”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s the Iron Plate corpse I managed to steal from the Zombie Daoist. It’s extremely powerful. Would you like to try it, commander Lao?”
Lao Xishan had some understanding towards refining corpses. Iron Plate corpses seemed extremely powerful, making them difficult to deal with. His expression fluctuated with uncertainty as he lowered his hand resentfully. He decided to just fall out with Li Qingshan completely.
“Li Qingshan, it looks to me that you’re closely related to commander Zhuo and the other Black Wolf guards’ disappearance. If you have some wits about you, it’ll be our combined efforts that resulted in the Zombie Daoist’s death this time. Once we return to Jiaping city, you’ll be someone on my side as well, and I’ll watch out for you. Otherwise, your contribution will just be a pile of useless numbers. It won’t even be worth a single Qi Gathering pill.”
Li Qingshan said, “You want to claim half of it? What an appetite you have, commander Lao.”
Lao Xishan said, “Moreover, your Iron Plate corpse is an existence of heresy. It’s evil. The Hawkwolf Guard will be responsible for dealing with it. You’ll have to hand over the method of control as well.”
Li Qingshan asked, “No room for negotiation at all?”
Lao Xishan said, “No room for negotiation at all. Since you’re my subordinate, you’ll have to follow my orders, or I’ll unleash hell on you. Don’t even think about running to the Academy of the Hundred Schools either. I have plenty of friends cultivating in the school of Legalism.”
Li Qingshan fell quiet as if he was thinking. Afterwards, he raised his head. “Then you can go die!”
“What did you say?!” Lao Xishan raised his guard, but Li Qingshan did not move at all. He did not even give off the slightest hint of killing intent. All he did was look at Lao Xishan like the fellow was a dead man.
However, a white bead flew out from the hand of the pretty child who gave off no aura at all beside Li Qingshan, whistling through the air.
The child was actually a sixth layer Qi Practitioner!
Only now did Lao Xishan understand that not only did Li Qingshan want to kill him, but he even had the power to kill him.
“Li Qingshan, you’re attacking a superior officer! Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the laws of Great Xia?” A flying blade, exactly the same as Zhuo Zhibo’s, flew out. It seemed like it was also a standard issue weapon of the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan said, “Fuck you and your laws. I killed Zhuo Zhibo after all that difficulty, yet you’re even finding dissatisfaction in the things that literally fell into your lap. You’re even trying to blackmail me. Do you really think I’m really that easy to just walk over? Fuck your shitty position as a commander? Two’s no different from one anyway, so you can go die!
Clang!
The flying blade collided with the prayer bead in the air. The prayer bead knocked away the blade and only paused slightly. Xiao An’s current strength was far more than just the sixth layer. With Lao Xishan’s abilities of having just broken through to the sixth layer, he could not even control an artifact dexterously, so how was he supposed to stand a chance?
“You killed Zhuo Zhibo!?” Lao Xishan’s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard that. Moreover, Li Qingshan was clearly prepared to kill him now, which was why he was bold enough to tell him that.
Li Qingshan said, “Why is it that whenever I try to spare someone, they become so irritating in the end?”
Lao Xishan formed a seal with his hand. The flying blade spun around in the air and stabilised itself, clashing against the prayer bead with a series of clings and clangs. However, he suddenly saw another prayer bead shoot towards him. The kid could actually control two spiritual artifacts!
Lao Xishan was surprised, but he was unfazed. He knew that he could not defeat her, so he began to consider retreating. As long as he could return to Jiaping city and report this to the Hawkwolf Guard, Li Qingshan would be hunted down.
Hmph, don’t even think about killing me if two spiritual artifacts is all that you have! He extended his hand and fished out the talisman he had already prepared, activating it with true qi, but there was no response at all. He had lost all sensation in his hand as well.
He turned his head. His hand that held the talisman had vanished!
Only half of his forearm remained. It was bare, revealing a complete section of blood, flesh, and bone.
Xiao An stood nearby as she held her hidden blade in one hand and Lao Xishan’s hand in the other. It was currently burning away, turning into flames!
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised as well, as he had basically missed Xiao An’s movements. Apart from being even faster than her prayer beads, she gave off nothing at all, no aura, no killing intent.
It had been quite some time since he last saw Xiao An engage someone in close combat. He had never thought that she would have already become so fast. He could no longer grasp her movements unless he daemonified!
With some closer thought, he remembered how Xiao An had already devoured the essence of flesh and blood from several thousand people since the time they had gone to the Qian family. She used the bones of several thousand people to smelt and forge her own skeleton. Unknowingly, her strength and speed had grown tremendously.
The two Skull Prayer Beads had both been forged with her personal strength serving as the basis.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty had a section for forging artifacts, which detailed various kinds, each more powerful than the next. However, the very foundation of the cultivation method was still built on a pursuit of personal strength, to forge her own set of bones into the most terrifying set of artifacts in the world.
This girl was quiet most of the time, but he had never thought she had already become so powerful, and she was steady, accurate, and vicious when she moved. She had truly inherited his legacy.
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Chapter 182 – Tremendous Wealth
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Chapter 182 – Tremendous Wealth
Lao Xishan clutched the stump of his arm and retreated in a hurry. He cried out, “What are you!” He stared straight at Xiao An. He wanted to lock onto Xiao An with his aura, but he found nothing at all.
Xiao An stood within the tall grass that had basically swallowed her and stowed her hidden blade away. She stared at him silently. The two Skull Prayer Beads did not pursue him either, both returning to her hands. They were just for drawing away Lao Xishan’s attention.
The true battle had already ended.
Not a single droplet of blood fell from the wound. Soon afterwards, he lost sensation in the entire arm. All he felt was a faint sting, followed by numbness. The numbness spread across his entire body.
A layer of pale, red flames stuck to the severed arm, directly spreading across Lao Xishan’s body.
Lao Xishan wanted to escape, but he fell to the ground. Deep fear filled his head. “What did you…”
Before he could finish, the firelight in the depths of his eyes became brighter and brighter. The flames spurted out from his eyes, nose, and mouth violently, setting him alight from the inside.
All of the flames flowed back into Xiao An’s palm before vanishing completely. Everything was obviously no different from stabbing the ants under the great aspen tree. Afterwards, she looked back at Li Qingshan eagerly, basically telling him to praise her.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. “Nicely done! You really are my Xiao An after all!”
Xiao An lowered her head bashfully as her face reddened and her lips curled slightly.
Li Qingshan placed his hand on his hips. “I really do need to work hard! If this continues, I’ll end up depending completely on you in order to get by, despite being a man!”
He waved his hand, and his true qi swept the hundred treasures pouch and flying blade into his hand. Originally, he wanted to return to Jiaping city with commander Lao. That way, he would have a witness to prove that he had nothing to do with Zhuo Zhibo’s disappearance.
However, since Lao Xishan wanted to abuse his power, he would have to change up the story. Commander Lao was worried about commander Zhuo, so he entered the Zombie cave searching for him. In the end, both of them became lost in the maze-like caves. I don’t care if you’re not convinced. All that matters is I’m convinced.
With that, he now possessed the hundred treasures pouches of three sixth layer Qi Practitioners, along with seven more from elite Qi Practitioners. That was a total of ten hundred treasures pouches, a tremendous piece of wealth.
He could not wait until he returned to Jiaping city. He just began looking through his spoils right there and then. The ten hundred treasures pouches were placed in a line before him as he could not help but become rather excited.
He opened the hundred treasures pouches that belonged to Ge Jian and the six other Black Wolf guards first. These people had served as Hawkwolf guards for many years now, and they were all Zhuo Zhibo’s trusted subordinates, so they must have received quite a lot of care. Every single one of them were quite wealthy, so it was truly stunning when it was all combined.
In the end, he found a total of over four thousand Qi Gathering pills. Just Xie Nande’s hundred treasures pouches contained over a thousand of them, along with three hundred Hundred Grasses pills and several dozen other pills of even higher quality. There were also over a hundred spiritual stones, over two hundred talismans, and several tens of million taels of silver notes.
Opening the hundred treasures pouches was not just about searching through his spoils. Instead, it was a very interesting and special process, as all cultivators would place their items that they valued the most or used the most within their tiny hundred treasures pouches. As a result, aside from the items that Li Qingshan had been looking for, there were many other interesting items as well. He could tell what kind of person the owner was from them.
The seven hundred treasures pouches represented the characters of seven different people.
Xie Nande’s hundred treasures pouch contained a zither and many music sheets. This old bastard’s hobby was quite refined. If he had not followed Zhuo Zhibo to the bloomy depths of the underground to become an enemy of his, he would have been able to look for some remote areas of nature to play his zither, allowing it to resound through the natural scenery. It would have been quite a delightful thing to do.
Ge Jian had fetishes. He had many dudous1 and handkerchiefs in his pouch. Who knows where he had obtained all of them. It made Li Qingshan develop disdain towards him.
He found a thick stack of letters within the hundred treasures pouch of an unknown Black Wolf guard, which made Li Qingshan fall quiet. It no longer mattered whether he was a husband or a father. He could never return home again.
However, Li Qingshan did not regret killing him. Ever since he had made up his mind about venturing beyond the Nine Heavens, the path that awaited him would not be one where he could afford to show mercy. If he did not kill, he would be killed. That was the reality.
However, when killing had already turned into a habit, enemies basically no longer seemed like people in Li Qingshan’s eyes, but some kind of humanoid being that could talk and fight back. All he needed to do was destroy, rip, crush, and pierce them, and then their flesh and blood would be devoured by Xiao An’s flames, as if they had never existed in this world in the first place.
Right now, those blurry, humanoid figures recovered their meaning as humans one by one, which made Li Qingshan sigh. It maintained his conscience and humanity.
The remaining three hundred treasures pouches belonged to the two commanders of the Hawkwolf Guard and the Zombie Daoist. Li Qingshan valued them the most.
The first one he opened was Lao Xishan’s. Although he had only just broken through to the sixth layer, his hundred treasures pouch was still much larger in comparison to Xie Nande’s.
However, the items in there were not worth his attention. Even Xie Nande had more items than him, which made Li Qingshan rather disappointed.
Due to the constant oppression from Zhuo Zhibo and the fact that he had just broken through, he had consumed a lot of resources during his secluded cultivation.
At least the Zombie Daoist did not disappoint Li Qingshan. There were close to two thousand Qi Gathering pills and fifty or sixty spiritual stones, equivalent to the wealth of three or four Hawkwolf guards. However, there was not a single talisman at all. He spent his entire time hiding in the darkness, controlling corpses, so he had no need for them.
Li Qingshan did find something very interesting. It was a strange map that seemed like a mental map. However, when he channeled true qi into it, it turned into a series of numerous, three dimensional lines.
Li Qingshan immediately managed to tell that it was an underground map, and it extended over a hundred times further than what Hao Pingyang had discovered with his mechanical insects. If he had not seen it in person, he basically would have struggled to believe that such a vast world existed deep underground.
As a matter of fact, there were even caves below Jiaping city and his feet right now. And, the Zombie cave was not the only entrance to the system. There was one near Jiaping city. The caves came to an abrupt end near the edges of the map, so clearly, the map did not cover the entire system. It was labelled with many specks of light, which temporarily stumped Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan stowed the underground mental map away carefully. Perhaps the map could even be more precious than a high grade spiritual artifact at times. It was exactly this map that allowed the Zombie Daoist to move about freely underground, avoiding the search of the Hawkwolf Guard and also allowing him to appear in various places at any time so that he could collect corpses.
The last one he opened was Zhuo Zhibo’s hundred treasures pouch. As he channeled his true qi into it, the hundred treasures pouch opened up a huge space. It was much larger than the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch. It seemed like a huge warehouse, holding a great assortment of items.
Although Li Qingshan had roughly looked through it when he was underground, he still felt shocked by this sight. This was the largest hundred treasures pouch in his possession. Just the pouch itself was a valuable spiritual artifact. The items inside would definitely match up to the hundred treasures pouch’s value.
Just the Qi Gathering pills numbered at over three thousand. This was not a particularly special number when considering Zhuo Zhibo’s status, but he soon discovered over seven hundred Hundred Grasses pills. They were probably the pills that Zhuo Zhibo usually used for cultivation, which was why he had not hoarded too many Qi Gathering pills.
Li Qingshan then opened a small, porcelain bottle. It held pills that were translucent like dew. They were actually Pearl Dew pills, which he had consumed before. Just a single Pearl Due pill had stunned all the Qi Practitioners back then. He opened several bottles, and they all turned out to be Pearl Dew pills. Counting them up, they amounted to thirty five. The overall value of the Hundred Grasses pills had already exceeded the Qi Gathering pills, while the Pearl Dew pills probably raised the bar higher once more.
Aside from those, there were other types of pills as well, amounting to several dozen. They were not labelled, and with Li Qingshan’s lacking knowledge of pills, he was unable to identify them. However, the fragrance they gave off was definitely no worse than the Pearl Dew pills.
There was also a mid grade spiritual artifact flying blade, thirty three mid grade talismans, one hundred and twenty low grade talismans, and two hundred and eleven spiritual stones.
In summary, he had obtained close to ten thousand Qi Gathering pills, over a thousand Hundred Grasses pills, around a hundred high quality pills, several hundred spiritual stones of miscellaneous quality, seven low grade spiritual artifacts, three mid grade spiritual artifacts, and several hundred talismans from this trip alone.
He did not have to worry about lacking the resources to sustain his cultivation anymore. If he ate all of these pills and converted them to true qi and daemon qi, just what level of cultivation would he be able to reach? Just the thought of it excited him.
It was just a pity that he required the recognition of a commander to complete his mission regarding the Zombie Daoist, so he was unable to exchange the contribution for pills. However, it would probably be a long time before he lacked pills again, so he was not worried. He believed that before long, new commanders would be sent over from above. However, the higher-ups would definitely send people to investigate the matter, seeing how they lost two commanders and seven elites in one fell swoop. He needed to come up with a good lie.
When Li Qingshan returned to Jiaping city by travelling through the evening, it had not even reached midnight. Just like before, he returned to his residence without disturbing anyone. However, he saw that his residence was ablaze with lanterns. He glanced at Xiao An and quietly approached the building.
The building gave off the aura of a Qi Practitioner, but it was not powerful, only at the third layer. Moreover, the smell was rather familiar. He racked his brains, trying to think of who this smell belonged to.
The window on the second floor suddenly opened from outside and Li Qingshan questioned loudly, “Qian Rongzhi, what are you doing in my room?”
The person in his residence so late at night was actually Qian Rongzhi. She sat on the bed, meditating. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were messy as if this was her room.
Qian Rongzhi was slightly surprised before recovering her composure. She smiled. “Obviously waiting for you!” Charm overflowed as she smiled, shaking up the minds of people.
Li Qingshan frowned. “You’ve practised the arts of charm from the Sect of Clouds and Rain?” She had reached the third layer as well.
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s just a pity that I can’t enchant you! And, this residence has already become mine. This is no longer your room.”
Li Qingshan frowned. “What?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “You don’t need to be surprised, as everyone on this mountain believes you’re dead. They obviously won’t leave a residence open for a dead person.”
Li Qingshan said, “So you’ve moved in instead?”
Confidence that bordered lunacy appeared in Qian Rongzhi’s eyes. “That’s because I knew you’d return. Zhuo Zhibo’s already dead, right? He died to you!” Zhou Wenbin had basically guessed that Li Qingshan had something that he could rely on as well, but only she was confident that not only would Li Qingshan return alive, he would kill Zhuo Zhibo as well!
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1. A dudou is a traditional Chinese undergarment, which you can read about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudou
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Volume Afterword – Everything is just the Beginning
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Volume Afterword – Everything is just the Beginning
One author, three volumes, eighty-four days and nights, four hundred and seventy one thousand, seven hundred and six characters.
Of course, you can’t forget the thirty five thousand, seven hundred and sixty three readers. I bow and I thank you for your support. Thank you. You were the ones who supported me to experiment, to change.
Of course, this wasn’t easy at all. However, I don’t want to spend too much time reminiscing about this. It’s just like the title. Everything is just the beginning.
These things of the past might always seem rather familiar, but I’m not someone who’ll repeat the past. From the next volume onwards, there will be some completely new things that will unravel before you.
Just as a spoiler, the name of the next volume is ‘The Daemon City Underground’.
You know what I’m going to write now, right? A wondrous world of daemons, a group of strange daemons!
The path to Great Sage is obviously not one that can be carved within the human world alone. Daemon General, Daemon Commander, Daemon King. How can Li Qingshan go without his own domain in a world of daemons?
The story that I want to write, the world that I want to sculpt, has begun to take shape. I will devote my heart and soul to it, working hard to come up with the plot, such that it achieves the effect I want it to achieve. If you have any good ideas, please tell me in the reviews section. My own thoughts are limited, so let us advance forward together.
I beg you for monthly tickets one last time, for the sake of a good beginning to the next volume! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to give me recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation).
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Chapter 183 – Startling News from the Sect of Clouds and Rain
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Chapter 183 – Startling News from the Sect of Clouds and Rain
Li Qingshan was stern. He felt like he had still ended up underestimating this woman. She was not an ornament who used her body to climb upwards, nor was she a deviant with a twisted heart. Even someone like Zhuo Zhibo who considered himself rather clever could not match her sharp judgement.
“What do you want? Is that all you wanted to say to me after waiting here? Or do you want something from me?” He squinted his eyes. This was not the first time Qian Rongzhi had stirred his killing intent, but she would always manage to avoid crossing the line, giving him no reason to kill her. What about this time? Would it be an exception this time?
Qian Rongzhi smiled sweetly in response to Li Qingshan’s string of questions. “Did you know that the Sect of Clouds of Rain is utterly determined to obtain that child by your side? You have no idea what the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty is worth to the Sect of Clouds and Rain. The sect master has already personally given an order to obtain the child, even if it involves falling out with the Scarlet Wolf commander Hua Chengzan.”
“And then?” Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. The Sect of Clouds and Rain was actually willing to go so far for the sake of Xiao An!
“And then it’s impossible for you to hand over the child either, right? The reason why I’ve been sent back here is to monitor this. If Zhuo Zhibo isn’t capable of obtaining the child for the Sect of Clouds and Rain, even more powerful people will immediately be mobilised. If that fails as well, then the four grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, or even the vice sect master and sect master, will come to Jiaping! I don’t know if this piece of information is useful to you or not.”
Li Qingshan did not deny that. If he were blocked by a group of masters within Jiaping city without any preparations, he would basically be done for. Qian Rongzhi’s information was extremely important to him.
“Why are you telling me this? Haven’t you joined the Sect of Clouds and Rain already?”
“The Sect of Clouds and Rain.” Qian Rongzhi sneered slightly in disdain. She walked over while swinging her hips in a flirtatious manner. She wrapped her arms around Li Qingshan’s neck and pressed her entire body against him. Her soft chest pressed against Li Qingshan’s, gently massaging against him. “That’s because I like you more!”
Li Qingshan, however, became even more cautious. All regular Qi Practitioners would be extremely careful, like they were treading on thin ice, whenever they joined a decent sect. There were not a lot of people who showed as much contempt as her. This was not arrogance born from ignorance, but because she possessed lofty ambitions right from the beginning. This was a form of arrogance that ran as deep as her bones. Li Qingshan had been no different in the past.
When she pressed against him, a sticky, sickly-sweet coldness from her soft, warm body prevented him from becoming aroused. Qian Rongzhi basically experienced the same thing as him. The raging sense of violence inside Li Qingshan made her feel danger beyond her control.
As a result, despite being alone and making intimate contact, they struggled to develop any feelings for each other. There was only an unbearable sense of danger and coldness.
Li Qingshan said indifferently, “Move.”
Qian Rongzhi took a step back and tidied her hair. “Forget it. What a clueless man.”
“Remuneration.” Li Qingshan fished out several items from his Hundred Treasures pouch, which included the Pills of Passion and the Pills of Calming he had obtained from Zhao Liangqing, as well as his mid grade spiritual artifact flying sword and the Minor Method of Clouds and Rain. He did not need any of them, aside from the flying sword.
Qian Rongzhi smiled with her lips closed. “I like generous men.” She accepted the items. She flipped through the Minor Method of Clouds and Rain first. When she reached a certain page, her eyes suddenly lit up before she tossed the flying sword back to Li Qingshan. “But I’m not stingy either. You have no use for the other items, so I’ll be taking them.”
A mid grade spiritual artifact that regular Qi Practitioners only dreamt of possessing was actually being tossed around by two weaker Qi Practitioners carelessly.
Li Qingshan said, “Then farewell.” Since he had received the news, he could not remain in Jiaping city any longer. Otherwise, he would basically be waiting to be caught. A large sect had mobilised everyone they had, regardless of the costs. He had no confidence that he could oppose them, nor was there a need for him to oppose them. With the tremendous amount of resources he now possessed, finding a place to enter secluded cultivation and increasing his strength would be the correct choice to make.
As long as he became powerful enough, the Sect of Clouds and Rain would obviously cease to pose any trouble to him.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Hold on. Do you want the hundred treasures pouch of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner?”
Li Qingshan asked, “Where?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s right in Jiaping city. The new master of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain is a senior brother of mine. The sect master’s original plan was for him to come for you if Zhuo Zhibo failed to capture the child.” Her true intentions were finally revealed now.
“He’s the son of the vice sect master. He likes raping innocent women. If he sees anyone pretty on the streets, he’ll definitely pay a visit to their homes at night. He uses his abilities as a Qi Practitioner to do whatever he wants.”
Li Qingshan questioned, “And the Hawkwolf Guard of Clear River city won’t do anything about it?”
“It’s very difficult for regular women to resist the tricks of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, and there’s quite a few who end up being enchanted by him, while the strong-willed care for their own reputation. It’s not something that can’t be solved with some threats and then some bribes of silver. If no one reports it, no one will investigate it either. Obviously, nothing definite will come up.”
Li Qingshan asked, “You want me to help you kill him?”
“No. I want you to help me capture him alive. There’s quite a lot of good stuff in his hundred treasures pouch. That’ll all go to you. I only want the cultivation method and pills of the Sect of Clouds and Rain that you can’t use, alright?” Qian Rongzhi requested cordially.
Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts. As expected, this woman wanted something with how generously she behaved. She actually wanted to use his hands to finish off a senior from her sect. However, the Sect of Clouds and Rain had always been his enemy. He had already made up his mind about personally killing the West Gate Granny. Since he was going to be on the run, he might as well do this first. This was a request that he could not turn down.
Qian Rongzhi said, “On the way here, he constantly told me about how he wanted to try the woman with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance of Beauty, even if it were just a tiny part of her.”
Li Qingshan raised his head and red light flashed through his eyes. “Oh? I’d like to see him try!”
The lanterns were snuffed out and Qian Rongzhi left the residence. She saw Xiao An in the dark, and she immediately became stunned. “This child’s… so pure!” What she was looking at was not the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty, but the wondrous sense of purity. Probably only someone like her who had gone through so much before could sense that so deeply. She could not help but extend her hand over, wanting to touch Xiao An’s face, but she stopped herself, as if she was afraid that her own filthiness would contaminate the purity.
Xiao An extended her hand and touched the back of Qian Rongzhi’s hand. This woman who had allowed her to comprehend the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty did not seem to bear any ill intentions towards her.
Qian Rongzhi’s hand shrank back slightly like she had become extremely flattered. Afterwards, she smiled. “It’s no wonder that you refuse to hand her over. Even I would be willing to fall out with anybody for her sake.”
Li Qingshan said, “You’re willing to fall out with anyone for the sake of your own interests in the first place.”
Qian Rongzhi asked, “And what’s wrong with that?”
Li Qingshan said nothing.
As they walked through the gloomy streets and alleyways, Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi stuck very closely together. He did not believe in this silver-tongued woman completely. He was worried that the four grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain would ambush him the moment he set foot in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. He had to maintain a certain distance so that he could finish her off in a single strike.
Xiao An and the Iron Plate corpse tailed far behind, ready to reinforce Li Qingshan at any time.
The Parlour of Clouds and Rain in the distance glowed with gentle lantern light. It had already been repurchased by the Sect of Clouds and Rain, and it was being reorganised right now. It would open up once again soon. He listened closely the entire time and discovered that Qian Rongzhi’s heartbeat and breathing were very steady the entire time. It had not become frantic.
“You don’t actually have to be so cautious of me. Why would I do something that brings me no benefit? If the Sect of Clouds and Rain kills you, I’ll probably get nothing from your possessions. When you serve someone as a dog, all you get is scraps of meat that they cast aside. However, I prefer large chunks and fresh.” Qian Rongzhi licked her lips.
Li Qingshan secretly admitted that he would never have to worry about her ever developing some great, heroic mentality, risking her life for the sake of the Sect of Clouds and Rain by turning herself into bait.
Qian Rongzhi continued, “Actually, if Qian Yannian had been willing to make me the leader of the family, I wouldn’t have destroyed the Qian family.” In order to magnify her personal interests and benefits, even revenge and hatred were nothing. “However, I would suck the Qian family dry of their value, and then I would find those people one by one and torture them to death slowly.” She seemed to be venting a certain type of gloominess that she could not tell anyone else through her crazy laughter. It was exactly because Li Qingshan had seen through her that she no longer needed to try and hide it.
They arrived at the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
Li Qingshan erased all of his aura and took a step into the darkness. There were no ambushes or encirclements. The parlour was pitch-black. Only the women at the ceiling continued to dance.
Qian Rongzhi was intrigued. He was clearly right beside her, but she failed to sense him at all unless she looked at him. Just this ability to conceal his aura was enough to determine victory against enemies. It was perfect for assassinations.
Climbing to the top floor of the parlour, Li Qingshan sensed a powerful aura that was actually no worse than Zhuo Zhibo’s. He became cautious.
Qian Rongzhi shot a glance at Li Qingshan before pushing and entering through the door.
Li Qingshan heard the indecent voice of a young man. “Junior sister, you’re here. Do you miss your senior brother?”
Qian Rongzhi’s voice was rather cold. “Don’t go too far, senior brother.” However, her coquettish voice only stimulated men’s desire for dominance.
The man said, “I’ll show you just how far I can go!” There was a ruffle of clothing, followed by sounds of hugging and kissing.
“Senior brother, let me go!” Qian Rongzhi put up some fake resistance. She hugged the man, spun around, and turned towards the open door. Excitement flickered through her eyes.
Li Qingshan stepped on the thick carpet and entered silently. However, no matter how thick the carpet was, it would still produce a sound. It was enough to fool regular people, but it could not fool the ears of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner.
Just when the man wanted to turn around, Qian Rongzhi’s lips attacked. His mind wavered slightly, and his reactions were slowed down by a single beat. By the time he heard the whistling of wind from behind, it was already too late.
Li Qingshan crossed several meters in a single step and stuck a low grade Immobilisation talisman on his back. He had found it in Zhuo Zhibo’s hundred treasures pouch. It was specially prepared for capturing Qi Practitioners alive so that they could be brought back and interrogated.
The talisman let out a ring of light that covered the man’s body. He immediately stiffened up on the spot, like he was covered in a layer of invisible ice. He was surprised at first, before becoming enraged. He mobilised all of his true qi to smash through the invisible ice barrier. After all, it was only a low grade talisman. It probably could only last for a single instant against sixth layer Qi Practitioners, but that was enough.
Li Qingshan struck like lightning. He grabbed the joints of the man’s arms, but a layer of true qi flowed out naturally to protect him. He felt like he had grabbed a tough, rubber tube, preventing him from unleashing his strength.
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Chapter 184 – Lofty Ambitions
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Chapter 184 – Lofty Ambitions
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed as the muscles in his arms shifted. He unleashed his explosive strength and produced a crack.
The man suddenly widened his eyes. What happened next became extremely simple. Li Qingshan moved repetitively, and a series of cracks rang out. He crushed all of the joints of the man’s limbs. As soon as the man wanted to call out, Li Qingshan grabbed him by the neck and silenced him.
True qi swept up the hundred treasures pouch on the side into Li Qingshan’s hand. Without their hundred treasures pouches, most Qi Practitioners were like fangless tigers. If their limbs were crippled as well, they would even be like paralyzed tigers.
It was so simple that it surprised Li Qingshan slightly. However, as long as a Qi Practitioner still had a strand of true qi in their dantian or sea of qi, they could not be considered as truly subdued. He was prepared for what would happen next as well, but all he saw was the man’s face twist in pain. Then his true qi scattered chaotically, like he had lost the ability to fight back. Li Qingshan was rather taken aback by this.
Qi Practitioners like Zhuo Zhibo could still gather their true qi even if they were stabbed with swords or blades. Of course, Zhuo Zhibo would have never fallen for such a simple sneak attack in the first place. Even if he failed to sense any auras or hear any sounds, just his instincts for danger alone were enough to stave off everything.
However, as the son of a vice sect master, this man had been pampered his entire life. He had only ever been treated gently. Never had he been abused in such a violent manner, nor had he experienced such pain before. He was in so much pain that he forgot about everything. The Immobilisation talisman lasted a little longer before being destroyed by the scattered true qi.
Before Li Qingshan could do anything, Qian Rongzhi had already pulled out a metal pillory, locking it around the man’s neck and hands.
The pillory glowed with light. It was actually a low grade spiritual artifact; moreover, it was an extremely rare one for capturing enemies. A black hawk was depicted on the top. Its pair of talons grabbed the man’s hands, while it held the man’s head in its beak. Li Qingshan could tell with a single glance that it came from the Hawkwolf Guard. Without a doubt, Qian Rongzhi had obtained it from Zhuo Zhibo.
The man’s chaotic true qi became even less threatening after being locked up in the hawk pillory. Afterwards, his eyes rolled backwards, actually fainting from the pain.
This left Li Qingshan rather stunned. This was the first time that he had realised that the strength of Qi Practitioners could not be described through simple numbers like the fifth or sixth layer. Willpower, temperament, and reaction were all crucial elements as well.
If this man was sufficiently prepared, he could probably unleash the strength that corresponded to a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. Perhaps he might have been able to kill Qi Practitioners of the same level using trump cards from his father, but if anything happened suddenly, his actual ability would be exposed. He was utterly useless.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Take him below!”
Clank!
In the underground palace, Li Qingshan tossed the naked man with a pillory into an empty, stone room. Even without spiritual artifacts, sixth layer Qi Practitioners could still control objects around them, so he could still cause some trouble.
The man woke up from the pain. He was quite handsome, but his face was pale and utterly twisted. He roared in surprise and fury, “Qian Rongzhi, what are you doing? Y- you’re Li Qingshan!” He had seen Li Qingshan’s portrait before he had set off for here.
Li Qingshan said, “You’re from the Sect of Clouds and Rain, aren’t you?”
The man said, “I’m Wei Yingjie. My father is a vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain. If you have some wits about you, hurry up and release me. I might spare your life.”
“What! Vice sect master! Qian Rongzhi, you tricked me! You’ve actually made me offend such an important figure!” Li Qingshan was startled. He showed fear as he said politely, “Young sect master, what brings you to Jiaping city?”
Wei Yingjie saw how Li Qingshan was afraid, so he said in an even more arrogant manner, “Release me, and then offer up that child with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty by your side…”
The fear on Li Qingshan’s face vanished. He exhaled. “Looks like I’ve got the right person.” Qian Rongzhi was not telling the complete truth, but it was not far from it either. However, this bastard was basically the weakest sixth layer Qi Practitioner Li Qingshan had ever seen. Li Qingshan was truly clueless as to how he had managed to reach the sixth layer with his level of intelligence.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “What an idiot!”
Wei Yingjie seemed to realise something, “Qian Rongzhi, you traitor! Release me, or my father will never spare you! Ouch!” He struggled so another wave of pain hit him from his crushed joints. He collapsed onto the ground, now afraid to move any further.
Qian Rongzhi completely ignored him. She said to Li Qingshan, “Let’s see what’s in the hundred treasures pouch.”
After checking the hundred treasures pouch, he discovered that there were not a lot of Qi Gathering pills in there. There were only five hundred. However, there were quite a few spiritual stones, amounting to over three hundred. There were actually two mid grade spiritual artifacts as well. One was a flying sword that could be controlled, while the other was a ring that seemed like a wristguard.
There were several dozen talismans in there as well, along with a rare high grade talisman. Li Qingshan was extremely familiar with the inscription on it. It was a Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings, but the inscription was several times more complicated than the ones he had previously seen. As it seemed, this was the life-saving measure his father had given to him.
However, this was not the first time Li Qingshan had seen a naked disciple of the Sect of Clouds and Rain either. Even if you have countless techniques and methods hidden in your hundred treasures pouch, it would be useless if you don’t have your hundred treasures pouch.
According to their deal, Li Qingshan gave the Major Method of Clouds and Rain to Qian Rongzhi.
Qian Rongzhi immediately flipped through it. She had joined the Sect of Clouds and Rain recently, so all she had learnt so far were some rules and commandments of the sect. She needed to wait some time before going through a test, and only then would she receive the sect’s legacy. However, in less than two hours just now, she had managed to assemble both cultivation methods, the Minor and Major Methods of Clouds and Rain, finding a path that led to the very top among Qi Practitioners.
Li Qingshan found over a dozen bottles of Pills of Passion and Pills of Calming. He gave these pills that were for cultivation in the Sect of Clouds and Rain to Qian Rongzhi.
Qian Rongzhi accepted it all while smiling from ear to ear. When Wei Yingjie saw the two of them split up his possessions right in front of him, he could not help but fly into a fury. Ignoring the pain, he let violent true qi surged out of his sea of qi, surging towards the two of them like a tidal wave. It whipped up a violent gale within the tiny stone room. He had managed all of this while being restrained by the hawk pillory, or it would have been even more impressive.
Qian Rongzhi pulled out her Water-splitting bard and swung down with it, cutting the true qi in half, which landed on the stone walls behind her. With a rustle, some dust and sand fell down from the ceiling.
Li Qingshan stood there without moving, allowing the true qi to strike him. His extremely pure true qi appeared outside of his body automatically, protecting him. Combined with his tough physique, he was unscathed.
If he could launch an attack with his arms or feet, it might have been somewhat threatening, but it was completely pointless now. Instead, it was a waste of true qi.
Li Qingshan suddenly pulled out another bottle of pills. “What’s this?”
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes lit up. “This is also a special pill from the Sect of Clouds and Rain. It’s a rare pill that can purify true qi.”
Li Qingshan said, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll take it for myself if you tell me that?”
Qian Rongzhi answered with a question, “Will you?”
“I won’t.” Li Qingshan tossed the bottle of Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain to Qian Rongzhi. He did not do this just because of their agreement. His true qi had already been purified using the sumeru ring, so he had no need for the Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain.
Qian Rongzhi smiled sweetly. These Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain were an extremely important component to her plan.
“That’s why I’m willing to work with you. I might even end up helping you in the future. If you plan on dealing with the Sect of Clouds and Rain in the future, feel free to come find me. I’ll definitely lend you a helping hand. I’ll eat those leftovers with you.”
Li Qingshan suddenly even felt like she possessed a sense of open-mindedness that regular women rarely exhibited. She was vicious and her ambitions were lofty. Compared to those crooks who only concentrated on small profits, a person like her was hundreds of times more terrifying. Leftovers? She would never be willing to crawl on the ground forever. She was a venomous snake. She would climb upwards constantly, until she climbed into the sky, becoming a venomous dragon that could overturn the world.
He had a feeling that perhaps the Sect of Clouds and Rain would suffer the same fate as the Qian family, destroyed by this woman. Based on the logic that the enemy of the enemy is my friend, perhaps she really could help her, but he would never take a liking to someone like her. After splitting up the items, he shoved the hundred treasures pouch into his bosom and left without second thought. He did not want to spend a moment longer with this woman.
With Li Qingshan’s departure, Qian Rongzhi’s face eased up. She felt much more comfortable now. She sat down where she was and read through the two cultivation methods.
At this moment, Wei Yingjie also seemed to realise that he was completely at her mercy. He solicited, “Rongzhi, we’re seniors and juniors, so why must you do this to me? If you don’t want to be a courtesan, then you can just not be one. I’ll talk to my father about it.”
Aside from sending Qian Rongzhi back so that she could watch over Li Qingshan’s movements, the Sect of Clouds and Rain actually wanted her to replace courtesan Furong’s position. It was not exactly an intended insult. The women of the Sect of Cloud and Rain all required the vitality of men to cultivate. However, at the end of the day, this could still be regarded as a form of probing and testing. Most women would still be reluctant to end up in a brothel, living a life where they just slept with people. Only when she completely accepted the ideology of the Sect of Clouds and Rain would she receive their legacy.
Qian Rongzhi seemed rather noble and cold before Wei Yingjie, which made him believe that she had betrayed him because she was dissatisfied with this arrangement,
Qian Rongzhi did not even look at him. She said without the slightest care, “So what if I become a courtesan? Though, if I just rely on the vitality of normal men, and I have to be squeezed out by you, when am I supposed to achieve success?!” Within the Sect of Clouds and Rain, there was a dominant and submission relationship when it came to dual cultivation. The weaker person would definitely lose something in the process. If she followed the rules of others, she would be under the control of others for the rest of her life.
Wei Yingjie was stunned. He forced out a smile. “You think your cultivation will be too slow? I’ll get my father to allocate some pills to you. He’s responsible for everything in the sect.” However, all he thought of was how he would torture Qian Rongzhi once he had broken free. This was all just an act, but Qian Rongzhi paid no attention to his clumsy act either.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Yeah. If that old coot hadn’t handed the women in the sect to you as human cauldrons, giving you the best pills, how were you supposed to reach the sixth layer as the piece of trash that you are? I heard there’s quite a nice trick within the Method of Clouds and Rain… Found it! Looks like it’s true. Only by combining the two cultivation methods will it be complete.”
Wei Yingjie suddenly seemed to understand something. He became fear-stricken. “You’re planning to use the Vitality Devouring technique!” This was an extremely brutal and forceful technique. It was taboo within the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Zhao Liangqing had wanted to use it on those kidnapped girls before.
Dual cultivation was about mutual benefit. Even at its worst, it would be treating the other person as a human cauldron to harvest from, but that could lead to an overabundance of one element and not enough of the other as a result. However, the Vitality Devouring technique was just straightforward robbery. It would cause great harm to one party in the process, or even death. It was forbidden to be used, whether in the sect or outside of it.
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Chapter 185 – Cultivating Underground
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Chapter 185 – Cultivating Underground
Wei Yingjie understood why Qian Rongzhi had not killed him. She wanted to use this method to forcefully steal the true qi he had cultivated after so much difficulty. He no longer cared about the pain as he desperately gathered his true qi.
Qian Rongzhi said, “If you dare to use your true qi, I’ll cut off your arms and your legs. I’ll turn you into a quadruple amputee. If you don’t believe me, you’re more than welcome to try it.”
Wei Yingjie panicked inside and immediately became afraid to use his true qi. Crushed bones could be healed with medicine, but if his arms or legs were cut off, he would truly become a cripple. A great future still awaited him, along with many beautiful women. If he became a cripple, he would much rather be dead.
“That’s clever of you!” Qian Rongzhi praised. She made her way over, grabbed a handful of Pills of Passion, and shoved them into Wei Yingjie’s mouth. Wei Yingjie struggled and shook his head desperately. The Pills of Passion were an extremely powerful aphrodisiac, in order to make women lose themselves for the sake of harvesting from them. Just two days ago, he had forced Qian Rongzhi to eat two. Even one was far more than what he could endure, so how could he eat so many?
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Weren’t you so happy when you fed me them two days ago?” Her face suddenly coldened. “Eat it! If you don’t, I’ll cut off your limbs.”
Wei Yingjie hesitated slightly before producing a howl. Qian Rongzhi cut off one of his fingers and showed it to him.
Wei Yingjie experienced pain, anger, and hatred. However, he was forced to oblige now that he was under the mercy of others. He ate all of the Pills of Passion reluctantly. Very soon, a raging flame of lust exploded in his crotch. His gaze towards Qian Rongzhi gradually became replaced with desire.
Qian Rongzhi smiled and ate a Pill of Calming.
Quite a while later, Qian Rongzhi put her clothes back on. She was brimming with energy, as if she had just drunk some nourishing soup. Her eyes were filled with vigour, and the true qi in her body had basically doubled. She only stopped when she could not withstand it any longer.
However, the additional form of different true qi was not particularly harmonious with her own. Fortunately, both of them practised the Method of Clouds and Rain, so it was not a particularly big problem. Moreover, the Sect of Clouds and Rain produced Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain to address this exact issue. She consumed one of those pills before meditating on the spot, purifying her true qi.
Wei Yingjie heaved heavily. He was haggard and extremely frail. Even if he wanted to release his true qi in resistance, he was powerless now. He recovered most of his clarity and begged, “Please spare me!”
No, I have to find a way to escape, or I’ll be sucked dry by this woman. He moved a finger quietly. No matter how horrible of a shape he was in, he had gradually adapted to the pain from his crushed joints. As long as he could endure this agony and channel true qi into his limbs, he should be able to move around. By then, this woman would not be his opponent with her cultivation at the third layer.
“An idiot like you sure has a lot of true qi. However, I can go slowly. I have plenty of time!” Qian Rongzhi picked up the Water-splitting barb with a smile and made her way over to Wei Yingjie.
“W- what are you trying to do?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s too dangerous! I better cut them off!” There was a splash of blood, and a howl resounded through the underground palace.
……
Under the starry skies, Li Qingshan left Jiaping silently with Xiao An, like they had never returned to there in the first place. He believed that Qian Rongzhi would behave like she knew nothing either. Everything that happened in Jiaping city would only erupt after a delayed period of time.
He made his way to the back of the Hawkwolf Guard and dove into the raging Clear river that flowed southward. Afterwards, he crossed it and arrived below the cliff on the other side. After quite the effort, he finally found the cave recorded on the map.
Li Qingshan dove in head first. Only after swimming for a whole hour did he emerge in a cave.
What he needed to avoid right now was not just the Sect of Clouds and Rain, but the Hawkwolf Guard as well. If the Hawkwolf Guard discovered him, they would definitely take him back for interrogation, and the Sect of Clouds and Rain would learn about it too. He heavily doubted whether the Hawkwolf Guard could protect him, or should he say, Xiao An, from a great group of Qi Practitioners under the determination of an entire sect. The gaze of the Hawkwolf Guard spanned the world. If he wanted to run around on the surface, he would be discovered sooner or later.
He would not be particularly well-hidden in the wilderness either given the various things cultivators were capable of. As a result, he decided to go to the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling. It possessed all the facilities he required, and it was extremely well-hidden. It would be enough for him to cultivate peacefully for a while so that he could break through to the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
Underground was not like the flat stretch of land on the surface. Instead, it was extremely twisted. As one moved through the maze-like tunnels, even someone with a particularly good sense of direction would become lost if they did not have a map.
It was said that dark, narrow caves could make people claustrophobic, but Li Qingshan found it alright. Anyone who possessed a great piece of wealth would be in a good mood. He also had Xiao An as company, so he did not feel lonely at all.
Instead, he felt a wondrous sensation of relief in the dark depths of the earth, like a beast returning to the wilderness. He no longer needed to deal with humans under various guises and appearances. Right now, he possessed absolute freedom. From a certain perspective, he really did become more and more like a daemon.
Li Qingshan strode forward, while Xiao An sat on a huge skull that had transformed from a Skull Prayer Bead, studying the underground mental map from the Zombie Daoist with her head lowered. Whenever they encountered a fork, she would indicate which way to go. Li Qingshan did not have the patience to study the map.
This continued until they reached the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling. Li Qingshan was in no hurry to immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he lit a fire and began cooking. There was quite a lot of food across the hundred treasure pouches he had obtained, so he cooked up a feast very soon.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Let’s celebrate!”
The two of them brought their cups together in the pitch-black darkness, producing a clink.
Li Qingshan told Xiao An, “I might take some time with cultivation this time. Don’t run around outside, alright?”
Xiao An nodded obediently.
Li Qingshan rubbed her head. He thought about how she either spent all day fighting and killing with him, or hiding and fleeing with him. This was not the lifestyle that a child should experience. However, just where in this world did no conflict exist? Even if he went to the legendary Academy of the Hundred Schools, would it really be different?
He activated a mechanism, and a great, stone door fell down, sealing off the cultivation room completely.
In the absolute darkness and silence, Li Qingshan took out a bottle of Qi Gathering pills. He would protect her. He had never doubted this fact, no matter when.
Raising his head, he directly tipped the entire bottle into his mouth. Li Qingshan closed his eyes and converted the medicine into true qi according to the methods detailed by the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
After who knows how long, he digested all of the pills. He stood up and daemonified, beginning to practise the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. The medicinal effects then turned into daemon qi.
This repeated constantly. As he moved and paused, Li Qingshan comprehended the path of humans and daemons, constantly becoming stronger.
Time passed day by day, while the pills were consumed bottle by bottle.
The disappearance of the two commanders and seven elite Black Wolf guards of Jiaping city finally caused a disturbance that reached Clear River city.
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Chapter 186 – Breakthrough
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Chapter 186 – Breakthrough
A droplet of water fell from the stalactite on the cave ceiling in the darkness, dripping towards Li Qingshan’s head.
Li Qingshan sat with his legs crossed on the stone platform without moving at all, but a tremendous change unfolded within his body.
Extremely pure true qi constantly flowed through his Yang Heel meridian before delving into his bones strand by strand, rinsing his entire body.
A month had passed. He had already eaten almost three thousand Qi Gathering pills. He averaged a hundred a day.
This was a terrifying number. It was enough to any cultivator. His true qi had increased tremendously once again, but what broke through first was his Innate Method of Practising Qi.
The falling droplet of water was smashed apart by the shaking true qi three inches above Li Qingshan’s head. The waves of true qi were on the edge of breaking through now.
The true qi that had been purified through the sumeru ring was extremely effective now. It basically allowed Li Qingshan to break through to the sixth layer of the Innate Method of Practicing Qi without any obstruction at all, reaching the peak of the second layer.
Li Qingshan smiled. He felt both relieved and amazed. He was relieved over the fact that he had spent much less time compared to regular Qi Practitioners.
For example, Qian Rongzhi had been cultivating since a young age, but it had taken her several years to reach the second layer. Their talent could be described as no different from one another, or in other words, just average. As for Diao Fei, he originated from a sect and had the guidance of seniors. He was in his thirties, yet he was only at the third layer.
Li Qingshan’s cultivation speed truly was fast, but it did not happen without the support of a tremendous number of pills. And, if it were not for the sumeru ring, it would have been pointless no matter how many pills he possessed, as refining the impurities in the pills would take him ten times longer than right now.
He felt completely refreshed. He could not help but think about how Xiao An was doing.
Li Qingshan held back his desire to emerge from seclusion. He was extremely close to the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He was basically only a step away. He could not afford to give up now. He needed to use this momentum to continue forwards and reach the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, as well as open his Yin Heel meridian and reach the third layer of Qi Practitioner. Sixteen year old third layer Qi Practitioners could be regarded as geniuses.
The daemon core flashed, and daemon qi rose up from his body like fire. He daemonified. After the month of cultivation, his height had finally exceeded thirty feet.
While this underground cavern was quite large, Li Qingshan’s horns were close to touching the stalactites on the ceiling. If nothing went wrong, there would be a day when he would turn into a colossal monster like godzilla. No, he would be even more terrifying than godzilla. With a stomp of his feet, an entire city would collapse from the resulting earthquake, and with a roar, everyone’s heads would explode.
……
Wei Yingjie no longer remembered his past self anymore in the underground palace. His handsome appearance had completely fallen apart. His skin was withered and gloomy like an old man’s, while his eyes had lost all of their lustre. Drool constantly leaked out from his mouth.
Ten days ago, he had been reduced to an imbecile from the medicinal effects after consuming too many Pills of Passion.
Before Qian Rongzhi’s Vitality Devouring technique, his true qi had been sucked dry. Even his vitality was not spared. Finally, the last sliver of his life gave way. As a person who treated toying around with women as his hobby, he had lost his life from being toyed around by a woman in the end. He really was quite pitiful.
On top of him, Qian Rongzhi’s snowy body was streaked with sweat. Her skin was utterly glowing, while her appearance had become even more charming. She was like a green, tender vine wounded around a withered tree, blooming with charming flowers.
She ravished with joy on her face that had been unperturbed the entire time due to the Pills of Calming. With the support of his father, Wei Yingjie’s true qi was extremely abundant. It was ten times more than what Qian Rongzhi possessed at the very least.
Qian Rongzhi accepted all of it from him without holding back. Her true qi broke through to the fourth layer, and her body was filled to the brink too. The fifth layer was only a matter of time for her now.
While the Vitality Devouring technique was terrifying, it was unable to digest the true qi of a sixth layer Qi Practitioner completely. Most of it was lost, or she would have been able to reach the sixth layer directly. Qian Rongzhi was already quite satisfied with what she had achieved so far.
Of course, this did not come without disadvantages. Her true qi was extremely impure, so she required even more Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain. However, she was not worried about this. As long as her cultivation had increased, there would obviously be more ways for her to obtain even better pills.
She had never planned on using ordinary people to practise the Minor and Major Methods of Clouds and Rain. It would be far too impure and far too slow. Due to the differences in the element of true qi, it would be difficult to digest. It could even lead to issues like conflicting true qi. This was why she never bothered with hunting down regular Qi Practitioners. The people from the same sect who also practised the Method of Clouds and Rain were the best prey for her.
A fire talisman burned the corpse to ashes. She thought, It’s time for me to report back to the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Young master Wei lost his patience and ventured into the Zombie cave in search of Li Qingshan!
She took out another pill and ingested it, suppressing her cultivation back to the third layer. Afterwards, she washed up and changed her clothes, emerging from the underground palace. She looked up at the clear, autumn sky and revealed a smile that was even more resplendent than the sun. “My fate lies in my own hands!”
……
In a room with fine views, Wang Pushi dumped a thick pile of documents onto Hua Chengzan’s long, sandalwood desk. “What do you think?”
Hua Chengzan sat back in his armed chair with his legs crossed on his desk. He extended his hand, and the documents flew over with a flutter, lining themselves up in the air.
Hua Chengzan looked through them as his eyes darted about rapidly. He glanced past each document, taking note of each sentence.
I saw them pass by… We emerged with Qingshan, but I don’t know where he went… He had personally said that he had grievances with Zhuo Zhibo… Our sect master said we had to bring back the child…
It seemed like countless voices whispering into his ears with different tones. A while later, the stack of documents flew back onto the desk in a neat pile.
Hua Chengzan opened his eyes. “If that He Yishi is telling the truth, then…”
Wang Pushi asked, “Then what?”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “Li Qingshan led Zhuo Zhibo to his death through deception before killing Lao Xishan as well.” After his clever mind sorted through the information, the falsehoods were weeded out, the blanks had been filled in, and what remained would never be too far from the truth.
Wang Pushi frowned. “That’s impossible. He’s just a second layer Qi Practitioner. How did he manage to kill Zhuo Zhibo and so many Black Wolf guards?”
Hua Chengzan said, “He’s a second layer Qi Practitioner who has killed someone at the fifth layer. Moreover, he might not have personally done all of this. He might have lured Zhuo Zhibo into the nest of a daemon. You know that it’s not safe underground. Even we’re afraid to venture too deeply into many places.”
Wang Pushi nodded. Below the earth was a forbidden zone for humans.
Hua Chengzan continued, “It’s also possible that he set up a trap with several hundred Explosion talismans. Or, if he used a Lightning Fire bomb from the school of Mohism, all he would need to do is create a small earthquake in a chosen location, and it would not be too difficult to kill a group of Qi Practitioners. Anyways, there are plenty of ways to kill them. If they weren’t killed by Li Qingshan, am I supposed to believe that Zhuo Zhibo lost his way underground?”
“Li Qingshan led them away, yet only he returned in one piece. Old Wang, if it weren’t for the sake of his cultivation, isn’t it very obvious? Only victors can return alive. Losers will obviously end up dead somewhere.”
“I think Zhuo Zhibo is probably done for as well!” Wang Pushi gradually became convinced. He had undergone a heavenly tribulation and reached Foundation Establishment, truly setting foot on the path of cultivation and becoming an influential Scarlet Hawk commander, but he still held great admiration towards Hua Chengzan’s intellect. He had to admit the existence of geniuses in the world. If it were not for that person, Hua Chengzan would have broken through to Foundation Establishment a long time ago, or even surpassed him already.
Hua Chengzan said, “Afterwards, the two groups separated, with just Li Qingshan and Lao Xishan left together. No one knows what happened to them. According to He Yishi, Li Qingshan gained an Iron Plate corpse. With Lao Xishan’s ability of having just broken through to the sixth layer, it’s possible that he was killed by the Iron Plate corpse. Perhaps the kid is cultivating in seclusion right now with his spoils of the battles!”
Wang Pushi said furiously, “That kid sure is a vicious ingrate. I shouldn’t have let him join the Hawkwolf Guard in the past.”
Hua Chengzan winked at him mischievously. “Back then, you never imagined he would be able to kill Feng Zhang and actually be bold enough to report to Jiaping city.”
Wang Pushi shot him a vicious glance. “He got lucky.”
Hua Chengzan raised his head and looked at the ceiling. “Once or twice is luck. If he can defeat those stronger than him and escape death every single time, that’s not luck anymore. That’s strength.”
Wang Pushi said, “Though, his luck has run out.”
Hua Chengzan lowered his head again and said in surprise, “What do you plan on doing?”
Wang Pushi said, “Hmph, I’ll obviously bring him to justice. In just the few months after joining the Hawkwolf Guard, he killed two of his superior officers. I’ve never seen such a bold Black Wolf guard. He has no respect for laws or authority at all.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Look, that’s just my guess. It might not be true. And, there’s no evidence, so why would he admit to it?”
Wang Pushi said, “Are we just supposed to drop this matter like this then?”
Hua Chengzan said, “Zhuo Zhibo was asking for it. He went as far as to mobilise everyone, and he tried to kill his own subordinate. Isn’t Li Qingshan allowed to fight back? Zhuo Zhibo has spent far too much time in Jiaping city, and he has gotten too close to the Sect of Clouds and Rain as well. It’s time for us to change him as well.”
Wang Pushi said, “Then Lao Xishan deserved it as well when he was silenced with death?”
Hua Chengzan pouted. “He probably deserved it. If he wanted to silence people, the people he should have silenced the most would be the disciples of mohism, particularly the one called He Yishi. His testimony is basically trying to incriminate Li Qingshan as the murderer, yet Li Qingshan still saved them. If Li Qingshan were vicious, he would have left them to die in the hands of the Zombie Daoist. Since he has already cleaned up behind himself, and it doesn’t seem like he did it on purpose, why must we be the petty ones here?”
He had quite a good impression of Li Qingshan. Aside from the one time they met in the past, he had close ties to Hua Chenglu, but he ignored her advice. Moreover, Li Qingshan never tried to seek help from the Hua family even when he was in danger. He never even tried to rat out Zhuo Zhibo through Hua Chenglu.
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Chapter 187 – Geniuses and the Ordinary
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Chapter 187 – Geniuses and the Ordinary
The deaths of two Hawkwolf Guard commanders was a ground-shaking matter in certain places, through the eyes of certain people. However, in other places, in the eyes of other people, this was insignificant.
The difference in authority and power resulted in differing focuses. Whether it be Wang Pushi who disliked Li Qingshan or Hua Chengzan who liked him, they both handled this matter as something unimportant. They reached an agreement after just a short talk.
Wang Pushi said, “Fair enough. It’s not like we need to do anything to deal with the kid anyway.”
Hua Chengzan asked, “How come?”
Wang Pushi said, “Vice sect master Wei of the Sect of Clouds and Rain has already ventured to Jiaping city with the four grannies. That shitty son of his went underground in search of Li Qingshan and hasn’t returned since. I think he’s dead. What, didn’t that cohabitor of yours mention it?”
Hua Chengsan said, “You’ve answered your own question. Even you said that she’s just my cohabitor, not my wife. She’s the sect master, so she obviously has to consider the interests of the sect. The child does seem to be rather important to them. They sure don’t take me seriously as a vice commander!” He had forbidden the Sect of Clouds and Rain from laying a finger on Li Qingshan, but they defied his request now, forcefully going about the manner. That was equivalent to disregarding his authority.
Wang Pushi raised an eyebrow. “Once you get through the heavenly tribulation, we can work together. I’d like to see if there is anyone who’s bold enough to defy your requests in the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture by then.” Two Foundation Establishment cultivators who were also Hawkwolf guards possessed absolute authority within the entire Clear River prefecture. In comparison, while only a step separated them from tenth layer Qi Practitioners, a significant difference existed.
Hua Chengsan smiled in a disappointing manner. “Cultivation is about going with the flow. You can’t force it.”
Wang Pushi said, “Forget it. We’ll just stick with what you want. We won’t bring him to justice, nor will we protect him. We’ll just wait and see. I’d like to see if the kid can survive this!”
Hua Chengzan sprang up from his seat and crouched on the desk, patting Wang Pushi’s shoulder. “At the end of the day, he can still be regarded as a person that boss Gu admires. Just stop being dissatisfied with him, old Wang. You’d better be careful if it affects your cultivation.”
Wang Pushi said, “So what? I’m also a person that boss- commander Gu admires. You’ve almost carried me away! If it weren’t for this dissatisfaction, I would be an old man gasping my last breath of air right now! I’ll pay a visit to the Academy of the Hundred Schools and see which kids are willing to head down and take over the position of commander and vice commander.”
Regular Qi Practitioners would have to work laboriously and risk their lives, and only then would they barely be able to become a Black Wolf guard. Yet, those from the Academy of the Hundred Schools could directly become commanders. There really was quite a difference between them.
After Wang Pushi departed, Hua Chengzan became slightly gloomy. He sighed gently. Even if he was as intelligent as they came, standing proudly as a genius, what was the point of all of it if he could not close this distance, even just by a tiny bit?
As geniuses stood where they were, sighing, the ordinary crawled along on the ground.
Smack! A crisp slap sent Qian Rongzhi flying. She rolled in the air and slammed into a wall viciously, falling to the ground. Her entire cheek had already swelled up as blood oozed from the corner of her lips. She no longer seemed charming at all.
“Why didn’t you stop him? And why have you only reported it now?” A grizzled, middle-aged man in expensive, violet robes roared. His true qi surged in a formidable manner, crushing down on Qian Rongzhi from a certain distance away. She was immobilised like an insect about to be squashed.
The middle-aged man was the vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, Wei Zhongyuan. He had already reached the highest level of the Method of Clouds and Rain. Only a step separated him from Foundation Establishment. He was a figure who stood at the apex among Qi Practitioners.
To the sides of the hall sat four shrivelled, old women, all covered in cosmetics. It was quite a strange sight. Even from ten steps away, it was possible to smell the cosmetics they wore.
They all tweaked their appearances, drawing their eyebrows, applying eye make-up, and manicuring their nails. None of them even glanced at Qian Rongzhi. A few young men stood behind them as they served them with their utmost attention.
One of them was the West Gate Granny. Two handsome young men massaged her shoulders, while she lowered her head and sipped some tea. She paid no attention to her disciple’s miserable state.
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes were teary as she said in a pitiful manner, “I tried everything, but I wasn’t able to dissuade young master Wei. Sect master, you really can’t blame me for this!”
“How dare you talk back!” Wei Zhongyuan extended his hand and true qi flew over thirty meters away, lifting Qian Rongzhi into the air. “With my son’s temperament, he would have never tried to search for Li Qingshan if he hadn’t been bewitched by a whore like you. There’s no news of him even now.” If it were not for the fact that Qian Rongzhi was just too weak, he basically would have suspected Qian Rongzhi to be the culprit behind it all. Of course, this did not originate from his rational thinking, but from the pure anger that he wanted to vent on her.
With a shriek, all of Qian Rongzhi’s bones creaked. They were close to being crushed. “I… really…”
The door was suddenly flung open and several Black Wolf guards barged in. “What are you trying to…” After seeing what was going on, they all paled in fright. They received news that a Black Wolf guard was trapped in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, so they all rushed over in a hurry. However, they never thought that they would run into such a powerful group of Qi Practitioners. They had almost been left speechless.
“W- what are you trying to do? A- are you trying to kill someone from the Hawkwolf Guard?”
Wei Zhongyuan remembered how Qian Rongzhi possessed another identity. The West Gate Granny coughed gently. “Sect master, just leave the matter be. It’s not Rongzhi’s fault anyway. We better find little Jie quickly instead! I’ve watched that kid grow up, so I don’t wish for anything to happen to him either.”
Wei Zhongyang snorted coldly before tossing Qian Rongzhi aside resentfully. The Black Wolf guards were afraid to come help her up. Qian Rongzhi managed to get back onto her feet, and she knelt at the West Gate Granny in gratitude. “Thank you, granny!” Then she bowed her head towards Wei Zhongyuan. “Thank you, sect master!”
“If we can’t find Jie’er, just you wait!” Wei Zhongyuan turned around swiftly and made his way out. The four grannies followed closely behind, while the young men all walked past Qian Rongzhi in a chattery manner, looking at her dishevelled shape in disdain. They discussed loudly, “Look at her! She looks like a bitch!”
A young man beside the West Gate Granny said, “Right? She even wanted to suck up to granny. How shameless.”
Qian Rongzhi kept her head lowered, such that her messy hair hid her face, preventing anyone from seeing the light in her eyes.
Fortunately, she had thought of sending someone to seek reinforcements from the Hawkwolf Guard first, or she really might have been killed in this old bastard’s rage, which would have been a waste. If she used the Vitality Devouring technique on a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, would it be enough for her to break through to the sixth layer and condense a sea of qi?
The Black Wolf guards glanced at Qian Rongzhi. One of them said, “Now you know the consequences that come from trying to cling onto the stinky feet of the Sect of Clouds and Rain!”
“When the Parlour of Clouds and Rain opens again, we’ll take good care of the business considering the fact that we’re colleagues. Rongzhi, once you recover from your injuries, hopefully you’ll treat us well!”
A few people smiled nefariously as they fearlessly ogled Qian Rongzhi’s lovely stature.
They were Black Wolf guards who had originally been pushed to one side by Zhuo Zhibo. They were filled with envy and disdain towards Qian Rongzhi, who had managed to get on Zhuo Zhibo’s good side as soon as she had joined the Hawkwolf Guard. Now that Zhuo Zhibo was gone, they all felt like it was time for them to rise up. They felt extremely pleased with themselves, such that they became arrogant from their success.
Qian Rongzhi stood up. Under the soothing of true qi, her swollen face returned to normal, only leaving behind some dark, blue bruising. She wiped away the blood from the corner of her lips and smiled. “I just happen to be interested in carrying out a mission, but I probably won’t succeed if I go alone, so I’ll have to ask for your help. I’ll definitely pay back your kindness properly.”
The Black Wolf guards looked at one another. They were all tempted, but the disdain they showed deepened. Qian Rongzhi was just a whore who used her body to climb up. Now that the person she relied on, Zhuo Zhibo, had collapsed, she obviously needed someone new to depend on. Out of them, one was at the fourth layer and three were at the third layer. They were basically all of the core strength that remained in the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city. They were very good targets to curry up to.
It was perfect for them to try this woman. It was not like they had to be afraid of any tricks she could use with their strength.
Right after Qian Rongzhi and the four Black Wolf guards received the mission in the falconry and were about to set off, they ran into Diao Fei.
Diao Fei glanced at Qian Rongzhi and immediately moved to one side. He asked politely, “You’re all…?”
The leading fourth layer Qi Practitioner said, “We’re going on a small mission. Some daemons have been acting up, so we want to take a look. Do you want to come along?”
“Hehe, big brother, it’s just a small mission. Won’t that be a little too many people?” A Black Wolf guard smiled nefariously, leading to a wave of laughter.
Come along!? Diao Fei did not even have enough time to avoid this woman, yet they somehow had the courage to go on a mission with her. Ever since the mission in Ancient Wing city, he became extremely cautious about Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi. He swore that he would never do anything with them again. He maintained a low profile and went about his matters alone, accumulating resources and avoiding disturbances. He was preparing for his breakthrough to the fourth layer.
When he heard that Zhuo Zhibo had led a group of Black Wolf guards to hunt down Li Qingshan, he was not like the other Black Wolf guards who firmly believed that Li Qingshan was done for. The end result from all of this was the disappearance of nine Hawkwolf Guards, with two commanders among them. He was not bold enough to say that Li Qingshan was behind all of it, but he definitely felt that Li Qingshan had something to do with it.
This consolidated his thoughts all the more. He could not afford to travel alongside a tiger! However, it was possible to guard against tiger attacks, but venomous snakes were impossible to defend against. His gaze towards these Black Wolf guards was rather strange. He basically said with some pity for them, “I still have things I need to do.” before leaving in a hurry.
“What a loner.”
“Forget it. Let’s go.” The fourth layer Qi Practitioner placed his hand around Qian Rongzhi’s hips in a natural fashion and brought it downwards.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. While different types of true qi would cause a slight problem, how could she turn down prey that was basically delivered to her?
The next day, Qian Rongzhi returned to Jiaping quietly with four round sacks. She returned to the palace below the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
Whether they were geniuses or ordinary, they all had to find a way to live, no matter what the method was. However, when the ordinary refused to remain in mediocrity and accept the arrangements of fate, desiring everything that geniuses possessed, they would have to rack their brains and pay a price. This price was not just hardships and hard work. It could even involve sacrificing their dignity, enduring abuse, abandoning their feelings, and throwing themselves into hellish misery.
Deep underground, in the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling, Li Qingshan underwent a great trial as well as sweat poured from his black iron-like body.
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Chapter 188 – The Strength of Two Oxen
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Chapter 188 – The Strength of Two Oxen
The effects from swallowing a thousand Qi Gathering pills at the same time was akin to swallowing a bomb. He felt like a fire raged in his belly, about to blow his stomach to shreds. It if were not for the fact that he had already daemonified, so his body was much tougher than regular people, this process would have been enough to claim his life.
Under the effects of the medicines, the daemon qi gradually became violent, losing control and rampaging about fearlessly as if it wanted to blow up Li Qingshan.
If it were not for the fact that the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging had made his body as tough as steel, even regular daemons would have exploded from that. If he had so many advantages, and he did not go a little tougher on himself, he would not be a man.
He ignored the pain as he forcefully moved his body, raising his leg, lifting his shoulder, and punching out, guiding the daemon qi along a fixed path. He unleashed the three forms, the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves, the Ox Demon Butts its Horns, and the Ox Demon Forges its Hide, again and again. Who knows how many times he had unleashed them. He had sworn that he would only emerge to see Xiao An once he had broken through to the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and attained the strength of two oxen.
Five figures moved rapidly over the wilderness. It was Wei Zhongyuan and the four grannies from the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Every single one of them was surrounded by a flow of qi. Their feet did not touch the ground as they moved with the wind while their sleeves ruffled in the breeze. They were extremely graceful.
A farmer saw this from afar as he worked in the fields. He immediately knelt down on the ground and proclaimed, “Immortals!”
The five of them did not even glance at him. They made a turn and arrived above the river, kicking up waves in the water. They followed the river straight to the entrance of the Zombie cave before stopping. As they stood above the water, they gazed at the pitch-black cave that seemed no different from the gaping mouth of a beast.
“It might be dangerous in the cave. The two commanders from the Hawkwolf Guard have probably lost their lives in there. It’s very likely that Li Qingshan possesses an Iron Plate corpse.” Wei Zhongyuan warned them, displaying his bearing as a leader of a sect at the same time.
“With what we’re capable of, an Iron Plate corpse is nothing,” said the East Gate Granny with a sneer. “If it were a Steel Plate corpse, then we’d need to be careful, and if it were a Bronze Daemon Corpse, then I’d leave without even looking back.”
The West Gate Granny sneered as she said, “Big sis, you’ve grown senile to say something as foolish as that. There are quite a few daemons and daemonic beasts underground, or even Daemon Generals. There’ll be trouble if you run into a Daemon General. If we come across a Daemon General, all five of us will have to lay our lives down there.”
The East Gate Granny raised an eyebrow. She hated when people mentioned how old she was the most. She cursed, “You old hag, are you trying to call me ignorant? How can a Daemon General appear in such a shallow place? If there really are Daemon Generals, why would the Zombie Daoist build a dwelling here?”
Wei Zhongyuan said, “Stop arguing. There’s nothing wrong with being careful. We have to save my son, kill that Li Qingshan, and capture that child with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty this time. Let’s go!” With a wave of his hand, he flew into the cave first.
The burning sensation in Li Qingshan’s belly gradually spread throughout his body. His black skin reddened slightly. As soon as sweat oozed out, it turned into white steam, rapidly rising from his bulky, powerful body; it was like he was in a steamer.
His movements as he practised the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength became slower and slower as well. In the end, he became so slow that he seemed like he was practising tai chi. As he slowed down, even the air seemed to thicken with him.
However, every punch he threw was able to make the air in the entire cave surge. The air was just like the daemon qi in his body, rampaging about and resonating in the narrow cave. It resonated in an oppressive matter.
He had reached the most crucial moment in his cultivation.
The five of them had arrived at the first fork. Just when Wei Zhongyuan tried to sense for any aura, the West Gate Granny was already prepared. She took out a spherical, wooden ball.
“What’s this?”
“A Pathfinding Insect Hive.”
“That mohist by the surname of He sold it to me. He even made me keep it a secret.” The West Gate Granny twisted the mechanism, and a complete underground map appeared. This was a record of when the mohist disciples had ventured into here last time.
The five of them directly flew towards the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling. They were even faster than birds.
The scarlet red from Li Qingshan became more and more obvious. It basically flowed out of him, making him seem like a heated piece of iron.
The red light in his eyes became brighter and brighter as well. There was the sound of stretching iron as he rapidly grew taller, becoming even larger and stronger.
Thirty-three feet, thirty-five feet, thirty-seven feet.
The process was extremely painful, but he grinned widely, revealing his sharp teeth. He seemed extremely satisfied.
A while later, the five of them arrived at the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling, and they barged in without any hesitation at all. They searched around, but all the rooms were empty. Only the cultivation room was blocked up by a huge piece of rock.
The West Gate Granny asked, “Is he in there?”
Wei Zhongyuan walked over without any hesitation and casually struck out with his hand. The rock shattered loudly.
Li Qingshan grew by twelve feet, reaching forty-two feet. He let out an explosive bellow and spread his arms to the sides and produced a roar!
The lakewater beside him was suddenly blown apart, ramming against the walls in the surroundings as waves several meters in height. The waterfall almost ended up flowing backwards. The muddy depths of the lake were revealed within a radius of ten meters from him.
As it turned out, Li Qingshan had found the ceiling of the cultivation room to be too low, so he came to the underground lake where he had fought Zhuo Zhibo and the others. The ceiling was two hundred feet high, so he could move around freely there. He just happened to avoid the people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain in there as well.
Li Qingshan laughed heartily. He had finally reached the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, and his physical strength had reached an extremely terrifying level. The lakewater flowed back towards him and formed a great vortex around him. It was enough to swallow boats, yet it only managed to reach up to his waist.
A figure flew towards Li Qingshan. He extended his hand, and the figure landed in his palm. She was Xiao An. She also grinned, feeling happy for him.
Li Qingshan felt like his body was filled with explosive power. He had never felt so great before. He waded through the water and arrived by the shore, pressing his hands against the stone walls. The rocks that had been left untouched for all these years were so tough that even blades would struggle to leave a mark. However, he only pressed gently, and his hand sank into it without any resistance at all, like he was pressing against mud. Moreover, he developed a weak connection with the rock.
Afterwards, he tried a new experiment. He took out a Wind-entwining blade and swung it at his own chest. With a clang, sparks flew and the blade rebounded away. It failed to even leave a mark on his body.
Afterwards, he took out Zhuo Zhibo’s mid grade spiritual artifact blade and replicated the speed and strength when Zhuo Zhibo controlled it, stabbing it at himself. All he felt was a slight sting, but it failed to penetrate him as well.
Having reached the second layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, his strength was not the only factor that had grown; his terrifying defence had become greater as well. If he combined it with the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, even Hao Pingyang’s Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light would struggle to leave a mark on him.
With his body as a daemon, he could massacre as many sixth layer Qi Practitioners as he wanted as long as they were presented before him. The only question he considered right now was whether this strength was sufficient to defeat ninth layer Qi Practitioners like the West Gate Granny. Killing intent flashed through his eyes. The Sect of Clouds and Rain was determined to take Xiao An away, which had crossed his bottom line. It made him determined to kill them.
However, he placated this killing intent afterwards. The Sect of Clouds and Rain was still a colossal, undefeatable existence in his eyes. He needed to keep enduring whatever they threw at him.
Wei Zhongyuan looked at the empty cultivation room. “He’s not here!”
“No, he’s been here before!” The West Gate Granny wiped the stone table. There was not a speck of dust on there.
When Xiao An was bored, she would frequently order the puppet and Iron Plate corpse around to clean.
The West Gate Granny said in a sinister manner, “He’ll definitely return here. We can set a trap here and just wait for him to walk into it!”
They glanced at one another and nodded together. Immediately, they hid themselves in the darkness and concealed their auras, waiting for Li Qingshan to walk towards his own doom.
They could imagine how Li Qingshan would be like a trapped tiger once he set foot here. He would never be able to escape.
Li Qingshan returned to human form and looked at himself in the water. He smiled bitterly.
Right now, he seemed no different from the burly NBA stars from his former life. He was riddled with muscles. He seemed like a ferocious beast just by standing there. In no way did he seem like a sixteen-year-old teenager. He opened his mouth and rubbed his long canines as he felt even more helpless.
The first layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression just happened to be enough to suppress the first layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Now that Li Qingshan had reached the second layer with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, that was equivalent to breaking this balance. Immediately, he gained many more features of daemons. If he reached the second layer with the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging as well, he probably would not be able to suppress these changes anymore. He would not be able to return to human form.
“Whatever! The most important part of a man is not his appearance!” Li Qingshan said to Xiao An, “I’m very manly like this, aren’t I?”
Xiao An nodded firmly. She liked him no matter how he seemed.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, let’s go back!” He took a step forward, but all he felt was the ground give way. Looking down, he had left behind a deep footprint. He sighed gently and began to focus on controlling his power as he advanced step by step. He no longer felt like he was treading on air, and his steps grew faster and faster. Gradually, he felt like the firm ground was strangely springy, allowing him to travel even further with each step.
The five peak Qi Practitioners waited quietly in the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling. They waited for a long time. One day passed, two days passed, and three days passed. A layer of dust formed on the stone table again.
As Qi Practitioners, they were all people with patience, but just when were they supposed to wait until?
Li Qingshan originally wanted to return to the dwelling, but his stomach growled. It was thunderous. He rubbed his belly. “I feel like I can eat ten oxen. Let’s go find something to eat first!”
He had already emptied out the food in all of his hundred treasures pouches. Although he would not starve to death as long as he had Qi Gathering pills combined with absorbing the spiritual qi of the world through his daemon core, eating actual food still came with benefits, and it would be preserving one of his joys of living. He took out the underground mental map, found the closest exit that led to the surface, and made his way out.
PS: Li Qingshan has become Li Erniu1! Let’s give him an applause of warm welcome! Please send monthly tickets!
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1. Erniu means two oxen.
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Chapter 189 – In Search of a Place for Cultivation
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Chapter 189 – In Search of a Place for Cultivation
The exit was in a mountainous forest. As it happened to be the middle of autumn, the mountain had become dyed. Red, yellow, and green merged together to form a fluctuating landscape. As the brilliant sunlight landed on his eyes, he blinked, breathing in deeply to take in the fresh air of the surface.
As expected, he was much more suited for living on the surface. The Zombie Daoist’s dwelling was too deep underground, so he could not come out and get a fresh breath of air whenever he wanted. It would be best if he could find a somewhat obscure cave and build a house over it. Afterwards, he would be able to dive into the ground or come out and get some fresh air whenever he wanted. That would be the life!
Of course, it was not like the Zombie Daoist preferred it underground. Instead, he had decided on this after some consideration. If his dwelling was too close to the surface, it would be too easy for the Hawkwolf Guard to storm his base and arrest him. He paid peculiar attention to the location of his dwelling as well. When Li Qingshan cultivated there, he could feel his true qi move about much faster. He could sense that the spiritual qi of the world in the cave was much denser than other places through his Fengchi acupoint.
Spiritual veins riddled the underground. The dwelling must have been located above a certain spiritual vein, abiding to the need of a good environment out of the four crucial elements to cultivation—wealth, companionship, method, and environment. Although it was not on the level of blessed lands mentioned in the legends, it still brought great benefit to cultivation.
However, Li Qingshan had never been walking a path of cultivation where he was supposed to advance steadily, step by step. Instead, he relied on tremendous amounts of pills to forcefully push his cultivation forward. A special place for cultivation did not hold much significance to him. It was not like he would need one until he had finished all the pills he had on him.
Opening the mental map of the Green province, Li Qingshan confirmed his location. He was in a place a hundred kilometers south-east of Jiaping city. It was on the boundary of the region that the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city was responsible for, which was exactly what he wanted.
Fifteen kilometers to the south was a small city called Salt Mountain city, as it was located on a mountain of salt.
The value of salt mines was no less than gold or iron mines. Although they were not enough to attract interest from Qi Practitioners, they were places that people of the jianghu would fight over. Whether it be claiming a salt mine or transporting the salt, it all required the protection of masters. It was a place where the tradition of martial arts was deeply ingrained. All the people on the streets carried blades and swords, moving about however they pleased. They all seemed imposing.
The greatest organisation in the city was the Proud Sword manor. Its disciples amounted to three thousand, while their lord of the manor, Yu Shukuang, was a first-rate master, one of the leading figures in the orthodoxy of the jianghu. He had trained the sword to a level of perfection and had purged the city of evildoers. He was basically the actual person in charge of the city. Even the district magistrate had to bow to him.
However, great hero Yu had his troubles. The troubles of everyone powerful were mostly related to encountering someone even more powerful. He felt helpless.
“Manor lord Yu, I’ll be taking those kids then,” said a middle-aged man. He wore a set of green robes and wielded a sword in a green scabbard. His collar and cuffs were embroidered with green vines. Surprisingly, the aura he gave off was at the third layer. Beside him stood four children around twelve or thirteen years of age. They were all excited but rather reluctant to leave as well.
Yu Shukuang smiled along. “Alright. Feel free to take them, brother Liu. These children will definitely have a better future in the Green Vine mountain.”
These children were all of his most outstanding young disciples. Two of them came from humble origins, so he even went as far as to keep them fed and clothed for several years, just so the Proud Sword sect could gain a few more masters in the future. However, he never thought they would just end up being poached away. These disciples of the Green Vine mountain came over, flapped their gums, and took them away. It was painful.
Cultivation sects required outstanding talents as well as new blood, but with the tiny number of Qi Practitioners that existed in the world, it was impossible for them to go from household to household in search of suitable talent. Instead, they would directly come to these larger sects and gangs of the jianghu, which became an extremely convenient and effective method. Many cultivation sects even created their own gangs and schools, just to expand their influence so that it would be easier to recruit disciples.
“Our Green Vine mountain obviously won’t take advantage of you. Here’s a Qi Gathering pill. It’ll be very beneficial for when you break through to the innate realm.” Liu Fengrui left behind an embroidered box, and all that was inside the box was a pitiful Qi Gathering pill. However, he acted like he had just done Yu Shukuang a great favour.
Yu Shukuang cursed inside. Do you really think I’m an ignorant bumpkin!? With his wealth and how common Qi Gathering pills were among Qi Practitioners, even buying several dozen of them would have been a piece of cake. It brought no benefit to his future attempts at breaking through to the innate realm at all. However, he acted like he was flattered. “That’s far too precious!”
At this moment, a disciple hurried over and reported, “Lord of the manor, someone wishes to see you.”
Yu Shukuang said furiously, “Can’t you see that I’m receiving a valued guest?”
The disciple said pitifully, “But he said he’s your friend, manor lord.”
Liu Fengrui said, “If that’s the case, I’ll take my leave then.”
Yu Shukuang stood up in a hurry to see him off. He constantly nodded and bowed his head along the way, but he sighed inside. Zijian, oh Zijian, don’t disappoint your father. You need to accomplish something with your cultivation so that you can back up your father when you return.
Sending him off at the front entrance, Yu Shukuang glanced from the corner of his eye and saw a figure as robust as an ox sitting on a long bench near the entrance. He wore a great big bamboo hat that obscured his appearance, and he had a large bamboo basket beside him. It was lidded, so it was impossible to tell what it was holding.
The disciple whispered, “Manor lord, that’s him!”
Yu Shukuang was confident that he did not have a friend like that, or he definitely would have remembered such a stature. No, he should say that he had never seen someone with such a figure in his entire life before.
The figure stood up quickly and arrived before Yu Shukuang. “Great hero Yu, long time no see.”
At that moment, Yu Shukuang basically felt his vision darken slightly. However, the sincere voice sounded rather familiar. “You’re?”
Li Qingshan lifted his hat slightly. Although his stature and skin tone had changed tremendously, such that even his face had become rather strange, Yu Shukuang still managed to recognise him with a single glance. He cried out, “It’s you!”
Liu Fengrui completely ignored Yu Shukuang. He directly boarded his carriage and departed. He had never taken great hero Yu seriously the entire time.
Yu Shukuang was no longer in the mood to lose his temper over that. The Tiger Butcher had come knocking, so what good could come out of that? He became temporarily stunned.
“Let’s go in and talk!” Li Qingshan smiled. Originally, he wanted to express some good will through that, but he revealed his long, protruding teeth, which instead made him seem more vicious and up to no good. Yu Shukuang shuddered, following Li Qingshan into the manor at a complete loss. Just what had he done to deserve this?
Li Qingshan had specially selected a city that was slightly larger but without Qi Practitioners from the map, which would bring him convenience to purchase food; this was why he had chosen Salt Mountain city. However, his appetite was just too large, so if he went to buy food himself, it would be too troublesome, and it would raise attention. If he were discovered by an informant of the Hawkwolf Guard, it would be bad. As a result, he needed someone with some influence in the local area to help him handle this matter.
He could vaguely recall that Yu Shukuang had once invited him to Salt Mountain city with great enthusiasm in the restaurant in Lakeside city. As a result, he located the city on the map and came knocking.
Yu Shukuang sent away his disciples tactfully and asked, “Sir Li, what brings you to such a remote place?”
Li Qingshan said, “There are a few matters that I need to trouble you with!” He casually pulled out a wad of silver notes. “That’s around a million taels of silver. That’s the deposit.”
“Sir, I can’t accept that. As long as there’s any place I can be of use, I’ll do anything, no matter the danger or the cost,” Yu Shukuang said in a delightful manner, but what he thought was, Who would be bold enough to accept the Tiger Butcher’s money?
“Take it!” Li Qingshan said indifferently.
“Yes, sir!” Yu Shukuang immediately accepted the money as cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Who was bold enough to turn down the Tiger Butcher’s money?
Li Qingshan said, “There’s a house between the mountains to the south-east of the city. I want to buy it and stay in it for some time. That’s what the money’s for.”
“Yes! I’ll send people to handle this immediately, no, I’ll handle it myself. I guarantee you that you’ll be able to move in by tonight.” Yu Shukuang assured as he patted his chest.
“I don’t want anyone to know that I’m here, including your friends and family, with your daughter in particular. If any news of me makes it out…”
“That won’t happen. If I tell this to anyone else, I’ll let myself be smited by the hea-” Yu Shukuang immediately lifted his right hand to swear an oath.
Li Qingshan interrupted him. “Forget about the oath. It’s not like I’m relying on that either. As long as you’re willing to help me out, I won’t mistreat you. I won’t be like that person earlier who tried paying you off with a single Qi Gathering pill.”
Yu Shukuang felt both ashamed and astounded. Li Qingshan had actually managed to hear the conversation in the main hall several hundred meters away as he sat at the entrance.
Li Qingshan said, “Where’s the Qi Gathering pill?”
Yu Shukuang took out the embroidered box in a hurry and Li Qingshan took it from him. He took out the Qi Gathering pill and tossed it in his mouth. “Quality’s not too bad.”
Yu Shukuang was devastated. Qi Gathering pills were still extremely precious pills to masters of the jianghu who practised internal martial arts like him. They were worth one or two hundred thousand taels of silver elsewhere. He was clearly just stringing him along by saying he would not mistreat him.
Li Qingshan took out a new pill from his hundred treasures pouch and placed it in the box. “Do you recognise this pill?”
Yu Shukuang’s eyes widened immediately. “That’s… a Hundred Grasses pill!” Now that was much rarer and more precious than Qi Gathering pills. It was basically never sold on the market. Even if he spent two hundred thousand taels, he would not be able to get his hands on one. If he could eat one of them, his chances at breaking through to the innate realm would increase.
Li Qingshan returned the box to Yu Shukuang. “That’s a deposit as well. I hope we have a smooth cooperation.” Fear and interest have always been the absolute methods to controlling people. Li Qingshan just happened to lack neither.
An hour later, Li Qingshan obtained the deed to the house. He stood up and bid farewell. “Oh right. Don’t call me by my name in the future.”
“What should I call you then?”
Li Qingshan thought about it. “Just call me Niu’er1.”
Yu Shukuang was experienced, so he could tell from a long time ago that Li Qingshan was purposefully trying to hide his identity. However, he just utterly disagreed with Li Qingshan’s naming sense.
Li Qingshan said, “Oh also, send ten, no, twenty tables of food over everyday.” He had almost lost sensation in his tongue after cultivating underground for all this time.
Li Qingshan stood inside the house between the mountains. The entire place had already been cleaned, and everything had been watered too. Who knows how Yu Shukuang had managed all of that. The mountains and forests in the surroundings complemented one another, forming a very tranquil and beautiful scene. It was secluded, yet also close to Salt Mountain city. It was the exact place Li Qingshan wanted for cultivation.
Li Qingshan placed down his bamboo basket, and Xiao An crawled out from inside. She looked around and seemed very satisfied as well.
Li Qingshan took out the two mental maps of the underground and the Green province and compared them. The underground map indicated that a cave just happened to pass underneath this place. It was just a few meters below the surface, so he could link the house to it with just a little bit of effort.
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1. Not a term of endearment this time. Niu’er translates to Ox-two in a literal sense, kind of like Li Er in the past. It’s not a very sophisticated name.
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Chapter 190 – The Third Layer
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Chapter 190 – The Third Layer
By then, he could do whatever he wanted. If the Sect of Clouds and Rain found him, he could escape to the caves. He only needed to take a few twists and turns; with his aura hidden, the Sect of Clouds and Rain would never be able to capture him.
The estate occupied a few thousand square meters. As it was located in the mountains, many fallen leaves soon covered it again despite having just been sweeped earlier.
It was a secluded place, where the scenery and building complemented each other. The place gave off an antiquated aura within its tranquility. Who knows just what it had weathered already. The original, wooden carvings on the beams and columns had faded, which instead replaced the sense of extravagance with a certain weatheredness.
Li Qingshan was extremely satisfied. It was even better than his residence at the Hawkwolf Guard. He lowered his head and said, “Looks like we’ll be staying here for a while.” He rubbed Xiao An’s head. “Once I rise up and accomplish something with my ability, I’ll knock on their doors one by one and make the people of the Sect of Rain and Clouds bleed. They’re dreaming if they think they can take you! Hahahaha!” His smile was as resplendent as the sun.
Xiao An was infected by his laughter and a smile formed on her face like a ripple in water. She thought to herself, Yeah, no one can take me away.
In order to buy this place, money alone would likely not have been enough to do the job for Yu Shukuang. He relied on the Proud Sword manor’s influence as a gang as well. Just like the food chain, the Green Vine mountain could just send a disciple over and that would be enough to render great hero Yu docile, while great hero Yu could turn a few rich merchants docile just by turning around.
What a brutal social hierarchy!
Li Qingshan sighed. He looked through the manor, in search of a place to begin digging.
Xiao An pulled out a book on the shelf in the study, and with a creak, the shelf turned around, revealing a flight of steps downwards.
Li Qingshan gave Xiao An a thumbs up. “Nicely done. Let’s go in and take a look!”
As soon as Li Qingshan and Xiao An set foot inside, the bookshelf closed automatically. With the strength that they possessed, they were fearless, so they ventured downwards with nothing to be scared of.
They discovered that this was a man-made secret room, divided into several dozen rooms and connected by several secret passageways. They led to a few important structures in the estate. There was also a large stockpile of grains and food in there.
Li Qingshan had once heard that rich and influential families would all construct secret rooms like this when they built their estates so that they could seek shelter during times of strife. With somewhere to hide, it might even be enough to shield their entire clan from destruction. However, this was the first time he had ever witnessed something like this.
This had instead saved him some trouble. He took out the underground mental map and matched it to the entire hidden structure. He arrived in a stone room, raised his right foot, and stomped down heavily.
With a thump, the floor became covered in cracks; followed by a rumble, the rock and soil all collapsed, kicking up motes of dust.
The dust settled and revealed a great hole in the floor. Li Qingshan stuck his head into the cave and looked around. As expected, it was connected to the cave system below. He smiled happily. With this path of retreat, he could cultivate in peace now.
Returning above ground, the twenty tables of food had already been delivered. Li Qingshan indulged in the food heartily. Xiao An ate some with him before placing down her chopsticks and watching him eat as she leaned on her hands.
After enough food and drink, Xiao An went to the study to look at the books, while Li Qingshan meditated in the courtyard. He swallowed ten Qi Gathering pills in a single gulp, and they were swallowed up by the daemon core as soon as they were digested, all converted into daemon qi.
He had decided to direct his focus back to the cultivation of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression from today onwards. If his cultivation of the spirit turtle was too low, it would be insufficient to keep the ox demon and tiger demon suppressed, preventing him from reverting to human form. It would lead to quite a lot of trouble.
The Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging could drastically strengthen his body, endowing him with extraordinary battle prowess. However, what controlled his cultivation as a daemon was the tiny daemon core condensed from the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression.
The first layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression was condensing a daemon core, allowing him to reach a level equivalent to the sixth layer of human Qi Practitioners. If he reached the second layer, it should result in him breaking through his current realm, allowing him to become a Daemon General. By then, he would not have to fear the Sect of Clouds and Rain anymore.
However, this would be far more difficult than reaching the second layer with the ox demon or tiger demon. Of course, now that he had mentioned it, this was not exactly difficult. Instead, it was an issue of time. He could not afford to waste a few decades or a century on this. He still wanted to go looking for Gu Yanying once he became accomplished in his cultivation.
If a century passed in a blink of an eye, perhaps she would not age, but it would already be a miracle if he could still remember her name. No matter how deeply he had fallen in love at first sight, how could it withstand the erosion of time? He had to try to win her over while this feeling for her remained.
He had also promised to take Xuanyue to the Dragon province. Who knows just how quickly her cultivation could advance with the pills from the provincial lord’s estate. She might even end up achieving something before him during that century and run off by herself. By then, wouldn’t his promise just be a joke?
And, if he spent too much time on the ground, his brother ox beyond the Nine Heavens would probably run out of patience, even though he had never seen him run out of patience before.
In short, it was simple. He had to devote himself to cultivation and advance aggressively. He wanted to use countless pills to pave a shortcut to success so that he could rise up.
He closed his eyes. Externally, he drew in the spiritual qi of the world, while he absorbed the pills internally. He constantly gathered, took in, and converted the energy.
The sky was clear, only awash with moonlight. He let out his daemon core, which spun into the air, radiating with deep blue light that pulsed like it was breathing. A smear of moonlight was absorbed into the daemon core as well.
His mind, on the other hand, constantly descended, like a spirit turtle sinking into a bottomless abyss, entering a sleep of millennia, almost like it did not exist.
The spiritual qi of the world constantly surged into his daemon core and body.
The part of him that was usually the most sensitive to the spiritual qi of the world, the Fengchi acupoint on the back of his head, seemed to have become the perfect entry point. Most of the spiritual qi just entered his Yang Heel meridian like that, flowing through his meridians.
Originally, this was supposed to be something that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could achieve, but this young man who walked both the path of humans and daemons managed to accomplish this unknowingly.
The extremely pure energy of the world was originally an elixir only powerful cultivators who had truly embarked on the path of cultivation could enjoy, yet it flowed through the body of a measly Qi Practitioner like him.
Compared to this spiritual qi of the world, the Qi Gathering pills refined from herbs that humans had devoted so much effort into picking were like dregs to fine wine.
Li Qingshan’s cultivation of the Innate Method of Practising Qi had already reached the sixth layer. He had reached the peak of the second layer as a Qi Practitioner. The amount of true qi his Yang Heel meridian could hold was already full.
The mental cultivation method of the seventh layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi filled his mind naturally, and he began to use it unknowingly.
The true qi in him surged towards the Zhaohai acupoint on his ankle. Because Li Qingshan was not directly controlling, it was unable to condense into a form that could pierce the obstruction. All of it accumulated there, unable to advance forwards.
However, with the support from the spiritual qi of the world, the true qi surged over in waves like the tide, rising up before the previous had even settled, unrelenting and without pause.
He did not rely on any pills, nor was his true qi consumed. It was endless. The waves smashed against the Zhaohai acupoint constantly.
Even if the ‘dam’ would not waver after a hundred times, what about a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand times?
Finally, the dam fell apart and collapsed. The true qi flowed through the Yin Heel meridian and encountered the second obstacle.
Originally, failure at any point would render all previous efforts null and void, forcing people to start over. This was why Qi Practitioners would always prepare enough pills and spiritual stones when they wanted to open up a meridian.
That would be like infusing more water into the river of true qi. But right now, Li Qingshan’s river of true qi was directly connected with the boundless ocean. He had endless amounts of spiritual qi of the world.
No matter how many times his true qi was obstructed by the dams, it would never weaken and fade away. It would only advance slowly, washing up against the dam another ten thousand times. It was extremely gradual, but extremely steady as well. The acupoints were opened one by one, leading to the final destination of the Yin Heel meridian, the Jingming acupoint on his face.
The acupoint governed sight, which was why it was called Jingming, or the acupoint of Clear Vision. Once the acupoint was opened, Qi Practitioner could see further away and see smaller things, all to the utmost detail. This acupoint could not be avoided if Li Qingshan wanted to open his Yin Heel meridian.
There was no difficulty at all. The true qi flowed into the Jingming acupoint and connected with the Yang Heel meridian like the unity of two great rivers. It formed a strange environment, where yin and yang qi constantly flowed through his meridians.
However, Li Qingshan was ignorant of all of this. He had actually broken through to the third layer of Qi Practitioner unknowingly. Probably no one would believe him if he ever mentioned it.
The autumn wind swept through the trees. A withered leaf gave way, falling off a twig. It drifted over the white walls and fell towards Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
A soft, white hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the leaf, tossing it aside. Xiao An had swept away all of the fallen leaves in the courtyard with a broom she had found somewhere, while the puppet and Iron Plate corpse were responsible for using woven dustpans to scoop up the leaves and pour them outside.
Thump, thump, thump. Someone knocked at the door, and Xiao An went over to open it. Two disciples of the Proud Sword manor removed several dozen large boxes of food and placed them on the stone steps at the entrance.
A mild-mannered young man said, “Little sister, here’s today’s food. Is great hero Niu still training?”
Xiao An nodded in a rather unpractised manner. Li Qingshan had always been responsible for communicating with people in the past. Now that Li Qingshan was cultivating, only she could handle them now. She had yet to grow accustomed to it.
The young man had already come a few times before. He knew that Xiao An never spoke, so he did not find it to be strange. He asked quietly, “Do you want me to deliver the food inside today?”
Xiao An shook her head.
The young man was slightly disappointed. He really wanted to check out this great hero Niu that his master basically worshipped, or should he say, treated like a great calamity.
Yu Shukuang was afraid to slight Li Qingshan. Just like what he had requested, he would send two trusted disciples to deliver twenty tables of food everyday. He had basically watched these two disciples grow up, so they were almost like sons to him. He had also reminded them countless times the importance of this matter, as well as the importance of keeping their mouths shut about this. However, this only made the two of them even more curious. Unfortunately, all they met was a mute little girl every time they came here.
The other young man asked, “Little sister, what kind of person is great hero Niu?”
Xiao An was slightly taken aback. Even if she could speak, she was unable to answer that question properly.
The mild-mannered young man raised the reins, and the horse pulled away with the carriage into the woods. All that was left was Xiao An standing at the entrance, stowing away the boxes of food. Suddenly, her heart trembled slightly.
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Chapter 191 – Xiao An Speaks
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Chapter 191 – Xiao An Speaks
On the carriage, the two of them discussed, “Senior brother, I heard the great hero Niu who stays there stands nine feet tall and is built like a rock.”
The mild-mannered young man expressed his doubts, “Is he really that tall? I find it all quite strange. Since when did the world have masters who bear the surname of Niu?”
“What’s wrong with the surname Niu? My surname is Ma1!”
“It’s not like I’m talking about you, so what’re you getting so frantic for? Sigh, what a nice child. She’ll definitely become a great beauty when she grows up. It’s just a pity she’s mute. What a pity!”
The carriage had already pulled extremely far away, far beyond the hearing range of regular first-rate masters. However, Xiao An was able to hear it all clearly outside the door as she moved the boxes in. Her face sank slightly.
She placed all of the boxes in a secret room that was relatively cool so that Li Qingshan could feast on them whenever he roused from his cultivation.
However, Li Qingshan never roused. She just sat on the stone step by herself in the autumn wind and fallen leaves. She opened her mouth and clenched her fists, using everything she had in an attempt to speak.
When she recovered her body, she was still unable to speak. The disappointment on Li Qingshan’s face was embedded in her mind. Although he had comforted her by saying that it did not matter, she never wanted to cause any disappointment to him, so she had always tried to practise speaking whenever he was not looking.
However, she had not been successful. She felt like an invisible film plugged her throat the entire time, preventing her from producing any sound. She could not even emit a single syllable no matter how hard she tried.
Her voice had been taken away by the witch, like she would never be able to get it back again.
Failing once more, she became filled with disappointment again, almost to the point where she wanted to cry. Do the heavens think that I’m too greedy? Since I can already feel his warmth, and I can remain by his side properly, I shouldn’t desire anything more!
After who knows how long, Li Qingshan opened his eyes and shook his head gently. He had accidentally become engrossed in cultivation. As he slowly raised his eyes, he saw Xiao An wielding the broom that was even longer than herself as she swept away the leaves. He smiled to himself. She sure had nothing better to do. He also felt slightly apologetic for this.
He asked casually, “Xiao An, how long has it been?”
Xiao An just happened to be lost in her thoughts, thinking about speaking, when she suddenly heard the familiar voice. She turned around in a hurry. “Eek!”
Li Qingshan stretched and yawned. “What’re you eeking… about…” His eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed at Xiao An. “Y- you…” He seemed like the one who struggled to talk now.
Xiao An covered her own mouth with her eyes wide open. She had clearly failed with all of her attempts before.
After all these months of hard work, all she lacked was a moment of inspiration.
Li Qingshan knelt on one knee and stood up. He gulped and extended his hands forward. He said as calmly as he could, “Relax.. and try again!”
Xiao An placed down the broom, parted her lips, and tried. “Eek!” The short syllable seemed to originate from within her chest, like a droplet of water landing in a tranquil lake, causing prolonged ripples throughout.
She had used the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty to condense a perfect body, and that included her voice. Even though it was just a single sound, it was like striking the string of a zither.
Li Qingshan smiled happily. “That’s fantastic. Again.”
Xiao An gained some confidence. She sucked in a deep breath. “Eeee…” It was a long, drawn-out sound, like how a phoenix’s cry could linger for three whole days.
Li Qingshan took a step forward and embraced her firmly. “This is fantastic! I knew you could do it!”
Xiao An rubbed her eyes as tears rolled down her face.
Li Qingshan wiped them away for her. “Don’t cry. If you keep crying, I’ll end up crying too!” He pinched her cheek. “Come, come, come. Say a little more for me.”
Under Li Qingshan’s eager gaze, Xiao An’s face became bright red with how hard she tried. She finally spat out another syllable. “Ah!”
“What else?”
“Eek!”
“Uh…”
“Ah!”
Li Qingshan’s lips tightened, left at a loss over how to respond. He rubbed her head. “Forget it. We’ll go slowly, just like cultivation.” Mentioning cultivation, he checked his daemon core and discovered that his daemon qi had grown slightly, but only by a tiny amount. Although the spiritual qi of the world was endless, he discovered that he could only draw in a tiny portion of it.
In comparison, it was still faster to chomp on pills. However, he suddenly noticed something. “Hmm? Since when did I reach the third layer?” True qi flowed freely through his Yin Heel meridian without any obstruction at all. His original plan was that he would only be able to break through to the third layer after a while longer. Yet now, he had actually broken through unknowingly. He really was slightly taken aback by how sudden it all was, such that he became slightly lost.
Xiao An moved her arms and eeked and ahhed, explaining to him what had happened. She had remained by Li Qingshan’s side the entire time, so she understood what had happened to him.
“I see!” Li Qingshan held his chin. He did not wonder about why he was able to understand her at all.
Although he could enter a form of meditation that was almost like hibernation with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he would not be able to sense anything in such a state. He would only rouse when he sensed danger. He would not be able to consume any pills, forcing him to take the route of a regular daemon, which was why he never really used this state.
The spiritual qi of the world was like fine wine, but there was only a single jug, while he could wolf down Qi Gathering pills like entire tanks of dregs. And, as long as he maintained a steady supply, he could eat as many as he wanted, allowing him to accumulate daemon qi very quickly.
However, he never thought the cultivation method of daemons would have such a wondrous effect on practising qi. When he broke through to the second layer, he had used the means of traditional qi practitioners, constantly consuming pills to provide support and condensing his true qi to smash through the obstacles. It utterly wore him out. In the end, he had almost failed and only succeeded thanks to Xiao An’s assistance.
Yet now, he had managed to break through from just sleeping. It was as clear as day which way was better. To his surprise, using the method of daemons to practise qi and the method of humans to cultivate as a daemon was the most optimal choice.
He needed to be like a regular human cultivator right now, gathering as many pills as he could to accumulate daemon qi. Afterwards, he would need to be like a daemon, finding a den and then constantly absorbing the spiritual qi of the world to cultivate true qi.
These completely different paths actually supplemented each other. In the very beginning, he felt like cultivation as both a daemon and a human was very tiresome, but he felt the exact opposite now.
Li Qingshan felt like he had been enlightened. He laughed aloud and lifted up Xiao An, spinning around with her. “I know what I need to do now.”
At this moment, there was a rumble. The muffled boom rang out from underground, which was caught by Li Qingshan’s sensitive ears.
“An earthquake?” He felt the ground beneath him shake slightly. Did his stomp from earlier set off some kind of reaction with the crust of the earth?
A while later, the tremors subsided, and Li Qingshan did not pay too much attention to it either. There had been a string of good news today, so he was in a very jovial mood. He placed Xiao An on his knee and teased her. After talking for a while, his stomach growled again. He rubbed his belly. “Do you have food?”
Xiao An pulled him by his hand into the secret room, but all she discovered was that all of the food boxes had been opened, while everything inside had vanished into thin air. She was stunned.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Since when did you have such an appetite?”
Xiao An gesticulated in a hurry and eeked and ahhed. Her voice was like the gurgling of a spring, an extremely pleasant sound. With how clever she was, she had already grown accustomed to the two syllables. She used them like morse code, and when combined with her expression and movements, she seemed to be able to convey everything she was trying to say.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan was like a professional cryptographer, accurately interpreting what she was saying. He was stunned. “To think that there are people bold enough to rob me!” He went to the other room to take a look, and the grains and food stored there had been polished off as well.
Xiao An was certain that she had not seen anyone enter, so Li Qingshan thought of something and immediately checked the hole he had opened up. He sniffed carefully, and just as expected, he detected a powerful daemon qi. There were signs of displacement in the soil and earth as well. The uninvited guest had just left.
Xiao An analysed carefully with her eeks and ahhs.
Li Qingshan agreed. “Yep. I also think it’s a daemonic beast. Why would humans sneak in here to eat the food? I wonder which ignorant daemonic beast is bold enough to steal from us!” Afterwards, he smiled. “It has been quite a while since you’ve refined flesh and blood. Let’s lure it out as dinner for you. We can hold a celebration. Perhaps there might even be a daemon core!”
Xiao An eeked and ahhed in worry.
Li Qingshan was confident. “Don’t worry. I have a good idea!”
The sky dimmed, while the secret room that had been emptied out earlier was now filled with a hundred jars of alcohol. The seal for every single jar had been opened, such that their fragrance wafted everywhere, hiding all other smells, such as poison.
Within the alcohol was all of the poison and drugs that Li Qingshan, or should you say Yu Shukuang, could find. This was Li Qingshan’s good idea. In his former life, he had heard about many stories where they used alcohol to triumph over demons and monsters.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An waited in the study. Li Qingshan smiled. “What do you think about my plan?”
“Eeah!” Xiao An raised her thumb to express her admiration.
“Hah, it’s not that impressive.”
However, the two of them waited until the middle of the night, but there was still no disturbance. Li Qingshan wondered in doubt. “Don’t tell me that this bastard doesn’t like alcohol!”
Xiao An said, “Eeah, eeek eeh, aaah, eek ah ah, eek ah…” After being translated, that meant, “That can’t be the case. The alcohol in those boxes had all been polished off.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then let’s keep waiting!”
Before he had even finished speaking, there was a tremor underground again. Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. “This daemon must be quite big too. You’re about to witness just how terrifying the intelligence of humans can be!” He pressed his ear against the ground and gathered all the sounds from underground. All he heard were jars of alcohol being tipped over and smashed, along with a series of rustles.
He waited with great patience, waiting for the alcohol to kick in before dealing a fatal strike to the daemonic beast. An hour later, the sounds underground vanished.
Li Qingshan nodded at Xiao An. Xiao An pulled the mechanism and the bookshelf opened, revealing the hidden staircase behind.
Xiao An stopped Li Qingshan from entering, letting the Iron Plate corpse charge ahead first as a scout. Afterwards, the two of them charged into the secret room.
Li Qingshan had already equipped his talisman pouch on his waist. There were several mid grade Immobilisation talismans in there, as well as all of his Lightning Summoning talismans. He had made ample preparations.
They charged into the secret room boldly, but when Li Qingshan saw the sight inside, his excited face suddenly froze. He grabbed Xiao An beside him and covered her mouth, standing exactly where he was, afraid to move.
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1. Niu is ox, while Ma is horse in this case.
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Chapter 192 – Daemon General Milliped
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Chapter 192 – Daemon General Milliped
Not a single daemonic beast, no matter how vicious or terrifying, could make Li Qingshan react like this. However, what he saw was not a beast of any kind, but a person. More accurately, it was a fair-skinned fatty sprawled out at the centre of the alcohol jars.
His head was shiny, and he wore a pink cloak, exposing his bulging, white belly. He gave off heavy daemon qi and the smell of liquor.
As a result, Li Qingshan performed a very simple calculation. What do you get when you combine a daemon with a human form?
Li Qingshan breathed in deeply and swallowed back the foul language he was about to let loose. The one who had been secretly eating his food was actually a Daemon General!
He had only seen two Daemon Generals in his life, a cat and a rat. Xuanyue had been utterly spoiled, so she went without saying. However, even that rat happened to be the great king of Black Rat mountain. He was an imposing figure with countless under his command.
A mighty Daemon General was an existence on Wang Pushi’s level if it were a human, standing above millions. Why would something like that do something so degrading?
This was why he had never thought of this in the beginning. In the end, he was slapped across the face by the cruel reality. He clung onto the hope that the poison and drugs in the alcohol had come into effect.
However, the bald Daemon General’s heaving belly and his thunderous snoring completely obliterated all of Li Qingshan’s hopes. He had not been poisoned. He had just fallen drunk.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An looked at each other. Li Qingshan slowly retreated backwards, while Xiao An controlled the Iron Plate corpse in a slow retreat as well. They had created the hole as a path of retreat, but who knew it would actually lead to the den of something so terrifying. They could not remain in this mountain manor any longer.
Clang!
The bald Daemon General with his pink cloak scratched his belly and knocked over a jar.
However, it was like a clap of thunder to Li Qingshan’s ears. He immediately stopped. Only after seeing how there was no more activity for quite a while did he continue with his gradual retreat. True qi formed a thick cushion below his feet, preventing him from producing any sound.
Under Xiao An’s control, the Iron Plate corpse’s feet landed on the ground softly as well.
The bald Daemon General suddenly opened his eyes. He writhed in a strange manner as he stood up. At first, his calves straightened up, followed by his thighs, and then the upper half of his body. He looked at Li Qingshan and Xiao An in a daze.
Li Qingshan felt a chill run from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head before emerging from his scalp. This completely originated from his instincts towards danger as a daemon. He became more and more certain that this Daemon General was not someone he could deal with right now.
However, a cocked bow had to be fired. He waved his hands and launched ten talismans. They were all Immobilisation talismans, seven low grade and three medium grade. He did not try to kill him. He only hoped that the Daemon General could be immobilized for even just a second so that he could take off with Xiao An.
The bald Daemon General did not seem like he had completely sobered up yet. The ten talismans landed on him perfectly, including one on his face.
Li Qingshan rejoiced over his good fortune. At the same time, he stuck a Swift Breeze talisman to his legs and immediately tried to charge out. However, just when he was about to turn around, his eyes narrowed, and he halted.
The bald Daemon General just stood right in front of him, almost right in his face. The Immobilization talismans on him were eaten away rapidly, until not a single sliver remained, revealing his dazed face.
Only from this angle did he notice that the Daemon General was not particularly fat. He was long and mellow. As he stood there, he actually towered above Li Qingshan. He bent over as he stared straight at Li Qingshan with his bulging eyes. It was an indescribably terrifying sight.
Xiao An reacted by moving a finger. The Iron Plate corpse hugged the Daemon General, and Li Qingshan used the opportunity to retreat in a hurry.
The bald Daemon General trembled, and a pink gas emerged around him. The Iron Plate corpse that charged over seemed like it had stepped into a vat of acid. With a series of hisses, white smoke rose up from its body. Its powerful body that had been strengthened with metal and refinement was completely eaten away in the blink of an eye. All that was left was a ball of pale, red flames that returned to Xiao An’s hands.
The Iron Plate corpse that could even kill sixth layer Qi Practitioners could not even last a single attack. It had not even been enough to make the enemy move a finger.
Li Qingshan was astounded. He became extremely fearful of the pink gas.
The bald Daemon General moved extremely quickly and without any rhythm at all. They could not escape. Li Qingshan released his violent daemon qi and immediately reached thirty feet, smashing through the earth above his head. He grabbed Xiao An and tossed her outside. “You go first!”
The pink gas spread rapidly, enveloping Li Qingshan’s surroundings. Hisses rang throughout the secret room. Large portions of the stone floor weakened and collapsed. To think that Li Qingshan had wanted to deal with him using poison. He had finally witnessed what poison actually was.
There was an azure, blue colour within the surging pink gas. It originated from a spherical barrier composed of countless hexagons, which protected the area around Li Qingshan and stopped the invasion of the pink gas. As a result, Li Qingshan eased up slightly. Fortunately, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell was sturdy enough. Now, he had to think of a way to get out of this situation.
He stomped down with his hoof. Explosive power filled both his legs, causing the ground to crack. His steel-like body creaked as it twisted, using the force to launch himself into the air.
The bald Daemon General took another strange posture, with his body bent forward and his bald head directed at Li Qingshan. His tall body contracted significantly, like a spring that had been forced down before being let loose suddenly.
All Li Qingshan saw was a blurry figure charge towards him ten times faster than he had launched into the air.
Thunk!
A large crack appeared on the indestructible Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. Li Qingshan was knocked off his trajectory, from flying up vertically to horizontally. Who knows just how many walls he smashed through before becoming deeply embedded in the soil.
He was shocked. He had just achieved the strength of two oxen, so he had absolute confidence in his strength. However, the Daemon General was still much stronger.
The bald Daemon General sprang up from the ground and rubbed his head in a daze. He raised his head and looked at Li Qingshan, as if he had never imagined that he would fail to destroy Li Qingshan’s Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
At this moment, two prayer beads whistled down from above, directly striking the Daemon General’s bald head.
The Daemon General raised his head. A petite figure landed behind him with lightning speed, surging with pale, red flames. She used all of her strength, directly converting a portion of her own flesh and blood into flames to deliver the most powerful thrust she had ever unleashed.
Li Qingshan instead panicked. He called out, “You idiot! Get out of here!” Daemon Generals were not existences who could be defeated with tricks like that. He disregarded the poison and punched out as hard as he could.
The Daemon General did not try to avoid the attack. He said sluggishly, “Are you daemons? Why do you attack me?” His voice was slightly slurred, but Li Qingshan still managed to make out what he was saying.
Everyone present stopped like an invisible hand had interfered with the situation. Li Qingshan’s punch stopped before the Daemon General, while Xiao An’s hidden blade remained three inches away from his bald head. The falling Skull Prayer Beads halted above the Daemon General’s head too.
Li Qingshan slowly pulled back his fist and laughed dryly. “Exactly. Daemons shouldn’t fight among themselves.” He glanced at Xiao An. “Why don’t you get over here!” Xiao An stowed away her hidden blade and prayer beads and returned to Li Qingshan’s side.
Li Qingshan reverted to human form and clasped his hands. “May I learn your name, great Daemon General? I am Black Mountain. I’ve cultivated for five centuries in the mountains, and I’ve barely managed to assume a human form. I had no intentions of offending you. It truly is my fault.”
“I’m Milliped. What does offending mean? And what’s ‘fault’?”
Li Qingshan was slightly relieved, having confirmed that this Milliped was not angry about what had happened earlier. He seemed to be slightly dim, and his reactions were extremely sluggish.
He suddenly thought of something. By Milliped, that’s basically just a millipede. This guy is actually a millipede daemon, so it’s no wonder that he’s so powerful and fast, yet his reaction speed was so slow.
He had once heard Xuanyue mention a lot of common knowledge regarding daemons. Daemons with flesh and blood were primarily divided into four groups, the scaled, the furred, the feathered, and the carapaced.
The scaled referred to animals of the water, the furred referred to terrestrial animals, the feathered referred to animals capable of flight, and the carapaced referred to insects.
Among them, the carapaced possessed the largest variety. There were countless insect daemonic beasts. No one knew just how many insects there were in the world.
Insects were born without much intelligence, completely acting on instincts, so there were many that could become daemonic beasts. However, there were far fewer that could condense daemon cores or reach even higher realms of cultivation compared to the other categories.
However, insect daemons would often be the strongest. Whether it be strength, speed, endurance, or tenacity, they would exceed all other daemons of the same cultivation level.
An ant could carry four hundred times its weight. A flea could jump a hundred times its length, and it could jump once every four seconds for several dozen hours on end. The tenacity of cockroaches was as clear as day. These creatures all resided at the bottom of the food chain, but if they had the opportunity to turn into daemons, they would immediately reach the very top. They would become the most terrifying hunters in the world.
However, insect daemons had one fatal flaw, which was their very low intelligence. Even if they gained self-consciousness after condensing a daemon core, they would not be particularly clever. Intelligence was basically their weakness.
Li Qingshan came up with an idea as a result. He asked, “Milliped, why have you eaten my things?”
Milliped said, “I didn’t know it was yours. No, it’s all mine, everything underground.”
Li Qingshan said, “Do you want more?”
“Yes!” Milliped opened his mouth and saliva flowed out.
Li Qingshan said, “There’s no more food here, but there’s plenty above ground, so why don’t you go there?”
Milliped shook his head like a motor. “Can’t go above ground.”
“Why not?”
Milliped’s dazed expression revealed a sliver of fear. “Orders. I can’t go against them.”
Li Qingshan rejoiced. He had gotten him to speak so easily. He sure was simple. He was much easier to handle than someone clever like Xuanyue. Intelligence would always be the most important standard for comparing creatures. Humans used this only advantage of theirs to suppress all other beings by themselves. If they were dim-witted, it would be useless no matter how powerful they were.
“There’s none left here. I’ll go up and grab some more for you, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Go quick, go quick!” Milliped’s eyes lit up and urged him on.
So simple! Li Qingshan was slightly stunned. It was so simple that he felt rather embarrassed. In order to make it more convincing, he followed up with, “Then what do you like to eat?”
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Chapter 193 – An Ox Munching on Peony
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Chapter 193 – An Ox Munching on Peony
Milliped considered the question seriously, while Li Qingshan grew nervous. He was afraid this Daemon General would say something along the lines of, “You!” He would be done for if that were the case.
But fortunately, Milliped said at the end, “Yellow seeds. White seeds.”
It took Li Qingshan a moment to understand that he was talking about millet and rice. He was actually a herbivore, but he soon remembered that most millipedes in the world were herbivores anyway.
Of course, most daemons never followed this. Even if it had been a goat who had grazed on grass for most of its life, it would happily eat meat and drink alcohol after turning into a daemon. This guy was probably so stupid that he had not even bothered to change his diet!
“I’ll go up to grab them!” Li Qingshan was just about to leap out of the hole above him with Xiao An.
“Hold on!”
Li Qingshan’s heart sank, but he heard Milliped say, “And that colourless water!”
“Water? You mean alcohol?”
“I think so…”
“Okay, I’ll go fetch that!”
As expected, Milliped did not stop him. He did not even try taking Xiao An as a hostage. He just pressed him. “Quickly! Quickly!”
Li Qingshan leapt out of the secret room underground. The hole just happened to be above the back garden, which was why the buildings had not collapsed. He rushed out with Xiao An, before collapsing on the ground and gazing at the deep, blue night sky, gasping for air.
He felt like he had gone fishing, only to catch a great white shark. That was far too dangerous. Fortunately, this shark was not particularly clever, nor could it leave the water, or it really would have cost him his life this time.
Xiao An laid beside him, also looking at the night sky. The faint wisps of clouds floated by, but she seemed slightly depressed.
Li Qingshan suddenly stood up, grabbed her, and helped her to her feet. He lectured, “You haven’t been behaving yourself at all. I told you to go, so you go. Why’d you come back?”
Xiao An waved her hands and eeked and ahhed in argument.
Li Qingshan shot her a glance. “Hmm? You’ve just learned how to speak, yet you’re gonna talk back at me? It was pure luck in the Boundless mountains, which was why you happened to help me. That doesn’t mean you were right. If I say you’re wrong, then you’re wrong. I’m saying all of this for your sake!”
The rims of Xiao An’s eyes reddened from anger. She turned around and no longer said anything.
Li Qingshan said, “You’re not allowed to cry!”
As a result, tears streamed down Xiao An’s face.
Li Qingshan’s heart immediately began to ache. He steeled his resolve. “Crying won’t work this time. You need to learn.”
Xiao An suddenly raised her head and looked at Li Qingshan with a gaze she had never displayed before. Her chest heaved heavily. She was like a volcano welling up with lava as she suddenly erupted and said, “Just how many times do you have to abandon me before you’re satisfied!?” Her voice grew clearer as she spoke, while her face was filled with sadness. As soon as she was done, she turned around and rushed into the house.
“You-” Li Qingshan was completely stunned, like he had been struck by a Lightning Summoning talisman.
Xiao An had finally spoken a complete sentence; this should have been something worthy of a great celebration, but the sentence made his heart ache slightly. He laid back down on the ground, defeated. He too experienced the worries that came with a growing child.
In the hole in the garden, Milliped asked, “Do you have it?”
“I don’t!” Li Qingshan barked.
“Why are you so loud?” Milliped asked in a daze.
“It’s got nothing to do with you!” Li Qingshan barked again, “Just keep waiting!”
“Okay.”
This was the first time Li Qingshan had realised the severity of the issue. Xiao An was growing up slowly, so she would definitely develop her own thoughts and opinions. Perhaps, there might even be the legendary rebellious phase. It was impossible to avoid conflict as a family—no, it was possible to say that the closer they were as a family, the more easily they would come into conflict with each other.
As the head of the family, he had to consider just how he was supposed to communicate with her. He had to guide her growth slowly and patiently, but just how was he supposed to go about it?
He felt his mind descend into a mess. This was far more complicated than cultivation. As a result, he just laid there as he thought about a lot of things. He thought about how his parents treated him. He thought about the methods of education mentioned by those professionals on television during his previous life.
Li Qingshan suddenly sat up. “Yep. I need to treat her as an equal first.” He crawled to his feet and made his way over to the door slowly. He raised his hand to knock, but he ended up hitting nothing. The door suddenly swung open and a petite figure threw herself into his arms.
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback before breaking into laughter. He could feel how attached she was to him. He stroked her hair. “I’m sorry. I was too brash earlier. I’ve never wanted to abandon you. I just want to protect you.”
“I… want to… protect… you too…” Xiao An was still not very fluent, but she was extremely serious.
Her expression was simply adorable, which both touched Li Qingshan and made him develop a desire to protect her. He smiled. “Alright, great king Xiao An. This one is under your protection. Come, let me give you a kiss!” He swept aside her fringe and pecked down heavily on her smooth forehead.
The daemon young man who stood like a black tower and the small, tender girl formed an extremely unique sight. Instead of smacking your lips and saying something like, “In me the tiger sniffs the rose,” the current situation was more like, “An ox munching on peony, wasting it for being unable to appreciate its beauty.”
Xiao An’s face was bright red. She raised her heels and gently kissed his great face that was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Li Qingshan rubbed his face. The feeling of the kiss lingered there. He could not help but chuckle.
In the hole, Milliped called out again, “I’m hungry!”
Li Qingshan curled his lip. “Let’s find a way to deal with him first!”
Xiao An covered her mouth to hide her smile.
Li Qingshan was rather reluctant to leave behind this secret cultivation spot he had just created, and Milliped did not seem like he posed much danger either.
Then he thought about the habits of millipedes, which did seem like a harmless bug. Millipedes would usually play dead if they were toyed with, and then they would release some kind of irritating gas at most.
Now that he thought about it, the pink, poisonous gas that Milliped released, which was also what the Iron Plate corpse ran into, was no irritating gas, but actual, acidic poison that could eat through rock and metal.
If the Sect of Clouds and Rain came for him right now, all he would have to do was lure them into the hole before waiting to collect their corpses. What ninth layer or tenth layer? They were all useless before a Daemon General. Even if the sect master came, defeat was probably more likely against an insect Daemon General.
After quite a while of thought, Li Qingshan wore the bamboo basket and took Xiao An with him. He arrived in Salt Mountain city and found Yu Shukuang. “I’ll be gone for a while. Don’t let anyone approach my estate!”
This was what he eventually decided on. A Daemon General was just too dangerous. He seemed very stupid and could be toyed with or used, but that would come with an element of unpredictability in whatever he did. If he angered him by accident, an extremely miserable fate would await him.
From a certain perspective, Milliped was even more dangerous that Xuanyue. At the very least, Li Qingshan knew what Xuanyue wanted. He could even relate to her. Even if he angered her, she would not kill him.
Wagering his life on the mood of an idiot was not a clever choice. Before he had obtained the power to protect himself, he had decided to maintain his distance. I can’t afford to provoke him, but that doesn’t mean I can’t avoid him.
Yu Shukuang jerked awake from his dream. “Great hero Li- Niu, where will you be going?”
“That’s not for you to worry about.” Li Qingshan pondered that question slightly. He was obviously going to go provoke the people he could afford to provoke.
Yu Shukuang said, “Then, please go, please go!” Before he had even finished talking, Li Qingshan had vanished already, kicking up a violent gust of wind and causing the door to swing wildly.
Yu Shukuang was rather reluctant to see him go. The ‘Tiger Butcher’ was terrifying, but he stuck to his word, and he was very generous. All he made him do was buy an estate and deliver a few days worth of food, and in return, he received a million taels of silver and a Hundred Grasses pill. He was an ideal backer that he could rely on. If he could help him out with a few things in return for some more pills, there was a lot of hope for him to reach the innate realm.
He climbed out of bed and took out an envelope from his drawer. He carefully took out the letter and read it under the lantern light.
His daughter’s letter told him that she had already ingested a legendary Innate pill and had already begun cultivating.
The edges had even become roughed up. Clearly, he had read it countless times already, but whenever he saw it, he would smile happily. That little girl who leaned on her arms as she listened to his stories of maintaining justice and helping the weak had finally grown up! She had surpassed her father!
However, what followed his joy was despondence and unease.
The world of Qi Practitioners was completely different from the world of the jianghu. In the jianghu, he was the great hero Yu who maintained justice and was revered by countless. However, before even the weakest Qi Practitioner, he had to bow and scrape to them, careful with every single move.
Only the ignorant common people would treat Qi Practitioners like gods. He understood this very well. No matter where, human nature was just as vile. He could only blame himself for enjoying her gazes of admiration too much, making the stories he told her too perfect. In the end, the stubborn girl really ended up believing in some ‘path of justice’. She might end up suffering as a result.
Recalling that, he could no longer fall asleep anymore. Sigh, he really was unable to help her at all now!
He was clearly still in his late thirties, yet he suddenly felt like he had aged. He stowed the letter away carefully and returned it to the drawer. He wanted to break through to the innate realm more than ever right now.
The starlight pierced through the trees and fell into the hole, landing onto Milliped’s dazed face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was wide open as he stared at this sight that he rarely ever saw. Saliva flowed out of his mouth. “Looks like sesame!”
“How slow!”
Li Qingshan left Salt Mountain city. He travelled a few dozen kilometers, found a cave, and dove in. He travelled underground and arrived before the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling before suddenly stopping. His nose pricked up, and he sniffed the air gently. His expression immediately changed.
It was extremely faint, but the familiar smell of rouge was something he could never forget. It came from that deviant, the West Gate Granny!
Aside from that, there were three other different scents of rouge. At least four people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain were here, and it was very likely that they were the four grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, or four ninth layer Qi Practitioners in other words.
He had never thought they would actually come here in search of him. He felt like he had still been too careless. If he were caught in the dwelling by these people, the consequences would be unthinkable.
PS: Xiao An’s first words, which probably aren’t what everyone was expecting! As one of the main characters in this book, she will gradually display her own flair. She obviously won’t be surpassed by some deviant of a woman. To be honest, they do bear different things on their shoulders in this book, but they definitely don’t exist just to become the main character’s women. I like this feeling very much. If you like it too, then give me some monthly tickets in support!
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Chapter 194 – The Tiger and the Snake’s Trap
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Chapter 194 – The Tiger and the Snake’s Trap
Smell would always be the aspect that human cultivators missed the most. Li Qingshan possessed a sense of smell that was a hundred times stronger than regular beasts. Combined with his instincts for danger and killing intent, it was impossible for him to be ambushed so easily.
He concealed all of his aura and gripped his Wind-entwining blade firmly. He prepared all of his talismans and approached the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling slowly. He constantly sniffed for the lingering scent in the air and did his best to discern where they were hiding right now.
He had set out for the Sect of Clouds and Rain, so how could he flee right after seeing them? Of course, his battle tactic would be to retreat if there were many people, but if there were only a few, he would kill them. If he worked with Xiao An, he had some confidence in being able to triumph over a ninth layer Qi Practitioner.
When he finally set foot in the dwelling, it was empty inside. All that was left was a lingering scent that slowly dispersed.
Why would these great Qi Practitioners remain in the pitch-black underground, waiting for the arrival of a junior? They only waited for a few days before leaving this place to search for Wei Yingjie’s whereabouts.
Li Qingshan was slightly disappointed. It seemed like it would take him some effort.
In the middle of the night, Li Qingshan climbed up the mountain where the Hawkwolf Guard resided on and arrived before his original residence. As expected, there was an aura inside, but it was much stronger than he had expected, but the smell was right. Qian Rongzhi had actually broken through to the fifth layer. She was even faster than him.
With Xiao An outside keeping an eye out, Li Qingshan climbed up the residence alone and opened the window. He saw Qian Rongzhi meditating in the room and practising qi. She did not seem to be lascivious at all. Instead, she seemed rather solemn.
Qian Rongzhi heard the window open, so she immediately stood up and grabbed her weapon and talismans, assuming a defensive posture. Afterwards, she was surprised. “It’s you?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s me.”
Qian Rongzhi eased up. She did not even ask why Li Qingshan had become so big. Her eyes lit up as she said, “You’ve reached the third layer. You really are a genius!” The first time she had seen Li Qingshan was only a few months ago. Back then, he was still a first layer Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan said, “Your cultivation surprises me more.”
Qian Rongzhi said, “The worthless have their own worthless ways. Unfortunately, it’s still not enough to defeat you.”
Li Qingshan squinted his eyes. “What will you do if you could defeat me?”
Qian Rongzhi smiled thinly. “You’ll know when it happens!”
Li Qingshan refused to dwell on this matter. He cut to the chase. “What’s going on with the Sect of Clouds and Rain? Who’s in charge of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain now?”
“Don’t ask me. I was dragged into the matter due to Wei Yingjie’s disappearance. I’ve already been expelled from the Sect of Clouds and Rain. I knelt on the ground and begged the granny for a very long time, but it was all useless. I’ve been tested for all this time, all for nothing. I didn’t even get a single cultivation method. Aren’t I pitiful?” Qian Rongzhi said bitterly and pitifully, as if she had not personally abused Wei Yingjie to death.
“Dragged into the matter?” Li Qingshan sneered. “The same as before. If you can lure the West Gate Granny out alone to a certain place, everything that has to do with the Sect of Clouds and Rain in her hundred treasures pouch will go to you.”
Qian Rongzhi widened her eyes. “You can kill ninth layer Qi Practitioners?” She knew Li Qingshan had a trump card, so he was as powerful as sixth layer Qi Practitioners at the very least. However, she never imagined he would actually reach such a high level.
Originally, she believed that catching up to Li Qingshan was just a matter of time with her cultivation speed. However, her confidence completely evaporated now. The disparity separating her from Li Qingshan was not shrinking. Instead, it was growing exponentially.
She also understood why he did not take her too seriously as a potential threat. He possessed absolute confidence in himself. Before absolute strength, rarely would any schemes or plans be effective. This man was probably different from all of the other men she had seen before. He was surprisingly difficult to deal with.
“That’s why you’d better maintain some fear for me. That’ll do us both good!”
Qian Rongzhi stopped smiling. “I understand. The vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Wei Zhongyuan, and the four grannies found nothing when they went to the Zombie Cave, so they split up to search for you. There are Parlours of Rain and Clouds littered through the lands, and they’re well-connected. As soon as you appear, they’ll discover you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Did you send them to the Zombie Cave?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I said Wei Yingjie went there in search of you, but I didn’t say that you killed him. You’ve fallen out with the Sect of Clouds and Rain completely anyway, so it’s no difference to you. Don’t tell me you were stupid enough to hide there?”
Li Qingshan felt like he had been slapped across the face. He said boldly, “Of course not. Continue.” She had said that so nonchalantly, so it was not like he could lose his temper over that.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “The Parlour of Clouds and Rain has lost two parlour masters, one after another, so they haven’t sent anyone new. If you want to deal with the Sect of Clouds and Rain, I’d recommend targeting Wei Zhongyuan. He’s currently going through the sorrow of losing a son. He’s irrational, so he’s easy to control.”
“What’s his cultivation?”
“The tenth layer.”
“I refuse,” Li Qingshan said without a second thought. Tenth layer Qi Practitioners were people who had opened all of their acupoints, along with the twelve standard meridians and eight extraordinary meridians. They were only a step away from Foundation Establishment. Compared to the ninth layer, they were like sixth layer Qi Practitioner to fifth layer Qi Practitioners. He was confident in his own strength, but he had not become blinded by it.
Qian Rongzhi was disappointed. Her plan to use Wei Zhongyang to break through had fallen through, but it also gave her some peace of mind. At the very least, Li Qingshan did not possess the strength to deal with the tenth layer right now.
“Then just the West Gate Granny. However, I need time. I need time to plan, and I also need time to explain my cultivation. And, they’ll be sending over a new Black Hawk commander soon!”
“So what?”
“I will contend for the position of Black Wolf commander. As long as I get promoted to commander, the Sect of Clouds and Rain won’t touch me even if they suspect me as long as they don’t have any evidence. Of course, I need to thank you for opening up this position for me.”
She was scheming before others, but before Li Qingshan, she would always be extremely honest. This was not because she had any good will towards Li Qingshan. Instead, she just adapted to circumstances. She knew that this was the only way to cooperate with Li Qingshan, to maximise her own benefits.
Only now did Li Qingshan recall that she had reached the fifth layer and that she really did have the right to be promoted to Black Wolf commander. They had joined the Hawkwolf Guard together, yet unknowingly, she had already reached such a step. She really was a woman who could not be underestimated.
Leaving behind a talisman for communication, Qian Rongzhi smiled. “It’ll take me one to three months, but I’ll deliver the West Gate Granny to you.”
Li Qingshan nodded. He wanted to use this time to finish off his remaining pills so that he could be as strong as he could be to increase his chances at victory with regards to this battle. Once he was victorious, he could use the pills in the West Gate Granny’s hundred treasures pouch to maintain his cultivation speed.
The two measly Qi Practitioners made a deal. The deal was about a ninth layer Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan then said, “Oh right, help me appraise some pills!” He had obtained several dozen bottles of pills, including a few high grade ones. However, he did not know about their effects and whether he could eat them or not. Qian Rongzhi had grown up in a clan after all. She had learned proper alchemy with Qian Yannian, so she should be able to appraise them.
As expected, Qian Rongzhi’s eyes lit up when she saw the pills Li Qingshan took out, describing all of their names and effects with great familiarity. Most of them had similar effects to the Pearl Dew pills. They were for cultivation.
However, there were two bottles of Eruption pills that could instantly unleash the potential the human body had to offer, as well as two bottles of Concealment pills for concealing aura and three bottles of Healing pills for recovery.
If he had eaten them blindly, it would have been a waste.
In the end, Li Qingshan took out three pills the size of goose yolks. “And what are these?” He did not know alchemy, but he could sense that the spiritual qi within these three pills was extremely special. It was extremely pure, yet also surprisingly mellow. They did not seem like pills for cultivation.
Qian Rongzhi said, “These are Innate pills! They’re worth even more than Pearl Dew pills, but they’re not for Qi Practitioners.”
Li Qingshan understood the value of Pearl Dew pills very well. They were enough to make countless Qi Practitioners fight over them. Since these Innate pills were not for Qi Practitioners, they must have been for ordinary people. “Don’t tell me they’re-”
Qian Rongzhi said, “That’s right. They’re pills that can allow ordinary people to practise qi. However, it doesn’t guarantee success. It’ll depend on their talent. In the past, Qian Yannian spent a tremendous amount of effort to obtain one for a beloved son of his. He ate it, but he failed to reach the innate realm in the end. Only large clans can refine pills like that.”
Li Qingshan understood that unless they possessed tremendous wealth and had as many pills as they wished for, all Qi Practitioners would be more willing to exchange for a few Pearl Dew pills to increase their own cultivation than an Innate pill to nurture their children. He stowed away the Innate pill first before saying, “Pick a bottle as remuneration.”
Qian Rongzhi chose the bottle of Concealment pills without any hesitation at all. That also happened to be the type that Li Qingshan needed the least. Afterwards, he stowed all the pills away and was about to leave.
Qian Rongzhi suddenly asked, “Is that child with you?”
“Hmm?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I want to see her.” She saw Li Qingshan hesitate, so she took out a bottle of Qi Gathering pills.
Li Qingshan said, “I won’t make any deals involving her.”
He spoke calmly, but it was like a thunderous clap to Qian Rongzhi’s ears. She was immediately left at a loss as to what to do with her hand holding the bottle of Qi Gathering pills. She even began to feel ashamed. She forced out a smile. “You two sure are lucky.” Her smile exuded indescribable envy, as well as some sadness.
Li Qingshan changed his mind. He called in Xiao An, but she said, “Forget it. You should go!”
After Li Qingshan left, Qian Rongzhi leaned against the window sill. Her eyes were slightly lost. An indescribable, irrepressible wild wish appeared in her heart. She wished someone could say something like that to her. Even just once would be enough. But would there be anyone? And would she believe it even if they did?
She laughed at herself. In her mind, the word ‘trust’ had already ceased to exist.
People of misfortune had to avoid getting too close to those who were fortunate, or they would lose their resolve. They would have nothing left. She had stopped depending on luck a long time ago. Kneeling on the ground and begging the heavens was useless, no matter how many times a person tried. Begging others was useless too. It would only make them smile wider. She had to obtain everything with her own pair of hands.
She looked at her right hand. It was pale and elevant, with five, long fingers. The light in her eyes gradually calmed down. It was a calmness of apathy. The corner of her lips curled coldly as she suddenly extended her right hand. I’ll rip apart the smile in the sky!
Hehehehe!
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Chapter 195 – Drinking under the Moon
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Chapter 195 – Drinking under the Moon
He dove underground once more. Li Qingshan used the underground mental map and found a great cavern. He said to Xiao An, “It looks like we’ll have to tough it out for a while. You can’t compare this place to Salt Mountain city.”
“Alright,” Xiao An said obediently. Her voice was slurred. Apart from when she yelled out the first time, she was unable to say anything clearly. However, it was an extremely pleasant voice, similar to a spring breeze. It was a comforting voice.
Within a forest-like series of stalagmites, Li Qingshan checked the pills on him. He had already used up half of the Qi Gathering pills, so only around four thousand remained. However, he had only used up one of his Hundred Grasses pills, so over a thousand remained, while there were almost a hundred high grade pills left for cultivation. He was quite wealthy in terms of resources.
Li Qingshan stowed away a talisman. This talisman was known as a Communication talisman. It came in a pair, and as long as they were within five hundred kilometers of each other, the other would respond if one was activated.
Although it was unable to deliver any complicated messages, it was enough for signals. As for how Qian Rongzhi would lure out the West Gate Granny, Li Qingshan did not probe into that too much. It would require quite a lot of adapting for her to do that. She was extremely familiar with this line of work anyway.
He was not worried that she would betray him. She did not exactly have any moral thresholds to speak of, but she was motivated by her own interests, which were instead easier to grasp. If she betrayed him, just her actions of feeding information to the enemy would have been enough for the Sect of Clouds and Rain to hunt her down.
All he needed to do was wait quietly in a suitable location for a suitable time. All of this made him think of a fable from his former life—A tiger caught a fox, and then the fox told the tiger that if it spared him, it would lure other animals over.
However, this was based on the premise that the tiger had the ability to eat all the animals the fox lured over.
He raised his head and poured Qi Gathering pills into his mouth. He began to cultivate.
Six days later, Li Qingshan began to miss his courtyard in Salt Mountain city. This was not just because he missed the tasteful alcohol and dishes, but because of Xiao An as well. In the empty cavern, there was nothing for her to do. When she was bored, she would just lean on her hands and watch him cultivate.
This made Li Qingshan feel very ashamed. He would often stop cultivating and play or talk with her for a while. If he were alone, it did not matter what he did. Even if he used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression and went into seclusion for a whole year, it would not matter.
However, with her by his side, he wanted to do everything he could for her to lead a better life. Looking around, all he saw was the murky, smooth rocks. This was nowhere close to his ideal location. It would only be detrimental to the mental development of children.
Li Qingshan made up his mind. “Since we don’t have to be here, let’s go back and take a look. That millipede must have run out of patience and left already!”
The mountain manor was desolate, while the aura of autumn had deepened. Li Qingshan opened the front door and directly went to the back garden. He made his way through the well-spaced vegetation and glanced into the cave. He could not help but smile bitterly.
Milliped’s eyes were closed as he laid in the hole. He slept like he was dead, as if he had not even moved from his original position. Suddenly, he snapped open his slightly bulging eyes and stared straight at Li Qingshan. He asked quietly, “Where’s the food?” He had not realised that Li Qingshan had stood him up.
Li Qingshan grinned, “It’s coming!” Afterwards, he turned around and left with Xiao An. Perhaps he had been touched by his only interest in food, or perhaps he was just too easy to fool that it made Li Qingshan slightly uneasy.
In the Proud Sword manor, Yu Shukuang looked at Li Qingshan in surprise and joy. “Great hero Niu, you’ve finally returned.”
Li Qingshan nodded. “Yep, yep, I’m back. There’s something else that I must trouble you with.”
Yu Shukuang saw how cautious he was, so he said with much emotion, “Anything for you, great hero Niu, no matter how dangerous or life-threatening…”
Li Qingshan interrupted him. “It’s not that intense. Just prepare three things for me and deliver them to my manor.”
“Do you mean?” Yu Shukuang was unable to imagine just what was enough for Li Qingshan to verbally request for them. Even if he wanted them, he should not have come to him, right?
“Millet, rice, and alcohol.” Li Qingshan took out another million taels of silver and slammed it on the table.
“Just those?” Yu Shukuang was so surprised that his chin almost dropped off. He was asking him for regular grains and food in such a formal manner.
Li Qingshan said, “As well as other grains, vegetables, and fruits. Prepare whatever you have, the more the better. Of course, I’ll need those twenty tables of food as well. You need to undertake this as secretively as possible too. Don’t let too many people know.”
“Don’t worry at all, great hero Niu. I’ll send people to make preparations immediately. You’ll get as much as you could possibly want.” Yu Shukuang slammed his chest as he guaranteed. As one of the leading figures in the jianghu, he might not be able to obtain certain things, but gathering some grains and food was a cake-walk.
Li Qingshan said in a seemingly unintentional manner, “Oh right, I obtained a few Innate pills recently.” With that, he turned around and left.
The speaker had said that intentionally, while the audience obviously cared about what had been mentioned.
Yu Shukuang’s eyes gradually widened. As a member of the jianghu, he did not know much about the various pills that Qi Practitioners possessed, but there was one that he just had to know, which was the Innate pill. It was a sacred pill that all practitioners of martial arts could only dream about. With how much effort they devoted to martial arts, all of them wanted to rise up and step into a whole new world.
Yu Shukuang wanted to as well, and he wanted it much more than most other things. When Li Qingshan mentioned those two words nonchalantly, he became a donkey that was being led around by a carrot on a stick. Even if he knew that it would be impossible for him to get his hands on one, he wanted to give it his all and try. Not to mention that Li Qingshan was clearly implying that it was possible for him to give Yu Shukuang one with his tone.
Immediately, he gathered a few trusted subordinates and gave orders to them solemnly. If it were not for the fact that Li Qingshan wanted him to keep a low profile over the operation, he was basically tempted to carry out this matter in person so that he could demonstrate himself to Li Qingshan.
When a powerful, local organisation got to work, they would be surprisingly effective. In just an hour, everything that Li Qingshan wanted was delivered to him in an endless flow.
“Here!” Li Qingshan grabbed a bag of rice and tossed it into the hole.
Milliped extended his hand and ripped in open. The shiny grains of rice flowed out. His mouth expanded in an exaggerated manner, such that it made Li Qingshan think about those characters from the cartoons. In the blind of an eye, the entire bag of rice had been tipped into his mouth.
He smacked his lips. “Tasty!” Afterwards, he kept staring at Li Qingshan.
“If it’s tasty, then have some more. Once you’re full, stop bugging me.” Li Qingshan tossed another bag of rice down.
Milliped was absorbed by the rice. He paid no attention to Li Qingshan at all. Another bag of rice vanished into his mouth, but he had yet to seem satisfied.
As a result, Li Qingshan just tossed all of the bags of rice, several dozen of them, in there. However, the influence of the Innate pill managed to take Li Qingshan by surprise. Afterwards, rice and millet flour, along with various other grains, were all carted over one by one by the disciples of the Proud Sword manor, along with various fruits and vegetables. There were even a few that Li Qingshan failed to recognise.
Li Qingshan held a few bags of rice in his hands with a few on his shoulders. He seemed like the ultimate worker. He rushed back and forth from the entrance and the back garden, tossing bags of food into the hole.
Milliped, who had always seemed dazed, now smiled from ear to ear. As a foodie, seeing these various foods fall from the sky probably made him feel what a money grubber felt watching it rain money.
He was overwhelmed. He almost became lost as to what to eat first.
Li Qingshan shook off the sweat on his forehead and said to Xiao An, “Keep an eye out. I’m going to go cultivate a little. Remember to not venture into the cave. I’m worried he’ll end up eating you too.”
Xiao An obviously did not take something for frightening children to heart. She agreed with a smile and squatted by the hole, watching Milliped eat. She was very intrigued.
By dusk, Li Qingshan’s twenty tables of food had arrived as well. He sat by the hole and opened the boxes of food, also wolfing them down. He had to admit that watching Milliped eat made him develop an appetite too.
Li Qingshan ate by the hole, while Milliped ate in the hole. Xiao An could see Milliped if she looked down, and she could see Li Qingshan if she looked up. She found this to be fascinating.
He could use the energy of the world to replace food after he daemonified, going for very long periods without food. With how much spiritual qi of the world he could absorb as a daemon, he could basically attain what humans called inedia. He would be able to thrive even after stopping all intake of food. However, his appetite would remain, and it would only grow stronger as time went on.
The reason why humans chose to go without food was because regular food contained far too many impurities. It would build up in their bellies and affect their cultivation. However, the cultivation method and constitution of daemons were completely different from humans. To daemons, being able to fill themselves would never be bad. Their powerful bodies could easily digest any impurities.
The process of human cultivation was like a sculptor producing a delicate piece of art. They would choose the most suitable cultivation method and the most suitable pills after careful consideration. Subsequently, they would divide the cultivation process into many detailed steps before inching towards their objective slowly. They wanted to be in control of everything, constantly striving towards perfection, to become someone above all, an immortal.
The cultivation process of daemons, on the other hand, was like a painter casually flicking their brushes and producing landscapes from splashes of ink. It was coarse, liberal, and unconstrained. The painter might not even be themselves, but nature; it was just like using the elements of nature, the wind, frost, rain, and snow, to grind away a strange rock. They just happened to be a little more special than other rocks, known as daemons.
Milliped’s mouth suddenly stopped. He raised his head to look at Li Qingshan, and the snowy-white grains of rice leaked out from the corner of his lips. He sputtered, “Alcohol!”
Li Qingshan just happened to be drinking a jar of alcohol heartily. Sensing his gaze, he tossed the jar down. “For you!”
Milliped glugged it all down before asking for more.
Li Qingshan tossed down four or five of them together. He had drunk quite a lot, and in the spur of the moment, he forgot about his own warning to Xiao An. He leapt into the hole with his alcohol and food, bumping alcohol jars with Milliped before tilting his head back and drinking it all.
Milliped looked at him in a daze, at a loss as to what he was doing. Only when Li Qingshan drank half of his jar already did he suddenly seem to realise what was going on. He drank his alcohol in a hurry. He even looked at Li Qingshan as he drank it.
However, Li Qingshan still ended up finishing first. He laughed happily, but Milliped was unhappy with this result. He picked up a jar of alcohol and shoved it into Li Qingshan’s hands before lifting up his own. He bumped jars with Li Qingshan before opening his great mouth in a hurry and drinking it all.
Li Qingshan broke out in laughter. Despite how dazed he always seemed, Li Qingshan never thought that he would have some character about him. “Again!”
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Chapter 196 – Resting Before Fighting
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Chapter 196 – Resting Before Fighting
The sun had fallen, and the moon had risen. Moonlight flooded the hole, illuminating the two people drinking together. One was bald with a pink cloak, while the other was like a tower.
Alcohol was the best item for bringing people closer, but it required a lot of it.
Li Qingshan drank a lot of it. As he sat in the grain and smelled the natural fragrance of it, he dropped his guard.
Drinking with the simple-minded Milliped was much more satisfying than any of the banquets he had attended in the past. There was no scheming, no disputes over interests. They ate for the sake of eating and drank for the sake of drinking.
With over a hundred jars of alcohol down, both of their bellies bulged up, while their eyes became hazy from the influence of alcohol.
Milliped’s shiny, bald head became even more dazzling under the moonlight. Li Qingshan could not help but extend his hand over and rub it. “You’re not bad. You have no bad intentions, no, you don’t have any intentions at all.”
Milliped smiled foolishly. “You’re very good too. You coming underground?”
Li Qingshan shook his head in an exaggerated manner. “Nah, nah. I still have things to do. If you want to eat, feel free to look for me. I welcome you to!”
Milliped was originally rather disappointed by his reply, but after hearing Li Qingshan’s words, he agreed profusely. Suddenly, his vision grew hazy, and he fell backwards, producing a thunderous snore.
Li Qingshan cursed jokingly, “All you do is eat and sleep. Nothing else bothers you. What an envious life.” He raised his head and yawned. He settled himself into the golden millet, and the pile collapsed, covering most of his body like a great big blanket. He fell asleep as well.
Xiao An came down and tidied up the leftovers. She crouched at the entrance of the hole to watch the night.
Before he knew it, Li Qingshan discovered that he had turned back into a child. He had a pair of small hands and feet. He wore a garment that had been patched up several times as he ran through the boundless plains, chasing the sun in the sky.
His sweat poured down, but he did not wipe it away. His feet were pierced by sharp stones, but he ignored them. Stumbling, he rolled on the ground before climbing back to his feet. He did not stop. He stared straight at the sun in the sky.
A great green mountain blocked his path. He did not stop, charging right into the mountain, but it was not as tough as he imagined it to be. An extremely large ox’s head extended over from one side of the mountain. It looked at him with its moist, ox eyes and said with a grand voice, “What’re you hurrying for? It’s not like the sun will run away.”
He was surprised. He climbed onto the ox’s back that seemed just like a ridge and looked at the sun near the horizon. Just like he had said, the sun had not run away. He touched his waist, and a flute appeared. It was very crude, but also very familiar. He grabbed it and began playing it.
The moon was replaced by the sun. The warm sun of noon hung in the sky lazily, casting its warm gaze into the hole.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and yawned. He discovered that Milliped was still sleeping. Who knows when he would wake up. He leapt out of the hole and felt that his mind was particularly clear. The autumn colours of the distant mountains were pleasant. It was a refreshing sight.
He felt like it had been a very long time since he had been so relaxed. Ever since he arrived in the dangerous place of Jiaping, there were enemies and danger around every corner. All he could do was constantly cultivate and breakthrough. Even when he slept, he was thinking about how he could increase his cultivation and deal with his enemies.
His heart had always been tense. Even he himself had failed to realise just how much fatigue it had accumulated. Only after a hearty session of drinking and a good dream did his heart finally loosen up.
He thought about the dream from the night before and smiled. He muttered to himself, “Yeah, what am I hurrying for?” He reached into the depths of his hundred treasures pouch and pulled out his forgotten flute.
The sound of the flute echoed through the autumn mountains. Milliped opened his eyes, while Xiao An listened on quietly.
From that day onwards, Xiao An discovered that Li Qingshan smiled much more, and he played the flute much more. He would even get her to teach him penmanship a lot of the time, or he would take her around on idle strolls in the forests of fallen leaves.
As he strolled, he would suddenly stop and look at Xiao An solemnly. Xiao An would immediately grow nervous. She would ball her fists and think, Here it comes!
Li Qingshan’s lips rapidly opened and closed, “Eating grape without spitting out grape skin. But spitting out grape skin without eating grapes1.”
Xiao An stammered in a hurry, “Eat- not eat grapes without eating grape skin. Spitting out grape skin… without eating grapes.”
This was what Li Qingshan came up with to teach her how to talk. He called it the home education of ‘Qingshan teaches you fluent speech’. But right now, Li Qingshan was completely absorbed by how cute she was with her bright red face as she struggled with the tongue twister.
He extended his hand to pinch her cheek. “Why don’t you keep laughing over my horrible penmanship?”
Xiao An turned her head in a fuming manner, dodging his hand, but she was in an extremely good mood. Although she did not want to interfere with his cultivation, she also desired his care. She did not want him to be distant from her.
In reality, Li Qingshan had never stopped cultivating. He continued to eat pills everyday, but he lost most of his tension. No matter what he did, he focused on staying relaxed. If he spent every single day on the edge, then it would be easy for him to spiral once something actually important came up. It would make him inflexible.
And, his responsibility was not just to protect her.
Unknowingly, over a month had passed.
All of his Qi Gathering pills were gone now, while Li Qingshan’s daemon qi had reached an unprecedented level, but Qian Rongzhi had yet to contact him. However, he was not worried. He began to eat the Hundred Grasses pills.
The first snow of the year arrived very early. When the first flake of snow fell onto Li Qingshan’s nose, he was staring greedily at Milliped, while Milliped stared nervously at Xiao An, or should you say, the dice jar in Xiao An’s hands.
A few alcohol jars were turned upside down, forming a table with bowls of alcohol atop it.
Li Qingshan and Milliped sat facing each other, while Xiao An sat to the side as the dealer.
Xiao An rolled up her sleeves and revealed her slender arms, lifting the dice jar while smiling.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Fifteen! That’s big! Drink!” He grabbed a handful of peanuts from the piles of food beside him, peeled their shells, and tossed them into his mouth.
Milliped chuckled. He lifted up a bowl and drank it all. Compared to when Li Qingshan first saw him, he was much livelier and slightly plumper.
Xiao An held a long peanut between her fingers and asked Milliped, “Doesn’t it look like you?” Her voice was clear, as pleasant as the gurgling of springs and as touching as the music from a zither. ‘Qingshan teaches you fluent speech’ had achieved some results now.
Milliped looked at himself, and then he looked at the peanut. He nodded. “It does!”
“Here!” Xiao An placed the peanut in Milliped’s palm.
Milliped immediately tossed it into his mouth.
“You’ve eaten yourself!”
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to add something, his face stiffened. Xiao An immediately turned around and looked at him. Bring it on! She was now even faster than Li Qingshan at tongue twisters.
Li Qingshan smiled at her and pulled out the Communication talisman from his bosom. The talisman burned rapidly, turning into ash that dispersed in the wind very soon.
Qian Rongzhi’s signal had finally arrived!
Li Qingshan stood up quickly, and Milliped stood up as well. He opened his mouth in complete surprise.
Li Qingshan pressed down on his shoulder, pressing him back down. “I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be back very soon.”
Li Qingshan did not get Milliped to help him, nor did he have any plans to use him against the Sect of Clouds and Rain. He was an extremely great drinking buddy, but that was all. He obviously had to handle his own matters.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An, one small and one large, vanished from the hole. Xiao An even looked back and waved goodbye to Milliped.
Milliped sat there in a daze. Suddenly, he felt empty inside. Flakes of snow fell into the bowls of alcohol. He ate a mouthful of his favourite rice, but he felt like something was missing. He scratched his bald head in confusion.
Qian Rongzhi sank into her thoughts as she furrowed her brows in the residence. She went through the plan carefully—how to begin, how to deal with the consequences, and how to pull out if it failed. She ensured that there would be no holes in the plan.
Suddenly, she raised one of her arched eyebrows and turned around. “You’re finally here.”
Li Qingshan happened to be standing right behind her. Apart from remaining extremely burly, he had basically returned to how he was before. This was the result of the increased efforts he had placed into practising the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression recently.
He noticed the different Black Wolf uniform on her immediately. “You’ve become the Black Wolf commander?”
Qian Rongzhi stood up and turned around. She showed off. “What do you think of it? It’s pretty good, isn’t it!”
“It’s pretty good.”
“Thank you. It looks like you’ve been well recently too.”
“I’ve been alright.”
They greeted each other like they were old friends, using fake courtesy to maintain the fragile alliance.
Before Li Qingshan could ask, Qian Rongzhi said, “The fish has taken the bait. Just as you had requested, we’re just trying to catch the West Gate Granny.”
Li Qingshan asked in wonder, “How did you achieve it?” Luring out the people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain was easy, but luring out just the West Gate Granny without alarming everyone else was nothing short of difficult.
Qian Rongzhi did not explain. She stroked the Black Wolf tablet on her waist with the tip of her fingers and smiled. “That’s my job. It’s up to you now. If this all falls apart, I might not keep my word.”
“As long as you’ve done your job. You obviously have nothing to worry about regarding my part.” Li Qingshan was absolutely confident. He had adjusted himself to peak condition. He needed a battle. His relaxed heart gradually tensed up again as his interest for battle rose.
Qian Rongzhi changed the topic. “Though, I still need to prepare for the worst. Before you’ve confirmed the number of enemies, I’d advise you to keep your aura hidden.”
Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes. Qian Rongzhi said calmly, “There are no plans that are perfect. Even I can’t remove all factors of uncertainty. There’s no need for me to go into detail with that. You’d better think about how you’ll handle defeat before you start wondering how you’ll celebrate.”
“Naturally.” Even if Qian Rongzhi had not told him that, Li Qingshan would have prepared for the worst anyway. He would never place all of his trust in her. She said this just as a disclaimer, telling him to not come for her if any accidents happened.
Li Qingshan smiled. “You only have one life anyway. You’d better value it!”
“Of course!” Qian Rongzhi smiled as well. She knew that even if she tried to butter up to him, she would not be able to fool Li Qingshan.
However, Li Qingshan never imagined that the place Qian Rongzhi had chosen would actually be here.
He raised the brim of his large, bamboo hat and gazed at the lofty estate of the Qian family.
Choosing a place she was familiar with originally made a lot of sense, but she had caused the deaths of almost a thousand people here. Regular people would avoid it like taboo, but she would not. She made the most optimal choice for everything.
Li Qingshan arrived on the other side of the mountain. He found a cave among the withered grass and fallen leaves and entered. It gradually widened, turning into a huge, natural cavern in the end.
Li Qingshan checked the height of the ceiling. He even tested it by transforming. Afterwards, he began to make his preparations, constantly inspecting the cavern. He stuck seven talismans to a few hidden stalactites on the ceiling first before giving a few talismans to Xiao An.
Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit. And this time, it would be a vicious beast of great danger.
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1. A Chinese tongue twister.
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Chapter 197 – A Fight of Life and Death
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Chapter 197 – A Fight of Life and Death
“You sure cultivated quickly!” The West Gate Granny squinted and studied Qian Rongzhi in deep suspicion.
A few young men surrounded the granny, massaging her hands and feet. They looked at Qian Rongzhi in her valiant Black Wolf commander uniform with envy and hatred.
Qian Rongzhi knelt and begged. “Rongzhi only managed this from obtaining a daemon’s core out of pure luck, but this won’t continue for long. Please, granny, let me back into the Sect of Clouds and Rain. I won’t disappoint granny.”
The West Gate Granny stroked a tender, handsome face gently. “If you’re telling the truth, then I might consider it. I still actually like you very much.” She felt very happy to be able to receive a bow from a Black Wolf commander.
A handsome, young man looked at Qian Rongzhi arrogantly and complacently, like Qian Rongzhi was kneeling to him.
Qian Rongzhi was overjoyed. “Rongzhi has only spoken the truth. I used the informants of the Hawkwolf Guard to find him after becoming the Black Wolf commander. Li Qingshan appeared in Ancient Wind city with that child before. I specially sent people to investigate this, and I found his hiding place after quite a lot of difficulty.”
“Not only does he possess the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch, but it’s very likely that he was responsible for the deaths of Zhuo Zhibo and his subordinates too. He possesses a wealth of several thousand spiritual stones at the very least. You definitely won’t be disappointed, granny.”
This was her scheme. If a powerful Qi Practitioner learned that a weaker Qi Practitioner possessed tremendous wealth on them, they obviously would not contact their companions. Instead, they would find a way to obtain all of it for themselves.
Right when the West Gate Granny’s wrinkly face had curled into a smile, a croaky voice rang out from outside the window, “Old woman, how can you forget about me when there are all these benefits presented before you?”
The West Gate Granny’s expression suddenly changed, while Qian Rongzhi’s heart sank. It was the East Gate Granny’s voice.
The East Gate Granny walked in slowly with a happy grin.
The West Gate Granny and East Gate Granny were on bitter terms with each other, so they constantly kept an eye out for the other’s movements. As soon as the West Gate Granny left Clear River city, she was discovered by the East Gate Granny. She became suspicious, so she tailed her silently. The people who cared for you the most in the world were not your friends, but your enemies.
The East Gate Granny ignored the sunken-faced West Gate Granny. She said to Qian Rongzhi, “Girly Qian, lead the way. That kid’s very vigilant. We can’t afford to go with someone’s wretched idea and waste a few days for nothing again.”
Qian Rongzhi glanced at the West Gate Granny in a troubled manner. The West Gate Granny said with a sunken face, “Let’s go!” It had already happened, so there was no use fuming over this. She could only let this old coot win a round over her.
The three of them arrived on the other side of the mountain that the Ancient Wind city sat on. They stopped before the pitch-black cave.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Grannies, Li Qingshan should be hiding in there.”
“Lead the way!”
“Yes!” The setback from the failure of her plan had not deterred her. It did not make her give anything away. She planned and prepared carefully. As long as she could prove that Li Qingshan had appeared in the city in the past, the two grannies probably would not blame her too much.
And, before she had left, she had specially told the new Black Wolf commander that she would be going to Ancient Wind city with them. The investigation that followed any missing Hawkwolf Guards served as a protective talisman.
If she failed this time, then she still had next time. As long as she constantly tried, there would be a time when she succeeded.
They advanced forward along the winding path until they reached a large cavern.
Qian Rongzhi’s expression suddenly changed drastically. She almost broke out cursing.
Li Qingshan did not conceal his presence and hide. Instead, he just sat on a rock out in the open, meditating.
The West Gate Granny and the East Gate Granny walked past her. The East Gate Granny even patted her shoulder. “Good job!” She failed to notice her pale expression at all.
Qian Rongzhi said with difficulty, “Please capture Li Qingshan, grannies! I’ll be waiting outside the cave.”
The West Gate Granny nodded without caring too much. All she did was stare at Li Qingshan. “Go wait on the carriage. We’ll be out very soon.”
The East Gate Granny’s eyes shone. “Old woman, go easy. You don’t come across kids as healthy as him often. Let me try the Vitality Devouring technique!”
“The Vitality Devouring technique!” The West Gate Granny thought of something and glanced at Qian Rongzhi in thought.
Qian Rongzhi felt the sharp, sword-like gaze slide past her, but she did not seize up at all.
The West Gate Granny set her doubts aside before turning around and cursing, “I knew you’d become restless. You can have the kid, but I’m taking an additional ten percent of his possessions!”
The East Gate Granny agreed with a sinister smile as she looked at Li Qingshan greedily.
“Though, don’t suck him dry. We still need to ask him about Yingjie’s whereabouts, along with that child with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty.” The West Gate Granny looked around, but she failed to find Xiao An.
“Didn’t Wei Zhongyuan already get Ma Buyi to take a look already? That unlucky kid is probably done for. He’s probably dead already. The murderer was in the north, probably this kid, as a matter of fact.”
Qian Rongzhi’s heart trembled. There were actually such accurate divination techniques in the world. If it were not for Li Qingshan, who bore the blame for her, she probably would have been exposed already.
She made her way out of the cave while holding her breath; then she sat down slowly against a rock, like she had collapsed weakly. She slammed the rockface viciously and left behind a deep handprint.
If Li Qingshan were captured, she would definitely be exposed for murdering Wei Yingjie, and she would have to face the wrath of a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, along with the entire Sect of Clouds and Rain. The Hawkwolf Guard would be incapable of protecting her, nor would they try to protect her.
Right now, all she could do was flee immediately, the further the better. However, where was she supposed to go? There was nowhere she could go, unless she copied Li Qingshan and fled underground.
Why didn’t Li Qingshan flee?
“Look at that woman. No matter how high her cultivation is, she still looks like a bitch.” The handsome young men huddled together on an open piece of land with sparse vegetation near the carriage as they jeered at Qian Rongzhi.
“You’re the bitches!” Qian Rongzhi glanced at them in contempt.
The young men were stunned by that. One of them became enraged. “How dare you talk back!” Another one said in a sunken fashion, “Just that would have been enough for granny to cut you to pieces.” Under the protection of the West Gate Granny, rarely did anyone rebuke them.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “But, the old woman’s not here right now!” She walked over with her Water-splitting barb. Even if she was going to flee, she wanted to take a few people with her.
“W- what are you planning on doing?” The young men became afraid. They retreated slowly before turning around and fleeing towards the carriage.
Qian Rongzhi swung her hand, and there was a flash of light. Four pairs of legs were chopped off together.
The fine horse that pulled the carried whinnied uneasily and reared its front legs. After Qian Rongzhi gave it a glance, it immediately settled down.
However, there were some people who could not settle down. The young men rolled on the ground in pain.
Qian Rongzhi stopped their bleeding wounds with great familiarity and injected some true qi into every single one of them so that they remained conscious. They would not faint, so they could properly enjoy the painful torture.
“You whore, you bitch! Granny will definitely kill you! Just you wait- ahhhh!” The young man in red clothes sobbed as he cursed. The Water-splitting barb swept past his face, slicing off his nose and destroying his handsome appearance.
Qian Rongzhi patted his bloody face. “I hope your granny will keep doting on you, you noseless, ugly boy!”
The other three young men immediately stopped cursing. They looked at Qian Rongzhi in fear and resentment. Their handsome faces were their most valuable possession. If they lost their legs, those could still be reattached, but if they lost their appearances, they would completely lose the granny’s favour.
Afterwards, shrieks and howls rang through the forest like ghosts in the pits of hell.
Qian Rongzhi cut off another three noses, completely shredding and obliterating all of their hopes.
She did not choose to flee. Instead, she faced the nearby cave and meditated amidst the howls.
If the West Gate Granny emerged and saw what her beloved faces had become, she would definitely tear her to shreds.
However, she had already calmed down completely. She knew Li Qingshan’s character very well. Since he did not flee, he definitely possessed the confidence that he did not need to flee.
Since he was bold enough to fight, what was she supposed to be afraid of? At most, she would just die with him. Having reached this step, death no longer worried her. She refused to take a step back in retreat.
Qian Rongzhi had guessed correctly. Li Qingshan was fighting.
When he caught the two scents entering the cave, he knew that the plan had gone wrong, but it should not have been one of Qian Rongzhi’s schemes. If she wanted to get him, she could have called for everyone from the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
Against just the West Gate Granny, he was absolutely confident that he could emerge victorious, but if the East Gate Granny were added to the equation, his chances at victory fell to around seventy percent. If he was seventy percent confident and still refused to fight, would he still be a man?
This was why he did not hide, sitting there instead. He adjusted every single strand of muscle in his body to peak condition, like a tiger on the hunt, quietly waiting for its prey to get closer.
Li Qingshan glanced at the pale-faced Qian Rongzhi and confirmed his thoughts. After hearing what the two old coots said, he directly treated them like their heads were on the chopping block. He sat right where he was as his killing intent surged.
The West Gate Granny saw how Li Qingshan did not even move, so she asked in wonder, “The kid’s not running?”
“He must be stunned by fear. Don’t be afraid, my good child. I won’t hurt you.” The East Gate Granny used her arts of charm as she smiled. No matter how impressive the arts of Body Practitioners were, he was an easy target with his strength at the third layer.
The West Gate Granny sneered. She knew that the arts of charm were not particularly effective against Li Qingshan, but she purposefully did not warn the East Gate Granny so that she could make a fool of herself.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud, which reverberated through the cave. The spirit turtle’s daemon core bobbed up and down in his body, suppressing all distracting thoughts.
The East Gate Granny was alarmed. “What are you laughing about?”
Li Qingshan stopped laughing. “There are two old and ugly monsters who are trying to flirt like young girls. How hilarious. You can fool others, but have you fooled yourselves too? Why don’t you check yourselves in the mirror and count how many wrinkles you have?”
That hit a sore spot for the two grannies. They hated it the most when others reminded them of their appearances and age.
The East Gate Granny was enraged. “Kid, you’re looking to die!”
With a wave of her hand, colossal true qi, as black as ink, formed a huge wave that swept towards Li Qingshan.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The thick stalagmites that blocked the path of the true qi were smashed to pieces, knocking rocks into the air. It was like a huge, black snake that crawled across the ground, arriving before Li Qingshan in a single instant. It raised its head and bit down viciously.
With a boom, the rock that Li Qingshan sat on shattered.
Li Qingshan had already vanished. In that close moment, he had leapt into the air. He stared at the black true qi. “Profound Yin true qi!”
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Chapter 198 – Well I Fucking Do
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Chapter 198 – Well I Fucking Do
Aside from the true qi of the five elements, there were yin and yang as well. They were all known as Profound Yin true qi and Profound Yang true qi. The Sect of Clouds and Rain practised dual cultivation of yin and yang, where men cultivated profound yang and women cultivated profound yin, which was represented as black and white. When they reached the limit, yin could produce yang and yang could produce yin. They would be in harmony. Not only was it not regarded as an evil cultivation method, but it was even regarded as a standard cultivation method of daoism.
Yin and yang were capable of endless variations. The cultivation methods derived from them would surpass the true qi of the five elements, and it would come in all sorts of forms. What the Zombie Daoist happened to cultivate was Profound Yin true qi as well, but his Profound Yin true qi was for refining and nurturing corpses. It could not enchant anyone or devour their vitality.
Li Qingshan was secretly surprised. Profound Yin true qi was not known for their vigour, yet it was still capable of something like this. Ninth layer Qi Practitioners truly were not people who could be trifled with.
Suddenly, a shadow enveloped Li Qingshan, A huge, black hand reached over viciously.
The West Gate Granny had her right hand extended in the empty air and said in a sunken fashion, “I’d like to see where you run off to this time.”
“Why would I run?” Li Qingshan said boldly. He parted his hands and took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Pure true qi surged into it wildly, and a series of strokes lit up like swords and blades.
The last time he had tried using the Cursive Sword Calligraphy was when he was still in Qingyang city. He had not even reached the second layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi back then, but he was on the seventh layer now. His true qi had grown over ten times in quantity. A total of twenty-one strokes lit up on the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and shot towards the black hand.
The sword qi shot through the air, and the black hand crumbled.
“A high grade spiritual artifact!” The West Gate Granny was surprised. She called out, “Black Clay Vortex!” Thick, dark true qi formed a huge vortex that revolved rapidly before her; it was as if it was trying to swallow everything.
This was the strongest defensive technique that the West Gate Granny knew. She was confident that she could block the attacks of any Qi Practitioners with it.
The twenty-one strands of sword qi plunged into the black vortex simultaneously, and it immediately began to ripple.
The West Gate Granny was stern. She poured all of her strength into the technique, such that the Black Clay Vortex spun as quickly as it could as it attempted to grind the twenty-one strands of sword qi to pieces.
With a boom, the vortex of true qi collapsed, while the West Gate Granny hunched over. A streak of light swept past her shoulder, followed by a bloody splash.
Li Qingshan immediately took out a spiritual stone. Pure energy gradually flowed into his body through his palm, and his true qi rapidly recovered.
He felt shocked too. Originally, he just wanted to stop the black hand and use the opportunity to flee, but he never expected the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to be so powerful. He actually managed to injure a ninth layer Qi Practitioner in a single attack, but that was also due to the fact that his true qi was simply too pure. Other Qi Practitioners would probably need to be at the fifth layer to unleash the same power as him.
“A supreme grade spiritual artifact?” The West Gate Granny’s expression changed drastically. This piece of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy was still rather incomplete, which was why even the West Gate Granny was unable to discern its grade. All she knew was that it was important. Aside from her anger that had risen from frustration and shame, she became extremely greedy as well.
“That’ll be mine. Old woman, you’d better not fight over it with me.” The East Gate Granny’s eyes lit up. Then she closed her eyes, forming seals with her hands and chanting. The Profound Yin true qi all returned to her side like black, surging water; it was as if it was alive!
A sense of danger rose up inside Li Qingshan. It must be an extraordinary technique since even a ninth layer Qi Practitioner needed to expend effort to prepare it.
However, he advanced instead of retreating. He held the hilt of the Wind-entwining blade in a reverse grip as true qi surged out of the acupoints below his feet like a cushion. He stepped on the walls like it was flat ground and strode vigorously. He took a total of seven steps and leapt over the West Gate Granny.
There was a flash of cold light, and the Wind-entwining blade exited its sheath with a clang. He swung down with it like he could cut through anything.
The West Gate Granny’s technique had just been defeated, so she was unable to provide any assistance. Or perhaps she did not want to provide any assistance at all. She had just made a fool out of herself in front of the East Gate Granny earlier, so she obviously wanted to make up for it right now. She just stood aside and watched on as she thought, The kid’s art of practising the body sure is impressive. If you throw that supreme grade spiritual artifact into the equation, even sixth layer Qi Practitioners might end up falling to his hands if he strikes suddenly.
The East Gate Granny suddenly snapped open her eyes. She pressed her hands together and raised her index and middle fingers together, directing them at Li Qingshan. “Snakebind’s Curse!” Black true qi transformed into thousands of pitch-black snakes that surged over together. Just the sight of it would be enough to frighten the wits out of ordinary people.
The Wind-entwining blade became bound by several dozen black snakes and could not move another inch forward; it was like it had sunken into mud. Li Qingshan’s body was surrounded as well, only leaving behind the figure of a human.
Li Qingshan focused on a single point and concentrated all of his strength on the Wind-entwining blade. He peered past the black true qi and locked onto the top of the East Gate Granny’s head. He erupted and yelled, “Go through!” His arms suddenly swelled and darkened. Daemon qi rushed through the restraints of the black snakes, and he swung down violently.
The expression of the East Gate Granny, who had just begun to smile complacently, suddenly stiffened. “What’s this?!”
The West Gate Granny sensed that something was off as well. She produced a scarlet needle. The needle was small, but it shone extremely brightly. It was actually a high grade spiritual artifact. There were not a lot of high grade spiritual artifacts, with even fewer high grade needles. They were even more difficult to forge.
Once they were refined, however, they were tremendously powerful. Not only could they move with great secrecy and speed, but they could even pierce through all protective true qi and techniques. They could instantly kill a Qi Practitioner who did not have any protective spiritual artifacts in battle.
The needle produced a thin, red streak and basically arrived near Li Qingshan’s head the moment it had shot out.
A Skull Prayer Bead flew out and struck the needle, while the other one transformed into a huge skull that bit down on the West Gate Granny.
Xiao An emerged from the soil and leapt out of the darkness, stabbing towards the East Gate Granny’s back. A total of three talismans were stuck to her arms, legs, and blade, maximising her speed, strength, and lethality, just so that she could launch a fatal strike.
Li Qingshan had misled the enemy by appearing weak for the sake of creating the opportunity to launch this attack. If they could kill one of the grannies first, victory would be certain.
Fine streaks of light emerged from the East Gate Granny, enveloping her completely.
The blade swung down, and the sword stabbed out. They produced two great ringing booms, causing the streaks of light to tremble, but they did not shatter.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An used the rebounding force to quickly leap backwards. A nick appeared on both of their weapons. They both found this to be a pity. The East Gate Granny possessed an extremely powerful defensive spiritual artifact.
The East Gate Granny screamed and fled to one side. It had been several years since she last experienced life-threatening danger. If it were not for the mid grade spiritual artifact she had purchased before at a great cost, the Mirrorplate of Luminance, she would have lost her life in such an easy matter. She checked the Mirrorplate of Luminance and discovered two deep marks. Its spiritual qi had decreased drastically. She was both astounded and furious.
When she looked at Li Qingshan again, he had already grown to ten feet in size. His skin was pitch-black like iron, and a pair of horns protruded from his forehead. His scarlet hair draped near his waist.
She yelled out, “There’s something wrong with the kid! Use your full strength!” She raised her hand, and a comb flew out of her sleeve. It expanded as it shot towards Li Qingshan. The comb shone brightly. It was also a high grade spiritual artifact.
She had never expected the kid to be so troublesome. Even the child with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty was extremely strange. However, she believed that as long as the two of them became serious, Li Qingshan would never be the opponent of two ninth layer Qi Practitioners wielding two high grade spiritual artifacts.
She saw Li Qingshan take out a talisman. She recognised it in a single glance. It was a mid grade Lightning Summoning talisman, which made her sneer inside. It was not like there was a storm right now. A mid grade Lightning Summoning talisman would not even be able to pierce her protective true qi. It only confirmed to her that Li Qingshan was out of tricks now.
Li Qingshan smiled. He had yet to complete his killing combination.
The Lightning Summoning talisman was activated, but it did not shoot towards the East Gate Granny. Instead, it turned into countless, tiny sparks that illuminated the entire cavern. It also illuminated the eight talismans that Li Qingshan had prepared earlier, setting them off with the sparks.
The eight talismans activated simultaneously. They gathered into a scorching-white bolt of lightning, as thick as a pillar, which landed on the East Gate Granny in the air. The thin layer of true qi was unable to stop it at all, pierced through instantly, while the Mirrorplate of Luminance shattered immediately. She shrieked out and fell out of the air, smouldering with smoke.
“What a crafty kid!” The West Gate Granny’s face darkened at this sight. Her wrinkles writhed.
She used a high grade Golden Shield talisman to block the flame-spitting skull as she guided the flying needle towards Li Qingshan again. It was both swift and vicious. The Skull Prayer Bead was unable to intercept it.
Li Qingshan’s face stiffened. His height exploded to thirty feet. He extended his hand to grab the comb that had lost control and released the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
With a ding, the needle stabbed into the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and became lodged in there, unable to advance any further.
The West Gate Granny was surprised. Her flying needle had actually failed to pierce through the protective technique. When she looked at Li Qingshan’s terrifying form again, a thought crossed her head. She cursed aloud, “It’s that little bitch’s trap!”
At the same time, Xiao An shot over to the East Gate Granny’s side. She swung down with her sword, giving her no time to catch her breath.
There was a clang, and the sword landed on a layer of golden light. In that moment of danger, the East Gate Granny stuck a Golden Shield talisman on herself as well. High grade talismans were extremely precious, so they never wanted to use them unless they had to.
Xiao An was unfazed. The hidden sword stabbed out in a storm-like barrage as her hand almost turned into a blur. The golden light receded slowly.
The East Gate Granny was surprised, but not frantic. She used the opportunity to eat a recovery pill and take out a spiritual stone to recover true qi. Although she was charred all over, just a few Lightning Summoning talismans were not enough to kill her. She was utterly enraged as she desperately tried to wield the comb.
The comb trembled in Li Qingshan’s hand, but how could it contend against his strength of two oxen? As soon as he had begun to smile, there was a sudden flash of light and several dozen blades of light shot out from the teeth of the comb. They were no weaker than the sword qi from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. With how close the weapon was to him, he was unable to dodge the attack, nor could he use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! There was the resonance of metal. The blades of light landed on Li Qingshan’s chest and produced spurts of blood.
Xiao An did not even look at him. She struck out even more viciously. The hidden sword was unable to endure the wear and began to crack. The East Gate Granny’s Golden Shield talisman had been worn down as well. It was close to shattering.
Li Qingshan gained several dozen terrifying wounds that criss-crossed across his body. Some of them were bone-deep, but none of them were fatal. Wounds like that were nothing to daemons. With a surge of daemon qi, his injuries rapidly closed up and vanished.
Just when the East Gate Granny began to smile complacently once again, her expression froze. “That’s impossible. Even daemons don’t possess such a tough hide!” Little did she know that after Li Qingshan achieved the second layer with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength, his Ox Demon Forges its Hide had reached a whole new level as well.
“Well I fucking do!” The moment Li Qingshan uttered this first word, he had already arrived before the East Gate Granny in a leap and thrown out a punch.
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Chapter 199 – Slaughtering Both
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Chapter 199 – Slaughtering Both
The Golden Shield talisman shattered.
The East Gate Granny’s charred face revealed a mysterious expression. She held a talisman between her skinny fingers.
“Hmm?” Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. Something was amiss.
The talisman was activated. Frigid light poured out as coldness permeated the surroundings.
Crack, crack. The frigid ice climbed up Li Qingshan’s arms from his fists, sealing up his entire body. His punch struggled forward, but it ended up stopping before the East Gate Granny’s face.
Li Qingshan’s colossal body had turned into a huge piece of ice. His expression was still one of shock. The terrifying killing intent that the East Gate Granny almost found to be suffocating had been frozen as well.
Xiao An on the side was not spared either. She was immobilised by the ice.
Li Qingshan was not the only one with trump cards.
The West Gate Granny sneered. “You’ve finally managed to bring yourself to use the supreme grade Frost Wave talisman.” She knew that the East Gate Granny possessed this trump card all along, which was why she would always go easy on her. Now that she had finally been forced to use it, she could not help but rejoice.
The East Gate Granny had just survived a life-threatening attack, but she was filled with dejection. Over the century of cultivation, who knows just how much effort it had cost her for her to end up with this supreme grade talisman. It was truly her protective talisman. Even if she killed Li Qingshan now, it probably would not be able to make up for her losses.
In hindsight, she should have never come in the first place. If that old coot could die in the trap alone, it would have been something joyous. She looked at Li Qingshan again, and her eyes were filled with resentment and bitterness. She was tempted to skin him alive and break all of his bones immediately, torturing him to death.
The West Gate Granny studied Xiao An and sighed. “It’s a pity with this kid, or we could have erased her memories and controlled her with the Heart Bewitching technique. She would be able to serve as quite a powerful weapon to our sect.”
The Frost Wave talisman did not just bound people in ice. It also froze their bodies and destroyed their meridians. It was almost equivalent to a strike from a Foundation Establishment talisman. It was impossible for them to survive.
The East Gate Granny said, “The child is very strange, so it’s not exactly bad news that she’s dead. As for this Li Qingshan, he was actually a daemon, and he actually managed to hide his daemon qi so well, even posing as a Qi Practitioner!”
In the blueish-white ice, Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly swivelled.
The East Gate Granny was stunned. “He’s still alive! Finish him off quick, or we’ll be the ones who’ll die here today!”
The West Gate Granny was startled too. How is that possible!
Thump! Thump! Thump! Li Qingshan’s heart beat like a wardrum, becoming faster and faster. His blood vessels swelled, and his muscles bulged as he produced a soundless roar.
Crack, crack. A series of cracks stretched over the ice.
The West Gate Granny wasted no time at all. She controlled the flying needle, directly stabbing towards Li Qingshan’s heart with one hand while clutching a supreme grade talisman in the other. Suddenly, there was a burst of golden light that dazzled her eyes.
Xiao An’s frozen flesh and blood transformed into raging flames once again. She stuck a talisman to her shiny bones. It was a high grade Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings.
A huge, golden figure burst out of the ice. It was complete with a golden sword and clear facial features. It could not be compared to the same inferior talismans from before.
At the centre of the golden man was a tiny set of shiny bones. They actually became slightly golden under the golden light, giving off a buddhist aura. It turned around and locked onto the West Gate Granny, which actually seemed like the furious glare from a guardian king.
The West Gate Granny became dazed. Her mind had been shaken, overwhelmed by the glare. She focused on practising the arts of enchantment to affect the minds of others, so her mind was obviously very powerful, yet she was actually affected now.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty resonated with the Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings and unleashed unbelievable power.
Guardian kings were the protectors of buddhism. Even just a sliver of their aura was not something that Qi Practitioners could endure. Both their strength and minds would be suppressed.
The furious glare of guardian kings could subdue demons, while the downward gaze of bodhisattvas brought benevolence to the six realms.
Xiao An did not let this opportunity slip by. She rushed over to the West Gate Granny. Her white bones were emotionless, while the guardian king was furious. It raised its golden sword high into the air and swung down with enough power to purge all evil.
The threat of death allowed the West Gate Granny to return to her senses. The golden sword was only inches away now. She let out a scream and used a technique. Profound Yin true qi surged out from her body, forming a barrier. She made up her mind and also took out her supreme grade talisman. She hesitated on whether to retreat, or to activate the talisman.
Swish!
The sword cut through the true qi barrier and cut off her hand that held the supreme grade talisman.
The West Gate Granny clutched her severed arm as she shrieked and retreated. She wanted to use her true qi to retrieve the talisman, but the guardian king grabbed it instead, turning it into a futile attempt. The guardian king launched a second slash.
She immediately became afraid to remain there for even a moment longer. She used a technique that could increase her speed and rushed out of the cave, but when she looked up, she discovered that the East Gate Granny had already fled ahead of her. She could not help but curse inside.
All of this happened in a single moment. Boom, the ice exploded, and Li Qingshan emerged. He called out, “Where do you think you’re going?” He took a step forward, and the Ox Demon Tramples followed.
A crack spread from the bottom of his feet and rapidly approached the East Gate Granny. However, she was not the target.
Dust was thrown into the air as the cave collapsed. The cavern was completely sealed off now.
The East Gate Granny had only just turned around, yet this all happened before she could even say anything!
The sound waves and wind blades emitted from the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar swept over and slammed her against the wall. Before she had even slid down to the ground, Li Qingshan caught up and threw a punch at her.
“Black Clay Vortex!” The East Gate Granny actually still managed to use a technique despite the current situation. It nullified most of the power, but it still made her spurt blood.
However, Li Qingshan launched over a hundred punches in a single moment. He collapsed the Black Clay Vortex and punched her into the wall, turning her to pulp.
Li Qingshan suddenly turned around. Xiao An was currently chasing the West Gate Granny around everywhere. The West Gate Granny actually managed to pierce the golden figure with her flying needle, but she was unable to harm Xiao An’s forged bones at all.
The West Gate Granny abruptly felt a set of scarlet eyes lock onto her. The colossal body rapidly approached her with the shade of death. She could not help but despair.
Even without Xiao An’s extraordinary performance, Li Qingshan still possessed absolute confidence as long as they outnumbered the enemy two-to-one. He took advantage of the moment when the West Gate Granny was unable to dodge due to Xiao An and scooped her up. He grabbed her in his hands and crushed down forcefully. Her protective true qi shattered, and the West Gate Granny followed in the steps of the East Gate Granny. She could not even let out a shriek. She was simply crushed to a pulp.
Li Qingshan let out a small exhale and smiled resplendently. He had won this fight!
As his daemon qi was water elemented, the supreme grade Frost Wave talisman did not hurt him too much, but even with that, he suffered from frostbite across his body. If it had been a different talisman, he might have been in danger.
He had made quite a few mistakes in this battle. First, he had failed to gauge the power of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy correctly. Otherwise, if he had incorporated it into his plan properly, he should have been able to heavily injure or even kill the East Gate Granny.
He had also underestimated the wondrous effects the Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings had on Xiao An. Of course, there was no need for him to be so fixated on perfection. Li Qingshan had been constantly learning about fighting during the battle.
In comparison to him, the West Gate Granny and the East Gate Granny made many more mistakes. If they had been prepared at the very beginning and used their full strength instead of trying to toy with them, Li Qingshan’s chances of victory would have been reduced to fifty percent at the very least.
It was exactly because of their careless and arrogant mindset that Li Qingshan had managed to get the first strike. They did not cooperate with each other at all. Instead, they faced the constant attacks frantically. Their ultimate defeat had basically been determined from the very beginning.
However, would there be any ninth layer Qi Practitioners who would take a third layer Qi Practitioner seriously? His greatest weapon was not the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, nor was it the Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings, but his weak, outward appearance. No matter when, he would always be able to catch his opponent off guard and get the first strike, claiming an advantage.
The flames devoured the corpses of the West Gate Granny and the East Gate Granny before returning to Xiao An. Afterwards, it gradually condensed into a body of flesh and blood, which smiled towards Li Qingshan sweetly. She offered up the two hundred treasures pouch, the two high grade spiritual artifacts, and the supreme grade talisman.
Li Qingshan returned to human form and opened the hundred treasures pouch to take a look. He was surprised. He had never seen such a large space before, and there were countless pills, spiritual stones, talismans, and cultivation methods.
However, there was not a single Qi Gathering pill at all. Instead, their pouches contained something called Qi Amassing pills. They were slightly worse than Pearl dew pills, but they were ten times as powerful as Qi Gathering pills, and there were very few impurities within them. They amounted to a thousand in total, while the other pills amounted to several dozen as well.
The items that surprised Li Qingshan the most were two embroidered boxes covered in inscriptions. They held two faint, purple pills that gave off a special fragrance. The embroidered box was clearly to prevent the pills from losing their effects.
Li Qingshan was afraid of looking at them for too long, so he closed the boxes in a hurry. Since ninth layer Qi Practitioners treated them with so much care, they definitely were not something ordinary. He had to carefully investigate the names of these pills when he had the chance.
Apart from the two or three high grade talismans that Li Qingshan paid some attention to, the rest were not worth mentioning. There were only two spiritual artifacts, but a single grade was enough to increase the value of a spiritual artifact by at least ten times over. Just the value of the high grade scarlet needle and spiritual comb had exceeded the total value of all the spiritual artifacts he had obtained so far, apart from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
Aside from those, there were very few spiritual stones as well, just a few dozen. They must have spent all of their wealth on their supreme grade talisman, the high grade spiritual artifact, and the purple pill.
Li Qingshan scooped up Xiao An and rubbed her hair. He smiled. “We’re rich!” He split the two hundred treasures pouches between them.
Xiao An said, We’re rich!”
Li Qingshan took out ten Hundred Grasses pills and meditated on the spot for a while so that his true qi and daemon qi returned to peak condition. Only then did he draw the Wind-entwining blade and dig his way out again. He arrived outside with Xiao An, but when he noticed Qian Rongzhi seated in the open nearby, he could not help but be slightly surprised. “You haven’t left?”
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “I still haven’t received my share, so how could I just leave?” She appeared to be calm and composed, but she had actually been nervous the entire time. Only now did she ease up. She was now even more surprised by Li Qingshan’s strength. He had actually managed to kill two ninth layer Qi Practitioners.
The cultivation methods of the Sect of Clouds and Rain focused on bewitching the mind of the enemy and was not exactly battle-oriented, but the strength of ninth layer Qi Practitioners was still a great deal. Li Qingshan became more and more mysterious and unfathomable in her eyes.
Then she looked at Xiao An beside him. She also seemed to be filled with mystery. She could not help but sigh. That child is still just so pure!
Xiao An saw Qian Rongzhi look at her, so she smiled bashfully. “Hello!”
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Chapter 200 – Yu Zijian
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Chapter 200 – Yu Zijian
The voice that was like an oriole’s cry left Qian Rongzhi stunned for quite a while. She replied with a smile, “Hello!” However, she only looked at her from afar. She did not come any closer.
According to their agreement, Li Qingshan gave the pills and cultivation methods that were relevant to the Sect of Clouds and Rain to Qian Rongzhi. However, even with Qian Rongzhi’s mental fortitude, she struggled to maintain her composure.
There were nine bottles of first-rate Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain, as well as three bottles of Profound Yin pills that were specially prepared for those who practised Profound Yin true qi. The other pills, such as Pills of Passion and Pills of Calming, were not worth mentioning.
However, what attracted her attention were not those, but a book called the Method of Bewitchment. It was a technique that specialised in bewitching people, with the Method of Clouds and Rain serving as a foundation. Only people who had some status in the sect had the opportunity to practise it. Regular disciples could only learn regular charming techniques.
It was basically overkill if she obtained a method for bewitching people, with how skilled she was at controlling people already.
Li Qingshan suddenly said, “Give me two bottles of Pills of Spring Breeze and Rain.”
Qian Rongzhi gave them to him without any second thought. When Li Qingshan wanted to give her two bottles of Qi Amassing pills in exchange, she declined instead. She said enthusiastically, “I can lure other people over too…”
Li Qingshan interrupted her, “You better think of a way to distance yourself from this matter first!” The status of the two grannies in the Sect of Clouds and Rain was far greater than the likes of Zhao Liangqing. Their disappearance would lead to major movements from the sect.
And, he had to be extremely careful. When he faced two ninth layer Qi Practitioners, he only had a fifty percent chance at emerging victorious. If the tenth layer vice sect master, or the unfathomable sect master, were added into the equation, he would basically be doomed.”
Qian Rongzhi’s smile stiffened. She had thought of the same thing too. Once the Sect of Clouds and Rain looked into the tracks of the two grannies, it would be rather simple for them to find out that they had been in contact with her. She needed to handle this extremely carefully, so how could she afford to take on any further risks? Her plan seemed elaborate, but she was actually dancing on the edge.
“Thank you for your reminder. I’m still a woman at the end. When I see these petty profits, I become blinded by them and become short-sighted as a result.”
“Don’t thank me. I’ve only said that for my own sake.” Li Qingshan casually tossed the two bottles of Qi Amassing pills into her hand, before vanishing into the woods with Xiao An.
Qian Rongzhi looked at the Qi Amassing pills in her hands and instead reflected on her successes and failures this time. She personally believed she was resourceful, vicious and decisive, but whenever she encountered a significant manner, her narrow-mindedness would show. She was not as great as Li Qingshan.
The distant mountains were layered in white snow, while the crystalline snowflakes fell into the bows of alcohol, causing it to spill.
A large hand picked up the bowl and drank all of it.
Li Qingshan smacked his lips. The flavour of alcohol had already faded, replaced by coldness. It was quite the taste.
He could not see Milliped. He must have run out of patience and returned underground.
He remembered Milliped’s invitation and shook his head and sighed, What’s so great about underground?
From all the drinks he shared with Milliped over the past few days, he already knew this was all due to the Daemon Commander’s order, and further up, the decree of the greatest Daemon King of the Green province, the Dragon King of Ink Sea.
If Milliped returned to his original form and arrived in a human city, he was basically a devastating monster. This arrangement was probably to maintain peace between humans and daemons.
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind from behind him. Li Qingshan turned his head slightly and a snowball brushed past his cheek. Turning around, all he saw was Xiao An covering her mouth, snickering.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, alright. Don’t you regret this!” Before he had even finished talking, another snowball flew over. When he tilted his head to dodge, the snowball even changed directions, slamming against his face viciously, causing snow to splatter everywhere.
A shiny, white prayer bead inside flew back to Xiao An’s hand.
Li Qingshan wiped away the snow from his face and shot a glance at her, “I’m going to get angry!”
Xiao An stuck out her tongue and fled from the hole. She looked back and just as expected, Li Qingshan tailed behind her closely. He yelled out, “Great Snowball technique!”
The floating snowflakes all gathered in Li Qingshan’s large hand, forming an ultimate snowball that spanned several feet across. He pushed it towards Xiao An.
“Giddy up! Giddy up!” A carriage driver yelled and swung the reins, urging on the horses as they pulled the carriage through the accumulated snow. He wore the uniform for the Proud Sword manor. He was a trusted disciple of Yu Shukuang, the mellow young man who was often sent to deliver items over. His name was Yu Lian.
The carriage crossed through a forested region and arrived before a manor surrounded by snow mountains.
The carriage came to a steady stop at the entrance and Yu Lian said, “Master, we’re here.”
A bearded swordsman climbed down from the carriage. He stood with his head and chest held high with a great bearing. He was Yu Shukuang. His face was filled with joy as he wore a set of red silk robes. He arrived before the entrance, before bowing slightly and knocking on the door gently in a somewhat nervous manner, “Is great hero Niu present?”
He suddenly heard a strange sound. He pressed his head against the door and listened closely. The strange sound drew closer and closer.
Rumble.
“Oh no!” Yu Shukuang used his movement technique and rose up. A huge, white ball smashed through the vermillion entrance, brushed past the bottom of his feet and rolled down the mountain.
Yu Shukuang was shaken. If he had been hit by that, he would lose half his life. Though, that seemed like a snowball? However, he had never seen such a large, such a hard snowball before.
Li Qingshan stood in the courtyard and looked at Yu Shukuang from afar. He asked loudly, “Great hero Yu, what brings you here?”
Yu Shukuang hurried forward to bow. He looked around and was stunned. There were signs left behind by the giant snowball everywhere. A corridor had been smashed through, while quite a few firewood sheds to the east had collapsed.
“W- what were you doing, sir?”
“I was waging a snowfight!” Li Qingshan lifted up Xiao An by the collar, “I wanted to show this girl what’s what!”
With her head of long, curly seaweed-like hair, she just remained silent in an obedient manner. She basically seemed like she was slightly afraid. However, Li Qingshan knew she was afraid of unfamiliar people the most. As soon as a stranger appeared before her, she would become sheepish.
Yu Shukuang shivered. The Tiger Butcher sure was ruthless! He had actually thrown such a large snowball at such a cute child. If the snowball hit her, it would be murder! However, he was too afraid to persuade him otherwise as well. He began to hesitate over what he originally planned to do.
Li Qingshan asked again, “What brings you here?”
Yu Shukuang made up his mind and fished out an invitation from his sleeve. He invited Li Qingshan to a banquet at the Proud Sword manor at noon tomorrow, to celebrate Yu Zijian in reaching the innate realm and becoming a Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan asked, “Your daughter’s back?”
Yu Shukuang said, “Not yet. She’ll probably come back tonight.”
“Then congratulations!” Li Qingshan asked Xiao An, “Do you want to go?”
Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan hesitantly, as if she was trying to guess what he was thinking.
Li Qingshan said, “Then let’s go!” It had been quite some time since he had taken her out for a stroll. He said to Yu Shukuang, “Alright, I’ll go, but I don’t want to expose my identity, so please prepare a special, individual time for me.”
Yu Shukuang was overjoyed. He agreed to it fervently.
At noon on the next day, the light snow had just cleared up, but there was not a speck of snow on the square in front of the Proud Sword manor. All of it had been swept away by the disciples of the manor. There were lanterns and decorations everywhere as everyone brimmed with joy.
To the people of the jianghu, even if the four joyous occasions of life were combined, they probably still would not be as happy as breaking through to the innate realm. That represented a whole new world unfurling around them, which possessed unimaginable possibilities.
Authority and wealth might have only been like the fleeting clouds, but a longer life was what all people desired. A high level Qi Practitioner could even live for two centuries.
Now that Yu Zijian had become a Qi Practitioner, the status of the entire Proud Sword manor would rise as a result. Regular disciples would benefit from this too. And, while Yu Zijian was Yu Shukuang’s treasured daughter, she completely lacked the arrogance and pride of a young miss. Not only did she treat regular disciples kindly, she liked to uphold justice and help the weak too. The citizens of Salt Mountain city constantly praised her.
When someone like that received the blessings of fate, others would always feel happy for her from the bottom of their hearts.
However, there were also many young disciples who secretly lamented inside. This had severed any possibilities for them to become the son-in-law of the Proud Sword manor. Perhaps the marriage of a rich young miss to a penniless man would happen a few times in life, but a Qi Practitioner would never marry an ordinary person.
“Sect master Liu, you’ve come! Please come in, please come in!” Yu Shukuang personally stood at the entrance to welcome the esteemed guests. When he saw his fellow martial arts practitioner, he felt so proud of himself that he almost wanted to laugh his head off.
Yu Zijian sat in the central seat in the hall rather unnaturally, receiving everyone’s congratulations. When she saw the various bigshots and uncles of the jianghu congratulate and greet her, she felt fantastic inside. As it turned out, becoming a Qi Practitioner was actually so great.
The banquet began, but Yu Shukuang apologised to everyone and took Yu Zijian to the back of the hall.
“Father, where are we going?”
Yu Shukuang said, “I’m taking you to see an esteemed guest. When you see him, be polite.”
Yu Zijian was rather puzzled. Earlier, Yu Shukuang would not even permit her to be polite when she wanted to, telling her to maintain her bearing as an innate master. So just who was it that made her father so serious?
Within a dim room that had all of its shutters shut, Yu Zijian saw an abnormally tall and burly figure. He wore a great big hat on his head. Beside him was a bamboo basket and laid out before him was a rich feast.
Yu Zijian was unable to sense any aura that belonged to a Qi Practitioner or martial arts practitioner from him, but it did not weaken his bearing at all. It made her sterner.
Yu Shukuang introduced, “This is… Niu Er, or great hero Niu to you!”
“Pfft!” Yu Zijian’s stern expression immediately collapsed.
“Damn brat, don’t laugh!” Yu Shukuang rebuked loudly, afraid she would anger Li Qingshan.
Yu Zijian had already begun apologising before he could finish, “Great hero Niu, I’m not laughing at you, so please don’t take any offense!” She felt very bad for laughing at someone’s name, but she really could not help herself when she saw what the climax lead up to.
Li Qingshan’s impression of Yu Zijian was limited to the girl in violet who followed Hua Chenglu around as well. Now that he heard her talk, he took a liking to her. He studied her.
Her hair was unadorned, just tied into two thick buns with a few draping down to her cheeks. It only made her face seem even brighter and prettier. She wore the same faint purple robes, with a deeper purple band around her waist, highlighting her slender waist as a young woman.
It made her seem natural and gentle, and she spoke quickly and gently. Although she was not enough for him to fall in love at first sight, she was still a cute girl who could make his heart stirr. She could bring ease to his mind.
As the saying went, I hear the jade hair needle fall to the ground through the curtain. You would either be stupid or extremely wise if not a single bad thought crosses your mind. Fortunately, I’m neither.1”
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1. Comes from a work by Chen Xuru of the Ming dynasty. It basically entails Ruan Ji, an ancient Chinese poet and musician, lived near a family with a beautiful young daughter, who often tended to an alcohol stall. He would often drink there and when he fell drunk, he would fall asleep by her. The rest is an innuendo with the hair needle falling to the ground, which could be inferred as they’re going at it. Or not.
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Chapter 201 – The Past Grievances of the Jianghu
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Chapter 201 – The Past Grievances of the Jianghu
“Your daughter is indeed a clever and polite girl. Seeing her was worth it.” The last time Li Qingshan saw her was when they were surrounded by a group of people from the martial arts society. At the time, he had to constantly remain cautious about the West Gate Granny. Even if they did end up conversing, he would have placed all of his attention on Hua Chenglu. Now that he saw Yu Zijian again, it was quite a surprise.
“You’re too kind, you’re too kind.” Yu Shukuang smiled, but he wondered, Has this Li Qingshan taken an interest in my daughter? The first thought that crossed his head was ‘absolutely not’. How could he hand his daughter to a mass-murderer?
But upon further thought, he realised that it might actually be possible for Li Qingshan to become interested in her. He had seen Li Qingshan’s original appearance before. He knew he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, around the same age as Yu Zijian. He had a somewhat dignified appearance, and he had only become like this to avoid enemies.
As previously mentioned, in the eyes of experienced members of the jianghu, Li Qingshan’s appearance was much more pleasing compared to those pale-faced, slightly more feminine scholars. Moreover, he was startlingly powerful. It would all boil down to what his girl wanted!
However, it was impossible for this thought to come to fruition.
That was because as Li Qingshan studied Yu Zijian, Yu Zijian studied Li Qingshan as well.
The shadow from the bamboo hat had almost hidden his dark face, only exposing a beardless chin. And, while the yellow robes he wore were specially made, several sizes larger than robes for regular people, they were still unable to hide his twisting muscles.
All young women thought of love, but the people they thought of were those graceful gentlemen, those handsome youths, not some supersized musclehead. Probably only desperate women would take an interest in someone like him.
When the sharp gaze swept out from the darkness, Yu Zijian could not help but shudder slightly and lower her head in a hurry. The gaze seemed to be dangerously invasive, preventing her from looking straight into his eyes.
With her head lowered, she now saw the pig and chicken bones littered on the ground. Clearly, this great hero Niu’s mouth had been busy when he had been alone.
Though, Li Qingshan was truly faultless here. The quality of the feast Yu Shukuang had prepared was extraordinary. Whether it be the whole-roasted lamb, the cold pork knuckles, or the braised beef, all of it was delicious. These were all of his favourite foods as a carnivore. There were even steamed bear paws, which were wonderful in favour.
He let his belly loose and ate plenty of it. However, not a single thing left his mouth after entering it, including the bones. He was like a wild beast, grinding the bones to dust and eating them as well.
The bones on the ground came from Xiao An. With how much time she spent by Li Qingshan’s side, her appetite had grown as well. When she ate, she took her time chewing and swallowing, eating in a sophisticated manner, but she just happened to be no slower than Li Qingshan, who wolfed everything down.
However, she simply refused to eat the bones. Although she smelted white bones, she had no interest in the bones of cooked animals. Actually, none of what she ate reached her stomach. All of it was refined by her flames. She only did it for the taste.
With how much respect Yu Shukuang had shown towards him, Yu Zijian directly treated Li Qingshan as a senior on the level of her uncles, so she obviously took no interest in him as a man.
“Zijian!” Yu Shukuang tugged Yu Zijian’s sleeve, and she returned to her senses. She raised her head, “Thank you, great hero Niu.” As she listened to Li Qingshan’s deep voice, she remained as calm as stillwater inside. However, she just found him to be slightly familiar, so she asked without further thought, “Have we met before?”
Li Qingshan shook his head and asked with a smile, “Do you have a hundred treasures pouch?”
“I don’t,” Yu Zijian answered honestly. Originally, Hua Chenglu wanted to give her one, but she was afraid that she would never be able to return the favour, so she refused it. She heard that as long as she could join the Academy of the Hundred Schools, she would be able to collect her own hundred treasures pouch.
“This was the first hundred treasures pouch that I obtained. You can treat it as a congratulating gift!” Li Qingshan took out a rather worn out hundred treasures pouch. It had come from Qian Rongzhi’s dead brother.
He found this girl to be pretty good, but he did not actually develop any improper thoughts towards her, wanting to give her something extremely precious in an attempt to please her.
However, if the gift was too insignificant, it would be inappropriate. It had to be suitable. He just happened to have many hundred treasures pouches on him, and they were items that all Qi Practitioners required. Hundred treasures pouches could not be stored in one another, so he could only fold them up and carry them on him. He had so many of them that he almost became a member of the Beggar’s gang, with an unprecedented dozen or so bags at that1. Now was the perfect time for him to get rid of one of them.
Yu Shukuang was overjoyed. He had heard about the hundred treasures pouches a long time ago. They were even rarer than spiritual artifacts. Li Qingshan was so generous as soon as it came to gift-giving, such that he felt like he had not been busying himself recently for nothing.
“That’s far too precious!” Yu Zijian turned it down in a hurry and glanced at Yu Shukuang. She wondered just what relationship this great hero Niu had with her father. How come she had never heard of him before?
Li Qingshan smiled. “I’m just afraid that you’ll find it to be far too worn out. If you don’t like it, I have others. You can exchange them with me.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Yu Zijian waved her hands in a hurry, while Yu Shukuang coughed gently. “If great hero Niu wants you to accept it, just accept it!”
Only then did Yu Zijiang happily accept the worn out hundred treasures pouch. She basically felt the same as Li Qingshan before. It was exactly because it was worn out that she could accept it calmly.
Li Qingshan said, “There’s still a lot of people waiting for you at the front, so there’s no need to waste any more time here. You’d better go!”
Yu Shukuang said, “Then we’ll be bidding you farewell. If you require anything, feel free to ask the servants.”
With their departure, Li Qingshan took off his bamboo hat and lifted Xiao An from the bamboo basket, placing her on his knee. “Let’s keep eating!”
The feast unfolded.
Yu Shukuang had already become bright red from drinking. He was currently involved in a competition of who could drink the most with his good friend, the master of the Elation sect.
At the entrance, a man with a pitted face raised his head and looked at the three words, ‘Proud Sword Manor’, hanging up above. He sneered in resentment.
He was in his forties, and he wore a magnificent set of robes. A treasured blade hung from his waist. The hilt was made from pure gold, and it was embedded with a cat’s eye gem. It was extremely stately, as if he wanted to broadcast that he was rich.
Afterwards, he barged in.
“Who are you?” “You cannot enter without an invitation.” Just when the guarding disciples wanted to stop him, the man with the pitted face waved his hand. He had not even touched the disciples, but they were all sent flying backwards.
“An innate master!” There were many people of the jianghu at the feast. They all cried out at this sight. Only inante masters could release their true qi externally.
The man with the pockmarked face stopped before the hall and barked under the gaze of several hundred guests, “Yu Shukuang, you’ve invited everyone from everywhere, so how could you have forgotten about this old friend of yours?!”
Yu Shukuang heard the disturbance outside and rushed outside with his fellow martial arts practitioners. He looked down from the steps above and gasped, “You Pitted Madman!” His fellow martial arts practitioners all changed in expression.
A young man asked on a table of individual guests, “Who’s the Pitted Madman? Why haven’t I heard of him before?”
An old man who had a thorough understanding of the matters of the jianghu whispered, “His name is Ma Chaoqun. He’s skilled in the thirty-six forms of the Mad Demon Blade style. He’s extremely vicious in battle, and he always tries to drag the opponent down with him. His face is pitted as well, which is why they call him the Pitted Madman.”
“What past does he have with great hero Yu?”
“The Proud Sword hall used to be called the Mad Blade hall!”
In the past, the two of them had once fought with each other over a woman, gambling with their lives. Ma Chaoqun was defeated in a single move, and from then onwards, he vanished into the wilderness and never appeared again. Yu Shukuang took the woman as his wife and used the Mad Blade hall as a foundation to rapidly expand his influence, uniting the entire city under him in the end.
Never did he think that this old rival of his would appear again after all these years, and he would have become an innate master already.
Yu Shukuang wavered. He put on a smile and clasped his hands. “Brother Ma, it has been several years. Have you been well?”
Ma Chaoqun was surprised at first before bursting out with laughter. “That doesn’t sound like something that the pride swordsman I know would say. What happened to your pride? Where’s Zi’er? I want to see her!” Then he suddenly called out madly, “Zi’er, your senior brother is back. I’ve already become an innate master!”
However, no one dared to mock his madness. His call was filled with innate true qi, which shook up the hall. It made everyone’s ears ring as they all became shocked.
Yu Shukuang sighed. “Zi’er she… passed away quite a few years ago.”
Ma Chaoqun was stunned. His eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth. “Sh- she’s already dead? She must have died because of you! You weren’t the one she liked. Yes, she must have discovered that you had poisoned me, right?”
“What are you saying? My father would never poison anyone!” Yu Zijian had originally been standing in the crowd. When she heard that, she refused to accept it. She immediately stood forward from the crowd and rebuked loudly.
“Zi’er?” Ma Chaoqun was dazed. Only after a closer glance did he discover that her age did not seem to match. “Who are you?”
“I’m Yu Zijian. I’m my father’s daughter. And who do you happen to be, to come and make trouble in the Proud Sword manor?”
Ma Chaoqun suddenly understood. “I will expose the hypocrite that he is before everyone. Back then, I was already a first-rate master, while your father was only at the peak of the second-rate. How could his proud sword defeat my mad blade? If it weren’t for the fact that your father poisoned me, how could he have won?”
“Zijian!”
Just when Yu Zijian wanted to rebuke him, Yu Shukuang stopped her. “That’s right. I would have never been able to defeat you back then!”
“Father?” Yu Zijian looked at Yu Shukuang in disbelief.
There was an uproar. Although Yu Shukuang was not as upright as Yu Zijian had imagined him to be, he was still a central figure within the orthodox jianghu. He had made a name for himself as a heroic figure.
Ma Chaoqun was surprised at first. He never thought that Yu Shukuang would admit it so easily. He laughed aloud. “You’ve all heard it! Girly, you heard it too. You know exactly what your father is now!”
“However, the poison didn’t come from me. It came from Zi’er.” Yu Shukuang’s next words made everyone fall silent.
“My mother?!” Yu Zijian was stunned. She did not have a particularly deep impression of her mother, who had passed away so early. She only remembered her to be an extremely gentle and beautiful woman who sighed constantly. Yu Shukuang often told her about her mother’s kind-heartedness as well.
Ma Chaoqun felt like his heart had been struck by a boulder, causing it to ripple and surge. “Impossible. You have to be lying. Junior sister has always been infatuated with me, so why would she work against me? Why would she work against me!?”
With a swish, he drew the treasured blade from his waist and pointed it at Yu Shukuang. It shone brightly. It was actually a low grade spiritual artifact.
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1. The Beggar’s gang, also known as the Beggar’s sect, is an organisation frequently appearing in wuxia fiction. Each member carries a ‘bag’, and the more bags they carry, the more important they are in the gang. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars%27_Sect#cite_ref-TLBB_3-2
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Chapter 202 – Uncle Niu
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Chapter 202 – Uncle Niu
Yu Shukuang smiled bitterly. “You should have known this already. I had no chance to tamper with your food or drink.”
This was a thought that had lingered in Ma Chaoqun’s mind for many years now, but he had always refused to face it or believe in it. It was impossible for the lady he had grown up with who was as kind as they came to do something so cruel to him.
Now that he had suddenly verified this, all of his hard work over the years, all of his thoughts for revenge, suddenly became laughable. He could not help but become overcome by anger as tears streaked across his face. He roared at the sky crazily.
Originally, Yu Zijian disliked him very much. She heard his howl that sounded just like a despaired beast’s and could not help but become saddened. She sympathised with him, He must have loved my mother very much. Mother let him down. If she didn’t like him, she should have told him directly. Why did she have to poison him?
“D- don’t feel too bad. So many years have passed already. You will definitely find someone better than my mother.”
Mao Chaoqun stopped howling. He looked at Yu Zijian. Her beautiful face overflowing with sincere sympathy seemed to overlap with the face in his heart. He murmured, “You really do look like her.”
“Brother Ma, so many years have passed already. Neither of us are young anymore. It’s time for us to drop these grievances. Today is a joyous day for celebrating how Zijian has become a Qi Practitioner. She’ll be attending the Academy of the Hundred Schools next year. Why don’t you take a seat and share a drink with us?” Yu Shukuang implied that neither of them were regular people of the jianghu who could be trampled over anymore.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly raised an eyebrow and produced a twisted smile. Combined with his pitted face, he seemed even uglier. “I want to fight you again!” Afterwards, he pointed at Yu Zijian. “She’ll be the wager!”
Crack! Li Qingshan snapped the chopsticks in his hands. “That’s far too underhanded!”
He noticed the disturbance outside before anyone else. Afterwards, he continued to eat as he listened in on the past grievances of the jianghu out of interest. It went well with his feast.
He was also rather sympathetic towards this pitted-face brother as well. It must have been horrible to be betrayed by a person you trusted. He also felt contempt towards this “Zi’er”. She had sacrificed her own senior brother for a handsome man. That was far too dishonourable.
Both of these people could be considered as outstanding, yet they had both chosen a fickle woman. Their insight was horrible. Fortunately, Yu Zijian was not as vicious as her mother.
However, when he heard Ma Chaoqun’s final decision, he completely disagreed with it. This was no longer exacting revenge on Yu Shukuang. It was taking revenge on the woman called “Zi’er”, along with all of society.
Who do you think you are? Do you really think you can do whatever you want because you have a higher level of cultivation? Even if you want to be Yin Liting1, you need to see whether they agree first.
“Don’t even think about it!” Yu Shukuang immediately became bright red, despite remaining calm the entire time. He drew his sword with a furious gaze. Yu Zijian was his treasured daughter. If anyone even touched a hair on her, he would throw his life at them.
There was a series of clangs and swishes as weapons were drawn from their sheathes. It was not just the disciples of the Proud Sword manor, but the guests present too. Although some were closer to Yu Shukuang than others, they were still Yu Shukuang’s friends. If they did not help their friend at a time like this, they would be despised by their fellow members of the martial arts society.
This bastard was alone anyway. Even if he was an innate master, he would still run out of true qi!
“Alright, alright, alright!” Ma Chaoqun called out under everyone’s glares. He was fearless. “I’ve spent all these years focusing on cultivation on Pheasant’s Grace mountain, just for this day. Those who have nothing to do with this, piss off. Anyone who gets in my way will be awaiting the retribution of Pheasant’s Grace mountain!”
“Ah!”
With that, a series of disjointed cries rang out. Ma Chaoqun’s words rushed into Li Qingshan’s ears as well. His expression was strange. Pheasant’s Grace mountain? Don’t tell me he’s the legendary Count of Monte Cristo2?
Everyone else obviously did not share the same thought as Li Qingshan. No one present had ever been to the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. They did not even know where it was. However, as long as they were first-rate masters, they would have heard about it before.
The Green Vine mountain, the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, and the Burial Mound mountain were three powerful cultivation sects. They were renowned throughout the Clear River prefecture. Together, they were three famous mountains that stood side by side. Not only did they have Qi Practitioners, but they also had Foundation Establishment cultivators who had undergone the first heavenly tribulation. Their power and influence went without saying.
Regular people only needed to join one of them, and it would be like a change of fate. Their identities would undergo an upheaving change. No one dared to brush aside Ma Chaoqun’s threat. To the people of the jianghu, Qi Practitioners were like higher existences on the food chain.
Many of the people present who were not particularly close with Yu Shukuang retreated slightly. Only a few good friends remained by his side, but they too hesitated.
Yu Zijian was bright red. She was speechless with anger and shame. She saw the situation and rebuked loudly, “If you just kill people blindly, aren’t you afraid of the Hawkwolf Guard?” She had once witnessed the power of a Hawkwolf Guard in person, which left behind an extremely deep impression on her.
Ma Chaoqun burst out laughing. “The Hawkwolf Guard? Do you really think they’ll care about you people of the jianghu?”
Li Qingshan sighed gently. He knew that Ma Chaoqun was right. He was a member of the Hawkwolf Guard, and he knew how they functioned very well. People of the jianghu who could practise inner force were a special group of people who existed between regular people and cultivators, and the Hawkwolf Guard treated them in a very special way too.
The Black Wind stronghold could slaughter whole villages to set precedents and make it onto the blacklist, but not a single Hawkwolf Guard would pay attention to them for several years. However, if cultivators did something like that, it would be regarded as evil, and the commanders would directly send people on a mission to handle them.
If an entire organisation of the jianghu was annihilated, even if it amounted to several hundred lives, the Hawkwolf Guard would investigate the matter at most. They would never handle it seriously. When the people of the jianghu killed regular people, they would be treated like regular people, allowed to run free. However, when they were killed by Qi Practitioners, they would be treated like Qi Practitioners and ignored.
Under Ma Chaoqun’s sinister glare, the master of the Elation sect gulped. “Brother Yu, do you think…”
Yu Shukuang clasped his hands at everyone. “I thank you all for holding my ground for me today, but this is a personal grievance. It’s got nothing to do with you. Anyone who interferes will be an enemy of my Proud Sword manor. You’ll be looking down on me if you do!”
Everyone was touched and ashamed. Great hero Yu truly was valiant, saving his friends from trouble. On the other hand, Ma Chaoqun seemed even more despicable.
The master of the Elation sect wanted to say something, but he still ended up retreating to one side. Yu Shukuang’s surroundings immediately emptied out. All that was left was Yu Zijian, who held onto Yu Shukuang’s sleeve. She felt both admiration and anxiety. “Father! H- he’s a second layer Qi Practitioner!”
First-rate masters had no chance at all if they were matched up against a second layer Qi Practitioner. Meanwhile, she had only ingested the Innate pill recently. Although she was a first layer Qi Practitioner, she might not even be able to match Yu Shukuang’s battle prowess as a first-rate master. She was even less of an opponent to Ma Chaoqun.
“You better stop with your act right now. If you’re a man, then attack me. I’ll give you three free moves!” Ma Chaoqun was furious. This bastard is skilled at winning over people with his fake acts the most. If it were not for his silver tongue, why would Zi’er… His heart ached before he looked at Yu Zijian. His gaze softened. None of his hard work over these years would go to waste. He would be compensated for it all!
Yu Shukuang pushed away Yu Zijian gently. “Don’t worry. Just go to the back!” He winked at Yu Zijian before turning to face Ma Chaoqun. “Pitted Madman, come. Let’s fight again. Let’s see whether your Mad Blade or my Proud Sword is stronger!”
Yu Zijian was surprised. A life-threatening battle was about to erupt, yet father told me to go to the back. What is he trying to do? Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She hurried to the back of the hall without even looking back. The only one who could save her father now was great hero Niu!
The door suddenly burst open and light flooded into the pitch-black room, onto that wide back. Countless specks of dust floated through the air. Li Qingshan sat with his bamboo hat on, currently with a bowl of alcohol in his hand as he drank it like he was striking a pose.
Yu Zijian seemed to see a final glimmer of hope. “Older uncle Niu, please save my father!”
The alcohol almost spurted from Li Qingshan’s mouth. Why had he suddenly become an uncle3? And why did it make him feel like he was in his forties already?
All men wished that the women they met would admire them, even if they did not like them; this was especially the case for Yu Zijian, who Li Qingshan had a rather good impression of. He could not help but become slightly dejected. Meanwhile, an extremely soft giggle rang out from the bamboo basket beside him.
Yu Zijian had seen how the world worked with Yu Shukuang. She knew she had to rope people in if she wanted them to help her out. She had never thought that this title of respect would lead to the exact opposite effect.
Before Yu Zijian could say anything, Li Qingshan had already spoken, “I’ve heard everything that happened outside.”
“Older uncle Niu, my father…”
Bang! Li Qingshan placed the bowl on the table and said with a heavy voice, “I’m not your uncle Niu, so you’d better stop referring to me in strange ways!”
Yu Zijian felt wronged inside. She knew that this great hero Niu must have been afraid of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain as well, so he was reluctant to help. However, Yu Shukuang’s life was at stake right now. In order to save her father, she could no longer care about her pride as a woman. She said loudly, “Then I’ll call you younger uncle Niu, alright? Please…”
Li Qingshan’s head drooped down. “W- whatever you want!” He kicked the bamboo basket. Xiao An’s giggles made him feel utterly humiliated.
Yu Zijian thanked him for agreeing. She wiped away the tears that had almost fallen from the corner of her eyes. “Thank you, uncle Niu! Let’s go then!” She was tempted to grab his arm and drag him over there.
Li Qingshan said, “You’ve heard your father as well. It’s a personal matter. I can’t interfere.”
Yu Zijian paled and collapsed on the ground. “T- then what am I supposed to do?!”
Li Qingshan said, “Though, aren’t you a Qi Practitioner too?”
Yu Zijian raised her head. She was a weeping beauty.
The blade and sword clashed, erupting with sparks that flew about, along with a splash of blood that originated from Yu Shukuang’s shoulder.
Ma Chaoqun produced a meaningless howl. He seemed like he had almost lost his mind. However, he wielded the treasured blade in his hand like a fierce storm. The dense coldness of the weapon radiated to several meters away, where all the spectating martial arts practitioners became stunned. They retreated backwards.
Yu Shukuang also staggered backwards in retreat. He would leave behind a footprint in the marble with every step. He had already unleashed his sword moves and sword forms to the limit during his three strikes. It formed a thick flurry of swords before him.
However, Ma Chaoqun had managed to cut through it with his very first attack, injuring him. Afterwards, he drew back his weapon and unleashed his Mad Demon Blade style. He forced back the flurry of swords inch by inch, until it was only three inches away from Yu Shukuang, forcing him to retreat.
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1. Yin Liting is a character from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, whose original fiance breaks off her engagement with him and leaves with another man, only for their daughter to fall in love and marry Yin Liting.
2. The Chinese name of the place sounds like the Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a pun, and it’s pretty bad.
3. English doesn’t have this distinction, but there are basically two types of uncles in Chinese, one that is younger than your father and one that is older than your father. The one Yu Zijian used here is the one that is older than your father, or in other words, older than Yu Shukuang. I’ve separated them in this context as older uncle/younger uncle, but I’ll revert to just uncle in the end.
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Chapter 203 – A Battle of Puppets
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Chapter 203 – A Battle of Puppets
“Your martial arts will never surpass mine!” Ma Chaoqun moved his feet and raised his shoulder. His treasured blade struck out in a series of slashes. He launched thirteen attacks from thirteen different angles. Every single attack was as swift as wind, tearing through the air and kicking up a violent gale that whistled loudly.
Driven by hatred, his blade style was pushed to the limit. He moved as fiercely as the wind, filled with a terrifying bearing of trying to drag down the enemy with him. Even though the spectators despised his actions, they were unable to despise his martial arts.
On the other hand, Yu Shukuang no longer possessed the might of his proud sword anymore. His clothes were in tatters, and he responded clumsily. Whenever the flash of the blade pierced through his flurry of swords, a new wound would appear on his body, and he would retreat. Ma Chaoqun was like a knight at an enemy country’s border, leading constant raids and skirmishes in the enemy territory. However, he refused to deal a finishing blow, wanting to humiliate his opponent.
Yu Shukuang rebuked, “What do you have apart from martial arts?”
Ma Chaoqun paled. He had been hit where it hurt. He was ugly, and he was vulgar with his words. Apart from his martial arts, he really was not good at anything else, which was why Yu Shukuang managed to steal Zi’er’s heart from him, leaving him alone to wander through the jianghu. Aside from his martial arts, he had nothing.
He roared madly, “Die!”
He channeled true qi into his blade, and it lit up with blinding light, crushing down like a mountain.
Yu Shukuang tried to parry it with his sword, but it had already been heavily damaged, just like Yu Shukuang himself. It shattered as soon as they collided.
“Master!” “Brother Yu!” Numerous cries rang out, but they were not as fast as the blade. No one could stop the attack!
Yu Shukuang closed his eyes helplessly. “Zi’er, I’m coming to see you.”
On a luxurious carriage outside the manor, two young men in lovely, silken robes who were as proud as roosters sat beside each other. They sipped some tea leisurely, as if they had no idea what was happening in the Proud Sword manor.
Mao Chaoqun had entered Salt Mountain city on this carriage before getting off and entering the manor.
The young man to the left said, “Junior brother Ma sure is slow. Why can’t he deal with this faster?” He had the life-like tail feather of a male pheasant sewn to his chest. The embroidery was glorious. It was the symbol of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. Only formal disciples of the third layer and above had the right to wear it. His cultivation was at an impressive fifth layer.
“It’s some piled-up grievances from many years ago, so it’s understandable!” said the other young man in an unconcerned manner. This originated from his arrogance as someone powerful. He had two tail feathers sewn to his chest, which was a symbol of core disciples above the sixth layer.
“Hmph! He has become so pitiful over a woman. With his talent, the second layer should be his limit!”
“The second layer is enough. Once we take back Salt Mountain city, he can remain here to gather talented children for the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. It’ll stop the people from the Green Vine mountain from always getting ahead of us.”
“Wise be senior brother!”
“Hmm?”
“Stop!” Yu Zijian called out.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly raised his head. A spark shot towards his face. He called out, twisted his blade, and slashed up.
With a boom, the spark exploded. Ma Chaoqun avoided being blown to pieces, but he was knocked away. His eyebrows were singed. He cried out, “A Scarlet Flame talisman!”
Yu Zijian had already helped Yu Shukuang to his feet. “Father, are you alright?”
Yu Shukuang saw how she was alone. “D- did he refuse to help?”
Yu Zijian shook her head and made Yu Shukuang eat the recovery pill Li Qingshan had given to her. She commanded the disciples of the Proud Sword sect before yelling at Ma Chaoqun, “I’ll be your opponent!”
“Girly, do you really think you’re my opponent just because you possess some talismans? Bug off. Let me kill your father, and then I’ll take you to get married!” Ma Chaoqun burst out into laughter as he spoke. He found this all to be extremely interesting. However, no one in the surroundings agreed with him. They all glared at him furiously.
Yu Zijian had originally been trembling in fear, but when she saw Yu Shukuang’s horrible shape, she became furious. “It’s no wonder my mum wouldn’t like a baddie like you!”
Baddie was language used by children. It would only make adults laugh. However, her words utterly infuriated Ma Chaoqun, who replied with, “How do you know that she doesn’t like me? She liked me the most. She constantly called me senior brother, senior brother when she was young…” As he spoke, he wanted to break into tears again!
With his unstable emotions, he truly was like a madman.
Yu Zijian held a talisman. She was extremely reluctant to use it as she thought of what uncle Niu had just said earlier. “Once you use this talisman, it’ll definitely be able to kill him in a single stroke. You cannot be softhearted!”
Ma Chaoqun raised his treasured blade and directly pointed it at Yu Zijian. “Fine. I’ll take you down first, and then I’ll kill your father!”
Looking at Ma Chaoqun as he howled and charged over, Yu Zijian raised her right hand and swept it forcefully from left to right. She produced a golden crescent of light.
Ma Chaoqun’s eyes narrowed. “The Metal Crescent Slash!” However, he had no intentions of retreating. The Metal Crescent Slash was an extremely powerful technique of the metal element. It was swift and fierce, but he was confident that he could block a Metal Crescent Slash from a low grade talisman with his blade. However, the slash was much brighter than he imagined it would be.
Before he could think any further, the golden crescent had vanished from his sight. Oh no, it’s a mid grade talisman! The thought crossed his head and blood splattered, followed by intense pain.
A mid grade talisman was equivalent to a technique used by a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. Although it lacked much of the finer control and adaptability, it was definitely powerful enough. It was not something that a measly second layer Qi Practitioner could block.
Li Qingshan possessed many mid grade talismans. Aside from the auxiliary talismans that could increase speed or strength, these offensive talismans were basically useless to him. He did not need these talismans when he faced his enemies, whether they were strong or weak. However, a mid grade talisman in a battle between weaker Qi Practitioners was a divine weapon that could determine the flow of the battle.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly threw himself to the ground, but he discovered that he was still conscious. The slash had produced a horrifying wound on his shoulder, but it was not fatal.
In the final moment, Yu Zijian’s hand had turned slightly. She had not killed him on the spot. She breathed heavily as she said to Ma Chaoqun, “You’ve lost! I’m not going to kill you, so just leave!”
Li Qingshan shook his head slightly in the dim room. He had told her not to show any mercy. Although he sympathised with this person called Ma to a certain degree, the principle he operated off of was to never show any mercy to people that had been deemed as enemies.
However, he could not blame her either. A girl as kind-hearted as her was rare. Helping her would always be better than helping someone like Qian Rongzhi. It made him much happier in comparison. He shook his head and murmured gently, “You need to look at the circumstances when you strike, but when you strike, you must be merciless!”
“Uncle Niu!” Xiao An giggled tenderly.
Li Qingshan looked like he had just been cut. He grabbed her soft cheeks and pulled at them. “If you keep on calling me that, I’ll rip your mouth to pieces!”
Xiao An said in an unclear voice, “No mowe…”
Ma Chaoqun’s expression changed several times. He stood up by leaning on his blade. “No, I haven’t lost. I will never lose again!”
“D- don’t move!” Yu Zijian was immediately left at a loss as to what to do. She took out another Metal Crescent Slash talisman, and uncle Niu’s words rang through her head, Take an extra one, just in case. He actually seemed to foretell that she would not be able to bring herself to kill him.
Ma Chaoqun continued forwards as if he wanted to die. He had already suffered defeat once. He could not afford to be defeated any more times.
“She has talismans, but don’t we have talismans as well?”
Suddenly, someone called out from outside. A yellow light shot over and stuck to Ma Chaoqun’s back. It was actually also a mid grade talisman.
Light enveloped him from top to bottom. Ma Chaoqun jolted in vigor, and his body became filled with strength. True qi flowed out from his back endlessly. He turned around and said gratefully, “Senior brother Song!”
Yu Shukuang’s expression changed drastically. There were actually other masters from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain here.
The young man with only a single tail feather said in the carriage, “Senior brother, isn’t it a bit of a waste to use a mid grade Vitality talisman on him?”
“The enemy has the assistance of someone much more powerful. Why would she possess two mid grade talismans if she’s just a girl at the first layer? Let’s just wait and see. We have to force this person out and see just who is bold enough to oppose the Pheasant’s Grace mountain!” senior brother Song said coldly.
Li Qingshan frowned. He had sensed the two auras outside right from the beginning. He was not surprised by what they did. He said, “Girlie, you can’t afford to show mercy this time.”
His deep, husky voice immediately boomed out magnificently. Everyone only felt like a gust of wind had blown past them, and it immediately suppressed senior brother Song’s aura from outside.
Yu Shukuang beamed with joy and completely calmed down. The Tiger Butcher was dangerous, but if he was standing behind him and offering him support, it would be extremely relieving news.
Everyone now understood why Yu Shukuang had specially taken Yu Zijian to the back earlier. The Proud Sword manor was actually hiding a master like that. Ma Chaoqun and Yu Zijian were like two wooden puppets as they fought. The actual people who controlled the outcome of the battle were the puppeteers behind them.
Ma Chaoqun roared out. Tremendous amounts of true qi inflated his clothes. His treasured blade lit up coldly, forcing everyone back by a few steps once again.
Yu Zijian wasted no time at all. With a swing of her hand, a golden arc formed before her. She could no longer afford to show any mercy this time.
The golden arc flashed and directly landed on Ma Chaoqun’s chest.
With the support of the Vitality talisman, not only had Ma Chaoqun’s true qi increased tremendously, but even his senses had sharpened. He grasped the trajectory of the golden crescent and swung down with his shining blade.
With a great clang, Ma Chaoqun was knocked away. A great dent appeared on the blade, and the webbing between his thumb and finger had been ripped to pieces, drawing blood. However, he only smiled.
Before he had even touched the ground, true qi surged out from his hands, and he pressed it towards the ground. He flew back, rising up, weapon and all, slashing towards Yu Zijian. His eyes were scarlet, like he had gone crazy.
Without the support of any more talismans, Yu Zijian was about to be slain under his blade.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! There was the sound of splintering wood, and a figure moving even faster than Ma Chaoqun rushed out from the hall. He arrived on the steps and kicked out, directly colliding with Ma Chaoqun. They fell out of the air together.
Ma Chaoqun was protected by true qi, but he felt his back ache as blood spurted out from his mouth.
However, the other figure seemed to feel nothing. It immediately turned around and climbed to its feet. Its movements were swift and mechanical. Two sharp blades sprang out from its arms, slicing towards Ma Chaoqun.
Only now did everyone see that it was not a human, but a puppet.
Yu Zijian’s eyes lit up. She just found the puppet to be somewhat familiar.
This was the same puppet that Li Qingshan had asked for from Hua Chenglu as a gift for Xiao An. It had come into use now.
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Chapter 204 – Niu Juxia
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Chapter 204 – Niu Juxia
The puppet and Ma Chaoqun became entangled in battle. When Ma Chaoqun’s treasured blade landed on the puppet, it would only leave behind a deep mark and produce a metallic resonance. The wood that went into making the puppets of mohism was all thousand-year ironwood, treated and cured with special methods. As such, ordinary wood could not be compared to them. Although Ma Chaoqun had the support of a Vitality talisman, he was forced back.
“Senior brother, what do we do?”
Senior brother Song’s expression finally changed slightly. He could take out a few more mid grade talismans, but that was far too wasteful. With a great swish, he rushed out of the carriage and kicked off the roof of the entrance, rushing into the sky. He soared over the open square like a great bird.
He completely ignored Ma Chaoqun and the others below. He landed on the hall and kicked off it again, directly shooting towards the dim room that Li Qingshan occupied.
The people of the jianghu on the square had never witnessed such agile movement techniques. They all raised their heads, dumbfounded.
Yu Zijian cried out, “The sixth layer!” She had come into contact with a lot of the common knowledge of Qi Practitioners during the time she had spent in the Clear River city. She knew exactly how terrifying sixth layer Qi Practitioners were, so she immediately began to worry for this uncle Niu of hers. She rushed into the hall.
Senior brother Song rapidly drew closer. He bent and curled his finger, and the heavy, wooden door shattered. He immediately spotted a huge figure with a large, bamboo hat in there with his back towards him, as if he had not sensed him.
There’s no one this burly among the three mountains! Senior brother Song immediately reached this conclusion and launched a vicious strike towards the man’s back. True qi surged.
“Uncle Niu!” Yu Zijian was rushing over as well. When she saw this, her beautiful face paled and sorrow welled up from the bottom of my heart. It’s all my fault. Uncle Niu is going to be killed by this baddie now.
The joy that had just surfaced on senior brother Song’s face vanished, as not only did the man remain there, but he did not even waver from the strike. He continued to drink alcohol from the bowl in his hand. The true qi senior brother Song emitted only seemed to go to waste. It failed to harm this man at all. This was the first time he had ever encountered something so strange!
“W- who are you?”
Li Qingshan suddenly turned around. There was a scarlet flash within the darkness under the brim of his hat. Senior brother Song wanted to pull back, but it was already too late. Li Qingshan’s arm, which was basically twice as long as a regular person’s, reached out. His hand—the size of a dustpan—enveloped Senior brother Song, gripping him by his neck.
Senior brother Song felt like metal chains had wrapped around him, without any hope of him breaking through. As long as the hand tightened slightly, his neck would snap, and he would be reduced to a corpse.
All Yu Zijian saw was uncle Niu finally standing up. His colossal figure was filled with unbelievable power, and his head was close to touching the ceiling. He took a step, and the ground shook, plates falling from the table. After taking a step, he pulled his arm back and yelled, “Call me Niu Juxia1!” Then he tossed out senior brother Song like he was throwing a javelin.
With a swish, senior brother Song vanished. He even smashed through the roof, causing a few tiles to fall to the ground loudly.
All the people on the square saw was the figure leaving faster than it had come. It sailed through the air along a curved trajectory and hit the ground outside loudly. Senior brother Song’s mouth hung open unknowingly. Clearly, that Niu Juxia inside was much more vicious than he was.
“Senior brother, senior brother, are you alright?”
Senior brother Song was dazed from the fall, but he was protected by true qi, so he was not injured. Instead, he had been well and truly frightened. Who was that giant man? He actually felt like he could not even put up a fight before him. If that giant man wanted to kill him, he would have been dead already. Senior brother Song was truly afraid that he would suddenly change his mind, so he said hurriedly, “Go, let’s go!”
They completely disregarded Ma Chaoqun. They boarded the carriage immediately, raised the horsewhip, and took off. They scampered out of Salt Mountain city.
Yu Zijian looked at Li Qingshan in a daze. In that moment before, the light from outside landed on him, illuminating his simple face that had been hidden by the shadows.
His face was much younger than she had expected. He gave off a natural sense of power. His lips were slightly pursed as he radiated with a dignified aura. She was confident she had never seen a face like that before, but the familiar feeling only deepened instead of dispersing.
Is this fate? A strange thought suddenly crossed her head, which made her leap in fright. How is that possible? Isn’t this fate a little too big?
“Thank you, un… Niu Juxia!”
Li Qingshan returned to his bench and pressed down his hat. “There’s no need to thank me. You better go check on your father!”
Yu Zijian turned around and returned to the hall. The square had fallen utterly silent now. Everyone looked at her, as if they wanted to unearth the secret of this Niu Juxia from her.
Ma Chaoqun was ashen. In his eyes, senior brother Song was a lofty existence even with the entire Pheasant’s Grace mountain in perspective, yet he had actually been defeated in a single attack, unable to even launch a counterattack. The Vitality talisman on him dimmed and lost its effect, while the puppet soldier locked onto his arm firmly, pushing him to the ground.
Yu Shukuang said, “Is there anything else you want to say?”
Ma Chaoqun struggled desperately. His face was twisted. “It’s just like last time. It’s just like last time. It’s not because of my inability, but because of your despicable cheating! If you have the balls, kill me! The Pheasant’s Grace mountain will definitely avenge me! They’ll massacre your entire manor!”
Yu Shukuang suddenly laughed aloud, but this was not out of complacency as the victor. Instead, it was filled with bitterness and self-deprecation. “I really don’t understand. You’re ugly, and your personality’s a little extreme. You were only slightly better at martial arts than me. Just which part of me paled in comparison to you? Just why did Zi’er fall in love with you?!”
Ma Chaoqun said, “W- what did you say?”
Li Qingshan was surprised. Since when were there women who would poison the person they liked?
“Because she knew that if I won, I wouldn’t kill you, but if you won, you’d definitely kill me, which was why she went forward with that. She had once told me in person that she would marry you, the madman, regardless of the outcome of the battle. Before the battle had even begun, I had already lost.”
“But I refused. I wanted to prove to her that even if I have to die for her, I would not mind. But she just couldn’t accept me dying for her. How could she accept anyone dying for her?” When Yu Shukuang reached there, tears began to roll down his cheeks helplessly as well.
Ma Chaoqun was stunned. She had once tried everything to convince him to not have the battle with Yu Shukuang, but it only affirmed his belief that she had fallen in love with someone else. He was utterly furious, and he was determined to kill Yu Shukuang.
Yu Shukuang continued, “After the match, you left without saying anything. She was filled with regret. Although she married me with no other choice, she passed away heartbroken just a few years later.” Ever since then, he began to grow his beard, swearing to never take another woman. He focused all of his energy into raising Yu Zijian.
Neither of the two young and stubborn men were willing to take a step back, so the woman could only do what she could do, but it was all in vain.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly understood now. That kind-hearted woman had never betrayed him. It was he who had become blinded by envy and doubt. At this very moment, he suddenly wished she had actually fallen in love with someone else so that she could obtain everything she wanted and remain in this world happily.
“I was the one who hurt her!”
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1. If you translate Niu Juxia literally, it would mean colossal hero Niu. It’s a comedic spin on great hero Niu.
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Chapter 205 – The Seeds of Fate
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Chapter 205 – The Seeds of Fate
Yu Zijiang looked at the sobbing Ma Chaoqun and the weeping Yu Shukuang who reminisced about the kind-hearted woman who had passed away long ago.
Yu Zijian seemed to be able to feel their pain. She was filled with sadness, but she had no idea what to say.
They clearly were not bad people, so why did they have to end up like this? Were the heavens really messing with people?
Suddenly, she heard Niu Juxia’s voice ring out, “Benevolence is not a bad thing, but you cannot ask for perfection with every single thing in this world. Otherwise, you will harm others and yourself. Your soft-heartedness almost killed your father and had made you suffer. If my cultivation was slightly weaker, I would have been dragged in as well. I hope you can take this as a lesson and avoid following the footsteps of your mother!”
Yu Zijian looked at everyone’s faces in the surroundings. Clearly, they had not heard that. She looked at the sky in confusion. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Zijian, oh Zijian. Zi, or violet, is a colour of great respect, while jian, or sword, is the lord of all weapons. With the propitious omen of violet qi from the east, a wise monarch sweeps through the world, kills millions, and unites the entire world under them, leading to eternal peace and becoming a figure of great virtue and benevolence.” Towards the end, Li Qingshan’s voice gradually drifted off. Clearly, he had already travelled away.
Yu Shukuang had originally given her the name of ‘Zijian’ to remember her mother. The jian, or sword, obviously represented the Proud Sword manor. Yu Zijian understood this as well, but she never thought her name actually possessed a meaning like that. As if she had been granted a new name, she felt like she had suddenly been enlightened. She subconsciously touched her sword. This was the first time she had felt this vague connection with this cold weapon.
Her pretty face gradually changed. It lost most of its delicateness, now replaced with determination.
Sometimes, a person’s growth and change only required a moment of inspiration, to let the seed sprout, to let the divine sword out of its sheath.
Right now, Li Qingshan would have never imagined just what seed of fate, what seed of change, some random life philosophy he had cooked up would plant.
If what he said became true, if she wielded a sword and killed millions, only in search of great virtue and benevolence, would he regret it? Would he rather she return to this moment and place in time, return to the same kind-hearted, naive girl?
Or would he laugh aloud and praise, Nicely done!
Li Qingshan returned to his manor. For the next few days, he ate pills and cultivated without skipping a beat. The days suddenly mellowed out, but with Xiao An’s company, he did not find them boring. However, he would always feel like he was missing a drinking buddy whenever he drank. He felt rather lonely.
The next day, Yu Shukuang brought Yu Zijian to thank him. He told him that Ma Chaoqun had already returned to Pheasant’s Grace mountain, and he had said that he would not be returning.
Li Qingshan did not open the door for them. He only said a single word from inside, “Go!” He managed to put on the act of a great hermit master perfectly. The reason why he did this was because there was nothing he could talk about if he did see them. Was he supposed to say, “Betrowth your daughter to me!” instead?
Ever since that day, the meals each day became even more lavish. However, Li Qingshan would always end up picking up the cup of alcohol before placing it back down. After having drunk with someone else so happily in the past, he suddenly found drinking alone to be difficult.
Suddenly, his face lit up. He arrived in the hole and saw a figure slowly walk out within the darkness. He had a long body and a bald head. If he was not Milliped, who was he supposed to be?
Li Qingshan laughed. “You’re finally back.”
Milliped looked at Li Qingshan and grinned foolishly.
After seeing him properly, Li Qingshan instead became surprised. “What’s wrong with you?” Many parts of Milliped’s cloak was damaged, and he had many wounds on him as well.
Milliped sat down before the round table assembled from alcohol jars loudly before fishing out a beautiful, red tuber and shoving it into Li Qingshan’s hand.
The tuber was elongated and round as well. It seemed extremely plump and gave off an exotic fragrance that made the entire hole smell nice.
Li Qingshan took out a random assortment of recovery pills from his hundred treasures pouch in a hurry.
Milliped ate them before closing his eyes and directly collapsing on the ground. His snores were thunderous. He actually fell asleep.
During this process, his wounds rapidly closed up. Even his pink cloak slowly repaired itself. He was going through a process of self-repair.
Li Qingshan looked at the tuber in his hand and suddenly smiled helplessly. “Isn’t this a sweet potato?” Also known as batata, yam or, for more sophistication, Ipomoea batatas. In short, it was a sweet potato.
However, the spiritual qi it possessed was dozens of times denser than the spiritual ginseng Li Qingshan had obtained in the past. He could tell with a single glance that it was a rare treasure of nature.
For a moment, Xiao An and he just stared at each other.
Li Qingshan was filled with questions. Where on earth did this sweet potato come from? Who had harmed him? However, these questions could only wait until he was awake.
Fortunately, Milliped slept very deeply and woke up very soon. He opened his eyes in under two hours. Looking at his fresh, pink garb, he smiled at Li Qingshan. “It’s useful.”
Li Qingshan raised the sweet potato in his hand. “Just what is going on?”
“Eat it. It’s on me!”
Li Qingshan said, “Why don’t you tell me what happened first. I can always eat it later.”
Milliped explained by waving his hands; although he spoke without clarity, going all over the place.
However, Li Qingshan still managed to roughly understand what had happened. As it turned out, the sweet potato originated from underground, from Milliped’s territory, so it should have been his.
However, in recent years, another Daemon General had been constantly encroaching on and claiming his territory, finally obtaining the plant that this sweet potato grew from. As a result, whenever the sweet potatoes ripened, the two Daemon Generals would always fight.
Milliped was originally stronger, but he was alone. The other Daemon General had many subordinates, so he would be outnumbered every time. Milliped suffered defeat most of the time, but this time, he finally managed to escape with a sweet potato after much difficulty.
Originally, Milliped had been grinning foolishly, celebrating this matter. However, the further he went on, the sadder he became, before suddenly bursting into tears.
Only now did Li Qingshan learn that the underground was not peaceful either. Daemon Generals had their troubles too. He raised his hand and slapped Milliped’s forehead. He barked, “Stop crying, you good-for-nothing!”
“You’re hitting me too!” Milliped sobbed and cried even harder.
Li Qingshan bellowed, “He has subordinates, but don’t you have any?”
Milliped shook his head and sniffled, looking over with his misty eyes.
Li Qingshan grabbed Xiao An by the shoulder. “We’ll be your subordinates!” Although he hated troubling his friends, he definitely would not just turn a blind eye to his friend’s troubles.
“You…”
Xiao An pointed at the sweet potato in Li Qingshan’s hand and smiled. “That looks like you more!”
Li Qingshan stood up. “Let’s go and check out what the underground is like!”
Taking all of their grain, food, and alcohol with them, the three of them made their way towards the dark underground. Li Qingshan finally began his path as a daemon, entering a world dominated by daemons.
Under Milliped’s lead, they advanced through the twisting and turning caves, constantly venturing deeper. One hundred feet, one thousand feet, until he no longer had an estimate anymore.
Li Qingshan had never been so deep underground before, but the scenery underground was somewhat different from what he had imagined. It was not desolate and barren. Instead, it was hiding secrets everywhere, hiding treasures that Li Qingshan had never seen before.
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Chapter 206 – Spiritual Stone Vein
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Chapter 206 – Spiritual Stone Vein
Splash, splash. Amidst the sounds of gurgling water, the three of them crossed an underground river.
Li Qingshan was surprised, as he could sense that the river water contained faint spiritual qi. Lowering his head and taking a gulp, his daemon qi actually grew by an extremely tiny amount.
Many unknown plants grew on the banks of the river teeming with spiritual qi. The spiritual qi they possessed clearly indicated to Li Qingshan that they were rare spiritual herbs.
Li Qingshan plucked one of them and placed it in his mouth.
Milliped said in a hurry, “You can’t eat that! It’s disgusting!” But he was too late.
An extremely astringent taste spread through Li Qingshan’s mouth. His tongue almost became numb, while the spiritual qi in the spiritual herbs instead came into conflict with the daemon qi within him. Most of it was lost.
Li Qingshan poured some alcohol into his mouth in a hurry to rinse it.
Milliped giggled as he looked at Li Qingshan. The streaks of his tears were still on his face, which only made him seem even more foolish. When he caught the fragrance of the alcohol, his eyes widened, now wishing for it eagerly.
Li Qingshan passed the jar of alcohol to Milliped. He drained the entire jar and let out a belch. He had completely forgotten about all those painful memories now.
Li Qingshan, however, had other thoughts. Most of the spiritual herbs in the world probably could not be directly ingested, but there were no spiritual herbs that were useless.
It was very likely that the inconspicuous spiritual herbs on the banks of the river were crucial materials to some kind of pill. However, daemons lacked the ability to practise alchemy, which was why they were useless to them. However, it was exactly because of this reason that the spiritual herbs still remained and were not all harvested away.
Humans, including powerful Qi Practitioners, would struggle to venture so far underground. Although they had not come across a single daemon along the way, Li Qingshan sensed seven or eight powerful auras at the very least. As soon as they sensed Milliped’s arrival, they all avoided him from afar, maintaining their distance.
If there were any humans, they would probably have become the prey of these vicious predators immediately. Even a Daemon General like Milliped would not show any mercy to other races who had intruded on his territory. A half-hearted strike from him was enough to instantly kill any Qi Practitioner.
Daemons could not venture above ground, but underground was also forbidden to humans.
Li Qingshan wondered as he walked. Suddenly, he raised his head, and he saw a speck of blue light. It was like a blue star in the night sky, quietly giving off light that formed a halo. The light was so weak, yet it seemed beautiful and dazzling when he saw it within the absolute darkness.
Only after approaching it did he discover it to be an azure flower that grew out of a crack in the rocks. Its petals that seemed just like the wings of a butterfly would open and close from time to time as if it were a living creature.
Xiao An gently touched one of them, and the petals immediately closed up. The light it gave off vanished as well.
Li Qingshan had never seen such a wondrous plant before. He could sense the spiritual qi it contained. It was much denser than the spiritual herbs he had seen earlier.
As he ventured deeper, the black cavern gradually opened up, and the number of azure flowers gradually increased. They formed small clusters, standing out in the darkness.
The spiritual qi in the air became denser and denser as well. It had surpassed the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling a long time ago.
Milliped said, “We’re almost there!”
Li Qingshan could tell even without his reminder. Blue light seeped over from up ahead, illuminating his path. It was like a blue moon was hidden underground, waiting to be discovered.
Suddenly, he saw the end of the long tunnel. Li Qingshan ventured forwards rather eagerly, while the light grew brighter and brighter as well. He arrived at the end and suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, shocked by what he was seeing.
Before him was an open area the size of a soccer pitch. There were thousands of flowers there, shining with blue light and illuminating the entire cavern. It was a dazzling sea of flowers. Many butterflies fluttered about on this sea, like it was all an illusion.
This was a sight that only appeared in deep dreams.
Xiao An’s sleeve brushed past a blooming, azure flower. The blue flower seemed to break off from its stem, flying up and turning into a beautiful butterfly of light, leaving behind a beautiful trace in the air.
These butterflies actually came from the spiritual herb. They were the fairies of the herbs.
Xiao An extended her hand to grab at it, but the blue butterfly turned into light and slipped through her fingers. It condensed together again nearby, fluttering into the distance to escape.
Xiao An immediately pursued. She crossed through the sea of flowers that almost reached up to her head, and the cluster of flowers all began to dance, turning into countless blue butterflies that lingered around her.
Li Qingshan called out, “Xiao An!” This was Milliped’s home. This was their first time here, so they had to be polite. Perhaps these spiritual herbs were extremely important to Milliped.
Xiao An looked back. The blue light dyed her azure, and combined with her delicate facial features, she seemed just like a fairy of the legends.
Li Qingshan was suddenly left at a loss as to how he should follow up. After looking at Milliped, who smiled foolishly beside him, he sighed gently and smiled too. “You sure live in quite a nice place!”
Not only was it absolutely beautiful, but the spiritual qi here was denser than he had ever seen before. If he meditated and cultivated here, both his daemon qi and true qi would increase rapidly.
Milliped said, “What’s nice?” He pointed at the blue butterflies. “You can eat those, but they’re disgusting!”
Li Qingshan smacked his head. “Do you have anything in your head apart from eating?” Even if they were delicious, he probably could not bring himself to eat such a beautiful thing!
Milliped rubbed his head and continued to smile foolishly. He did not have the grandeur bearing of a Daemon General at all. Since Li Qingshan agreed to go underground with him, he had never stopped grinning foolishly. He even forgot about the matter of being harassed by the other Daemon Generals.
“Stop smiling. Be serious. It’s no wonder others would harass you and that you wouldn’t get any sweet potatoes with how you act!” Li Qingshan scolded. Since he had made up his mind about reclaiming Milliped’s lost territory, they were no longer just drinking buddies, but comrades-in-arms who would fight alongside each other. He had to rely on Milliped’s power later on, so he could not help but scold him after seeing how foolishly he behaved.
Milliped stopped grinning in a hurry and said sternly, “Stay! No sweet potatoes is fine too!” For once, he expressed himself clearly.
Warmth flooded Li Qingshan’s chest. He was touched. “How can my friend go without sweet potatoes to eat?” Milliped was not particularly bright, but he treated him with absolute sincerity. He had a high cultivation, but he did not capitalise on it. He was much better than those arrogant, sixth or seventh layer Qi Practitioner mongers.
This was the first friend in this life that he recognised from the bottom of his heart. He would never disappoint his friend.
“Friend?” Milliped pondered the word.
Li Qingshan patted his shoulder and smiled. “Good friends!”
“Good friends.” Milliped patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. He seemed to understand something and chuckled loudly.
Friends were better than sweet potatoes.
They crossed through the sea of flowers and alarmed countless blue butterflies. Soon, they arrived at the centre of the open area. There was a huge, stone platform without any vegetation. It was thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and six or seven feet tall.
Milliped laid down on there and spread out his limbs. His dazed face became relaxed as he exhaled happily. After looking at Li Qingshan and Xiao An, he rolled over to one side, opening up some free space.
Li Qingshan had no idea how to react. “You’re inviting us to sleep?” Afterwards, all he heard was snoring. This guy had already fallen asleep!
Li Qingshan and Xiao An looked at each other.
Was this stone bed really that comfortable?
Li Qingshan climbed onto the stone platform with Xiao An in his arms before trying to lie down. However, he soon sat up like he had been struck by lightning. He was stunned. For a moment, he did not feel like he was lying on some tough rock, but a pulsing sea of spiritual qi.
He rubbed the surface of the stone platform with some strength and studied it carefully. Resplendent light seemed to flicker underneath the platform, like the most beautiful gemstones of the world had fused together into one. This did not seem to be the first time Li Qingshan had seen its magnificent colour.
His heart skipped a beat, and he fished out a spiritual stone hesitantly. He compared it to the stone platform and finally confirmed. “T- this is a bed of spiritual stone!”
He probably felt like a regular person who had just found a bed made out of gold. His first reaction was disbelief, but he immediately understood why Milliped chose to make this place his dwelling out of all the places available to him in the vast subterranean world.
The first instinct of all daemons was not to eat or drink, but to search for a place rich in spiritual qi so that they could absorb more of the spiritual qi of the world.
The bed of spiritual stone was large, but it definitely could not last for decades or even centuries while it was being drained away by a Daemon General!
A thought that Li Qingshan struggled to believe in appeared in his head. He arrived beside the bed and pushed aside the soil beside the bed. He had guessed correctly. This was not a bed of spiritual stone, but a spiritual stone vein.
This stone platform was just the tip of the iceberg to the vein.
If a bed of spiritual stone was enough to incur the jealousy of cultivators, then a spiritual stone vein was enough for two cultivation sects to go to war, enough for noble cultivators to die like regular people.
The principle that greed could lead to death applied to the cultivation world as well.
This spiritual stone vein was the natural crystallisation of the spiritual qi of the world, often condensed above spiritual veins.
Most of the spiritual stone veins above ground were under the control of powerful organisations and were guarded by powerful cultivators. However, not only did spiritual stones serve as currency, but they were consumables too. Over thousands of years, many of them had been excavated and used up by humans. Some of them had even been drained dry, directly severing the spiritual vein.
However, deep underground where spiritual veins were most abundant, daemons did not have the habit of using spiritual stones to trade, nor would they use spiritual stones in formations, puppets, and artifacts. Unexcavated, daemons would rotate through these spiritual stone veins, allowing the spiritual veins to constantly absorb spiritual qi from the surroundings and nurture countless daemons and spiritual herbs.
Li Qingshan thought, Truly a fool’s luck. Originally, he thought that Milliped was broke, which was why he came to him every day to eat and drink his things. Never did he think that he slept on a bed of spiritual stone every single day. He lived an utterly extravagant life.
Milliped had freeloaded food and drink, so now it was his turn to freeload sleep from him. If he did not take advantage of a holy land for cultivation like this, he would be shamefully wasting it.
Li Qingshan laid back down, closed his eyes, and began to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, allowing his mind to settle like a spirit turtle sinking into the sea abyss.
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Chapter 207 – The Nine Layers Complete
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Chapter 207 – The Nine Layers Complete
Despite being rejected at the entrance, Yu Shukuang was not particularly annoyed. Instead, he admired Li Qingshan even more. He had already learnt from Yu Zijian that the foolish bird that flew in and then flew back out was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner.
He became stunned for a very long time when he heard that. Just what did sixth layer Qi Practitioners represent? It was completely beyond his imaginations. He had heard that with a thought and a sweep of their flying sword, they could behead first-rate masters like him.
Yet, someone like that had failed to even withstand a single strike from Li Qingshan before being tossed down. He had even become too afraid to look back. It filled Yu Shukuang with questions.
Just how did Li Qingshan train with how young he was? Was he the illegitimate son of some great clan? Or was he a secret disciple of some cultivation sect?
Even until now, his fantasies still ran wild, but he was unable to make sense of it. All he knew was how lucky he was to be able to establish ties with someone so important.
“Father, I just feel that great hero Niu seems somewhat familiar, as if I’ve seen him somewhere.” Yu Zijian’s face reddened slightly when she said that.
Yu Shukuang was shocked instead. He laughed dryly. “How’s that possible? It must’ve been a false impression!” Li Qingshan had specially reminded him to keep Yu Zijian in the dark about his actual identity. Why would he be bold enough to disobey him now?
Yu Zijian frowned. “Really?”
Yu Shukuang said suddenly, “Let’s go see your mother!”
What happened yesterday unearthed many of the matters that he had buried in his heart many years ago. He had wanted to do this ever since then. However, it was very late at night when all the guests finally left. He had managed to slight all the curious, probing gazes from them.
Yu Zijian agreed gently.
Stepping through the snow, the two of them arrived in the east of the city. Under a beautiful hill was a small grave. It was regularly cleaned and swept, and there were new offerings on it right now. All of this was obviously due to Yu Shukuang’s arrangements.
But today, someone was kneeling in front of the grave with their chest held high. His magnificent, silken robes had been reduced to a mess by mud and blood, but he did not seem to notice it.
“Ma Chaoqun!” Yu Shukuang frowned. As it turned out, he was still here. How had he gotten hold of this place?
Yu Zijian gripped the hilt of her sword and secretly raised her guard. Even she had failed to notice that she was now very different from before.
Ma Chaoqun turned around stiffly. His face was pale, and his lips were dark. When he saw Yu Zijian, his eyes seem to light up, and he murmured, “Zi’er!” Although he had managed to avoid being hit in his vital spots by the Metal Crescent Slash, it had still heavily injured him. He did not tend to his wounds either. All he wanted to do was to die here.
Yu Zijian said worriedly, “I’m not Zi’er. You’d better tend to your wounds, or you’ll really die like this!”
Although she had grown to understand now, change would not happen in a single day. The kindness she possessed would linger.
Ma Chaoqun made out her face clearly and smiled self-deprecatingly like a dead man. His hatred from all these years had vanished in a single day. He no longer had the strength to live.
Yu Shukuang said coldly, “If you want to die, go die somewhere else. Don’t die here!”
Ma Chaoqun’s eyes coldened, and he pressed down on the hilt of his blade.
Yu Zijian called out, “Father!”
Yu Shukuang pushed Yu Zijian aside and roared, “Just why did she have to grow up with trash like you by her side?!”
“You’re looking to die!” Ma Chaoqun drew his blade with a swish. His face was murderous.
Yu Zijian blocked Yu Shukuang and said anxiously, “Don’t you understand? My mother doesn’t wish for you to be like this. If you die and she finds out in the afterlife, she’ll be heartbroken.”
These words seemed to possess wondrous magic when Yu Zijian said them. Ma Chaoqun was stunned. “I…”
Yu Zijian persuaded softly, “You have to keep living. Only then will my mother rest in peace.”
Mao Chaoqun’s eyes gradually drooped down. “G- girl, you’re… right.” Suddenly, he reversed his grip on his blade and stabbed his own leg before wrenching the blade out. He became even paler.
Yu Zijian covered her mouth to stifle her scream. All she heard was Ma Chaoqun say, “I said many crazy things to you yesterday. Just treat this as my apology. Hehe, someone like me deserves death in the first place to have ever fantasized about her. However, I can’t keep dragging her down like this. I’ll make do and keep living.”
Yu Zijian understood that his extreme personality was unchangeable. She sighed gently. “You might look a little different from others, but what’s inside is always more important than your appearance. You will definitely find a woman who loves you from the bottom of her heart.”
Ma Chaoqun only sneered. All the women in this world liked handsome men. With his current cultivation, there were plenty of beautiful women by his side, but they only liked his money and power. Aside from her, no one had ever treated him with sincerity.
“Even if you just can’t get over it, I’ve heard that the path of cultivation has many wondrous methods that can heal one’s face.”
Ma Chaoqun’s expression gradually changed. There was some light in his eyes now. Suddenly, he turned around and left. He gazed at the grave deeply, as if he wanted to memorise every single word on it. After that, he limped away into the distance.
Yu Zijian could not help but let out a sigh of relief. She smiled. She knew her persuasion had been effective.
However, she failed to hear Ma Chaoqun murmur to himself, “The path of cultivation has many wondrous methods. There’ll definitely be one that can save you!”
The tiny sliver of hope landed in his exhausted, despaired heart that had already run dry; this hope like a seed. However, he was just a member of the very bottom of the cultivation world. Even if there were methods that could revive the dead, they would not be something a mere second layer Qi Practitioner could come in contact with.
However, the extreme obsessions and unbelievable fantasies of humans were the source of their power.
Yu Shukuang watched on as Ma Chaoqun gradually travelled into the distance. He was lonely too. He turned towards the tiny grave. “Zi’er, do you see? He’s still alive, so don’t feel so bad!”
In his mind, he thought about what the woman would say, Even if senior brother Ma has many flaws, he has always been extremely nice to me. I can’t let him down.
He could not help but sigh softly. “Only if I hadn’t been saved by you, left to die outside Salt Mountain city.”
Yu Zijian seemed to read his thoughts. She said loudly, “Mother must have liked you, father. I believe she didn’t marry you because she had no other choice.”
Yu Shukuang smiled and rubbed Yu Zijian’s head. “Perhaps, but she could never forgive herself.” Although she was no longer with them, she had given him the best present he could ever receive. He made up his mind. He had to get that Innate pill from Li Qingshan, no matter what it took. He was still not old yet. He could still take care of her.
Thinking up to that point, he suddenly said earnestly, “I’ve always been afraid to tell you this, but most of those stories where I upheld justice and helped the weak were false.”
“Ah!” Yu Zijian was utterly shocked. She took a step back and looked at Yu Shukuang in disbelief.
Yu Shukuang coughed gently to cover up his awkwardness. “I just want to tell you that good people don’t have it easy in this world. You need to be a little more clever and a little worse of a person.”
“Hmph, you liar. I’ll never be a baddie.”
“Just treat it like your father is begging you to.”
“No! You liar!”
Yu Shukuang said, “Even I, your father, would lie to you, so who else wouldn’t lie to you?”
Yu Zijian was taken aback, but she suddenly smiled mysteriously. “Father, I don’t blame you.”
“Hmm?”
Yu Zijian said seriously, “You might have been lying to me, but that was so I could uphold justice as a hero. It’s still a good deed!”
This time, Yu Shukuang was the one surprised. He knew his own daughter the best. Since when was she so inflexible?
Yu Zijian smiled complacently. I want to be a good person.
Deep underground, the flowers bloomed, and the butterflies danced in the sea of flowers.
The large, stone platform flickered with a magnificent colour.
Li Qingshan shuddered all over. Heavy, ice-cold spiritual qi directly rushed into the Fengchi acupoint on the back of his head, into his Yin and Yang Heel meridians. The meridians that originally still had some empty space were now filled with pure spiritual qi of the world. It was to the point that his meridians ached slightly.
If it were not for the fact that his body as a daemon was extremely tough, this would have been enough to sever his meridians. He began to use the Innate Method of Practising Qi instinctively, wanting to transform the spiritual qi into true qi, but he failed.
There was just too much spiritual qi, such that he could not even do something as simple as mobilising it. The aching from his meridians became more and more intense, but he was unable to feel it at all.
His daemon core began to revolve automatically. It shone brightly, absorbing the spiritual qi to its heart’s content while suppressing the other spiritual qi.
Finally, the Innate Method of Practising Qi began to operate, refining the spiritual qi strand by strand into true qi. The sumeru ring on his finger came into use as well, purifying the true qi further.
The pure true qi pulsed like water. With every breath, it would undergo new growth, increasing at a terrifying rate. This was even faster than when regular Qi Practitioners ingested Qi Gathering pills.
Here was a cultivator who could absorb the spiritual qi of the world whilst still a Qi Practitioner. Moreover, he was on an extremely precious spiritual stone vein and possessed a sumeru ring that only Golden Core cultivators would own. Together, they resulted in extraordinary cultivation speed.
In less than four hours, Li Qingshan trembled once more. He had reached the eighth layer with the Innate Method of Practising Qi. The flow of his true qi immediately sped up slightly, and the quantity had increased drastically too.
However, he continued to cultivate. Time passed by bit by bit.
There was no perception of time in the darkness. When Li Qingshan opened his eyes again and introspected his body, he discovered that the Innate Method of Practising Qi had finally reached completion. It had reached the ninth layer. He had reached the peak of the third layer of Qi Practitioner now. This was the first cultivation method he had managed to complete, which gave him a faint sense of satisfaction. He wanted to share this good news with someone.
When he looked at Milliped beside him, he found that he was still snoring away. He seemed to be at great ease, as if he could set aside everything in his sleep. Though, he never had anything that pestered his mind anyway.
For once, Xiao An was asleep too, curled up on the stone platform. As it seemed, the spiritual stone vein was extremely beneficial to her too.
Li Qingshan did not want to alarm them. He raised his right hand and looked at his huge, dark hand. Every time his strength increased, it would make him more confident, making him want to grasp everything. If he used the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to launch a sneak attack now, he might actually be able to heavily injure a ninth layer Qi Practitioner, with no need to transform. He could deal with many more problems whilst maintaining his human identity now.
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Chapter 208 – Recruiting Daemon Soldiers
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Chapter 208 – Recruiting Daemon Soldiers
This was extremely important. As he wandered the world of humans, there would be many times and places where it would be inconvenient for him to transform. The stronger he was as a human, the more opportunities there were openly available to him.
However, if he wanted to continue cultivating, he needed to find a new cultivation method. He felt like as long as he had a method, he could break through to the fourth layer immediately and open up his Yang Linking meridian.
Unfortunately, he was not in possession of any of the five primary methods of practising qi. As a result, he could only stop here for now with the path of practising qi. He would have to resume some other day.
Within the Proud Sword hall, the disciples stood in two rows to the left and the right. They all stared ahead, but their eyes gave away their eagerness.
The weather was cold now, but a layer of perspiration coated Yu Shukuang’s forehead. He lowered his head as he said carefully, “Brother Liu, our Proud Sword manor really doesn’t have any disciples that can interest you.”
Sitting before Yu Shukuang was Liu Fengrui, who had just visited a few days ago. He waved his hand arrogantly, and Yu Shukuang dismissed everyone.
Liu Fengrui smiled happily. “I haven’t come for that. Brother Yu, your luck has borne fruit.”
“All I do is stay at home, so what luck would I have?”
Liu Fengrui said, “I’ve heard about what happened a few days ago. The Pheasant’s Grace mountain wanted to throw their weight around and steal your domain. Fortunately, brother Yu had a great master assist you, but this won’t work long term. As a result, I specially asked my master for the Proud Sword manor to be included under the protection of our Green Vine mountain. From now onwards, whoever provokes the Proud Sword manor will be provoking the pride and dignity of our Green Vine mountain.”
Yu Shukuang was surprised. This had been a long-time wish of his, to receive the protection of a sect. Although there would now be a sect master above him, it would still be better than the times when Qi Practitioners could walk all over him. However, now that he had met Li Qingshan, and a wonderful future was waiting for Yu Zijian, he was no longer particularly interested in this.
However, he responded readily. He straightened himself up before bowing deeply with clasped hands. “Thank you for the good word, brother Liu!”
Liu Fengrui was very satisfied with Yu Shukuang’s behaviour. The Pheasant’s Grace mountain had actually extended their hands into the territory of the Green Vine mountain, so the Green Vine mountain obviously had to make an appropriate response. He pursed his lips. “That’s only part of it. Brother Yu will probably be even happier when you hear the other part.”
“May I ask what it is?”
“I’ve heard that your dear daughter has already broken through to the innate realm. Master has made a special exception for her. He’s willing to accept her into the Green Vine mountain. I’ve come this time to take her with me back to the mountain.” Liu Fengrui was pleased with himself. He had come up with this plan to kill two birds with one stone. It would both consolidate the Green Vine mountain’s presence among regular people and give them a disciple. When Yu Shukuang heard his words, he would probably drop to his knees in joy.
Yu Shukuang said, “About that… My daughter has already agreed to a good friend of hers from the Hua family. They’re joining the Academy of the Hundred Schools next year to study together…”
Before he could finish talking, Liu Fengrui’s face sank. He had never thought that not only would Yu Shukuang not thank him for this, but he would even want to turn it down. “Oh, are you saying that our Green Vine mountain is not as great as the Academy of the Hundred Schools? And you want to mention the Hua family to frighten me?”
“Why would I ever dare to do that!”
“Then why don’t you let me see your daughter?”
With no other choice, he could only oblige. Yu Shukuang sent people to summon Yu Zijian over. As soon as Yu Zijian heard the proposition, she shook her head. “That won’t work. I’ve already promised Chenglu!”
Liu Fengrui saw Yu Zijian, and his eyes lit up slightly, but his face remained sunken. “My master never decides on something so easily, but since he has said so, he’ll never take it back! Consider it!”
“I said I don’t want to!” Yu Zijian was vexed. She disliked Liu Fengrui the moment she saw him from the way he acted. He seemed to be deliberately doing this.
Liu Fengrui’s eyes coldened. A mere first layer Qi Practitioner actually wanted to disobey him publicly. She was out of her mind.
Yu Shukuang pulled Yu Zijian to the back of the hall as he smiled to Liu Fengrui apologetically. “Please just wait a moment.” He needed Li Qingshan to decide for him here.
Liu Fengrui seemed to read his mind. As if he was afraid that his threats were not enough, he added, “The Pheasant’s Grace mountain has already gathered their people to settle the debt with that Niu Juxia or whoever is supporting you from behind, but they were stopped by us. Does some unknown independent cultivator who defeated a single disciple from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain really think that he can contend with an entire sect?”
Yu Shukuang leapt in fright inside. He pulled Yu Zijian to the back of the hall and immediately ordered people to go to Li Qingshan’s manor. Yu Zijian also looked forward to the arrival of his huge figure. She imagined him grabbing that Liu person and throwing him outside. However, the news they received in the end was that Li Qingshan had disappeared without a trace.
Yu Shukuang immediately collapsed in his armed chair and lamented, “What are we supposed to do?”
Yu Zijian felt the pain of her own powerlessness once more. She tightened her grasp around her sword. “Father, I’ll just agree to him!”
Yu Shukuang said, “How can you do that?” If Yu Zijian went to the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts, she would be under the care of Hua Chenglu at the very least. The Academy of the Hundred Thoughts was a place with rules too. Looking at how Liu Fengrui behaved in comparison, the disciples of the Green Vine mountain probably were not as friendly to one another.
Yu Zijian instead comforted Yu Shukuang, “Don’t worry. The Green Vine mountain might not necessarily pale in comparison to the Academy of the Hundred Schools.” Suddenly, she stifled her voice. “That’s all we can do right now. I’ll pen a letter to Chenglu. She might be able to help me.”
Yu Shukuang could not help but sigh. My daughter really has grown up. He said helplessly, “That’s all we can do then!”
In the hall, Liu Fengrui smiled complacently. Once what had to be done was done, it would not be easy even if the Hua family wanted to interfere with matters of the sect. It was good that this girl would submit obediently. Otherwise, there would be plenty of hardships awaiting her!
“The great king has sent me to patrol the mountain!” Li Qingshan’s loud, clear singing echoed through the quiet caverns.
“The great king has sent me to patrol the mountains!” Xiao An sat on Li Qingshan’s neck and also sang along.
“After patrolling the south mountains comes the north!” Li Qingshan turned his head from side to side and sang at the top of the voice.
“After patrolling the south mountains comes the north!1” Xiao An also turned her head from side to side, singing at the top of her voice.
“It’s wrong, it’s wrong!” Li Qingshan suddenly shook his head, such that even Xiao An began to move with him.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao An firmly wrapped around his neck with her legs and held onto Li Qingshan’s ears to maintain her balance.
Li Qingshan said, “It should be patrolling the caves.”
Xiao An thought about it. “Fair enough!”
It had already been half a month since Li Qingshan had arrived underground. He did not make Milliped declare war on the other Daemon General recklessly and abruptly. Instead, he carefully familiarised himself with the situation underground.
He discovered that Milliped’s territory was not encroached by that Daemon General alone. It was being taken over by other Daemon Generals nearby too. They all had a large number of subordinates under their command, yet Milliped was alone, and he was not particularly clever either. It made no sense if he did not suffer abuse.
Li Qingshan gained a better understanding of the importance of territories as well. The underground world was basically a treasure trove. He had found a spiritual vein that was way better than the Zombie Daoist’s dwelling, drank from a spiritual spring that could rapidly recover his true qi, and discovered various strange spiritual herbs here. This treasure trove was spread throughout the criss-crossing caverns. Losing a piece of territory was equivalent to losing some resources.
However, the most important resource was the various daemons. Logically speaking, all of the daemonic beasts and daemons in Milliped’s territory were supposed to obey him in exchange for him not eating them.
However, with Milliped’s non-existence leadership and intelligence, even if he passed an order, these daemons would agree to it on the surface but secretly ignore him. They never offered him any support. As internal cohesion had to be achieved before addressing external threats, Li Qingshan was visiting these daemons one by one right now.
How could a Daemon General not possess daemon soldiers under his command? Li Qingshan wanted to be the leader of these daemon soldiers.
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1. These lyrics come from an episode of an adapted series of Journey to the West, which can be heard at the beginning of this video. A singer, Zhao Yingjun, then made a song about this in 2015, which gradually turned it into a part of Chinese internet culture. However, this chapter was written back in 2012, so the author directly adapted it from the television series. The author was basically 3 years ahead of the internet.
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Chapter 209 – The Blackwater Salamander
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Chapter 209 – The Blackwater Salamander
Li Qingshan took out the underground mental map he had obtained from the Zombie Daoist. Unfurling it and taking a look, he discovered that they were completely beyond the range of the map.
When he poured his true qi into the mental map, a speck of light lit up, but there was no image. It was just a blurry path of light. Who knows what was interfering with it.
Xiao An said softly, “It should be due to the underground magnetic field!”
Li Qingshan asked, “How do you know that?”
Xiao An hesitated. “I think I read it somewhere, but I don’t remember where.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “It must be your past memories!” Otherwise, with how good her memory was, how could she have forgotten about some book?
Xiao An immediately sank into her thoughts. For once, she appeared to be worried. Perhaps it was due to Milliped’s great bed of spiritual stone or the fragrance from the blue butterfly flowers, but the memories in the depths of her mind had returned bit by bit, giving her illusionary dreams.
Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts too. He thought of the same thing as her. The unknown hometown in the distant south might suddenly leap into her head at a certain time and take her away.
He lifted her from his neck and held her like a baby. He gently stroked her soft, smooth hair and kissed the red mole on her forehead. The smell of sandalwood lingered on his lips.
“Having your memories return is never bad! Tell me more about the underground magnetic field! I’ve never heard Milliped mention it!”
Xiao An nodded obediently. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “The underground magnetic field can interfere with the usage of techniques and spiritual artifacts. The further underground you venture, the greater the interference.”
Li Qingshan casually used a simple technique. As expected, it was slightly more difficult to use compared to above ground.
This truly was the turf of daemons. Although daemons also used abilities similar to techniques, they basically relied on their powerful daemon qi to deliver it forcefully. They did not have any delicate or detailed processes that they needed to go through. As a result, they were basically unaffected.
“How clever!”
Xiao An smiled slightly. “There’s also atmospheric winds in the sky, which become stronger the higher up you go. It can disperse true qi and spiritual qi. It can also blow away the souls of people.”
“Really? That’s so impressive!”
“And, there’s cloud-incinerating skyfires…”
Li Qingshan advanced as he listened closely with a smile. She rarely spoke so much. They forgot about the worries hidden in their hearts and did their best to enjoy the time right now, when they were together. Afterwards, they hoped that a never-ending banquet actually existed in the world and would be prepared for them.
……
In the murky depths below the earth, the various things that humans were capable of were useless. All that remained were their instincts as creatures, which were their sense of smell, sense of hearing, sense of direction, and memory.
In these underground caverns thousands of times more complicated than any maze, no one was certain where the tunnel ahead of them led to. When you single-mindedly wanted to travel up, to return to the surface, the cavern might just suddenly turn downward or end, destroying all of your plans and forcing you to find a new path.
Coupled with the ever present threat of daemons hidden in the darkness, even powerful ninth or tenth layer Qi Practitioners could grow anxious and exhausted, maybe even becoming lost in the depths underground. The dangers and terrors of this place were no longer a matter of strength alone.
However, Li Qingshan strolled through this place like it was his own garden. His sharp senses allowed him to find the way easily. As long as he released his powerful daemon qi, the other daemons would maintain their distance, and they would not attack blindly. As for the greatest, most terrifying daemon around here, the great king Milliped, he was his powerful backer.
However, he did not bring Milliped with him this time to restrain the other powerful daemons.
The path of daemons respected the strong. They did not have a rigid order like humans. The principle of strutting around with borrowed plumes was not as useful in the world of daemons as in the world of humans. If he was unable to demonstrate sufficient strength, how was he supposed to make these unruly daemons submit to him, the leader of the daemon soldiers?
Aside from that, he had a further objective in mind.
Li Qingshan followed an underground river that possessed the faint presence of spiritual qi. As the river gradually led deeper underground, he entered the water and went with the flow, swimming away.
An hour later, the cavern suddenly opened up. He entered an extremely spacious region of water. Casting out his gaze, he actually failed to see the boundary. The water surface no longer existed. There were only ripples in the tranquil, dark water, like black jade hidden underground.
Regular people would obviously think of endless earth when the underground was mentioned, but no one would have imagined that the underground actually hid such an abundant source of water.
Li Qingshan thought, The one that Milliped spoke of should be here.
The spiritual qi in the black water was extremely dense. Although it was not as great as the place where resided Milliped, it was still quite a rare holy land for cultivation.
According to Li Qingshan’s observations from the past few days, there was a spiritual vein underground that stretched off in this direction. It was very likely for crystalline spiritual stones to exist below the mud and sand in the depths of the black water.
If he wanted to look for hidden daemons, he obviously would not charge off blindly. Instead, he followed what Milliped had told him and the direction of the spiritual vein. All the powerful daemons would claim a place that was rich in spiritual qi.
Li Qingshan made Xiao An wait to one side before letting out a deep growl and completely transforming. He developed the claws and tail of a tiger and the hooves and horns of an ox. The scarlet hair on his head floated up like a ball of scorching fire, and his height had already reached thirty-three feet.
For the past few days, he had stopped practising qi, directing his focus to the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression instead. He continued to chow down on his various pills, and he also borrowed Milliped’s bed to get some good sleep. His daemon qi increased extremely swiftly. Gradually, he would be able to suppress the ox demon completely. By then, returning to his original form would not be a problem anymore.
Afterwards, he immediately busied himself with the cultivation of the second layer of the tiger demon.
He could not achieve success with cultivating the tiger demon by blindly eating pills and meditating away. He required intense battles to unlock his potential and overcome bottlenecks.
As a result, he released his daemon qi fearlessly and let out a provoking roar.
A pair of eyes, the size of lanterns, suddenly lit up deep within the mud at the bottom. They shone viciously. With a swing of a huge tail, it shook away the black mud, and the colossal figure darted to several dozen meters away with great agility. It directly swam in Li Qingshan’s direction.
Li Qingshan could sense a daemon qi that was even stronger than his own in the distance. Just as Milliped had told him, this guy was very powerful, so powerful that even Milliped himself was reluctant to enter the water and make trouble for it.
However, that was because Milliped skewed toward fire of the five elements, while Li Qingshan skewed towards water. The deep water was also his home turf.
With his spirit turtle’s daemon core, he could move in water as well as he could move on land. He dove down to the bottom. His hooves sank into the mud and landed on the rock beneath as he stared ahead calmly.
The daemon qi drew closer and closer. He could already make out a colossal, ferocious figure and a pair of eye-catching pupils. The other daemon must be seeing the same sight.
Before the daemon had drawn near, water had already flooded over mightily. Of course, this was not just due to the flow it had kicked up with its body. There was also the factor of daemon qi.
Li Qingshan remained unfazed. He did not even use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell to protect himself.
The water surged and rumbled over like the charge of an army, smashing against Li Qingshan viciously. It produced thunderous booms underwater.
His fire-like scarlet hair suddenly swept backwards, but Li Qingshan stood strong in the face of the flow, without moving at all. Even if there was another dozen tonnes of pressure on him, it would not even be able to make him bat an eye.
The surging water produced countless, tiny white streams near various parts of his body. A small, coloured fish could not help but be taken away by the flow. It came into contact with a torrent and was immediately ripped to pieces.
Even something as gentle as water could become a terrifying weapon once it possessed sufficient speed and strength.
However, all of this was just to probe the opponent and demonstrate its might!
Although it saw that its probe was useless, the daemon in the black water did not rush over in a hurry. Instead, it watched on from afar.
“My turn!” Scarlet light flashed through Li Qingshan’s eyes, and he spread his arms, reaching through the water like he was grabbing onto something extremely heavy.
His daemon core revolved as daemon qi seeped out as quickly as possible. Suddenly, he pushed forward forcefully, and all the water within a range of several dozen meters from Li Qingshan suddenly emptied out. Li Qingshan seemed to have lifted up a great ball of water, which he tossed at the daemon.
The daemon swung its tail and shattered the ball. As if several hundred tonnes of dynamite had exploded in the bottom of the lake, the entire lake churned.
However, using water to attack an aquatic daemon would obviously be ineffective. This was akin to the roars beasts would emit when they encountered each other in the wilderness; it was just to demonstrate their power.
As if it had accepted Li Qingshan as an equal opponent, the daemon in the black water swam over. This time, it did not make a single ripple in the water. The black water would automatically part for it no matter where it swam to. It glided through the water quietly like it was in outer space.
Li Qingshan finally saw the daemon’s true appearance. It was a salamander, but it had reached a terrifying fifty or sixty feet in length. Its slick, slippery skin was pitch-black, and it quietly moved through the water like a ghost in the dark. It possessed an indescribable grace. It was the ruler of this lake.
This was the first subordinate that Li Qingshan wanted to recruit, the blackwater salamander.
Two colossal daemon qi collided constantly in the water. The blackwater salamander used the contact between the daemon qi to convey its thoughts.
“Who are you? Why have you intruded on my territory?”
Of course, not all daemons could speak the human tongue. However, every single daemon would grasp a method of communication through the many years it spent inhaling and exhaling spiritual qi.
It used the pulses of daemon qi to replace its vigorous roars. Although it was nowhere near as refined or ingenious as the human tongue, it was much simpler and more straightforward.
Li Qingshan was a daemon, so after learning from Milliped a little, he grasped the method of communication that belonged to daemons. He could obviously understand what the blackwater salamander was saying. Li Qingshan’s heart eased up slightly. As expected, stronger daemons possessed a corresponding amount of intelligence. This blackwater salamander seemed to be even slighter smarter than Milliped.
He replied through the same method, using daemon qi, “I’ve come under the orders of great king Milliped to recruit you. I am the leader of the daemon soldiers. From today onwards, you will listen to my command!”
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Chapter 210 – The First Daemon Soldier
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Chapter 210 – The First Daemon Soldier
The blackwater salamander circled through the water nimbly and mocked, “Milliped? Are you talking about that idiot? Only an idiot would follow his commands. You’re an idiot. I’m not.”
Li Qingshan raised his claw. “What if I say that you must submit?”
“If you can catch me, I’ll listen to you!”
“Alright!” Li Qingshan actually roared that out, and the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar followed. It blasted the water apart as it shot towards the blackwater salamander.
The blackwater salamander did not try to dodge. He just let the Tiger Demon’s Killing Blow land on his body, which ended up being deflected to the bottom of the lake, creating a great hole. However, it was completely unscathed. It mocked again with daemon qi, “Doesn’t even scratch my itch!”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. He had seen with great clarity that a layer of light had flowed over its body earlier. Its innate ability seemed to be able to deflect attacks. It was no wonder it wanted Li Qingshan to try and catch it.
The blackwater salamander twisted its body and unleashed a water arrow, which produced a strange, sharp whistle. The arrow arrived before Li Qingshan in the blink of an eye. It did not create the same disturbance as earlier, but it was truly a killing strike. It could easily pierce rock and metal.
Li Qingshan did not dodge either. The water arrow arrived before him, but a barrier of blue light stopped it. It was the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
“Doesn’t scratch an itch either!” He relaxed slightly. Its attacks were powerful, but they were all water-elemented, so they would struggle to get through his Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell that happened to be of the same element.
However, if four or five ninth layer Qi Practitioners like the West Gate Granny were battling the blackwater salamander in deep water instead, only death would await them. While the blackwater salamander was not a Daemon General, it was very difficult to deal with once it possessed a geographical advantage.
The blackwater salamander was surprised by how its attack was useless. It sucked in deeply and produced thousands of water arrows, creating a series of straight, white tracks within the black water.
Like the rain of a thunderstorm peppering a window, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell shook slightly as if it could shatter at any moment. However, it actually managed to remain firmly intact in the face of the wave of water arrows. There was not even a crack.
However, Li Qingshan felt his daemon qi rapidly deplete. He knew that while it was difficult to destroy the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, it was costly to maintain it as well. If this continued, there would be no benefit at all. He kicked off the bottom of the lake and shot off.
The blackwater salamander saw Li Qingshan charge over and prepared itself. It opened its huge mouth and revealed its shiny, white teeth, waiting for Li Qingshan to come to it as it bit down.
Li Qingshan butted his head. He seemed to be delivering his head into the opponent’s mouth, but his two sharp ox horns prevented the blackwater salamander from biting down. It twisted its head and bit Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
The two colossal creatures immediately became entangled with each other. Black water surged as daemon qi filled the entire place.
Li Qingshan felt his shoulder ache. The sharp teeth of the blackwater salamander had already pierced his hide, but he did not mind it. He wrapped his hands around the blackwater salamander and pulled it towards the bottom of the lake.
Although he was also technically an aquatic daemon, he was accustomed to his lifestyle on land, so he was not as agile as the blackwater salamander in water. However, as long as his feet were planted on the ground, he would be able to draw strength from the ground. He would be able to use his tremendous strength to overwhelm the blackwater salamander.
Originally, the blackwater salamander wanted to bite off a part of Li Qingshan’s shoulder, but it felt like it had bit into the tough hide of an ox. It tried to tear away with its teeth, but Li Qingshan had grabbed onto it firmly now, such that it was unable to break free. It became even more surprised now. The opponent’s daemon qi was nowhere near as great as its, so why was the opponent’s strength greater?
The lake was deep, but it was not the sea. Li Qingshan was tall enough to be able to wade through most of the water. Immediately, his pair of hooves landed on the bottom of the lake again, and he let out a great roar, throwing the blackwater salamander against the bottom. He thought he had succeeded. I’ve won!
The blackwater salamander’s pitch-black skin flashed with a slick light. Li Qingshan only felt it sliding out of his grasp. The blackwater salamander slid away like a ghost. Even his barb-like claws were unable to keep it trapped.
“You can’t catch me!” The blackwater salamander mocked as it vanished from the range of Li Qingshan’s vision with lightning speed.
Li Qingshan thought, This guy’s innate ability is so difficult to deal with. No wonder he doesn’t take a Daemon General like Milliped seriously. Although its attacks aren’t exactly powerful, fighting it in water is extremely difficult.
However, this was his first battle, so how could he give up? He shot off in pursuit of the daemon qi.
The daemon qi suddenly vanished, and the ripples in the surroundings grew more and more violent. White waves swept through the black water. This place underground descended into a world of black and white.
Without any prior signs, without any ripples in the water that he could sense, a black shadow suddenly appeared behind Li Qingshan, colliding against his waist viciously.
Li Qingshan’s waist ached, and he lost his balance. All he managed to see from the corner of his eye was the blackwater salamander disappearing into the water again. Before he could even stabilise himself, the blackwater salamander had changed its direction and collided with him again.
The blackwater salamander produced countless, pitch-black traces in the water, which criss-crossed Li Qingshan.
In a single moment, even Li Qingshan himself had no idea how many times he had been hit. The world spun around him in a dizzying manner, like he was the blackwater salamander’s toy.
His body was in pain. He only remained alive because of his tough body. The strongest daemons truly were difficult to deal with! However, he did not become dejected. Instead, his battle spirit was ignited.
He did not use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, as his daemon qi was not as great as the blackwater salamander’s. If he continued to use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, his daemon qi would probably run out very soon, so he could only temporarily retreat for now.
But how was he supposed to retreat? He did not get Xiao An to help him, not because he wanted Xiao An to hide and launch a sneak attack, but because he treated this as a test for himself.
This was not a battle to the death where he needed to fight tooth-and-nail. Instead, he was trying to make a daemon submit to him as a soldier. As a result, not only did he have to win this battle, but he also had to achieve an overwhelming victory.
Their difference in strength was not particularly big. Apart from being slightly weaker in terms of daemon qi, his strength and abilities actually surpassed the salamander. He must be doing something wrong seeing how he failed to gain the upper hand!
Li Qingshan closed his eyes, and he was slammed viciously a few more times by the blackwater salamander. Despite the raging waves, there was peace at the bottom of his heart.
A droplet of water seemed to land at the bottom of his heart and produce a ripple. Li Qingshan suddenly understood. It was water!
Although he was an aquatic daemon, he was not accustomed to battle in water. The way he controlled water was extremely clumsy as well. He had failed to make proper use of the environment, allowing the blackwater salamander to claim the geographic advantage all for itself!
He floated freely in the water, no longer trying to control his body anymore. He no longer forced himself to remain at the bottom. He was like a creature that lived in the water, treating the water like his home.
His daemon qi spread out into the surroundings and established a connection with the surrounding water. It was no longer as clumsy as when he tried to pick up that great ball of water and throw it at his opponent. Instead, it was like sonar, surveilling the surrounding waters with great sensitivity.
The blackwater salamander rushed over once again like a black, ghostly bolt of lightning. Although it did not kick up any ripples, it did come into contact with the water that Li Qingshan controlled.
“Behind!” Li Qingshan suddenly turned around, but he was not as agile as the blackwater salamander. At such a close distance, even if he managed to sense it, he was unable to dodge.
The blackwater salamander was complacent. It was ready to slam into Li Qingshan again and throw him into confusion, yet Li Qingshan’s huge figure moved to the left without any prior signs at all.
Li Qingshan controlled the water to push himself aside. He dodged the blackwater salamander’s attack for the first time.
Now, he finally felt like he resembled an aquatic daemon slightly.
When he sensed the blackwater salamander’s direction, he clenched a fist and threw it at the salamander’s head viciously the moment it brushed past him.
With a bang, a sound wave spread through the entire body of water.
Li Qingshan’s long-prepared strike of fury was no joke. It could even crush rock and steel. He just happened to be wondering whether he had been too heavy-handed.
“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” The blackwater salamander clutched its head with its two front limbs and swam far away with a swing of its tail. In that instant, it had used its ability that could deflect attacks again, deflecting most of the force. That was why it had not entered a daze after suffering the attack.
Li Qingshan bobbed up and down in the water as he looked at the blackwater salamander. His daemon qi pulsed. “Why don’t you admit defeat?”
“Have you caught me?” The blackwater salamander was infuriated. It actually just swam away. “Even if I can’t beat you, don’t even think about capturing me and making me listen to your command!”
Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows. He adjusted his posture and leaned forwards in a freestyle position. His limbs swept backwards, and then he controlled the water to rush at the blackwater salamander.
How could the blackwater salamander lose to Li Qingshan when it came to swimming? With a swing of its tail, it darted over ten meters to the side. No matter what swimming style Li Qingshan used, he would never be able to match its natural agility.
Just when it wanted to mock Li Qingshan, it suddenly felt something tighten around its tail. Li Qingshan had grabbed its tail, but the tail was the slipperiest part of its body. With a flash, it immediately swam into the distance, and it no longer stopped this time round.
Two colossal creatures dwelled within this expansive, underground lake, one chasing desperately and one fleeing madly.
Even though the blackwater salamander had nowhere to hide, Li Qingshan was clearly too slow. He could not even touch its tail.
After three whole days and nights, they slowed down to the speed of regular fish. Both of them were utterly exhausted, but they both refused to admit defeat.
Li Qingshan felt like he had become an actual fish. He had gained a completely new understanding of how to swim and how to control the water flow. Battles in water were no longer a weakness to him anymore.
Even though he was exhausted, he managed to tail behind the blackwater salamander the entire time with his ox-like endurance, giving it no time to rest.
The blackwater salamander was utterly infuriated and called Li Qingshan all sorts of things. Suddenly, the space before it lit up, and a ball of fire burned quietly in the water. Within the fire was a tiny skeleton.
Just like daemons, she used her aura to communicate. “We might as well kill it and eat its daemon core.” Two large skulls resided beside her, opening and closing their mouths like they were waiting for a meal.
“I admit defeat, I admit defeat! Don’t eat me! Or I’ll blow up my daemon core!” The blackwater salamander’s instincts warned it of danger. It knew that this was the end of the rope now. It felt dejected inside, but it also admired Li Qingshan’s endurance a little.
“I’ll submit to you as the leader. What kind of thing are you supposed to be?”
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Chapter 211 – Unifying the Territory
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Chapter 211 – Unifying the Territory
The blackwater salamander had been curious about what kind of daemon Li Qingshan was supposed to be a long time ago.
Li Qingshan said, “You’re a thing!” He punched down with his fist. Although the blackwater salamander was exhausted, it was not stupid. It dodged quickly.
Li Qingshan shot a glare at him. “How dare you dodge when the leader is hitting you? Do you still want to live or not?”
Xiao An’s two skulls pressed over threateningly. With no other choice, the blackwater salamander made his way back over and let Li Qingshan hit him.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the spot. He looked at the first daemon soldier under his command in satisfaction. He had never thought he would end up becoming a leader among daemons before he even managed to become a Black Wolf commander. Moreover, he was one that led some of the strongest daemons out there.
According to the standard of human Qi Practitioners, the blackwater salamander was around the ninth or tenth layer. It was quite close to Daemon General now.
If Li Qingshan’s strength as a daemon was measured using the standard of Qi Practitioners, it would be rather impressive if he managed to reach the seventh or eighth layer. He was still very far away from Daemon General. There was nothing he could do about it. Cultivating as a daemon took up tremendous amounts of time in the first place. Those pills had already been of great help to him to be able to reach his current strength so quickly.
His three powerful abilities were the only reason for his victory.
Now that there was no danger, the blackwater salamander settled down to rest as well. It glanced at Xiao An carefully before asking, “Leader, Milliped…”
Li Qingshan corrected, “Call him great king.”
The blackwater salamander continued, “Why has great king Milliped sent you to beat me up?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s not just you. I’ll be beating up all the daemons underground. I’ll spare them if they yield, but if they don’t, I’ll beat them all to death.”
Although the blackwater salamander was not the strongest daemon in this region, it was the daemon that was the most difficult to handle. Even Milliped was reluctant to venture into its waters. Even if he did, subduing him would still be very difficult. That was why Li Qingshan decided on him as his first target.
The blackwater salamander looked at Xiao An. “Leader, who’s this?”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s the vice leader!”
The flames in Xiao An’s eye sockets surged. She had actually become the vice leader.
Li Qingshan asked, “Do you know where great king Milliped’s dwelling is?”
“I do, I do!” Probably all the daemons in this region that had some intelligence knew where it was.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright. In three months’ time, I’m going to be holding a meeting there. If you don’t show up, there’s no point for you to remain in this lake of black water anymore.”
He was not satisfied with just beating up these daemons and making them submit to him. His primary objective was still to turn them into a combat force that he could control. As a result, he came up with a daemon’s gathering with Milliped, where he would summon all the daemons who had condensed daemon cores.
The blackwater salamander could only agree helplessly.
Li Qingshan thought of something. He took out an uneaten roasted chicken from his hundred treasures pouch and tossed it to the blackwater salamander.
The blackwater salamander ate it in a single gulp. The various spices, and the taste of salt in particular, permeated its mouth. It swam around Li Qingshan excitedly and stared right at him. “Leader, is there anymore?”
Li Qingshan thought, Just as I had expected. Although the underground was like a great treasure trove, possessing spiritual veins and various spiritual herbs, it could never match the abundance of food available on the surface. Even a Daemon General like Milliped could not eat whatever he wanted, let alone regular daemons.
He only needed to absorb the spiritual qi of the world within the black water, and he would not starve to death even if he went a decade without food. However, the instincts of creatures would never vanish. The carrot and the stick had been proven to be highly effective throughout history. Now that Li Qingshan had used it properly, it resulted in exactly what he had expected.
“Hmph, if you go when the time comes, there’ll be as much as you want!”
“I’ll definitely go! I’ll definitely go!” The blackwater salamander immediately became extremely eager. If he could eat such good food every single day, there would be nothing wrong with being a daemon soldier.
Li Qingshan left the region with Xiao An. He ate a Hundred Grasses pill and recovered most of his daemon qi before asking Xiao An curiously, “Why did you turn back?”
Xiao An explained. As it turned out, she did it to hide her identity. There would be a time when they would return to the surface. If she remained in human form, she would be remembered by far too many creatures. It might even lead to the exposure of Li Qingshan’s identity in the future. And, in this subterranean world, a non-humanoid form was instead more convenient than a humanoid form when it came to moving about.
Li Qingshan admired Xiao An’s cautiousness. He could not be certain that the world of humans and the world of daemons never intersected. There would never be anything wrong with being a little more careful. They could communicate using their auras anyway. Xiao An’s aura consisted of the flames that surged from her body.
“Let’s go to the next place.”
……
Outside Salt Mountain city, in the quiet garden, within the hole.
Li Qingshan looked at the daylight pouring in from above and felt dazzled. He turned around and said to Milliped, “I’ll go prepare some food and drinks for them. You can go back first!”
Milliped returned reluctantly. Li Qingshan returned to the surface with Xiao An, but they found the surroundings to be bare.
Snow covered the ground and mountains in the distance. Clearly, there had been quite a lot of snowfall during the time that they were gone.
Li Qingshan was happy. He smiled at Xiao An, who smiled back.
His punitive expedition against the daemons had been much more successful than Li Qingshan had imagined before setting out. Apart from the troublesome blackwater salamander, there were a few other powerful daemons.
One of them was a boulder viper over thirty meters in length. It was even stronger than the blackwater salamander. Its body was basically made out of rock, impermeable to regular weapons, and it hid in the soil without giving off any aura at all. Li Qingshan was almost injured by its sudden sneak attack.
However, when Li Qingshan stated his intentions, the boulder viper immediately expressed its willingness to follow Milliped’s command. It would be taking part in the gathering of daemons.
The blackwater salamander looked down on Milliped due to the geographic advantage it possessed. However, even the boulder viper was not bold enough to openly confront a Daemon General.
As a result, Li Qingshan managed to recruit his second powerful daemon soldier without even whipping out the carrot and the stick. As long as the king possessed absolute strength, expeditions would always become much easier for the general.
There were a few other battles, but basically all of them were more threatening than dangerous. Of course, that was because Li Qingshan possessed sufficient strength, or who knows how many times he would have died already.
Although the strongest daemons featured Milliped’s strength, they had to probe out Li Qingshan’s strength if he was to be their leader. The boulder python had yielded so quickly because its ambush attack on Li Qingshan had failed, and a punch from Li Qingshan had cracked the rocks on its body.
Even though Li Qingshan was not confident he could achieve victory half of the time if they really did become embroiled in a battle to the death, no daemon was willing to battle other daemons of the same strength to death without a proper reason.
The world believed humans were intelligent and rational, while daemons were bloodthirsty and crazy.
That was not true. Even when wild beasts in the wilderness fought for a mate or territory, they would not battle their opponents to the death. The loser might not even suffer particularly severe injuries. Most of the time, victory would be determined through roars and demonstrations of strength.
However, humans would often gamble their lives without any regard for the sake of women and power. Even when they knew there was no chance, they would still want to try it. They would end up defeated and dead, never able to learn from their mistakes. Perhaps it would just be a small scuffle, going from a small insult to fighting. Finally, they would end up with a battle to the death over the vague concept of pride.
The only thing that existed within wild beasts was an instinct for survival. They did not have complicated emotions like humans; this aspect would not change even after becoming a daemon.
As a result, Li Qingshan had faced a group of surprisingly rational opponents.
If even powerful daemons would yield, it went without saying for the weaker ones. They basically bowed their heads the moment Li Qingshan unleashed his daemon qi; it was so simple that even Li Qingshan was left in disbelief. It only took him a single month to do all of this, far quicker than he had anticipated.
Milliped was just too slow-witted, so he could be easily ignored. He had no awareness of recruiting subordinates either, which was why he was in his current situation. Li Qingshan made up for Milliped’s lack of intelligence, immediately taking over control of his territory for him.
Now, Li Qingshan had basically gained a few dozen daemon soldiers under his command, and his identity as the leader of the daemon soldiers had come true. All he had to do was wait for the gathering of daemons, where he would establish his control completely. He would be able to command these daemon soldiers around, and he would have a Daemon General as a friend.
If the Sect of Clouds and Rain still wanted to touch him, they would be seeking their own doom. As long as there were no masters who had undergone tribulations, he could deal with them no matter how many people they sent. Even if the sect master came, bold enough to venture underground, he would show the sect master the power of a carapaced Daemon General.
Thinking about the perfect future awaiting him, Li Qingshan put on the large bamboo hat and the bamboo basket again, letting Xiao An hide in there.
Although he could return to normal, he purposefully maintained his huge figure so that it would be convenient for him to move around within human society. For the sake of the gathering’s success, he needed a banquet. He would have to rely on Yu Shukuang for this.
In the Proud Sword manor, Yu Shukuang grabbed Li Qingshan’s hands excitedly. “You’ve finally returned?”
Li Qingshan saw how panicked Yu Shukuang had become. He asked in a hurry, “What happened?”
Yu Shukuang told him the whole story. Li Qingshan replied furiously, “He has gone too far. Have you contacted Hua Chenglu?”
Yu Shukuang said bitterly, “I’ve already sent the letter, but there has been no reply.”
Li Qingshan understood that even if Hua Chenglu did something, she would not go as far as to reply to the letter and explain everything. However, this was probably much more complicated than it seemed. Even if Hua Chenglu wanted to act, the Hua family might not necessarily be willing to develop bad blood with the Green Vine mountain over a friendship between children.
He had already witnessed the unruliness and arrogance of cultivation sects from the Sect of Clouds and Rain in the past. They were even bold enough to kill Hawkwolf guards, so why would they be afraid to forcefully recruit a disciple?
Yu Shukuang asked, “What am I supposed to do? Sigh, it’s all because I’m useless!”
Li Qingshan tried to persuade him. “Don’t worry too much. At most, she’ll suffer some hardships as the disciple of someone else. She won’t be in danger. Getting her to experience the vile side of human society isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” The Green Vine mountain was an orthodox sect after all. They were not thugs.
Yu Shukuang sighed heavily. That was true, but how could he stop worrying?
Li Qingshan was rather worried as well. He liked Yu Zijian’s straightforwardness and kindness very much. He did not wish for her to endure any abuse.
“I’ll go to the Green Vine mountain to check on her. You stay here and prepare some things for me.”
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Chapter 212 – The Busy Streets Deep Within the Mountains
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Chapter 212 – The Busy Streets Deep Within the Mountains
Yu Shukuang was elated. He bowed deeply. “Whatever you wish!” As long as Yu Zijian was safe, he would be willing to do anything.
Li Qingshan said, “Extend your hand!”
Yu Shukuang extended his hand in doubt. A shiny pill landed in the centre of his palm. Wasn’t this the Innate pill that he dreamt of every single day? He was both overjoyed and surprised. He bowed deeply again. “Thank you for your generous reward, Niu Juxian. May I ask what you need me to prepare?”
Li Qingshan said, “Ingest the pill first and see whether you break through to the innate realm. See if you can produce a sliver of true qi. We’ll talk about the rest after that.”
Yu Shukuang immediately ingested the pill. He sat down and meditated to digest the pill.
If regular people ingested the Innate pill, they were not guaranteed to be able to practise qi. However, if a first-rate master like him ingested it, it was basically certain. The effects of the pill permeated every inch of his body and fused with his dense inner force. Gradually, a strange feeling appeared.
The clumsy inner force gradually became agile, as if it had broken free from the restraints of his body. It extended outwards endlessly. Great joy welled up in his heart. However, Yu Shukuang knew now was the most important moment. He had to maintain his focus to avoid suffering from any deviations.
Li Qingshan sat to one side and pulled out a buddhist scripture that Xiao An regularly read. A while later, he felt his head ache. What form and emptiness and namo? He had no idea what was going on, nor did he have any idea how in the world she managed to understand this with that little head of hers, or how she was able to become so absorbed in something so boring.
A while later, Yu Shukuang shuddered. Li Qingshan turned around and smiled. “How is it?”
Yu Shukuang’s body loosened up. He seemed exhausted, but he was unable to hide his joy no matter what. “The kindness you have shown me is like granting me…”
Li Qingshan interrupted him. “You can skip the formalities. I’ve said a long time ago that I won’t mistreat you if you do things for me. I have a cultivation method called the Innate Method of Practising Qi, which I can pass onto you as well. With your dense inner force, reaching the second layer shouldn’t be a problem.”
Yu Shukuang almost could not think straight anymore from all of these joyous events happening one after another. However, he was still someone who had been through thick and thin before, so he composed himself very soon. He internalised his joy. He knew the kindness that had been shown to him was so great that it could not be returned with just a few words of gratitude. He waited for Li Qingshan’s instructions quietly.
Li Qingshan passed him the Innate Method of Practising Qi before tossing an empty hundred treasures pouch to Yu Shukuang. “What I want you to do is to fill up this hundred treasures pouch with whatever alcohol, meat, and food you can find, and then give it to me. You have under two months to do this, and I want you to do it discreetly.”
Yu Shukuang was slightly taken aback. This mission was just a little too simple. However, when he channeled his true qi into the hundred treasures pouch according to the method Li Qingshan had told him, he finally became stern.
This hundred treasures pouch originally belonged to the East Gate Granny. It was extremely large inside, the size of several large warehouses. It really would be difficult for him to fill it completely, especially if he had to do so within two months. Even if he slaughtered all the livestock near Salt Mountain city, it would not be enough. However, if he imported it from elsewhere, he might not make it in time, and it would create too much of a disturbance.
It was exactly because Li Qingshan did not want to attract too much attention that he had assisted Yu Shukuang in becoming a Qi Practitioner. He wanted to make use of the fact that he was well known in these parts of the land, which would save Li Qingshan a lot of trouble.
Yu Shukuang nodded. “I definitely won’t let you down!” Although this mission was rather troublesome, it was not exactly dangerous. Searching for meat and alcohol was hundreds of times simpler than searching for an Innate pill.
Li Qingshan gave him a few more details. After all, the tastes of daemons would not always conform to the tastes of humans. As a matter of fact, many of them did not even like cooked food. They liked fresh meat.
Yu Shukuang memorised every single thing he said. Li Qingshan thought about if he had anything else to hand over before picking up the bamboo basket, putting on his wide hat, and making his way out. He suddenly stopped. “The path of cultivation is boundless. Does the swordsman still possess some of the pride of the past?”
He strode off with that, leaving Yu Shukuang standing in a daze. He subconsciously stroked the full beard on his face. He had grown it the year he swore he would never take a wife again. His gaze gradually became determined before he suddenly drew his sword and shaved himself with a few flashes.
At this moment, the mild young man who regularly delivered meals to Li Qingshan came in to pay his respects. “Master, Niu Juxia’s…” However, he became stunned by Yu Shukuang’s appearance.
It was a handsome face. Although it had been weathered by time, leaving behind many small wrinkles, it only added the charm of maturity to his face. Seeing how stunned his disciple had become, he laughed aloud. “Go fetch me some alcohol. I’ll prove it with my actions!”
His mind was exceptionally clear, as if he had returned to his young past where he wandered around for the sake of justice, with his own life beyond his concern. However, he was no longer young. He was no longer carefree, now tied down. He had something extra called responsibility on his shoulders. As a father, if he could not even protect his own daughter, what was the point of living?
Li Qingshan had already exited the manor. He glanced back and smiled. Regardless of their moral alignment, the willpower and determination of anyone who could become a first-rate master was as clear as day, and Yu Shukuang happened to be the best of the best among them. That was why he was able to create the Proud Sword manor.
He needed a few usable people like him to help him handle some matters within the human world. People like him did not have to be too powerful, but they could not be too weak either. Right now, perhaps all Yu Shukuang could do for him was collect some food, but he would definitely bring even more benefits in the future.
He unfurled the mental map of the Green province and slid his finger around it. With a thought, there was a flash, and finally, his finger stopped on the sharp outline of a few mountains. Beside it detailed ‘Green Vine Mountain’.
The zigzagging outline transformed into great mountains that rose and fell, towering precipitously. White clouds and mist lingered between the mountains, making it seem a little otherworldly.
Even more wondrously, within that snowbound land in the encirclement of snow mountains, only a single mountain remained lush and verdant, like an emerald gem on the white snow.
Li Qingshan stood on a snow mountain and looked into the distance. He marvelled at the wonders of nature. Although the formations of Green Vine mountain played a big part, the real reason why the mountain experienced eternal spring was because of the spiritual vein underground.
Not only was this place close to Jiaping city, but it was even close to his hometown, Qingyang city. It was located in one of the outlying ranges of the Boundless mountains.
Of course, it was close at Li Qingshan’s current level of strength. Just the several hundred kilometers of dangerous, precipitous mountain paths were enough to sever all chances of regular people reaching here. Even if they managed to reach here out of sheer luck, the pervasive mist hid many secrets. Not only would it be impossible for regular people to climb the mountain, but they probably could not even see the green mountain.
Li Qingshan could see it, but he hesitated over how he was supposed to reach there.
Was Yu Zijian on the mountain somewhere right now, suffering?
Li Qingshan stood atop the mountain in thought. He stomped his foot and true qi spurted out from the bottom, kicking up a ring of snow. He had already leapt towards the cliff several hundred meters below him, having locked onto a pine tree that grew vertically from the cliff face. After pushing off it, he arrived on a mountain on the other side. He wanted to make his way to the back of the Green Vine mountain to see if there were any cracks he could enter through.
By now, the night had already darkened. Winter nights were extremely long, and the dark night was beneficial to Li Qingshan’s movements. If there was some wind and snow, it would be even better.
Perhaps the heavens had really decided to answer his prayers, as snow began to fall a while later.
Li Qingshan concealed his aura, but when he arrived behind the mountain, he was slightly stunned.
A small town sat on a region of level ground. It gave off warm lantern light. Was there actually a village located right beside where cultivators cultivated?
However, as Li Qingshan was born in a village, he knew that regular towns or even small cities should have been pitch-black by now, just so that they could save some oil. The town was bustling with people flowing to and fro. It seemed extremely busy. It seemed out of the ordinary for such a busy place to exist within the frosty mountains.
When Li Qingshan approached the place, he became even more shocked, as there was not a single regular person wandering the streets. They were all cultivators.
Li Qingshan had never seen so many cultivators gathered together in his entire life. Although most of them were at the second, third, and fourth layers, they were still cultivators.
Were these Qi Practitioners from the Green Vine mountain?
Li Qingshan immediately shook his head. There were several hundred Qi Practitioners here at the very least. The Green Vine mountain definitely did not have that many Qi Practitioners. And, the clothes of these people on the streets varied. They bore different insignias. They did not come from the same sect.
At a closer glance, he discovered that many of the Qi Practitioners were like peddlers. They called out to attract customers, without the slightest dignity that belonged to Qi Practitioners.
Li Qingshan’s curiosity immediately rose beyond his control. He knocked the bamboo basket on his back. “What do you think? Wanna check it out?”
The bamboo basket seemed simple on the surface, but there was a thick layer of cushioning inside. Xiao An sat in there leisurely, leaning against a silken pillow as she read in great interest a buddhist scripture that Li Qingshan had found to be boring.
“Let’s go!” She replied very succinctly. She could clearly tell what Li Qingshan was feeling right now.
Li Qingshan emerged from a dark corner and made his way over to the town. However, he maintained his guard constantly. He had been screwed over by far too many Qi Practitioners in the past, and he had claimed the lives of many Qi Practitioners as well. As a result, he was even more vigilant of those like him than the daemons underground.
When he set foot in the town, everything remained the same as before. Everyone continued about with what they were doing. There were far fewer people who looked at him due to his abnormal size compared to on regular streets.
However, Li Qingshan’s huge size still solicited a lot of attention.
“Fellow cultivator, why don’t you check out this fantastic golden silk for tailoring robes? It’s only three spiritual stones for a tael!”
Li Qingshan declined with a smile before turning his head and seeing a second layer Qi Practitioner call out at the top of his voice from a building, “A fifth layer Qi Practitioner explaining the essence of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, only a spiritual stone for entry! In exchange for a single spiritual stone, you can save three years worth of time! You’d better get in here fast, or it’ll be gone before you know it!”
Li Qingshan’s ears pricked up instinctively. However, the building was surrounded with formations, such that it was impossible to eavesdrop on what was being said inside no matter how great his hearing was. Two first layer Qi Practitioners discussed at the entrance whether to go in or not.
Li Qingshan turned his head again and saw a familiar, violet figure.
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Chapter 213 – Safe and Sound
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Chapter 213 – Safe and Sound
Li Qingshan struggled to believe his eyes. He had already thought of many predicaments Yu Zijiang could potentially be going through, such as carrying several hundred kilograms of firewood on her shoulders as she trudged through the snowy path. Or, perhaps she would be looking in the direction of her home sadly.
As for her father, Yu Shukuang, his imaginations probably ran a hundred times wilder.
However, not only did Yu Zijian face no hardships right now, but she was even smiling happily instead.
She was strolling through the streets happily with a few Qi Practitioners. The Qi Practitioners varied in gender and strength, but they all wore green robes. Their collars and cuffs were all embroidered with green vines.
Li Qingshan had seen that disciple Liu who had come out to run errands before, so he knew that this was the uniform of the Green Vine mountain.
Yu Zijian was among them. While they were not exactly following her around, he could tell that everyone liked her very much. They introduced the various strange products on the sides of the streets to her patiently.
Apart from changing her twin buns to a hairstyle more befitting of a female cultivator, she basically had not changed at all. She did not seem like she was suffering abuse at all.
Yu Zijian felt that someone was looking at her. She turned around and noticed Li Qingshan’s colossal figure that stuck out like a sore thumb immediately. Her small mouth hung open from surprise before all of it turned into joy. She called out, “Niu Juxia!” Everyone on the streets looked over.
She jogged over to Li Qingshan. “Why have you come? Where’s my father? Has he come too?” As she said that, she looked around Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “Your father hasn’t come. I’ve come to see you. You’re… still well, right?” As long as he had not gone blind, she seemed to be doing rather well.
“Yep, yep!” Yu Zijian nodded.
“Zijian, is this your friend?” A few Qi Practitioners made their way over as well. The leader of them was a young man, a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, who asked in surprise.
Yu Zijian glanced at Li Qingshan first, as if she wanted to confirm that she was his friend. Seeing how he did not object, she smiled boldly. “Yeah!” After that, she glanced at him again to see if he was angered by that or not.
Why would Li Qingshan decline having such a cute girl as a friend?!
Yu Zijian introduced everybody. Only then did Li Qingshan learn that the leading sixth layer Qi Practitioner was called Mu Zhicong. Although he behaved in a rather modest manner, he gave off a natural sense of superiority. It did not just come from his superior strength, but his pride and arrogance as a member of a sect. The three companions beside him gave Li Qingshan roughly the same feeling.
This sense of superiority was beneficial to their sect instead of being detrimental. It proved that they held the three words, ‘Green Vine mountain’ on a very high pedestal, which was why they took pride in their sect.
Yu Zijian felt that introducing him as Niu Er was rather inappropriate, so she just said, “This is Niu Juxia!”
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain mistook that for Li Qingshan’s name. They thought, That’s a rather strange name, but it does seem to be rather befitting of his figure.
Mu Zhicong recalled something. He asked in surprise, “Are you that Niu Juxia who tossed Song Ming over the wall in a single stroke?!”
Li Qingshan smiled and admitted to it. He knew that Song Ming referred to the senior brother Song. The news had spread pretty quickly. Unbeknownst to him, although the three mountains were in an alliance, they also competed against one another. The humiliating matters among the disciples would spread the fastest. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Liu Fengrui to have visited the Proud Sword manor so quickly.
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain immediately treated Li Qingshan with deep esteem. A grin of white teeth appeared on his face that was as dark as the bottom of a pot. It seemed rather mysterious.
The only female disciple there, Cheng Jiali, probed curiously, “May I ask which mountain you happen to cultivate on? And what is your current cultivation?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I was naturally endowed with tremendous strength, and I came across a cultivation method for Body Practitioners by chance in the mountains. In terms of cultivation, I’m nowhere close to fellow Mu.”
Independent cultivator, Body Practitioner.
They rapidly summarised these two phrases from what Li Qingshan had told them, and their attitude changed once again. They recovered their faint sense of superiority as disciples of an orthodox sect.
Body Practitioners in the world of cultivation were like practitioners of external martial arts in the jianghu. They would always be looked down upon. Of course, practising both internal and external martial arts was a method that existed as well. However, to them, Li Qingshan clearly did not fall into that category, and he was an independent cultivator without a sect. He was no different from a blade of grass in the wind. People from sects would pressure and abuse him often.
While Li Qingshan did stand tall, he was already lower than them in their hearts.
In particular, the displeasure that Mu Zhicong felt from how familiar Yu Zijian behaved with Li Qingshan had basically completely vanished. While he was quite strong, he was just a martial artist who used brute force. If his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner could not develop any further, it was useless no matter how powerful he was. He was so ugly as well. To think that I had compared myself to him. I sure have underestimated myself.
Li Qingshan could clearly sense the changes in their attitude. He maintained his smile and lamented about the fickleness of the world slightly, but he did not take this too seriously. Temporarily accommodating for people was common in human relationships. There was nothing for him to be displeased about.
However, this was all because Li Qingshan was strong enough and confident enough. Otherwise, it would lead to some ill will. The breadth of mind of people would be directly tied to their strength. When weaker people wanted to be broadminded, it was just self-consolation most of the time.
“I’ve come to see her in place of her father. She was taken away forcefully by a senior brother of yours called Liu. You have no idea how worried her father was.” Li Qingshan indirectly asked them a question. This child sure was heartless, having a good time right now. However, her decisions were not for him to make.
“Are you talking about senior brother Liu? Master has already scolded him.” The young man frowned slightly. He was slightly displeased by Li Qingshan’s question.
Li Qingshan became even more surprised. Although he had only seen this senior brother Liu once, he should have been a powerful Qi Practitioner who had already split open his sea of qi. Just what fortunes did this girl possess to make the sect master of the Green Vine mountain scold his own disciple?
Li Qingshan could tell that these people could not be reasoned with. He glanced at a teahouse on one side, which was rather quiet and tasteful inside. Then he checked the sign on the door, which detailed ‘Tranquil Teahouse’. It really did live up to its name. There were not a lot of people in there at all. It was very tranquil.
“Here’s not a place to talk. Let’s go in there and have some tea. I’ll ask Zijian some things for the sake of her father.”
This was the first time Yu Zijian had heard him call her directly by her name. She felt strange inside. Then she thought about how he had specially come to check up on her, and her heart warmed up. Her ears reddened slightly as she pinched the edge of her clothing, unsure of what to say. All she thought of was, Niu Juxia sure is a great person!
This was the first time Mu Zhicong had seen Yu Zijian like this, and the flames of envy lit up in his heart for some reason. He asked with a strange smile, “Are you inviting us in there for tea?” After receiving Li Qingshan’s confirmation, he and his companions looked at one another. They all smiled strangely.
Li Qingshan entered the teahouse and learned why they were smiling, as well as why the teahouse was so tranquil. A few bamboo signs hung on the wall on the west side, detailing the prices.
Even the cheapest pot of tea cost seven spiritual stones, while the most expensive one was over twenty spiritual stones. Were there any Qi Practitioners who would come drink tea with their spiritual stones instead of spending it on pills for cultivation or talismans for protection?
There were no waiters or waitresses in this store, only the shop owner. He was a spirited old man with pepper hair. He also happened to be the tea brewer. He did not even raise his head when Li Qingshan and the others entered. A few curtains divided the teahouse into a few rooms. There seemed to be people talking in there, but it was quiet. Clearly, this was due to the effects of formations as well.
Li Qingshan said, “Tsk, this tea is not cheap!”
Yu Zijian pulled Li Qingshan towards the outside. “It’s too expensive, so let’s go elsewhere. There’s a steamed bun store on the corner of the street. They use the venison of three-coloured deer for their fillings.”
Three disciples of the Green Vine mountain added with smiles, “Yeah, there’s nothing great about the tea here!”
None of them were surprised. Independent cultivators were basically synonymous with broke. They did not even have enough money to buy pills, so why would he have money to invite them to the famous tea of the Tranquil teahouse? They obviously did not have a lot of ill will behind this, but it would always be rather funny when a bumpkin embarrassed themself.
It was obviously impossible for this group of people to scamper out of the store like this. Naturally, a generous and straightforward man would save the situation.
Mu Zhicong said, “The Tranquil teahouse is renowned in the world of cultivation. Being able to try their fine tea is one of the greatest joys that life can offer. Since we’ve come, let’s stay. Since it’s Zijian’s friend who has come to the Green Vine mountain, I should be the one to play the host.”
Li Qingshan had not even heard of the renowned Tranquil Teahouse before, so he was obviously ignorant.
Cheng Jiali glanced at Mu Zhicong in an infatuated manner. “Then we’ll be forcing senior brother to go to some expenses today. Zijian, why don’t you thank senior brother? Let alone people from remote areas, but even we don’t enjoy something so extravagant often.”
Li Qingshan could sense Cheng Jiali’s hostility towards Yu Zijian. She was clearly trying to say that Yu Zijian was a bumpkin just like him. This was the troublesome aspect of humans. Daemons directed their hostility at the individual, while humans hid it all in their hearts.
Yu Zijian just happened to miss what she was implying. She said in embarrassment, “Thank you, senior brother Mu. Actually, I’ve been curious to try what something so expensive would taste like. Let’s get the Cloudmist tea!”
The Cloudmist tea was the cheapest tea here. Naive, straightforward women were already rare, let alone those that were also kind-hearted and considerate. She seemed to possess both her mother and her father’s merits. The more that they got to know her, the more they found her to be loveable and worth protecting.
Mu Zhicong’s gaze became softer. “We’ll drink whatever you want, Zijian.”
Cheng Jiali’s smile stiffened slightly, while the other two disciples looked at her in a somewhat mocking manner.
Li Qingshan snickered inside. This was like a clash between a third-rate master and a powerful Qi Practitioner. Right off the bat, Cheng Jiali had suffered a crushing defeat.
While Cheng Jiali possessed some beauty about her, she lacked the charm that could touch people. She was like a song that had been sung along all the rules and standards of singing. While there was nothing wrong with it, people could go without listening to it. However, the singing of certain people could touch the hearts of people.
Just when Mu Zhicong wanted to tell the tea brewer their order, he was stopped by Li Qingshan. He grinned. “We might come from a remote place, but we can still afford to drink some tea, right, Zijian?”
Only then did Yu Zijian suddenly understand what Cheng Jiali was trying to say. She frowned. “Exactly!” She was irate. You can look down on me, but how can you look down on Niu Juxia?
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Chapter 214 – Lucky
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Chapter 214 – Lucky
Mu Zhicong was displeased. Cheng Jiali immediately said, “Fellow Niu, it’s not easy for independent cultivators to earn spiritual stones. You should keep it for the pills that you need!” The other two disciples added to it as well.
“I’m aware of my limits!” Li Qingshan said indifferently. I had to kill a bunch of Qi Practitioners just like you to earn what I have right now. It’s true that it wasn’t easy. However, that’s no reason for me to let you lot look down on people from remote places. He did not mind being mocked a little, but he could not just watch them mock Yu Zijian.
He said to the tea brewer, “Uncle, give me a pot of your most expensive, uhh, Worriless tea!” Li Qingshan sat down at a tea table boldly, like he was extremely wealthy. He could not help it. He had several hundred spiritual stones on him, and he had a spiritual stone vein underground. He would be lying if he tried to pass himself off as poor.
The tea brewer finally raised his head and studied Li Qingshan. There were not a lot of people who could afford to drink the Worriless in this town of Qi Practitioners. He said indifferently, “Please wait!” He went about brewing the tea.
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain were all stunned. The Worriless tea was a famous tea of the Tranquil teahouse. A single pot came at an astronomical price of twenty-seven spiritual stones. If that was all converted into Qi Gathering pills, it would be enough for a Qi Practitioner to cultivate for a year or two. Even Mu Zhicong would be reluctant to buy a pot of Worriless tea. He smiled dryly. “Fellow Niu, how generous of you!”
Yu Zijian tugged Li Qingshan’s sleeve and whispered to him to try and convince him otherwise, “Niu Juxia, that’s so expensive.”
Li Qingshan patted the exquisitely sculpted stool beside him. “It’s for us, so what’s there to worry about?”
He was speaking from the bottom of his heart. Trying all the delicacies that the world had to offer was a part of his grand dream anyway. Although tea was unlikely to fall into that category, he wanted to try anything and everything that could fulfill the desires of the mouth and belly. Since he could not try all the teas in the world, he would try the best ones. Moreover, his principle when it came to unfamiliar people, particularly people he disliked, was to never owe them anything. How could he make others pay for his tea?
Yu Zijian sat beside him. She could feel that Li Qingshan wanted to stand up for her, so she felt rather mixed inside.
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain all looked at Mu Zhicong. They were unsure whether to sit down or not. They also wanted to try the Worriless tea. Mu Zhicong thought, Since you want to impress us at your own cost, do whatever you want.
Li Qingshan asked Yu Zijian about what she went through after she had been taken away.
As it turned out, Yu Zijian just became a regular, miscellaneous disciple who ran errands after she had been brought to the Green Vine mountain. In the end, when the Green Vine Elder appeared at the entry ceremony and tested everyone’s talent, she was deemed to be the most outstanding.
Out of joy, the Green Vine Elder decided to ask about her origins. If she was just some regular girl, she would have been left speechless already by the lofty sect halls and the dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator.
However, Yu Zijian pointed at Liu Fengrui and said, “I didn’t want to come, but he forced me to come.” She went into detail about how he had threatened her and how he tried to silence her as tears trickled down her cheeks.
The children that Liu Fengrui had initially brought back from the Proud Sword manor were close with this young miss in the first place, so they began to miss their homes. For a moment, all of the children in the main hall burst into tears, turning the formal entry ceremony into something that was very awkward.
The Green Vine Elder felt rather humiliated. He pointed at Liu Fengrui and scolded him. He said, “If other people saw us, they would think that we abducted all of our disciples here!”
Liu Fengrui begged and apologised for his behaviour. His personality was not very likeable even among his own seniors and juniors, so no one stood up for him. They all mocked him secretly.
The Green Vine Elder turned around and left furiously. As a result, Yu Zijian turned her misfortune into a blessing. As a matter of fact, it could even be said that she had turned the tables.
However, the Green Vine Elder did not let Yu Zijian leave, nor did he let her join the sect. As a result, she just remained behind cluelessly, becoming the only non-disciple on the mountain.
Li Qingshan guessed that the Green Vine Elder definitely wanted Yu Zijian to join the Green Vine mountain, but he did not want to force her either. The Green Vine mountain accepted disciples, not enemies. Only someone as opinionated as Liu Fengrui would handle everything so coarsely.
The disciples could all tell what the Green Vine Elder was thinking, so they purposefully approached Yu Zijian, trying to persuade her to just join the sect. Coupled with how likeable she was, she became familiar with everyone in under a month. Coupled with the protection of a group of suitors like Mu Zhicong, Liu Fengrui was actually unable to do anything to her despite being an inner disciple.
“The senior brothers and sisters all said that he’s a bad person. They all told me to forget about him.”
Mu Zhicong said awkwardly, “Don’t blabber, Zijian. Senior brother Liu was just a little rash. He’s not a bad person.” Although he hated Liu Fengrui, he still had to preserve the dignity of his fellow seniors and juniors.
Li Qingshan was truly speechless with what Yu Zijian had gone through. He could not help but sigh that some people were just luckier than others. This luck did not come in the form of a powerful clan, but a certain ability. It was an ability that smiled at the world. The world was like a mirror. If you smiled at it, it would smile back. People could not be born with this ability. Instead, it originated from being raised with the gentlest care and the best education.
Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi were not so lucky. Both of them had developed a fierce personality from what they had gone through in life. They used the teeth and claws called “cunning and resourcefulness” and “courage and resoluteness” to fight in this world. Those were the strengths they relied on to live.
Yu Zijian was neither resolute nor resourceful, and her cultivation was pitifully low. However, she was able to obtain an Innate pill from the little adult that was Hua Chenglu, and she was able to make Li Qingshan, who had a heart of steel, travel several hundred kilometers for her. This was her strength.
At this moment, the tea brewer served up a pot of tea. The tea poured into the teacups was clear and colourless, just like water, but it gave off a refreshing fragrance.
Li Qingshan said, “Allow me to toast you with tea instead of alcohol. Thank you for taking care of Zijian.” He drank an entire cup, and the flow of heat directly reached his belly, expanding from there. It made him feel warm all over. The fragrance did not just linger in his mouth, but in his heart too.
Being able to drink a cup of this on a cold, winter night was absolute bliss. With a cup down, he felt like all of his various distracting thoughts had been washed away. He felt languid. Both the tea leaves and water contained pure spiritual qi. It was even better than regular pills. His mind and body benefited tremendously.
“It truly is good tea!”
Mu Zhicong and the others drank slowly instead. They were indescribably relaxed. Their arrogance had vanished when they looked at Li Qingshan now, and they were even more polite when they spoke, just like how they could not bite the hand that fed them. They were not shameless enough to continue mocking Li Qingshan.
Cheng Jiali’s gaze towards Li Qingshan became slightly gentler. She could tell that Li Qingshan was not a broke independent cultivator who wanted to impress them. Instead, he was truly a generous man who would not be troubled by a mere twenty or thirty spiritual stones. That was always a likeable feature to women.
Li Qingshan smiled. “The tea truly lives up to its name of Worriless.”
Only Mu Zhicong was unable to cheer up. Originally, he was the central figure of this group, but all of his attention and glory had been stolen from him by this brute with his pot of tea. He would never just relent like this. “Fellow Niu, it is a bit of a waste of this tea with how you drink it.”
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Mu Zhicong had been waiting for that. He smiled. He went on a ramble, going into the essence of tea ceremonies to display his great knowledge. Cheng Jiali and the others praised him quite a lot.
The two bumpkins, Li Qingshan and Yu Zijian, held their teacups and listened in as they drank.
When Mu Zhicong finished his speech and wanted to moisten his mouth with some tea, he discovered that Li Qingshan and Yu Zijian had already ‘wasted’ away all of the tea. He immediately became stunned.
Yu Zijian said in admiration, “You know so much, senior brother Mu.”
Li Qingshan said, “I think you’ve enlightened me too.”
Yu Zijian had been drinking in small, short sips, but Li Qingshan actually drank like an ox, tipping cup after cup into his belly. You’re drinking my tea, yet you still have so much nonsense to spout. You might as well not drink it.
Cheng Jiali and the other two were glad that they had been fast. They did not forget to drink tea as they listened on. They managed to steal a few cups from Li Qingshan’s mouth, which saved them half a month’s worth of cultivation. The spiritual tea was unlike regular tea, where several pots could be made from the same leaves. The tea brewer used special techniques to extract all of the flavour of the tea leaves into the spiritual water so that none of it went to waste. As a result, there was only a single pot.
Yu Zijian rubbed her belly. “How warm!”
Li Qingshan said, “Exactly.”
The two of them looked at each other and smiled. All Yu Zijian noticed was that the whites and pupils of Li Qingshan’s eyes seemed so clear-cut. His gaze was no longer as sharp as when she first saw him. Instead, it seemed calm and clear, like he had gone from a vicious tiger to a gentle ox. He seemed much gentler.
She suddenly found that it was even more difficult to maintain eye contact with a gaze like that than the sharp gaze from the other day. Her eyes avoided him, and she lowered her head.
Mu Zhicong felt like everything he had said earlier had been pointless. He ground his teeth. “Fellow Niu, do you understand just how profound tea culture and tea ceremony can be now?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I’m a coarse, unsophisticated man. I can’t remember that much.” Then he turned towards Yu Zijian. “What do you think, Zijian? Do you want to go back with me?”
Before Yu Zijian could even answer him, Mu Zhicong said resolutely, “She can’t. Without master’s permission, Zijian can’t leave the Green Vine mountain.”
Cheng Jiali tried to persuade him softly. “Senior brother.” She only wished for Yu Zijian to be further away, but when two men began to fight over something, it would not just be about who it ended up with in the end. It was about their pride as well. They could not be easily persuaded by others.
Li Qingshan did not look at Mu Zhicong. He only asked Yu Zijian, “What do you want?”
Yu Zijian immediately became uncertain. The disciples of the Green Vine mountain had taken great care of her during these days. If she just left like this, she felt like she was letting down their kindness, and it would probably make things difficult for Niu Juxia.
“Think it through. Don’t worry about anything else. Go with what you want. I believe the Green Vine Elder is a great, understanding, and reasonable senior. Don’t forget about the way I taught you to handle decisions.” Li Qingshan could understand what she was feeling. He patted her shoulder and ignored Mu Zhicong’s ugly expression. He stood up and arrived before the tea brewer to pay the bill, but just as he fished out twenty-seven spiritual stones, the tea brewer asked him a question.
“How is my Worriless tea? Hopefully you were able to appreciate its flavour and it didn’t go to waste, like an ox munching on peony!” said the tea brewer arrogantly. He specialised in tea culture, and he felt displeased when he saw how Li Qingshan downed it cup after cup. He finally could not help himself and said something about it.
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Chapter 215 – Ice Condensate Water
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Chapter 215 – Ice Condensate Water
Mu Zhicong laughed aloud. “It’s not just like ox munching on peony. Everything I said was useless, like playing the zither to an ox! I’m just kidding. I hope you don’t mind, fellow Niu.”
Li Qingshan smiled indifferently. “The tea was good tea, but the water was so-so. Zijian, you need to make friends like that. You have to choose good water, or it’ll ruin the famous tea.”
Yu Zijian agreed softly, while Mu Zhicong’s expression changed.
The tea brewer said irately, “Kid, you have no idea what you’re talking about, yet you just have to act like you do and blabber away. I retrieved the water from the Sky spiritual spring of Sky mountain.”
Mu Zhicong said, “Fellow Niu, you haven’t heard of the Sky spiritual spring before, have you? It’s ranked ninety-seventh within the Spiritual Springs guide of the Green province.”
The ranking was not particularly high, but making it within the top hundred across all fifteen thousand kilometers of the Green province was already very outstanding. The ninety-six spiritual springs that ranked ahead of it were all claimed by various large sects. The springwater they had was not something a mere independent cultivator could taste.
The tea brewer fumed. “You sure know a bit. You really do come from the Green Vine mountain after…”
Li Qingshan interrupted him. “So what?”
The tea brewer said, “So what? If you can take out better water, you can count that jug of tea on me. Otherwise…” His aura radiated out. He was actually at the seventh layer.
Yu Zijian said in a hurry, “Please calm down, senior. My friend was just…”
Li Qignshan stopped her and smiled. “With how many springs the world has to offer, a single guide probably can’t include all of them. Since senior wants to invite us to some free tea, I might as well oblige.” He took out a jar of water from his hundred treasures pouch and presented it before the tea brewer.
This came from a spiritual spring that Li Qingshan had discovered underground when he followed the spiritual river to its source. The water was sweet and icy, enough to quench the thirst of the very hearts of people. Although he lacked a single inkling about tea, he could feel that the spiritual qi in the water was much more abundant than that Sky spring water or whatever it was called.
The sources of most of the spiritual springs in the world were extremely deep underground. As they flowed to the surface, their spiritual qi would disperse, and the quality of the water would drop. However, just how many people in the world could venture so deep underground? And, how many people were willing to venture deep into that dangerous world just for the sake of some water so that they could brew some tea?
The spiritual spring had been protected by one of the strongest daemons Li Qingshan had met. Even if Qi Practitioners managed to make it there, only death would await them. However, if Li Qingshan wanted to drink some water as the leader of the daemon soldiers, how could his subordinate turn him down?
The jar was just a regular old jar. Mu Zhicong watched on, ready to see Li Qingshan make a fool of himself, while Yu Zijian was concerned for him.
The tea brewer opened the jar casually and peered inside. His furious sneer suddenly stiffened. “T- this water?” A layer of white mist appeared on the surface of the water, and a film of perspiration had already formed on the jar the moment it was taken out.
Mu Zhicong walked over impatiently. “How’s the water?” He became stunned as well. The spiritual qi the water gave off actually rivalled quite a few pills.
The tea brewer used an exquisite, bronze ladle to drink some, and he shivered. The water seemed to be even colder than ice. He was still in disbelief, so he scooped a ladle of his own water and placed it in the jar. Before long, the water in the ladle had actually frozen.
“It can’t be wrong, it can’t be wrong! This is Ice Condensate water!”
Li Qingshan never thought the water he had retrieved from the underground spring would actually be capable of this either. “How is it? Is it better than your water?”
The tea brewer was defeated. “It’s Ice Condensate water, ranked fifty-second. Of course it’s better than Sky spring water. I’ve misjudged you. I never thought that you, sir, would have managed to make it into the Icehorse palace!”
“I’ve never heard of some Icehorse palace before. As I’ve said before, it’s impossible for a single guide to include all the springs the world has to offer. I must thank you for your treat then, senior.” Li Qingshan was about to stow the jar away as he said that.
“Hold on!” The tea brewer stopped Li Qingshan in a hurry.
“What, do you plan on changing your mind?” Li Qingshan asked.
“It’s just a pot of tea. I can afford that. I’m Lu Ziyu. How many spiritual stones would you like for this jar of water?” Lu Ziyu’s eyes shone as he looked at Li Qingshan eagerly, or more specifically, the jar of Ice Condensate water he held.
The disciples from the Green Vine mountains struggled to believe what had just happened. This Niu Juxia had actually managed to take out water that surpassed the Sky spring water, and not only would the extravagant pot of tea cost him nothing, but he was even in for a profit.
Mu Zhicong said in surprise, “Are you perhaps senior Lu?”
Although Lu Ziyu’s cultivation was not exactly powerful, he was skilled with tea. He was rather renowned among Qi Practitioners. It was said that he had once brewed tea for quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, who treated him as an esteemed guest. They never thought he would actually appear here, in charge of this Tranquil teahouse.
Lu Ziyu nodded in a reserved manner.
Mu Zhicong refused to relent. “I’ve heard that Ice Condensate water is suited for forging artifacts, but I’ve never heard that it’s suited for brewing tea.”
Lu Ziyu said, “That’s because you’re ignorant! Ice Condensate water has an extremely low temperature, so regular people believe that it’s unsuited for brewing tea. However, little do they know that the only way to unleash the very limits of flavour in tea is to combine ice and fire, but it requires the brewer to possess extremely great mastery.” He was obviously a brewer who possessed extremely great mastery. Now that he had suddenly come across such fantastic water, he would never let this opportunity slip.
Mu Zhicong’s face darkened and reddened, but he was no longer able to say anything.
Li Qingshan said, “Please give me an offer, senior!”
Lu Ziyu said, “Thirty spiritual stones.”
Cheng Jiali cried out slightly. This jar of water was actually worth even more than the pot of tea from earlier. Thirty spiritual stones was a huge sum to a weaker Qi Practitioner like her.
Li Qingshan said, “I think senior isn’t one to rip me off with your moral character. Then thirty spiritual stones it is!”
Lu Ziyu never expected that Li Qingshan would not even try bargaining with him. He secretly rejoiced and stroked his beard while nodding. “This kid is promising!”
“But, I do have a small request!”
“What is it?”
“Please use this water to brew me a pot of Worriless tea, senior!”
Lu Ziyu’s eyes widened as he shot him a furious glance. “Don’t get too greedy, kid!” That would cost him his water and his tea leaves. A pot of Worriless tea made with the Ice Condensate water would be worth fifty spiritual stones at the very least.
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll come clean, senior. I have more than just the jar on me.” He paused slightly. “I also want to witness senior’s profound understanding of tea. If you won’t agree, I’ll have to keep the water for myself to drink then.” He sighed, about to stow the water away.
“Wait! I’m itching to try my skills today, so I’ll satisfy that small request of yours,” Lu Ziyu agreed with gritted teeth. If he only looked at his expenses, the price was barely acceptable.
He could understand what Li Qingshan was implying. Not only was there a jar of water, but he even seemed to know where the spring was located as well. If he could supply him with Ice Condensate water in the long term, it would definitely bring great benefit to his path of tea.
Lu Ziyu got brewing eagerly. Every single movement of his was refined and elegant. He did not use an open flame, heating the teapot in his hand instead. He used his true qi to brew the tea, controlling the heat with great precision. He could see nothing else apart from the teapot.
A while later, Lu Ziyu exhaled gently and opened the teapot lid. A strange fragrance rose up and permeated the surroundings. It was much stronger than the Worriless tea from earlier. The customers behind the curtains suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked over.
A few Qi Practitioners on the street stopped and sniffed gently. “What is this smell? It’s so fragrant!”
Under the eager gazes of the disciples of the Green Vine mountain, Li Qingshan stowed the purple sand teapot into his hundred treasures pouch. “You can give me this teapot too!” He was obviously saving this pot of tea for Xiao An.
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Chapter 216 – Testing for the Five Elements
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Chapter 216 – Testing for the Five Elements
Lu Ziyu lifted up the jar of Ice Condensate water without any regard for anything else. “If you have more, you have to deliver it to me!”
Li Qingshan agreed to him carelessly and indifferently before leaving through the door. He never thought that the water he had found underground could fetch such a great price. He was still a beginner when it came to exploiting the resources from underground.
“Old man Lu, why have you been hiding such great tea from us?” A man lifted the curtain and called out.
“Coming up!” Lu Ziyu removed the bamboo sign from the wall and brushed past it with his hand, increasing the price by twenty spiritual stones.
“Zijian, are there any places that sell cultivation methods here?” Li Qingshan could see how Yu Zijian still had to give some thought to the matter. He was in no hurry either. It was rare of him to come across a market that specially served cultivators, so he obviously had to stroll around and buy some things he needed.
Mu Zhicong and the others became even more certain of his identity as an independent cultivator. Only independent cultivators would have to buy cultivation methods. Yu Zijian was troubled. “I’m not too sure…”
Mu Zhicong said, “There’s a store on the corner up ahead. Fellow Niu, it’s quite late now, so we need to return to the Green Vine mountain. We’ll have to bid farewell to you here!”
“Alright. Zijian, consider it carefully. I’ll probably stay for a few more days here. If you’ve made up your mind, just come down and let me know,” Li Qingshan said happily. Since Yu Zijian was safe and sound, there was no reason for him to worry now. Even if she decided to join the Green Vine mountain, there was nothing wrong with that. However, he was almost about to fall out with Mu Zhicong, so there was no point in sticking around them any longer.
Mu Zhicong was rather surprised by how willing Li Qingshan was to part with them. For a moment, he was left at a loss as to whether he was actually interested in Yu Zijian or not.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Qingshan’s ambitions were beyond the Nine Heavens. While he would still be interested when he saw cute and pretty women, such that he would adore them and develop a desire to protect them, he would never become too involved with matters between men and women. He would just go with the flow.
Yu Zijian said, “Thank you, Niu Juxia. I’ve already made up my mind.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “Really? It’s rare of you to be so resolute. Are you staying or leaving?”
“I’ve decided I want to go to the Academy of the Hundred Schools,” Yu Zijian said calmly, which was quite a contrast to her usual indecisiveness.
Mu Zhicong’s face reddened. “Zijian, you have to think about it carefully. Our Green Vine mountain is no worse than any of the schools that the Academy of the Hundred Schools has to offer…”
Yu Zijian said earnestly, “Thank you for the care and concern you’ve shown me in the past few days, senior brother Mu, but I’ve already promised Chenglu to study in the Academy of the Hundred Schools with her. I also need to return the favour of the Innate pill.” Then she smiled at Li Qingshan. “Niu Juxia, this what you taught me when it came to decisions, right?”
Li Qingshan clapped his hands and praised, “Exactly! It’s not like you’re a disciple of the Green Vine mountain anyway. You can leave with me right now!”
Mu Zhicong became frantic. “Don’t you even think about it! Without my master’s permission…”
Yu Zijian shook her head. “I’m not leaving right now. Chenglu has received my letter, so she’ll definitely come looking for me. If I leave right now, I’ll basically be standing her up. And I can’t just leave like this!”
“It has already been a month. That friend of yours might not necessarily come.” Li Qingshan expressed his doubt over the friendship between the two young girls.
“Chenglu will definitely come.” Yu Zijian was extremely certain.
“Hopefully she won’t let down the trust you’ve vested in her, or it’ll be her loss.” Li Qingshan smiled. Who said the meek could not persevere? Being able to trust was an impressive ability as well. If Hua Chenglu really did come and resolved this issue in a legitimate manner, it would obviously be for the best.
“I’m still going to stay here for a few days. If you change your mind, come down the mountain and find me!” Li Qingshan glanced at Mu Zhicong. It probably would be rather difficult for her to leave the mountain by then. It was impossible for him to charge up the Green Vine mountain either and face a Foundation Establishment cultivator as well, trying to save some damsel in distress. Everyone had to bear the responsibilities of their choices. Even kind-hearted, cute girls had to understand that.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands and left. Yu Zijian watched on as his huge figure merged into the crowd. She said extremely softly, “Thank you.” She thanked him for respecting her decision.
Li Qingshan took out the pot of Worriless tea from his hundred treasures pouch and shoved it into the bamboo basket on his back. A tender, white hand accepted it.
Xiao An leaned against the pillow leisurely with a leg crossed over the other. She held a buddhist scripture in one hand and the purple sand teapot in the other, drinking straight from the spout as she read.
Li Qingshan was slightly relieved as well. At the end of the day, he still disliked handling these random people. He was a tiger who strolled through the forest. He had already grown accustomed to moving alone.
As he strolled through the streets, he saw stalls and stores on the two sides filled with a dazzling variety of items. Not only were there regular spiritual artifacts and pills, but there were also fragments of secret books and manuals left behind by some great cultivator, or treasure maps leading to some mysterious dwelling.
Most of it was just trash, but it might actually hide treasure from time to time, which would be obtained by someone lucky, allowing them to rise up. This kind of story urged on every Qi Practitioner. However, those who wanted to find treasure here required either extremely great insight or luck.
Insight obviously was not Li Qingshan’s forte. He really was a bumpkin in the cultivation world. He did not like to rely on luck either. He skimmed through everything quickly before arriving at the bookstore that Mu Zhicong had mentioned. He was eager.
What he needed the most right now was a method of practising qi. He never thought he would find a place like that here. Good people really were rewarded for their efforts!
There were two large words written on the simple, blackboard—Book Mountain.
When he entered, he basically wondered if he had entered another teahouse, as there were no bookshelves or books in there at all. The only book happened to be in the shopkeeper’s withered hands.
An old man currently sat in a rocking chair with a pot of tea on the small table to his side. He turned the page before placing the book down and asking slowly, “What kind of book are you looking for, sir?”
Li Qingshan said, “Uncle, I want to buy a cultivation method. Do you have any here?”
The old man smiled. “If I didn’t, why would I still be running this store?” He fished out a scroll of bamboo slips from his hundred treasures pouch and tossed it to Li Qingshan. “The cultivation methods are all on there. Take your time!” Afterwards, he returned to his book.
Li Qingshan unfurled the bamboo slips doubtfully and channeled his true qi into it. A few inky words naturally appeared on the jade slips. “Body Practitioner, Qi Practitioner.” He tried focusing on Qi Practitioner, and the ink seemed to dissolve. It condensed together into seven new words. “Yin, Yang, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.”
He chose fire carelessly, and over a dozen cultivation methods appeared, and that was only the first page. In total, there were probably a hundred of them. Apart from the Bing Fire Method of Burning Qi, he had not heard any of them before.
After choosing the Bing Fire Method of Burning Qi, various types of information appeared on the bamboo slips regarding the cultivation method, from the ease of cultivation to how effective it was in combat. It covered everything. Even someone as inexperienced as Li Qingshan could basically guess the advantages and disadvantages of this cultivation method.
The scroll of bamboo slips contained the entire catalogue of cultivation methods available at this store. No wonder there were no books around.
Li Qingshan sought guidance with an open mind. “Uncle, I’m an independent cultivator. I don’t know what cultivation method suits me. Could you give me a recommendation?”
The old man smiled. “That’ll depend on what suits your constitution. Do you know your element?”
“I don’t, but I think I’m water.”
The old man said, “I can check your constitution for you for one spiritual stone. Would you like to get it checked?”
Li Qingshan happily coughed up a spiritual stone. The old man fished out a scroll from his hundred treasures pouch and unfurled it. It was inscribed with many profound glyphs. The twisted, winding lines created a simple formation.
The old man shook his hand conveniently, and the scroll became seven feet in length and width. He spread it out on the ground. “Sit on there and focus your mind.”
Li Qingshan placed down the bamboo basket gently before sitting at the centre of the formation. He closed his eyes and focused his mind.
“Let’s test for yin and yang first!” The old man touched the scroll, and the formation immediately lit up, illuminating Li Qingshan. An extremely small shadow appeared above his head.
The old man shook his head. “Fellow, you’re just naturally unsuited for any yin element cultivation methods. It’ll be extremely difficult for you to condense Profound Yin true qi. But don’t worry. From your physique and face, I can tell that you fall into the category of yang.”
It was very late already, but the streets were still full. Suddenly, the bookstore lit up with dazzling light. The passersby covered their eyes and cried out, “What’s going on?” “Is this the birth of some treasure?”
A Qi Practitioner squinted his eyes and looked at the bookstore. “You all know nothing. They’re testing for the yin and yang element.”
“What? When I was tested in the past, the light was only the size of a fist.”
A few Qi Practitioners entered the bookstore and saw a head-sized ball of scorching, white light above Li Qingshan.
The old man praised, “You possess extremely great talent for the path of Profound Yang. Cultivating Profound Yang true qi will definitely yield quick results for you.”
Li Qingshan said, “What recommendations do you have then, uncle?”
“Don’t fret. Let’s test the five elements now! Although cultivation methods derived from yin and yang span everything, they’re quite difficult to practise. They need guidance from masters. I wouldn’t recommend it to independent cultivators.”
As the old man said that, he tested for Li Qingshan’s five elements.
When he tested for wood, only a tiny blade of grass appeared above Li Qingshan’s head. The old man shook his head. This is even worse than regular Qi Practitioners.
When he tested for metal, a tiny sword appeared above Li Qingshan’s head. Only then did the old man nod.
When he tested for earth, a boulder appeared above Li Qingshan’s head. The old man’s eyes lit up, and he nodded even more. His earth element even surpasses his yang element. The Wu Earth Method of Unyielding Qi will do.
When he tested for fire, a small ball of flames appeared above Li Qingshan’s head. The old man sighed in pity secretly. His fire element is extremely mediocre as well. If it were as great as his earth element, then he could practise both the yang and fire elements. The True Yang Method of Scorching Fire would basically be made for him. However, he was also slightly perplexed. Normally, people with a powerful yang element would have quite a strong fire element as well.
Perhaps? The old man immediately thought of how the five elements promoted and counteracted each other. Water and fire counteracted one another, just like yin and yang. If one was strong, then the other would be weak. With that being the case, this child’s water element should have been pretty impressive.
Because Li Qingshan felt like he was oriented towards the water element, the old man tested for the water element last.
Blue light flooded the bookstore. Even with the old man’s knowledge and insight, he was shocked.
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Chapter 217 – Choosing a Cultivation Method
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Chapter 217 – Choosing a Cultivation Method
Li Qingshan closed his eyes and thought nothing. He seemed to have returned to the black water again, during those three days and nights he chased the blackwater salamander.
His heart was like water. Before him, behind him, to the left and to the right, everything was flowing water.
Ebbs of realistic waves rapidly gushed into the surroundings. The Qi Practitioners in the store all retreated subconsciously and circulated their true qi to protect themselves. Only when the wave passed through them did they discover that it was just an illusion composed of blue light.
The waves even rushed out of the store and onto the streets. The passing Qi Practitioners were all dumbstruck as they looked at one another in shock.
“What’s going on? How can such a powerful illusion appear when testing for the five elements?”
“Who knows how many talented prodigies there are in the world that you and I can only be envious of. Let’s stop wasting time. Let’s buy our pills and get ready for seclusion. We have to stand out in the Herb Gathering ceremony this time.” The Qi Practitioner by his side glanced at the bookshelf again before pulling away his companion.
The old man said slowly, “You can stand up now, fellow cultivator.”
Li Qingshan stood up and asked politely, “How’s it, uncle? Which cultivation method suits me?”
To cultivators, picking a suitable cultivation method was basically ten times more important than a regular person picking a suitable wife. If a regular person married the wrong wife, they could divorce, and if that did not work, they just had to endure a few decades at most. However, if a cultivator chose the wrong cultivation method, that could potentially cost them a few hundred years of additional life, or it could cost them their lives in battle.
Li Qingshan was extremely careful about this too. His knowledge was lacking, so he obviously had to ask a professional.
The old man stowed the scroll away slowly and said, “I’ve tested numerous constitutions for independent cultivators across all these years, but there have only been a handful who have demonstrated the same amount of talent as you! If you choose to cultivate Gui Water true qi, you’ll definitely make rapid progress, and the water elemented techniques you use will be much more powerful than others too!”
Li Qingshan knew that he was not some outstanding prodigy. It was probably due to the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. When he practised the ability of a daemon, he seemed to gain the nature of the corresponding daemon. The spirit turtle was a divine beast of the water that could control the ocean as easily as a child playing in a bathtub.
Li Qingshan might have only been tainted with a sliver of the spirit turtle’s nature, but talent like this would no longer be surprising anymore. His talent for metal and earth probably originated from the ox demon and the tiger demon.
No one would believe him if he told them. Apart from a select few spiritual herbs, never had they heard that practising a certain cultivation method could alter someone’s talent. Talent was something bestowed to a person by the heavens Although hard work could make up for a lack of talent, it could not increase talent. However, the abilities that the black ox had taught Li Qingshan had completely changed his body and race. In comparison, talent only seemed insignificant.
“I only know of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi out of the water cultivation methods. Do you have any better cultivation methods to recommend, uncle?” Everyone wanted an ultimate cultivation method that was stronger than the generic one.
Thoughts flickered through the old man’s eyes. “Actually, with your talent, joining a sect or finding a master that specialises in Gui Water true qi won’t be difficult at all. You don’t have to buy a cultivation method from me. For example, one of the schools in the Academy of the Hundred Schools specially requires their disciples to practise Gui Water true qi. I just happen to know the leader of the school…”
Li Qingshan said in admiration, “You truly are a wise and kind man, uncle, an intellectual I say. However, I’m used to my freedom. I don’t want to be tied down.” He lowered his head and studied the scroll of bamboo slips again. With a thought, various water elemented cultivation methods were listed before him.
These cultivation methods were not too expensive. Even the more expensive ones were just a few dozen spiritual stones, while the cheaper ones went for around just a dozen or so spiritual stones. The spiritual stones he had earned from selling the water earlier were enough for him to buy a copy of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi.
Qi Practitioners were still at the primary stage of the cultivation world after all. The cultivation methods for practising qi were not some divine arts or secret manuals. They obviously would not be excessively expensive. And, to someone who had grown rich overnight like Li Qingshan, he did not find a few dozen spiritual stones to be particularly expensive. Who knows just how many years regular independent cultivators needed in order to save up that much.
There were a few other prices on all of the cultivation methods, breaking them up into sections. For example, the first three layers of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi only cost five spiritual stones.
The Qi Practitioners in the store looked at one another and whispered among themselves.
“If that’s the case, let me think about it. You can take a look first!” The old man looked down, as if he was disappointed by how Li Qingshan insisted on buying his cultivation methods. However, he seemed to ease up as well. He stroked his beard in thought. A fine piece of jade like him would have a limitless future awaiting him with the correct cultivation method.
Li Qingshan was wealthy, so he immediately looked at the most expensive one. Although the priciest would not always be the best, it would never be too bad either.
“Arts of the Boundless Ocean. One hundred and ten spiritual stones. High demand on talent. Must conjure waves at the very least when testing for the five elements, and it is extremely difficult to practise. However, upon success, the true qi becomes fierce like the tide, utterly boundless.”
However, it was labelled as incomplete at the end, but even though it was incomplete, it could still be practised until mid Foundation Establishment. This cultivation method was not longer just a method for practising qi, which was why it was so expansive. No, it was a steal at this price.
Li Qingshan thought, If I practise the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression as a daemon and the Arts of the Boundless Ocean as a human, it’ll be a perfect combination!
“Uncle, what do you think about practising the Arts of the Boundless Ocean?”
“The Arts of the Boundless Ocean was originally a core cultivation method of the Ocean sect. Upon reaching the ninth layer, it can condense an Ocean pearl within your body, which is akin to the golden cores of daoism and the śarīras of buddhism…”
Li Qingshan’s eyes shone even brighter. People who made it past the second heavenly tribulation were basically great masters in this world. Perhaps they could not run wild, but they could at least run around freely. He never thought he would come across a cultivation method like that in a tiny bookstore like this one. This kind of luck was like buying a divine artifact from a stall, or finding a divine beast by the side of the road.
“However, I wouldn’t recommend you to practise this cultivation method.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “Why?” Even though it was incomplete, he could find ways to assemble the whole cultivation method. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he would definitely become even stronger with his daemon cultivation. He refused to believe he could not get his hands on the second half of this cultivation method, whether he had to steal secretly or openly rob.
The old man seemed to read Li Qingshan’s thoughts. He sighed. “The Ocean sect was annihilated from the cultivation world a millennium ago. Otherwise, why would I be bold enough to sell the secret manual of another sect?”
“Annihilated? Why was it destroyed?”
“Instead of saying that it was destroyed, you might as well say that they failed to recruit suitable disciples, and their legacy was broken. The person who sold me this half of the cultivation method was a descendant of the sect. Even he did not have the talent to practise this cultivation method, nor did he know where the other half of it was. I’ve specially investigated this over the years, but I’ve found nothing. Otherwise, this book would be worth more than ten times its current price.”
Li Qingshan immediately became disappointed. Even the old man who specially sold books said that, then wouldn’t it be like trying to find a needle in a haystack if he tried searching for it? However, he was still hopeful. “Perhaps I can try with this incomplete cultivation method first. When I reach Foundation Establishment, I can just switch to another cultivation method.” The power of the cultivation method truly interested him.
At his moment, a middle-aged man in vermillion robes with rosy cheeks among the Qi Practitioners said, “Sir, you may not know, but even if we ignore how difficult it is to reach Foundation Establishment, stronger cultivation methods result in more unique true qi. When that really happens, it’ll be difficult for you to switch to other cultivation methods.”
Li Qingshan was no fool. He immediately understood what he was trying to say. They were all water, whether it was water from the ocean or water from the clouds, but just like how a tree had many branches, the further up they were, the further they were from each other. Trying to leap from a branch to another would become more and more difficult as a result. It was just like how it was all Profound Yin true qi, but if the grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain wanted to learn corpse refining techniques, they would basically be asking for trouble.
“Thank you for your reminder. May I ask for your esteemed name?”
The rosy-cheeked man said, “I wouldn’t say my name is esteemed in any way. You should pick your cultivation method first. I just want to invite you to some alcohol later. I hope you can accept my offer.”
Li Qingshan nodded. The old man said the same, “Exactly, and the more profound a cultivation method is, the greater the need you have for the guidance of a senior. You don’t seem to be someone who lacks spiritual stones. I have a recommendation.” The old man took the catalogue from Li Qingshan’s hands and chose a cultivation method for him.
Li Qingshan looked at it and could not help but smile bitterly. It was actually still the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, but at a closer glance, it was actually priced at ninety-five spiritual stones, more than three times the price of the regular Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. It was labelled with “Complete with Comprehensions”. He could not help but raise his head and look at the old man.
The old man said, “The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi has been improved and modified by countless people. It’s basically the orthodox cultivation method. Not only is it easy to practise, but the Gui Water true qi it produces is the most balanced and mild too. If you can cultivate this to a high level, you can basically switch to any high level water cultivation method with that as a foundation.”
“And, you’re an independent cultivator, so you don’t have the guidance of a master, so that’s like a natural disadvantage. This Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi is recorded with the cultivation experiences and understandings of many cultivators. It’ll definitely be of great help to you.”
Li Qingshan nodded. As it turned out, not only was it a cultivation method, but it also included notes for cultivation. Walking down a beaten path was obviously much easier than finding your own. It was also much safer. And, the old man considered very far into the future too. If Li Qingshan could reach the highest level of this cultivation method, he would not be restricted to this tiny store anymore. There was a chance for him to come across even more high level cultivation methods.
“Though, this price is just a little too high.”
The rosy-cheeked man agreed, “Yeah. Who would ever buy a cultivation method so expensive?” Even if he and his companions poured their funds together, they could not gather so many spiritual stones.
The old man smiled. “Knowledge is priceless, right? And, the cultivation method comes with seven additional water elemented techniques compared to the regular Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. They’re extremely useful, whether it be for gathering herbs or fighting against others.”
PS: Sugarless coffee is hella bitter. Pumping out a chapter is hella sweet.
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Chapter 218 – The Book of All
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Chapter 218 – The Book of All
The rosy-cheeked man shook his head. “Learning too many techniques will instead serve as a distraction. It’s not beneficial for cultivation.”
The old man said, “That’s true for regular people, but with this fellow’s talent for water cultivation, it’ll be much easier for him to grasp these techniques than regular people. Of course, that’ll depend on his choice. I also have a version without these techniques for only sixty spiritual stones. If you don’t want the notes, just thirty spiritual stones will be enough.”
The rosy-cheeked man immediately stopped talking. Geniuses truly could not be compared with ordinary people.
After a while of thought, Li Qingshan made up his mind. “Alright, I’ll take this one then. I’m buying it!”
He immediately counted out ninety-five spiritual stones and handed it to the old man. It was not like he lacked spiritual stones, and the cultivation method directly affected his future developments. There was no need for him to be stingy over something like this.
The rosy-cheeked man and his companions were stunned. He had coughed up almost a hundred spiritual stones like it was nothing. His reaction was nothing like an independent cultivator’s. No, even for disciples of sects, rarely were there any who could spend so extravagantly. His gaze towards Li Qingshan became even more enthusiastic. He was determined to become acquainted with him now.
The old man smiled as well. He took out a jade slip from his hundred treasures pouch and gave it to Li Qingshan. All shopkeepers liked straightforward customers. All the time and effort he spent on explaining everything had not gone to waste.
The jade slip was white with a hint of yellow. There were many complicated glyphs on it. Even though it was just a single slip, it felt rather hefty in his hand.
Li Qingshan tried focusing his mind on it, and the mental cultivation method for all ten layers of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi appeared, corresponding to the ten layers of Qi Practitioner.
Among them, the first layer laid a foundation for people who directly practised the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. The contents were almost like a simplified version of the Innate Method of Practising Qi. The actual cultivation method laid within the latter nine layers, which corresponded to the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve standard meridians of the human body.
He skimmed through it quickly. The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi was truly much more complicated than the Innate Method of Practising Qi. His power of understanding was average, and he was not particularly educated either. Without these notes, it really would be rather difficult for him to comprehend the mysteries it dictated. He had made the correct decision.
“Not bad. This is exactly what I wanted. Thank you for your recommendation, uncle.” Li Qingshan stowed the jade slip away first. He wanted to compare it to the notes left behind by the various cultivators after he returned; he would slowly try to understand it.
“You’re far too polite, sir.” The old man was extremely satisfied as well. He thought of something. “Not only does my store have cultivation methods, but it also has various other books and collections. I even have a few mental maps. You definitely should take a look. If you plan on going travelling or adventuring, you’ll need a mental map.”
With his future cultivation method chosen, Li Qingshan’s mind settled down as well. He could think about other matters now. After hearing the old man’s words, he asked, “Do you have a mental map of the Green province?”
The old man was slightly surprised. He smiled. “You sure are ambitious, aren’t you? I only have a map of the Clear River city here. These are normally enough for Qi Practitioners. Qi Practitioners normally don’t need such large mental maps.”
“Since you don’t have it, forget about it then.” Li Qingshan wanted to ask around to find out how much the mental map that Gu Yanying had given him was worth so that he could have an idea about how much he would have to pay back. He did not like owing anyone anything, no matter what it was.
The old man said in a hurry, “If you need a larger one, you can stick around for a few days. I can find a way to get my hands on a mental map of the Ruyi commandery, but the price…”
Li Qingshan smiled. “There’s no need for that.” He had already thought it through; that entire matter might have been of no importance at all to Gu Yangying. She had probably forgotten all about it by now. Even if he wanted to return the favour, was he supposed to pay her back in spiritual stones? He would only be looked down upon if he did that.
Thinking back to it now, Gu Yanying had specially handed a bag of spiritual stones to Wang Pushi outside Qingyang city. That definitely was not a bag of inferior spiritual stones. It was something that managed to make a Foundation Establishment cultivator extremely excited, such that they were even afraid of accepting. It was probably worth much more than everything Li Qingshan had on him right now.
However, there would be a day when he would stand before her. In the eyes of regular cultivators, this was a distant objective beyond their reach, but he did not feel discouraged at all. Instead, it filled him with ambition.
At the very least, he had taken another firm step forward. Li Qingshan said, “I’m still inexperienced, so I don’t know much about the matters regarding cultivation, such as some rankings about spiritual springs. Do you have any books that specially cover this area of knowledge so that independent cultivators can patch up what they know?”
Li Qingshan realised that he had a severe lack of understanding in this area through the time he had spent here so far. The Spiritual Springs guide was just an example of lesser significance. Out of all the spiritual herbs underground, he could not even recognise any of them. He did not even know their value, or how to use them. He obviously had to make up for this aspect properly now that such a good opportunity was presented before him.
The old man smiled. “You’ve come to the right person for that.”
He took out another scroll of bamboo slips and passed it to Li Qingshan. It was also a catalogue. Apart from the Spiritual Springs guide, there was a Spiritual Artifacts guide, as well as a Daemons and Beasts guide, which truly enlightened Li Qingshan. One of them was a book that recorded the appearances and effects of spiritual herbs called the Classic of Herbal Medicines, which was what Li Qingshan needed desperately. To him, the importance of this knowledge was no less than a cultivation method.
However, these books were even more diverse than cultivation methods. Just the books that detailed spiritual herbs numbered in the dozens. Each book was by a different author, and some of them even had conflicting information.
“What would you recommend, uncle? I’m looking for a complete collection or an encyclopedia.”
“Definitely!”
As a result, Li Qingshan spent almost another hundred spiritual stones to purchase a jade slip. The name of the jade slip was the Book of All.
Apart from introducing various spiritual herbs and spiritual artifacts, the book also recorded knowledge regarding culture and geography, the detailed history of the Great Xia empire, the information of various famous people and stories, and even miscellaneous gossip like rankings of beauties. It truly contained everything.
With a book in hand, Li Qingshan felt like his future had only become clearer and clearer.
The other Qi Practitioners became even more shocked. The rosy-cheeked man said, “What extravagance, sir!” He had managed to cough up two hundred spiritual stones without even being fazed. Was he really an independent cultivator?
The old man’s smile grew even wider. It was not often that he would have such a great transaction. As it seemed, coming to the Green Vine mountain really had been the right decision. “Is there anything else you require, sir? Though, I really can’t think of anything else I could sell to you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Do you have any books on the classics and scriptures of buddhism?”
“I do!” The old man immediately pulled out a jade slip from his hundred treasures pouch. “This book is called the Canon Depositary. It’s a compilation of all the buddhist scriptures and classics in the world, compiled by the masters of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. I’ll give it to you for free!”
“Thank you then, uncle!” Li Qingshan accepted the jade slip and was about to take his leave. The old man suddenly grabbed Li Qingshan by his sleeve and shoved a paper book into his hand.
Li Qingshan wanted to say something, but the old man cut him off, “Don’t ask anything. Look at it once you get back!” His expression was slightly unnatural.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up, and he stowed the book into his hundred treasures pouch.
PS: My brain is close to crashing. Clearly, strong afternoon tea isn’t as effective as coffee, though the taste is much better!
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Chapter 219 – Treaty of Kings
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Chapter 219 – Treaty of Kings
Li Qingshan ignored the curious gazes of the Qi Practitioners. All he asked was, “What are you looking for? Please let me know!”
The rosy-cheeked man was clever enough to not ask too much. He waved his hand in a generous manner. “Here’s not a place to talk. Let’s go to a teahouse instead!”
“Drinking tea is boring. Is there any place where we can drink alcohol? I’ll play the host today.” Li Qingshan happened to be in a good mood, having just resolved a few matters on his mind.
The rosy-cheeked man smiled. “I prefer alcohol more as well. There’s the Hundred Flavours restaurant just up ahead, though you mustn’t try competing with me over who plays the host today.”
Li Qingshan held the jade slip to the Book of All and an assortment of information regarding the Hundred Flavours restaurant immediately filled his head. This was an extremely renowned restaurant within the cultivation world of the Clear River province. Even the chefs were Qi Practitioners. They made food similar to how Lu Ziyu brewed tea. They all used techniques that only Qi Practitioners could use to create food that regular people would never be able to taste.
Li Qingshan smiled. This sure was useful. It was like several dozen encyclopedias all gathered in a thin jade slip. It was exactly what he needed as an independent cultivator who had just begun cultivating.
However, while it was not exactly rare for independent cultivators to be willing to spend almost a hundred spiritual stones for this, it was still extremely uncommon. Disciples from sects, on the other hand, all had masters who taught them the common knowledge regarding the cultivation world, so there was even less of a need for them to spend so much money on such items.
They sat down around a long table by the window in the Hundred Flavours restaurant. The rosy-cheeked man said, “I’m Han Xiong. These are my friends.” He introduced them to Li Qingshan one by one, and the Qi Practitioners all greeted him.
Li Qingshan nodded to return the gesture. He gave a self-introduction, “I’m Niu Juxia. May I ask why fellow Han has invited me here?” He had thought about it too and found that calling himself Niu’er was a little inappropriate, so he just went with what Yu Zijian had said. He called himself Niu Juxia.
“Are you sir perhaps that Niu Juxia who defeated the inner disciple Song Ming of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain in a single strike?” Han Xiong became stern and could not help but refer to him with an honorific.
Li Qingshan had never thought that he would have already made a name for himself. He said modestly, “It was pure luck.”
The three other Qi Practitioners became rather surprised and puzzled instead. They were not as well-informed as Han Xiong. They asked, “Brother Xiong, what’s this all about? Are you talking about the Golden Pheasant playboy, Song Ming?”
Li Qingshan almost broke into laughter. What Golden Pheasant playboy? That’s even worse than the Descended Tiger.
Han Xin explained the matter for his companions.
It was inappropriate for Li Qingshan to chip in, so he studied the restaurant. The restaurant was similar to the other structures in the small town, completely built out of wood. It gave off a fragrance that only timber possessed.
The decor was not extravagant. Instead, it was extremely simple. There was not a single painting or piece of calligraphy, which made Li Qingshan feel like he had only come here to eat and drink. Clearly, this restaurant placed absolute confidence in its culinary arts.
At this moment, a waiter walked past with a serving plate. He wore a square hat on his head with a white towel over his shoulder as he placed down a jug of alcohol and various exquisite dishes that went with the drinking. His voice was filled with enthusiasm, introducing the names and origins of these dishes. His movements and speech were perfect, but they were rather mechanical.
Only with a closer glance did Li Qingshan discover that there were no waiters here at all. They were all just puppets, but they were designed to great detail, and they wore the clothing of waiters. Their exposed skin had been painted by some kind of dye. As such, it seemed exactly the same as real skin. Clearly, they were not a model used for combat.
Evidently, it was because this market did not allow the entry of regular people, but Qi Practitioners would never be willing to work as waiters, so they had to specially order these waiter puppets from mohists.
By now, Han Xiong had finished explaining Li Qingshan’s glorious achievements in battle. The Qi Practitioners all looked at Li Qingshan with respect as well. Among them, the strongest was Han Xiong, who was only a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. Even if they worked together, they were not the opponent of any inner disciple of the three mountains. They originally thought that Li Qingshan was a little Qi Practitioner who had only just begun his path of cultivation, but never did they imagine that he would be such a powerful figure.
Han Xiong stood up and poured alcohol for Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan sat right where he was. He lifted his cup and nodded at Han Xiong before drinking all of it. He smiled, “You can tell me what you’re looking for now, right, fellow Han?”
Han Xiong drank his alcohol in a hurry. “We’re all members of the Truth-seeking society. We sincerely invite you to join us, fellow Niu!”
Was the Truth-seeking society a sect? Li Qingshan checked the Book of All in a hurry, but he found nothing.
Han Xiong said, “Don’t worry too much, fellow Niu. The Truth-seeking society is just an association created by independent cultivators. It’s not some major sect, so the Book of All won’t have any records of it.”
“An association of independent cultivators?” This was the first time Li Qingshan had heard of an organisation like that. He asked curiously, “Actually, I’ve never really understood what counts as an independent cultivator.”
“Now that’s something you might not know, fellow Niu. Independent cultivators don’t just refer to cultivators who move about independently. As long as you don’t come from a clan or sect, you’re an independent cultivator.”
Li Qingshan said, “With your cultivation at the fifth layer, fellow Han, it’s more than enough for you to create your own clan or sect.”
Han Xiong smiled bitterly. “Without my own heritage and legacies, how can I claim to lead a clan or sect? Normally, if a clan or sect doesn’t have a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they’re still independent cultivators even if they have countless Qi Practitioners gathered together. You won’t be recognised by the cultivation world. To be honest, my Han family is basically like the local king in the Smooth Sailing city two hundred and fifty kilometers north-east of here.”
“However, they’re nothing in the cultivation world. They’re often pushed aside and harassed by disciples of sects. That’s why we created this association; it is so that we can protect one another.”
Li Qingshan asked, “With your strength at the fifth layer, can’t you join a sect?” He pointed at the towering mountain outside the window. “Such as the Green Vine mountain.”
Han xiong sighed, “I’m old, and I’m not as talented as brother Niu, so which sect would accept me? I can only rely on myself to fumble around and hopefully make some progress. So how is it? Would you like to check out our Truth-seeking society, Niu Juxia?”
It made sense to Li Qingshan. All of the sect disciples he had seen so far were young and around the fifth or sixth layer in strength. In comparison, Han Xiong seemed to be in his forties or fifties at the very least. His talent definitely was not fantastic.
Suddenly, he remembered what Zhou Wenbin had said in the past. Sects usually only recruited young disciples who would grow up in the mountains under the guidance of their master and with the care and concern of their seniors. These various ties would result in a sense of recognition and belonging. That was the foundation of a sect’s existence.
Li Qingshan deliberated over Han Xiong’s invitation. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time. And, I might also join a sect in the future…”
Seeing how Li Qingshan did not openly turn him down, Han Xiong became even more enthusiastic. “The Truth-seeking society is not a sect. You don’t have to do anything for the society at all. All we do is gather from time to time and discuss our understanding of cultivation or exchange some resources. It definitely won’t take up any time at all.”
The three Qi Practitioners by his side added, “Yeah, yeah. Everyone just talks and drinks when we’re together. It’s fantastic!”
“Last year, we even organised a group to enter the Boundless mountains, and we came across a few hundred kilograms of black iron essence.”
Li Qingshan gained a deeper understanding towards the nature of this Truth-seeking society.
Han Xiong said, “How about this? We have a gathering in Quiet Spring valley coming up. You can come along with us. If you don’t like it, we won’t force you into anything.”
“I’ll consider it!” Li Qingshan lifted his cup and said nothing more. Han Xiong looked at his companions and none of them said anything more either. “Come, let’s drink!”
Li Qingshan looked out of the window, at the streets blazing with lanterns and the Qi Practitioners who flowed endlessly. He asked in wonder, “Is it always so lively here?”
Han Xiong said, “How would that be possible? It’s all because the once-a-decade Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains is drawing near, which is why so many Qi Practitioners have been drawn here. They’re all preparing for that!”
Li Qingshan was puzzled. “The Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains? What’s it got to do with independent cultivators?”
Han Xiong said, “The disciples of the three mountains are stronger. When they go out to pick herbs, they can draw the attention of daemonic beasts, and we independent cultivators might be able to take advantage of the situation and get lucky.”
“Aren’t we just being used by the three mountains to serve as bait for the daemonic beasts as well?”
Li Qingshan turned around. He saw the speaker, the fourth layer Qi Practitioner Zhou Wei, sneer from ear to ear.
Han Xiong said, “Anyways, it’s always safer if there are more people.”
“Safer? I don’t think so. Countless Qi Practitioners die underground at every gathering. How many of them die to the mouths of daemonic beasts?”
“Underground? Isn’t it the Boundless mountains?” Surprised, Li Qingshan placed down his cup.
Han Xiao smiled. “Brother Niu, you really don’t know anything. The spiritual herbs in and around the Boundless mountains have basically all been picked already. If you venture any further, you can easily attract the attention of a Daemon General, which would annihilate any group of Qi Practitioners. Who would be bold enough to venture into the depths?”
Li Qingshan felt a rather ill omen. He continued to ask, “Aren’t there any daemons and Daemon Generals underground?”
Han Xiong said, “Of course there are. Speaking of which, some parts underground are more dangerous than the Boundless mountains. However, travelling east and west when you’re underground will be much safer.”
Isn’t that Milliped’s territory? Li Qingshan asked in a hurry, “How come?” He already had an inkling to the answer of that question.
Han Xiong showed off his knowledge. “If you asked someone else, they might not be able to answer you, but the leader of our association happens to have a friend who is a core disciple of the Burial Mound mountain, which is why I know!”
“If you try gathering herbs elsewhere, killing daemons and collecting their daemon cores, you’ll definitely end up drawing over a Daemon General. You’ll be lucky if even a single person returns alive from a group of ten. However, the Daemon General rarely ever appears in that area, and the Herb Gathering ceremony only truly begins in a month or two. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“That’s because they have to wait for the coldest time of the year. It’s said that the Daemon General will go into hibernation around that time, so it’s the perfect opportunity for killing daemonic beasts and gathering spiritual herbs. Even if we make a complete mess underground, it won’t matter.”
Li Qingshan suddenly felt speechless. He knew what Milliped loved the most was eating and sleeping. Even if it was not winter, he probably spent most of his time on the stone platform asleep, giving the Qi Practitioners a window of opportunity.
However, why had he only heard Milliped mention the oppression from other Daemon Generals and not the threat from above ground?
“Why do we have to be afraid of Daemon Generals? Aren’t the sect masters of the three mountains all Foundation Establishment cultivators? As long as they work together, they can even kill Daemon Generals!”
Han Xiong’s eyes widened. “Fellow Niu, don’t you even know about the Treaty of Kings?” He had suddenly exclaimed that, which alarmed Qi Practitioners from neighbouring tables. They all looked over at Li Qingshan with surprise and contempt.
It was as if Li Qingshan was not ignorant about the Treaty of Kings, but ignorant about the fact that the sun was round.
Zhou Wei said, “You’ve only just begun cultivation, so there’s nothing strange about being ignorant of it. The Book of All must have an extremely detailed account on this. Why don’t you take a look?”
Li Qingshan held the jade slip and focused on it. Immediately, he obtained all the information on the Treaty of Kings. The information was extremely complicated. If he read through it bit by bit, probably even three days and nights would not be enough for him to go through all of it.
However, he skimmed through it and gained a rough understanding. He understood why these Qi Practitioners had been so surprised. Qi Practitioners who were ignorant of this could truly be considered as still wet behind the ears.
The Treaty of Kings originated from the founding emperor of Great Xia. Legends had it that he possessed the bloodline of daemons, and when he waged war across the world, he only managed to found the Great Xia empire with the assistance of many powerful daemons.
After founding the Great Xia empire, he divided up the world. The most important and most illustrious titles of nobility went to the human kings of the eight provinces and the ten Daemon Kings.
Under the host of the founding empire, the kings converged, and after a hundred days of negotiation, they signed a treaty, dividing the domains of daemons and humans, preventing the two races from ever infringing on one another again.
The thing that prevented Milliped from taking a step above ground was not the Daemon Commander above him. It was not even the Green province’s Dragon King of Ink Sea. Instead, it was this treaty that had lasted for several thousands of years.
However, low level daemonic beasts had limited intelligence, and there were just too many Qi Practitioners, making it difficult to restrain them. As a result, whether it be daemonic beasts rushing onto the surface or Qi Practitioners venturing underground, it was all within the boundaries that could be tolerated and was secretly permitted. Of course, they would just be killed by the other party, so that was no different from seeking death.
The individuals that the treaty truly restricted were humans and daemons that had survived the first heavenly tribulation, whether it be Foundation Establishment cultivators venturing underground to kill daemons, or Daemon Generals coming above ground to kill humans.
The best outcome when the treaty was broken would be both races teaming up to hunt down the violators, while the worst was reigniting the flames of war, sucking in all humans and daemons.
Today, three Foundation Establishment cultivators ventured underground to kill a Daemon General, while tomorrow, it was possible for a Daemon Commander to appear and slaughter all the Qi Practitioners within the Green Vine mountain and this small town.
Even with Li Qingshan’s recklessness, he shivered at that thought.
However, he also relaxed slightly when he heard how Foundation Establishment cultivators would not venture underground. However, he also thought of a multitude of things in the process. As the leader of the daemon soldiers, the daemons and daemonic beasts were all his subordinates, so he could not just let them be slaughtered. And, he was supposed to possess absolute control over the various resources underground. He would never just hand it all over on a silver platter.
If he were purely a daemon, he would obviously return underground immediately and gather the daemons to set up traps so that he could slaughter all the intruders. He would end up with a lot of hundred treasures pouches instead.
However, at the end of the day, he had mutated into a daemon from a human, so the decision was no longer so easy to make. For a moment, he even lost interest in the food.
He forced himself to calm down and asked Han Xiong many things about the Herb Gathering ceremony before bidding farewell and leaving.
Han Xiong could tell that Li Qingshan had lost interest now, so he did not force him to stay. However, he did try to persuade him to come visit the Quiet Spring valley in the future again.
After learning the time and location, he agreed in the end. This was no longer for the sake of broadening his knowledge. The Quiet Spring valley was close to here, and they would converge before the Herb Gathering ceremony. No matter what his decision was, he had to keep an eye out for the situation here constantly.
Arriving downstairs, Li Qingshan ordered another table of dishes and drinks, storing it into his hundred treasures pouch before leaving.
It was late. Li Qingshan found an inn to rest for the night. He spent five spiritual stones for their best room. Under the guidance of the boss, he opened the antiquated door and discovered that the space inside was much larger than he had expected it to be. He knew that they must have used some kind of formation to increase the space inside.
Although it was winter, the room was toasty. A thick thick, silken rug covered the ground. The patterns of the rug did not just seem to be patterns, but some kind of formation as well, making the spiritual qi in the room slightly denser than outside.
A detailed beauty was embroidered on a jade screen as she played a pipa. The boss knocked the screen, and the sound of traditional instruments began to play.
There was a cushion in the room that was said to gather the spiritual qi of the world and was said to be very beneficial to cultivation.
There was even a huge bathing pool in the room. Not only could it gather water by itself, but there were even two glyphs that could be used to control the temperature of the water.
These were all small gadgets that various Qi Practitioners had come up with. Not only had Li Qingshan never seen them before, but he had not even thought of them before. It was not exactly a technological miracle, but it could definitely bring great comfort to people.
Just when the boss was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and revealed a smile that all men understood. “If you feel lonely and find it difficult to fall asleep, I happen to know a few young, pretty female cultivators. All you need is a few spiritual stones…” He treated Li Qingshan as an ignorant but wealthy customer who was liberal with money.
Li Qingshan was immediately left at a loss as for how to react. He felt like he had been put in someone else’s shoes for some reason. He really wondered whether there would be police, no, Hawkwolf guards who would come and inspect the rooms. He waved his hand in a hurry and declined sternly, “No need. I’m going to rest now!”
The boss felt that it was quite the pity. He refused to relent. “There are Communication talismans in the room. If you have any needs, feel free to call me!”
Li Qingshan closed the door and exhaled, placing down the bamboo basket and opening it. “You can come out now!”
Xiao An extended her hands towards him. Li Qingshan asked, “Can’t you get out by yourself?” However, he still lifted her out. He placed the dishes on the table. “Time to eat!”
He sat to one side and watched Xiao An eat as he leaned on his elbow. However, his mind wandered off somewhere. He was not even in the mood to look at the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi.
Xiao An asked with her childish voice, “Aren’t you eating?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve already eaten.” However, Xiao An had already brought a piece of fish to his mouth.
“You really are getting more and more naughty.” Li Qingshan said before eating the fish. “What do you think I should do?”
Xiao An asked in confusion, “What?”
Li Qingshan, “That damned Herb Gathering ceremony obviously.”
Xiao An was astounded. “Aren’t we killing them all?”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. “Since when did I say that. It’s not like I know them, nor are they coming directly for me. It’s not a good idea to massacre everyone like this, right?”
Xiao An lowered her head, “But I don’t know them either!” To her, that reason was enough. No, more correctly, she did not even need a reason. Apart from the man right before her, everyone else could go and die.
Strangely enough, because of each other’s existence, neither of them could become great fiends who did whatever they wanted.
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Chapter 220 – Smut
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Chapter 220 – Smut
Li Qingshan rubbed her cheek and said seriously, “Look, just because you don’t know them, doesn’t mean that you can kill them!” When he said that, he immediately felt like he had ascended. He felt like he had completed his duty as an educator. As it turns out, I’m such a kind-hearted person!
Xiao An blinked her eyes. Who knows whether she had understood that or not.
However, Li Qingshan had already come up with a plan, so he no longer felt troubled. He arrived behind the screen and took off all of his clothes, revealing his healthy body that seemed to be chiseled from rock. He stretched his shoulders before leaping into the swimming-pool-like bath with a plonk.
Hot water spilled over the edge of the bathing pool and reached up to his chest. Li Qingshan undid his hair and leaned comfortably against the edge of the pool. He took out the jade slip for the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi and studied it closely.
The first layer was a simplified version of the Innate Method of Practising Qi, so he glanced through it and knew that he did not have to spend too much time on it. However, it became rather difficult when he began on the second layer. Originally, he believed that he only needed to convert his true qi into Gui Water true qi, but upon studying it closer, he discovered that it was not that simple.
It was also about cultivating the Yang Heel meridian, but the requirements were not as simple as opening the meridian. The five organs corresponded to the five elements, and the kidneys primarily focused on water. The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi needed to resonate with the kidneys, allowing him to feel and draw out the essence of Gui water.
However, just how he was supposed to make it resonate and how he was supposed to draw it out was hidden within a passage of profound, archaic text. If it were not for the foundation that the Innate Method of Practising Qi had established for him, he would have absolutely no idea where to begin. Although it was slightly better now, he still found it to be extremely obscure and difficult to understand. Fortunately, he had bought the version with explanations. The notes and comprehensions from the past seniors made it much easier to understand. At the very least, he could make some progress as he fumbled about.
However, the contents of the notes were ten times more complicated than the mental cultivation method of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. After looking at it for a while, he felt rather dizzy. He had to admit that talent and intelligence had nothing to do with him.
He plunged his head into the water and bobbed up and down in the ripples. His heart calmed down as a result. He thought of something. His ability to understand might have been lacklustre, but wasn’t there a child prodigy right beside him that even the black ox praised?
Li Qingshan said, “Xiao An, are you done with eating? Come take a bath!” From drinking tea to eating, no matter what the enjoyment was, he would never forget about her.
Xiao An immediately arrived before him. She took off her clothes and leapt into the water too.
Li Qingshan passed the jade slip to her. “Help me take a look.” Afterwards, he took out the book that the shopkeeper uncle had given to him so carefully. He had taken it in a hurry back then. As such, he did not even have the time to see the name of the book.
He was rather eager. Just what could it be, seeing how the uncle had given it to him so carefully? Could it be some unique cultivation method or a secret manual that the uncle had specially given to him without accepting a single spiritual stone because he saw his outstanding talent and knew that he would have to bear the heavy burden of saving the world?
The binding of the book was extremely meticulous, held together by thread perfectly. It gave off the faint fragrance of ink. The paper used for it was the best of the best as well. It felt rather weighty in his hand. However, it was a little too new for it to be some divine arts or secret manual.
Whatever. I’ll take a look first. On the smooth, vermillion cover were three elegant, refined words—A Flower’s Slumber. The name seemed a little different from the names of secret manuals in Li Qingshan’s imagination.
He flipped a page and saw at the very top. “Chapter One, Hua Sanniang Mistakes her Lover.” Following that was a poem. The poem said, “Life never goes to plan. Endless longing begins with a moment of hatred. Who is willing to die for love? Enemies at first, only to convene later1.”
“The fuck is this?” Li Qingshan was taken aback. The book that the uncle had shoved to him in such a secretive and careful manner was actually a novel. He refused to believe it was just that, so he patiently read on. However, it was only a very boring story. If it were just boring, then so be it, but the further he read, the more he felt that something was amiss. The novel’s description of the matters in the bedroom were particularly bold.
Of course, to a transmigrator like Li Qingshan, the white steamed buns, purple violet meats or whatever was not stimulating at all. However, it did stand out like a sore thumb in the day and age he was currently in!
Flipping a dozen pages forward, basically all of the male characters in the novel “went at it” with all the female characters, but it did not make the novel any less boring. When he flipped to the fifteenth page, an exquisitely-drawn image was presented boldly before Li Qingshan.
Not only was the linework of the image meticulous, but even their expressions were life-like. Even for the well-experienced Li Qingshan, he found it to be a rather impressive piece of art. Afterwards, he lost the patience to go through it page by page. Flipping through it casually, he found many more images like that later on in the novel.
Li Qingshan was finally convinced. In his hand was actually smut.
But that made no sense! Why would the old man who seemed very well-respected, who treated people amiably, carefully give him smut?
Even the weakest cultivator possessed absolute authority among regular people. Instead of reading something like this, they could just go find a courtesan in a brothel instead. Wouldn’t it be much simpler and more straightforward?
Perhaps the old man was a book lover and appreciated some cultural aspects in the novel, which was why he wanted to share it with him, but maybe he was afraid that Li Qingshan would look down on the book due to its contents?
That was the only explanation that made sense. However, the contents of the book just happened to be extremely clumsy. There was not even a drop of cultural value to speak of.
Li Qingshan was utterly bewildered. He felt ten times more confused than when he read the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi earlier. There was definitely something amiss. There must have been a secret hidden within all of this. It was just purposely hidden with a trashy book.
As a result, Li Qingshan felt up the book. Nothing was hidden in there. He channeled true qi into it. There was no reaction. He brought it near a fire. No image appeared. He doused it in water. It became wet.
He looked through it inside out and tried various different methods, but it was just an ordinary book. Perhaps the contents of the book were hiding some kind of code? But even if it did, there was no chance for him to find it.
He would find Xiao An whenever he lacked the intelligence for something. He glanced at Xiao An and saw how she was focusing all of her attention on the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. Then he looked at the book in his hands. If she discovered he read something like that, it would be utterly humiliating.
He immediately gave up on that idea. If it were not for the fact that Xiao An was beside him, he probably would have tried all the poses depicted in the images to see whether they were some method for circulating qi.
“What are you looking at?” Xiao An suddenly leaned over. Her damp, wet hair draped on her pale shoulders and floated on the water. It made them seem even more like a certain aquatic plant.
Smash! Li Qingshan slapped the book close and said unnaturally, “Nothing. Ah, you’ve finished studying it?” For some reason, he thought of the expression that the old man had when he gave it to him.
Xiao An glanced at the book in Li Qingshan’s hands curiously. She had already understood the entirety of the second layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, so she explained it to Li Qingshan using language that could not be any plainer.
Li Qingshan immediately felt enlightened. He pecked her and praised, “How clever. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”
Xiao An blushed, vaguely revealing a hint of the great beauty that she should not have possessed yet through the steam.
Only then did Li Qingshan suddenly remember the difference in their genders. He smiled. “Once you get a little older, we can’t wash together anymore.”
Xiao An raised her head. “Then I’ll never grow older.”
“That’s nonsense? How can there be a person who never grows older?”
“I’m not a person.”
Li Qingshan did not take something so childish to heart. “Yep, yep. Neither of us are people. However, children will still grow up.”
Xiao An pouted.
Li Qingshan said, “You’ve said so much, but you seem to have forgotten the most important part. How do I convert true qi into Gui Water true qi?”
Xiao An said, “Can’t you just directly absorb the spiritual qi of the world?”
Li Qingshan scratched his head. “I’m really not that bright, am I?” His daemon core was of the water element. He could cultivate Gui Water true qi the same way he cultivated his daemon core. All he needed was the boundless world. Why did he have to be fixated on just himself?
He was not stupid. His mind had just been entrenched. He treated the cultivation method as all there was. The recommendations from the seniors who penned the notes were all directed at regular Qi Practitioners. They never would have thought that a Qi Practitioner who could absorb the spiritual qi of the world would actually exist.
Li Qingshan said, “Oh right, the uncle gave me a book. I feel like it’s definitely hiding something, but I just can’t find it.”
Xiao An asked curiously, “Was it the one just then?”
“Yes!”
“Can’t I take a look?”
“Absolutely not.” Li Qingshan shook his head.
Xiao An said in disappointment, “Then can’t you just go and ask him tomorrow?”
Li Qingshan was stunned again. It was not like the bookstore would grow legs and run away. I can just pay a visit tomorrow.
“Why have I suddenly become so dumb today? It must be this damned book. It has impacted my intelligence!”
Xiao An faltered. She wanted to say, “But you didn’t read the book earlier,” but she managed to hold it back.
Li Qingshan said, “Oh right, this is for you.” He passed the jade slip called the Canon Depository to Xiao An.
Xiao An accepted it happily and bashfully. Li Qingshan took out the Book of All as well and looked up the information of a few spiritual herbs according to his memory. Just as he had expected, every single one of them could be used to refine pills. Out of them, the one worth the most were the flowers that turned into butterflies in Milliped’s dwelling. They were called Blue Butterfly flowers, and they were a crucial component for refining a precious type of pill.
The name of this precious pill was the True Spirit pill.
Li Qingshan then looked up the information regarding the True Spirit pill. He found it to be rather familiar, and he suddenly thought of something. Wasn’t the True Spirit pill the two unknown pills he had obtained from the two grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain?
The effect of the True Spirit pill was extremely simple. It converted true qi into spiritual qi. It was something crucial for Qi Practitioners when they tried to break through to Foundation Establishment. The two grannies must have set them aside carefully so that they could ingest them when they reached the peak of Qi Practitioner, but it ended up as easy pickings for Li Qingshan.
As for the value of the spiritual herb that Milliped described to be disgusting, it went without saying. Unfortunately, the Book of All only gave a simple introduction to the effects of the True Spirit pill, as well as how to use it, but it did not detail the formula or method to refine it. Information that actually possessed value would not appear in widespread books like this.
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1. This is a parody of a novel written in the late Ming dynasty, Love-Hate. The poem is the same as the poem for chapter 1 of the actual novel.
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Chapter 221 – The Arts of the Boundless Ocean
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Chapter 221 – The Arts of the Boundless Ocean
Li Qingshan wondered if he should buy a pill cauldron and pill formulas instead. However, his alchemy was limited to the bare basics he had learned from Qian Rongzhi, so there was no need for him to be so hasty. At the very least, he knew how to use these treasures now.
The Book of All covered a large range of random topics. Just a single area was enough to keep Li Qingshan busy for half a day. He felt that his horizons were broadening.
However, he slowly discovered that the information regarding people, culture, and geography in the Book of All was mostly limited to the Clear River prefecture. Beyond this range, the information would be extremely simple and broad.
However, it was already quite a feat to have gathered all this information about the Clear River province that spanned fifteen hundred kilometers. It truly was not an exaggeration to name it a book of “All”.
The nine provinces were so large that who knows how many kilometers it covered. Probably even the strongest cultivators could not visit every single place it had to offer, so how was it possible for a book to record everything?
It followed the same principle as mental maps. Even if a book like that really did exist, just how much would it be worth to a measly Qi Practitioner? Out of the thousands of cultivators, just how many could make it out of the Clear River prefecture? And, how many could make it out of the Ruyi commandery?
However, Li Qingshan believed that there would be a day when he used his eyes to take in everything the world had to offer.
Unknowingly, his mind returned to the brazen oath he had sworn in the tiny village.
“I want to travel through all corners of the world, across the entire universe! I want to taste all of the delicacies and drink all of the finest alcohol the world has to offer! I want to practise the fiercest abilities, fight the strongest foes, and sleep with the most beautiful women! Only then will this life not be a waste!
Looking at it now, it was just a person with nothing’s desire for everything. Perhaps it was very coarse, but that was the most primitive desire hidden within the hearts of all men.
As a spark lit up within a restless heart, it would impel the frail body to conquer, to destroy, to create!
The most beautiful woman?
Li Qingshan grinned. Originally, he had just said that half-heartedly, but the Book of All really did seem to list the ‘most beautiful’.
Out of the beauties on the beauties ranking, without any surprise, the one at the very top was the beautiful woman in clothes whiter than snow, the female hawk that gazed over the land.
Although the image on there failed to even capture a hundredth of her charm, it stirred Li Qingshan’s past memories. He sighed from the bottom of his heart. “Heh, what a beauty!”
Xiao An pulled her mind out of the Canon Depository and raised her head. “What beauty?”
“Nothing.” Li Qingshan stowed the jade slip away. Since he had seen the greatest and confirmed that there would not be any major changes to his objectives in the near future, there was no need for him to look at it ever again.
“Hmph!” Xiao An turned her head away from him.
“Hmm? You’ve even learned how to be angry.” Li Qingshan smiled as he pinched her beautiful nose.
Xiao An shook her head and put up a tough struggle in his arms, but she smiled from ear to ear.
Li Qingshan held her firmly and pinched down on her nose. “My Xiao An will definitely be a great beauty in the future.”
“Really?” Xiao An asked nasally.
“Didn’t you hear what the damned granny said? You’re some Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty or something. It can’t be wrong. I think even the one surnamed Gu won’t be able to match you in the future.”
“The one surnamed Gu? Gu Yanying!”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “You know her?”
Xiao An nodded gently.
Li Qingshan leaned against his arm. “Though honestly, Xuanyue would do as well. Forget it. A kid like you won’t understand what I’m saying.”
Xiao An pulled a face.
Li Qingshan spent a night bathing comfortably in the water. It felt even more pleasant than lying on a bed. Water had already become as close as a friend to him. He began practising the second layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi in there.
He used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to settle down first before slowly absorbing the spiritual qi of the world and using the mental cultivation method of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi instead. The true qi in his body was converted into Gui Water true qi strand by strand.
By the time the sun had risen, Li Qingshan had already completed the second layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. For the first few layers, all he needed to do was convert his true qi, to cover up the Innate Method of Practising Qi with the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, so it did not take him a particularly long time.
Li Qingshan grew restless once the sun had risen up. He leapt out of the bathing pool and put on his clothes. He wore the bamboo basket on his back and rushed straight to the bookstore with Xiao An.
The old man was still the same old man from the night before. He sat leisurely in the same rocking chair, reading the same book. When he saw Li Qingshan enter, he seemed to be surprised as he leapt to his feet, “Is there anything else you require, fellow cultivator?”
Li Qingshan got straight to the point. “Uncle, the book you gave me yesterday…”
“What book? How come I don’t recall anything like that?” The old man’s expression became unnatural.
Li Qingshan squinted his eyes and said slowly, “I used various different methods to study it for ages, but I found nothing, which was why I’ve come to seek guidance from you. Don’t tell me you’ve been messing with me?” He no longer spoke as politely as before either.
The old man coughed gently. “I- I think I remember now. H- how did you find it?”
Li Qingshan said, “The images were alright, but the book was horrible!”
The old man smiled bitterly, “If that’s the case, then forget that you had ever laid your eyes on it!” Junior brother, oh junior brother. You can’t blame me for not helping out. Originally, I thought he was a vulgar man and might not be able to tell that the book was absolutely horrible!
“In other words, you really were messing with me!” Li Qingshan thought about all the time and effort he had spent on it, and he grew hostile.
The old man faked a laugh. “Fellow, there was something I wanted to give to you, but I forgot yesterday.”
“Don’t tell me it’s trash like thi-” Li Qingshan suddenly halted. The old man had actually shoved the cultivation manual to the Arts of the Boundless Ocean into his hands. He hesitated, “Uncle, this is a little too precious. I didn’t come here to blackmail you…”
The old man raised his head. He smiled and shook his head. “Just who would be bold enough to blackmail me in these streets, unafraid of the street patrols of the school of Miscellany? I did actually want to give you this book yesterday. I made quite the profit on the two books you bought from me. No matter how precious a book is, if there’s no one to read it, it’s all just trash.”
He patted the “A Flower’s Slumber” before continuing, “No one reads this book because of how horrible it’s written, and that’s fine. However, that book was clearly written brilliantly, yet because everyone else lacked the ability, it ended up in such a sorry shape. It’s like the glamour of a pearl shrouded by dust, or the death of a beauty. Isn’t that just a pity?”
Li Qingshan was slightly touched as well. “Uncle, you really are someone who loves books.” The Arts of the Boundless Ocean definitely was not a mediocre cultivation method. However, it had far too high of a requirement on the reader, which was why its readerbase diminished.
The old man continued, “When I look at you, I have a feeling that perhaps you might end up finding the second half of this book someday, allowing this extraordinary cultivation method to be whole once more. By then, I’ll be satisfied if you just show me the second half of the book.”
Li Qingshan accepted the jade slip and clasped his hands proudly. “Uncle, if I happen to have the fortune in the future, I’ll definitely return the complete copy of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean to you!”
The old man said happily, “I’ll definitely live a little longer, waiting for you!”
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Chapter 222 – Visiting the Arsenal of Arms Again
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Chapter 222 – Visiting the Arsenal of Arms Again
The old man was actually quite surprised. Normal people would treasure a precious cultivation method that they had obtained to great extremes, such that they would not even show it to their wives, children, or good friends.
Li Qingshan had only obtained an incomplete manual worth a little over a hundred spiritual stones, yet the value of the complete version was at least ten times that much. His generosity was truly surprising and admirable!
However, Li Qingshan’s ambitions lay beyond the Nine Heavens. No matter how precious a cultivation method was, it was just a process to him. After taking this step, who knows how long the future journey awaiting him would still be.
The field of view determined the open-mindedness of a person.
Li Qingshan talked a little more in the bookstore with the old man. He learned the old man’s name was Sun Fubai.
Sun Fubai was knowledgeable, and he had travelled the world before. Li Qingshan felt that he had benefited greatly from their conversation.
In the heat of the conversation, Sun Fubai gave Li Qingshan a few more books. They were all binded paperbacks. The pages had already yellowed slightly, while the edges had even roughened.
Li Qingshan hesitated. Sun Fubai smiled. “Don’t worry, they’re not like that. They’re my favourite books and annals.”
Li Qingshan stopped worrying. He casually flipped to a page and discovered many additional notes in red in the margins. Clearly, they were books that Sun Fubai had regularly read. A book lover was giving away the books he usually read. That was quite a gift.
He said politely, “Thank you for your gift, uncle!”
Sun Fubai said, “The only thing young people nowadays think about are divine arts and secret manuals that can make them powerful overnight. They don’t know the true essence of books. I can see that you have a valiant and powerful character, with a bold and generous disposition, and you have quite the talent as a Qi Practitioner as well. You’ll definitely make a name for yourself in the cultivation world in the future. However, if you don’t know how to handle the affairs of human life, you’ll still be a brainless person under the control of others no matter how powerful you are. You are welcome to read these books carefully. You’ll definitely benefit tremendously.”
Li Qingshan said, “I heard that histories make people intelligent, while cultivation methods and secret manuals can only make people stronger. However, real books can turn cowards into the courageous, fools into the wise. Not a single cultivation method can rival this effect. This is true strength.”
Sun Fubai was delighted. “As long as you understand this.”
At the very centre of the town was a small, lonely building that stood three storeys tall. It did not neighbour any other stores.
Although it was rather tall in respect to the entire town, it was still very inconspicuous. The vermillion paint on the building was peeling, making it seem extremely old.
A set of bead curtains covered the entrance. Every single bead was a pearl worth thousands among regular people, so it was rather wasteful to turn it into a set of bead curtains. And, because no one cleaned them, they had already yellowed.
Only the two gilded words—Miscellaneous Goods— on the blackboard continued to sparkle.
There were thousands of miscellaneous goods stores in the world. There was nothing surprising if a few dozen of them could be found in a large city. However, there was only a single store in this market for cultivators, and it was impossible for a second one to appear in this town.
The moment Li Qingshan lifted the curtain and stepped through the entrance, he felt like he had entered a different world. Before him was an unbelievably spacious foyer. The floor seemed to be sculpted from a single piece of marble, and it was shiny enough to reflect his appearance. The raucous sounds of the streets were completely blocked by the curtains.
A few elegant women dressed in palace wear sat at the tea table in the lobby, conversing quietly.
However, whenever they raised their voices slightly, it would end up echoing through the lobby. This place had also used a formation to expand the space here, but it was much more sophisticated than the inn.
The women in palace wear saw Li Qingshan. They looked at one another and came up with excuses, as if they were all rather reluctant.
In the end, a pretty woman stood up helplessly and dragged her palace wear over to receive him. “Are you looking to buy anything, fellow cultivator?” She had a thin layer of makeup on. Although her smile was resplendent, Li Qingshan could tell with a single glance that it all came from training, and it was unable to disguise the reluctance on her face.
The woman in palace wear was actually a third layer Qi Practitioner. Even though the puppet waiters that the Hundred Flavours restaurant used were flexible and clever, using Qi Practitioners to receive customers clearly seemed more extravagant.
This really was the very centre of the town, the main base of the school of Miscellany, after all.
Li Qingshan had learned a lot about the town from Sun Fubai. This place was called the Town of Flowing Clouds. It was not fixed to one location. Instead, it would constantly migrate to places where Qi Practitioners gathered in larger numbers.
It was like a market among regular people, but it would last for much longer. It had chosen the Green Vine mountain this time because the Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains was drawing near, which had attracted many Qi Practitioners prepared to venture underground.
Before the ceremony, there would be a great demand for talismans and spiritual artifacts that could increase strength, while after the ceremony, Qi Practitioners would bring back various mineral deposits and spiritual herbs, beginning a whole new wave.
All of this was hosted by the school of Miscellany among the hundred schools. They were responsible for protecting all Qi Practitioners in town, as well as for maintaining regular trade. Otherwise, why would stronger Qi Practitioners bother to haggle over the price with weaker Qi Practitioners? It would be much faster if they just killed them and looted their items.
The Qi Practitioners in the teahouses and restaurants did not come from the school of Miscellany. They all needed to pay a yearly fee of spiritual stones to the school of Miscellany to set up business here.
When Li Qingshan asked where the best place for purchasing spiritual artifacts was, Sun Fubai immediately recommended the store of Miscellaneous Goods to him. Although it would be slightly more expensive than the streets, there was a guarantee for quality. Since Li Qingshan had plenty of spiritual stones, and he lacked the insight to discern quality, it would obviously be most appropriate for him to come here.
Li Qingshan said, “I want to buy a weapon.”
The women by the tea table giggled quietly. “What weapon? Can’t you call them spiritual artifacts? You can tell with a single glance that he’s a bumpkin who has just emerged from the jianghu.” “Don’t tell me he wants to buy an inferior spiritual artifact!” “Ruping’s commission will be impressive this time.”
Although they had stifled their voices, Li Qingshan still heard every single word that they uttered. As it turned out, this woman was called Ruping, which sure sounded familiar1. As it turned out, these female cultivators were not just responsible for receiving customers, but for sales too. No wonder they were so snobbish.
“Please come with me!” Liu Ruping said indifferently. Although she could not hear what the others were saying, she knew that they were mocking her.
Liu Ruping moved her hips from side to side as she climbed up the stairs. Her moving buttocks made him think about the boss of the inn from last night. He wondered whether the female cultivators he would introduce to keep him company included her. He turned around and looked at the lobby, Perhaps they all might be included!
A daoist in blue robes walked in. Both his daoist robes and the ancient sword on his back flickered with light. In a world of Qi Practitioners, this was what the wealthy looked like.
The women in palace wear basically all wanted to rush over and receive him. A sweet-looking woman said loudly, “It’s my turn.” In the end, only she ventured forward, like a victorious hen, arriving before the customer. Her smile was much more sincere.
Although it was impossible for him to call anyone to keep him company at night as Xiao An was with him, he still could not help but feel relieved. Fortunately, he had not, or he would have been pitiful. He was still technically a virgin, so how could he lose it to a woman like that?
Arriving before a room on the second floor, his gaze was immediately drawn away by a board. Surprisingly, the board detailed three words—Arsenal of Arms. He had purchased the Tyrant’s spear from the Arsenal of Arms back in Qingyang city. He had never thought there would be a branch in a town of cultivators as well.
However, most Qi Practitioners did not care for the silver and gold used among regular people. Why would a store that could sell spiritual artifacts sell weapons in a small, remote city? Their ability was obviously exemplary to be able to set up business in the store of Miscellaneous Goods run by the school of Miscellany.
Liu Ruping introduced with a professional smile. “The Arsenal of Arms is renowned throughout our Clear River province and even the entire Ruyi commandery. The weapons in here have all been tested by masters, so their quality is definitely the best of the best, unlike the stalls outside that offer goods of uncertain quality, who sell low grade spiritual artifacts that end up cracking after just a few battles.”
“Then let’s take a look!” As soon as Li Qingshan stepped into the store, he shivered. All of his hairs pricked up. He felt like an army that had been ambushed from all sides. Vicious, murderous intent poured over. He took a step instinctively, and all of his bones resonated. His aura suddenly rose up, like an army pouring their strength together, with a commander charging up ahead, about to kill their way out of the encirclement.
However, Li Qingshan immediately saw that there were no ambushes at all. There were just thousands of weapons placed neatly on weapon racks, spanning as far as the eye could see. A middle-aged man with an ugly, coarse appearance stood at the centre of the weapon racks, looking at him in a stunned manner.
“What’s wrong, sir?” Liu Ruping was three steps away from Li Qingshan as she looked at him carefully. Just moments prior, this man who had a unique figure but seemed extremely simple and mild suddenly became a vicious beast, ready to pounce and kill. This was the first time she felt that this man might have been much more complicated than he seemed.
Li Qingshan realised where the sharp, murderous intent originated from. It was from these weapons. He restrained himself and said in surprise, “Didn’t you feel it?”
Liu Ruping was stunned. “Feel what?”
The coarse man walked over. “The murderous intent on people is easy to sense, but the murderous intent on weapons is difficult. You can’t develop such a sharp sense for it if you haven’t been through a few life-or-death battles and claimed a few dozen lives with your own hands.” He clasped his hands at Li Qingshan. “I can tell with a single glance that you’re someone who knows his weapons. How may I refer to you?”
Li Qingshan said, “My surname is Niu. And how would I refer to you, sir?”
“That’s a good surname, a good surname. You really are as sturdy as an ox! My surname is Zhang. There’s no need to be polite with me, so you can just call me little Zhang.”
Liu Ruping smiled. “Old man Zhang, you’re trying to act young again. Don’t you feel any shame?”
Little Zhang said, “Cultivators pursue longer lives. There’s no hope for me this life, so can’t you just let me have this? Right, elder sister Ping?”
Most of the shopkeepers responsible for the stores were older Qi Practitioners. In the end, they were still unable to cultivate faster than the rate at which they naturally aged. There was basically no possibility for them to make anymore progress, so they chose to live a more peaceful and comfortable life.
Liu Ruping spat in contempt. “Who’s your elder sister Ru? Cut the nonsense. I’ve brought you the customer, so hurry up and choose a weapon for him!”
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to say something, Little Zhang raised his head. “There’s no hurry, sir. Let me guess what weapon you want, alright?”
PS: Currently in Sanya, technically out travelling, but I stayed in the apartment all by myself for an entire day, eating instant noodles for lunch and pumping out eight thousand characters. Afterwards, I went to an internet cafe to upload the chapters. What the hell is this supposed to be?! Furiously requesting for monthly tickets for the month. With your support, good moral character will live on!
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1. May be a reference to a 2001 Chinese drama called Romance in the Rain.
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Chapter 223 – The Whale’s Ingestion of Water Blade
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Chapter 223 – The Whale’s Ingestion of Water Blade
Li Qingshan smiled. “Alright, feel free to guess!”
“Looking at your stature, you’re definitely not choosing some regular spiritual artifact that can be controlled. Instead, you’re looking for a heavy weapon suited for close combat specially used by Body Practitioners. Am I correct?”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He smiled. “Correct! That’s quite impressive of you, little Zhang!” As his strength grew, his demand for a weapon increased as well. He was no longer satisfied with just the Wind-entwining blade, and he had not reached the sixth layer as a Qi Practitioner, so he could not control a mid grade spiritual artifact.
And, even if he did reach the sixth layer, he would not necessarily use a small blade or sword as his main weapon for combat, as his body would definitely reach a whole new level by then. Directly swinging a Wind-entwining blade at someone was much more satisfying than controlling a sword remotely.
As a result, he required a weapon different from the ordinary. Little Zhang managed to tell what he needed with a single glance; he knew that Li Qingshan needed a heavy weapon. That also meant they sold weapons like that, so why wouldn’t he be happy?
Little Zhang also smiled from ear to ear when he heard how Li Qingshan was willing to call him that. He waved his hand gently, and a series of mechanical sounds rang out. The weapon racks actually slid away rapidly, changing directions before coming to a halt.
A weapon rack slid right in front of Li Qingshan. As expected, there were huge swords and axes on there.
Li Qingshan casually weighed a large spear in his hand and asked, “Don’t you have any mid grade spiritual artifacts here?” All of the spiritual artifacts on the rack were low grade.
Little Zhang smiled. “Of course we do!” Regular Qi Practitioners could not afford mid grade spiritual artifacts, so he only brought people to see low grade spiritual artifacts most of the time. He clapped his hand and another weapon rack slid before Li Qingshan. The spiritual artifacts on there shone even brighter. “If you hadn’t come to us, buying a mid grade spiritual artifact for close combat would have been quite difficult.”
Liu Ruping’s eyes immediately lit up. She would receive a commission for items purchased under her guide, so she obviously hoped that Li Qingshan would buy a lot and spend a lot.
This was why she was rather reluctant to receive Li Qingshan as soon as he had walked in, wanting to exchange with someone else. Even among the world of regular people, the way Li Qingshan dressed made him look penniless. Among cultivators, he was the standard for broke. He did not have a single item on him that shone.
But now, she thought, You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Her smile immediately became more sincere.
Li Qingshan looked at the mid grade spiritual artifacts and appeared satisfied as well.
“Look at this Broken Gold sword. It’s forged entirely out of essence gold, and it weighs one hundred and five kilograms and a half. It can launch Metal Crescent Slashes. Originally, it was designed to be wielded with two hands, but I think just a single hand will be enough for you. It’s both simple and flexible. Isn’t it perfect?” Little Zhang slapped a huge, golden sword as he introduced it.
Li Qingshan asked, “How much is it?”
“We’ll be taking only seventy-five spiritual stones for it.”
Li Qingshan gained a rough idea of the price of a mid grade spiritual artifact. If he compared it to exchanging with contribution within the Hawkwolf Guard, it was around the same price. However, he shook his head. “I don’t really know how to use swords.”
Liu Ruping chimed in. “Look at how beautiful this sword is? If you carry it on your back, you’ll definitely look extraordinary.”
Little Zhang shot her a glare. “When it comes to men choosing weapons, it’s even more important to them than choosing a wife. Women shouldn’t butt in.” He could tell that Li Qingshan was a person who actually used a weapon to kill; he was not some young master who came from a sect or clan. He could not be fooled by mere appearances.
Liu Ruping pouted, but as expected, she shut up for good. If you think that you’re capable, try to sell it yourself. It’s just a mid grade spiritual artifact. I don’t even want to waste so many words trying to sell it!
Little Zhang introduced several weapons. None of them were less than a hundred kilograms in weight.
Li Qingshan was very interested. If he could use a heavy weapon like this in battle, he could probably even smash through protective true qi. However, after quite some thought, he suddenly asked, “Do you have any high grade spiritual artifacts?”
Little Zhang was slightly surprised. “Sir, we do have a few high grade spiritual artifacts here, but they’re all treasures of the store. Even at a minimum, they’ll cost several hundred spiritual stones, and they can go for over a thousand spiritual stones. They’re not items that regular Qi Practitioners can see unless they really do plan on buying them.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “If you won’t show them, who’ll buy them? Do you think I’m not actually interested in purchasing them?”
Liu Ruping’s gaze towards Li Qingshan immediately softened. A high grade spiritual artifact was equivalent to ten mid grade spiritual artifacts. It was a rare transaction of quite the size.
Little Zhang studied Li Qingshan and smiled. “Fair enough. Come with me!”
The three of them arrived in a firmly-sealed room. Little Zhang took out something from his hundred treasures pouch. “Please take a look!”
The item was not made out of metal, wood, or rock. It was blue in colour, like ice, and it was sculpted into the shape of a whale. It shone brightly, a high grade spiritual artifact as expected. “There are even fewer high grade spiritual artifacts suited for close combat. We only have this one. It costs eight hundred and fifty-two spiritual stones,”
Li Qingshan had never seen such a strange weapon before. When he heard the price, his heart sank slightly. A high grade spiritual artifact was actually so expensive. He only had around three hundred spiritual stones left on him, which was only a third of the weapon’s price. And, he had to save some spiritual stones for purchasing pill formulas and a pill cauldron. He did not have enough money on him, but he remained unfazed on the surface. “How do you use this?”
Seeing how Li Qingshan was actually interested in buying it, little Zhang could not help but become even more enthusiastic. He shot a glance at Liu Ruping. They had encountered a wealthy customer this time.
“The name of this weapon is the Whale’s Ingestion of Water. You can use it however you like. Allow me to demonstrate.” As he said that, he took out a huge tank from the hundred treasures pouch. It was filled with water.
Little Zhang placed the Whale’s Ingestion of Water into the tank. The blue whale immediately opened its mouth, and in just a while, it sucked away all of the water in the tank. “Please watch carefully, sir!”
He raised his hand, and the whale’s mouth spat out the water again, condensing it into the shape of a blade. It suddenly froze up, turning into an ice blade with the whale’s body serving as a hilt. Coldness permeated the secret room.
Liu Ruping could not help but shiver. She said, “How wondrous!”
While Li Qingshan knew that she was just putting on an act, he could not help but nod in agreement. He had never seen a weapon like this before. As a matter of fact, he had not even thought of such a weapon before.
“It’s the Whale’s Ingestion of Water blade right now!” Little Zhang said. He waved his hand again, and the blade turned back into water, freezing into a sword this time. “This is the Whale’s Ingestion of Water sword!”
“No matter what weapon you want, whether it be light or heavy, it’s all within your control! What do you think?”
“It’s fantastic!” Li Qingshan nodded. Regular weapons were all forged from metal. It was rare to see a weapon completely composed of water. If he wielded it with Gui Water true qi, it would definitely achieve quite an impressive effect. This was basically a weapon made for him.
If men really chose weapons like choosing wives, then he would have fallen in love at first sight with this Whale’s Ingestion of Water. However, he was worried as well. “This blade of ice is so fragile. Won’t it shatter when it clashes against metal?”
Little Zhang said, “You don’t need to worry at all, sir. The weapons created by the Whale’s Ingestion of Water are akin to profound ice. It’s even tougher than essence steel. I’ll be honest with you, sir. The ice blades condensed from the Whale’s Ingestion of Water are slightly weaker than regular high grade spiritual artifacts, but they are definitely stronger than mid grade spiritual artifacts. As long as it doesn’t shatter from a single attack, it can automatically repair itself no matter how many cracks or nicks there are. You won’t need any maintenance from an artifact smith at all.”
Liu Ruping said, “Then you sure can save a lot of spiritual stones and trouble. Just a small repair of a high grade spiritual artifact can set you back several dozen spiritual stones!”
Little Zhang added, “And if you use spiritual water instead, it’ll be even stronger. Sir, since you’re willing to buy this weapon, you might as well buy some spiritual water too.”
Li Qingshan thought of something. Didn’t he have an icy spring underground? He lifted the ice sword and flicked it forcefully.
With a clang, it seemed to reverberate like metal. The sound echoed through the secret room with great intensity. Liu Ruping could not help but cover her ears.
Little Zhang’s hand shuddered. He saw how a white mark was left on the sword and praised, “What strength, sir!”
Li Qingshan knew that he was telling the truth. Not only had he poured all of his strength into the flick, but he had used true qi as well. Even treasured blades made from refined steel would shatter, but only a white mark appeared on the ice sword. If he used Ice Condensate water instead, he would not have to worry about its toughness at all. And, he could just hang it on his waist normally, which would be convenient and easily accessible at all times.
Moreover, he could create a blade that was even larger and longer so that he could unleash the advantage of his physical strength. Or, he could just condense a spiky club weighing more than five hundred kilograms. If he swung down with something like that, any protection from true qi or techniques would be no different from paper. For a moment, basically all the advantages of the Whale’s Ingestion of Water filled Li Qingshan’s head. He utterly admired the artifact smith who created this weapon.
“What other uses are there aside from this?” Although Li Qingshan’s expression remained the same as before, little Zhang had dealt with countless customers before, so he could read his face. He could already tell that Li Qingshan actually wanted to purchase the item, which was why he had been so meticulous and gone to such detail. He was utterly delighted. He immediately opened the secret room and brought Li Qingshan to a field for demonstrating the usage of weapons. He pointed at the steel target in the distance.
All of the water was sucked into the whale again. The whale opened wide and countless, tiny icicles suddenly shot out. The steel target was peppered with countless holes instantly. It was fiercer than the Thousand Mechanism crossbow both in power and might, and it had more than just thirty rounds. It could be used in close combat and as a ranged weapon. Li Qingshan was tempted to snatch the Whale’s Ingestion of Water over and try it for himself.
Looking at Li Qingshan’s expression, little Zhang’s smile grew wider. The Whale’s Ingestion of Water suddenly lit up, gradually gathering near the whale’s mouth. With a bang, a ball of water shot out and struck the peppered target, blasting it to pieces.
Li Qingshan cried out, “The Gui Water blast!” He had looked through the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi last night, along with the techniques that it came with. Most of them were for healing, defence, and restricting the opponent. Gui Water true qi was not particularly suited for attacking, but among all of these techniques, the Gui Water blast was the most powerful and the most important technique.
Little Zhang asked confidently, “Fellow Niu, what do you think?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s a nice item, but could you help me out with the price?”
Before little Zhang could say anything, Liu Ruping said, “Sir, you are welcomed to ask around, but every single item in the store of Miscellaneous Goods is clearly marked with a price. You can check in the main catalogue. We’re not permitted to accept even a single spiritual stone more or less from you. This is to avoid disputes. It’s definitely fair.”
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Chapter 224 – The Value of a Daemon Core
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Chapter 224 – The Value of a Daemon Core
Little Zhang said, “Actually, I can already tell that you’re determined to purchase this item. If I were a merchant outside, I would definitely use this opportunity to increase the price, and with your character, sir, you would probably end up taking a loss.”
Li Qingshan was certain that could be the case. Whether it be in his former life or in this current one, he had no talent with negotiating prices. He was not in search of a bargain. He just wanted to make sure he had not been ripped off. “Alright, I’ll buy it then.”
Little Zhang smiled happily, while Liu Ruping ravished in joy. Those little whores will probably be filled with regret now.
Li Qingshan said, “But, I might not have enough spiritual stones on me!”
Little Zhang’s smile stiffened. “You must be joking, sir!” Liu Ruping’s expression immediately coldened.
Li Qingshan said, “May I ask if you purchase items as well?”
Little Zhang was troubled. “The Arsenal of Arms does purchase weapons, but the price we pay will definitely be lower than the selling price.” He no longer believed that Li Qingshan could afford the Whale’s Ingestion of Water. Was he supposed to pull out another high grade spiritual artifact to exchange for it? Even for stronger Qi Practitioners, it was quite rare for them to be in possession of a high grade spiritual artifact. Li Qingshan clearly did not fall into that category. It had been quite a waste of his time and efforts.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Qingshan actually possessed a high grade spiritual artifact, and not just one at that. The comb and needle from the grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain combined with the Cursive Sword Calligraphy totalled to three. However, he could not afford to sell any of them right now.
Liu Ruping could no longer help herself. She mocked, “We might be a store of Miscellaneous Goods, but not all miscellaneous goods are accepted here. You better get out of here and try your luck with the stalls outside!”
Li Qingshan replied with a question, “May I ask how many spiritual stones I can pawn a daemon core for?”
Little Zhang was stunned at first, but he soon exclaimed, “A daemon core? You have a daemon core?”
Liu Ruping frowned. “Daemon cores aren’t obtained that easily. Don’t tell me you mistook some gem for it, trying to pass off something fake as the real thing?”
Then, Li Qingshan took out the daemon core he had obtained from great general Whitefang on Black Rat mountain. “Please take a look and see whether this is a daemon core or not!”
The earthen-yellow daemon core did not give off a particularly resplendent glow, but it contained a daemon’s several centuries worth of hard work.
Little Zhang and Liu Ruping spent most of their time selling items in the store of Miscellaneous Goods, so while their cultivation was not exactly great, their insight was the best of the best. They recognised with a single glance that this item was a daemon core of the legends.
Liu Ruping could not help but extend her hand to touch it. She wanted to hold it and take a closer look, but Li Qingshan had already stowed the daemon core away into his hundred treasures pouch. “Then I’ll see if I can get it pawned in the stalls outside.”
Liu Ruping grabbed Li Qingshan by his sleeve hurriedly and apologised with a bow, “I’ve blamed you wrongly, sir. I hope that you can be the bigger person and forgive me. Please wait, I’ll go fetch the head manager.” Perhaps intentionally or otherwise, but she revealed the snowy peaks hiding within her collar.
If the head manager learned that she had chased away a customer who wanted to sell a daemon core, she probably could not remain here anymore. And, just these two transactions alone could allow her to earn more than a month’s worth of commission. She raised her head and basically looked at Li Qingshan in a begging manner. His robust figure seemed to be filled with a masculine charm. Even if he demanded something extra, it would probably be within her area of consideration.
Li Qingshan glanced into the collar. He knew that while five pecks of rice could not make people bow and scrape1, a daemon core was enough. Perhaps, it could make them do much more than just that!
Little Zhang said as well, “You most definitely should stay, sir. I can tell from a long way away that the Whale’s Ingestion of Water was basically made for you, sir! Actually, I wanted to give you a discount, but only the head manager can make the decision on this when she arrives.”
After a moment of thought, Li Qingshan realised that he had underestimated the value of the daemon core slightly. Originally, he thought that it was roughly equivalent to a high grade spiritual artifact, but a high grade spiritual artifact was clearly not enough to make the two of them behave like this.
Li Qingshan had only estimated the value of the daemon core based on the spiritual qi it contained, but he did not know that daemon cores were crucial to refining certain precious pills as well, which could be used to increase the amount of true qi and spiritual qi for a certain element.
The millenniums of peace between humans and daemons had directly resulted in a scarce supply of resources like this. When Qi Practitioners ventured underground, it was not just for collecting spiritual herbs. Otherwise, all they needed to do was demonstrate sufficient strength, and the daemons would basically all choose to flee.
However, most Qi Practitioners would cast down formations and trap daemons in their dens. Obviously, it was not because they had nothing better to do and wanted to purge evil in the name of justice. They did it for the daemon core.
Li Qingshan said after a moment of thought, “Fine then. I’ll wait here.”
Liu Ruping moved her hips and left in a hurry. Before long, she returned with a plump, old madam. Her true qi had actually reached the ninth layer already, and her face was creased with wrinkles from smiles. She lacked the strange arrogance of the grannies from the Sect of Clouds and Rain, and she did not possess the degrading lowliness of the procuress. Instead, she was noble, receiving all people with a smile.
“I’m Shi Peipei. Are you the fellow who wants to sell the daemon core?”
Li Qingshan said, “I am!”
Shi Peipei said, “Could you take it out and show me?”
Li Qingshan hesitated before handing the daemon core over to Shi Peipei. Since the school of Miscellany could set up such a large town with so many businesses, they would never stoop so low as to tarnish their reputation over a single daemon core.
Shi Peipei studied it carefully; Liu Ruping was nervous. A while later, Shi Peipei said, “Sir, the quality of your earth element daemon core is very impressive!”
Li Qingshan said, “May I ask how much it’s worth?”
Shi Peipei said, “About that. I have a recommendation. I hope that you can hear me out. Before the Herb Gathering ceremony, my humble store will hold an auction. If the daemon core is sold through the auction, you’ll definitely get many more spiritual stones than what we can offer. We’ll only take five percent of the earnings.”
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could appear for the auction of the school of Miscellany, so if the school did not offer a few items of value, they would be looked down on. And, a person who could casually pull out a daemon core was definitely well-off. If they joined in on the auction, they would be able to raise the prices even higher, making the whole auction better. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Li Qingshan hesitated. “But I’m in urgent need of spiritual stones right now.” And, he was not particularly willing to hand a precious daemon core to someone else.
Shi Peipei waved her hand dramatically and said to Liu Ruping, “As long as this fellow’s expenditure today doesn’t exceed two thousand spiritual stones, feel free to just hand him the item. If your daemon core doesn’t fetch this price in the auction, it’ll just be on us.”
Liu Ruping bowed happily. “Yes, head manager!”
Li Qingshan hid his surprise. The value of the daemon core had truly surpassed his expectations. However, he seemed to think of something and his face sank slightly.
Shi Peipei frowned. “Is there anything that dissatisfies you, sir?”
Liu Ruping said, “Little Zhang promised him a discount for this high grade spiritual artifact!”
Little Zhang rubbed his nose as Shi Peipei probed into the matter a little. “Then knock off the extra fifty-two and make it a round eight hundred spiritual stones!”
Li Qingshan said, “If that’s the case, I’ll go with the auction then!” This was not what he had been thinking about. Instead, he had been thinking about how humans and daemons were probably unable to maintain their peace forever, and when that day arrived, he would also happen to possess a treasure worth two thousand spiritual stones on his body.
Wealth begets trouble!
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1. The idiom that describes a person who won’t bow and scrape over five pecks of rice (so around 50 litres of rice) means that they possess high moral integrity. The author basically spun the idiom into fitting this context.
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Chapter 225 – Sword Qi Calligraphy
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Chapter 225 – Sword Qi Calligraphy
Shi Peipei’s wrinkles seemed to ripple. “Then I’ll write up an agreement for you right now, sir.” They had obtained another valuable item for the auction this time. They could attract even more Qi Practitioners now.
“Sir, it’s best if you hold onto some spiritual stones. I will prepare a private box for you. Quite a lot of wondrous treasures will appear in this auction. If something catches your eye but you miss out on it due to insufficient funds, that’ll be quite the pity.”
Li Qingshan’s heart stirred. “May I ask what treasures will there be? Is there a catalogue?” Perhaps he could find the second half of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. Although he knew the chances were very slim, it still piqued his interest.
Shi Peipei said, “It’s inconvenient for us to reveal the exact lineup to you, but we will soon advertise a few items of great value, including the daemon core. You can ask Ruping about this.”
“Feel free to ask me, sir.” Liu Ruping smiled gently and gracefully. Her gaze towards Li Qingshan was very much affectionate.
If it were not for the fact that Li Qingshan had seen how quickly she could turn hostile, he would have almost been fooled by her.
Shi Peipei passed a jade token to Li Qingshan. “Please be careful, sir. You must not lose this. We only look at the token and not the person. If someone else comes to us with this token, we’ll give the spiritual stones to them.”
Li Qingshan focused on the token, and an agreement immediately appeared. “I’ll take good care of it!” Afterwards, he extended his hand towards little Zhang.
Little Zhang placed the Whale’s Ingestion of Water into Li Qingshan’s palm in a hurry. Coldness pierced his body, but it was extremely comfortable as well. As true qi flowed into the spiritual artifact, he immediately experienced a sensation like his blood vessels were connected to it. However, it was slightly sluggish, as if something blocked his blood flow.
Little Zhang said, “If you want to achieve the most optimal effects with high grade spiritual artifacts, you’ll need some time. Only when you refine it with true qi can you truly wield it freely as a part of your own body.”
Li Qingshan nodded. He did not stow it away into his hundred treasures pouch. Instead, he held and played around with it, seeping it with strands of true qi. The transparent, crystal ice whale was as exquisite as a piece of art. No one would have believed it was a weapon.
Shi Peipei took her leave, while Liu Ruping said gently, “If there’s anything else you require, sir, feel free to tell me.”
Li Qingshan asked casually, “What if I said I required you?”
Liu Ruping blushed in embarrassment. “Oh my, how can you say that, sir? And, what’s so good about me?”
Little Zhang chuckled to one side. He had clearly seen this plenty of times in the past. He was extremely happy after selling a high grade spiritual artifact as well, so he joked, “With how much you’ve spent today, how can our Ruping decline if you want her to do something for you?”
“Old man Zhang, if you keep babbling nonsense, I’ll rip off your mouth!” Liu Ruping shot a glare at little Zhang, but she was not annoyed at all.
When Li Qingshan and Liu Ruping returned to the lobby, the other women downstairs had already heard everything that had happened. They all raised their heads at the same time.
Liu Ruping held her head and chest up high. She acted completely different from her usual aloofness. She purposefully remained very close to Li Qingshan, almost tempted to press against him as she walked. Her fragrance tickled Li Qingshan’s nose.
Although Li Qingshan had heard plenty about gold diggers and sugar babies across his two lives, he could not help but be surprised when he realised he had become a ‘sugar daddy’, Women can actually stoop so low. Is there still a difference between women like this and prostitutes?
The other women in palace wear were all envious. Just why did Ruping end up so lucky? If they had gone up to receive him earlier instead…
Their gazes towards Li Qingshan were completely different compared to before. There was respect that could enchant the hearts of all men.
Li Qingshan suddenly understood. Now this is the treatment that the strong receive! No matter what age, no matter what world, the strong will flaunt their strength, and the weak will attach themselves to the strong. When the strong gains something, the weak will lose something.
Only failures would lament about the fickleness of human nature. Only the weak would grumble about the cruelness of society. Meanwhile, the strong only needed to grit their teeth and become even stronger.
Upon understanding this, the slight uneasiness completely vanished. He fiddled around with the ice whale as he smiled pointlessly. In Liu Ruping’s eyes, he seemed to be utterly charming. Of course, this was charm only the strong possessed.
Li Qingshan brought Liu Ruping to the tea table and pulled out a chair for her. Liu Ruping was obviously flattered, and she smiled in an extremely reserved manner. After taking a sip of tea, Li Qingshan began to ask her about the auction.
Liu Ruping obviously told him everything that she knew. She told him everything about the items to be auctioned this time, which included various spiritual herbs, spiritual stones, rare treasures, and strange beasts. As expected, there was a huge assortment of items. Just the number of high grade spiritual artifacts amounted to seven or eight.
Liu Ruping even disclosed to him secretly that the ultimate treasure for the auction this time was a supreme grade spiritual artifact. The starting price would be five thousand spiritual stones, and it was estimated to fetch over ten thousand spiritual stones.
While Li Qingshan was interested, he knew that was not something he could afford. Even if he could afford it, he would not be bold enough to buy it. The people who were able to produce so many spiritual stones were Foundation Establishment cultivators like the sect masters of the three mountains at the very least. He would just be looking for death if he tried to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth. He would probably be crushed to a pulp the moment he set foot out of the town.
“Aren’t there any cultivation methods in the auction?”
Liu Ruping shook her head. Li Qingshan lowered his head and sipped the tea as he sank into his thoughts. It made sense. He would not run into something like that so easily, or Sun Fubai’s efforts over all these years would have all just been a waste of time. However, he was not dejected. The world would never let down those who kept trying. He would definitely travel even further and even more extensively than Sun Fubai.
Liu Ruping saw Li Qingshan’s disappointment, so she added in a hurry, “There are no cultivation methods, but there is a piece of calligraphy.”
Li Qingshan asked absentmindedly, “What calligraphy?”
Liu Ruping said, “It’s called Sword Qi Calligraphy or something. Apparently, it was left behind by some ancient sword immortal, but it only seemed like a mid grade spiritual artifact to me. It’s just a great mess of calligraphy strokes. They must have come up with this description in an attempt to have it auctioned off. Only an idiot would fall for that and buy it. If you want a weapon, a high grade spiritual artifact is obviously better.”
Li Qingshan looked at the yellow, rippling water in his cup and saw his expression change slightly in the reflection. He asked without looking up, “That’s true. Only an idiot would buy something like that. However, since the Sword Qi Calligraphy is a mid grade spiritual artifact, what are its uses?”
Liu Ruping said with disdain, “Hmph, it’s just like its name. It can launch a few strands of sword qi.”
The tea rippled. Li Qingshan suppressed his inner joy and asked Liu Ruping a few more random questions. He learned that Liu Ruping came from a similar background to Qian Rongzhi. She had also originated from a small clan that was not even really a clan. Her talent was limited, so she did not receive a lot of resources. It led to quite a grumble from her.
Li Qingshan said, “I heard that the Hawkwolf Guard recruits anyone regardless of their background, as long as they’re Qi Practitioners. Why don’t you try joining?”
Liu Ruping said in surprise, “The Hawkwolf Guard? That’s killing and murder everyday! And, I’d have to rush around through the rain and wind. Not to boast, but even a bad month in the store of Miscellaneous Goods lets me make much more than what a regular Hawkwolf Guard makes.”
“Fair enough!” Li Qingshan understood that she was completely different from Qian Rongzhi. She was nowhere near as ambitious or vicious as that woman. However, if all the women in the world were like her, there was no point for men to exist anymore.
Liu Ruping could not help but ask, “Is there anything else you want to buy? Why don’t you get a high quality garment tailored for you? I’m very good at choosing clothes. I can choose quite a few good ones for you.”
Li Qingshan interrupted her with a smile, “No, I want to sell some more things!”
Liu Ruping was stunned.
In the end, Li Qingshan unloaded several hundred talismans, basically all of them on him apart from the high and supreme grade ones, onto the store of Miscellaneous Goods. He obtained another few hundred spiritual stones. The Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains was drawing close, so the value of talismans just happened to be high. It was a good deal.
Originally, Li Qingshan had wanted to buy a pill cauldron, but he gave up on that for now. It was not like he was in a hurry to refine pills at the moment.
If the Sword Qi Calligraphy was truly the item he was thinking about, really a part of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, then he had to obtain it. He could not allow it to fall into the hands of others.
The Cursive Sword Calligraphy currently in his possession was basically between high grade and supreme grade. If he could find another piece of it and join them together, then it would truly be a supreme grade spiritual artifact worth over ten thousand spiritual stones.
As for the actual value of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, it was probably much more than just that. It was enough to earn a few words of praise from the black ox. In the past, he might not have known what that signified, but he knew just how great the black ox’s insight was now.
Normally, a mid grade spiritual artifact would never exceed a hundred spiritual stones in price, but he could not afford to treat everyone else as fools. He could not be certain that others would not realise that something was amiss, so he had to ensure that nothing could go wrong. He had to gather as many spiritual stones as he could to guarantee that he would be able to win at the auction.
With that settled, Li Qingshan ignored Liu Ruping’s disappointed gaze and left the store of Miscellaneous Goods. He was prepared to leave the town.
On the raucous street, he glanced back at the verdant Green Vine mountain again. He wondered if Yu Zijian would be able to wait until Hua Chenglu arrived.
Not everyone was worth waiting for, so he chose to wait for nobody. However, he hoped that she could wait until the person she wanted to wait for arrived.
With the bamboo basket on his back, he bid farewell to Sun Fubai in the bookstore before checking out of the inn. He left the inn and suddenly stopped.
Yu Zijian stood under the sun outside the inn, smiling even more resplendently than the sun. She held a girl who was slightly smaller than her by the hand, who also seemed rather reluctant. It was Hua Chenglu.
Li Qingshan smiled in relief. This was what made trust among humans treasurable, wasn’t it?
If you could boldly trust in someone even if you had been fooled a hundred times, you would still end up with true friends one day. Although he walked a lonely path of determination and decisiveness, he also admired her bravery and resolve.
“Niu Juxia, this is Chenglu!” Yu Zijian basically dragged Hua Chenglu in front of Li Qingshan and introduced her to him happily.
Hua Chenglu was still the same cute little adult. She pretended to be natural and unrestrained as she clasped her hands towards Li Qingshan. She said with her child-like voice, “I never thought the people of the Green Vine mountain would be so audacious. Thank you for taking care of Zijian for all this time.” She had to tilt her head backwards to take in Li Qingshan’s huge frame. She wondered inside just how Zijian got to know such a strange person.
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Chapter 226 – The Auction
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Chapter 226 – The Auction
Li Qingshan said, “It’s no problem! Zi Jian, since your friend has come, I don’t have to worry. I have some matters I need to attend to, so I’ll be going first. I’ll tell your father that you’re safe and sound.”
Before the two of them could reply, Li Qingshan strode off, vanishing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Hua Chenglu was young, but she was much more quick-witted than Yu Zijian. If he made too much contact with her, she might see through his disguise.
Hua Chenglu murmured, “Zijian, he’s so rude. Does he really want to help you? Though, his back does seem a little familiar.”
“That’s because Niu Juxia is very kind! How can he have any ill intentions?” Yu Zijian defended Li Qingshan in a hurry.
Hua Chenglu shook her head. “You’re still young and ignorant. You’d better be careful about being trafficked off somewhere. You’ll even end up having to count the buyer’s money.”
“You’re the one who’s young and ignorant. Niu Juxia is a good person. How could he do anything bad to me?!” Yu Zijian widened her eyes.
“Whatever, I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise anymore.” Hua Chenglu turned around and left.
Yu Zijian asked in a hurry, “Hey, where are you going?”
Hua Chenglu pointed at the mountain nearby with her chin. “The Green Vine mountain, obviously!”
Li Qingshan returned to the Proud Sword manor. Yu Shukuang was not there, currently out collecting food and alcohol.
Thinking about how Yu Zijian would return very soon anyway, Li Qingshan stopped worrying and ventured deep underground again through the hole in his estate outside the city.
This region was already as familiar to him as his own backyard. He knew every single proper demon in this place. After transforming into his true form, he had no need to worry about being attacked by some ignorant daemon. Instead, it made it all much more interesting. They would all emerge and greet him, “Leader, you’ve returned!”
Li Qingshan would nod slightly in a stern manner, maintaining his dignity as the leader. However, what he thought inside was, Quite a lot of these guys are about to lose their lives because of the daemon cores in them. Who’s fault is this supposed to be?
If he were still a human, there would probably be no need for him to consider this question at all. He would treat hunting down daemons for their daemon cores as something perfectly justifiable.
However, after becoming a daemon himself, receiving help from daemons and becoming friends and the leader of daemons, his thoughts gradually changed.
He walked through the deep, quiet caves, uncertain over just how far he had already walked.
A speck of blue light flickered in the endless darkness ahead of him. It was like the only star in the pitch-black night sky.
Li Qingshan was like a wanderer who had returned home. He became relieved as he sped up his steps. Before he had even entered the cavern, he heard the thunderous snore.
Li Qingshan shook his head. You sure are easy to read!
There was no need for him to hibernate at all, just like maintaining his vegetarian diet, but he continued with his primal instincts. Probably because he had failed to sense any dangerous auras, Milliped rolled over on the stone platform and did not rise.
Sleep as much as you can, while you still can!
Li Qingshan did not wake him up. He just leaned against the stone platform by himself, pressing his spine against the cold rock and sensing the pulsing spiritual qi inside. He slowly entered a meditative trance.
Xiao An, on the other hand, took out the Book of All and looked through it carefully. No matter how abundant the information in the book was, it was still more convenient when it was all stored in one’s head.
The blue butterflies of light fluttered their wings millions of times in the darkness. A month passed by quietly.
A whistling gust of wind was suddenly kicked up in the quiet cavern. The butterflies drifted about as the sea of flowers waved in the wind.
At one end of the wind was Li Qingshan sucking in a deep breath. He stood up and checked himself inside. He smiled in satisfaction.
He had already converted all of his true qi into Gui Water true qi, and he had opened another meridian at the same time. He had reached the fourth layer as a Qi Practitioner.
His true qi had never been so powerful before. He took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and channeled true qi into it. Sword qi flew out and pierced the stone wall silently.
A blue butterfly of light fluttered happily through the air for a while before suddenly splitting into two. The attack was so powerful that it could instantly kill regular sixth or seventh layer Qi Practitioners. It would even be able to pose a significant danger to ninth layer Qi Practitioners.
If he really ended up returning the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to its original state, just how powerful would it be? He became more and more eager. Calculating the amount of time that had passed, it was about time for him to participate in the auction.
Xiao An had already climbed into the bamboo basket automatically and was now standing in it. Li Qingshan said, “You can just stay here this time. It’s quite troublesome for me to carry a bamboo basket all the time, mostly because it just draws too much attention.”
All Qi Practitioners had hundred treasures pouches, yet he just had to carry a bamboo basket on his back. Both Sun Fubai in the bookstore and Liu Ruping had indirectly asked him about it before. Although they were probably just curious, he could not be certain that someone observant would not end up realising something.
He guaranteed, “If there’s anything good to eat or drink, I’ll definitely bring it back for you.”
“You find me troublesome?” Xiao An pouted.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“That is!”
“Listen to me!”
“No!”
Li Qingshan shot a glance at her before sighing inside, Stay calm, stay calm. Communicate, communicate.
He squatted down. “Then why don’t you want to stay here?”
“I don’t want to separate from you.” Xiao An’s eyes drooped down.
Li Qingshan said, “It’ll just be for a short while.”
“Not even a short while.”
“Whatever then, I’m going to leave you behind!” Li Qingshan strode towards the cave, alarming a large flock of butterflies. He took a few steps before looking back. All he saw was that she continued to stand in the bamboo basket, without crying or throwing a tantrum, just staring straight at him, as if she was waiting for him to take her along with him.
He made up his mind. “I’m really going to leave you behind.” When he arrived at the entrance of the tunnel, he could not help but look back. She remained just the same as before. If he really did leave like this, she would probably keep waiting until he returned.
He sighed helplessly. “Come with me!”
Together with the bamboo basket, she rose up into the air with a violent gust of wind, landing in Li Qingshan’s hand. Xiao An smiled victoriously.
Li Qingshan pinched her tender cheeks viciously. “I knew I shouldn’t have given in!”
Xiao An said, “If I’m not by your side, I can’t protect you.”
Li Qingshan suddenly fell silent.
“Leader, please leave some for me! Croak croak!” A frog leapt around frantically as it spoke human tongue.
“Cut the nonsense, or I’ll roast you whole and eat you!” Li Qingshan placed the Whale’s Ingestion of Water into the spring of the Ice Condensate water, allowing it to suck up as much water as it wanted. It had already absorbed three tanks worth of water, but it still did not seem to be full.
The frog was utterly worried out of its mind, but it was powerless to do anything.
Only when the whale filled up completely did Li Qingshan take it out in satisfaction. He fished out a Pearl Dew pill and tossed it to the frog. “Here, for you.” He would not actually take advantage of it. This frog was one of the strongest daemon soldiers under his command. If other Qi Practitioners were bold enough to come for the spring water, they would not be able to take even a drop of the spring water back even if they managed to survive the frog somehow.
The frog’s tongue shot out, and it ate the Pearl Dew pill. “Croak! Thank you, leader!” Although the spring water was teeming with spiritual qi, it still could not be compared to the effects of high quality pills refined by humans at the end of the day.
“Keep guarding this place. Don’t forget about the gathering!” Li Qingshan handed over a few more matters before leaving the cavern again.
“Croak, croak! I won’t forget!” called out the frog. With a plonk, it dove into the Ice Condensate water.
Li Qingshan moved through the cave quickly. With a jolt of the crystal whale in his hand, there was a gurgle, and it spat out a huge blade. It even condensed a beautiful, crystal hand guard. It was perfect for Li Qingshan to unleash the full advantage of his strength, and it was an appropriate size and length for him. It was extremely heavy as well, over five hundred kilograms in weight. Even Li Qingshan could not wield it with just a single hand.
He had been constantly channeling his Gui Water true qi into the Whale’s Ingestion of Water. His aura had filled it completely now, without any sluggishness anymore. It was as if it was now an extension of his limb. When he created weapons, he did not have to let out the water then wait for it to slowly freeze either. It would condense in a single moment.
However, fourth layer Gui Water true qi was still slightly insufficient to unleash the power of this high grade spiritual artifact.
Li Qingshan arrived in the Proud Sword manor. Yu Shukuang had already returned, passing a full hundred treasures pouch to Li Qingshan. He wanted to say something, but he hesitated.
Li Qingshan checked the hundred treasures pouch and smiled in satisfaction. Then he asked, “Why don’t I see your daughter?”
Yu Shukuang was surprised. “Didn’t she go to the Green Vine mountain? Why would she be able to return?”
Li Qingshan frowned. “In other words, she hasn’t returned yet?” Was the Green Vine Elder really going to disrespect the Hua family?
Yu Shukuang said, “She hasn’t returned at all. Did you see her?”
Li Qingshan told him about how he had met Yu Zijian in the market below the Green Vine mountain.
Yu Shukuang sighed. “Thank you for your troubles. As long as she hasn’t endured any harassment, I can be relieved as her father. As for whether she joins the Academy of the Hundred Schools or the Green Vine mountain, that’s probably beyond our control.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll be visiting the Green Vine mountain again very soon. I’ll take a look at just exactly what has happened. Just wait for the news from me!” He took out another empty hundred treasures pouch and handed it to Yu Shukuang. “I still need you to collect food, but it’s not that urgent this time. Just keep an eye out when you go about your usual business. Remember, don’t alert too many people.”
The underground daemons had an endless demand for surface food, and it would also be his main method for controlling his subordinates as the leader of the daemon soldiers. He obviously needed someone to handle this for him.
Yu Shukuang said, “That’s easy. The Proud Sword manor has already purchased over a dozen large restaurants, and it’s in charge of several large grain vendors too. It’ll be much easier to handle this from here on out!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “That’s some dedication!” Yu Shukuang had lived up to all the time and effort Li Qingshan had spent on him. He was in need of a clever subordinate who could read between the lines and plan ahead. He did not have the time or energy to construct his own network of people, but Yu Shukuang was capable of this. Otherwise, how was he supposed to have managed to create such a large Proud Sword manor?
He handed all of his silver notes to Yu Shukuang. “Don’t hesitate about the money when it comes to handling this matter. In the future, you definitely won’t just be leading some figures of the jianghu.”
Yu Shukuang’s heart skipped a beat. He smiled. “If it won’t just be some figures of the jianghu, will there be Qi Practitioners as well? I don’t have that ability with my talent. I’ve reached the innate realm at such a late age, so it’s already quite impressive for me to be able to reach the second layer of Qi Practitioner.”
Li Qingshan’s face sank. “If you’re satisfied with the second layer, then forget I said anything.” Second layer Qi Practitioners were at the bottom of the food chain among Qi Practitioners. Not only would a subordinate like that fail to provide any great help to him, but he would probably even require him to resolve many issues for him. There would be no point in keeping a subordinate like that around.
Yu Shukuang looked into Li Qingshan’s eyes. His pitch-black irises seemed to be burning. The ambition and confidence hidden within made Yu Shukuang’s heart shiver slightly. Before this person, there was no need for him to act modest. It was the exact opposite. He needed to demonstrate sufficient ambition and confidence to gain his favour. This also happened to be his specialty.
“I heard that if you practise qi, practise qi, and then practise some more qi, you can overcome some sort of barrier and step into the world of immortals. I want to try.”
Only then did Li Qingshan smile. He placed a Pill of Spring Breeze and Rain into Yu Shukuang’s palm. “That realm is called Foundation Establishment. It means that everything is just the beginning.”
There was a hubbub of noise in the town as people gathered together, brushing past one another.
Qi Practitioners that regular people rarely ever saw were everywhere. Every single one of them were slightly eager and nervous. The once-a-decade Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains was about to begin in three day’s time.
The great adventure in the subterranean world was about to unfold. It was filled with opportunities and danger. Some people could strike it rich overnight, while others could die as nobodies. Everyone hoped to be the former and wished for everyone else to be the latter. They had made sufficient preparations as well. Their gazes towards one another had already become extremely cold.
The quiet Tranquil teahouse was actually filled with customers. The brewer, Lu Ziyu, was basically completely tied up. Qi Practitioners at the sixth layer and higher were present everywhere now, and only they could afford to drink something so luxurious.
The other stores were basically facing the same predicament. Business was booming. However, only the store of Miscellaneous Goods had very few visitors. Once the flow of people reached here, they would be pushed away by an invisible barrier, preventing them from getting any closer. Unless they held an invitation, only powerful Qi Practitioners of the sixth layer or higher could directly step through the formations and enter the building under everyone’s envious and admiring gazes.
Li Qingshan arrived extremely early. He was already seated in his private box, quietly waiting for the auction to begin. Looking outside, every single private box was enveloped by a layer of mist, blocking any curious gazes.
At this moment, Liu Ruping walked in with a smile. Li Qingshan said immediately, “You can go. I don’t need your service!”
Liu Ruping’s smile stiffened, but she saw how resolute Li Qingshan was, so she could only back out. She thought, Since you’re so heartless, don’t blame me for being disloyal!
The lid of the bamboo basket opened by a small crack, revealing Xiao An’s crystal clear eyes. “You didn’t want me to come because you wanted to with her…”
Smack! Li Qingshan pressed the lid down. “What would a child know about?”
A gong rang through the entire hall, and Shi Peipei climbed onto the stage in a set of violet, silken clothes. She bowed with folded hands at first, thanking everyone for attending, before introducing herself and declaring that the auction had begun.
Items were auctioned off one after another. It began with a stack of low grade talismans, before progressing to mid grade talismans. The value of the items increased as the auction progressed, as did the bidding.
Li Qingshan waited calmly for the only thing that he wanted, the Sword Qi Calligraphy, to appear.
“The next item is the Sword Qi Calligraphy penned by an ancient sword immortal. It can unleash strokes of sword qi. Although it’s just a mid grade spiritual artifact, it contains great understanding of the path of the sword, and this Sword Qi Calligraphy should only be an incomplete fragment of the actual thing. If someone assembles the other fragments, it’ll be much more than just a mid grade spiritual artifact. The starting price is one hundred spiritual stones.”
As the calligraphy scroll was unfurled, Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. It can’t be wrong. This is it. He did not understand calligraphy, but the sharp, twisted style hidden within was exactly the same as the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
For a final confirmation, he glanced at Xiao An. Xiao An was proficient at both calligraphy and the sword, so she could not be wrong. With a gentle nod from her, Li Qingshan smiled. While it was a little expensive compared to regular mid grade spiritual artifacts, with a starting price of a hundred spiritual stones, it was still being auctioned off as a mid grade spiritual artifact. He had prepared over a thousand spiritual stones for it, so nothing should end up going wrong.
After Shi Peipei announced the starting price, everyone fell into a temporary silence.
A hundred spiritual stones for a mid grade spiritual artifact really was not a good deal. Apart from very few people like Li Qingshan, everyone present was a knowledgeable Qi Practitioner. Who knows how many auctions they had already attended in the past. They had already grown immune to something that was supposed to originate from some ancient sword immortal. There were plenty of ancient cultivators, so why wouldn’t a few items end up being passed down?
Even if the Sword Qi Calligraphy had once shone resplendently, it was just a mid grade spiritual artifact now. No one dared to hope that they could find the other fragments. Even if they did find them, how were they supposed to assemble it?
This was similar to the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. It seemed to be hiding great value, but the value was just far too unrealistic. Most cultivators looked for practicality instead.
Li Qingshan smiled. Just when he was about to bid, a muffled voice suddenly rang out nearby from another private box, “Two hundred spiritual stones!” Right off the bat, he demonstrated his desire to obtain this item, which directly quelled the thoughts of many Qi Practitioners of casting a random bid.
Shi Peipei said, “Alright. This fellow bids two hundred spiritual stones. Is there anyone else willing to bid higher?” The Sword Qi Calligraphy had been appraised by her, and she had deemed it to be a special item. That was why she specially priced it a little high, higher than most mid grade spiritual artifacts. If a special item was unable to fetch a price befitting a special item, she would rather have it passed on. There were plenty of days to come for it to be sold.
Li Qingshan sighed slightly. As he had expected, he was not the only one who had recognised the value of this item. He also bid. “Three hundred spiritual stones!”
His voice passed through the blocking mist and immediately became twisted and vague. It was no longer even possible to tell whether it came from a man or a woman.
Shi Peipei glanced deeply at the private box. She knew that was Li Qingshan’s box, and she smiled. As it seemed, the special item would be sold for a price it deserved today.
As expected, the other box bid again after a moment of silence. “Four hundred spiritual stones!” He had actually raised the price by another hundred spiritual stones.
The auction centre fell quiet, followed by a slight hubbub. Four hundred spiritual stones were already enough to buy an inferior high grade spiritual artifact. Why would someone pay that much for a mid grade spiritual artifact? Was the Sword Qi Calligraphy really hiding something? Or did the school of Miscellany hire someone to purposefully raise the price?
There were quite a few people who became tempted, but none of them were willing to risk the spiritual stones in their hundred treasures pouches. They just watched on quietly as the two of them competed against one another. They were rather surprised by the fact that the first intense bidding war had already begun before a high grade spiritual artifact had even appeared.
Li Qingshan frowned and said calmly, “Five hundred spiritual stones.”
“Six hundred spiritual stones!” Before Li Qingshan had even finished speaking, the voice rang out again. It was twisted by the mist, but everyone could hear the fury within the voice.
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Chapter 227 – Killing Intent
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Chapter 227 – Killing Intent
Li Qingshan also heard the anger contained in this voice, but he was unfazed. He continued, “Seven hundred spiritual stones!”
“Eight hundred spiritual stones.”
Li Qingshan said directly, “One thousand spiritual stones.”
Everyone became momentarily stunned. Even high grade spiritual artifacts rarely fetched a price beyond a thousand spiritual stones.
Was there really something extraordinary about the Sword Qi Calligraphy? That was what everyone thought, but no one was bold enough to bid right now. By the time they bid and actually spent over a thousand spiritual stones to purchase a mid grade spiritual artifact of some unknown use, they would not even be able to cry anymore.
“Is there anyone else who wants to bid higher? If there isn’t, then the Sword Qi Calligraphy will be going to this fellow.”
Shi Peipei’s eyes swiveled about as she smiled from ear to ear with her wrinkly face.
No more voices rang out from the thick mist, perhaps because it was no longer worth it, or they were coming up with another plan.
Shi Peipei said to Li Qingshan, “Sir, the Sword Qi Calligraphy goes to you.”
A while later, the Sword Qi Calligraphy was delivered to Li Qingshan. He unfurled it eagerly. The strokes on the scroll were intricate and sharp, brimming with sword qi. However, it was half the size of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, which was why it was a mid grade spiritual artifact.
As it seemed, the calligraphy had not been evenly divided in the past. The issue now was how to assemble it.
Li Qingshan tried taking out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and placing it on the Sword Qi Calligraphy before shaking it, but they showed no signs of merging together. He was slightly disappointed.
However, he immediately became riled up. His cultivation was still too low right now. It took him quite the effort even to wield a high grade spiritual artifact, so it was impossible for him to refine a supreme grade spiritual artifact. Otherwise, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy would be much more complicated than just being able to launch a few strands of sword qi.
Only when his cultivation had caught up and he had refined both spiritual artifacts could he try again.
Xiao An looked at it eagerly, so Li Qingshan handed it to her. Then, Li Qingshan glanced at the private box shrouded with mist and muttered to himself, “Why did that person want the Sword Qi Calligraphy?”
Xiao An immediately began to study the Sword Qi Calligraphy. She lay down on the thick, silken carpet, supporting her chin with her left hand while she used a finger on her right hand like a sword, moving about rapidly within a limited region. She produced blurs with her small hand, which seemed like a sword dance, yet also like calligraphy. There was a beautiful rhythm to it.
Her comprehension of the sword intent within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy had deepened once again. When she heard what Li Qingshan muttered, she tilted her head. “Maybe he’s just like me!” Suddenly, she stabbed out a few dozen times with her finger, ripping through the air and kicking up a violent breeze. Wind immediately whistled through the private box, ruffling Li Qingshan’s clothes.
Li Qingshan suddenly understood. Yep, that’s probably the main reason. Unless they also possessed a fragment, no Qi Practitioner would be willing to gamble several hundred spiritual stones on something like this.
At this moment, there were a few gentle knocks on the door. Li Qingshan opened it, and Liu Ruping said, “The person who bid against you earlier wishes to see you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Alright. I just happen to want to see him too.” He became more and more certain about his guesses. Assembling the Sword Qi Calligraphy and the Cursive Sword Calligraphy would definitely result in a supreme grade spiritual artifact. If he could obtain another fragment, just what would it become? A legendary arcane artifact?
Liu Ruping backed out obediently. She actually did not try to pester him anymore. After leaving the private box, she smiled scornfully, but she was not in a hurry to pass on the message. Instead, she walked to another private box and knocked on the door.
A young man opened the door, and surprisingly, it was Mu Zhicong. He let her in and directly asked, “Why have you only come now?”
Liu Ruping threw a fake tantrum. “The customer who bid against him earlier wanted to see that Niu person, which is why I came a little late. Senior brother Mu, I hope that you can forgive me!”
Mu Zhicong was not too worried about this. He turned around and said, “Senior brother Song, I never thought that this bastard would be so wealthy. If he sells that daemon core too, he’ll have two or three thousand spiritual stones on him at the very least. You can say that this is a blessing in disguise for you, senior brother.”
Seated there was the senior brother Song from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, who Li Qingshan had tossed out in a single move, Song Ming.
Liu Ruping added, “That’s not all. He just spent eight hundred spiritual stones earlier for a high grade spiritual artifact, and he exchanged some spiritual talismans for a few hundred spiritual stones as well.” Originally, the transactions of customers with the school of Miscellany were an absolute secret; breaches would result in severe punishments.
However, as she had failed to curry any favour from Li Qingshan, she was resentful, and Mu Zhicong just happened to come at this time, asking for any information regarding Li Qingshan. He got her to report back to him immediately whenever she saw Li Qingshan. He offered her many benefits in exchange.
Liu Ruping saw Li Qingshan set foot in the store of Miscellaneous Goods and immediately reported this to Mu Zhicong, who was in another private box. However, Mu Zhicong had his own plans.
Song Ming sat there, unfazed, as he glanced at Mu Zhicong. “You’ve purposefully come to tell me this. What are you planning?”
Mu Zhicong walked over and patted Song Ming’s shoulder. “The disciples of the three mountains stand together. Since you’ve been insulted, senior brother, how can I just stay by and watch? I just happened to run into this bastard a while back, and I wanted to kill him for you then and there. Unfortunately, thinking about how even senior brother was not his opponent, I would never be able to defeat him with my cultivation. Right now, the people from your sect are nearby, so this is the best opportunity for revenge you will ever have.”
Although he smiled, killing intent was pent up inside. Niu Juxia, oh Niu Juxia. Our relationship wasn’t so horrible before, but how dare you actually try to take Zijian away. As such, don’t blame me for showing no mercy now. You’re a mere independent cultivator, yet you still act so arrogantly. Even if you don’t die to my hands, you’ll die elsewhere. I’ll just be sending you off a little earlier.
Song Ming clenched his fists. He was pale. Ever since that last battle, he had become famous about the three mountains, regularly mocked and made fun of by others. It was basically the greatest humiliation he had ever experienced in his life. He could never just accept it like this.
Now that he knew his enemy was nearby, he was overcome by anger. And, three thousand spiritual stones were enough to interest any Qi Practitioner. No matter what scheme Mu Zhicong had in mind, he would try anyway.
In the end, he asked carefully, “You’re not telling me that your Green Vine mountain doesn’t want in on a share of this, right?”
Mu Zhicong said, “Our Green Vine mountain serves as the host. If we work with others to kill independent cultivators before the Herb Picking ceremony, it’ll probably make everyone fearful and affect the procession of the ceremony. Even if I had the courage, I wouldn’t try to. However, if it’s just personal grievances, then there’s nothing wrong with it at all. And, how can senior brother Song not give me a share?”
Song Ming’s expression wavered before he suddenly snorted coldly and left through the door. “Keep a close eye on him for me!”
Mu Zhicong said, “Ruping, keep monitoring him. Once this is all over, there’ll be plenty of benefits for you!”
Liu Ruping pressed over, wanting to flatter up to him. She said gently, “I knew that a brute like him wouldn’t be able to break free from your schemes!”
Mu Zhicong became impatient with her. He pushed her aside and made his way out.
Liu Ruping stamped her foot down viciously. Not a single man is decent.
Li Qingshan was clueless about these schemes. The auction had broadened his horizons. He gained a rough estimate of the value of spiritual artifacts and herbs.
However, his item had yet to appear in the auction. He wanted to see just how much a daemon core would be worth.
A while later, an earthen-yellow daemon core was presented on the auction table.
“A class seven earth element daemon core. It can be used to make Earth Element pills… Starting price of one thousand spiritual stones.” Shi Peipei gave a lengthy introduction to the uses of the daemon core before finally stating the starting price. Just the starting price was higher than most high grade spiritual artifacts. Not only was it because it was rarer, but it was also because its usage was broader.
Shi Peipei cast her gaze to the few boxes with the best positions at the very top. Since the very beginning, they had been extremely quiet, as if nothing could interest them.
Li Qingshan pursed his lips together and wondered if he should throw in a few dummy bids to get the ball rolling. However, he soon discovered that there was no need for this at all.
The boxes at the very top that had been silent the entire time finally placed their first bid. “One thousand two hundred spiritual stones.”
“One thousand five hundred!”
“One thousand six hundred!”
The price of the daemon core increased rapidly as Li Qingshan’s smile grew wider and wider. He scooped up Xiao An and rubbed his face against her smooth cheek. “Haha, we’re rich!”
The tumultuous centre quietened down once more. The auction had ended, and the lights on the stage dimmed.
However, Li Qingshan could still clearly “see” the lingering aura in the air. The lively atmosphere did not seem to settle down just yet.
Li Qingshan remained in his box. He did not leave as he thought back to the bidding war earlier.
Of course, this was not for the daemon core, but for a supreme grade spiritual artifact shaped like a small bottle.
The starting price was three thousand five hundred spiritual stones, and basically every bid increased it by five hundred. The Qi Practitioners below were on the edge of their seats with each bid, while the Foundation Establishment cultivators remained calm. They bid at ease. During the entire process, regardless of who won the item in the end, they remained calm.
Not a single Qi Practitioner was bold enough to participate in this mellow bidding war. In the end, the supreme grade spiritual artifact was sold for a price of nine thousand five hundred spiritual stones to a customer in the western box.
The final victor even said in a composed manner, “Thank you for letting me win!”
Li Qingshan personally believed that he was not capable of something like this. It had nothing to do with one’s breadth of mind; it was purely due to the difference in strength. It made him feel that whether it be humans or daemons, only when they survived a heavenly tribulation had they truly set foot on the path of cultivation, able to control themselves and go about matters free of any burden.
This was like a child learning how to walk and talk. They could stumble towards their objective and express their thoughts. Whether it be Qi Practitioners or daemons, they were all just babbling as they crawled along the ground.
Of course, the daemon core reached Li Qingshan’s expectations in the end. Just as Shi Peipei had said, the earth element daemon core surpassed two thousand spiritual stones. It was sold for a price of two thousand six hundred spiritual stones in the end.
After taking out eight hundred spiritual stones for the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and the store of Miscellaneous Goods’ five percent fee, a total of one thousand, six hundred and seventy spiritual stones now laid quietly in his hundred treasures pouch.
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Chapter 228 – Sensing Danger
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Chapter 228 – Sensing Danger
Coupled with the earnings from the talismans he had sold, the spiritual stones on Li Qingshan amounted to over two thousand once again. He was even wealthier than before he had bought the Whale’s Ingestion of Water.
The reason why he was still seated here was because he was waiting for the Qi Practitioner who wanted to buy the Sword Qi Calligraphy. If he really did possess another fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy on him, Li Qingshan wanted to use these spiritual stones to purchase it from him.
There were the sounds of footsteps outside. Li Qingshan opened the door, but he found Liu Ruping standing there. “Congratulations, sir. Not only has the daemon core sold for a high price, but you’ve also managed to win what you wanted.”
Li Qingshan saw how there was no one behind her. “Where’s that person?”
Liu Ruping said, “He suddenly changed his mind. Apologies for making you wait for all this time. If there’s nothing else you want to buy, please leave now!”
Li Qingshan was rather puzzled. Didn’t that person want the Sword Qi Calligraphy? Or was he wrong instead and that person came from the school of Miscellany to place dummy bids? Liu Ruping’s sudden change in her attitude raised some suspicion as well. “I’ll see you around.” He brushed past Liu Ruping.
Liu Ruping had her back towards him. Her lips were open, but she made no sounds. She mouthed, “I won’t see you around!” She tied up her hair and thought, Though, I really must thank you! All she did was describe Li Qingshan’s appearance and features to that Qi Practitioner, and she had earned twenty spiritual stones. There were not a lot of easy business transactions like this.
Ever since she had met this Niu person, she had been rolling in wealth. Both the commission from the school of Miscellany for his transactions and selling his information to others had net her a decent sum.
However, she failed to notice that Li Qingshan had looked back carelessly at her back. A cold light flashed through his eyes.
There were plenty of people in the world who were vicious, cruel, and willing to suddenly turn against someone. However, there were very few people who were resourceful and insightful at the same time. Qian Rongzhi was one, but there was not a lot of Qian Rongzhis in the world.
At the very least, she had failed to see through Li Qingshan’s actual character.
Even the debt of a single meal must be returned, and the grievance of a hostile glare must be resolved.
……
Sunlight shone weakly onto the streets, nowhere near enough to purge the coldness brought on by the bitter winds.
Most Qi Practitioners could ignore changes in temperature at such a level, let alone Li Qingshan with his body as a daemon.
However, he felt a deep coldness. This was not a matter of temperature, but a sensation of danger. It was a sharp instinct he had developed after becoming a daemon, but it became sharper as his cultivation increased.
It was so sharp that it was no longer just a so-called sixth sense. Instead, it directly originated from the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression.
Shamans used turtle shells for divination, using them to forecast celestial phenomena and the future. Spirit turtles bore the nine halls and eight trigrams on their backs, and they possessed extraordinary intelligence. This kind of intelligence would gradually show itself as his cultivation increased. Although it could not forecast the future, he could sense ill omens.
Li Qingshan exhaled gently, raised his head, and closed his eyes. The ruckus in the surroundings vanished completely, but a sense of being watched appeared in his heart.
Not only did the person possess extraordinary cultivation, but their method of concealing their aura was extremely impressive as well. Even he would have failed to notice it if he did not pay attention.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. He did not hide in the safe town, instead making his way out. The danger would not subside with time. All he could do was confront it bravely.
Stepping out of the town, the ground sank slightly, forming a round pit. As if he had stepped onto a springboard, Li Qingshan leapt a hundred paces away. His huge figure took off with unbelievable speed, rising towards the pure white mountains.
He turned into a mountain pass and vanished.
The forest rapidly approached him before rapidly receding around him. He dodged the obstacles dexterously, and if he could not dodge, he would directly run through it, but he would not stop. He did not try to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to hide his aura either.
A thousand steps behind him, a masked man in black clothing stopped hiding his tracks as he pursued.
Li Qingshan glanced backwards, and his eyes narrowed. It was an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, but that was no danger at all. He should not be experiencing such an intense sensation of danger. Was this really everything?
He did not stop. Instead, he ran even harder. He leaned forwards, sometimes pushing off the ground with both hands like a black tiger. He assumed the forms of the tiger demon when it came to running through the mountains and forests.
The masked man cursed inside. He was determined to obtain the Sword Qi Calligraphy, but he never thought someone would get in his way. Originally, he wanted to meet with Li Qingshan to obtain the Sword Qi Calligraphy, whether it was through coercion or promises, but with further thought, he realised that he would have to spend over a thousand spiritual stones at the very least if he wanted to purchase it. It would be painful, like paying with his own flesh.
As a result, he began to consider killing and robbing. In order to avoid alarming Li Qingshan, he even went as far as to spend twenty spiritual stones to purchase information about Li Qingshan from Liu Ruping.
However, never did he think that the kid would be so cautious, taking off as soon as he left the town with such startling speed.
However, he sneered inside. If you hid in the town, I wouldn’t have been bold enough to touch you, but since you’ve come out, you’re just begging to die. Do you really think you can shake me off? It won’t be that easy. He used a movement technique and true qi wrapped around him. Like a black arrow, he directly shot towards Li Qingshan.
Within a valley covered by snow, fallen leaves were scattered everywhere. A black, spear-like object directly pierced towards the sky.
As if he had run out of strength, Li Qingshan stood in the knee-deep snow while his body radiated with true qi naturally. All Qi Practitioners would be able to tell that he was at the fourth layer, and he was very much exhausted.
“Why aren’t you running anymore?”
After a moment of peace, a cold, complacent voice rang out from behind.
Li Qingshan suddenly looked back and saw a masked man walking over through the snow. He emerged from the forest and left behind footprints in places without snow, gazing at Li Qingshan coldly. Although he had pursued for several dozen kilometers, his true qi was basically untouched.
Li Qingshan turned around and asked in surprise, “Why are you chasing me?”
The masked man said, “Hand over the Sword Qi Calligraphy.”
Li Qingshan frowned. “I don’t know what a Sword Qi Calligraphy is.” Information on his identity should have been an absolute secret. The first person he suspected was Liu Ruping.
Perhaps it was a rule of the school of Miscellany, but he had become a special customer of hers. She was responsible for serving him in all aspects within the store of Miscellaneous Goods. He was not completely certain, but so what if it was that woman? Hmph, he was not generous enough to forgive someone after being sold out and betrayed.
The masked man shouted, “Don’t play games with me! If I said it’s you, then it’s you!” As he said that, a black vortex formed before him and whistled towards Li Qingshan’s chest.
Li Qingshan dodged to one side in a desperate manner, lunging into the snow. He called out in a hurry. “Wait, it’s me! I’ll give it to you!”
The masked man smiled. “That’s more like it!”
Li Qingshan took out the Sword Qi Calligraphy reluctantly and asked, “Tell me, who told you that I purchased the Sword Qi Calligraphy? Was it the woman who passed on messages for you?”
The masked man affirmed him casually as he looked at the Sword Qi Calligraphy rather excitedly. Who knows whether he thought of the same thing as when Li Qingshan had first obtained the Sword Qi Calligraphy.
Li Qingshan said viciously, “I won’t spare her.”
The masked man thought, And why would I spare you? He changed the topic. “And your hundred treasures pouch too! Hand it over!”
Li Qingshan called out, “Don’t even think about it!”
The masked man said, “Then I’ll come get it myself!” He patted his waist ,and a small, shining sword shot out, directly towards Li Qingshan’s head.
He did not even take this too seriously. The flying sword of an eighth layer Qi Practitioner could cut up a fourth layer Qi Practitioner like fruit. The reason why he had bothered to converse with him was just out of caution. He wanted to check whether Li Qingshan had a particularly powerful master that he could rely on. He wanted to avoid biting off more than he could chew. After checking and confirming that Li Qingshan was indeed an ordinary independent cultivator, he launched a killing blow without any more hesitation.
A ray of reflected sunlight dazzled the masked man’s eyes. It formed a rainbow for a brief second.
There was the screeching of metal and sparks flew. The flying sword spun high into the air.
A shadow enveloped the masked man. He raised his head in surprise and saw a pair of eyes filled with killing intent, and then he saw a blade, a great big blade composed of ice!
In a trance, he seemed to see a huge, black tiger lunging towards him with a crystal blade.
Murderous aura flooded the surroundings.
All of this happened in just a split second. When Li Qingshan threw himself into the snow, he had secretly gripped the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and created the ice blade. The moment the flying sword was about to strike him, he swung up with his blade and sent the sword flying.
Without any hesitation, he lunged forwards. He pushed off with his four limbs towards the masked man like a tiger lunging at its prey.
This kid hid his strength! The masked man lived up to his identity as an eighth layer Qi Practitioner. He immediately broke free from the restraints of the murderous aura as the thought flashed through his head. He crossed his hands several times before raising them up to block, and a black qi revolved and whistled out.
The blade and black qi collided violently, producing an ear-splitting sound, like an electric saw going through metal. Pieces of ice flew everywhere.
Li Qingshan roared out and poured all of his Gui Water true qi into the blade. He did not hold back at all, condensing all of his strength, all of his energy, into the strike as he swung down.
He was like a volcano that had fallen dormant for many millennia, now finally erupting. Happiness filled his heart. He felt extremely satisfied over the attack regardless of the results it achieved.
The ice blade was extremely sharp. It sliced through the black swirl of qi, and the masked man paled in fright. This was not the strength that a fourth layer Qi Practitioner should possess!
The blade swept through the protective true qi with a sharp whistle and blood splattered on the pure-white snow.
The gust of wind that followed the swing blew away several meters of snow, revealing the black, frozen soil below.
It left behind a deep gash in the frozen ground.
Li Qingshan stood with the blade as he wiped away the frozen traces of blood from the weapon. He raised his head and looked at the trees.
The masked man clutched the wound on his chest and looked down.
Their gazes met like invisible weapons, clashing again and again and producing sparks in the air.
The two of them seemed to want to say something, but neither of them spoke in the end. With a swish, the flying sword descended from above, now extremely swift and forceful.
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Chapter 229 – A Startling Strike
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Chapter 229 – A Startling Strike
The masked man formed a seal with his hand to control the sword. His eyes were filled with icy-cold fury. He was no longer careless now. Although the enemy had struck when he was careless, he could not afford to treat him like a fourth layer Qi Practitioner with how he managed to land a blow on him.
However, he was not worried either. A person would always be slaughtered if they used a close range weapon against a flying sword unless an absolute difference in strength existed.
Li Qingshan understood this too. He shook the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and the crystal blade suddenly turned into an ice shield. With a series of clang, the flying sword darted about and struck the shield several dozen times. Not only did it fail to destroy the ice shield, but it even developed a layer of frost instead, making it more sluggish.
The flying sword shuddered, and its speed returned. It flew around like a bird, constantly searching for a weak point in Li Qingshan’s defence.
However, the Whale’s Ingestion of Water had been filled with Ice Condensate water, so the ice shield was half a foot thick, and it covered most of Li Qingshan. Although the flying sword was extremely nimble, it struggled to make any progress.
“A high grade spiritual artifact!” The masked man’s eyes grew even colder and brighter. He had heard from the woman that even the daemon core had originated from him. This was a blessing in disguise. If he managed to kill this kid, it would be quite the harvest for him.
He took out a painting scroll from his hundred treasures pouch and unfurled it with a shake. The strokes on there were intricate and sharp, criss-crossed with sword qi. It was another fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy!
All of Li Qingshan’s hairs stood on end. A great sense of danger flooded his mind, like he faced a catastrophe.
Several dozen strands of sword qi cut through the raging wind and sliced through the drifting snow towards Li Qingshan.
The vertical stroke was the fastest. It arrived in the blink of an eye, immediately filling Li Qingshan’s field of vision and stabbing deeply into the ice shield.
The horizontal stroke was the slowest, but it was the grandest and heaviest. The power it contained seemed to be able to sever all life. It left behind a deep gash in the ice shield, causing ice to fly everywhere.
The ascending and descending strokes followed a lethal trajectory. They actually looped around Li Qingshan, flying directly towards his unguarded back. They basically arrived at the same time as the horizontal and vertical strokes.
However, the most deadly one seemed to be the hook. It would suddenly flick towards the sky, and then towards the ground. It was impossible to gauge its trajectory. It suddenly plunged into the black, frozen ground, and Li Qingshan felt an icy-cold killing intent pierce his feet, wanting to hook onto his life and soul and drag it away from him.
The flying sword did not halt at all, constantly searching for a weak point.
Li Qingshan roared out, and the Whale’s Ingestion of Ice completely spat out all of its Ice Condensate water, forming an ice ball that protected every inch of his body. It was similar to the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
It was stabbed at, struck heavily, sliced at, and torn apart. The ice ball that was supposed to be as tough as steel became as fragile as a bubble under the barrage of sword qi. It produced a series of splitting sounds, riddling the entire ball with cracks.
Li Qingshan gasped. This was the first time he had witnessed the true strength of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy as someone on the receiving end. The true qi of an eighth layer Qi Practitioner bestowed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy with absolute destructive and lethal power.
If Li Qingshan had not used Ice Condensate water, but regular spring water or spiritual water, he would have never managed to block that attack.
At a closer glance, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in the masked man’s hands paled in comparison to his own in both size and glow. It should have only been equivalent to a high grade spiritual artifact.
The masked man was slightly surprised as well. Who knows how many Qi Practitioners much stronger than him had he already killed with this Sword Calligraphy, but he actually failed to breach the defences of a weaker Qi Practitioner today.
The flying sword hovered in the air quietly. The masked man said, “Where did you get your high quality spiritual artifact from? How is it able to block my sword qi?”
“No wonder you’re so determined to get your hands on the Sword Qi Calligraphy. Turns out you really do have another fragment in your possession. Though, killing me won’t be that easy.” Li Qingshan shook the Whale’s Ingestion of Water, and the ice ball turned back into an ice blade without any cracks at all. However, his true qi was significantly depleted. He took out a spiritual stone to recover.
The masked man suddenly laughed aloud.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’re you laughing at?”
The masked man said, “The more good things you possess, the happier I am, as all of it will belong to me in the end.”
Li Qingshan said, “Really? Then it seems like I should laugh too.”
The masked man squinted his eyes. “You witnessed all of those moves earlier, so do you really think that you can get out of this alive? Misleading the enemy is a good tactic. You almost even managed to fool me. However, those tricks are completely useless before absolute strength.” He rubbed his chest, and the terrifying wound had already begun to close up gradually under the effects of true qi. He was confident it would heal up perfectly before long.
The reason why he had stopped to talk to Li Qingshan was mostly so that he could use the chance to tend to his wounds and purge the freezing coldness from it. His wound had basically closed up, so he no longer bothered to waste any more time. He pointed at Li Qingshan. “Go!”
The flying sword shot off like a bolt of lightning. Li Qingshan also used this opportunity to recover his true qi. He did not transform into his daemon form. He could not afford to release the aura of a daemon here at all. It was very possible that the barren mountains in the surroundings were hiding many Qi Practitioners preparing for the Herb Gathering ceremony. There might have even been prying eyes spying on them right now from the distant mountain peaks.
They had come to kill daemons. Once they sensed daemon qi, maybe even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be alarmed. He could not take the risk.
Regular fourth layer Qi Practitioners obviously could not defeat eighth layer Qi Practitioners, but he was no regular fourth layer Qi practitioner. And, he had yet to use his true trump card!
With a thump, the flying sword stabbed into the shield.
Li Qingshan had pulled out the low grade spiritual artifact shield that he had not used in a very long time, turning it into the size of a table and lifting it before him.
In his other hand, the Whale’s Ingestion of Water had already absorbed all the ice and water into its belly. He pointed it towards the masked man on the tree tops.
Swish, swish, swish, swish. Countless icicles shot out viciously.
The masked man completely ignored them. He raised his sleeve, and a wondrous stream of air formed several meters in front of him. Although it was not particularly powerful, it only needed a slight stir to redirect the icicles.
Cling! Clang! The icicles shot into the dense forest, causing the trees to shake and sway. Snow fell down.
There was a great boom, as if an invisible elephant had barged into the forest. The huge trees collapsed one after another. The icicles penetrated the bark and erupted with coldness, freezing the trees, and the force directly snapped many of the tree trunks.
This only demonstrated the power of the attack. If it were used against a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, it would be a terrifying lethal move, but it was nowhere near enough against eighth layer Qi Practitioners. With the opening of each meridian, their true qi would grow by several fold. And, the masked man did not just possess powerful true qi, but ingenious tricks too.
The masked man seemed to grow impatient, but he only used the flying sword to deal attacks. He refused to take even a step closer to Li Qingshan. Instead, he constantly remained vigilant of his surroundings. He understood the terrifying abilities of Body Practitioners the most. He would never give him an opportunity to suddenly rush over and injure him again.
He could only place all of his focus onto the flying sword. The flying sword moved faster and faster, such that it was no longer visible. All that remained were countless flashes of light. It formed a net around Li Qingshan.
It kicked up a string of rain-like barrages. Li Qingshan swung the shield left and right, but whenever a flash swept past him, it would always leave behind a deep gash in the shield. In the blink of an eye, the shield had become covered in marks. Its glow dim, already on the edge of falling apart now.
Li Qingshan remained right where he was without moving at all. He knew very well that if he moved, he would definitely reveal an opening, which would give the flying sword an opportunity. And, even if he could draw closer and become embroiled in close combat, he might not necessarily be able to gain the upper hand against an eighth layer Qi Practitioner.
But if he did not move, how was he supposed to win?
He was like a wild beast laying in the grass, silently waiting for an opportunity to present itself. He would not move, but if he did, it would be for a fatal blow.
However, the net pressed closer and closer, and his opportunity instead became less and less likely to appear the longer he waited. He made up his mind. If there was no opportunity, then he would make one. Suddenly, he tossed the shield into the air, knocking the flying sword away. However, his chest was now wide open with that.
A sneer flashed through the masked man’s eyes. The flying sword moved even faster, striking like lightning.
With a ruffle, Li Qingshan unfurled the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and blocked his chest with it, launching several dozen strands of sharp sword qi.
The flying sword collided with a vertical stroke before being sent flying by a horizontal stroke. It was unable to stop the great wave of sword qi.
The masked man shivered inside. As he looked at the Sword Calligraphy that was even slightly stronger than his own, he was stunned, but he really wanted to laugh out crazily afterwards. Never did I think that the reason why this kid spent so much money to buy the Sword Qi Calligraphy was because he possessed another fragment of it.
If regular eighth layer Qi Practitioners faced this sudden wave of sword qi, they would probably have to worry for their own lives. However, this was nothing to him. He shook the Sword Calligraphy in his hand again. Who knows how many times denser his true qi was compared to Li Qingshan’s, so he could use the Sword Calligraphy much more liberally. He did not have to worry about depleting all of his true qi from a single use.
The two waves of sword qi collided in the air, but there was no intense clash, nor did they nullify each other. Instead, they directly merged together, forming a cluster of ink-like black water that varied in shape.
Li Qingshan and the masked man both ravished with joy. This only proved that the two pieces of calligraphy shared the same origin, and that a possibility to merge them existed.
However, this only lasted for a split second. The ball of ink elongated to a certain limit before seemingly losing control over its internal pressure and blowing up again. It formed a ring of sword qi that expanded into the surroundings.
Both of them changed in expression. They did not dare to waste any time at all. Before the sword qi had even arrived, the power had already flooded the surroundings like an avalanche or a tsunami. It had definitely surpassed a supreme grade spiritual artifact in terms of power.
The masked man shot into the sky like a black arrow. It was already too late for Li Qingshan to dodge, so he knelt down on one knee, wielding a shield in his left hand and the Whale’s Ingestion of Water in his right, which condensed an extremely narrow but seven-foot-thick lump of ice even further in front of him.
The wave of sword qi arrived in a flash, expanding to several hundred meters across and destroying all of the surrounding snow and ice. The masked man looked down from above. A black, round figure stood out amidst the white ground. He could not help but gulp as he felt excited for some reason. If he could grasp this power, would there still be any Qi Practitioners that could oppose him?
With a bang, only half of the round shield in Li Qingshan’s hand remained. All of the spiritual qi had dispersed. It was completely destroyed now. As for the lump of ice even further ahead, it had been cut through the centre as easily as a piece of paper.
Li Qingshan was shocked as well. If the sword qi had not shot off in all directions and was under the slight control of the enemy, he would have been a dead man already. Even if he had daemonified, he would still be heavily injured.
Even with that being the case, he had basically destroyed a high grade and low grade spiritual artifact to barely block the sword qi. Fortunately, the weapons of the Whale’s Ingestion of Water were condensed from water and they could self-repair, or it really would have been quite the loss this time.
He raised his head and looked at the masked man in the air. Li Qingshan’s eyes were frigid. The bamboo basket on his back had already vanished.
The masked man watched the bamboo basket whistle over as he felt stunned. He had no idea what trick this was, but he did not dare to lower his guard. Separating his hands, a black strand of qi rushed out and ripped the bamboo basket to shreds.
A speck of cold light flickered like a falling star, ripping through the qi. Before the sword had even arrived, the sword intent seemed to pierce his body. The masked man was astounded as he stiffened up slightly.
Not only had he been stunned by the sword intent, but he was surprised and frightened by it too. The sword intent was clearly the same as the Sword Calligraphy’s. Was there really someone talented enough to comprehend the sword intent within the calligraphy? And, to his disbelief, the wielder was actually a child less than ten years of age.
Li Qingshan was amazed. Since when did this girl’s sword technique reach a level like this? Despite the great distance, he could sense how terrifying the sword intent was. He could not help but wonder just how he would handle it if the sword was directed towards him instead. However, he was unable to come up with a suitable answer.
Of course, he was suited for actual combat and not theory. Only in an actual life-or-death struggle would he be able to unleash all of his potential.
The great threat immediately made the masked man jerk to his senses. He wanted to dodge, but he felt like that was impossible. This was not because he had nothing to push off of. A casual spurt of true qi from an eighth layer Qi Practitioner could blast them ten meters away.
Xiao An wielded the sword with her white, tender hand as she directed the tip at the masked man. The tip was no longer straight. Instead, the edge constantly trembled.
Li Qingshan found this to be extremely familiar. He suddenly remembered how Xiao An laid on the ground in the private box and her hand constantly trembled as she drew in the air.
As it turned out, Xiao An had already patched up a portion of the sword intent from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy after obtaining the Sword Qi Calligraphy. And, when he clashed against the masked man, she had been hiding in the bamboo basket, but she could still see the outside world clearly.
With a single glance, she had managed to take in the strokes on the masked man’s copy of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy clearly. And, she even felt the sword qi that it had released up close.
To regular people, all of that had just happened in a split second. They would not have noticed anything. However, to her, a mere glance was already enough.
All geniuses needed was instantaneous comprehension. The three fragments of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy joined together in her mind, condensing into this one strike. It already possessed a sliver of the ancient sword immortal’s sword intent.
In that flash, in the face of a devastating attack, it was already too late for the flying sword to save him, and it was too late for him to pull out a talisman. The masked man extended his hand in a crazed panic, releasing all of his true qi and black qi that swirled and rushed out like a tornado.
Just like in the private box, the tip of the sword suddenly stopped trembling. All of the strokes gathered into a powerful stab.
Xiao An brushed past the masked man and both of them fell out of the sky.
Li Qingshan rushed over in a hurry and caught Xiao An. She was pouring with sweat, and her fragrance of sandalwood grew heavier and heavier. Her eyes were dim, but still clear. She was just exhausted.
The masked man did a flip and landed firmly on the ground. He pointed at Li Qingshan, and then at Xiao An. “You-” The moment he uttered a single word, blood spurted from his throat, almost reaching Li Qingshan.
He trembled a few times before collapsing.
With a great rumble, several hundred trees gradually tilted and collapsed. The thunderous sound reverberated through the valley.
At the same time, Xiao An’s hidden blade turned to dust, dispersing in the wind. The might of the strike earlier was not something a low grade spiritual artifact could withstand. It had sapped all of her energy as well.
However, the result was instantly killing an eighth layer Qi Practitioner.
Xiao An stared at Li Qingshan and raised her chin. “I meant it!”
Li Qingshan stroked her nose with his index finger1. “Alright, whatever you say!”
The flying sword fell out of the sky like a dead snake. With a gust of true qi, it fell into Li Qingshan’s hand. At the same time, he picked up the hundred treasures pouch and fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy from the ground. A stream of fire flew out from the tip of Xiao An’s finger, entering the corpse and destroying all traces of it. She immediately recovered with that.
Li Qingshan said, “People are going to come very soon. We can’t stay here. Let’s go!”
He had managed to kill a powerful enemy without transforming, obtaining a spiritual artifact he could only dream of. However, for some reason, the sense of danger did not disperse. Instead, it continued to loom over him like a dark cloud, which was why he chose to leave immediately.
The two of them disappeared into the messy valley. A while later, a group of Qi Practitioners arrived and stared at the scenery in shock. They all looked at one another. Were there Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting here earlier?
Only the leading Qi Practitioner frowned slightly. He was young and his face was chiseled like jade. Surprisingly, he had already reached the ninth layer. Even though practising qi could delay ageing, it was possible to tell that he could not be too old. With his age, he could be labelled as a genius wherever he went.
He asked indifferently, “Song Ming, are you certain it was this direction?”
He wore the same uniform from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain as Song Ming. However, he had three tail feathers embroidered on his chest, one more than Song Ming. The other Qi Practitioners all gathered around him, and all of them were disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain.
Song Ming stepped forward politely. “Yes, first senior brother. Quite a few people saw it with their own eyes. It can’t be wrong.”
The first senior brother asked, “Then where is he right now?” His voice was very nonchalant, but that originated from his absolute confidence in his own strength.
Song Ming hesitated. “He… must be nearby.”
Before the first senior brother could even say anything, another Qi Practitioner had already spoken, “Junior brother Song, the Herb Gathering ceremony is about to begin. Who has the time to search for someone with you? We’re avenging you right now, so use your head a little.”
Fury surfaced on Song Ming’s face, but he was afraid of losing his temper, as the person who said that to him was also a core disciple of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, and he was at the seventh layer.
The first senior brother raised his hand, silencing everyone. “Harassing Song Ming is no different from harassing all the disciples of our Pheasant’s Grace mountain. As the first senior brother, I must stand up for you. I must settle this grievance!”
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1. I can’t really translate it properly, but Li Qingshan stroked her nose in this context as a form of punishment. He basically used the second joint of his index finger to do it, which can hurt if you do it hard. It’s often used as a punishment for games among friends.
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Chapter 230 – The Truth-seeking Society
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Chapter 230 – The Truth-seeking Society
“Benevolent be the first senior brother!” “No wonder senior brother is already destined to become the future sect master!” “Our Pheasant’s Grace mountain will definitely end up leading the three mountains!” “What leading the three mountains? With first senior brother’s talent, it’ll be a piece of cake for him to condense a golden core and turn the Pheasant’s Grace mountain into a mid level sect.”
Among all the flattery, Song Ming also said in a hurry, “Thank you, first senior brother.” However, he knew very well that if it were not for the sake of a hundred treasures pouch worth several thousand spiritual stones, his arrogant first senior brother would have never stood up for him. If the first senior brother even had a minute of spare time, he would spend it all on cultivation.
The snow began to fall again.
The spring water gurgled, flowing beneath the frozen snow, which was why it was called the Quiet Spring.
Under the embrace of the snowy mountains, several delicate houses sat within a small valley. It seemed like a settlement in wonderland. A few Qi Practitioners with loose robes and tight sashes walked around elegantly and gracefully, talking and drinking with one another. They were as cheerful as they could get.
Suddenly, everyone turned around. A huge figure emerged from the forest. His steps were heavy, completely lacking the elegance and grace of Qi Practitioners. Just like a vicious beast had emerged from the forest, the Qi Practitioners all raised their guard.
“Who are you? This is the base of the Truth-seeking society.”
Li Qingshan said loudly, “I’ve come to see Han Xiong.” His voice boomed through the entire valley.
Han Xiong emerged from a hut and beamed with joy as soon as he saw Li Qingshan. “Fellow Niu, you’ve finally come!”
Li Qingshan nodded. “I’ve come to take a look.”
Han Xiong introduced him to the Qi Practitioners in a hurry. When they heard he was the infamous Niu Juxia, all of them were amazed. They looked at one another and smiled before gathering in the largest hut with Li Qingshan.
The hut had a timber floor. Everyone sat on the ground. There was a charcoal fire at the centre, which currently heated some alcohol and cooked some food. Warmth and a delicious fragrance filled the entire room.
To be able to find such a place in this snowy weather, even Li Qingshan relaxed slightly.
Han Xiong said, “Please wait, sir. I’ll go fetch the leader of our association.”
A while later, even more Qi Practitioners entered, approximately twenty of them. A group of Qi Practitioners all chattered away at Li Qingshan at the same time, filled with great enthusiasm. Two female cultivators even delivered a bowl of warm alcohol and a serving of soup filled with meat.
Li Qingshan sniffed it and praised, “Nice alcohol!” He drank all of it and ate all the meat, but he said nothing more.
The Qi Practitioners saw how he was reluctant to speak, so they did not force him to. They all began to chatter among themselves. Most of them spoke about the Herb Gathering ceremony. As it turned out, they planned on forming a small group to venture underground together, but their gazes constantly hovered around Li Qingshan.
However, Li Qingshan seemed to ignore all of it. He sat by the fire like a statue, allowing the swaying firelight to project his shadow onto the wall.
Before long, Han Xiong brought an old man over. The old man was as skinny as a monkey, but he wore a set of large, spacious robes for a daoist priest. He really did seem like he had stolen them from somewhere. Han Xiong had to bend over in order to whisper into his ear.
However, the independent cultivators all seemed to respect him very much. When they saw him enter, they all called out, “Leader!”
Li Qingshan looked over as well. A seventh layer Qi Practitioner was quite a rare master among these independent cultivators. Apart from the old man, there were two sixth layer Qi Practitioners too. The three of them seemed to be the leaders of these people.
Han Xiong said in a hurry, “Fellow Niu, this is the leader of our Truth-seeking society, priest Qiu.” Seeing how Li Qingshan had no intention to greet him, he became slightly awkward.
Slurp, slurp. Li Qingshan had his head lowered to drink the alcohol. Who knew what he was thinking.
Priest Qiu conveniently closed the door, and the whistling wind and snow from outside immediately subsided. This room seemed to have become a sealed world of its own.
Afterwards, he chuckled. “You must be fellow Niu, right? Most esteemed greetings from this lowly priest!” He was completely unfazed by Li Qingshan’s rudeness.
Li Qingshan nodded slightly. “Hi.”
Priest Qiu said, “Your presence truly is an honour to our humble Truth-seeking society. We’ve gathered many people of virtue today as well, so we definitely won’t disappoint you.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m just taking a look.”
Priest Qiu also sat down by the fire. “Hehe, it’s fine if you just want to take a look. Let me tell you about our Truth-seeking society’s purpose. By truth-seeking, we mean…”
He went on a long ramble, giving an impassioned speech. He said something like everyone was brothers and sisters, as well as how evil sects were, harassing and abusing our brothers and sisters. As such, everyone needed to band together.
The shifty-looking old man seemed to become surrounded by a halo as he spoke, filled with absolute charm. As he spoke, he seemed to incite everyone on. The independent cultivators all raised their heads and were moved by his speech.
Li Qingshan had a heart of steel, so he could not be moved so easily. However, he found this to be somewhat familiar.
Priest Qiu suddenly stopped and asked Li Qingshan, “Fellow Niu, don’t you think so too?”
Immediately, over twenty pairs of eyes locked onto Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan replied, “It is?”
Everyone was delighted. Priest Qiu continued, “I’ve cultivated for a century, and from my observations of the cultivation world, the greatest issue is everyone’s selfishness. They treat cultivation methods like their personal treasures, only passing it onto their disciples. In the end, a lot of talented people live their whole lives in obscurity at the very bottom of the world. They are also directly responsible for a lot of cultivation methods becoming lost!”
The independent cultivators all nodded. They were the people with talent; it was only because none of them had inherited anything that they were reduced to independent cultivators.
“If we tear down the prejudices of clans and sects and share our cultivation methods and understandings with the entire cultivation world, such that all seniors serve as the teachers of juniors, wouldn’t the cultivation world prosper and develop? There would not be a lot of fighting and killing in the cultivation world either. In under a century, cultivators will definitely increase by a hundred fold in quantity and quality. By then, slaughtering all the daemons and demons in the world would pose no difficulty.”
His magnificent ideology made the independent cultivators extremely excited.
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised as well. Originally, he believed that this was just an alliance between independent cultivators, but never did he think that they possessed such a grand dream, and this dream was highly unrealistic. If it really did come true, it would not be far from eternal unity and peace.
Priest Qiu said sternly, “Of course, it’ll be very difficult, but as long as we work hard, there will always be hope. Our Truth-seeking society is the hope of the cultivation world!”
Afterwards was time for the independent cultivators to share their thoughts. A man stood up. “Originally, I was only a second layer Qi Practitioner. Ever since I joined the Truth-seeking society, I managed to benefit tremendously from the conversations with everyone else. I broke through recently to the third layer!”
There was a series of cheers and applause. The other Qi Practitioners all stood up and spoke as well. There would be cheering and applause after every single person. The room was immersed in the enthusiastic atmosphere.
In the end, it was Li Qingshan’s turn. He shook his head, expressing that he had nothing to say.
The independent cultivators refused to accept that. They all pressed him together. “Speak, speak, speak, speak, speak…”
Li Qingshan frowned slightly. Priest Qiu raised his hand, and the voices immediately stopped.
“Since fellow Niu is reluctant to speak, allow me to say something instead. No matter how the cultivation world wants to develop, or how each individual wants to improve themselves, the most, most crucial part of it all is forgoing your selfishness.” Priest Qiu extended a fist towards Li Qingshan before loosening it.
“Only by opening your fist can you hold even more. If you show others kindness, they will return it to you. In simpler words, only with sacrifice can you obtain more!”
Priest Qiu clapped his hands. “It’s time for everyone to share now. Let’s all take out our things! Fellow Niu, as long as you need anything, just mention it.”
The independent cultivators followed the same order as before, taking items out from their hundred treasures pouches to share. It could be spiritual herbs, or it could be pills. When it reached a female cultivator’s turn, she suddenly unbuttoned her clothes, revealing her full chest. She wanted to share her body. As long as someone needed to, they could visit her in her room. It utterly stunned Li Qingshan.
The female cultivator saw Li Qingshan’s expression and said proudly, “We’re all brothers and sisters. In this lonely world, we must seek comfort from one another. My body can bring satisfaction to you all, while I myself can find happiness too, so why not?”
It led to a series of praises. She raised her chest even higher, as if a much nobler spirit had replaced the unsophisticated beliefs of society. She seemed to rise up to the level of a holy maiden.
Li Qingshan grimaced. He said nothing. He just felt that he had sure seen a lot of strange things today.
The entire process unfolded in an extremely harmonious atmosphere. There were no disputes or arguments, holding goodwill to everyone else. When two or three Qi Practitioners wanted the same item, they would immediately take a step back and let each other have it. Probably even brothers connected by blood were not so friendly to one another.
Even across his two lives, Li Qingshan had never seen so many amicable, modest and polite people before.
Every single person smiled happily. In this lonely cultivation world, it was just fantastic to be able to treat each other warmly and lovingly.
In the end, it was Li Qingshan’s turn again.
Having remained silent throughout the entire process, Li Qingshan said again, “I have nothing to share!”
As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the warmth and happiness, everyone’s faces changed. Over twenty pairs of eyes stared at him coldly.
Priest Qiu said, “Don’t forget what I said. Only with sacrifice can you obtain more. All you need to do is hand your heart to someone else, and they’ll hand their heart back to you.”
Han Xiong said, “Fellow Niu, didn’t you buy the version of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi complete with comprehensions, and the Book of All? What’s wrong with taking those out and sharing with us?”
The eyes of all the independent cultivators lit up. The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi complete with comprehensions was the holy grail among independent cultivators who practised Gui Water true qi, while the Book of All could be described as something that all independent cultivators required. However, these two books were just too expensive, so regular independent cultivators could not afford them.
Li Qingshan shook his head firmly. “I don’t want to share!” He had spent almost two hundred spiritual stones to purchase these two books, so there was no reason for him to share it with someone else for free. If all the books in the world really were just shared like this, Sun Fubai would have been put out of business a long time ago.
Though, he did not mind exchanging them with someone, but none of the items that the independent cultivators took out were worth much. Not a single one caught his attention. They were worth a few spiritual stones at most. These people probably did not try to keep anything good to themselves either. They were just poor.
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Chapter 231 – Is that All?
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Chapter 231 – Is that All?
There was nothing wrong with the weak wanting to band together, but the strong would never want to share fairly with the weak. At least, Li Qingshan did not. His proud, lonely heart did not need the ‘warmth’ of so many strangers. Just Xiao An alone was enough for his family.
The expressions of the independent cultivators all changed. The female cultivator who wanted to share her body earlier cursed under her breath in anger, “Selfish!”
All of the independent cultivators chanted with her. “Selfish!” “Selfish!” “Selfish!”
The waves of sounds rolled out, wrapping around Li Qingshan. As the flames rose up, the shadows projected on the walls twisted and distorted, as if they were demons that wanted to lunge at him.
Li Qingshan lifted the fire iron and picked at the fire. He asked, “What did you add to the fire?”
Priest Qiu was slightly surprised. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Li Qingshan said, “Your voice is very special as well. It made me remember some matters of the past.” The singing, the dance, and the incense from the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in Jiaping city were what he remembered. Having experienced it once already, he would be a fool if he fell for it a second time.
Priest Qiu lowered his head. “If you join our Truth-seeking society, I can make you the vice leader.” The two sixth layer Qi Practitioners wanted to say something, but they both seized up when priest Qiu glanced at them.
“Oh?” Li Qinghan smiled. “I can join, but let me ask you one thing. Will you be venturing underground as well for the Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains?”
Priest Qiu smiled. “I’m already too old.”
Han Xiong said, “The leader is our father, the hope of the cultivation world. How can he enter such a dangerous place? We will find the spiritual herbs ourselves and bring them back to share.”
He was originally a clever, capable man, but his eyes were filled with devotion right now. And, what he said led to an echo of agreement.
Li Qingshan’s heart was like a clear mirror. The strongest did not venture underground, only waiting for the weak to risk their lives. The weak would gather the herbs to bring them back to the strong. This relationship was nothing like a father and son’s. It was clearly a master-slave relationship.
Priest Qiu had used this Truth-seeking society to enslave all of the independent cultivators here. Even more terrifyingly, these independent cultivators completely embraced it, like crazed zealots. They had been completely brainwashed. This was not something that could be achieved in a short amount of time.
Under the threatening glares of the Qi Practitioners, Li Qingshan shook his head. “You and I don’t share the same path.”
Priest Qiu said sinisterly, “The selfish have no right to live in this world!”
The killing intent was so heavily condensed that it was almost tangible. The specks of firelight dimmed, finally extinguished.
There were over twenty Qi Practitioners, varying in strength, but just like what they had said earlier, they were brothers and sisters. Their true qi merged together, all gathering onto the body of their father, priest Qiu.
Priest Qiu’s true qi rapidly increased. It easily broke through the level of the eighth layer, reaching the ninth layer and then the tenth layer. The powerful, terrifying true qi surpassed Li Qingshan’s understanding of Qi Practitioners. It rushed towards him like a raging wave.
This seemed to be some wondrous combined attack. No wonder he was still so oppressive towards Li Qingshan even though he knew Li Qingshan had defeated a sixth layer Qi Practitioner in a single strike.
Li Qingshan felt like a straw hut by the ocean, almost about to be smashed to pieces by the incoming tidal wave. He rubbed his forehead gently. Was this the feeling?
Priest Qiu said, “Look how powerful I am. If you continue to cling to your ignorance, refusing to let go of your selfishness, only death awaits you. Open your mind and join us. Merge with us. You will be protected by the family!”
As he said that, the independent cultivators actually all said the same thing. The thunderous sound wave shook up the tiny hut, almost as if it wanted to crush all dissent.
The walls of the tiny hut flickered with light and glyphs. It had been inscribed with some sort of formation, such that it was impregnable. Li Qingshan seemed to be trapped in a cage with a monster.
Li Qingshan straightened himself up and knelt on the ground on one knee. He held the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and shook his head. “Is that all?”
“Kill him!” Priest Qiu bellowed out.
The Qi Practitioners all rushed over like they were crazy. There were techniques, talismans, and spiritual artifacts, a great assortment of items shining with various colours and lights. They all rushed towards Li Qingshan to kill him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Sparks and fire flew everywhere!
The wild gusts of wind sucked the extinguished ashes high into the air.
By the time the dust in the air had dispersed, an ice ball had appeared where Li Qingshan previously stood. He had curled up and hid himself in the ball, so he was unscathed.
Priest Qiu raised his head, and the surging true qi condensed into a great hand, gripping the ice ball.
Crack! Crack! The ice ball became riddled with cracks. Even the ice from the Ice Condensate water was unable to withstand the terrifying force of over twenty Qi Practitioners.
The crystal ball shattered to pieces, and the hand of true qi grabbed Li Qingshan, pressing him firmly against the ground.
Blood spurted from Li Qingshan’s mouth. He questioned, “You never planned on sparing me right from the beginning, did you?!”
“Originally, I wanted to control you so that I could use your power and obtain your items, but I didn’t expect you’d be so pigheaded. Is there anything you want to say now?” Priest Qiu walked over and looked at the immobilised Li Qingshan. His face was filled with a victor’s complacency.
Li Qingshan said indifferently, “Is that all?”
Priest Qiu said furiously, “Die!”
Xiao An crouched down unhappily in the snowy forest beside the valley. She used a branch to draw on the snowy ground. Due to the destroyed bamboo basket, Li Qingshan made her wait here.
However, ever since Li Qingshan entered the hut, his aura had completely vanished. It made her somewhat uneasy.
Suddenly, this feeling of uneasiness intensified for seemingly no reason at all. Xiao An suddenly stood up and stared at the hut in the distance. After a moment of hesitation, she made her way towards the hut.
However, she suddenly seemed to sense something. She crouched down again as she carefully observed the surroundings. Two prayer beads rolled out of her sleeves and they turned into two extremely small skulls. One flew into the air, while the other pressed along the ground.
Flames flickered in her eyes. Her field of vision immediately became extremely broad, covering the entire valley, but it was extremely detailed as well. She could even see every blade of grass on the ground.
White bone and great beauty could see through all illusions!
Immediately, she saw over a dozen Qi Practitioners secretly lurking in the surroundings. They had all used powerful concealing techniques, such that they were almost transparent. In this white world of snow, even people with extremely good vision would struggle to discover their traces.
However, Xiao An was able to see them extremely clearly thanks to her ability. She could not help but worry. She had no idea how to contact Li Qingshan.
Priest Qiu’s complacent expression stiffened. He gazed at the terrifying wound on his chest in disbelief. Li Qingshan continued to lie there, staring at him coldly.
By Li Qingshan’s hand was an unfurled Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
In the moment that priest Qiu had struck out, the criss-crossing strokes of sword qi had sliced through his protective true qi like a hot knife through butter.
Priest Qiu said in disbelief, “I- is that a supreme grade spiritual artifact?” Why did a weaker Qi Practitioner possess such a rare treasure?
Li Qingshan stood up and pushed priest Qiu gently. “I’ve said already, is that all?”
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Chapter 232 – Remnants of the White Lotus
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Chapter 232 – Remnants of the White Lotus
Priest Qiu collapsed on the ground as blood flowed from his body. His eyes were wide open, dying with many regrets.
All of the independent cultivators in the surroundings were stunned. Li Qingshan shook his head. This was indeed a very terrifying move, but locking him in this tiny hut was their biggest mistake.
If priest Qiu had used the true qi to launch techniques from afar, Li Qingshan would find it very troublesome, but at such a close range, it was impossible for him to dodge the terrifying sword qi from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. He did not even have the chance to use any techniques.
At the end of the day, priest Qiu was still a seventh layer Qi Practitioner, not a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. His reaction was even worse than the masked man from before. How could the protective true qi that had not been refined in any fashion at all block the sword qi?
“Leader!” Han Xiong roared out and lunged at Li Qingshan.
Spurt! The ice blade ran through Han Xiong’s body, and the tip protruded from his back. With bloodshot eyes, Han Xiong continued to advance forwards, wanting to grab Li Qingshan’s shoulders.
However, his body rapidly froze under Li Qingshan’s icy gaze, turning into a statue of ice. His face was blue and pale, vicious like a ghost’s.
Li Qingshan twisted the hilt of the blade, and the statue of ice shattered, scattering on the ground. Pieces of Han Xiong covered the timber floor of the hut.
The ice blade rapidly vanished, appearing behind Li Qingshan and beheading a Qi Practitioner who swung his sword at Li Qingshan. A series of sharp howls, like ripping air, rang out at this moment.
With priest Qiu’s death, all of the independent cultivators became enraged. Death was no longer a concept to them. Li Qingshan was the murderer of their father.
Several dozen hands extended out with the furious glares of several dozen eyes. The room seemed to spin. Li Qingshan felt slightly dizzy as he stood in the centre.
Was this the feeling?
According to his mind, the ice blade turned into a blueish-white blur.
Seven hands flew into the air. Four legs were severed. A young man was cut into two pieces, while the independent cultivator who wanted to share her body earlier was directly bisected along the waist. Fortunately, none of them could feel any pain, as the coldness infiltrated their bodies, freezing their corpses and shattering them as they hit the ground.
It sounded like someone had thrown a pile of glassware onto the ground.
From life to death, it only took an instant. The moment they struck the ground, they were reduced to pieces of ice.
A flying sword pierced the blur, shooting directly towards Li Qingshan’s temples. Without even looking back, Li Qingshan raised his hand and caught the flying sword. The flying sword trembled like a small snake, but it was unable to break free.
Li Qingshan tilted his head and made eye contact with the sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had released the flying sword. He tossed it conveniently, and the flying sword shot over uncontrollably, penetrating deep into the wooden door. The end of the sword vibrated.
The other sixth layer Qi Practitioner had thrown himself on the ground in a panic. He wanted to open the formation to flee earlier. If it were not for his swift reaction, he would have lost his head.
The two of them were central figures to the Truth-seeking society. Perhaps due to their greater strength, the control on them was weaker. They were not as crazed as the regular cultivators who charged over recklessly with priest Qiu’s death. One of them wanted to launch a sneak attack, while the other wanted to flee.
Li Qingshan gripped the hilt with his left hand as well, wielding it with two hands now. The tip of the blade slanted behind him as he crouched down slightly.
Li Qingshan vanished, and a cold gust of wind kicked up the icy power. Like a roaring ice dragon, it rushed towards the sixth layer Qi Practitioner who tried to launch a sneak attack on him.
All of the independent cultivators in the path of the ice dragon were ripped to shreds, becoming a part of the icy powder.
The sixth layer Qi Practitioner was shocked. His reaction was quite fast though. He took out a Scarlet Flame talisman and activated it as he roared out, “Die!”
The sixth layer Qi Practitioner at the entrance cried out, “Don’t!”
The Scarlet Flame talisman had already sprayed out flames that resembled a fire dragon.
The ice dragon and the fire dragon collided.
Boom!
The entire valley rumbled.
The quiet, little hut that sat in the valley had its ceiling blown several meters into the air by the blast wave, ripped to pieces. White smoke rose from the hut. Due to the formation, most of the structure of the hut remained intact, but it was charred everywhere.
The dozen or so figures that silently approached the place fell to the ground in a hurry, looking at the hut nearby in shock. They had no idea what had happened.
Xiao An eased up slightly. She could already sense Li Qingshan’s aura.
The Whale’s Ingestion of Water in Li Qingshan’s hand had turned into a strange shape. The back of the blade expanded in all directions, forming a great ball of ice that enveloped Li Qingshan. It was very thin, but it was enough to block the explosion of the Scarlet Flame talisman. As for the long edge of the blade, it had already nailed the sixth layer Qi Practitioner against the charred wall.
The Whale’s Ingestion of Water blade was just too useful to him. With his ability to react in battle, he managed to make complete use of the blade’s ability to transform.
However, because he was only at the fourth layer, he was unable to control the high grade spiritual artifact completely. If he did not cultivate Gui Water true qi and his true qi was not extremely pure, it would be impossible for him to unleash such power.
Li Qingshan drew out the blade, and the Qi Practitioner slid down from the wall, hitting the ground with a thump.
Li Qingshan looked back. The only person left alive in the room was the sixth layer Qi Practitioner at the entrance, but he was also heavily injured. The wooden door he wanted to open had been blasted open. The formation had completely fallen apart. He crawled outwards with difficulty.
The other independent cultivators had all been reduced to charred fragments in the explosion.
Just like how a Lightning Summoning talisman would achieve extraordinary results in stormy weather, the tiny room sealed by the formation concentrated and restrained the power of the Scarlet Flame talisman in here, squeezing and condensing it. Even sixth layer Qi Practitioners would become heavily injured if they did not possess a defensive spiritual artifact.
Li Qingshan held his blade as he walked over slowly. The Qi Practitioner looked back in fear as he did everything that he could to mobilise the remaining amount of true qi in him.
“D- don’t kill me. I was forced into this.”
However, Li Qingshan did not stop. There was no expression on his face either, but there was a sliver of confusion in his eyes, as if he was contemplating a question he just could not understand. He arrived near the Qi Practitioner and lifted his blade.
“Stop! The Hawkwolf Guard is here!” The dozen or so people leapt out from the snowy landscape, drawing their blades with a series of swishes. Reflecting the sunlight, the Wind-entwining blades all pointed at Li Qingshan. Nine Wolf Fang flying blades hovered in the air, ready to strike at any time.
The concealing technique faded away, revealing their Black Hawk and Wolf uniforms. All of them were commanders, while the leading man wore a scarlet uniform. He was a scarlet wolf. He did not have a blade in his hand. Instead, a thin chain wrapped around it, shining with light.
“Argh!” There was a momentary shriek. Li Qingshan let his blade fall, and the Qi Practitioner’s head rolled down the steps of the hut.
“How dare you!” The man in the scarlet uniform was furious. The chain in his hand immediately grew thicker and longer and straightened with a rattle. The end of the chain turned into a snake’s head that bit towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan tilted his head slightly, dodging the snake head, but the chain suddenly changed directions mid-air. It wrapped around him before suddenly tightening, trapping Li Qingshan firmly. The snake’s head bit into Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
Li Qingshan’s Gui Water true qi immediately seemed to freeze up. He was unable to mobilise it anymore.
The man in the scarlet uniform rejoiced as his lips curled into a sneer. The Python Constrictor chains were a high grade spiritual artifact he had exchanged for after completing so many missions. He could wield it as he wished, so it was much more useful than a regular flying sword. Once it wrapped around the opponent, it could seal up their true qi. A Qi Practitioner without any true qi obviously could not fight back. With this spiritual artifact, he had caught many vicious criminals in the past.
The other Black Iron Hawk and Wolf commanders all eased up. Only a pretty woman frowned slightly. She wore the uniform of a Black Wolf commander, and her cultivation was only at the fifth layer. Among these people, she was basically the weakest of the bunch.
However, when she looked at the extraordinarily large man and then the ruins behind him, she felt doubt.
According to the lead, a remnant of the White Lotus cult, Qiu Ruiliu, should have been here, with several dozen independent cultivators he had recruited to his side. Qiu Ruiliu was only a seventh layer Qi Practitioner, so the Hawkwolf Guard of the prefectural city had sent a single scarlet wolf and mobilised the commanders from the surrounding Hawkwolf Guards to provide assistance.
While the White Lotus cult was the sworn enemy of all of the Hawkwolf Guards of the Ruyi commandery, the higher-ups had mobilised such a great force for a single Qiu Ruiliu, which only demonstrated how difficult of a target he was to deal with. Now, all of these people seemed to have died, slain by this man. However, she clearly noticed that even though this man had been wrapped up in the chains, he did not panic at all.
“Get over here!” The man in the scarlet uniform tugged the Python Constrictor chains. The chains became taut, but he immediately became stunned. Li Qingshan did not move at all.
“You get over here!” Li Qingshan grabbed the metal chains and tugged hard.
The man in the scarlet uniform felt a tremendous force, so great that he was unable to oppose it at all, reach him through the chains. Caught off-guard, he was pulled into the air. He felt disbelief. All the strength a Qi Practitioner possessed originated from their true qi. How was it possible that he still possessed such terrifying power after his true qi was sealed up?
Li Qingshan thought, I won’t lose to anyone else when it comes to physical strength, but why has the Hawkwolf guard appeared here? Have they discovered my identity, wanting to capture me?
He glanced past all the Hawkwolf guards and suddenly stopped on the pretty woman. Qian Rongzhi! He never thought she would come as well, but she seemed to have failed to recognise him. That also meant they had not come for him, so he eased up slightly.
Apart from Qian Rongzhi, the other commanders were all stunned. Although Wu Gen was just a Scarlet Wolf guard and not a commander, he was still half a rank higher than black iron commanders like them, and he was much stronger too, having reached the eighth layer. They were extremely envious of the high grade spiritual artifact in his hand, the Python Constrictor chains, too. But never did they think that he would actually fail to take down an unknown independent cultivator.
They came to Wu Gen’s rescue in a hurry. The flying blades shot forward, while those who could not control flying blades charged forward with their Wind-entwining blades.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Be careful! This person is endowed with physical strength! He might be a Body Practitioner!”
Wu Gen was unscathed as he flew through the air, but he was utterly humiliated before so many subordinates, which made him turn red. Furious from the humiliation he had suffered, he controlled the Python Constrictor chains to shrink around him, wanting to constrict Li Qingshan to death. He completely ignored Qian Rongzhi’s words. He refused to believe that someone with some physical strength could break free from his Python Constrictor chains.
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Chapter 233 – Utter Confusion
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Chapter 233 – Utter Confusion
Li Qingshan immediately felt his body tighten. He tried to wriggle, but the chains refused to budge. He knew that he could not break free from a high quality spiritual artifact with his current strength. He would only have a chance if he daemonified.
In the blink of an eye, nine flying swords attacked him from different directions.
Time seemed to slow down. The flying blades spun slowly. Their ear-piercing screeches were stretched into a long, deep note. The sharp blade reflected in his clear eyes, only half an inch away.
Li Qingshan threw himself onto the ground, and the flying blades brushed past his face.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! With great splendor, the flying blades produced a series of flashes above his head.
If they were just hidden weapons, Li Qingshan would have dodged the attack successfully. Unfortunately, they were spiritual artifacts controlled by sixth layer Qi Practitioners.
The flying blades stopped above Li Qingshan’s head at the same time. The blades swiveled and fell downwards.
Li Qingshan rolled along the ground. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Flying swords stabbed into the ground where he had just rolled past one after another, throwing him into even greater danger.
He remained extremely calm, while the confusion in his eyes seemed to deepen. Was this the danger that he sensed? Why was she here? And why was he encircled by these people?
He had been sold out, hunted down, coerced, and encircled. All of this should have been very clear, but it seemed to become complicated, like a real mess!
He thought hard, but he never stopped moving. He had already aimed the Whale’s Ingestion of Water at the chains behind him, spurting out Ice Condensate water. With the final bit of Gui Water true qi within the spiritual artifact, he covered the chains in a thick layer of ice.
Li Qingshan drew in his body. By the time the chains had ripped through the ice, he had already broken free. His true qi immediately returned to normal. He forcefully twisted his body and dodged the flying blades by a hair’s breadth again, backing into the hut in a flash.
The hut was not made of regular wood. Although the formation had been destroyed, it was still as tough as steel, offering him temporary shelter.
The Whale’s Ingestion of Water produced a crystal blade. Li Qingshan frowned and yelled out, “Just because you’re Hawkwolf guards, doesn’t mean you can treat other people’s life like they’re worth nothing!”
The man in the scarlet uniform, Wu Gen, was surprised. He never thought there would be a person who could escape from his Python Constrictor chains. He saw the spiritual artifact in Li Qingshan’s hand, and a thought flashed through his head. He raised his hand. “Stop the attacks! Surround him!”
The Hawkwolf guards immediately obeyed the order. They rose up into the air and surrounded the hut.
Only then did Wu Gen say, “We’ve come to capture a surviving member of the White Lotus cult, Qiu Ruiliu. I think you’re one of the surviving members of the White Lotus cult, so how dare you resist capture? You’re just looking to die!”
Li Qingshan had never imagined that priest Qiu would possess a background like that. Now that he thought about it, his speech really did seem like an evil cult luring their followers around.
“Qiu Ruiliu? Are you talking about a skinny daoist priest? He has already been killed by me. Do you have any evidence to say that I’m a follower of the White Lotus cult?”
The Hawkwolf guards all shuddered. Their target was already dead. Was this true?
“You managed to kill the follower of the White Lotus cult just by yourself? I don’t believe it. As for the evidence, we’ll know once we go back and investigate you. Surrender yourself right now, and we’ll keep you alive. Our Hawkwolf Guard will never convict an innocent man. After we investigate you properly, we will obviously let you go!”
Wu Gen claimed he was not convinced, but he was already slightly convinced inside. He managed to break free from their encirclement. Just that alone was not something a regular Qi Practitioner could do. If he could take down an enemy like that with wit, then it would be for the best. He wanted to use the authority of the Hawkwolf Guard to frighten him, and once he was captured, he would be at their whim. Wu Gen had already done this plenty of times in the past.
Li Qingshan said, “What a joke. We’re all Qi Practitioners. Why would we ever place our lives in the hands of others?”
Wu Gen smiled viciously. “Then there’s nothing more to say. Get him!” He refused to believe he could not capture a single person with so many people on his side.
“Wait!”
Wu Gen frowned, and only when he saw it was Qian Rongzhi did he ease up slightly. “Rongzhi, what do you want to say?”
“Sir, don’t we have a Nighthawk nearby? We can just get him to take a look and check. It won’t be good if we get the wrong person,” Qian Rongzhi said with some worry.
Wu Gen frowned heavily. Women would always be women. They were just too soft-hearted. This person was clearly well-off. If he could capture him first and ask about his origins, then he could die as a casualty of the Truth-seeking society if he did not have a particularly powerful background. Wouldn’t that be better? However, he obviously could not say that in front of so many commanders, so he sank into his thoughts.
“Senior brother, Rongzhi is right. We should get to the bottom of this. We have to be sure we don’t capture someone innocent!” said a square-faced young man from beside Qian Rongzhi.
Only then did Wu Gen finally nod. “Alright. Send the signal and summon him here!”
The square-faced young man was the new Black Hawk commander of Jiaping city. He also originated from the Academy of the Hundred Schools, just like Wu Gen, which was why he called him “senior brother”. Compared to the other Black Hawk commanders, he was much younger, so he possessed quite the talent. It would not be too difficult for his cultivation to increase by a few more layers. He would be naturally recalled to the Clear River city after a few years of toughening up outside, promoted to scarlet bronze.
Because of their many years of friendship, Wu Gen obviously respected his opinion much more. Normally, he would not scold him unless there was good reason to.
Before long, a Black Wolf guard emerged from the forest and bowed constantly. “I’m Zhou Pei. Greetings, sirs.”
The square-faced young man asked, “Zhou Pei, do you know this person? Hey big man, come out and see if he knows you!”
Li Qingshan found the voice to be somewhat familiar, but he was unable to recall where he had heard it from. He arrived at the entrance in a flash and looked at the Black Wolf guard. Both of them called out at the same time,
“Zhou Wei!” “Niu Juxia!”
This Zhou Pei happened to be the Qi Practitioner who did not really like talking beside Han Xiong when he saw him the other day, Zhou Wei. He never thought he was actually a Nighthawk.
A Nighthawk was a hawk that never saw the light of day. It was a special position within the Hawkwolf Guard. They used various different identities to infiltrate various organisations so that they could collect information and undergo investigations.
It was possible to construct an information network by bribing people of the jianghu among the world of regular people, but only cultivators could achieve something like constructing a similar network in the cultivation world.
Because this line of work was very tiresome, not only forced to remain undercover but also under constant threat to their lives, everyone was known as “hawks” regardless of their cultivation.
Li Qingshan had only heard a rough introduction regarding it when he joined the Hawkwolf Guard. This was the first time he had seen someone like this.
Zhou Wei, or Zhou Pei, immediately reported everything that had happened in the bookstore and restaurant the other day, proving that Li Qingshan had indeed been fooled here and was not a part of the Truth-seeking society. After saying that, he stood to one side with his head lowered. All he did was glance at Li Qingshan in surprise. He had never thought he would actually be able to destroy the entire Truth-seeking society alone. Priest Qiu had basically fallen to his own sword.
Only then did everyone understand the entire story. They looked at one another, waiting for Wu Gen to make a decision.
The square-faced young man sighed. “Fortunately, Rongzhi warned us, or we would’ve killed the wrong person.”
Qian Rongzhi replied politely and cautiously, “You’re far too kind, commander.”
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Chapter 234 – Internal Conflict
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Chapter 234 – Internal Conflict
However, what Qian Rongzhi thought was, This commander has just come from the Academy of the Hundred Schools, so he sure is naive. He actually treats the laws of the empire seriously. All laws are for people to use. Since when would anyone spare a plump lamb they come across?
The reason why she decided to be a good person for once was just because she was afraid the plump lamb would turn out to be a vicious tiger.
From the moment she laid eyes on him, she found Li Qingshan to be familiar. If she were Yu Zijian or Hua Chenglu, that was all he would be. They would not think too much about it.
It was exactly because Li Qingshan’s huge size was just too impressionable that they felt it was all just a false sense of familiarity. They felt like they would never forget about someone like him if they had met him before.
However, Qian Rongzhi’s thoughts went much deeper and finer. Although Li Qingshan was larger than before, the impression he had left on her was just too deep. This impression did not reside with his appearance alone.
The changes in his expression, the way he spoke, and the attitude he used to confront enemies all matched that man. Coupled with his glance that had paused on her momentarily, she drew a conclusion very soon that there was a good chance this was Li Qingshan.
After reaching this conclusion, how could she let the Hawkwolf guards continue opposing Li Qingshan? Li Qingshan possessed the strength to kill two ninth layer Qi Practitioners. Now that several months had passed since then, who knew how much stronger he had become. The reason why he had been putting up with all of this was just because he wanted to keep his trump card hidden.
If he was really forced to reveal his trump card, probably everyone present would have to be silenced. She did not believe she occupied any special spot in his heart.
Wu Gen was slightly displeased. This way, he would lose out on some potential gains, and he would not be able to redeem himself for the humiliation from earlier. As a Scarlet Wolf guard, he was not bold enough to twist justice before so many people. Otherwise, he probably would not be able to escape the punishment of law once someone reported him.
He said to Zhou Pei rather reluctantly, “You’ve done very well. You’ll definitely have a share of the contribution once you return!”
Zhou Pei said, “I don’t want the contribution. I just hope that you can relieve me of the duty as a Nighthawk so that I can return to being a regular Black Wolf guard.”
Wu Gen waved his hand impatiently. “Alright, I understand. I’ll report this to the higher-ups.” Then he said to Li Qingshan, “You can go.”
With a sweep of true qi, all of the hundred treasures pouches landed in Li Qingshan’s hand.
Wu Gen shot a glare at him. “Leave everything behind!” He extended a finger, and the metal chains extended like a huge python, wrapping around the entire hut and shaking it about. The hut creaked and clattered; he wanted to tear down the entire place.
The other commanders were hostile too. They carried out missions not just to uphold the law of the empire. The spoils of battle that the enemy possessed was an extremely important component of their income. How could they just watch someone else take it away?
Li Qingshan persevered. “These are my spoils of battle!”
Wu Gen said, “We have to confiscate these items of the White Lotus cult. It’s possible that they contain information on the other remnants of the White Lotus cult. I’d advise you to hand it over, or I’ll arrest you for withholding evidence!”
Li Qingshan smiled angrily. “I helped you complete your mission. Not only won’t you thank me, but you even plan on framing me as well?”
Wu Gen said, “Do you really think you’re worthy of being framed? Use your brain a little and get out of here, or the law will show no mercy!” The other commanders cooperated by unleashing their flying blades again.
Something seemed to surge in Li Qingshan’s chest. It was something he had repressed to the bottom of his heart the entire time. It growled and roared, wanting to break out.
Even if you want to act recklessly, there’s a limit to it. You idiots might want to die, but don’t drag me down with you! Qian Rongzhi lowered her head and frowned as she cursed inside, but she said nothing. Her words would have little effect in her current, lowly position, so it would be useless even if she tried. Instead, she would end up offending a great group of colleagues for nothing. If it really did reach that point, she had her ways of pulling out anyway.
The square-faced young man said, “Senior brother, this doesn’t seem particularly appropriate.” Then he said to Li Qingshan, “Hey. Just leave behind Qiu Ruiliu’s hundred treasures pouch. There’s information regarding the White Lotus cult within it, and it’s extremely important to us. It won’t bring you any benefits even if you possess it.”
“Enshan, you- sigh!” Wu Gen sighed helplessly. If some other commander was bold enough to act on his own like this, he would have lost his temper a long time ago. However, he had been very familiar with Fang Enshang back at the Academy of the Hundred Schools. They had been fellow students for several years. At the same time, what he said was completely correct, so there was no reason for him to lose his temper.
In the past when he first left the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts, he too had been influenced by the many years he spent in the school of Legalism, wanting to uphold justice and protect the dignity of the empire’s law. However, only after he went through a few things did he realise that this spirit, these laws, would never supersede the pills and spiritual artifacts within a hundred treasures pouch.
Whatever. These weak, independent cultivators probably did not possess anything good anyway.
Li QIngshan hesitated slightly as he weighed his options. The items of actual value had probably all been plundered by priest Qiu already. If he fell out with these people, he would have to transform and slaughter all the people here, without sparing anyone!
This included the Nighthawk, Zhou Pei, and the square-faced young man, as well as Qian Rongzhi.
A voice inside him asked hesitantly, Do you really have to kill them all? Immediately, another vicious voice roared out, Kill them! Kill them!
His expression constantly changed. He actually began to tremble gently. He understood what internal conflict meant now.
Wu Gen said impatiently, “Don’t push your luck!”
Li Qingshan suddenly raised his head, “Qiu Ruiliu’s hundred treasures pouch isn’t with me!”
Wu Gen said furiously, “You want to trick me?” The Python Constrictor chains tightened, and the wooden hut was completely crushed to pieces as shrapnel flew everywhere.
Li Qingshan said indifferently, “I’m telling the truth!” When he checked the hundred treasures pouches earlier, he suddenly discovered that one was missing. He had just fought earlier, so he had an idea just how many enemies there were. The only one missing happened to belong to priest Qiu.
Priest Qiu’s corpse had already vanished. Originally, he thought it had been destroyed in the explosion, but thinking about it now, even if it had been blasted to pieces in the explosion, it should not have vanished without a trace. However, there was nothing on the ground.
Li Qingshan frowned. He arrived where priest Qiu had collapsed before and stamped around. With a swing of his blade, he cut through the flooring, revealing a hole underground. Who knew where the murky hole led off to.
The formation of the wooden hut made the walls seem indestructible to others, but the formation had been cast down by priest Qiu in the first place, so he obviously knew a way out.
As it turned out, he had already prepared a path of retreat. Although he was in the direct range of the sword qi from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he was protected by the true qi of around two dozen people. He was injured, but he did not die on the spot.
He knew he was not Li Qingshan’s opponent, so he just collapsed on the ground and sealed off his breathing and heartbeat, playing dead.
This gamble truly came with great risk. If Li Qingshan sensed it and casually slashed him, he would not even be able to fight back.
However, the wooden hut was in chaos back then. Under the encirclement of so many Qi Practitioners, Li Qingshan was affected to a certain degree even though it was not enough to strike fear into him. And, with the explosion at the end, Li Qingshan’s sense of hearing, smell, and sight were all affected, which priest Qiu used to open the secret tunnel and flee.
Li Qingshan could not help but be surprised about the craftiness and prudence of this follower of the White Lotus cult. It was no wonder that the cult was an organisation powerful enough to clash against Gu Yanying and the Hawkwolf Guard of the entire Ruyi commandery.
Li Qingshan turned around with his ice blade, ignoring the chains in the surroundings. “If you don’t believe me, come over!”
Qian Rongzhi quickly made her way over to Li Qingshan.
Fang Enshang extended his hand. “Don’t go!” He wanted to stop Qian Rongzhi, but he was also afraid of alarming Li Qingshan by moving rashly.
The Hawkwolf guards were all nervous for Qian Rongzhi. This vicious, huge man was extraordinarily powerful. If he really decided to hurt her, Qian Rongzhi would probably be killed on the spot.
Under everyone’s gazes, Qian Rongzhi brushed past Li Qingshan and studied the hole in the hut.
Li Qingshan frowned. This woman would never take such a great risk for some official business. Had he been discovered?
Qian Rongzhi did not even glance at him. After studying it carefully, she raised her head. “He’s right. There are very fresh footprints below. Qiu Ruiliu has already fled. He should be injured. Sir, we’d better pursue him right now, or he’ll end up getting away.”
The Hawkwolf guards all sighed in relief. This conclusion matched their expectations as well. Qiu Ruiliu was extremely crafty. They had failed to capture him even after several attempts, so how could he be slain so easily by an independent cultivator?
They also felt some admiration towards Qian Rongzhi. This woman did not have a particularly strong cultivation, but she was extraordinarily brave. At the very least, none of them were bold enough to venture over.
Even Wu Gen nodded in praise. With this person supporting him, Enshang will have it much easier as a Black Hawk commander, and he will not remain so naive forever. However, little did he know that Fang Enshang’s naivety had just saved him from death, while Qian Rongzhi’s so-called bravery originated from her meticulous planning.
Even Wu Gen knew what was more urgent. He pulled back the Python Constrictor chains and flew into the hole first. He brushed past Li Qingshan and snorted coldly. “Let’s just say you were lucky!”
The Hawkwolf guards all entered the hold one by one, with Qian Rongzhi last. She glanced at Li Qingshan and smiled before disappearing into the hole as well.
A while later, the Quiet Spring valley fell quiet once again. Li Qingshan made his way down the stairs and sat down on them. He leaned on his arm as he sank into his thoughts.
This time, the internal conflict ended without being settled.
However, a larger internal conflict occurred in the depths of his mind. This was the boundary between humanity, immortals, buddhas, and demons. True conflict did not arise from the outside world, but from the inside, those unanswerable questions and those choiceless answers.
However, they had to be answered at the end of the day. He could not run away from all of his problems. He could not run away, nor did he want to run away. Even though none of the answers were the answer he wanted, he still had to make a decision. Life was not about being able to do whatever that you wanted, and it would not unfold to your tastes.
It was exactly these tough or even painful choices that allowed people to grow, to go from an ignorant child to the person they wanted to be.
Ready?
“Hehe, I’ve finally found you!”
Li Qingshan raised his head in a rather tired manner and saw a young face. The face was filled with resentment and grievances. It had emerged from the forest, and beside him were many other people in the same uniform, who also emerged from the forest.
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Chapter 235 – Another Year of Heavy Snow
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Chapter 235 – Another Year of Heavy Snow
Li Qingshan sighed gently. He pushed off his knees and stood up, like a boxer who had been forced into another match before he had even recovered from the previous one.
However, there was no fear in his eyes!
This should be it!
At a certain time, great flakes of snow began to fall from the sky once again. Numerous figures flickered through the snow as their magnificent, silken robes fluttered gently. They did not leave behind a single mark on the snowy ground as if they were ghosts in the snow.
The ghosts looked at Li Qingshan like hunters who had found their prey. They were relaxed and satisfied with themselves. If they were slightly cautious, as they were worried that their prey might escape.
The “first senior brother” pointed at Li Qingshan and asked, “Junior brother Song, is this the person you were searching for?”
Song Ming said with hatred, “That’s him, first senior brother!”
“A fourth layer Qi Practitioner?” The first senior brother curled his lip in great disdain.
“Song Ming, you’re far too useless. You’re a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, yet you were defeated by someone weaker than you. And I had thought you had met someone powerful.”
The disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain all mocked him. They became even more relaxed and cheerful. They did not take Li Qingshan seriously at all.
Song Ming’s face reddened. “First senior brother, his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner isn’t particularly great, but he’s a Body Practitioner too. He was completely unscathed when I hit him with a palm strike. We can’t be careless.”
Li Qingshan closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. A ninth layer Qi Practitioner, two eighth layer Qi Practitioners, five seventh layer Qi Practitioners, and ten sixth layer Qi Practitioners. Was this the strength of a sect?
He could only match them in battle if he transformed, but fighting here would probably attract the attention of their seniors.
“Look, he has closed his eyes. Has he accepted his fate?” A disciple of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain laughed.
A dense mist rose up after that, surging everywhere like the tide. Li Qingshan vanished in the mist.
“Oh no, it’s a Great Mist talisman. He’s trying to escape!” Song Ming cried out.
As if someone had plucked a cloud from the sky and thrown it onto the ground, the mist pervaded the entire valley very soon. The pure-white mist was extremely thick, reducing visibility to basically zero. It contained water spiritual qi, so even the vision of Qi Practitioners would be heavily affected.
The first senior brother snorted coldly. “Mere trickery!”
With a wave of his hand, he used a technique quickly, and a great gust of wind arrived, dispersing the mist.
Wild winds whistled through the valley, causing everyone’s clothes to ruffle violently. Li Qingshan immediately appeared again. He had already made it to the slope in the distance and was fleeing with great speed.
Since he could not fight, he could only run!
“First senior brother’s Wild Wind technique sure is powerful!”
“Did he really think he can escape using tricks like that? How naive.”
The disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountains all sang praises, but they all moved quickly. With their sleeves fluttering in the wind, they chased after Li Qingshan.
Back when Song Ming rushed into the Proud Sword manor, he seemed extremely graceful, but here, there were at least a dozen people more graceful than him. They would cover several hundred meters with each glide.
The first senior brother was arrogant. Only after his junior brothers had taken off did he take off with a jolt of his sleeve. Despite moving later, he caught up and overtook them all, charging ahead and rapidly closing the distance from Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan used the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain, and with a leap, he climbed up to the top of the mountain. Hearing the whistling sounds from behind, he suddenly looked back.
The first senior brother reached a height even greater than the mountain peak and bellowed out, “Peck of the Golden Pheasant!” His right hand curled into the shape of a pheasant’s head as he lashed out at Li Qingshan from afar. He was like a golden pheasant pecking the bugs on the ground with indescribable ease.
However, Li Qingshan felt like he faced an imminent catastrophe, as he was playing the role of that bug on the ground.
A huge, golden beak pierced through the sky. He had used one of the greatest techniques of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. All the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain were amazed. Although all inner disciples learned this technique, none of them could use it as skillfully as their first senior brother. They never thought that their first senior brother would use an ultimate move like this right from the beginning. The kid was dead for sure.
Li Qingshan felt like he was unable to dodge the simple beak no matter how he dodged. He raised his right hand, and the Whale’s Ingestion of Water gathered light, suddenly emitting a fist-sized ball of water.
Boom!
The Gui Water blast collided with the pheasant’s beak in the air.
Rings of light radiated outwards as the violent wind made the forest ripple like wheat.
The first senior brother exclaimed, “The Gui Water blast!” With a jolt of true qi, he scattered the incoming wave of air, but he paused slightly as well. How could a mere fourth layer Qi Practitioner use the Gui Water blast? Suddenly, he noticed the spiritual artifact in Li Qingshan’s hand and came to an understanding, A high grade spiritual artifact. Song Ming was right. This kid was extremely wealthy. He was a good prey worth the hunt.
The other disciples on the ground were not as relaxed as he was. Many of them had been blown backwards by the violent wind due to their insufficient cultivation. They could only swallow the praises they were about to sing. They were in complete surprise. How did a fourth layer Qi Practitioner manage to block their first senior brother’s Peck of the Golden Pheasant?
Only Song Ming called out, “I said this before, this guy is tough to deal with!” He actually felt elated inside, while he hoped that Li Qingshan could unleash some stronger moves and last a little longer against their first senior brother, which would demonstrate it was not because he was useless, but because the enemy was just too powerful back then.
Li Qingshan used this time to leap off the mountain. He hurtled through the air; the world spun around him, and the chilly winds rushed into his face. He took out the underground mental map and unfurled it with both hands, studying it mid-air.
The cave leading underground closest to here was only fifteen kilometers away, below a mountain. If it were flat land, he could cover fifteen kilometers in just a moment, but he was in a mountain range, which meant he had to traverse a great mountain every few kilometers.
Although this was still the outskirts of the Boundless mountains and not actually the depths, the mountains still towered in an extraordinary manner. They were beyond logic. Any one of them could be regarded as a famous mountain if they appeared in Li Qingshan’s former life.
Even with the form of the Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain, Li Qingshan’s speed was heavily affected. He conveniently stuck a mid grade Swift Breeze talisman on himself so that he could move slightly faster. The bare trees seemed to assault him as he ran through the forest, but even with that, Li Qingshan was unable to widen the distance between them. Every time he looked back, the ninth layer Qi Practitioner would be slightly closer.
However, he was not worried. He was not only thinking about how to escape.
The first senior brother felt extremely shocked. A fourth layer Qi Practitioner could actually erupt with such speed. He used the Golden Pheasant Flaps its Wings and spent most of his time gliding through the air, unaffected by the terrain, but he still struggled to catch up. This independent cultivator was truly a tough nut to crack.
The two of them crossed through the mountains, gradually pulling away from the disciples behind. The killing intent in Li Qingshan’s eyes grew heavier and heavier. He casually tossed aside a depleted spiritual stone before taking out another, rapidly replenished his true qi.
He had already taken out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and placed it in his bosom. He could pull it out at any time and kill the enemy.
Li Qingshan glanced backwards at the first senior brother, who was only several hundred meters away from him. However, he looked past the first senior brother and at the sky even higher up. The sky had dimmed, filled with snow. Aside from him, no one else noticed a red star that rapidly flickered through the sky.
Xiao An stood on a large skull. She left behind a tail of scarlet flames as she sailed through the snow and wind. Her clothes and hair ruffled in the wind as a red light shone in her eyes. Her gaze pierced through the wind and snow as she gazed at the mountains below.
A snowy night like this, mountain terrain like this, and a sight like this. All of it seemed like deja vu.
Before they had even realised it, a year had already passed, but this time, she was no longer as weak and fragile like before. There was no need for her to watch on helplessly in despair as he traveled further and further away.
This time, she would definitely help him!
She was just waiting for a signal to attack!
Li Qingshan thought inside, A little further, just a little further!
The first senior brother had no idea that he had already fallen into a trap from above and below. The identities of the hunter and the hunted silently reversed. He had never even imagined that a mere fourth layer Qi Practitioner could pose any harm to him.
Li Qingshan climbed up another mountain peak. The first senior brother used this opportunity to pull within a hundred meters of him. He rejoiced as he raised his right hand, and a golden streak of light shot out, streaking through the raging wind and snow and leaving behind a golden stream.
Li Qingshan sensed danger. He could not look back in time, so he lifted the ice blade behind him.
Ding! The golden light stabbed deeply into the icy blade, and Li Qingshan’s hand trembled. Only then did he clearly see that the golden light was the golden plume of a pheasant. Even though the ice from the Ice Condensate water was as tough as a high grade spiritual artifact, the tiny plume actually managed to pierce into it. It was even more powerful than the West Gate Granny’s needle.
His protective true qi and any protective techniques were all as fragile as paper. Even defensive spiritual artifacts would probably be pierced all the way through by the attack if they were not high grade.
The first senior brother became even more surprised. He saw how the Peck of the Golden Pheasant could not kill Li Qingshan, so he did not use it again. Instead, he switched to this lifebound spiritual artifact, the Golden Pheasant’s plume, but he never thought it would be blocked by the ice blade.
The Golden Pheasant’s plume was no regular high grade spiritual artifact. All disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain would nurture a spiritual artifact like this when they began practising qi. They would constantly channel it with true qi. Whenever their cultivation increased, they would forge it with essence gold, and in the end, it would result in this Golden Pheasant’s plume. The time and effort that went into it was immeasurable. However, it was terrifyingly powerful as well, and it could only be controlled by its owner using a specific method of the sect.
Li Qingshan did not leap down into the pitch-black valley. Instead, he stopped and turned around. The ice blade in his hand rapidly transformed, enveloping the Golden Pheasant’s plume in a great lump of ice.
The first senior brother stood on the tip of a lonely pine that swayed in the wind. He sneered. “You’re not running anymore?” He looked around. “This will be your tomb. It’s not bad at all!” He was completely unfazed by Li Qingshan’s actions.
Li Qingshan said, “Right back at you.” The Whale’s Ingestion of Water had released all the Ice Condensate water already, forming a sphere around the Golden Pheasant’s plume that he stood on.
The first senior brother sneered. “Now that’s pretty pigheaded of you! You want to try these mere tricks again? I’ll show you the power of our Pheasant’s Grace mountain. The Solar Radiance of the Golden Pheasant!”
The Golden Pheasant’s plume exploded with blinding light, completely piercing the ice sphere and dyeing it golden. It was magnificent.
However, Li Qingshan sensed the ice rapidly melt away, as if it was suppressed by the power within the Golden Pheasant’s plume and was unable to keep it trapped.
The first senior brother glided down. “Be a little more clever in your next life. Don’t offend the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain!”
Li Qingshan sighed emotionally. “Another year of heavy snow!”
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Chapter 236 – Slaughtering the First Senior Brother
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Chapter 236 – Slaughtering the First Senior Brother
The Cursive Sword Calligraphy unfurled with a swish. The first senior brother saw the profound, intricate, and sharp handwriting. It was clearly just strokes of ink on paper, yet it was so sharp that it seemed like it had been carved into a cliff using a sword.
A tremendous sense of danger filled his heart. The sound of the blizzard seemed to stop. Compared to the speed of the sword qi, the violent wind and drifting snow seemed to be frozen.
The first senior brother’s eyes narrowed. He extended his hand and waved it. The Golden Pheasant’s plume expanded in size by a hundred times and protected him like a steel wall.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The screeching of metal rang out. The furious wave of sword qi rushed towards the first senior brother in the air. As he drifted through the air on the Golden Pheasant’s plume, he was like a rowboat in the raging seas, in danger of capsizing at any time. However, it also went with the flow, actually striking a special form of balance. It swayed and drifted, enduring and redirecting the force.
Not only could the Golden Pheasant’s plume attack and defend, but it also defended in a manner that Li Qingshan had never seen before. It was as graceful and natural as possible. The unique styles that sects had developed themselves really could not be underestimated.
The Gui Water true qi in Li Qingshan’s body flowed into the Cursive Sword Calligraphy furiously, launching stroke after stroke of sword qi. He held a spiritual stone in his hand at the same time to constantly replenish his true qi. In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had already tossed aside three spiritual stones.
“A supreme grade spiritual artifact! You actually have a supreme grade spiritual artifact!” The first senior brother stood on the Golden Pheasant’s plume and called out in the snow and wind.
He suddenly burst out laughing. “Haha, I never thought I’d have such good luck. Kid, with your current strength, you can’t unleash the full power of that supreme grade spiritual artifact. It’s no different from wasting it when you wield it, so hand it over! I am the one who has been chosen by the heavens. I will step over your corpse to a higher realm of cultivation!”
If a high grade spiritual artifact could make all Qi Practitioners envious and make their hearts thump, then a supreme grade spiritual artifact could drive all Qi Practitioners crazy. That was a treasure that even Foundation Establishment cultivators would use all their strength to obtain.
Li Qingshan’s mouth opened and closed slightly. His voice was swallowed by the snow and wind, but the first senior brother still managed to read his lips. “Go die!”
Two, huge skeletons descended from the sky as they revolved around one another. They ripped through the wind and produced sharp screams, like the cries of ghosts at night, enough to strike fear into the very hearts of people.
“What are those?!” The first senior brother’s expression changed drastically. He controlled the Golden Pheasant’s plume and flew through the snow and wind. He actually borrowed the force of the sword qi to make a few unexpected turns in the air, leaving behind a twisted golden trajectory as he dodged the attacks of the skulls.
Bang! Bang! Bang! They disturbed the cushion of air underneath the plume, causing him to rapidly fall down the pitch-black cliff. He thought, Oh no, I’ve fallen for his trap!
The screams gathered like shadows. The first senior brother looked behind him, and the two skulls caught up from left and right. Blood-red flames flickered in their eye sockets as their teeth chattered, eager to rip out his flesh and blood.
From afar, it seemed like a golden streak and two thin red streaks were falling straight down a bottomless abyss.
The trajectory of the golden streak was extremely swift and unstable, while the two red streaks constantly revolved around each other, sealing off any direction of escape for the golden streak.
At this moment, the two red streaks suddenly intercepted the golden streak.
The two skulls lunged towards the first senior brother. He snorted coldly. “Foolish tricks!” He pinched both hands and extended them. Two golden pheasant beaks pecked the foreheads of the skulls viciously.
With two thumps, the two skulls were sent flying, but in the final moment, they opened their mouths. From the roaring flames, two figures emerged.
One was large and one was small. They were Li Qingshan and Xiao An. They had leapt out of the skulls at the same time. Li Qingshan wielded the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, while Xiao An held a shiny, white rib as a sword.
The unstoppable sword qi and Xiao An’s startling attack were unleashed at the same time. The two sword moves fused together wondrously, without any imperfections at all. They formed a net of slashes that shot towards the first senior brother.
The first senior brother felt like the entire world had been cut into pieces by the criss-crossing sword qi. Fear and panic finally appeared in his eyes for the first time as he reached towards the hundred treasures pouch on his waist.
He moved extremely quickly, but compared to the sword qi, he seemed sluggish. He had never imagined he would have to waste talismans and spiritual stones in order to deal with a fourth layer Qi Practitioner, so he had not been prepared beforehand.
I’m a genius, the future sect master of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. My future is limitless! I can’t die here! This thought flashed through the first senior brother’s head.
The sword qi vanished with a flash. The first senior brother lowered his head to check himself. He laughed aloud. “I didn’t die! I won’t-”
His voice halted, and his chin fell off. Many criss-crossing, bloody marks appeared on him, which began to shift.
With a poof, he exploded into a mist of blood in the air. Pieces of his body rained down, devoured by flames before they hit the ground.
No longer under anyone’s control, the Golden Pheasant’s plume turned back to its original size and drifted off with the wind.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An landed on the ground simultaneously. Xiao An held the Golden Pheasant’s plume. Li Qingshan opened his palm, and a hundred treasures pouch sat there quietly.
The two of them smiled at one another. An indescribable feeling of teamwork and cooperation rose up in their hearts.
Li Qingshan placed the talisman between his fingers back into the pouch on his waist. That was the supreme grade talisman he had obtained from the West Gate Granny. He had no idea what its effects were. He checked the Book of All according to the inscriptions and glyphs on there, but he failed to find any information on it. Though, there was plenty of information available on low and mid grade talismans.
Clearly, the supreme grade talisman was so precious that it would not be recorded in the Book of All. However, the book was not all useless either. Xiao An looked at the styles of the other talismans as a reference to forecast that the talisman should be an offensive fire element talisman.
Fire had the greatest power to kill out of the five elements, while the power of a supreme grade talisman went without saying.
Li Qingshan’s plan was that if he and Xiao An failed to kill the first senior brother even when working together, he would immediately activate the supreme grade talisman and kill him for good. If that failed too, he would transform at the risk of leaving behind traces of daemon qi and still kill the first senior brother.
Before the battle had even begun, he was already certain that he would win.
“The people behind are coming,” Xiao An licked her lips. The flesh and blood of ninth layer Qi Practitioners was far more delicious than that of regular people.
“Let’s send them all to the afterlife!” Red light flickered in Li Qingshan’s eyes. After three tough consecutive battles, his bloodthirstiness and killing intent had been completely activated. His exhaustion had vanished, while even his confused thoughts and internal conflict had ceased to exist. All he needed was even more slaughter.
Faced with the crossroad of life or death, there was no need to think too much about his choice. He wanted to live, so he had to kill all his enemies. It was as simple as that.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An did not even look at each other. They just quickly hid themselves in the dark, ready to launch a two-pronged attack. They quietly waited for the prey to take the bait.
Li Qingshan buried himself in a snow hole, holding his breath and resting.
The second wave should consist of two eighth layer Qi Practitioners. They would not be easy targets either if he did not daemonify. If the two eighth layer Qi Practitioners worked together, they might even be more difficult to kill than the ninth layer Qi Practitioner from earlier.
They needed to kill one of them the moment they launched the sneak attack. Then the other one would be easy. After this wave, everything else would be much easier to handle.
The Cursive Sword Calligraphy could instantly kill sixth and seventh layer Qi Practitioners. Combined with Xiao An’s two Skull Prayer Beads and her sword style from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, they could be finished off from the get go.
Once the disparity in strength reached a certain level, numbers no longer meant anything.
He also had absolute confidence in this battle, but for some reason, the uneasiness in his heart did not settle. Instead, it grew more and more intense. His heart thumped uneasily, faster and faster.
“Oh no! Let’s go!” Li Qingshan leapt out of the snow hole and signalled to Xiao An.
Afterwards, he immediately rushed towards the underground cave he had decided on already.
Xiao An flew to Li Qingshan’s side and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan said, “I don’t know, but it’s very dangerous!”
Xiao An pondered for a moment before suddenly raising her head. “I know. It’s the sect master of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, a Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows. A Foundation Establishment cultivator? Fair enough. Probably only Foundation Establishment cultivators can make me feel so much danger and pressure. If it were a Qi Practitioner, even if they were at the tenth layer, he was confident that he could kill his way out at the risk of exposing himself and transforming. There was even a chance for him to turn the situation around.
However, Foundation Establishment cultivators were masters on a whole different level. The techniques they used had the power of supreme grade talismans, while the power of their spiritual artifacts was as clear as day too.
Even if Li Qingshan transformed, there was no way he could hold his ground against him. However, all he had done was kill a Qi Practitioner of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain in these snowy mountains. That fellow had no chance to seek reinforcements, so how did he alarm a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Xiao An saw Li Qingshan’s confusion, so she explained, “The Book of All details that core disciples within sects will often have life lanterns. The life lanterns will be in the possession of the sect masters. If the disciple dies, their life lantern will be extinguished, and the location of their death will be made known.”
It went without saying that a ninth layer Qi Practitioner would definitely be a core figure among core figures within a sect.
Li Qingshan had no idea that the first senior brother had already been designated as the future sect master.
A while earlier, over fifty kilometers away, three old men sat together at the top of the Green Vine mountain as they discussed matters regarding the Herb Gathering ceremony.
They held paramount power among the three mountains. They were the sect masters of the Green Vine mountain, Pheasant’s Grace mountain, and Burial Mound mountain. Together, they were known as the three elders.
The Green Vine elder served as the host, so he sat on the highest seat. He wore a set of green robes, and his face was covered in curly, entwined hair. Basically all that was visible was a pair of clear eyes.
To the left of the Green Vine Elder was a grey-robed old man. His eyes were milky, and he was expressionless. Even his face seemed grey. He gave off the faint aura of corpses. His eyes would swivel only once in a while, but he did not possess any aura befitting of the living.
Regular people would probably treat him as a corpse. Even if they saw his eyes swivel, they would treat him as a living corpse. He was the sect master of the Burial Mound mountain, the Lone Grave Elder.
To the right of the Green Vine elder was an old man in luxurious, golden clothes. He was obviously the sect master of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, the Golden Pheasant Elder. Embroidered on his clothing was no longer a pheasant’s tail feather. Instead, it was the impressive golden pheasant’s head. The cockscomb was as red as fire, while the beak was sharp like a blade.
Compared to the other two old men, he gave off a spirited, youthful vigor, like a rooster heralding the break of dawn. He would always hold his chest up high like it was full of air, but it did make him seem a little haughty.
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Chapter 237 – The Golden Pheasant Elder
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Chapter 237 – The Golden Pheasant Elder
A map was unfurled on the table before the three of them. It shone with light as it projected a three dimensional image above. It was an underground mental map, even larger than Li Qingshan’s.
This underground mental map had been created over many years after the disciples of the three mountains ventured underground again and again. At the cost of countless lives, they had managed to come up with a relatively safer region, which was Milliped’s territory!
The Golden Pheasant Elder pointed at a corner of the map with his shriveled, claw-like hand. “The disciples of my Pheasant’s Grace mountain will be entering through here.” This was the safest route. It crossed a few spiritual grounds that had spiritual herbs growing, which also happened to be worth a lot.
The Green Vine Elder stared at it for quite some time before slowly shaking his head. “Won’t do.”
“Yep.” The Lone Grave Elder nodded quickly before returning to his half-dead state.
The Golden Pheasant Elder stood up impatiently. “This is exactly what annoys me about the two of you. Can’t you be faster? I don’t care if you agree or disagree. Just hurry up and come up with the rules. You waste so much time everytime!”
The Green Vine Elder said, “Fellow Golden Pheasant, you’ve already grown so old, yet you’re still so impatient!”
“Yep,” the Lone Grave Elder spat out another word.
The Golden Pheasant Elder glared at the two of them. Just when he was about to say something, his heart skipped a beat. His expression changed drastically, and he abandoned the other two elders, rushing out the window.
Everyone raised their heads together in the town below the Green Vine mountain. They saw a golden speck of light appear at the very top of the mountain, like the brightest star in the night sky. Qi Practitioners with exceptional eyesight managed to see the true form of the golden speck of light. It was a golden pheasant that shot through the air with unbelievable speed while its long, golden tail feathers dragged behind like a golden comet.
All of the Qi Practitioners could not help but sigh. So this is the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
The town momentarily fell silently before recovering its clamor. It seemed to be even noisier than before, as if the fighting spirit and ambition of all the Qi Practitioners had been riled up.
They had no idea why a Foundation Establishment cultivator, someone who always remained discreet, would suddenly rush off the Green Vine mountain. They wondered whether something had happened between the alliance of the three mountains.
Li Qingshan suddenly looked back at the sky. Through the snow and wind, he saw a golden star appear on the distant horizon, shooting directly towards his direction.
As it was simply too far away, it did not seem to be very fast, but Li Qingshan felt an unprecedented sense of danger, like an imminent catastrophe was about to take his life.
The golden star definitely was not something he could oppose right now.
He concealed all of his aura and changed directions, venturing into the mountains. However, the golden star immediately changed its course as well. As a result, he knew that his ability to hide his aura could not fool the senses of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As a result, he simply gave up on hiding his tracks. He used an accelerating talisman and rushed towards the cave as quickly as he could.
This sight seemed to overlap with the snowy night from a year ago. They were surprisingly similar. Unknowingly, he seemed to have gone through an entire cycle, returning to where he had started again.
But this time, brother ox would not be there to help. He needed to rely on his own strength, as well as Xiao An.
Xiao An listened to Li Qingshan and hid herself within the dark clouds high in the sky. She was ready to rush down and provide assistance as soon as Li Qingshan gave the signal. If Li Qingshan could suppress and hide his aura, then she had no aura at all. She existed between life and death, a special existence that was neither alive nor dead, neither dead nor alive. No matter how sensitive the Golden Pheasant Elder was, it was impossible for him to discover a hidden set of bones.
The view in front of Li Qingshan rapidly changed. He rapidly conquered the rising and falling landscape, but the golden star in the sky drew closer and closer. Li QIngshan now experienced an indescribable pressure, no longer just an obscure sense of danger.
The golden star grew larger and larger in his eyes. Even from five kilometers away, Li Qingshan found the glorious aura to be chilling.
The golden pheasant also discovered the fleeing Li Qingshan. It raised its head, unfurled its wings, and let out a cry, blazing with golden light.
It was like it was welcoming dawn, allowing the sun that had sunken into the west to rise once more.
The golden light clearly depicted the shape of the golden pheasant, complete with a cockscomb, a beak, and feathers. It was life-like. However, it was like a fighting cock, filled with rage.
The Golden Pheasant Elder inside glared; his eyes were like a fighting cock’s too. His hair and beard stuck up from anger. His beloved disciple had been killed, so sorrow and rage filled his heart. He swore revenge!
From the moment he saw Li Qingshan, he knew that Li Qingshan was the person he was searching for. This was not because Li Qingshan was running away. As the sect master, he obviously knew about the humiliation that his inner disciple Song Ming had suffered in Salt Mountain city. However, as the Green Vine mountain then took over the Proud Sword manor, he could only leave the matter unsettled.
Before the first senior brother had ventured out to avenge Song Ming, he had definitely reported it to his master, which was why he was bold enough to bring the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain with him. However, he had never thought he would actually die.
The resonant crow of the golden pheasant shook up the mountains, reverberating through them. For a moment, only the pheasant’s cry was audible in the snowy mountains.
Li Qingshan experienced piercing pain in his ears as his mind shook. His true qi surged controllably. He could not help but be shocked. This was the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
The spirit turtle’s daemon core revolved in his body, suppressing all of the discomfort. The cave was near now. Once he made it over this mountain, the valley ahead was it!
He could not allow the golden pheasant to draw near, or just a single attack would put him in life-threatening danger.
But at such a close distance, Li Qingshan could finally get a feel for the golden pheasant’s startling speed. The first senior brother glided quite quickly already, but he seemed as slow as someone crawling along the ground in comparison to the golden pheasant.
And, the golden pheasant did not glide. It truly flew through the air.
When Li Qingshan had just made it halfway up the mountain, the golden pheasant had arrived one and a half kilometers from him. He twisted his foot and forcefully changed directions, lunging towards the other side of the mountain.
The golden pheasant flapped its wings and unleashed several dozen golden feathers that shot over with lightning speed. It was like a sun shedding its light. Every single feather was even swifter and more vicious than the spiritual artifact controlled by the first senior brother.
Li Qingshan had been expecting this move. He would move left at times, right at times, pause at times, or even slow down at times. His movements became completely unreadable.
The Whale’s Ingestion of Water was no longer a weapon, but a huge, ice shield that covered his surroundings. Even with that, he was still worried, so he stuck a high grade Golden Shield talisman on himself.
However, as soon as he had completed all of this, golden light filled his eyes. He was not even able to respond in time.
The ice shield shattered, and the golden shield broke. As if he had been struck by lightning, Li Qingshan halted completely.
A tiny hole appeared in his chest. A golden streak of light had penetrated him. His tough skin that could even stop the swing of a spiritual artifact seemed to be completely useless. The golden feather pierced through his three layers of defence and penetrated deep into the rock below.
The Golden Pheasant Elder instead furrowed his brows. With his cultivation at Foundation Establishment, he had actually failed to kill this weak Qi Practitioner in a single move. Perhaps no one would believe him, but the golden feather should have directly pierced Li Qingshan’s heart.
Li Qingshan’s defences had not been useless. They provided him with a moment to react. In the final moment, he had forcefully twisted his body, which was why the attack missed his heart. However, a sharp, scorching aura suddenly erupted in his body, as if it was trying to rip him to pieces and reduce him to ashes.
The golden pheasant paused in the air. The Golden Pheasant Elder was in no hurry to continue his attacks. Even if he had failed to penetrate Li Qingshan’s heart, the spiritual energy within the attack should have still been enough to kill him. Instead, the Golden Pheasant Elder felt rather regretful over the fact that he had not held back under his rage. He should have captured him, found out about his origins, and then tortured him to death!
Xiao An’s expression stiffened. Li Qingshan had not given her the signal this entire time. The Golden Pheasant Elder had struck out like lightning, so Li Qingshan had no time to do so. Moreover, he would not want her to risk her life.
The flames in her eyes roared. She was about to fly down without any regard anymore.
Li Qingshan suddenly sprang up from the ground. He basically dragged his body around to the other side of the mountain, even if it meant rolling and crawling, escaping from the Golden Pheasant Elder’s field of vision.
The Golden Pheasant Elder was slightly surprised as he smiled viciously. He roared out, “You will regret not dying earlier!”
Li Qingshan ignored it. Who knew how many times he had heard rubbish like that already. The spirit turtle’s daemon core managed to make an impact again in this critical moment, forcefully suppressing the foreign, explosive spiritual energy.
Suddenly, his face lit up. The cave detailed on the mental map was right in front of him. Just when he was about to charge in, a golden light enveloped his head.
The golden pheasant flapped its wings and made its way over the mountain, rediscovering Li Qingshan’s tracks. All it needed was a single lunge and grab, and it would be able to capture Li Qingshan.
Xiao An’s fists creaked from how hard she clenched them. It took her tremendous willpower to remain in the air. If she could not endure it any longer and showed herself, not only would she fail to provide any assistance to Li Qingshan, but it was even very likely for her to destroy his only chance of survival. If she ended up being captured, Li Qingshan would never flee by himself. Before absolute strength, the combined efforts of the weak were meaningless. Instead, they would just drag each other down.
Li Qingshan unleashed all the strength left in his body and leapt forwards, lunging towards the cave that was covered in half-snow and half-vines. Due to using too much strength, his muscles and bones twisted and creaked.
He turned around mid-air, facing the sky and looking at the golden pheasant claw that reached over swiftly. Before the shining claws had even reached him, his skin already stung. Since they were so close, he was able to see through the golden pheasant and see the Golden Pheasant Elder’s old, arrogant face and the contempt and hatred on there.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. The talisman in his hand flashed and broke, turning into a scarlet fireball. It rose into the air and struck the sharp claws.
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s expression turned into one of shock. He exclaimed, “Supreme grade talisman!”
Boom!
Red light filled the entire sky.
The mountains swayed as the earth quaked!
The boulders in the distance were launched high into the air. Meanwhile, everything at the centre of the explosion, whether it be rocks or vegetation, directly melted, turning into flowing lava. Subsequently, it all solidified rapidly in the ice and snow, forming a black circle.
The Golden Pheasant Elder was unscathed, but the golden pheasant’s right leg had completely vanished. His face reddened and twisted.
This was because Li Qingshan had vanished with the explosion. Even the cave had been swallowed up by the fireball, completely collapsing in the explosion before being covered up by several hundred tonnes of rock.
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Chapter 238 – Second Layer of the Tiger Demon
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Chapter 238 – Second Layer of the Tiger Demon
The Golden Pheasant Elder produced a great roar. The golden pheasant flapped its wings furiously, kicking up violent gusts of wind and uprooting many towering trees.
At this moment, the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain all arrived too. They cried out, “Master! Where is first senior brother?”
“You bunch of trash!” The Golden Pheasant Elder raised his hand, and a violent gust of wind blew them away. They slammed against the trees viciously and slid down, but they dared not complain.
“Please forgive us, master!” “Please spare us!”
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s heaving chest gradually settled down. He barked, “Where’s Song Ming?”
Song Ming walked over obsequiously and knelt on the ground, “Master!” He suddenly felt a tremendous pressure push him to the ground.
The Golden Pheasant Elder said, “All of this happened because of you. If it weren’t for a piece of trash like you, your senior brother wouldn’t have- he wouldn’t have-”
“Fellow Golden Pheasant, no one could have imagined this, so why must you direct your anger at a junior?”
A relaxed, carefree voice rang out in the sky. The Green Vine Elder and the Lone Grave Elder had already arrived at a certain time, hovering in the air. The speaker was obviously the Green Vine Elder. The Green Vine Elder and the Lone Grave Elder looked at one another; they seemed to be smiling inside.
The three mountains were both in an alliance and each other’s competitors. If one was stronger, then the others were weaker. The Pheasant’s Grace mountain’s loss of a genius disciple was fantastic news to them. It made them even happier than obtaining a daemon core.
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s anger returned. His chest heaved again. “This is my Golden Pheasant mountain’s business. It has nothing to do with you two old coots!”
“Fellow Golden Pheasant, you can’t say that. Our three mountains stand together in an alliance, so your enemies are obviously our enemies. Once we return, we’ll immediately put out an order for capture among the three mountains and bring the murderer to justice,” said the Green Vine Elder. Who knew whether his mouth hidden under his beard was smiling or not.
“Yep!” The Lone Grave Elder nodded.
The Golden Pheasant Elder did not decline either. Avenging his dear disciple superseded his desire to protect his dignity, but it had been quite a long time since he had suffered such humiliation. He gritted his teeth. “If you find that kid, don’t kill him in a hurry. Just let me know. I want him alive. I want to skin him alive and carve up his bones out of pure hatred.”
Song Ming was still on the ground. His face was ashen. Although he had managed to get out of this alive, his future on the Pheasant’s Grace mountain would be gloomy now that his master hated him.
Damn it! How did it end up like this!?
He would have never imagined that his ninth layer Qi Practitioner first senior brother would end up dying at the hands of someone minor. He had heard how his master had given him two supreme grade talismans. Even if he ran into a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he should still be able to stay alive, so how did he end up dying to someone so insignificant?
While the other disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain all had their heads layered in sorrow, what they thought inside was the exact opposite. Many of them rejoiced or even celebrated the death of their first senior brother.
This applied to the two eighth layer Qi Practitioners in particular. The first senior brother had always kept them firmly suppressed, such that it was suffocating. Now that the first senior brother was gone, they could obtain even more resources. There was even a chance for them to inherit the position of sect master. Wasn’t this fantastic, unexpected news? When they thought of that, they looked at one another before immediately shifting their gazes.
As for that Niu Juxia or whatever he was called, the three mountains were out to get him. He was already a dead man. How would it be possible for a Qi Practitioner to live when they were hated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
None of them knew that Li Qingshan was quietly listening to all of this.
In the mountain, deep below the soil, Li Qingshan concealed all of his aura. Like a toad in hibernation, he was buried in the soil.
Actually, he did not even need to try to conceal his aura. His aura was already extremely weak, difficult for other people to sense.
His back had basically been reduced to ash, unable to sense anything anymore, while the tiny hole on his chest gradually expanded. The violent spiritual energy rampaged through his body. His daemon core struggled to keep it suppressed.
In just a single clash with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who knew how many times he had visited the brink of death. He had only barely managed to escape using the talisman and the environment. He was still heavily injured, such that he was a mess internally and externally. His entire body was immobilised by the pressure of the soil. If he were a regular Qi Practitioner, he would have died already.
However, he ignored the precarious situation and the wounds on his body, gathering all of his focus on his ears. He used his extraordinary hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation above ground. He concentrated on it carefully with a stern expression.
When the voices vanished, he suddenly smiled. His smile gradually grew, revealing his pearly teeth. Although he remained there silently, without producing any sounds, the viciousness and insolence within him only intensified.
Sharp claws extended from his hands and feet, while his hair turned scarlet, expanding to other parts of his body simultaneously. His black, iron-like skin became covered with a pattern akin to the stripes of a tiger. Even his irises turned into slits, just like a brutal beast’s.
He actually broke through to the second layer of the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging at a time like this.
The path of the tiger demon had to be comprehended through battle. Today, Li Qingshan had basically gone through five battles without rest. Against the masked man first, against the Truth-seeking society second, against the Hawkwolf guards third, against the first senior brother fourth, and against the Golden Pheasant Elder fifth.
Each battle was more intense than the last, more dangerous than the last. He had only managed to forge a chance of survival after being heavily injured and utterly exhausting himself. He had been forced to his limits. If he had survived, then he would erupt!
Li Qingshan began to struggle. He let out soundless roars as his long canines resembled sharp daggers. His body grew larger bit by bit, forcing apart the earth around him as he turned into his daemon form.
The surging daemon qi crushed and tore apart the foreign spiritual energy in his body, while the hole in his chest closed up. The wounds on his back rapidly healed, returning his back to its state a very short while ago; no, it had become even tougher and more tenacious than before.
After suffering tremendous damage, the Ox Demon Forges its Hide had actually strengthened, like black iron that had gone through another round of smelting. His defences had doubled at the very least. Even if he were directly struck by a mid grade spiritual artifact now, he would be unscathed.
Li Qingshan smiled in a self-deprecating manner. It seemed like he needed to be injured more often in the future.
With the powerful vitality and recovery of his daemon body, he made a complete recovery very quickly.
Exhaling gently, Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to return to human form, or more accurately, half-beast and half-human.
He had returned to his original size, but he retained his fiery hair, slit pupils, and sharp teeth. Even the striped pattern remained on his face. He did not seem human at all.
Li Qingshan could not be bothered by this. After confirming the direction, he swung his sharp claws and dug downwards furiously.
An indescribable flame filled his heart and supported his movements. The pitch-black soil seemed to morph into the faces of his enemies. He would grab at them and rip them apart as hard as he could, and only then would the restlessness in his heart ease.
The tiger demon focused on killing, which had a tremendous influence over his mind.
However, he no longer tried to control this influence, this killing intent, anymore. Instead, he allowed them to roar like a scorching fire in his heart.
The space before him suddenly opened up. He had finally reached a section of the cave that had not collapsed. Leaping down, he easily adjusted his position mid-air before rushing into the depths of the cave.
Within the mountains in a huge, open pit, a child waited quietly. This was the entrance to another cave, as well as where she had agreed to rendezvous with him if they separated.
She showed no expression, nor did she move. If it were not for her clothes that moved in the wind, she would seem like a marble statue that had been standing in the snowfield since forever.
However, her heart had already become something akin to the lava under the snow, filled with burning anxiety.
A black bear three or four times the size of a regular bear took heavy steps, foraging for food in the forest. Suddenly, its nose twitched. The heavy smell of sandalwood arrived with the cold wind.
It passed through the dense forest and arrived by the edge of the pit. Looking down, it saw the still child, and it began to drool naturally, but it hesitated. The child seemed to give off an invisible splendor, making her seem noble and sacred like an inviolable existence.
When buddha spoke the dharma, all demons bowed their heads in submission. When eminent monks carried out their virtuous deeds, vicious beasts would keep their distance.
But in the end, its appetite and viciousness overpowered its intelligence and perception. It lunged towards the child. Despite its huge size, it actually moved extremely gracefully.
Xiao An turned around expressionlessly. Her pupils that were like glaze made contact with its vicious gaze. It shuddered.
The perfect purity was like deep coldness, just like how the purest water was uninhabitable to aquatic life. She was not like a child. She was not even like a human.
However, she suddenly turned around again, ignoring the black bear that was only inches away. Joy from the bottom of her heart ripped through her eyes. At that moment, she suddenly gained an aura befitting of the living, like a delicate puppet that had turned into a human child.
However, the black bear’s eyes were filled with terror. It could not be bothered with the prey that was only inches away anymore as it turned around and fled. A terrifying aura rapidly drew closer.
Before the black bear could get very far, a black shadow burst out from the snow. The shining, scarlet pupils produced two streaks of light in the dark night. It appeared above the black bear and swung its claws casually. The black bear’s brains immediately splattered out, and with a whimper, it collapsed on the ground.
As if the shadow was still not satisfied, it extended its arms, wrenching out a warm heart.
If regular people saw this, they would have peed their pants in their fright towards this vicious beast. Even Qi Practitioners would shiver inside.
However, the child was filled with joy. She exclaimed, “Qingshan!”
The shadow suddenly turned around, staring straight at the child. The red light in its pupils gradually vanished, while its heavy, murderous aura seemed to fade slightly. It revealed a rather fierce smile. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”
Faced with Xiao An’s worried gaze, Li Qingshn smiled. “I’ve broken through to the second layer. What do you think? It’s pretty good, isn’t it?” He casually swung his hand and left behind four deep claw marks on the rock wall ten meters away.
Xiao An nodded seriously, expressing great appreciation towards his current form.
“Looks like my Xiao An has good tastes!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud and scooped her up, placing her on his neck and making his way into the cave.
“Where are we doing?” Xiao An asked.
“To hold the underground gathering, of course.”
“Aren’t there still quite a few days until that?”
“We need to prepare beforehand to welcome the friends from above ground. We need to fulfill our role as the host.”
“Can I kill them all?”
“Of course!”
Life was like a battlefield. We fight tooth and nail for our entire lives, and only when we die can we rest.
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Chapter 239 – Before the Ceremony (One)
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Chapter 239 – Before the Ceremony (One)
“It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, would I have ended up like this?” Song Ming grabbed Mu Zhicong’s collar firmly with bloodshot eyes.
He was completely done for. Although the Golden Pheasant Elder did not punish him in the end, his seniors and juniors all avoided him like the plague. Even the outer disciples that usually hung out with him ignored him now. He was completely alone on the Pheasant’s Grace mountain.
Mu Zhicong shook off his hand impatiently. “Senior brother Song, didn’t you want revenge? Or did I force you into revenge?”
“Y- you- I might suffer, but don’t you think you’ll have it easy either!” Song Ming completely lacked his former grace as spittle sprayed out from his mouth like he had gone mad. He launched a palm strike at Mu Zhicong.
“You’re crazy!” Mu Zhicong shivered inside and retreated in a hurry. Although he managed to avoid the palm strike, his chest still ached from the true qi.
Song Ming even tried to pursue him. Green vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around him firmly. He fished out a golden pheasant’s feather with a flip of his hand.
Mu Zhicong bellowed, “Don’t forget, this is the Green Vine mountain!”
Greenery lingered and flowers bloomed outside the window, like it was late spring, but there was mist and snowy mountains just a little further away. They were currently on the Green Vine mountain. More specifically, they were in the residence for inner disciples, in Mu Zhicong’s room.
Song Ming’s mind shuddered. He gradually calmed down and stowed away the Golden Pheasant’s plume.
Mu Zhicong released the vines and patted Song Ming’s shoulder. He advised, “The three mountains have already sent out an order for his capture, so you’ll be avenged at the very least. There are no permanent obstructions in the world. As long as you do well in the Herb Gathering ceremony, senior brother, you’ll definitely fall back into favour with your master. Who knows, you might find and ingest some spiritual herb and advance rapidly in cultivation, becoming the new first senior brother.”
Mu Zhicong was just afraid that Song Ming would try to throw his life at him if he completely offended Song Ming, so he pleaded with tactful words.
Song Ming left the residence with a broken expression. Below a great camphor tree, Ma Chaoqun bowed to him, “Senior brother!”
Smack! There was a clear slap, and Ma Chaoqun slammed against the tree heavily, causing leaves to rain down.
Song Ming said viciously, “Have you come to make fun of me?”
Ma Chaoqun said, “Never. All of this happened because of me. It’s me who’s let you down, senior brother! You can hit and berate me all you want.”
Song Ming was rather surprised. He sneered. “With your tiny bit of cultivation, you think you can let me down? Seeing how you’re still bold enough to talk to me, you have some balls. You really do live up to your background of the jianghu. You have some personal loyalty.”
With that, he walked off. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around. “You can stick with me in the future. If anyone is bold enough to harass you outside, let me know.”
“Senior brother?’ Ma Chaoqun was dazed.
“You could hold onto your grudge for two entire decades just for the sake of revenge, so am I supposed to pale in comparison to you? I’ll show them that I’m not a piece of trash that anyone can mess with!”
Mu Zhicong watched the two of them vanish down the shaded path. He muttered to himself, “Never thought Song Ming would have some backbone!” Then he murmured, “Niu Juxia!”
He never thought that man could actually escape while being rounded up by the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, even killing the first senior brother in the process. He basically wondered whether he had fallen for some scheme or not. He found this to be unbelievable. Was that guy really this powerful? If he came looking for him for revenge, what was he supposed to do!?
In a daze, the tall figure seemed to appear before him, and the shadow he cast enveloped him.
However, Mu Zhicong immediately shook his head. Even if this Niu person thought to his wit’s end, he would not be able to tell if he played a role in this at all. And, his life was in danger under the three mountains’ order for capture, so he was in no position to think about revenge.
Thinking up to this point, Mu Zhicong stood up and made his way out towards where the outer disciples stayed.
“Chenglu, are you really telling the truth? Are the three mountains really looking to hunt down Niu Juxia? Why hasn’t anyone else told me?” Yu Zijian paced around anxiously in her room.
Hua Chenglu laid back leisurely on a rattan chair. “You’re currently under house arrest, so of course no one would tell you. I heard he killed the first senior brother of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, and he was being hunted down by the Golden Pheasant Elder… Stop pacing around. You’re making me dizzy.”
“T- then how is he right now?” Yu Zijian suddenly stopped and widened her eyes in horror. Her eyes had already grown misty. She was ready to shed tears at any moment now.
If it weren’t for me, Niu Juxia wouldn’t have fallen with the Pheasant’s Grace Mountain, and he wouldn’t have come to Green Vine mountain. He wouldn’t have…
“You idiot, he obviously escaped, or they wouldn’t have ordered his arrest! You better worry about yourself a bit more instead of others!”
Only then did Yu Zijian ease up. She silently prayed, Niu Juxia, please be fine.
“Miss Hua is right.” A voice rang out from outside. Mu Zhicong stepped into the courtyard with his hands behind his back. He seemed extraordinarily graceful under the mottled shade of the tree.
Yu Zijian said, “Senior brother Mu!”
Mu Zhicong said, “Zijian, it’s almost time for the Herb Gathering ceremony. I will be taking care of you when that happens, but you need to make some preparations yourself too.”
“Zijian is not a disciple of the Green Vine mountain. She won’t be participating in your shitty Herb Gathering ceremony. Hurry up and get out of here. I feel vexed whenever I see the people of the Green Vine mountain now!” Hua Chenglu suddenly sat up on the seat and cursed.
When Hua Chenglu arrived on the Green Vine mountain wanting to take away Yu Zijian, the Green Vine elder had met with her reluctantly and directly turned down her request. However, while she liked to behave in a very mature manner, she was still a young girl at the end of the day.
If the patriarch of the Hua family, or Hua Chengzan, had come in person, there would be no issue in resolving this matter. However, if the Green Vine mountain released a person obediently from a single word that a little girl had said after scampering over, they would seem like they were afraid of the Hua family. The Green Vine Elder could not afford to stoop so low just yet.
Hua Chenglu obviously would not give up, so she insisted on staying on the mountain with Yu Zijian. After all this time, she had grown restless. She no longer cared about acting mature anymore. She released all of her unruly and capricious nature as the young miss of a large clan now.
“Miss Hua, do you really think you can talk nonsense just because you’re from the Hua family? Don’t assume that I’m afraid to teach you a lesson.” Mu Zhicong’s face reddened and he raised his hand.
Hua Chenlu offered her face to him. “Come! If you think you’re so capable, then teach me a lesson. You’re a coward if you’re afraid to!”
Mu Zhicong was utterly enraged, but his hand just hovered in the air. He was actually afraid to lay his hands on her. If he touched her, it would lead to a dispute between the Green Vine mountain and the Hua family. That was not a burden he could bear.
Yu Zijian made her way between them in a hurry and tried to persuade them. “Stop arguing!”
Mu Zhicong made use of this to get out of the predicament that he faced. He lowered his hand furiously. “If it weren’t for Zijian shielding you, I’d definitely teach a lesson to an ignorant little girl like you!”
“Who do you want to teach a lesson to?” A voice rang out at the entrance.
“Brother!” Hua Chenglu sprang up from the chair.
Mu Zhicong turned around in a hurry. He saw an extremely handsome man sitting on a verdant, slender branch that swayed in the wind. His ebony hair hung loose as his lips that were like peach blossoms formed a smile. If it were not for the prominent adam’s apple on his throat, he might have been mistaken for a great beauty.
Hearing how Hua Chenglu referred to him, a name leapt out in Mu Zhicong’s heart—Hua Chengzan.
Across the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture, there were countless geniuses. However, this person was the best of the best among these geniuses, a true prodigy. Not only did he come from a renowned clan and possess a handsome appearance, but he was also the only non-Foundation Establishment Scarlet Wolf commander throughout all of the Ruyi commandery.
This was not due to his background from the Hua family, or the special enlistment of the White Hawk commander. Instead, it was because he had reached the tenth layer of Qi Practitioner before the age of twenty. Everyone believed he would soon become the youngest Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Clear River prefecture.
Although he had been stuck at the tenth layer for many years, which caused the halo of a genius over his head to dim slightly, he was still a dazzlingly bright presence in the eyes of regular Qi Practitioners. He was known in the Clear River prefecture as the greatest below Foundation Establishment.
Mu Zhicong bowed in a hurry. “I was not aware of commander Hua’s arrival. I’ve failed to welcome you from afar.” Even with the Hua family set aside, just Hua Chengzan’s identity as a Scarlet Wolf commander was enough to make any Qi Practitioner revere him.
In the eyes of these cultivators from sects, the Hawkwolf Guard was not some fair emissary of justice that upheld the laws. Instead, they were the hawks and hounds of the government that framed people with their draconian laws.
Hua Chenglu arrived underneath the tree and leapt up and down. “Why have you only just come? Zijian and I have been harassed to death by the people here.”
Mu Zhicong laughed dryly. “I was only joking around with your dear sister.”
“Then let me joke around too!” Hua Chengzan’s face sank as he raised his hand. He possessed authority over the laws of the Clear River prefecture, and who knew how many Qi Practitioners he had killed and interrogated in the past. Although he rarely ever displayed his power, once he grew hostile, the bleakness seemed to summon late autumn in this prosperous springtime garden all of a sudden.
Mu Zhicong staggered a few steps back and tripped over the chair, falling on his bottom. He raised his hand to shield his face like a woman as he cried out, “Don’t!”
But nothing happened. Mu Zhicong lowered his hand, and all he saw was Hua Chengzan seated there, still smiling, as if his bearing earlier was all just an illusion.
Hua Chenglu mocked, “What a coward. My brother had already said that he’s joking around!”
Mu Zhicong turned bright red. He felt both ashamed and fearful. He had completely collapsed before Hua Chengzan’s aura earlier. Not only was he unable to fight back, but he even lost the courage to run away. He could only kneel on the ground and beg for his life, leaving everything completely up to Hua Chengzan’s whim. If Hua Chengzan had lashed out at that moment, killing him would be no different from killing an ordinary person. Before he had even struck, Mu Zhicong had already suffered an absolute defeat.
“Senior brother Mu!” Yu Zijian wanted to help him up, but Mu Zhicong had already leapt to his feet. “I’ll report this to my master.” before scampering off.
Hua Chenglu called out, “Why don’t you get down here!?”
Hua Chengzan seemed powerless to that request. He gently drifted down from the branch and smiled at Yu Zijian. “Miss Yu, long time no see!”
Yu Zijian lowered her head in a hurry. “Brother Hua, what brings you here?”
Hua Chenglu said complacently, “I got him to come, obviously.”
Hua Chengzan said instead, “I have some formal business to attend to here.”
The two of them looked at each other. Hua Chenglu stroked her brother’s nose furiously. “So you didn’t come for me!”
Hua Chengzan sighed. “I obviously came for you. I told you a long time ago that there was no need for you to hurry here, and that you just needed to wait for me to handle it. Now, it’s much more troublesome instead.” The minds of people were extremely tricky to handle. Now that he had come here, he had to worry that the Green Vine Elder felt like the Hua family was trying to pressure him.
“If it weren’t for me, Zijian would have been forced to join the Green Vine mountain already!”
“Fair enough!”
“Since commander Hua has arrived, why don’t you come up the mountain for a chat with me so that I can fulfill my role as the host?”
Suddenly, a great voice boomed out from the top of the mountain.
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Chapter 240 – Before the Ceremony (Two)
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Chapter 240 – Before the Ceremony (Two)
“Come with me!” Hua Chengzan lifted up Hua Chenglu with one hand and flew through the treetops like a bird, heading towards the top of the mountain.
“Wait for me, Zijian!” Hua Chenglu turned around and called out, but all she saw was a green mass. She was already very far away from the courtyard.
The voice curled upwards, and the branches swayed. Yu Zijian sighed gently inside. If she had not received the help of all these kind-hearted people, who knew what circumstances she would be facing. Regardless of the end result, she thanked them from the bottom of her heart.
If it were not for these warm feelings, what would be the point of living in this world? However, if someone ended up hurt because of her, she really had no idea what to do.
Niu Juxia, please be fine!
Advancing through the wild gales as the wind whistled past her ears, Hua Chenglu asked, “Brother, what mission brought you here?”
“It’s a secret.” Hua Chengzan smiled, but his expression was rather heavy.
Obviously, this would not escape the eyes of his younger sister, Hua Chenglu. She pouted unhappily, but she did not ask any further. She wondered, Apart from that woman, just what can give my almighty brother a headache?
“Has it got to do with the Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains?”
Hua Chengzan said nothing. He suddenly soared into the sky, flying above the entire Green Vine mountain.
Hua Chengzan spotted the diagram of the nine halls and eight trigrams on the square in front of the hall as well as the nine three-legged cauldrons giving off wisps of smoke. Looking down from above, the mountains all lingered in the mist, giving off an aloof and otherworldly feeling. The Green Vine mountain was quite a rare paradise.
From afar, they spotted the Green Vine Elder standing with his arms behind his back, waiting in front of the hall.
Quite a few disciples of the three mountains gathered on the square. Hearing the disturbance, they had all climbed out the mountain to see what was going on. Raising their heads, they saw a handsome man and a girl flying up to the top of the mountain with the breeze, like a white crane soaring over the mountains, untouched by human society.
The weaker Qi Practitioners failed to sense anything, but the stronger Qi Practitioners were all stern.
They had only witnessed this feeling of being one with nature from Foundation Establishment cultivators. He truly deserved his title of being the greatest below Foundation Establishment.
Hua Chengzan and Hua Chenglu landed before the steps gently.
Hua Chengzan clasped his hands first. “Greetings to senior Green Vine from junior Hua Chengzan.” Regardless of the impressiveness of his background, no matter how much talent he had, this was the basic amount of respect that a Qi Practitioner owed to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
In the path of cultivation, the strong were revered.
The Green Vine Elder stroked his beard with a smile and returned half the gesture. “You should have let me know that you would be visiting earlier so that I could welcome you at the base of the mountain. Now, it just makes me seem like I’m taking advantage of my seniority to slight an esteemed guest like you.”
He indirectly blamed Hua Chengzan for not notifying him first, directly passing through the formation and setting foot on the mountain. However, he was also astounded by his ability to pass through the formation silently.
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s because I was worried about my younger sister, so I ignored the common courtesy. Please forgive me, senior. My younger sister has enjoyed your hospitality for all the days she spent on the mountain. I’m just afraid she has been rude the entire time. It’s all thanks to senior’s leniency to not fuss about her. Chenglu, why don’t you thank the senior?”
“Thank you, senior Green Vine.” Hua Chenglu bowed rather reluctantly.
Hua Chengzan rubbed Hua Chenglu’s head gently and said powerlessly, “My sister is young and ignorant, and she’s spoilt too. There’s nothing I can do about her either, so I hope senior doesn’t take any offence.”
“Your dear sister is naive and innocent, so how could I take any offence?” The Green Vine Elder laughed. Even if he was slightly unhappy inside, he would not stoop to the level of a little girl, or he would just seem narrow-minded.
Hua Chengzan resolved the dispute from before in a few simple words. He smiled and clasped his hands. “I have some formal affairs that I’d like to discuss with the sect masters of the three mountains. Here’s not an appropriate place to talk. Let’s go in!”
At that moment, he was no longer an elder brother apologising for his sister, nor was he a junior who respected his seniors. Instead, he was a commander of the Hawkwolf Guard, a representative of the law. His attitude naturally changed such that he treated him as an equal. As a matter of fact, he even gained the upper hand, now in control of the flow of the conversation.
The Green Vine Elder could not help but grow stern. He raised his hands. “Please!” He could not help but sigh inside. This kid was graceful, and he handled affairs with composure. He was greater than all the disciples he had under him. He could shoulder great responsibilities. If he could have a disciple like this inherit and continue the sect, would the prosperity of the Green Vine mountain still be an issue?
Hua Chengzan made Hua Chenglu wait outside as he entered the hall with the Green Vine Elder. Right as he was about to step through the door, he suddenly turned around and glanced past every single face on the square. However, he was left slightly disappointed. He thought in a self-deprecating manner, If that person would appear here so easily, then there would be no need for so much trouble.
As expected, the Golden Pheasant Elder and the Lone Grave Elder were already seated in the hall. Seeing Hua Chengzan walk in, they both stood up before sitting back down again. Their eyes were filled with caution. They had to maintain their dignity as sect masters while trying to avoid offending the Hawkwolf Guard.
As if Hua Chengzan was accustomed to treatment like that, he only clasped his hands. He did not bow like he should have as a junior.
“So what brings the commander here in person?” The Green Vine Elder dismissed all of his disciples. Only the four of them remained in the large hall, such that his voice echoed through the place. The vermillion pillars of the hall seemed to extend into the darkness. They seemed extremely lonely.
Hua Chengzan paced around in thought, like he was organising how he would say it, but it was also like he was contemplating something. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “I’ve come to warn the three of you that someone will be coming for the foundations of your three mountains. The three of you should prepare yourselves.”
“What?” The Green Vine Elder was surprised.
“Bullsh-” The Golden Pheasant Elder directly sprang to his feet. He had been in an extremely horrible mood for the past few days. He blurted out foul language, only managing to stop himself half way through.
“Oh?” The Lone Grave Elder blinked his eyes a few times. Many more emotions immediately sprang forth from his corpse-like face.
The Green Vine Elder looked down. “Please don’t exaggerate to frighten us, commander. The alliance of our three mountains has lasted for several generations. How can our foundations of a thousand years be seized so easily?”
The Golden Pheasant Elder waved his hands around in an intense manner. “Who are we supposed to be afraid of when the three of us work together? Don’t tell me the White Hawk commander has taken a fancy to our sects?”
“Yeah!” said the Lone Grave Elder.
Their confidence was not unreasonable. Great Xia had stood for several millennia, and all nine provinces had experienced peace the entire time. Even battles between sects were very infrequent. Although there were some secret machinations going on behind the scenes, they could basically fend off anything if three Foundation Establishment cultivators worked together.
Obviously, they could not fend off Golden Core cultivators, but all Golden Core cultivators were well-established, possessing their own clans and sects. Why would the three mountains interest them? And, the Hawkwolf Guard never interfered with battles among sects. They would much rather stir up these battles instead, so since when were they nice enough to come and warn them?
Hua Chengzan acted like he was in thought for a while, giving the three of them sufficient time to react to the news. Only then did he say, “This person comes from the Sword Collection palace!”
The three agitated old men acted like an invisible hand had grabbed them by the throat. They all fell quiet, unable to say another word.
The Sword Collection palace was a great sect renowned throughout the Green province. It was said that only Foundation Establishment cultivators had the right to become inner disciples. In the eyes of all small to medium-sized sects of the Green province, that was the name of an existence they could not oppose.
After quite a while, the Golden Pheasant Elder managed to return to his senses first. He bellowed, “You lie! The Sword Collection palace is an orthodox sect, so why would they just attack other sects? And, what would we have that would attract their attention?”
The Green Vine Elder smiled bitterly. “If you aren’t joking, commander, then we can just go and get prepared to change sides. Just how are we supposed to oppose the Sword Collection palace?”
The Lone Grave Elder’s face darkened; his entire body had already stiffened. He seemed even more like a corpse now.
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s not an attack, but control and recruitment. Actually, you don’t have to worry too much. I’ve obtained reliable information that the person is just an inner disciple of the Sword Collection palace. He only underwent his tribulation recently, so this is his first time leaving the mountain for training. If you can defeat him, then there’s obviously nothing to worry about.”
The three elders looked at one another. The training mission of a disciple from the Sword Collection palace was actually to deal with them. That was utterly insulting, but they just could not get angry over this, as it was the Sword Collection palace. As a matter of fact, they eased up slightly. If it was just an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, were they supposed to be afraid that they could not fend him off with their cultivation?
Hua Chengzan shook his head. The understanding of people from sects still originated from rumors and stories that were passed from mouth-to-mouth. It was impossible for them to analyse and draw conclusions from detailed information like the Hawkwolf Guard.
Hua Chenglu hugged her knees as she sat before the hall. No matter who tried to talk to her, she would reply viciously, “Go away!”
Just as she was getting bored, Hua Chengzan emerged from the hall. The three sect masters had personally come out to see him off.
All of the disciples on the square were surprised by the treatment he received.
The eyes of the female cultivators shone even brighter. If they were to choose a partner, they needed to find a man like him.
If it were some other time, perhaps Hua Chengzan would have smiled at them and spread his romantic reputation as a handsome young master. However, he was in no mood to do so right now.
Still worried, he whispered sternly, “I’ll just be in the town below the mountain. If he appears, send someone to contact me. The three seniors must receive him together when the time comes, or the three mountains will be in danger.”
He was blatantly saying that they would not even be able to defeat a single disciple of the Sword Collection palace if they fought with just the three of them. The Golden Pheasant Elder definitely would have burst out swearing if he had heard this some other time, but he seemed very cautious now. He only nodded. After hearing Hua Chengzan’s analysis, none of them dared to make light of the situation anymore.
Compared to their pride, the three mountains were much more important. The Sword Collection palace was impressive, but they all understood the principle that it was better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.
“Just… what… does… the… Sword Collection palace… want?” The Lone Grave Elder stammered as if it had been many years since he last spoke.
This also happened to be the question that the Green Vine Elder and Golden Pheasant Elder wanted to ask the most. What did they possess that would interest a great sect from over five thousand kilometers away?
Hua Chengzan hesitated. “As for what he wants, I’m not completely sure, but you must turn down any requests that he has, or the world will be in danger!”
The elders of the three mountains looked at one another. Although they each ruled over a region, they still knew what they were capable and incapable of. Even when combined, the three mountains could not influence the world at all, so it all seemed a little exaggerated. They wanted to ask some more questions.
Hua Chengzan clasped his hands and made his way down the stairs, flying off with Hua Chenglu. They soared over the sea of trees, including the residence for outer disciples.
Hua Chenglu asked urgently, “What about Zijian? What about her?”
Hua Chengzan said, “Don’t worry. Once I finish with this, I will obviously take the two of you back to the Clear River prefecture.” He was in no hurry to demand for Yu Zijian from the Green Vine Elder. He would only speak when he felt confident, and when he did speak, the Green Vine Elder would not be able to turn him down.
Of course, it would be for the best if he did not have to speak at all. If he handled this matter properly, the Green Vine Elder would probably be grateful for his warning, and he would let Yu Zijian leave the mountain without needing him to say anything at all. There was no need to hurry.
Hua Chenglu said, “But it’s almost the Herb Gathering ceremony. Zijian is going underground with them. Who knows how dangerous it’ll be.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Didn’t you see how someone was willing to take care of her? There won’t be any danger. It’ll be good for her instead.”
“But!”
“No buts. If there was danger, they wouldn’t send so many Qi Practitioners underground. It’ll be fine as long as they don’t venture too deep. How can she leave without any benefits after staying on the Green Vine mountain for all this time?”
Hua Chengzan seemed to think of something as he muttered to himself, “If you really talk about danger, I’d be worrying for the daemons instead.”
“What?” Hua Chenglu asked in confusion.
“Nothing.”
The greenery receded, and the snowy winds buffeted their faces.
Below the Green Vine mountain, the town happened to be experiencing its busiest time. The Herb Gathering ceremony was about to begin, so almost a thousand Qi Practitioners gathered there. All of them wanted to make some last minute preparations. It was the liveliest right now.
But at this moment, the ruckus near the north gate vanished. A wide path opened up on the cramped street, allowing a group of Qi Practitioners to pass by.
The leader of the group happened to be Wu Gen. His scarlet uniform stood out clearly, while the black uniform of the commanders behind him fluttered in the wind, giving off a stern and stately presence.
“Why are the Hawkwolf Guard here?”
“Have they come to participate in the Herb Gathering ceremony too?”
“Can’t be. It has never happened in the past!”
Wu Gen’s face was utterly sunken. He quietly made his way into an inn, while the commanders behind him entered too. All of them seemed to be in a bad mood.
The boss of the inn bowed to receive them. “Master Wu, you’ve finally returned! Please come in! I’ve saved the best rooms for you!”
Wu Gen said, “Shut the door!”
The boss said, “But I’m still open for business!”
“Shut the door!” Wu Gen’s voice sank.
The boss closed the door in a hurry. Wu Gen erupted with foul language, “You bunch of trash! You couldn’t even catch an injured person. Every single one of you is all talk and no action! How am I supposed to report back like this?”
A crack slowly opened up in the door upstairs. Seeing the group of Hawkwolf guards below, the door was immediately shut again.
Fang Enshang said, “Senior brother, the terrain underground is complicated. The caves criss-cross with one another, so it was difficult for us to find him. There’s nothing that we could do.”
The other commanders all nodded in agreement. Qiu Ruiliu’s hole was not just a short secret tunnel. Instead, it directly connected to the caves below. They followed his tracks in pursuit, which ended at an underground river. When they found his tracks again, they were led to the den of a daemon. It took them a tremendous amount of effort to get out and reduced them to a sorry state.
Although they administered different regions, there would be many criminals on the blacklist that would flee underground, preventing them from capturing them.
Wu Gen just happened to have nowhere to vent his anger. He roared at Fang Enshang, “Haven’t you learnt Tracing techniques from the Academy of the Hundred Schools? Haven’t you? Huh?!”
Fang Enshang lowered his head. “I have.”
“Then why couldn’t you find him? Huh?!”
Fang Enshang said softly, “Didn’t you learn it too, senior brother?”
The commanders all tried their best to stop smiling, but no one dared to laugh aloud.
Wu Gen immediately seemed like he was about to explode. Qian Rongzhi pulled Fang Enshang away in a hurry and tried to persuade him. “Sir, please calm down. We still managed to destroy a branch of the evil White Lotus cult, the Truth-seeking society. After suffering this loss, Qiu Ruiliu will probably be too afraid to show himself again for a very long time. After all, even commander Gu failed to find the White Lotus Mother.”
Wu Gen’s anger subsided slightly under the persuasions of a beauty and the fact that he was being compared to Gu Yanying. He glared viciously at Fang Enshang, and just when he was about to say something, a lazy voice rang out from upstairs.
“Oi, it’s not a good idea to talk about your superiors behind their backs.”
Wu Gen suddenly turned his head. “Who is it? To eavesdrop on us, you really are out of your… Commander Hua!”
Hua Chengzan leaned against the railing on the second floor and smiled. “Sir Wu, I see your temper has improved! So who’s out of their minds?”
Wu Gen was pained. “I’m out of my mind, okay? What brings you here?”
Hua Chengzan said, “You just let a criminal escape, that’s all. There’s no need to be like this. With the breadth of the net of justice, it’s loose, but it never lets anyone slip through and get away. Won’t you have an opportunity in the future? It’s just like what Rongzhi said. Even boss Gu failed to kill the White Lotus Mother.” He shifted his gaze and looked at Qian Rongzhi.
“I was just speaking carelessly. I hope you can forgive me, commander. Though, I never thought the commander would actually remember my name.” Qian Rongzhi bowed courteously. She did not try to tease or flatter him at all. Although she had only seen him once before, this commander Hua gave her a very deep impression. The conclusion she reached about him was that he was difficult to make use of.
She personally believed her beauty and arts of charm were nowhere near as great as the master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain. And, even the sect master seemed to struggle to gain complete control over this person. And, if she tried throwing herself at him now, it would only make him look down on her.
Hua Chengzan smiled. “I always remember the names of beauties. Oh right, did you find that person who joined the Hawkwolf Guard with you, Li Qingshan?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Commander, although I joined the Hawkwolf Guard at the same time as Li Qingshan, we’re not close with one another. I haven’t heard from him in such a long time, so he may have died underground already.”
“Really? I have a feeling that I’ll still be able to see him.” Hua Chengzan waved his hand and casually tossed down a painting scroll, which unfurled in the air. It depicted a man in simple clothes.
The painter had exceptional skill. The man seemed to be very young, only around twenty years of age, but he gave off a bleak presence. His skinny figure held up the large, wide clothing, which made him seem a little like he was just skin and bones.
“This is your new mission. Remember this person. Once he appears near the Green Vine mountain, contact me immediately! Remember, don’t touch him!”
With Wu Gen at the lead, the Hawkwolf guards answered loudly, “Yes, sir!”
Clang~
Yu Zijian paced around by herself in her courtyard. Suddenly, the sword on her waist thrummed gently. She stopped in surprise and drew the sword. The blade of the sword was clear like water in autumn, clearly reflecting her confused face.
She checked the sword several times, but she was still confused by what was going on. In the end, she could only sheath the sword.
Clang~
She leapt in fright and took a step back, drawing out the sword again and checking it several times.
The scattered sunlight landed on the sword, reflecting brilliant streaks of light. However, the sword was as still as water, without producing any noise or disturbance at all.
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Chapter 241 – Before the Ceremony (Three)
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Chapter 241 – Before the Ceremony (Three)
She placed the sword on the marble table in the courtyard. The westward sun turned the sea of clouds into a blazing ocean, which reflected on the long blade. It suddenly added a glorious splash of colour to the ordinary sword.
Yu Zijian squinted her eyes and crouched by the table, staring straight at the sword.
The sword laid there quietly, without moving at all.
Clang~
Yu Zijian suddenly stood up. The sound clearly seemed to originate by her ear, but it also seemed to come from the bottom of her heart. She stood up and opened the door, stepping onto the small path covered in verdant grass.
She was in a daze, as if she was in a dream. She was unable to control herself, as if something was calling for her in her heart.
The small path twisted a few times before suddenly opening up. Presented before her were a series of dilapidated walls, like the ruins of an ancient city.
The stone pillars that once held up the hall laid in the wild grass. The hall had already collapsed, while the statues had been weathered to a point where they were disfigured. However, she could still vaguely see their former glory.
Since when was there a place like this on the Green Vine mountain?
A question flashed through Yu Zijian’s head, which vanished in a split second.
The setting sun added a splash of bright red to these ruins. No matter how unsophisticated or vulgar a person could be, they would still sigh involuntarily and in emotion at this sight.
As she strolled through these ruins that had almost been swallowed by the green grass, she felt like she had returned home, like she was an exiled princess and this was her home country.
After passing the white stone path covered in vines, she suddenly stopped.
A tiny pond sat in the embrace of verdant trees. The setting sunlight from the west reflected in the water, dyeing it in a beautiful colour.
A man in green robes sat on a round rock by the pond with his legs crossed. His young, thin face was stubbly, like he was sighing. He gave off agedness and weariness that only seemed to appear on old people who had seen and understood everything the world had to offer. He was like a lone king sitting on his collapsed throne, reminiscing his former glory and lamenting over the state of his current empire.
He was fishing, but he did not use a fishing pole. He used a sword. He held the hilt with both hands as a thread dangled straight down from the end of the sheathe into the mirror-like pond.
Yu Zijian’s eyes were not set on this sight, or this person, but the sword. She seemed to be drawn in for no reason. She was confident that the graceful thrum from earlier originated from this sword.
“Have you seen this sword before?” The man in green turned around and looked at her in some surprise.
As if Yu Zijian had suddenly jerked awake from her dream, she looked around and almost tried to ask how she had ended up here. She was in a daze. “I haven’t. You’re not a disciple of the Green Vine mountain, are you?”
At a closer glance, while he did wear green, it differed greatly from the uniform of the Green Vine mountain. It seemed extremely worn-out, just like the sword in his hand.
The man in green said, “I’m not. Are you?”
Yu Zijian said, “I’m not either. You must be a guest invited to the mountain. You’re not allowed to fish on the mountain!”
“Since you’re not a disciple of the Green Vine mountain, why do you care?”
“I… Forget it. Fish. I’m going back. I’m not going to disturb your fishing.” It was slightly inappropriate for a man and woman to be alone here. However, her gaze remained fixed on the sword. The familiar feeling was just like when she first met Niu Juxia.
The man in green said, “Do you want to take a look?”
“Can I?” Before Yu Zijian had even finished talking, the sword landed in her hands. It was weighty, and the thread automatically retreated into the sheath.
The sheath was an inky green, due to a combination of its original colour and the marks left behind with time. The material seemed like jade, yet also like wood. There was a fine image engraved on there, like the silhouette of a city, but it was incomplete and damaged.
“What is this sword called?”
“Green Ruins.”
Clang~
Yu Zijian gripped the hilt and drew the sword. The familiar thrum rang out by her ear, just as expected, lingering for quite some time. It did not glow at all, but the shine of the sword was withdrawn like light through clear, autumn water.
“It’s a fine sword!”
The man in green’s expression revealed even more surprise than when he first saw Yu Zijian. He was shocked as a matter of fact.
“I’m done. I need to go,” Yu Zijian sheathed the sword and tossed it back to the man reluctantly.
The man stood up. “Can you wait for me here?”
At this moment, the afterglow in the horizon began to subside.
“I can’t. I’m busy.” Yu Zijian skipped into the distance as she thought, Who are you? I don’t even know you, yet you want me to wait for you. What a weirdo!
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Yu Zijian,” Yu Zijian said without looking back.
“I- I’m Fu Qingjin,” Yu Zijian had already left the ruins and vanished into the thicket, so Fu Qingjin’s voice tailed off, like he was talking to himself.
She could easily walk out of the Green Ruins Illusion, and she could draw the Green Ruins sword. The Divining Elder was right…
The first star lit up on the horizon. His gaze shone like a star’s.
The scenery around him suddenly twisted like a mirage before vanishing. Only the pond remained, reflecting the black shade of the embracing trees.
Fu Qingjin’s gaze passed through the vegetation and landed on the main hall at the top of the mountain.
There was only a single lantern within the dim hall, illuminating a tiny area. The three old men huddled around the lantern. They bore Hua Chengzan’s warning in mind, afraid to split up and be taken out one by one.
The disciples of the various sects were on patrol outside. They were not there to help out, but to immediately report to Hua Chengzan as soon as they heard any disturbances.
There was a flash of green light, and the three old men suddenly discovered that the surroundings had changed. They sat within a series of ruins, while above them was the endless night sky, filled with stars.
“Since when?” The Golden Pheasant Elder paled in surprise.
“Thank you for waiting here together. It has saved me quite the trouble.”
A voice rang out from behind. The three of them turned around at the same time and saw a man in green clothes walk down from the high steps. He was young yet aged, lonely yet noble.
The Green Vine Elder said, “Y- You’re that person!”
“This commander Hua must have told you everything that needs to be said, right?” Fu Qingjin said calmly, as if he was too tired to even explain his reason for coming here.
The three old men stood in a triangle around him. Although they were old rivals, their teamwork was still flawless.
“I haven’t come for the three mountains. My mission is not to win over you either.”
The three old men exhaled in relief at basically the same time.
“Though, it’ll be much more convenient if I win over you first. Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.”
Before the three elders could even become angry, the green shine of the sword turned into thousands of strands and dispersed like fireflies.
A while later, the three elders emerged from the hall. The door was shut firmly behind them.
“Master, do we need to keep patrolling?”
“There’s no need. You can go,” the Green Vine Elder said with exhaustion.
The three of them looked at one another, as if they could see the fear that had yet to disperse, as well as each other’s understanding. No wonder Hua Chengzan had come in person to tell them. This person’s mission was actually to…
The Sword Collection palace really was as resolute as the legends painted it to be. However, if they really did go through with this, then it would be no exaggeration that the world would be in danger.
The Green Vine Elder said, “Please go back and rest. Make your preparations! The Herb Gathering ceremony is about to begin.”
The deep, open pit was like a huge, hollow eye, staring at the sky.
Almost a thousand pairs of eyes looked back at this huge eye. They were filled with excitement, eagerness, and fear.
The whistling cold wind was unable to overwhelm the hubbub of voices. Everyone discussed among themselves.
The surroundings suddenly quietened. Under everyone’s attention, the three elders arrived by the pit.
The Green Vine Elder moved first to open the formation. Everyone only saw a membrane of light disperse.
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s hand shone with resplendent light, and the snow in the pit rapidly melted away, revealing over a dozen pitch-black caves. These caves were the entrance for the Herb Gathering ceremony. They led off to various parts underground.
Everyone gasped involuntarily, which immediately drowned out the wind.
The Green Vine Elder cleared his throat. “Gathered here, we’ll all be taking part in the Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains. It is an honour for me and fellows Golden Pheasant and Lone Grave…”
The dozen or so Hawkwolf guards led by Wu Gen moved through the independent cultivators, constantly examining the people around them, as if they were there to prevent anyone from sneaking into the ceremony.
The disciples of the three mountains were split into three groups, standing behind their respective sect masters. They were further divided into smaller squads.
Because of the past successes of the Herb Gathering ceremony, basically all the disciples of the mountains had been mobilised. It was impossible for over a hundred Qi Practitioners to move together. They would naturally separate from one another as they came across forks underground.
Yu Zijian peered about among them. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder gently. She turned around in a hurry and exclaimed happily, “Chenglu, what brings you here?”
Hua Chenglu kept her back bent. “Shh! Don’t be so loud, or my brother will hear you. I’m worried for you, so I’ll go down there with you to take a look.”
Mu Zhicong suddenly called out, “Miss Hua, you’re not a disciple of our Green Vine mountain, so please don’t stand with us! If you want to participate in the ceremony, please stand with the independent cultivators!”
Everyone looked over. Hua Chenglu pointed at Mu Zhicong furiously. “You-” Suddenly, she felt her collar tighten, and she saw Hua Chengzan as soon as she turned around. He scolded her, “Don’t mess around!” He dragged her away before nodding at Yu Zijian. “Good luck.”
Hua Chenglu called out, “Zijian, be careful!”
Mu Zhicong said warmly, “Don’t worry, Zijian. I’ll definitely protect you.”
Just when Yu Zijian wanted to say something, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. It was the man in green who fished by the pond. He had changed into the uniform of the Green Vine mountain, and the aura he gave off indicated that he was a fourth layer Qi Practitioner.
He just stood there by himself, without conversing with anyone beside him. For some reason, no one else seemed to notice him either. Sensing Yu Zijian’s gaze, he turned his head and smiled.
Yu Zijian asked in confusion, “Senior brother Mu, since when did the Green Vine mountain gain a new disciple?”
“What new disciple?” Mu Zhicong looked over along Yu Zijian’s gaze. There was just a sea of green clothing. Fu Qingjin had already vanished.
Yu Zijian scratched her head. “How strange!”
At this moment, the Green Vine Elder finished his speech. The three elders exchanged glances and nodded at the same time. They did not glance at Fu Qingjin the entire time. They did not even display any peculiar expressions.
Hua Chengzan, who remained in the crowd and paid attention to their faces the entire time, sighed gently in relief.
The three elders said at the same time, “The Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains formally begins!”
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Chapter 242 – Enemy of Humans
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Chapter 242 – Enemy of Humans
Deep underground, vicious daemons gathered from all directions.
The vast cavern was lit by moss, but several dozen pairs of eyes shone even brighter. Most of their irises had narrowed into slits, clearly rather unaccustomed to such a bright environment.
Perhaps vicious, perhaps cold, or perhaps arrogant, the gazes clashed and produced sparks in the air.
The sounds of foul breaths rose and fell once another another. They were restless like volcanoes before eruption. From time to time, there would be deep growls or roars, like the thunder in the sky, resounding through the cavern.
Daemon qi gathered in the darkness, constantly entangling and exchanging information with each other. However, they maintained a cautious distance from one another.
The tremendous figures resulted in a series of black shadows, writhing, swaying, and twisting.
In the past, they lived without any contact with each other, but today, they had all been gathered here because of a person.
Suddenly, their gazes gathered in a single location.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heavy footsteps caused the ground to shake. It was still very far away, but violent daemon qi had already gushed into the cavern. This was the way daemons greeted one another, but it was filled with arrogance and provocation. Normally, it was enough to lead to a battle.
All of the daemons withdrew their daemon qi and lowered their heads, as if they were subjects awaiting the arrival of their king.
They could all sense that he had grown stronger. He was like a sharpened blade, shining with bloodthirsty light.
A colossal figure appeared at the dark entrance. The entrance was towards the top of the cavern and was several meters wide, but it was still not large enough for him. Simply raising his head would cause his two sharp ox horns to scrape against the ceiling and produce a series of sparks.
The black shadow leapt into the air. Its colossal body was not clumsy at all; instead, it was like a tiger descending from the mountains.
He landed on the ground with a rumble. His scarlet hair danced like fire, while his scarlet pupils glanced past the daemons like a blade. The daemons all lowered their heads even further.
On his shoulders, Xiao An and Milliped stood to the left and right. Xiao An had assumed her skeletal form, with the two Skull Prayer Beads hovering above her head.
Milliped, on the other hand, napped by leaning against Li Qingshan’s head. However, the powerful daemon qi he gave off still slammed against the surroundings wave after wave, scattering the daemon qi from the other daemons.
Li Qingsahn swung his hand, and food ran down like rain, piling at the centre of the cavern. There was food that had been cooked by humans, as well as fresh beef, lamb, and pork. Merging together, they gave off an enticing fragrance.
Basically all of the daemons drooled. Despite how long they had lived, they had never seen so much and so many rich foods.
“This is my promise. Now, let’s eat!” Li Qingshan’s deep voice was like resonating metal, able to penetrate through anything.
His words were like a spark to a room full of explosives. The daemons all lunged forward, each more vicious and powerful than the last. Hunting and eating was an ability that they had been born with.
After a few roars and growls as a test, they naturally assembled themselves into a certain order. The strongest daemons ate first.
The blackwater salamander gulped down a pile of fresh fish. He felt glad. Thankfully, he had come, or he would have missed out on such a great feast.
The boulder viper coiled up and swallowed an entire ox. With a wave of its tail, it ate another goat.
The way the ice frog ate was the strangest. It would open its mouth to a terrifying size and exhale cold air, freezing all the cooked food before sucking hard. Its body would immediately swell up, and all of the frozen food would be sucked into its body, like it was a bottomless pit.
The other daemons paced around restlessly in the surroundings.
This seemed to be an ancient, primal ceremony, like how the ancestors of humans danced around fire, creating human culture.
Milliped caught a whiff of the food and opened his eyes by a crack. Li Qingshan passed the alcohol and food he had already prepared to him. He had a great feast before laying down on Li Qingshan’s shoulder and falling asleep.
Li Qingshan shook his head. Originally, he had brought him to keep up his appearance and say a few words to rile up their morale, but as it seemed, there was no need for that.
He did not take out all the food right at the beginning. Hunger was the main driving force for hunting. When his three strongest daemon soldiers were half way done eating, he ordered them to stop and let the other daemons eat.
However, daemons that were eating also happened to be the most vicious, so why would they listen to Li Qingshan’s command? They ignored him and continued to wolf down the food.
Li Qingshan got to work. He grabbed the boulder viper’s head with his huge claws and pressed it against the ground. The boulder viper wrapped around him a few times instinctively like a thick belt, but it discovered that his body was even tougher than metal. The piercing pain from its head made it return to its senses. Those claws could actually pierce its armour.
The other arm wrapped around the blackwater salamander’s neck. While the blackwater salamander could slide out, it obediently remained still.
The ice frog wanted to eat a few more mouthfuls while he was busy, but a bone sword pointed at him. The flames shone in Xiao An’s eye sockets.
The bone sword had been refined from the skeleton of the first senior brother from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain.
Although a sword did exist within the artifact forging section of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty called the Buddha Slaying sword, it was not something that Xiao An could forge right now. As a result, this sword had no other uses apart from its toughness.
However, a tough sword was enough for a supreme swordsman.
The ice frog was immediately stunned by the sword intent. It became afraid to move. It felt like as long as it moved by even an inch, it would have to suffer a devastating attack.
With the three strongest daemon soldiers subdued in an instant, the other daemons became afraid to move as well.
Milliped opened his bleary eyes and asked, “They’re being disobedient?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “You’d best ask them!”
The three daemons expressed their allegiance in a hurry, and Li Qingshan released them. He said nothing more apart from expressing that he had the authority to distribute food. The leader would always have to express the authority he possessed to the group and give the rule breakers a tough beating.
The other daemon soldiers immediately became much more orderly as they ate. After all the food had been split among them, the daemons still seemed dissatisfied. They seemed to become even hungrier after having not eaten in a long time.
“The human cultivators have already begun to venture underground!” Li Qingshan finally spoke. He used daemon qi and his voice to convey his message.
All of the daemons raised their heads in alertness. They understood the danger that humans posed.
“They’ve come to kill us, to take the daemon cores in us, to take the spiritual herbs from our caverns. From today onwards, you will listen to my command. You will not fight alone. We must band together and face the enemy together. After this, I will redistribute food among you according to your merit in battle!”
“Now, let’s go and kill all the humans!” Li Qingshan raised his right hand before swinging down viciously.
Various growls and roars resounded through the caverns, causing loose rocks to fall. The daemon army moved out.
Li Qingshan stood at the very back. Only when all the daemons had left the cavern did he mumble to himself extremely softly, “The name of the operation this time will be the Enemy of Humans.”
A strange smile appeared on his face. It seemed like a cruel, vicious smile, like a sorrowful, bitter smile, yet also like a self-deprecating, cold smile. Afterwards, all of it vanished. He recovered his silent composure.
This was the path he had chosen, no hesitation, no regret.
“Alright, go back to sleep!” Li Qingshan placed Milliped down from his shoulder. There would not be Foundation Establishment cultivators venturing underground. With his current strength, he could kill any Qi Practitioner he came across.
“Be careful,” Milliped muttered before wriggling towards his den. His bottom rose and fell as he inched away extremely quickly.
Li Qingshan smiled with ease. He placed his hand over his chest and bowed slightly. “We fight for you!” Afterwards, he nodded to Xiao An. “And for you!”
Afterwards, he straightened himself out and said proudly, “And for me!”
He strode off into the depths of the cavern.
……
The sounds of countless footsteps advanced at a steady and rapid pace.
The disciples of the three sects had already separated underground. They followed their own markers and advanced along their own paths. Often, the groups would have a Qi Practitioner at the sixth layer or higher leading several weaker Qi Practitioners.
This group happened to be under the lead of Liu Fengrui, but his face was sunken. He ignored his junior brothers’ flattery.
The past few days had been very tough for him on the Green Vine mountain. He never thought that bringing back a girl would cause so much trouble. Not only did his seniors and juniors give him the cold shoulder, but even the Green Vine Elder did not treat him kindly.
He was not afraid of receiving the cold shoulder from his seniors and juniors. However, it would be extremely terrifying once he fell out of favour with his master in a small sect like this. He could not help but utterly resent Yu Zijian. He basically hoped that she would die in the ceremony this time, and if there was the opportunity, he would not mind helping out a little so that this did happen.
“Senior brother, up ahead is a daemonic beast’s den. There should be Quartz grass growing in the surroundings, which is a crucial spiritual herb for refining Stone Grain pills.” A disciple of the Green Vine mountain held a small mental map and beamed in joy.
He interrupted Liu Fengrui’s thoughts, who said in displeasure, “Quartz grass isn’t some impressive spiritual herb. We’re still very close to the surface here. If you want good things, we need to venture deeper. A mere daemonic beast hasn’t even condensed a daemon core.”
The disciples were all obsequious to him. If they ventured deeper, then the danger would increase too. Daemons with daemon cores were not that easy to handle. Although daemonic beasts did not have daemon cores, they still possessed hides and bones, which were fantastic materials for forging spiritual artifacts. Their flesh and blood had very great uses too.
“Let’s go and take a look!” Liu Fengrui ordered. He had to gather some additional spiritual herbs in the ceremony this time to save his master’s impression of him.
The cave was utterly pitch-black. The ground advanced quickly. The Brightening talismans limited the impact of the darkness on their vision. With their dexterity, even the twisting caves filled with loose rock failed to stop their advance.
Suddenly, a third layer Qi Practitioner disciple said, “Senior brother, it’s so cold!” He shivered.
Liu Fengrui sensed the coldness in the surroundings as well. Looking back at his junior brothers, all of their faces had paled, and their lips had become blue. Qi Practitioners who possessed innate true qi were immune to the winter cold and summer heat, but at this moment, they felt cold just like regular people.
“This isn’t normal. The records never said it would be so cold here!”
“It wasn’t this cold the last time I was here. The underground caves change often, so maybe something has happened here? Senior brother, should we go somewhere else?’ said an old Qi Practitioner cautiously. He was only at the third layer, so he had to refer to Liu Fengrui as senior brother.
Liu Fengrui looked around. “Master is waiting for us just on the surface. If we retreat before we’ve even run into danger, can we still call ourselves disciples of the Green Vine mountain? Let’s go. It won’t be cold once we move around a bit more. The Quartz grass is right ahead!”
They sprinted through the cave, but the coldness did not decrease at all. Instead, it grew heavier and heavier. Even Liu Fengrui found the cold to be piercing, while the junior brothers behind him found it utterly unbearable. They even slowed down.
“We can’t go on anymore, senior brother. Let’s retreat!”
“Croak, croak!”
Just when Liu Fengrui was about to give the order to retreat, the resonant croak of a frog resounded through the cave.
“There’s a daemonic beast!” Everyone responded. Apart from daemonic beasts, there were no other creatures that could live here.
“We’ll leave once we kill this daemonic beast!” Liu Fengrui rejoiced and advanced forwards with his junior brothers.
Cold mist permeated the darkness. A layer of frost had developed over the grey Quartz grass. An ice-blue frog leapt off a rock. “Croak, croak!”
Liu Fengrui could not help but be disappointed by this. The strength of daemonic beasts usually matched their size. The larger they were, the stronger they were, and the more valuable they were. This frog was so small, so it had clearly just turned from a beast into a daemon.
Suddenly, he thought of something. How could a low level daemonic beast give off such coldness?
“Who’s there?”
A few blurry figures appeared in the cold mist. Liu Fengrui’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand, producing a palm strike. Killing other Qi Practitioners over spiritual herbs and daemonic beasts had never been a secret. Underground, humans were even more dangerous than daemons.
The most terrifying part about all this was he actually failed to sense their aura. Clearly, they had hidden it on purpose so that they could launch an ambush on his group, which was why he showed no mercy with his attack.
However, the figures did not move at all. They just let the true qi land on them with a crack. The gust of wind from his attack parted the cold mist, revealing the figures.
Liu Fengrui immediately felt like all of his blood had frozen over. He finally understood why he failed to sense their auras; it was because they had already been reduced to ice statues. Dead people obviously would not give off any auras.
They all wore the uniform of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. One of them had two tail feathers embroidered on their chest, an inner disciple who had reached the sixth layer. However, they were all dead now, still stuck in the same pose the moment before they had died, trying to wield spiritual artifacts or unleash techniques. Their faces were all frozen with fear, and they all looked in one direction, at the ice-blue frog.
“What kind of daemon…” Frightened, a disciple swung a green, glowing staff at the ice frog.
The ice frog opened its mouth and emitted a white cloud of cold air. The disciple was immediately turned into an ice statue.
As the cold air passed by, his senior and junior brothers behind him immediately followed his steps. The cold air was like thousands of tiny, sharp rays that pierced their protective true qi.
Crack! Crack! The sound of freezing filled the air, like notes of death.
Liu Fengrui summoned his flying sword as he roared out before becoming stuck in that posture forever. One last thought flashed through his head. They were facing no daemonic beast, but an actual daemon, and a powerful one among them. But why would daemons appear at such a shallow level?
Just like a tenth layer Qi Practitioner slaughtering a bunch of low level Qi Practitioners, it was a piece of cake.
“Croak, croak! Eleven, croak croak! That’s enough for ten!” The ice frog opened its mouth, and the ice statues all shattered into shards, which it sucked into its mouth. Only their spiritual artifacts and hundred treasures pouches remained undamaged.
“Croak, croak! This is what the leader wants!”
The ice frog gathered all the items and shards and placed them in a cavern nearby. All of them served as evidence when it came to calculating his merit. Meanwhile, a huge daemonic beast that seemed like a rabbit cowered in the cavern and constantly trembled, perhaps out of fear or perhaps due to the cold. It was the Qi Practitioners’ original target.
“Fellow Green Vine, it looks like your disciples couldn’t defeat the daemon there either!” said the Golden Pheasant Elder coldly.
Near the entrance to the ceremony, the three elders sat in a bamboo pavilion and admired the snow while drinking tea, waiting for the results.
Before them was a projection of the underground mental map. There were several specks of light on there, golden, green, or grey in colour, representing the locations of the disciples of the three mountains. It was similar to the pathfinding puppet insects that the disciples of mohism had used in the past.
With the death of Liu Fengrui’s squad, the specks of light that represented them were extinguished. Earlier, the golden specks of light representing the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain had vanished there too.
The Green Vine Elder said, “There must be a powerful daemon there, but this makes no sense. It’s still very shallow.”
The Lone Grave Elder said, “We’ll know if we keep watching.”
The boulder viper moved through the earth and flickered its forked tongue, constantly sensing the aura of humans in the caves. Suddenly, it emerged from a wall and saw the fearful faces of a few humans. They were all extremely weak.
All the Qi Practitioners saw was a grey shadow move above. Before they could even see the daemon clearly, they were stunned by the terrifying daemon qi.
The leading seventh layer Qi Practitioner bellowed out, “Summon the zombies!” They were disciples of the Burial Mound mountain.
The disciples of the Burial Mound mountain immediately waved the bronze talismans in their hands, and several dozen zombies scattered around them, surrounding them. The seventh Qi Practitioner even summoned two unstoppable Iron Plate corpses that were surrounded by corpse qi. Both of them were much more powerful than the Iron Plate corpse the Zombie Daoist had refined.
The boulder viper turned back. Its long body wrapped around them before suddenly tightening.
The several dozen zombies and the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain were trapped in the low ceiling cave. The disciples were unable to escape. They felt a tremendous power crush them from everywhere, immediately turning them into mince meat. They merged with the zombies they had refined, never to separate again.
The deathly aura on the Lone Grave Elder’s face seemed to grow heavier.
The Green Vine Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder’s expressions were ugly too.
On the underground mental map, large swathes of light were extinguished. Squads were destroyed underground one after another. In just a while, the number of Qi Practitioners that they had lost had already surpassed the total losses during the Herb Gathering ceremony last time.
However, the ceremony had only just begun right now. The Qi Practitioners had only ventured to the shallow depths. They should not have run into any powerful daemons at all.
“Sect masters, what’s going on?” Hua Chengzan, who had constantly kept an eye out for them, walked into the bamboo pavilion sternly. He understood what the specks of light represented.
The Green Vine Elder said hoarsely, “I don’t know. It’s very abnormal this time. The Green Vine mountain has already lost eighteen disciples.”
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Chapter 243 – The Mountain is There
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Chapter 243 – The Mountain is There
The Golden Pheasant Elder said, “Eleven for the Pheasant’s Grace mountain.”
The Lone Grave Elder said, “Seven!” However, they all knew that this was not because disciples of the Burial Mound mountain were stronger, but because they could use corpses as shields.
Almost thirty disciples had died in under four hours. Although it was not a lot compared to the total number of disciples that they possessed, it was enough to shake up the foundations of the three mountains.
Hua Chengzan frowned. He never thought something like this would happen during the Herb Gathering ceremony. Were the daemons already prepared for this, waiting to ambush the Qi Practitioners as they ventured underground?
Perhaps the Daemon General in this region finally became fed up with humans running through his territory freely and began to respond to it. If that was the case, the deaths would only just be the beginning. It was very likely for all the cultivators in the ceremony to be annihilated this time.
He could no longer imagine just how great of a ripple it would cause if almost a thousand human cultivators died. He could not help but sigh. Looking at the dark clouds in the sky, the situation of the world really was going to change!
The three elders were bleeding inside over the loss. Their faces were cold and sunken as killing intent surged through their eyes. That person was right! All daemons deserved to die!
“Brother, are you saying that Zijian will…” Hua Chenglu rushed over from afar and grabbed Hua Chengzan’s sleeve anxiously.
As she said that, a few more specks of light vanished. Although Yu Zijian was not a disciple of the Green Vine mountain, she also carried a sensory spiritual artifact, so she was one of the specks of light there. Who knows when hers would be extinguished.
“We can only pray that the heavens protects good people.” Hua Chengzan pressed down on Hua Chenglu’s shoulder. Right now, he was powerless too. If there really was a Daemon General active, the underground would be a forbidden zone to Qi Practitioners. While he was known as the greatest below Foundation Establishment, he was still a Qi Practitioner.
If the person underground right now was Hua Chenglu, he would rush in there without hesitation, but it was impossible for him to take such a great risk for a girl he was unfamiliar with.
Hua Chenglu bit her lip. She understood what Hua Chengzan was considering. She could not be obstinate and make excessive demands here.
A black daemon sat alone in a large cavern. It raised its right arm and extended its forefinger. On the tip of the finger was a huge talon, as sharp as a blade, which it placed on a young man’s forehead gently.
The young man was alone too. He seemed to be fifteen or sixteen, such that soft facial hair had only just begun sprouting near his lips, but he was already a third layer Qi Practitioner. He could be considered a small genius. The clothes he wore indicated that he did not come from the three mountains. Instead, he should be an independent cultivator from a certain clan who had come to try his luck.
A black shadow reflected in his fear-stricken pupils, and the violent murderousness and daemon qi completely obliterated his will to fight back. However, the daemon did not strike immediately, so he seemed to see a sliver of hope. He begged, “Don’t, I beg you. I…”
However, the heavy smell of blood seeped out from behind the black daemon. The young man clearly saw that it was a pile of corpses of Qi Practitioners, which made his lips tremble in fear. Translucent tears streaked across his face.
A while earlier…
A group of disciples from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain arrived here. Using the experiences of their seniors, it would often be much easier for them to find blessed lands with spiritual herbs and inhabited by daemonic beasts than independent cultivators.
But this time, the thing lurking here was an actual daemon, and the leader of the daemons.
The familiar uniform made Li Qingshan recall many negative memories, and he seemed to have met the leading seventh layer Qi Practitioner in the Quiet Spring valley as well.
“Ah!” The first disciple to spot Li Qingshan cried out before coming to a halt.
Li Qingshan’s index finger had already stabbed through his chest like a spear.
Only then did the other disciples react. They all bellowed out and attacked together. They took out talismans, drew spiritual artifacts, and used techniques.
The one who responded the fastest was the inner disciple, a seventh layer Qi Practitioner. However, before his golden pheasant feather had even managed to take off, a huge hand had already appeared before him. The index finger pushed against the thumb gently before flicking out leisurely. His head was smashed into pieces as bits of brain and fragments of his skull scattered across the ground.
At this moment, those who went for their talismans had only extended their hands into their talisman pouches, those who drew spiritual artifacts had only lit up their spiritual artifact, and those who used techniques had only gathered their true qi. Their minds even struggled to take in everything happening before them, preventing them from reacting properly.
Li Qingshan waved his hand conveniently and blood spurted out. Not a single person was alive anymore.
The battle began in an instant and ended in an instant.
It was so simple that even Li Qingshan himself was slightly surprised. He had sure spent a lot of effort in order to deal with Zhuo Zhibo who was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner back then.
Although he had yet to undergo the heavenly tribulation and take that legendary first step, his great strength had been converted into terrifying battle prowess after he reached the second layer of the tiger demon. He could now suppress even the strongest daemons, so how could any Qi Practitioner be his opponent?
Li Qingshan was not interested in torturous deaths, so they all died extremely swiftly, without any pain. The more direct reason for this was because he did not know these disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. Even the leader of this group would only bark meaninglessly in his face before he died.
However, since they were disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, they were his enemy. There was nothing much more to it. If he killed them, then he killed them.
But right now, he was completely unfamiliar with the young man standing before him.
Clang! Like the thrum of a blade, there was a cold flash, and the young man’s corpse with a half-destroyed head collapsed on the ground.
The pause earlier was not due to any hesitation in his heart. Instead, he was just reminiscing, reminiscing about what he was about to cut in half and toss aside.
He was like a mountain climber who wanted to conquer a treacherous mountain, who needed to empty his heavy backpack and toss everything inside into the abyss one by one. However, these items might have been very important in the beginning, so he could not help but sigh a little inside.
Everyone wanted to reach the very top of the mountain without throwing anything away, just like how everyone wanted to achieve success without sacrificing anything. However, this was impossible. The price was more than just hard work.
If Li Qingshan was willing to live a peaceful life, reluctant to leave Qingyang and strive towards somewhere as distant as beyond the Nine Heavens, then he could have it very easy. However, he would not, because the mountain was there.
Li Qingshan speared the corpses with his finger and tossed them aside, which fell into a small pile. He said, “Don’t eat them.” These were for Xiao An. There was also a cowering daemonic beast in the cavern. Even though it was enticed by the flesh and blood, it did not dare to move.
Li Qingshan had never studied any military tactics or strategies before, but in his former life, during the age of the information explosion, he was not unfamiliar with knowledge regarding the military. He knew how to unite his forces to crush the enemies.
He stationed his two strongest daemon soldiers in a few places that were most likely to attract Qi Practitioners and got them to wait. As for Xiao An and the boulder viper who were better at moving around, he had them constantly patrol a few main tunnels underground to kill weaker Qi Practitioners.
The other daemons would gather together in fives or threes at the very least, led by the strongest as they guarded against stronger Qi Practitioners. All they needed was a simple adjustment, and the daemons were basically unstoppable. As a matter of fact, it was no more complicated than a game.
Li Qingshan did not take a step back as the leader of the daemon soldiers. Instead, he chose a place teeming with spiritual herbs near a spiritual vein, beginning his wait and slaughter.
Li Qingshan exhaled deeply and stowed the hundred treasures pouches into his bosom. He leaned against his arm as he continued to wait. He did not find much joy in killing people he was unfamiliar with, but he was quite happy about obtaining hundred treasures pouches.
Once the battle ended, the pills he obtained would provide great assistance towards breaking through to the second layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression.
Suddenly, he raised his head and sniffed the air. Through the heavy smell of blood, a familiar scent made him recall a few past memories. He could not help but frown. Why was she here?
Although they had separated less than a month ago, it felt like a very long time had passed as he hid and waited in the gloomy underground.
I’ll go and take a stroll. Li Qingshan stood up and made his way out of the cavern. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and said to the daemonic beast, “Don’t eat them!”
If the daemonic beast could cry, it would have already burst into tears out of fear already.
The jade-green and blood-red pupils danced around in the darkness. Several large daemons surrounded a group of Qi Practitioners. Foul air exuded from their huge mouths filled with long, protruding teeth.
“Senior brother, what do we do?” Cheng Jiali turned pale.
Mu Zhicong’s forehead was covered in perspiration. He controlled a flying sword that flew around in the surroundings. However, it was already very tough for him to confront just a single daemon with his strength, so he had no chance at all if he had to face several of them at the same time. Even his chances of survival were pitifully slim.
Why was it like this? Why? He had clearly only entered the den of a daemonic beast, so why were there so many daemons gathered together? And, they were of different species too!
Mu Zhicong was furious and filled with doubt inside. This place had been cleaned out in the previous Herb Gathering ceremony, and it was disciples of the Green Vine mountain who did that. Even if a daemonic beast had reclaimed this place, they should not have been much more powerful than regular, wild beasts.
He had brought his squad here to try his luck. If he ran into a daemonic beast, he would use it and show his power to Yu Zijian, as well as have his junior brothers and sisters use it to warm up so that they could venture deeper underground. However, he never thought he would barge into the nest of several daemons and throw himself into danger.
The daemons all used their daemonic qi to communicate in a way that the humans were unable to hear.
“These humans are too weak! Let’s eat them!”
“If it weren’t for the leader’s idea, you’d be eaten already if you were just by yourself.”
“I want to eat the one at the very front!”
“Move, the one at the very front is mine!”
“Be careful, this human is a little tough to deal with. Don’t get injured by him, but don’t let him escape either. Humans have a lot of tricks,” the strongest daemon issued orders.
The other daemons immediately obeyed. Under the caution that had been planted in them while they were still wild beasts, they did not charge up together, just like how a group of lions would circle a wildebeest. They would not attack recklessly, just in case they would be injured by the horns.
However, the daemons also possessed intelligence that wild beasts lacked. They constantly growled and roared, tearing down the mental lines of defence in the Qi Practitioners. Their huge bodies formed a perfect encirclement to prevent the strongest prey, Mu Zhicong, from escaping during the chaos.
“Ahh!” There was a shriek, and a daemon that seemed like a huge lizard chomped down on a disciple, dragging him away.
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Chapter 244 – The Horrors Underground
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Chapter 244 – The Horrors Underground
The blood sprayed onto Yu Zijian. Her eyes were wide open as she watched all of this unfold, like she was in a surreal nightmare.
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain all cried out in a panic and waved their weapons crazily. The defensive position that they had barely managed to build up immediately collapsed.
Cheng Jiali suddenly felt her waist tighten. A tongue from the darkness had wrapped around her, while the other end of the tongue was a huge mouth filled with sharp teeth.
She planted her sword into the ground, but she was still pulled towards the mouth bit by bit. She felt like her waist was about to be ripped apart. She extended her hand and cried out in despair, “Save me, senior brother!”
As expected, Mu Zhicong approached her. She smiled in relief. Her senior brother still cared for her after all.
With a thump, Mu Zhicong slammed his hand against Cheng Jiali’s chest as hard as he could.
She directly flew into the daemon’s mouth. She was already dead mid-air. Her towering chest had now collapsed into a bloody mess as disbelief still lingered on her face.
Mu Zhicong scrunched up his body and leapt out while Cheng Jiali had plugged up the daemon’s huge mouth. He actually leapt out of the encirclement. A huge boar-like daemon leapt up with speed that did not match its huge size, slamming towards Mu Zhicong like a cannonball.
With a flick of his foot, Mu Zhicong landed on his flying sword and flew thirty meters away. There was a rumble behind him as the huge boar slammed into the ceiling, causing rocks and dust to rain down.
He could vaguely hear a few wails of despair, “Don’t abandon us, senior brother!” “Save us, senior brother!”
He did not hear Yu Zijian’s voice, perhaps because it had been drowned out by the other voices. He made up his mind. Don’t blame me. If I live, it’s better than dying with all of you. There’s nothing I can do about this.
For some reason, the daemons did not pursue him. Before the joy of surviving could flood his heart, he ran into a black wall as he fled blindly.
Li Qingshan felt a tiny figure collide into him. He basically grabbed it and crushed it instinctively. There was a clear crack, and his hand became covered in blood.
Only when he looked at the dead face that had grown purple and bled from all of its orifices did he feel like he had seen this person before. Thinking about it carefully, he recalled Mu Zhicong’s name.
He did not know about Mu Zhicong’s scheme against him. He scratched his head and felt very apologetic, but since he had ventured underground, he could only be apologetic.
To him, once was enough for something like reminiscence.
Sensing the aura in the dust, Li Qingshan let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, he had made it in time. As long as she was fine.
When Mu Zhicong used Cheng Jiali’s corpse to escape, Yu Zijian had already closed her eyes, and her lips crumbled up. If humans ran into something that they refused to accept and were unable to stop, was this how they would behave?
She even blocked her ears. That was, she would not have to hear the shrieks and howls beside her. However, she gripped the hilt of her sword to the point where her knuckles whitened, like she was trying to crush the hilt. However, she did not draw it.
At a time like this, what was the use in drawing her sword?
The bloody, humid air rushed over. Death was right before her. Many scenes flashed through her mind. So her father was right. People really would think through their entire life the moment before death.
Even though her life had been extremely short, it was filled with warmth and happiness. She had received the care and concern of her father, and the care and concern of other fellow people. However, this only intensified her pain before death.
Without Mu Zhicong, the daemons basically finished off the remaining disciples of the Green Vine mountain neatly and swiftly, as simple as a human using chopsticks to pick up food from a dish.
Just as their sharp teeth and claws extended towards Yu Zijian, their movements suddenly stopped. An order rang out from the darkness using daemon qi. The order was very simple. If it was converted into human tongue, then it would just be two words. “Piss off!”
Their teeth and claws dared not advance an inch further. They retreated slowly before turning around and fleeing as quickly as they could. The growls vanished into the depths of the cave.
Li Qingshan shook his head. He emerged from the darkness, suppressing his daemon qi again and recovering his appearance as Niu Juxia.
I don’t want to die! Yu Zijian suddenly drew her sword and stabbed it as hard as she could. Her desire to live turned into courage. Even if it was pointless, she wanted to put up a struggle.
But unsurprisingly, her sword struck nothing. Her hand was caught by a clamp, but she was not ripped to pieces like she had imagined.
A blurred voice rang out, which seemed to be calling her name, “Zijian! Zijian!”
She seemed to wake up from her nightmare. She gradually made out the person before her. The simple face and huge figure all seemed so familiar. She rubbed her eyes and said in disbelief, “Niu Juxia?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s me. Why have you come underground? Were you forced by the people of the Green Vine mountain?” However, little did he know that participating in the Herb Gathering ceremony had already been a positive matter before his appearance.
Yu Zijian looked at the gentle eyes. She felt like she had suffered severe abuse inside, and finally, she burst into tears before throwing herself into Li Qingshan’s arms.
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. He embraced her gently and patted her back until she gradually calmed down. Only then did he say, “Let’s go. We need to get out of here. The smell of blood here will attract daemonic beasts.” Her soft, charming body seemed to ease up much of the restless killing intent in his heart.
She was influenced by his extraordinary calmness and stopped sniffling. She raised her head and looked at Li Qingshan in confusion with her red eyes. “Where do we go?”
Li Qingshan thought, She’s still just a kid. She’ll probably find this even more difficult to accept than regular people after all she has been through today. He thought of a saying for some reason. Kindness was just ignorance of the dangers the world had to offer, and purity was just before they were tainted by this world.
“The surface, of course.”
Li Qingshan released her and walked through the cave.
Yu Zijian followed him in a hurry and grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand, like a drowning person hanging onto a piece of driftwood.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” Li Qingshan said gently.
“Yep.” Yu Zijian felt her heart warm up as she nodded gently while biting her lip.
The two of them moved through the caves. Li Qingshan led the way at the front, while Yu Zijian followed closely behind, afraid to fall behind even by the slightest bit. The dark cave was narrow and claustrophobic. Every single strange rock seemed like a vicious daemon in the darkness.
She was afraid to look at everything. She just stared at the tall, wide back before her, like it was the only source of light in the darkness.
Li Qingshan strode ahead, choosing his path without any hesitation at all. He was the one who had stationed the daemons, so he avoided those places and moved towards the surface. However, as Yu Zijian’s cultivation was just too weak, she struggled to keep up with his pace, even when he had already slowed down as much as possible.
He suddenly stopped and turned around. “Let’s move faster!” Although they were almost guaranteed victory with the underground battle he had organised this time, he still had to pay attention to the battlefield at all times as the commander. And, he just felt slightly uneasy inside.
Before Yu Zijian could even respond, she felt like she had sailed through the air and landed in Li Qingshan’s arms.
“Is this alright?” Li Qingshan lowered his head and asked. He understood that men and women should not make bodily contact with each other, but she was as light as a fallen leaf. If this did not work, he could carry her on his back or over his shoulder. Even holding her in his hand worked.
“It’s fine,” Yu Zijian also lowered her head and said softly.
Li Qingshan nodded. As if he was running through violent winds, he shot off through the tunnel at great speeds.
All Yu Zijian saw was that the still walls of the cave suddenly began to move. They twisted left and right swiftly, constantly shrinking and expanding, and from time to time, it would open up into a large cavern. It was like moving through the writhing guts of a huge beast.
As they ventured upwards, Fu Qingjin rapidly ventured deeper into the earth. He had left the Green Vine mountain’s group right from the beginning, travelling deeper all by himself like a green speck of light in the darkness. While the other Qi Practitioners were still at shallower levels gathering spiritual herbs and slaying daemonic beasts, he had already reached an extremely deep level.
He had no idea about the battles and slaughters happening above him, but even if he did know, he would not care. He seemed to possess some clear objective, to advance, advance, and advance further. Whenever he came across a fork, he would not even hesitate with his choice.
He came across a few daemonic beasts that blocked his way, but these daemonic beasts were not even able to respond. All they saw was a green light flash by them, so it was even more impossible for them to pursue him. The spiritual flowers and spiritual herbs growing in the darkness failed to stop his advance either.
He only had a single objective this time. Apart from the objective, nothing else was worth the risk of leaving behind potential traces to collect.
Finally, a speck of blue light appeared before him.
Only then did he stop. He studied the wondrous flower that danced in the air.
The Blue Butterfly flower. This was it!
He continued forwards, finally arriving before the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers. Even for him, a sliver of shock appeared in his bored, exhausted eyes. Originally, he thought he had seen all the beautiful scenery the world had to offer already, but he never thought there would be an unknown like this hidden underground.
His gaze passed through the sea of flowers and landed on the platform, on Milliped who slept on there. He smiled. It was the smile of a hunter who had found his prey.
Daemons did not deserve a place like this!
Fu Qingjin passed through the sea of flowers alone. Countless butterflies danced around him before suddenly returning to the sea of flowers and turning back into petals. Not a single butterfly fluttered through the air anymore.
Milliped, who could never be woken, opened his eyes and sat up straight. He stared at Fu Qingjin in a daze.
Their eyes met and killing intent surged.
Fu Qingjin did not draw his sword in a hurry. Instead, he took out a stick of incense from his hundred treasures pouch. The stick of incense was not particularly thick, but once it was lit, a dense fragrance immediately permeated the area.
Milliped was a daemon that had transformed from a poisonous bug, so he was not afraid of any poisons. However, when he caught a whiff of the incense, he immediately felt extremely intoxicated, like a person who had starved for three days that had suddenly come across a table of delicious food.
Fu Qingjin suddenly turned around and left. He moved even faster than when he had come, and Milliped chased behind him involuntarily.
There was a human and a daemon, one chasing and one running, straight towards the surface of the earth.
Fu Qingjin thought, The effects of this Insect Luring incense sure are potent. Even when carapaced daemons have become Daemon Generals, they still act on their instincts and are as foolish as they come. I just need to lure him to the surface, and I’ll be able to kill him fairly. I have the three elders reinforcing me outside, so nothing can go wrong.
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Some Words on Making it onto the Front Page – Through this Ocean
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Some Words on Making it onto the Front Page – Through this Ocean
First of all, thank you. I thank you readers for your support, and I thank the editors for your kindness and generosity. You are the reason why I have the opportunity to say this here.
So far, I’ve reached six hundred and sixty thousand characters for Legend of the Great Sage. It’s a very lucky number1. As for speed, I haven’t been very fast, but I haven’t been slow either. At the very least, I haven’t missed any releases, even when I faced some extremely grim circumstances. Gotta applaud myself for this. This is a huge improvement on my behalf!
Let me just say, from tomorrow onwards, I will be returning to my release schedule of eight in the morning and six at night. I’m just good like that. That’s a given.
With the plot so far, Li Qingshan has only begun on his path. You’ve yet to see the Academy of the Hundred Schools, while the daemon city underground has already shown an inkling of itself. As a person who wanders between these two worlds, he can only pave his own path of humans and daemons with his own hands. The path of humans, the path of daemons, I walk my own path.
Not only do I want to write out the glory, scenery and eventual success of this path, but I also want to depict the hardships, the conflicts, and the struggles.
Li Qingshan will never be able to reach a prominent level with morality, and he will not be able to keep killing enemies with his special advantage all the way until the very end. I hope that one day in the future, when you read those last two words at the end, you feel like you’ve gone through his grand, magnificent life with him.
Not only will there be joy and sorrow, but there will also be good and evil.
Focus on your life worth living, without any regard for how you will be remembered.
Whether it’s clear streams or turbid flows, the boundless ocean welcomes and holds all. Living and dying without regret is the path of great sages.
When you close the page at the end, there’s no need to specially leave behind anything, but it shouldn’t be empty either.
Of course, perhaps these attempts will all just be arduous and fruitless. Being aware that some parts of the plot will displease people, yet still forcing it and writing it really is just asking for trouble.
But how can you go without any trouble at all in life? This is called practising what you preach, right? Heh.
But I still believe there will be people who will like it. At least, there’ll be me. A single person might be a little less, but you can say it’s enough. If there’s you too, then I’ll offer you a lift. Now, let’s sail towards the goal and cross this ocean!
Look, I’ll handle the steering and you handle the rowing, alright?
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1. Contrary to western culture, six is a lucky number in Chinese culture.
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Chapter 245 – Another First Senior Brother
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Chapter 245 – Another First Senior Brother
Li Qingshan suddenly stopped. He sensed the auras of many human cultivators up ahead. In human form, his senses had decreased drastically, so he only managed to discover them here.
They were very close to the surface now, but they still needed to cross through a long, winding cave. This was almost the only way out. If he turned around now, he would have to take a very long detour.
Yu Zijian said, “What’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan smiled, “Nothing. There are a few Qi Practitioners up ahead. Let’s go take a look.” He took off and the “gut” of the huge beast began to writhe again. A while later, they came across another “stomach”, a large cavern of over a hundred meters across.
Several dozen Qi Practitioners either sat or stood. They wore various uniforms. Not only were there disciples of the three mountains, but there were even a few independent cultivators as well. Everyone was shaken, and many of them were injured. Clearly, they had only managed to escape from the claws and teeth of Li Qingshan’s daemon soldiers after tremendous effort, gathering here.
They were all extremely frightened now. When they heard the sound, they all stood up and gazed into the tunnel. When they saw two people, many of them immediately relaxed and lost interest.
Li Qingshan continued onwards without stopping, holding Yu Zijian as he leapt high into the air. He did not just want to send Yu Zijian out. He was prepared to turn around and transform after sending Yu Zijian out of the caves and unleash a massacre.
He scanned past everyone and took note of everyone’s state. There was actually a ninth layer Qi Practitioner among them, and from his uniform, he seemed like a disciple of the Burial Mound mountain. His face was pale as he gave off a deathly aura. While he seemed like he was in his thirties, he seemed like a thirty year old who had been dead for thirty years. Perhaps he was some first senior brother.
There were three or four eighth layer Qi Practitioners as well, while Qi Practitioners below the sixth layer made up less than half of them. To be able to escape from the encirclement of his daemon army, they truly needed to be powerful.
Mid-air, Li Qingshan heard a cold yell, “Get down here.”
His leap had agitated the ninth layer Qi Practitioner. Li Qingshan had guessed correctly. He was the first senior brother of the Burial Mound mountain, someone who possessed absolute power in the sect, so how could he let a fourth layer Qi Practitioner leap over his head? He had suffered a huge loss today, so he just happened to be angry.
Without further thought, he parted his hands, and an inky-green Corpse Poison ball shot out. The target was Li Qingshan in the air. The Corpse Poison ball was one of the special techniques unique to the Burial Mound mountain. It did not seem particularly impressive, but it was condensed from the corpse qi gathered from old corpses over a century old. Not only was it extremely potent, but it could infiltrate protective true qi as well. Death awaited both animals and humans if they came in contact with it.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. He had already grown accustomed to the habit of these Qi Practitioners, where they would try to kill each other over the slightest of dispute. He did not feel particularly angry. If this world really was a huge pit for battle, then he had already grown accustomed to his role as a gladiator or a vicious beast.
The Corpse Poison ball exploded into a cloud of inky-green corpse qi in the air, enveloping Li Qingshan and Yu Zijian.
“Reckless!” The first senior brother swung his hand and snorted coldly. The pent-up emotions in him eased up slightly.
The disciples of the other sects and the independent cultivators all shuffled even further away from him. They had already heard how the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain were cruel and merciless and would kill without thinking. His actions had only proved that today.
“First senior brother, that person has a tall and robust body. He seems quite suited to be refined as a corpse,” said a disciple of the Burial Mound mountain. They were not like the disciples of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, who constantly spouted flattery to fulfill their first senior brother’s vanity. Instead, all of them were expressionless with dead faces. Only when it came to refining corpses would their eyes shine. This was their desire for power.
On the Burial Mound mountain, the stronger the zombies that they could control, the stronger they themselves would be. They could even challenge Qi Practitioners at higher cultivations than themselves.
“Oh, really?” Before the first senior brother had even finished talking, there were a series of sharp swishes, and hundreds of icicles shot out from the poisonous mist swiftly and densely.
The first senior brother was not fazed at all. He touched his wrist. He wore an old, bronze bangle on his wrist, which was mottled with bloody marks. After being touched by him, it immediately lit up and summoned a Steel Plate corpse before him. The Steel Plate corpse’s body shone brilliantly as corpse qi revolved around it. Who knows how many times more powerful than the Zombie Daoist’s Iron Plate corpse it was.
The icicles landed on the steel plates. When the unstoppable icicles struck the Steel Plate corpse’s body, it only produced a series of clings and clangs, leaving behind many white marks and a layer of frost.
Li Qingshan landed on the ground gently and placed down Yu Zijian. The layer of thin ice around them immediately shattered, reabsorbed into the Whale’s Ingestion of Water. Since the battles last time, he had returned to the spring and replenished the Ice Condensate water in the weapon. He could now handle the Whale’s Ingestion of Water with even greater skill.
His gaze was calm and cold. He did not say anything, nor was there anything to say. They would fight to death sooner or later anyway, but what he had to consider right now was the issue of sooner or later.
Yu Zijian became furious instead. “Why did you attack us?” Underground, she had already witnessed the viciousness and terrors of daemons, but she struggled to understand why humans would still attack each other in a situation like this.
The first senior brother said emotionlessly, “Because I want to.”
“You…” Yu Zijian was speechless from anger.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan patted her shoulder and casually pulled her in by her waist, walking away with his hand around her. They were not very far from the surface now. He could come back and deal with them after he transformed.
He had decided to kill this first senior brother a little slower this time to show him what “because I want to” meant.
“Don’t you even think about leaving.” The disciples of the Burial Mound mountain summoned several dozen zombies, which surrounded Li Qingshan. The movements of every single one was as swift as the wind, and the number of Iron Plate corpses there amounted to thirteen. The arts of refining corpses that had been passed down through the sect were not something the Zombie Daoist could rival.
Li Qingshan asked, “What do you want?”
The first senior brother said, “Everyone must stay here to fight the daemons.” He had brought the Burial Mound mountain’s strongest group of disciples underground with him. Right from the very beginning, their target had not been those weak daemonic beasts near the surface, or the spiritual herbs that had been gathered many times before. Instead, they chose a shortcut to directly venture into the depths.
This shortcut was an underground river, but they encountered the attack of an extremely terrifying daemon in the river water. The daemon was pitch-black and moved like a shadow in the water. It directly kicked up a huge flood and constantly bombarded them with water arrows ten times more terrifying than the icicles from earlier.
When their attacks landed on the daemon, it was completely useless. Only when they lost a few junior brothers and a large number of zombies did they manage to escape, and then they encountered the attacks of various daemons that only appeared deeper down. They fought as they retreated, taking the long way back and returning to this cavern. By then, quite a few Qi Practitioners had already fled here, and only then did they learn that the Herb Gathering ceremony was drastically different from the past. However, the first senior brother refused to back out of here and instead gathered the defeated Qi Practitioners, wanting to take the daemons on in a decisive battle.
Li Qingshan asked out of curiosity, “Do you really plan on staying here and fighting with the daemons?” However, he could sense furious resentment flash through the eyes of the Qi Practitioners not from the Burial Mound mountain when they heard that, but they dared not speak up about it.
“Of course. You must stay behind too!” said the first senior brother. Although the daemons were terrifying, they did not pose any life-threatening danger to him, a ninth layer Qi Practitioner protected by a Steel Plated corpse. Even if he came across some of the strongest daemons, he could retreat easily.
And, from earlier, he had already collected sufficient corpses. The Burial Mound mountain was different from the two sects. What they focused most of their attention on were not spiritual herbs, but corpses, the corpses of daemons and the corpses of humans.
All the sects had sustained heavy losses in the Herb Gathering ceremony this time, but from another perspective, it was a fantastic time for the Burial Mound mountain to rise up and completely overwhelm the Green Vine mountain and the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. As long as they turned all of these Qi Practitioners into zombies and refined a few powerful corpse beasts, the strength of the Burial Mound mountain would instead increase, while his status in the sect would become unshakeable.
Due to controlling multiple zombies for battles most of the time, the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain had a better eye for battle than the disciples of the other two mountains, while the first senior brother was the best of the best among them. As they spent most of their time with dead corpses, their emotions and sense of morality as humans had faded away as well. They truly believed in and carried out the saying of “Success at the deaths of many”.
For a moment, Li Qingshan was unable to see through the first senior brother’s complicated, dark thoughts. He just felt like he was up to nothing good. He waved the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and called out, “Do you really think that you lot can stop me?”
The first senior brother was just about to give orders to make an example out of him.
Song Ming cried out, “You’re Niu Juxia!” Only a moment had passed when Li Qingshan leapt into the cavern, became surrounded by corpse poison, before landing on the ground. After looking at him clearly, he finally confirmed that the person before him was Niu Juxia, the one who had forced him into his current state.
Song Ming was pushed aside by the entire sect. No one wanted to travel with him, and none of the spiritual lands on record were allocated to him either. He only advanced carefully through the caves with Ma Chaoqun, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise, saving him from running headfirst into Li Qingshan’s traps. Sensing that something was amiss, he immediately fled back here with a similar speed and decisiveness as when he had fled after being tossed out of the Proud Sword manor by Li Qingshan back then.
That led to a series of exclamations in the cavern. Recently, the name “Niu Juxia” had grown into one of infamy. There were not a lot of people that all three mountains would order for their arrest, and according to the rumors, he had killed the first senior brother of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain.
Li Qingshan listened to the whispers in the surroundings and glanced past Song Ming and Ma Chaoqun. He smiled. “So you’ve already put out an order for my capture. I didn’t even know. There sure are a lot of familiar people here today. Whatever. I’ve killed a first senior brother already, so killing another one won’t make a difference.”
The first senior brother said, “Since you’re an enemy of the three mountains, that’s even more reason for why I can’t let you go. Disciples of the Green Vine mountain and Pheasant’s Grace mountain, why don’t you stand? Work with me to kill this thug and his accomplice.”
Ma Chaoqun said, “She’s not his accomplice. She was forced into this by the Niu person. Zijian, come over here.”
The first senior brother said, “Since when did you have a right to speak in this matter?”
Yu Zijian called out, “You’re the bad people! I’m never going over!”
Just when they were on the verge of breaking out into a battle, a Qi Practitioner rushed into the cavern. He waved his hands and shrieked, “A monster, a monster is coming! Run!”
“What monster?” Song Ming grabbed him.
“Skeleton…” As soon as the Qi Practitioner had said that word, blood-red flames surged from his eye sockets. He was reduced to a white skeleton in an instant, which scattered on the ground.
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Chapter 246 – Dance of the Dead
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Chapter 246 – Dance of the Dead
Only now did everyone see the tiny skeleton standing behind the Qi Practitioner. The white bone sword in its hand had pierced the Qi Practitioner’s chest.
However, no one noticed when it had appeared there. It seemed no different from something dead, giving off no aura at all. Even zombies would possess corpse qi.
“W- what kind of daemon is this?”
The scattered white bones melted into fluid and flowed towards the sword. The bone sword was an extremely ordinary short sword, without anything special, just tougher and heavier than usual. It was not even worthy of being called a sword embryo of the Buddha Slaying sword.
Xiao An scanned past everyone with the roaring flames in her eye sockets.
Everyone shivered inside after she glanced past them. They actually found her to be even more terrifying than the daemons that they had faced.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. He yelled out, “Run, everyone!” He grabbed Yu Zijian and rushed towards the cave.
Everyone was on edge already, so now that they suddenly saw such a strange monster, they had no interest in fighting at all. With Li Qingshan’s yell, they immediately scattered and scrambled for the cave.
The first senior brother was furious. He pointed at Li Qingshan. “Kill him.”
Several dozen zombies surged over. Their long nails were like a wave of spears as they stabbed towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan suddenly halted. There was a gust of wind behind him, and the Iron Plate corpses extended their sharp claws towards his back.
However, he had been anticipating this. Without even looking back, he forcefully twisted his body and penetrated the group of corpses, ramming into a zombie. In Li Qingshan’s hands, just a single body slam was like a battering ram. There was the cracking of bones, and the zombie was sent flying, colliding against the zombies behind it and fracturing their bones too. They were incapacitated, allowing him to clear a path.
He took a step forward, and just when he was about to escape the encirclement, two metal claws directly reached towards Li Qingshan’s face.
He had stopped taking these regular zombies seriously a long time ago. The only ones that could threaten him to some degree were the dozen or so Iron Plate corpses. As long as he paused even for a moment, the Iron Plate corpses would surge over. While there was not a lot of danger, they were still troublesome.
He came to a halt and twisted his body again, smashing his way through the zombie horde like a tiger. He purposefully chose to run into regular zombies and managed to collapse the horde in just a few moves. Iron Plate zombies were extremely powerful, but their reaction speeds were slow, so they failed to even touch a hair on him.
Li Qingshan leapt up and charged towards the cave.
Two independent cultivators had already reached the cave before him. A figure suddenly descended from above and blocked their path. Before they could even react, a pair of sharp claws emerged from their backs, dripping with blood.
“A Steel Plate corpse!” Everyone shivered inside. This figure was the shining Steel Plate corpse that originally stood beside the first senior brother.
The first senior brother said frigidly, “I’ll kill whoever runs!”
The Steel Plate corpse was like a supervisor, blocking everyone’s escape path. It looked at Li Qingshan with its bloodthirsty eyes.
Li Qingshan swung out with the Whale’s Ingestion of Water, the crystal blade cleaving down viciously.
The Steel Plate corpse brought its hands together, actually catching the ice blade and swinging it away.
Li Qingshan was thrown into the air. He did a flip and landed on the ground gently. He was surprised, not because of the Steel Plate corpse’s strength, but because it was different from regular zombies that only knew how to use brute strength.
The Iron Plate corpses surged in from all directions once again. Their viscous faces and stinging smell of corpses made Yu Zijian’s heart thump nervously, but when she saw how Li Qingshan remained composed, she even began to smile in a self-deprecating manner.
The first senior brother’s confidence was not groundless. It was already rather tough for Xiao An to face a ninth layer Qi Practitioner by herself, and if other Qi Practitioners were thrown into the mix, it would only be even more difficult for her to triumph. Unfortunately, they just happened to be disciples of the Burial Mound mountain.
Jade-green vines grew from below Xiao An’s feet and tried to wrap around her, but they missed.
The two Skull Prayer Beads rose up in the air and expanded into two huge skulls. Their jaws chattered rapidly; it was like extremely strange laughter. Afterwards, they surged over like two meteors.
Boom! The two collisions merged into a single sound. Even the entire cavern shook slightly.
The skulls rolled along the ground, rampaging through the crowd and creating a series of chaotic cries and howls. Apart from one unlucky person, who was smashed to death by a skull, the others were mostly uninjured.
As for Xiao An, she turned into a white blur and passed through the crowd, arriving before the Steel Plate corpse.
A sneer appeared on the first senior brother’s emotionless face. This skeleton monster sure was reckless. In this cavern, the strongest was not even him, but the Steel Plate corpse that he controlled. Even against eighth or ninth layer Qi Practitioners, the Steel Plate corpse had the ability to rip them to pieces. If the blackwater daemon had not been lurking in the water, he would have never suffered such a great loss.
If the skeleton monster used its startling speed to rush around the cave like Niu Juxia and kill the weaker Qi Practitioners, it would cause him some trouble, but it was just looking to die now.
The Steel Plate corpse swung its claw, and the whistling of ripping air filled the cavern. It was so powerful that even Li Qingshan frowned. If he wanted to face this Steel Plate zombie, he would have to transform. This first senior brother truly lived up to his reputation as one of the greatest disciples of the three mountains. Every single first senior brother possessed startling techniques. Unfortunately, he had run into Xiao An.
Xiao An did not move at all. She stared straight into the Steel Plate zombie’s eyes, and her eye sockets emitted two thin strands of flames.
The Steel Plate corpse’s body was impenetrable. Even regular techniques were unable to harm it, so why would it care about two thin strands of flames?
With a thump, Xiao An was smashed into pieces. The shiny bones scattered everywhere.
All the Qi Practitioners let out a sigh of relief, while their gazes towards the first senior brother were filled with awe. They thought, The corpse refining arts of the Burial Mound mountain really are impressive. It looks like I can’t disobey this person today.
The first senior brother felt complacent inside. He was just about to say something.
The skull flew up from the ground, and afterwards, the scattered bones all began to assemble themselves. The vertebrae, ribs, and legs bones creaked and crackled as they produced a humanoid figure once again.
Li Qingshan’s anxious heart eased up as well. The only way to kill her was to reduce her to ashes. There was not even a single crack on her bones right now. She had purposefully disassembled herself in order to avoid taking too much damage.
“Everyone, attack together!” The first senior brother’s face grew even colder. He had never heard about a monster like this before. Killing it would not be easy. At the same time, he controlled the Steel Plate corpse, but the Steel Plate corpse remained in the same position as before, like it had frozen. It did not move at all. Only after a while did it straighten up.
However, the first senior brother had been overcome by shock and fright. His complexion grew paler and paler, and he actually began to perspire. His connection with the Steel Plate corpse had already been severed. The movements of the Steel Plate corpse earlier were not due to him.
“First senior brother, what’s wrong?” The disciples of the Burial Mound mountain had never seen their composed first senior brother exhibit an emotion like that.
Most of the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain had hearts of steel and were extremely cold, while the first senior brother was even more so than the rest of them. Even when a mountain collapsed before him, he had never demonstrated such shock and fright. However, the Steel Plate corpse was equivalent to his second life. Who knew how much time, energy, and effort he had channeled into it. All of his strength, status, and authority depended on it, so now that it had suddenly vanished, even he experienced internal turmoil.
The Steel Plate corpse extended an arm and twisted its head, like it was adapting to its current situation. In the end, it turned towards the first senior brother. Red light poured out from its eyes like balls of fire were burning inside.
The first senior brother’s heart sank completely. He stammered, but his voice was inaudibly gentle.
“What did you say, first senior brother?” asked a disciple beside him.
“Run!”
The Steel Plate corpse lunged over, while the first senior brother bounded up like a zombie. The disciple who had asked the question was still perplexed. Why did his first senior brother call the Steel Plate corpse over?
The Steel Plate corpse grabbed his shoulders with its claws and pulled hard, ripping him into two. The squirting blood and slippery innards scattered on the ground.
Now, the two giant skulls from the Skull Prayer Beads rolled in front of the zombies around Li Qingshan. They opened their mouths and sprayed out fire. The fire seemed to be self-conscious, flowing into the eyes, noses, mouths, and ears of the zombies. Just like the Steel Plate corpse earlier, all of them halted before turning around together like a well-trained army, lunging towards the Qi Practitioners.
The powerful weapons of the Burial Mound mountain immediately became the nightmare of all Qi Practitioners, while the dozen or so indestructible Iron Plate corpses became the nightmare of nightmares.
There were flashes of light from techniques, but they failed to stop the advance of the zombies. Cries and howls rose and fell like waves. The dark cavern immediately turned into a living hell, while the zombies were the devils of hell.
“What’s going on? Are the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain trying to silence us?”
“No, I don’t know… Argh!” Before a disciple could even finish talking, he was knocked over by the Iron Plate corpse that originally belonged to him, and his heart was wrenched out.
The disciples of the Burial Mound mountain all relied on controlling zombies for battle, but now that they had lost their zombies, they were like toothless, clawless tigers. Their battle prowess was even worse than the other Qi Practitioners. Some even continued to try to control their zombies in a daze, but they were all ripped apart.
No one suspected that the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain were behind this anymore, as the first senior brother was currently being chased around by his renowned Steel Plate corpse, fleeing for his life desperately.
A few zombies pushed a middle-aged man down to the ground. The man felt his arm ache, and it had already been bitten by a zombie. He knew that he was going to die, but the zombies suddenly scattered and lunged towards the other Qi Practitioners.
The pain from his wound vanished as well. He checked it in surprise, and his arm had already turned into a ball of fire. The fire rapidly consumed his entire body, burning up all of his flesh and blood. In the blink of an eye, all that was left was a set of white bones, while the blood-red flames returned to the mouth of the skull.
The zombies would bite the Qi Practitioners and inject them with the blood-red flames in their body. That was something even more terrifying than corpse poison.
A golden streak of light passed through the heads of over a dozen zombies with a swish before returning to an eighth layer Qi Practitioner from the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. It was a Golden Pheasant’s plume. He still managed to remain composed.
The disciples of the three mountains knew about each other’s moves very well. They knew they could kill the zombies like this. Just when he was catching his breath, over a dozen zombies stiffened and lunged towards him, swallowing him in a small pile of corpses.
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Chapter 247 – Tremors and Collision
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Chapter 247 – Tremors and Collision
With an explosive roar, there was a flash of golden light, and the pile of corpses scattered. The disciple of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain stood straight once again. As an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, he obviously could not be harmed by these regular zombies.
Suddenly, he felt a terrifying sword intent bombard his back. He wanted to turn around, but it was already too late. Lowering his head, he saw the tip of a bone sword protruding from his chest, which was being drawn out slowly.
Xiao An moved through the crowd of people like a ghost, looking for openings to kill stronger Qi Practitioners. As long as she found an opening, she would use the sword style derived from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to kill them all.
During the chaos, Li Qingshan had already entered the cave with the dumbfounded Yu Zijian. Not a single zombie bothered him anymore. He was just about to leave when he suddenly sensed something. He turned around and saw the first senior brother flying towards the cave as well. His clothes were in rags, and he was in horrible shape too. Right behind him was the Steel Plate corpse in close pursuit.
Li Qingshan smiled. He raised the Whale’s Ingestion of Water, which squirted out Ice Condensate water, immediately forming a thick wall.
On the other side of the ice wall, the first senior brother’s mouth was wide open, as if he was cursing aloud. He used all of his true qi as well. He was like an enraged lion.
Afterwards, with a bang, he smacked into the ice wall and slowly slid down with a twisted expression.
Li Qingshan grinned. The ice created from Ice Condensate water was as tough as high grade spiritual artifacts, so how could it be destroyed so easily?
The first senior brother just watched through the ice wall as Li Qingshan turned around and fled, vanishing into the dark cave. It was too late for him to curse, as the claws of the Steel Plate corpse were only inches away.
After the howls had been sealed off by the ice, they rapidly drew further away. Yu Zijian opened her eyes and only saw darkness. Li Qingshan had not just sealed in the first senior brother with that. He had sealed off the path of retreat for all those other Qi Practitioners.
“Niu Juxia?”
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingshan lowered his head and looked at Yu Zijian, as if he already knew what she wanted to say. However, she shook her head instead. “Nothing.” She only furrowed her brows as if she was in thought. Everything that she had gone through underground today had a tremendous impact on her pure mind. If she could understand something, then it would be a piece of wealth much more precious than any spiritual stones or spiritual herbs.
Light seeped into the gloomy depths like water. Li Qingshan stopped and placed down Yu Zijian. “Up ahead is the exit. You can go by yourself!”
Yu Zijian asked, “What about you?”
Li Qingshan said, “I obviously have to return underground.”
“But it’s very dangerous right now!” In Yu Zijian’s eyes, the underground was hell, and there were terrifying monsters lurking down there. As soon as she heard that Niu Juxian actually wanted to return to such a place, she began to worry.
“To me, the surface is even more dangerous than underground. The three mountains are searching for me. The three old coots are probably waiting for me up there!”
Yu Zijian said, “Chenglu is on the surface too. You know, she’s a good friend of mine. She has an elder brother who’s a commander of the Hawkwolf Guard. You’ve heard of the Hawkwolf Guard, right? Anyways, he’s a very impressive person and very kind too. I’ll ask him to plead on your behalf. It’ll definitely… definitely…”
Her voice gradually tailed off. She was pure, not stupid. After everything that she had gone through today, she understood just how vile human nature could be. She was just a worthless little girl, so what right did she have to ask for those important figures to help? Even if this important figure was willing to help, could he really guarantee Niu Juxia’s safety?
Li Qingshan smiled. “Thank you for trying.”
She covered her face with her arm, lowered her head, and began sobbing.
Li Qingshan asked, “What are you crying for?”
“I’m useless,” she said as she sniffled.
“If you’re useless, then why did I save you? Don’t worry, I have my ways to deal with this. I won’t die. You should go!”
“Really?” Yu Zijian used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and raised her head. Her eyes were red from crying, her face was covered in tears, but she was full of hope.
“Really.” Tender feelings developed in Li Qingshan when he saw her like this. He turned her around and pushed her back gently. “Stop being so silly.”
She stumbled a few steps before suddenly stopping. She turned around and sucked in a deep breath as if she had become extremely determined. “I want to stay here to help you out!” She pressed on her sword as she stood, and the light from behind made her shine from one side. She had quite the bearing.
“Your snot,” Li Qingshan said helplessly.
“What?”
“It’s almost flowing out.” Li Qingshan rubbed his nose.
Yu Zijian sniffled hard in a hurry. Her tiny bit of bearing vanished completely.
Li Qingshan strode back down the cave, while Yu Zijian called out from behind, “Hey, I’m serious! Don’t go!”
Li Qingshan’s figure had already vanished. Only a voice lingered about, resonating in the cave, “We’ll see after you accomplish something with your divine abilities first!”
Yu Zijian took a few steps forward. All she heard was her own steps. The suffocating feeling of repression and fear filled her heart once again. She gulped before slowly backing away. The strange, jagged rocks seemed like daemonic beasts. No, she felt like she currently stood within the gut of a huge beast, with no one to rely one, alone.
There was a sudden, great rumble from underground, like a huge beast turning over. The daemonic beasts all seemed to spring alive, baring their fangs and swinging their claws, wanting to lunge over. She screamed before turning and fleeing.
Li Qingshan felt the violent rumble as well. He found it to be rather familiar. Yes, a rumble like this had happened when he first met Milliped in the garden outside Salt Mountain city.
Wasn’t he sleeping? Did something happen?
Li Qingshan sped up and rushed deeper underground. He arrived before the cavern, and a great, bloody hole had already been ripped open in the ice wall. There were still a few Qi Practitioners in the cavern, curled up in a corner with faces filled with despair.
The zombies had completely vanished now, and only three Iron Plate corpses remained. This only illustrated the intensity of the struggle that the Qi Practitioners had put up before death. However, both the zombies and their corpses had vanished. They had all become nutrients to Xiao An.
Xiao An clutched her bone sword and stared at the cave leading underground. The first senior brother was heavily injured and had fled that way, but she did not send the Steel Plate corpse in pursuit. Clearly, she had realised the cause of the tremor as well.
The first senior brother clutched his injured chest and unleashed all of his true qi, flying deeper underground. He would look back from time to time to see whether the monster was chasing him or not. There were other paths that led to the surface. As long as he could escape, he could rise up again. He would never redeem himself until he got his revenge.
The rumble grew more and more intense. He had participated in many Herb Gathering ceremonies before, so he knew that earthquakes often occurred underground. As a result, he did not care too much about it.
Suddenly, a green flash shot by him. He only managed to catch a blur. It was a cultivator in the uniform of the Green Vine mountain who gave off a strange smell. It was too late for him to think anymore about it. With a thump, a huge figure slammed into him.
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Chapter 248 – Ambush and Trap
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Chapter 248 – Ambush and Trap
Who knew how many times more violent the collision this time was compared to when he ran into the ice wall. Not a single bone in his body remained whole. He was only alive thanks to his true qi. Wind whistled by his ear as he was rapidly pushed back by the huge figure. He tried his best to open his eyes, but he discovered that he had returned to the cave. He saw the skeleton monster standing beside the Steel Plate corpse he had spent so much effort refining.
“Fucking…” After that one word, a pink gas swallowed him, making him lose his final sliver of consciousness.
The segmented body was a magnificent pink. Who knows how many legs protruded from the sides as they rapidly moved in a rhythm. It moved with startling speed; only a pink streak was visible, like an underground rail whooshing by. It was enough to kick up a wild gust and make Li Qingshan’s clothes ruffle. This was the first time Li Qingshan had seen Milliped’s original form, but what he saw was no longer just his original form, but a raging river of daemon qi.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had sensed Milliped’s power to such a great extent. Normally, this guy who fell asleep as soon as he was done eating did not seem dignified at all, but he was actually a Daemon General through and through. Moreover, he was one of the stronger Daemon Generals out there.
The remaining Qi Practitioners all held their breaths and widened their despaired eyes at this sight. If everything earlier was all a nightmare, then it felt like something even more terrifying had intruded on the nightmare right now, immediately disrupting their thoughts. Under the impact of the daemon qi, they directly fainted.
Milliped left in a hurry. Li Qingshan and Xiao An stared right at each other. They both saw a green figure easily escape while being pursued by Milliped. Was he…
“Oh no!” Li Qingshan’s expression changed drastically. Further up was the surface, and there, Milliped would lose the protection of the Treaty of Kings. He would become prey human cultivators could freely hunt down and kill, and right now, there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators waiting up there, as well as a green flash of unknown strength. He caught the scent of a deep scheme.
Yu Zijian threw herself into the snow. The dazzling sun forced her eyes shut. The light enveloped her from everywhere, making her dizzy.
She could vaguely hear people rushing over and calling out, “Someone else has come out!”
She gradually opened her eyes and saw over a dozen Qi Practitioners laying in the distance, covered in blood. Some of their faces were numb, while others were sobbing.
They were all independent cultivators. They were unable to choose the most optimal routes and best locations like the disciples of the three mountains, and they even set off later as well, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. They avoided many traps of certain death, but they still experienced a lot of danger before escaping with their lives. They were lucky survivors.
Before she could even look at these people properly, three figures suddenly appeared before her, blocking the sun.
The elders of the three mountains asked in a hurry, “How’s the situation down there?”
Yu Zijian raised her head in confusion and saw that their expressions were very similar to the lucky survivors. They were filled with gloominess and dejection.
The corner of the Lone Grave Elder’s mouth constantly twisted, the Golden Pheasant’s Elder’s widened eyes were bloodshot, and the Green Vine Elder who had always been composed lost his usual calm too.
If the disciples that died in the beginning made their hearts bleed, then their hearts would basically be springs of blood now, bleeding endlessly.
The specks of light on the mental map were like flying sparks. They were extinguished in great quantities at a time. There were several times when the Golden Pheasant Elder wanted to rush into the caves, but he was stopped by the Green Vine Elder and the Lone Grave Elder. Hua Chengzan was nearby. They could never break the treaty before him.
In the end, very few specks of light remained. They learnt from the mouths of the surviving independent cultivators that they had fallen for the traps of the daemons this time.
Although they barely managed to maintain their composure due to the mental fortitude that they had developed over many years, they were ashen. Only the Lone Grave Elder remained mostly the same, but he thought, It’s over. It’s all over.
Just when Yu Zijian was perplexed by the question, Hua Chenglu rushed over and scooped her up. “Zijian, you’re fine! Fantastic! You really made me worry!”
“Chenglu, oh. I’m fine.” Yu Zijian looked past her shoulder and saw Hua Chengzan standing nearby with his hands behind his back, but his usual smile had vanished.
Hua Chengzan knew that the Herb Gathering ceremony this time had completely devastated the foundations of the three mountains. A sect was not just its Foundation Establishment sect master. It required a large number of disciples as well, necessary for managing the affairs of the sect and continuing its legacy. From the weakest outer disciple to the strongest first senior brother, not a single component could be missing.
Now, the three mountains had lost ninety percent of their disciples at the very least. They were like a tree that had its roots cut off. While it still stood on the surface, it would wither and die before long.
He felt rather bitter as well. He tried to stop them from killing the daemons, but the daemons schemed in the shadows and used this opportunity to deal a fatal blow. He even began to suspect that the Daemon General in this region was not as stupid as the records suggested at all, but was instead a wise figure, no, daemon who played the fool. The Herb Gathering ceremonies in the past were all just bait that the Daemon General had purposefully cast out.
They truly targeted and wanted to harm one another. The age of the Treaty of Kings was already long past. Just how much longer could the law and order upheld by the school of Legalism remain intact?
At this moment, the underground tremors had already grown more and more intense. Hua Chengzan looked into the pitch-black caves and frowned. This doesn’t seem like an earthquake.
Looking at the three elders, they had already left Yu Zijian alone. They all looked into the caves together and no longer bothered to disguise their emotions. Fury and delight intermingled on their faces; it was like they were crazy.
A terrifying daemon qi directly burst out from underground like a tidal wave.
Oh no!
Hua Chengzan’s expression changed. He arrived beside Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian in a flash and grabbed their shoulders, unleashing all of his true qi and leaping out of the pit.
The pit was over thirty meters deep, but he pulled higher and higher in the air, arriving above the pit in the blink of an eye. A ball of green light that moved ten times faster than him shot by, vanishing into the sky. When he was being chased by Milliped, he had actually been holding back with his speed.
It was like a lightbulb had lit up in Hua Chengzan’s head, and he immediately understood the whole story. His mission had still ended in failure. Not only had Fu Qingjin defeated the three elders silently, but he had even lured the Daemon General out from underground.
Powerful daemon qi rushed into the air as a millipede over a hundred meters long emerged from underground, exposed under the light of day. It raised its head and produced a sharp hiss at the sky.
The huge figure was enough to blot out the sun, and the surviving Qi Practitioners all turned sheet-white. The three elders increased their vigilance as much as possible.
“W- what is that?” Hua Chenglu asked with a trembling voice. No matter how high in the air she was, the pretty colour and vicious shape still made her shiver inside.
“The original form of a Daemon General.” Hua Chengzan rubbed Hua Chenglu’s head to comfort her. In this age, very few humans had seen the original form of Daemon Generals, and hopefully, it would stay like that in the future.
Suddenly, he saw Yu Zijian looking straight down. He asked in surprise, “Aren’t you afraid?”
As if she was possessed, Yu Zijian completely ignored his question as she clutched the hilt of her sword firmly.
“Die, wretched daemon!” A roar filled with hatred and anger erupted from the Green Vine Elder’s chest. He brought his hands together in a seal, which unfurled like a lotus. The spiritual qi of the world began to move.
Suddenly, he pointed down, and several green vines erupted from the ground. Each vine was even thicker than a pillar as they wrapped and tightened around Milliped. Even more vines sprouted from the green vines, all as thick as pillars, entangling his numerous legs.
Milliped was immediately immobilised. He was unable to unleash any of his terrifying strength. He produced another hiss, and his body released a pink gas.
The verdant green vines around him immediately began to wither and decay. The pink gas filled the entire pit. The lucky survivors saw this already, so they began to leap out of the pit, but they were nowhere near as fast as Hua Chengzan. Just when they were about to reach the lip of the pit, the pink gas surged over.
They roared out and unleashed all of their protective talismans and techniques, but all they felt was their sights darken and their bodies seize up. They were unable to use any strength anymore, unable to mobilise even a strand of true qi. They fell straight back into the pit, and the only things that struck the ground were the corrosion-resistant hundred treasures pouches, which sank slowly into the earth.
Even the rock and soil was being eaten away by the gas, hissing and producing white smoke. The gas was startlingly potent.
Hua Chengzan had originally been hovering above the pit. Seeing this, he flew away to one side before looking down once again. The pit was like a volcanic crater that was about to erupt. The greyish-white smoke and the pink gas merged into a smoke dragon, extending towards the sky. It was visible even from over fifty kilometers away.
He was shocked inside. This is the power of a Daemon General!
However, before Milliped could break free, even more green vines wrapped around him. Only the three elders continued to stand strong. They used various protective techniques, but the pink gas still ate away at it constantly.
However, even if they combined their true qi, they were nowhere near close to rivalling Milliped’s daemon qi. Drawing out the battle was as foolish as idiotic nonsense.
The Green Vine Elder bellowed out, “Why don’t you assist me, fellows?”
There was no need for him to say that at all. A golden pheasant rose into the air and erupted with light, merging and shining with the dazzling sun in the sky, which only made it seem even more glorious. With a cry, a pheasant’s foot landed on Milliped’s head. Then, the pheasant pecked down viciously.
At the same time, a figure surrounded in surging, black smoke passed through the pink gas and stabbed Milliped’s soft belly with its claws.
There was a clang, like the screeching of metal, which resounded through the pit numerous times and rushed into the sky.
Milliped let out a pained hiss. His huge body writhed violently and released even more gas. Although he seemed unscathed with the toughness of his belly, it still felt like someone had driven an awl into him.
Afterwards, there was a great thump, and a figure landed a punch on Milliped’s belly, leaving behind a dent. Something that seemed like a human general appeared through the surging black smoke. A damaged set of rusted bronze armour covered its body. Even its face was hidden within the helmet, only revealing a set of bloodthirsty eyes. It was actually a zombie, but its eyes were not as hollow as regular zombies’. Instead, they seemed intelligent and self-conscious.
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Chapter 249 – Conscience
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Chapter 249 – Conscience
One of Miliped’s long, spiny legs tore through the air and stabbed over like a spear. The zombie dodged it dexterously, almost no different from a living person.
The Lone Grave Elder stood in the distance with a cold expression. At this level of corpse refining, he no longer refined mindless puppets. There was no need for him to actively control it.
He had dug up thousands of graves and eventually found the ancient corpse of a disciple of the school of the Military in a general’s cemetery. Back then, the corpse was already close to zombifying. He spent a tremendous effort to suppress its free will and refined it into an Ancient Bronze Corpse General in the end.
Not only was it immune to fire, water, and regular weapons, but its combat awareness from when it was alive remained too. It was equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Whenever he fought against people, he just had to summon it, and the battle would basically be two against one.
Failing to achieve anything with a punch, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General threw out another punch. With a series of thunderous thumps, the shell on Milliped’s belly cracked and bled.
Milliped writhed in pain, suddenly breaking free from the restraint of one of the green vines and biting at the golden pheasant above him.
The golden pheasant flapped its wings and tried to climb higher into the air. Suddenly, it felt a tug on its tail. Milliped had clamped down on the golden pheasant’s tail feathers, throwing it against the rocks with a swing of his head.
Milliped was so powerful that he seemed unstoppable, shocking the Golden Pheasant Elder. This Daemon General’s strength is actually so great. He made up his mind to cut his losses. Golden feathers rained down from the sky as the golden pheasant climbed higher, hovering above the pit. It had lost most of its tail feathers, such that its tail was almost bald.
The Golden Pheasant Elder called out, “Green Vine, since when were your techniques so useless? Are you trying to kill us?”
“You have absolutely no idea. This wretched daemon is just too strong. I can’t last for much longer. Hurry up and kill it!” The Green Vine Elder basically forced these words out through gritted teeth. His face was bright red. He was trying to contend with Milliped’s physical strength with his spiritual energy alone, so he was under the most pressure.
The golden pheasant circled around the stream of smoke and arrived higher in the sky. It shone with resplendent, golden light, rapidly gathering the golden sunlight and gradually blurring itself. A miniature sun seemed to appear in the sky.
Milliped instinctively sensed danger. He lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of pink acid at the Ancient Bronze Corpse General. Even the Ancient Bronze Corpse General was afraid of touching that, so it retreated to thirty meters away. Meanwhile, a huge pit had already formed before it.
Contaminated with acid, over half of the vine’s main stalk was eaten away instantly. Milliped used his full strength and pushed down with all of his legs at the same time, about to break free.
“Trees Grow and Grass Sprouts, in an Endless Cycle!”
The Green Vine Elder bellowed out, and he exploded with dazzling, green light. His hair, beard, and skin all turned green from the light, like he was not a human, but a carving of green wood. He shone together with the Golden Pheasant Elder in the distance.
The green vines grew crazily, sprouting from the ground and the cliffs, wrapping around Milliped in a great cocoon.
“Vines Wither and Trees Age, Between Decay and Glory!”
All of the vines ran out of moisture, becoming a withered, yellow colour, like the withered vines in ancient forests and on cliff faces that had been there since forever. They were the toughest, where even machetes would fail to leave a mark on them.
The rate of corrosion immediately slowed down. Milliped had been sealed within this cage of withered vines.
At this moment, there was a pheasant’s cry that filled the wilderness. The golden sun fell from the sky.
The golden pheasant had pulled in its wings, with its beak at the front and tail feathers at the back. It directly rushed towards the immobilised Milliped with a long tail of flames.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General returned to the Lone Grave Elder, who watched on with his head raised. He felt shocked too. He had nothing to fear if he faced against just the Golden Pheasant Elder or the Green Vine Elder, but if they worked together, he would be dead for sure, even despite that move of his.
The three mountains had suffered heavy losses, but he was the least affected by it. Apart from the fact that his heart was like a zombie’s, basically emotionless, his thoughts were surprisingly similar to that of the first senior brother of the Burial Mound mountain. If he could refine this Daemon General’s corpse into a daemon corpse, his strength would definitely increase significantly, enough to surpass the Golden Pheasant Elder and the Green Vine Elder. After that, merging the three mountains into one mountain would no longer be entirely impossible.
Hua Chengzan sighed gently. He was prepared to return and report this to his commanding officer. Who knows what kind of disturbance the death of a Daemon General would cause. Probably even Wang Pushi would not be able to bear the consequences. He could only make her come.
At this moment, another daemon qi surged into the air, and Hua Chengzan’s expression changed all of a sudden. There were actually daemons bold enough to emerge at a time like this. He squinted his eyes and peered through the clouds and smoke, but he failed to spot the daemon.
The Green Vine Elder and the Lone Grave Elder felt a violent tremor from beneath their feet. The tremor was not just an ordinary earthquake. The power hidden within was utterly shocking. They leapt up at the same time and saw large parts of the pit crack. The cracks rapidly expanded towards the edges.
The vines were originally rooted in the ground, so they began to loosen as well, but it was already too late.
Boom!
The golden pheasant fell. With a great rumble, countless beams of golden light erupted in the pit as the cracked rocks began to collapse like booming thunder. The yellow dust in the air, combined with the pink gas, was illuminated by the golden light. The pit was like a huge pot, violently boiling right now.
The golden light was so dazzling that Hua Chengzan struggled to make out what was happening in the pit. However, the Daemon General’s daemon qi did not vanish. The Golden Pheasant Elder had missed.
Another huge, blurry figure appeared in the dust and smoke.
Li Qingshan had completely transformed. He stood over forty feet tall as he gasped for air. Milliped laid behind him, having finally broken out of the vines and recovered his freedom.
The perfectly-round pit now had a huge tear. It was possible to imagine what the consequences would have been if the attack had landed. Fortunately, the Golden Pheasant Elder did not have complete control over that move.
When Li Qingshan and Xiao An arrived at the entrance, they sensed the three Foundation Establishment cultivators encircle Milliped and attack him with their spiritual energy. Every single one of them was more powerful than he was, but he would never back down when his friend was under life-threatening danger. He immediately cast aside the possibility of danger and was about to rush out to assist Milliped. However, he was stopped by Xiao An, who told him not to panic.
After calming down, Li Qingshan waited while holding his breath. He wanted to see whether an opportunity to heavily injure a Foundation Establishment cultivator would present itself, but he also knew just how unlikely that was. However, in the final, critical moment, he tore through the ground and used a drastic measure against the situation, destroying the foundations of the vines before grabbing Milliped by his tail and pulling him aside, allowing him to avoid the Golden Pheasant Elder’s killing strike.
The blurry, humanoid figure made the three Foundation Establishment cultivators narrow their eyes. Was this another Daemon General? They retreated to one side of the pit cautiously, recovering their spiritual qi as they watched Li Qingshan vigilantly.
Li Qingshan ignored them. He turned around and punched Milliped’s head, yelling, “You idiot! Wake up!” It was as if he was trying to verify the three elders’ thoughts. Regular daemons would never be bold enough to hit a Daemon General. However, while the daemon qi he gave off was tremendous, he did not feel like a Daemon General.
Milliped shook his head, and his mind seemed to clear up slightly. He hissed at Li Qingshan and said through his daemon qi, “You’ve come. My head hurts.”
Li Qingshan replied with daemon qi, “If it hurts, then you deserve it! Why don’t you turn back into human form and leave with me!”
“Okay!” Milliped transformed and turned back into the bald-headed, idiotic-looking fatty. He rubbed his belly. “My belly hurts too!”
Li Qingshan said nothing. He grabbed him and shoved him into the cave.
“Oh no, they’re trying to escape! Trees Grow and Grass Sprouts, in an Endless Cycle!” The Green Vine Elder said.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to dive into the cave as well, countless vines pierced through the rock and merged together, blocking the entrance and separating him from Milliped. Milliped roared furiously as he tried to tear apart the vines.
Li Qingshan sighed instead and said, “Run!” A violent gust of wind kicked up behind him. The golden light projected his figure against the rock face as the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell rose up automatically.
With a few clings and clangs, the pheasant claw that was as tough as a high grade spiritual artifact locked down on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. The golden pheasant flapped its wings and lifted Li Qingshan into the air.
The golden pheasant lowered its head. It started at Li Qingshan with its golden pupils filled with fury. “You want to run? That one has escaped, so you can replace him!” The Golden Pheasant Elder was vaguely visible inside.
The pit below his feet rapidly shrank in size, but the Green Vine Elder and Lone Grave Elder seemed to shine no matter how far away they were.
Li Qingshan immediately understood the danger that he was in. His blood boiled, but his mind instead became calmer and calmer. He sucked in a deep breath and unleashed the Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar. The sound wave flooded the wild wind and slammed against the golden pheasant together.
The golden light shuddered, and the claw of the pheasant loosened. Li Qingshan fell out of the sky, but before he had even hit the ground, countless thick vines extended over from the surroundings of the pit like arms, wrapping around the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and turning it into a ball of vines.
Under the control of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the ground immediately became even more distant than the sky. Cut off from the depths of the underground, Li Qingshan had nowhere to run. He was extremely large, but against the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, he was like a skinny child facing three tough adults. That was how puny he seemed.
The three elders flew through the air and revolved around the ball of vines.
The Green Vine Elder said, “Oh no, he’s only a regular daemon!” Although his shape and strength was very extraordinary, his daemon qi did indeed make him a mere daemon. It was a huge contract compared to their original target.
The three of them had worked together and schemed against the unsuspecting, yet they still failed to kill the Daemon General and exact revenge. They were humiliated so much that their faces immediately twisted!
“Dammit!” The Lone Grave Elder slammed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell emotionlessly. With a rumble, the shell shook violently, but it remained undamaged.
The three elders were surprised, but their fury only intensified. The Golden Pheasant’s Elder said, “Smash through his shell. I want to skin him alive and cut him to pieces out of hatred!”
The Green Vine Elder thought of something. “Perhaps we can lure out that Daemon General.”
The Golden Pheasant Elder said, “Green Vine, you’re dreaming. Daemons have no concept of friendship or loyalty. They’re heartless. All they know is to struggle for survival. Carapaced daemons are the dumbest out of all of them, so it’s even less likely for them to understand what ties of friendship mean.” As he said that, the pheasant’s beak struck the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell viciously, while the Ancient Bronze Corpse General threw out a punch.
The shell trembled uncontrollably. No matter how tough it was, just how much longer could it last against the combined attacks of three Foundation Establishment cultivators?
“It’s true that daemons have no concept of the ties of friendship.” What Li Qingshan said stunned the three elders, “They only act on their own conscience!”
A huge, pink bug leapt up as hard as it could and left the ground like a carp leaping out of the water before biting onto the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
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Chapter 250 – The Battle in the Pit
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Chapter 250 – The Battle in the Pit
“Woah! Look, Zijian, that monster has come out again! It has come to save this monster!” Hua Chenglu grabbed Yu Zijian’s arm and shook it around.
Hua Chengzan smashed her over the head. “Don’t move about.”
The three of them currently sat on a paper crane. The paper crane was covered with glyphs as it flapped its wings and soared through the air, just like a real crane.
After her initial fright, Hua Chenglu had calmed down. Unaware of the implications, she completely treated the battle below as a show to watch.
Yu Zijian asked, “Do daemons have ties of friendship too?”
“All living creatures, as long as they live in this world, do. How can they not have ties of friendship? I just never thought that there would be such a strong bond between daemons of different types, such that they’re willing to risk their lives for each other,” Hua Chengzan said suddenly. His eyes were filled with emotion.
Yu Zijian said, “Then, is it still right for humans to punish and put daemons to death?”
“Of course. Even among humans, we have people trying to kill each other, let alone with other races. And, if it weren’t for the pressure from humans, why would daemons band together? Killing each other is the norm. All living creatures, as long as they live in this world, will. How can they not kill and compete with one another?” Hua Chengzan’s expression then became desolate.
Bonds? Killing? Right or wrong? Yu Zijian’s mind was in a mess.
The battle in the pit had already begun.
Hua Chenglu watched in a fixed trance. She did not divert her attention to listening to Hua Chengzan at all.
Milliped grabbed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell with his mouth and pulled Li Qingshan out from the ball of vines. The three elders rejoiced.
The golden pheasant flapped its wings, the green vines grew and spread while the Ancient Bronze Corpse General controlled its corpse qi, leaping up.
The encirclement was complete. They would not be letting this wretched daemon escape this time.
Milliped twisted his body like a dragon swaying its tail. With enough force to destroy an entire army, it collided against the golden pheasant.
The golden light shattered, and the Golden Pheasant Elder shot off like a broken kite, smashing into the rock head-first and becoming deeply embedded. Only a sky filled with pheasant feathers was left behind.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General rushed forward at a time like this.
Li Qingshan released the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and gathered all of his daemon qi, which raged like a river. Unconcerned, he threw out a punch.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General felt like a great, dark cloud had enveloped it above before a black bolt of lightning struck it.
The fist was anything but ordinary. It was the size of a boulder, so no matter how skilled the corpse was, it was difficult to dodge, let alone the fact that the corpse was mid-air. With its viciousness aroused, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General let out a roar, and its fangs protruded as it threw out a punch as well.
The Lone Grave Elder sneered inside, Just like an ant trying to shake a tree, overconfident! Do you really think you’re a Daemon General that can compete with the Ancient Bronze Corpse General in physical strength? Daemons are all this foolish, thinking that they can win just because they’re bigger. Once I refine you into a daemon corpse, you might be a little cleverer under my control.
The two fists collided and actually froze up in the air. The corpse qi and daemon qi clashed violently, pushing aside the smoke and gas and creating an empty region.
The Lone Grave Elder was slightly surprised. Was it actually able to match the Ancient Bronze Corpse General with its brute strength?
However, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General gave way just a while later, falling to the ground with a great thump and creating a huge pit.
Having reached the second layer of the ox demon, he possessed a huge advantage from his size alone, and he had the advantage of height too. If he lost to a Corpse General in terms of physical strength, even if he would not hang himself, the black ox would hang itself.
Although the Ancient Bronze Corpse General had lost the clash, it was not injured either. It let out an explosive roar, and just when it had straightened itself out, the black cloud descended from the sky again.
I’ll attack while you’re weak! How could Li Qingshan let such a great opportunity slip by? From above, his iron hoof landed heavily on the Ancient Bronze Corpse General.
The bottom of the pit raged and stirred like the surface of the ocean. Tonnes of rock and soil were thrown about. Only the ground where the hoof stood rapidly sank down.
Innate ability, the Ox Demon Tramples!
All of his power was concentrated on the Ancient Bronze Corpse General. Only after passing through its body did it spread to the surrounding ground.
Cracks immediately began to appear on the Ancient Bronze Corpse General’s seemingly-indestructible armour as it produced a twisted sound. In reality, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General’s internal injuries were much worse than the damage on the surface. The bronze armour was extremely effective when it came to blocking flying swords, flying blades, and other sharp weapons, but against the most primitive, most barbarous blunt weapons, it was much less effective.
On the ancient battlefields on Earth, the weapons used by generals rapidly changed and evolved with the development of the technology of armour. When blades or swords failed to pierce armour, a swing of a mace would be enough to crush the enemy’s organs and make them spew blood.
Li Qingshan raised his hoof, but he was definitely not foolish enough to give the opponent any chances to do anything. He unleashed the Ox Demon Tramples once again. From afar, it just seemed like a daemon with the horns of an ox and the tail of a tiger stomping around furiously, while the ground surged like boiling water, rising and falling constantly.
Above the pit, the vines did their best as they extended towards Milliped, wanting to bind and constrain him once again. However, Milliped was prepared this time, and he was quite a distance away from both the rock face and the ground, so it would take some time for the vines to reach him.
Milliped broke free from a few vines and swung his tail against the rock face. A huge breach appeared in the pit again. Milliped borrowed the force to rush towards the Green Vine Elder. He moved with startling speed while his sharp mandibles were on full display.
The Green Vine Elder was shocked. As the sect master of the Green Vine mountain, it had been many years since he last clashed with people on the same level as him. Although he was full of great power, he had still declined with his advanced age, so how could he engage in close combat against such a terrifying daemon? He flew in a hurry and climbed up the sky steeply, dodging and weaving.
Milliped suddenly twisted his body and wrapped around the Green Vine Elder several times before suddenly closing in on him as an insect ball. He used his colossal body to keep the Green Vine Elder trapped.
His many legs were like spears. Using his powerful joints, he stabbed at the Green Vine Elder from every direction. All he needed to do was land a single attack, and he could inject him with venom, which would rapidly eat away his body.
The Wood Spirit Protects the Body, Providing a New Lease of Life!
The Green Vine Elder formed a seal with his hand, and he became encased in withered wood. The legs stabbed into it and produced a series of thumps.
The withered wood was condensed from pure wood spiritual energy, but it was being rapidly depleted as the venom in the legs ate away at it.
The Green Vine Elder called out, “Save me, fellows!”
Without the restraint of the vines, Milliped immediately unleashed his terrifying strength, demonstrating the great power of a carapaced Daemon General.
The golden pheasant flapped its wings and flew into the air again, landing on the insect ball and unleashing a series of pecks. The Golden Pheasant Elder threw his life on the line, without any regard for his spiritual energy. As such, he produced a series of bloody holes on the insect carapace.
If these holes had appeared on human cultivators, every single one of them would be fatal, disemboweling wounds. However, Milliped’s body was huge, so these wounds could only be regarded as grazes. And, with his powerful vitality as a carapaced daemon, he recovered extremely quickly.
Over half of the Green Vine Elder’s spiritual energy had been depleted now. Pieces flew off from the withered piece of wood, turning back into spiritual energy and dispersing. It grew much thinner in the blink of an eye. He was just about to be stabbed by the legs and injected with venom.
In the blink of an eye, the tables had turned completely, which amazed Hua Chengzan. “Carapaced Daemon Generals truly are impressive!” If it were not for the fact that the three elders’ techniques could be used together, with the Green Vine Elder’s vines being especially troublesome with how they could restrict Milliped’s movements, it would be very difficult for three regular Foundation Establishment cultivators to defeat it. Instead, the slightest of carelessness could result in them being killed.
Hua Chenglu asked in surprise, “Brother, are those three s- seniors going to lose?” Although she disliked the Green Vine Elder, she could not help but feel sad over the loss of her own kind now that these powerful human cultivators were about to die to the hands of daemons.
Hua Chengzan shook his head. “That hybrid daemon has only managed to gain a temporary upper hand. How can it actually win against a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Once it’s killed, they can reestablish their encirclement and emerge victorious.”
His gaze suddenly turned to the clouds. And, that person has yet to interfere! He had probably failed to anticipate something like this earlier, so the Daemon General had almost escaped. However, he would never make this mistake a second time.
The Lone Grave Elder’s expression finally changed. He looked at the Ancient Bronze Corpse General he had refined after so much effort in disbelief. Why was it being beaten up by a mere daemon in a one-sided fashion?
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General should have managed to break free a long time ago, but the Ox Demon Tramples caused violent vibrations too. With each tremor, it would momentarily affect the Ancient Bronze Corpse General’s movements, which would be enough for Li Qingshan to unleash a second the Ox Demon Tramples.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General was clearly extremely powerful, but due to its carelessness, it had fallen for this move. This was clearly a mere coincidence, yet it seemed like it had all been planned. Li Qingshan was truly suited for actual battle. He was not very smart most of the time, but in battle, he would always be so clever and be able to erupt with one hundred and twenty percent of his battle prowess.
“Die, wretched daemon!”
The Lone Grave Elder, who had yet to directly interfere, finally took action. He also wore a bronze bangle on his withered wrist, but the lustre was much better than the first senior brother’s. The glyphs on the bangle lit up and twelve Steel Plate corpses appeared in an orderly array, all rushing towards Li Qingshan.
With these twelve Steel Plate corpses, he could deal with any regular daemons as easily as winking. The reason why the Lone Grave Elder had not summoned them from the very beginning was because Steel Plate corpses were not particularly useful against a Daemon General, and it was very easy for them to be corroded and get destroyed by the gas. Now that Li Qingshan was trying to destroy his very lifeblood, he immediately unleashed all the strength he had.
The Steel Plate corpses lunged over together. Li Qingshan frowned. He could sense that the corpse qi of the Ancient Bronze Corpse General below his feet had been scattered many times already, but it had not sustained any fatal damage.
If he used the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, it would obviously resolve the issue temporarily, but the Ancient Bronze Corpse General would be able to break free too, which would free up the Lone Grave Elder to save the Green Vine Elder. He needed to make time for Milliped.
Li Qingshan grabbed a Steel Plate corpse and stabbed its throat with his thumb. His sharp, tiger claw forcefully pierced the steel plating and black corpse qi leaked out. The Steel Plate corpse immediately crumbled and stopped moving like a broken rag doll, which Li Qingshan tossed aside.
However, the other Steel Plate corpses used this opportunity to throw themselves on Li Qingshan. Some climbed onto his shoulders and attacked his ears, some bit his neck while others grabbed his legs. They all tried to limit his movements so that the Ancient Bronze Corpse General could break free.
Li Qingshan felt like a tree covered with monkeys. He extended his hand, but the Steel Plate corpses could climb to another part of his body nimbly to make trouble. His entire body itched and pricked with pain, but the Steel Plate corpses struggled to rip through his ox hide that was a hundred times tougher than the steel plates.
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Chapter 251 – The Green Ruins Sword
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Chapter 251 – The Green Ruins Sword
Even with that being the case, the Steel Plate corpses still caused Li Qingshan quite the trouble. It was a pity that Xiao An was not here, or these Steel Plate corpses would be easily dealt with. Originally, he had Xiao An hide underground so that she could lead a coordinated attack with him at a critical moment and deal a crucial blow to the enemy.
However, after the violent collisions and the destruction from the Ox Demon Tramples, the caves in the pit had completely collapsed, now buried under thousands of tonnes of rock. It basically destroyed the starting point of the Herb Gathering ceremony for good. Xiao An was trapped below as well, so she was unable to provide any assistance for now.
The Lone Grave Elder also saw how the Steel Plate corpses could not be defeated by Li Qingshan immediately. A small, bone sceptre appeared in his hand; it had a small skull on the tip. He swung it around, and the eye sockets of the skull unleashed a streak of red light.
Li Qingshan felt a strong sense of danger. He did not want to experience the full-powered strike of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but if he used the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and let the zombie beneath him break free, the situation would only worsen. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
A Steel Plate corpse stood in front of Li Qingshan. It just happened to be in the path of the red light. Half of the Steel Plate corpse had melted away silently and instantly.
The Lone Grave Elder was surprised. All the Steel Plate corpses were under his control, so why did one appear out of nowhere?
A black hole had appeared in the ground at a certain time. The Steel Plate corpse had emerged from there.
Under Xiao An’s command as the vice leader, the boulder viper had used its burrowing abilities to create a deep hole. However, getting the daemons to partake in this battle would be impossible.
Two skulls emerged and sprayed flames at Li Qingshan.
The Lone Grave Elder was surprised. He became even more confused whether the arriving person was an ally or an enemy.
Li Qingshan did not avoid it. Like taking a shower, he allowed the flames to wash over him. Wherever the flames passed by, the Steel Plate corpses all collapsed. The flames then extended towards the Ancient Bronze Corpse General below Li Qingshan’s feet, but it was stopped by a layer of black corpse qi.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General experienced a great sense of threat and struggled even more desperately.
The Lone Grave Elder sensed how his connection with all the Steel Plate corpses had been severed. His expression changed as he called out, “Where be the wretched daemon? Show your true form!”
Red light flashed through the eyes of the Steel Plate corpses, and they all stood up, turning around and lunging at the Lone Grave Elder.
A chill ran down the Lone Grave Elder’s back. Through all the years he had spent cultivating, he had never seen such a strange sight before. If the zombies that had to be refined with so much effort could be stolen so easily, why would refining corpses still be a thing in the world? He wondered what the fire was, seeing how it was capable of something like this.
As the Lone Grave Elder retreated, scarlet light shot out from his sceptre and struck three Steel Plate corpses. Most of them immediately melted away, but fire immediately sprang up around the corpses, merging them into the skull.
The Lone Grave Elder was pained. Refining these Steel Plate corpses had not been easy. Never did he think there would be a day when he would have to destroy them with his own hands. Black mist surged beneath his feet and pulled him into the air. All the Steel Plate corpses missed him.
Kicking hard, they leapt high into the air and touched the black cloud, but they were unable to fly, so they fell back down.
At this moment, the two Skull Prayer Beads became even larger. They flew around and collected all the Steel Plate corpses before rushing towards the Lone Grave Elder. They were like two carrier ships.
Li Qingshan knew very well that just his and Xiao An’s strength was definitely not enough to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but all they needed to do was keep them busy and make time for Milliped to kill one of them. Afterwards, they could defeat the others one by one. Even if they could not kill all of them, at least they could leave easily.
Only a thin layer of withered wood remained around the Green Vine Elder. He called out, “Please save me!” This time, he was not talking to the Golden Pheasant Elder and the Lone Grave Elder.
“Daemons run amuck and bring strife to this world. Fu Qingjin of the Sword Collection palace has specially come to provide assistance, to purge and eliminate daemons.”
A man’s voice suddenly rang out in the sky, but it did not possess the elation and boldness that befitted it. Instead, it was rather indifferent and bored, as if purging daemons did not interest him at all.
Great streaks of green light fell from the sky, enveloping the entire pit.
Time seemed to freeze. An undefeatable power made Li Qingshan’s heart shiver. He looked around and a ruined, abandoned structure grew from the ground, like an illusion yet also realistic.
A green streak of light tore through the sky, like a silent bolt of lightning, yet also like a vicious wound.
Milliped howled out in pain and fell from the air, falling into the ruins heavily. A huge wound appeared on his back as blood flowed out like a stream. Even the toughest part of him, the shell on his back, was unable to stop the power of the green light.
Above the green ruins in the sky, Fu Qingjin stood with his sword as his worn out, green robes ruffled in the wind.
The Green Vine Elder, who had narrowly escaped death, was still shaken. He bowed at the air. “Thank you for saving me, fellow.” The Golden Pheasant Elder and the Lone Grave Elder bowed at him deeply too.
Fu Qingjin’s indifferent gaze scanned past their faces, like a king looking at his useless subjects. The three of them felt like their faces had been stabbed with humiliation as they burnt up.
“This person is so powerful!” Hua Chenglu was overcome with amazement.
“It’s you!” Yu Zijian exclaimed.
Fu Qingjin turned around, and his gaze immediately became much softer. He seemed to go from the lonely king back to that leisurely swordsman from before. However, he only nodded and said nothing more to her.
Instead, he said to Hua Chengzan, “You’ve already fulfilled your obligations, but no one can maintain peace in the world for long. With your talent, you will definitely have quite the accomplishments in the chaotic future if you’re willing to resign from your position as the hawks and hounds of the empire.”
He gently consoled Hua Chengzan over his failures, even showing much admiration, but he was like a senior directing a junior, even referring to the Hawkwolf Guard as hawks and hounds. Their ages were not particularly far apart either.
“What has the peace of the world got to do with me? You’re more than welcome to do what you want to do, sir. Though, you’d better be careful or they’ll escape again, and you’ll humiliate yourself.” Hua Chengzan recovered his tired and indolent attitude.
However, Hua Chenglu could feel that Hua Chengzan had lost his usual composure when he faced this person, which was why he was forced to use this attitude to mask himself.
“Yeah, what has it got to do with me?” Fu Qingjin was not annoyed either. He sighed gently, as if he was emotional. Suddenly, he jerked to his senses and cried out, “Each and every person has responsibility over the prosperity of the world! How can you shy away from your obligations?” He seemed like he was speaking to Hua Chengzan, yet it also seemed like he was speaking to himself.
With a flash of green light, Fu Qingjin vanished.
Hua Chenglu pointed at her head and stifled her voice. “Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with this person’s head?”
Yu Zijian said, “He seemed to be in great pain.”
Hua Chengzan asked, “You know him?”
Yu Zijian shook her head, but she felt like she had met him somewhere, not on the Green Vine mountain by the pond, but some time even further away than that.
Hua Chengzan lowered his head in thought. The Green Ruins sword had been drawn, just as expected. There was nothing for him to be surprised about with the strength Fu Qingjin possessed. He had already come up with guesses by himself. This matter was so significant that everyone involved had undergone no less than one heavenly tribulation, yet they sent him, a Qi Practitioner, to handle this. They probably did not have the determination to stop this in the first place. Perhaps it was just a concession for what had happened with the Soaring Dragon Elder.
The appearance of the Green Ruins sword only verified this speculation further now.
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Chapter 252 – A Hopeless Situation
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Chapter 252 – A Hopeless Situation
In the Sword Collection palace was a divine mountain called Sword Collection. This mountain was not connected to the ground and hovered in the sky instead. It was covered in treasured swords. As long as a disciple of the Sword Collection palace had undergone their first heavenly tribulation and become a formal disciple, they could pull a sword out from there as their own, personal sword. On the day of their passing, the sword would return to the Sword Collection peak to await its next owner.
The cultivation methods of the Sword Collection palace were about becoming one with the sword. Cultivating was training the sword, while training the sword was also cultivating.
Even a piece of scrap metal could become a terrifyingly powerful weapon after being refined by several generations of masters, so the power of these swords was self-explanatory. Moreover, it was rumored that these swords contained the spirit and will of their past masters, so only when they came across suitable masters could they be drawn from the mountain. As a result, not only did the person choose the sword, but the sword chose the person too. All tricks were useless. It was completely up to luck.
Once a sword was drawn, it was like meeting a great mentor or a close friend. The benefits brought to the sword wielder would be far more than obtaining a powerful sword. This was where the foundation and legacy of the Sword Collection palace resided, as well as why the sect was called Sword Collection.
And, sword cultivators were stronger than regular cultivators in battle anyway. Accompanied by a treasured sword, it was like giving wings to a tiger, making them even stronger.
The many swords varied in power. Among them, there were ten swords renowned throughout the world—the Ten Renowned Swords. Any disciple who drew them would receive the full support and nurturing of the Sword Collection palace. Basically every single master of the Sword Collection palace wielded one of these Ten Renowned Swords. The Green Ruins sword happened to be one of them.
This was not as simple as giving wings to a tiger anymore. Instead, it was directly turning a tiger into a tiger daemon. It was as easy as cake to deal with these three old men. However, the strange part of it was that Fu Qingjin had only gone through his heavenly tribulation recently, so how did he grasp the Green Ruins sword so soon?
Originating from a powerful clan, Hua Chengzan was very intelligent. He possessed encyclopedic knowledge, probably knowing even more than the entire Book of All. He obviously knew about the histories and stories regarding the larger sects of the Green province too.
Suddenly, he remembered another reason why the Green Ruins sword was renowned. Among the Ten Renowned Swords, there was only one pair of male and female swords. Green Ruins was the female sword, while the male sword was Violet Clouds. It was even stronger than the Green Ruins sword. Once one sword had been drawn, the other would be drawn soon too.
Since Green Ruins had been drawn, where was Violet Clouds?
When he thought of that, he suddenly looked at Yu Zijian. She currently stared right ahead. Was she it?
Thinking back to how Fu Qingjin had looked at Yu Zijian earlier, his head immediately cleared up.
She was. With how large the Green province was, there was no need for Fu Qingjin to travel over five thousand kilometers to the Clear River prefecture to kill a Daemon General. With his strength, were there any Daemon Generals that could match him evenly? As it turned out, his objective was this.
Large sects definitely possessed figures skilled at divination and could peer into the heavenly secrets. Apart from seeking talented juniors to join the sect and learn their arts like regular sects, they had another special method, which was searching for “fated people”. They rarely ever recruited anyone like that, but they could find a few figures with startling talent among the sea of people out there with this method.
These people were like uncut jade. Most of the time, they would not demonstrate any special cultivation talent. Cultivation should have had nothing to do with them for their entire lives. They would live their entire lives as regular people until their deaths. However, once they were given some guidance, stepping into the cultivation world, they would immediately be like dragons in the sea, completely in their element. They would rise up swiftly and abruptly.
If he had guessed correctly, then Chenglu would be the one benefiting from their tie of friendship, not Zijian. Although the Hua family had some power in the Clear River prefecture, they were nothing compared to the Sword Collection palace. His thoughts immediately extended to a very deep and far-reaching level, wanting to see how he could derive benefit for the Hua family using this piece of information. The battle below had instead stopped concerning him.
Victory had been predetermined anyway.
Fu Qingjin appeared in the green ruins, standing on half a pillar, as if he was aloof from the world.
It would take several dozen people to hug the pillar given its circumference, so it was possible to imagine just how glorious the palace it once supported was.
“The Sword Collection palace!” Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. Fu Qingjin overlapped with a certain figure in his memory. Although that person had been easily killed by the black ox, the impression of his sharp sword qi still lingered in his heart. He was not bold enough to forget about it.
“You’ve heard of it?” Fu Qingjin looked back and asked. He had just lifted the Green Ruins sword before stopping again.
Before Li Qingshan could answer him, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General finally broke free. Its rusted bronze armour was in a horrible shape, while a few of its bones had twisted and broken too. It roared furiously at Li Qingshan, about to lunge at him.
Fu Qingjin glanced at it, and the roar stopped. The Ancient Bronze Corpse General fled in a hurry, rushing back to the Lone Grave Elder like a frightened hound to its master.
The three elders gathered together and slowly pacified their spiritual energy. They no longer had any intention of fighting, as they knew that there was no need for them at all since he was already here. When they thought back to how they had clashed on the Green Vine mountain, they could not help but sigh in amazement.
“Is there anything else you want to say? Forget it, it’s all pointless. You won’t get anything out of speaking more.” With the same resolve as the Soaring Dragon Elder in the past, Fu Qingjin swung down with his sword.
The light was like a streak, a deep green in colour. It seemed like a green eye had opened up in the air, projecting the complete state of mind of a certain person. It was filled with emptiness and melancholy, narrating the rises and falls through the ages and the great changes that time could bring.
No matter how glorious a civilisation was, there would be a day when it would wither away. No matter how powerful an empire was, it would not be able to escape the fate of destruction, only for future people to visit their ruins and ponder about the past. As for the measly people who lived among them, there was nothing.
Li Qingshan’s willpower was still as tough as ever, so he returned to his senses with a single jerk. He threw a punch as he retreated abruptly, using the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell at the same time. He basically completed all three tasks simultaneously.
Li Qingshan immediately retreated to over a hundred meters away. The streak of light landed on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, and his daemon qi depleted rapidly. The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell trembled violently, but it managed to hold up in the end.
His breathing had become slightly ragged while his scarlet pupils burned like fire. He was no longer the Li Qingshan of the past. He would not be slashed by someone again while being unable to react.
The three elders looked at one another. They could all see each other’s shock. What kind of daemon was this? Right now, they could accept the fact that Li Qingshan could block their attacks rather easily, but they had experienced Fu Qingjin’s strength first-hand, so they understood it extremely well.
“Oh?” Fu Qingjin was surprised as well. Originally, he planned on killing this weaker daemon with a casual slash before dealing with the Daemon General. Instead, he was slightly taken aback now. “Among the level of daemons, you can be regarded as rather impressive. You really are a hybrid after all. However, exactly because of this, it’s even more reason for me to kill you right now and eliminate you for good.”
Just when Fu Qingjin wanted to attack once again, a black shadow enveloped him. He turned his head slightly, and Milliped’s vicious mandibles were only inches away. His huge, gaping mouth was like the gates of hell.
Launching a sudden attack from so close, it was a little too late for Fu Qingjin to dodge even if he wanted to. The foul breath gushed into his face and kicked up his hair, but he remained unfazed.
With a great rumble, Milliped smashed the pillar with his head, but there was no delight on Li Qingshan’s face at all. He would never underestimate an opponent, while Fu Qingjin was an existence that he could not afford to underestimate. He took a powerful step forward and a crack rapidly stretched forwards. The pile of rubble exploded, but Fu Qingjin was not amongst it.
A green streak of light flew past his eyes, and afterwards, thousands of specks of light gathered together like fireflies, turning into Fu Qingjin.
Li Qingshan’s eyes widened. Was this the power of the Green Ruins sword? Didn’t that make him undefeatable?
Fu Qingjin casually tossed out the Green Ruins sword and wielded his finger like a sword. He used the most common sword controlling technique, but the Green Ruins sword twisted and turned, and the blade of the sword completely vanished. It wove out a complicated geometric shape that enveloped Milliped.
Milliped hissed in pain as blood spurted from everywhere. He twisted his body and tried to bite Fu Qingjin.
Fu Qingjin turned into green light and scattered again, condensing somewhere else. He stroked his chin as he muttered to himself, “You really are a carapaced Daemon General, aren’t you? Your vitality is extraordinary. It looks like I need to behead you.” His gaze landed on where Milliped’s head connected to his body, and he raised his sword in a simple manner before swinging down.
Even a half-assed, third-rate swordsman like Yu Zijian knew that move, but in his hands, it had become an unstoppable killing move.
The surging daemon qi turned into a flood, which gushed towards Fu Qingjin. His swing cut through it all.
The two skulls descended from the ground. At the same time, the remaining Steel Plate corpses on them all lunged at Fu Qingjin together while roaring out. The sword qi turned into thousands of green strands, tearing the Steel Plate corpses to shreds.
Fu Qingjin suddenly became surprised. He turned around and unleashed a strike, colliding with a shiny, bone sword. He praised, “Impressive sword style!” The sword move and sword intent that had erupted instantly even surprised him to a certain degree. When he saw that the sword wielder was a skeleton, he became even more surprised.
Xiao An had remained hidden all this time, sacrificing all the Steel Plate corpses as bait to deal this full-powered attack, but all she earned from him were three words of praise.
The sword style transformed, sometimes light and nimble, sometimes heavy and dignified, sometimes without a single trace at all, completely unfathomable. Xiao An completely unleashed the sword style she had learnt from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, merging all the various strokes into the sword. Combined with the fact that she had launched every move desperately with the intention of dragging him down with her, it only seemed even more fearsome.
Fu Qingjin did not use his sword controlling technique. He wielded the sword in one hand and used his own sword style, engaging in a sword fight with Xiao An. He wanted to see her sword technique.
Xiao An advanced, and the sword moves fluctuated drastically. Fu Qingjin retreated, swinging and slashing randomly, but he would be able to block Xiao An’s moves every single time.
In a single moment, they had clashed over a thousand times, emitting a strange, prolonged thrum. Countless strands of sword qi, as thin as a strand of hair, peppered the ground. Dust filled the air wherever they passed by.
Along the way, a relatively complete building collapsed loudly. Its structure had been completely destroyed by the sword qi, collapsing under its own weight.
Countless cracks appeared on Xiao An’s bone sword. She had only attacked, without defending at all. If she were in human form right now, her flesh and blood would have been ripped to pieces by the sword qi already.
Li Qingshan howled at Milliped, “Turn back quickly!” The advantage that came with his colossal body had completely evaporated. There was no chance for them to win this battle. They needed to flee.
However, everything around them had been replaced by the illusion. Let alone the caves, they could not even find the pit. If they wanted to escape, they had to break out of this illusion first, but that was easier said than done.
However, Milliped ignored him this time. With his trembling body, he charged at Fu Qingjin again. Every single movement of his was as swift and fierce as lightning, but these attacks were useless no matter how many times he tried them with Fu Qingjin’s strange technique of turning into light.
As expected, Fu Qingjin turned into beams of light again, which gathered in the air. He shook his head. “Foolish!”
Having run out of power, Xiao An fell down from the air, and Li Qingshan caught her. No, this won’t work. I have to come up with an idea!
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Chapter 253 – A Thousand Years in an Instant
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Chapter 253 – A Thousand Years in an Instant
At this moment, Milliped opened his mouth, and a pink daemon core shot into the sky, cutting through the empty, dark world like a pink bolt of lightning.
Most of Fu Qingjin’s body had already condensed together as he looked at the pink daemon core near his chest. This was originally his main target. The round daemon core began to twist and change shape, and his expression finally changed. There was some disbelief as well.
“Run!” Milliped glanced at Li Qingshan again. His gaze had never been so clear before. He had thought of the idea that Li Qingshan had failed to come up with.
Dazzling light shot into the air as the crystallization of centuries or even millenniums of effort was unleashed in a single instant. Even the sun seemed to dim.
The green ruins were torn apart, revealing the original pit. However, it had been forcefully expanded to ten times its original size from the violent explosion.
Only now did the sound of the explosion arrive. The circular shockwave flattened and destroyed all the vegetation within a hundred kilometers.
Li Qingshan roared out at the sky, but his voice was drowned out by the explosion.
Hua Chengzan pushed off the paper crane and rushed into the air with Yu Zijian and Hua Chenglu. The paper crane was immediately destroyed by the waves of heat.
The three elders unleashed their defensive techniques and spiritual artifacts in fright, but they were instantly swallowed by the light.
The light had already subsided, but the dark splotches in everyone’s vision lingered, only vanishing after a very long time.
The ground had been completely flattened, while everyone had vanished.
Hua Chengzan remained stunned even after a very long while. The strength of the Sword Collection palace was not the only thing he had underestimated. He had also underestimated the resolve of this Daemon General.
Blowing up their daemon core was equivalent to suicide. To all daemons, survival was their most primary instinct. No matter how dangerous the situation was, there would always be a tiny sliver of a chance for them to emerge victorious or escape. Blowing up their daemon core was truly severing all hope.
The three elders emerged from the dust and soil. Their clothes had been reduced to rags as they each spat out a mouthful of blood. They collapsed on the ground, still in shock.
The Green Vine Elder called out, “Fellow Fu! Fellow Fu!”
A green streak of light descended from above. Fu Qingjin was covered in dust. The hair near his temples was slightly messy, and his face was pale. He had suffered internal injuries too.
Fu Qingjin looked at the basin produced by the explosion. He felt some admiration, as well as some surprise. For a carapaced daemon that completely acted on instincts to have such resolve was truly beyond his expectations.
“The daemon is already dead. It had emerged on the surface without any regard for the treaty, so it brought about its own doom. I hope the three fellows can serve as witnesses.”
The three elders agreed in a hurry, and Fu Qingjin glanced at Hua Chengzan in the sky again.
Hua Chengzan asked, “Are those daemons really dead?”
Fu Qingjin said, “The two weaker daemons managed to escape, but it’s no big deal.”
Hua Chengzan said, “They didn’t seem like regular daemons to me.”
Fu Qingjin said, “They were quite capable. If they’re willing to remain underground obediently and cultivate, then so be it. But if they’re bold enough to come to the surface to make trouble again, then they must be eliminated. They must be killed.”
Hua Chengzan sank into his thoughts. He knew Fu Qingjin had the confidence to back up what he said. The two daemons were powerful, but if they did not take that step, then they would not be able to threaten them at all. And, with how slowly daemons cultivated, taking that step might take centuries. By then, who knew how much Fu Qingjin’s strength would have grown by. Why would he be worried about revenge?
“Fu Qingjin, I will definitely kill you with my own hands, as well as you three old coots. Live on well. Wait for me.”
At this moment, a voice boomed out from deep underground, passing through the thick layer of soil and clearly reaching their ears.
The voice was calm, but they could clearly hear how the owner of the voice had forcefully repressed his rage. It was bone-chilling.
The three elders all changed in expression. Even the Green Vine Elder, who was normally always so mild-mannered, yelled abruptly, “Reckless daemon!”
Only Fu Qingjin remained unfazed. He stabbed down with his sword, and a streak of light pierced the soil.
The three elders looked at Fu Qingjin together. He shook his head. “It has already left.”
The three elders all became disappointed. Fu Qingjin frowned. “Don’t tell me that you’re afraid?”
The Golden Pheasant Elder cried out, “How’s that possible?” The three of them looked at one another. None of them were willing to admit the fact that they felt a tinge of fear inside.
In the endless, gloomy depths, Li Qingshan ran as quickly as he could, without saying a single word. His eyes were wide open as he gritted his teeth firmly, enough for him to taste blood. He held Milliped in his hands, who had already shrunken to around a foot long, his original size. His body was in a horrible shape as he laid still.
Xiao An followed along quietly. She had no idea how she was supposed to console him. When the daemon core exploded, Milliped fell from the air and rapidly shrank, becoming like this.
Li Qingshan felt like his heart was on fire, scorching his body and making it burn and ache. He tried to force himself to calm down, but he was unable to achieve it no matter what. He was clearly hurrying along, but the cave before him constantly twisted and turned like an endless maze.
The sea of flowers sprawled out in the expansive cavern. The Blue Butterfly flowers bloomed gloriously, like balls of blue fire.
Li Qingshan crossed through the sea of flowers and placed Milliped onto the stone platform. This was his favourite bed. Perhaps the spiritual qi on there could help him. Then he took out all of the recovery pills in his hundred treasures pouch, feeding them to him or applying it on him externally. He used it all on Milliped without thinking.
However, Milliped continued to lay on the stone platform without moving at all. Li Qingshan’s hopeful eyes gradually dimmed. He raised his head and let out a roar, but all he saw was the pitch-black ceiling. His voice resonated through the cavern for no one to hear.
He felt like he had returned to the Ice Sword cliff. He truly was naive to think that he could break out of this cycle. As it turned out, nothing had changed at all!
He stood before the stone platform with his head raised. His scarlet hair drooped down, covering his face. He was like a stone statue that had stood there for centuries.
After who knows how long, Xiao An’s ice-cold bone hand touched Li Qingshan’s face. His heart warmed up slightly as he said gloomily, “Xiao An, why am I so weak?”
“You’re not. Your opponent was too powerful. You’ve only just begun cultivating. You will definitely be more powerful than everyone in the future.”
At this moment, there was a flash from the stone platform, followed by a gentle hiss.
Under Li Qingshan’s gaze of disbelief, Milliped rolled over and moved his legs, climbing up and raising the upper half of his body, waving his feelers at him like he was greeting him.
Li Qingshan scooped him up in a hurry and brought him to his face. “Y- you’re still alive!”
Milliped nodded and used his remaining, feeble daemon qi to express, “Playing dead.”
Li Qingshan’s lips curled into a grin before drooping once again. He had no idea how to react, but his heart seemed to loosen. He fell back onto his bottom. “Oh you!”
Milliped then said, “I’m hungry.”
Li Qingshan took out a pile of grain in a hurry and placed it before Milliped. Milliped immediately buried his head in it and began eating.
Heavy, noisy footsteps rang out in the surroundings. Before he knew it, the daemon soldiers had all gathered. They whispered among themselves.
“What’s wrong with the great king?”
“He charged out mindlessly and fell into the human’s trap.”
“He won’t do anymore. It looks like a new king will take over this place now.”
Li Qingshan suddenly turned around, and the daemons immediately shut up.
Li Qingshan recovered his calm. After a moment of thought, he sat down on the stone platform and issued orders.
“The great king has only suffered some temporary, minor injuries. Now, present everything you collected. It’s time to calculate your individual contribution.”
The daemons handed over the hundred treasures pouches and the various spiritual artifacts and talismans.
Even after setting the various assortment of spiritual artifacts aside, the hundred treasures pouches still amounted to over a thousand. They formed a small hill. Even Li Qingshan had not been expecting this, so he asked them about it.
Only then did he find out that many human cultivators had ventured underground and died to these daemons even before the Herb Gathering ceremony this time. Their spiritual artifacts and hundred treasures pouches all glowed, so the daemons all took a liking to them. They had no idea what their effects were, but they still collected them, which grew to quite a sizable amount after all these years.
It was impossible for the other regions to have so many hundred treasures pouches either. The other Daemon Generals all managed their own territories properly, so rarely did any Qi Practitioners venture in there to seek death. It was exactly because of Milliped’s negligence that this region had remained as a battlefield between humans and daemons, and there would be a lot of spoils of battle.
However, these spoils did not serve any practical use to the daemons, so they all brought them to exchange for delicious food. Even though most of them were the hundred treasures pouches of weaker Qi Practitioners, it was still a tremendous piece of wealth. It was exhilarating to Li Qingshan.
Thinking about things calmly, Milliped would have been lured to the surface, and he would probably die anyway even if he blew up his daemon core if Li Qingshan had not been there. At least, he had escaped with his life intact, which left behind limitless potential. He could make up for his lost cultivation, and he could have his revenge too.
While it would be very tough, not everything remained the same. He was inching closer and closer to his opponent, and he had saved his friend’s life too. Moreover, he had only begun cultivating a little over a year ago. If he wanted to sulk and sigh any further, then would he still be a man?
Elder of the three mountains, Fu Qingjin, hmph. He suddenly clenched his fist. If I don’t get revenge, I swear that I am not human, no, a daemon. These hundred treasures pouches would serve as the source of his energy!
At this moment, Milliped said, “I have some too.”
Li Qingshan was stunned. He had never expected Milliped to possess hundred treasures pouches too. But thinking about it, how was it possible that no one had intruded upon this place across all these years? These Blue Butterfly flowers were a crucial component to refining True Spirit pills. They were worth a startling amount, enough for people to risk their lives.
Combined with Milliped’s habit of hibernating, it only provided people with more opportunities to take the risk. As a matter of fact, many powerful Qi Practitioners had aimed for these Blue Butterfly flowers in the Herb Gathering ceremony this time.
Milliped stood up and used his body to point in a direction like a compass needle. Li Qingshan dug down in a corner of the cavern, and just as he had expected, he excavated a pile of hundred treasures pouches and a few shining spiritual artifacts. None of them were below mid grade.
If they wanted to snatch from the tiger’s jaws, they needed strength. Without strength, it was impossible to navigate through the dark caves and reach so deep underground. However, no matter how strong they were, they would still be Qi Practitioners.
Those who were unlucky would run into Milliped when he was half-awake. Seeing an intruder barge around in his own home and stealing his food, Milliped would just catch them and fill his belly with them. The items owned by these people obviously could not be eaten, so he would just dig a hole and bury it before going back to sleep.
As promised, Li Qingshan took out all the food and allocated it among the daemons according to their respective contributions before making them disperse.
Li Qingshan took out the items in the hundred treasures pouches. It was so plentiful that it had truly exceeded his imaginations. Apart from commonplace talismans and spiritual stones, there was a myriad selection of strange spiritual artifacts, pills, puppets, and cultivation methods. It broadened his horizons.
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Chapter 254 – A Despicable Woman
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Chapter 254 – A Despicable Woman
Li Qingshan could not be bothered with sorting the items carefully. He glanced through them quickly, enough for him to gain a rough idea of what he now possessed. At this moment, he opened a strange-looking hundred treasures pouch. He discovered that it was not for items like spiritual artifacts and spiritual stones. Instead, it contained many poisonous bugs like scorpions and centipedes.
Apart from controlling ghosts and refining corpses, there were plenty of cultivators who wielded insects or used gu1. However, regular hundred treasures pouches were unable to hold anything living. For example, the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain used special bronze bangles for controlling corpses, while this was a rare bug pouch.
Li Qingshan released a venomous scorpion from the pouch. The scorpion was a reddish brown, and it was huge, the size of an adult man. It surprised Li Qingshan.
The huge scorpion waved its huge pincers menacingly. It suddenly spotted Milliped and immediately shirked away, wanting to escape. Milliped’s body scrunched up before shooting off like an arrow. He burrowed into the huge scorpion, and the scorpion struggled a little before falling on its side and dying.
Milliped devoured all of the scorpion’s flesh, only leaving behind an empty shell, before emerging once again. His mandibles twitched and clicked. He was very happy with it.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan came up with an idea and released all the poisonous bugs. There was a huge assortment, some flying, some crawling, and some leaping. Milliped released a pink gas and enveloped all the poisonous bugs. They fell to the ground before Milliped ate them all.
If the arts of nurturing gu really did exist, then Milliped was the king of gu. These poisonous bugs were nowhere close to him. Even when weakened, Milliped was still a Daemon General after all. All he needed was time, and he would definitely be able to recover his original strength.
Li Qingshan finally made up his mind. Afterwards, he began to catch the butterflies in the dark cavern.
Three days later, just as Li Qingshan was scooping up the plants in the water, he suddenly heard a daemon soldier report, “Leader, there’s bad news. The Daemon General to the west is killing his way over.”
Following that, another daemon soldier rushed over. “The east too!”
“And the south.” “The north is no different.”
Li Qingshan straightened himself up calmly. It was so soon.
The dens of these daemons were located near the boundary between Milliped’s territory and the other Daemon Generals’. They had been on the constant look out for the activity of the surrounding Daemon Generals recently.
What happened to Milliped obviously could not be hidden from his neighbours. There was no law or order underground. Only strength was respected. Now that Milliped had been weakened, these Daemon Generals would definitely come to fight for the territory. Probably even Daemon Commanders would not be able to change this principle.
Li Qingshan hauled up the last handful of aquatic plants and returned to Milliped’s dwelling. A lot of the fluttering, blue butterflies were now missing, and the beautiful sea of flowers was now dimmer.
He had already picked all of the mature Blue Butterfly flowers that could be used for refining pills and stored them in a jade box in his hundred treasures pouch. Or more accurately, he and Xiao An had already swept through and collected all the mature spiritual herbs in the territory.
Collecting these spiritual herbs had not been as simple as he imagined it to be. Many of them required special tools and placed emphasis on how they were collected. For example, the Blue Butterfly flowers would definitely lose their efficacy if they were directly picked by hand. They required a special set of gold, silk gloves to be worn. Fortunately, there were plenty of tools in these hundred treasures pouches.
The daemon soldiers had all gathered before the stone platform now. Every single one of them was nervous and uneasy. Although they were afraid of disobeying Li Qingshan’s orders as the leader, fighting other daemons was different from fighting humans. This matter involved Daemon Generals. They did not possess a Daemon General, so defeat was basically guaranteed.
Li Qingshan glanced past the daemons and the restless group settled down, quietly waiting for his command. Through the various trials, Li Qingshan had gradually developed a heavy, composed bearing like a mountain. Gradually, he no longer led the daemons through just his own strength and the benefits that he could provide to them.
“Everyone, we are currently under attack from Daemon Generals in all directions. They’ve come to take this land. Great king Milliped is injured, while I don’t possess the power to stop them. The vice leader and I will be temporarily leaving with great king Milliped, heading for somewhere where he can heal in peace.”
He did not hide it, nor did he lie. Li Qingshan was honest, speaking his mind.
“Croak, croak. Leader, where are you going? What are we supposed to do?” asked the ice frog as it leapt around.
“All you have to do is wait here for their demands to surrender. Though, you have to remember to stay united. No matter who takes over this territory, they will all require your strength.”
There were principles among the underground daemons too. As long as they did not revolt out of desperation, Daemon Generals would not kill daemons. However, the encroaching forces would definitely affect the benefits that they could derive from the land. However, as long as they could remain united, they would be important figures that could affect how the territory would be divided up later.
The daemons had already tasted the benefits of unity. As it turned out, they would often hear about a few daemons being slaughtered in their dens every Herb Gathering ceremony, but this time, only a few weaker daemonic beasts had died. There was even delicious food for them. They became rather reluctant to see Li Qingshan leave.
Li Qingshan made his way out of the cavern with Xiao An. The daemons parted to form a path for him.
Milliped was sleeping in the bug pouch. After losing his daemon core, his instincts gained a greater grip over him. He could still eat and sleep like before, and he was not mentally affected at all. If Li Qingshan had suddenly lost his daemon core instead, resulting in a plummet in strength, he would definitely become overcome with dismay. He could only sigh over how a foolish daemon had a fool’s luck.
“Are you going to return?”
When Li Qingshan reached the entrance of the cave, the boulder viper could not help but ask. This was also the question that the daemons all wanted to know.
“Of course. Very soon. Just wait.”
Li Qingshan waved his hand without looking back, alarming a blue light butterfly that fluttered before him gently. It was slightly dim, but still so dreamily beautiful.
Li Qingshan had only collected the more mature spiritual herbs. He did not touch the younger ones, and most of the time, he only harvested them, without touching their roots, as he would return sooner or later. He would claim this territory for Milliped and for himself.
The roars and growls of daemons rang out from a cavern extremely far away. It was time to leave.
Within the Boundless mountains, under an inconspicuous hill.
Li Qingshan swept aside the withered vines and emerged from there. The chilly winds buffeted his face, bringing him great satisfaction. Expansive clouds stretched over the sky. A few stars managed to make it through the layer, twinkling coldly.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core shone resplendently.
Li Qingshan gradually shrank, turning back to his original appearance. He touched his face, and there seemed to be some whiskers now. Checking himself in the mirror, all he saw was an unfamiliar young man staring back coldly. He forced out a smile, but he only seemed even more malicious.
He was not pretty, nor was he ugly. He was like a hard, stubborn rock, where his corners would only grow sharper the more they were polished.
It was said that a person’s appearance was a reflection of their heart. He believed it now.
In the past few months, he had transformed into a daemon, faced countless dangers, killed countless people, and even swore to never rest until he got revenge. He naturally developed a sense of brutality. Even as a human, he bore resemblance to a daemon.
Li Qingshan did not care about this either. After confirming that his appearance had returned, he casually took out a set of clothes before hanging the glazed mirror on his waist. After channelling true qi into it, his surroundings twisted and distorted, making him vanish.
This was an extremely interesting spiritual artifact that Li Qingshan had found in the many hundred treasures pouches. They could turn the user invisible, or even evade various forms of detection. It was an extremely rare auxiliary high grade spiritual artifact. He called it the Mirror of Invisibility.
He had found this glazed mirror in the hole that Milliped had dug. Clearly, there had been a Qi Practitioner in the past who had tried to use this to hide from Milliped so that he could collect the spiritual herbs freely. But clearly, he had failed.
Li Qingshan guessed that while the Mirror of Invisibility could turn people completely invisible, it was very difficult for cultivators to hide the aura that they naturally gave off. However, this did not bother him at all. He was extremely good at concealing his aura, so it was basically a perfect combination with the Mirror of Invisibility. It immediately turned him into a super assassin.
Prepared, Li Qingshan rushed off in the direction of the Green Vine mountain. However, there was still a small grievance he needed to settle before he left.
Arriving below the Green Vine mountain, Li Qingshan looked at the Town of Flowing Clouds from afar, but he saw a startling sight.
The Town of Flowing Clouds was shrinking. Among the mechanical clink and clunks, the Hundred Flavours restaurant collapsed and folded up, like building blocks or folding paper, turning into tiny modules in the end. This occurred everywhere. The Town of Flowing Clouds had already shrunk to half its size.
As it turned out, the entire town was a huge, mechanical structure.
The lanterns in the town dimmed. Only the store of Miscellaneous Goods at the very centre continued to blaze with light, but even it seemed rather powerless.
In the past Herb Gathering ceremonies, now would be when it was the liveliest. Cultivators would return here with the spiritual herbs they had risked their lives for to exchange, but this time, all of the cultivators left without returning.
The store of Miscellaneous Goods was bubbling with activity. The quiet main lobby was now filled with cultivators. Most of them were store owners in the town, who currently huddled together in conversation.
Little Zhang, who sold weapons in the Arsenal of Arms, said, “They’ve actually been annihilated this time. Only a few people managed to escape. Fortunately, I had no interest in trying my luck. These daemons sure are vicious.”
Lu Zifei of the Tranquil teahouse said, “If daemons aren’t vicious, can you still call them daemons? If you’re in a risky line of work, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be safe no matter how skilled you are. They all go on about purging daemons. What’s the point in purging them? Dying in there was just a matter of time. Let’s just hope no trouble arises. Let’s drink tea! Old Sun, why do you seem so heavy-hearted?”
As it turned out, Sun Fubai also happened to be among them. He was thinking about Li Qingshan, or should you say, Niu Juxia. He was worried. Although they had only met briefly, he had a very good impression of him. They had almost become friends across generations. He sipped some tea. “I’m worried about the safety of a young friend of mine. I wonder how he’s doing.”
Little Zhang was the cleverest among them, so he smiled. “You must be talking about Niu Juxia!”
Sun Fubai was surprised. “How did you know?”
Lu Ziyu said, “Is there anything within this town that can escape those donkey ears of his?”
“You’re too kind, elder Lu. Recently, he caused the death of the first senior brother of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, so news has constantly reached my ears. Even if I don’t want to know about it, I can’t. He even drank a few cups of tea at your place. I can still remember him even now. He’s quite the figure!”
“Hmph, I think he’s probably done for!”
Everyone turned around and saw Liu Ruping attending to the table with her eyes filled with malice. Ever since she heard how the first senior brother of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain had died at Niu Juxia’s hands and how he also managed to escape from the Golden Pheasant Elder, she began to feel uneasy. She was afraid that he would find out about her role in it all and come back for revenge. Over time, this actually developed into a fear towards him. Why didn’t you just die? Can you still call yourself a man for running as soon as you face a master?
Little Zhang was surprised. “Ruping, how did he offend you?”
Liu Ruping immediately had nothing to say. Not only had Niu Juxia not offended her, but he had even allowed her to make a lot of money easily.
Sun Fubai placed his tea cup on the table heavily and said in displeasure, “It’s just like what they say, only women and the despicable are difficult to deal with!”
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1. Most of you might have heard about gu before, but for those who don’t know, it’s basically a method of refining poison where multiple poisonous bugs, which can include centipedes, snakes, scorpions, spiders and so on, are sealed within a container and left to devour one another, until only one remains. The remaining bug is believed to have absorbed the poisons and venoms of the other bugs, making it the most potent, which can be used to poison and kill people.
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Chapter 255 – Returning to Jiaping
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Chapter 255 – Returning to Jiaping
Liu Ruping’s expression changed slightly, but she was afraid of retorting at Sun Fubai. She turned away to another table.
Li Qingshan made Xiao An wait outside as he moved through the town alone. The ancient structures in the surroundings folded up and transformed like the futuristic technology in movies; it was as if they had suddenly sprung alive.
He arrived outside the store of Miscellaneous Goods. He opened the door and light flooded out, landing on the dark street outside.
Li Qingshan heard a few familiar voices, and he also heard Liu Ruping. He raised an eyebrow, but he did not feel anything like intense hatred. All he did was find an obscure corner and wait quietly. The opportunity arrived sooner than he had imagined.
A few hours later, the entire town had collapsed down, with only the store of Miscellaneous Goods standing alone. Afterwards, it began to transform too.
The cultivators all emerged from the store. The last one to walk out was a plump, old madam, who also happened to be the owner of this store of Miscellaneous Goods, Shi Peipei.
As it turned out, there would be a gathering whenever the town closed up shop, but no one was in the mood for it anymore with the misfortune that had occurred.
In the end, the entire Town of Flowing Clouds collapsed into a small, wooden cube, landing in Shi Peipei’s hands. She returned it to her hundred treasures pouch before fishing out a small wooden ship. She tossed it into the air, and it expanded to a hundred times its size, hovering in the sky.
“I’m returning to the Clear River city to report back to the master of the school about what happened here. If you want to go to the Clear River city, please board the ship. If you have other matters you need to attend to, please take care of them yourself. Forgive me for being unable to see you off. The next time the Town of Flowing Clouds will be open for business will be in the warm third month, when the Academy of the Hundred Schools holds their entrance exams. Please don’t miss it.”
With a white sail on display, the winds surged, and the flying ship took off into the night sky like a gentle leaf. Just a while later, it became as small as a mustard seed. The ship sailed through a cloud and vanished.
Only a little over a dozen people watched the ship sail off with their heads raised on the open ground. They all lowered their heads again and bid farewell to each other.
Li Qingshan happened to be among them. Although he had already witnessed many wonders and miracles in this world, he was still amazed every time he saw a new one.
He lowered his head again and looked in the direction that Liu Ruping had travelled off in. Like a wild beast, he prowled through the night.
In the depths underground, the daemons formed a single group, colliding and roaring at each other. They brandished their claws and fangs, trying to frighten off their foes.
If they were humans, this would definitely evolve into a chaotic battle with a field littered with corpses. After all, they were creatures who could go from taking offence from a single glance to cursing aloud to stabbing each other to death.
Daemons were not intelligent enough for them to develop a complicated thought like pride, while anger was worth nothing before survival. If a great battle unfolded, the winning side would lose at least half of their daemon soldiers, no matter who won. Even the lives of the leaders could be under threat.
What kind of idiot was stupid enough to declare war? Humans? As a result, the four Daemon Generals chose to negotiate. However, their method of negotiation seemed very primitive and barbarous in the eyes of humans. There would be quite a lot of body collisions and brandishing of fangs and claws.
Among the daemons, the four Daemon Generals of varying appearances rapidly increased their daemon qi. Suddenly, a daemon soldier from a certain side came up to report a matter frantically.
“Great king, from below, she’s from below!”
Before he had even finished talking, eight lantern-sized eyes suddenly lit up in the dark cave. Each eye was filled with unimaginable cruelty and viciousness.
Under the gaze of those eyes, the daemons all trembled. Many of the large daemons who had originally been brandishing their fangs and claws now lay there, whimpering. Even the powerful Daemon Generals, enough to serve as nightmares to Qi Practitioners, showed fear. This was their nightmare.
However, what emerged from the darkness was a frosty but beautiful madam who dragged her bright, red dress along. Her scarlet lips parted slightly as she said icily, “Where’s Milliped?”
Liu Ruping grumbled inside about how Shi Peipei had refused to let her onto the ship. Otherwise, who knows how glorious it would have been if she returned to her clan in this great ship.
She sat on a silken carpet. The corners of the carpet shone with glyphs as it flew along the ground. Although it flew at a very low altitude, the treacherous terrain no longer posed a problem to her.
Just as she was wondering about what kind of greeting she would receive when she returned to the clan, a wild gust of wind suddenly blew over. Before she had even understood what had happened, a huge, invisible hand wrapped around her neck, lifting her into the air.
Li Qingshan appeared. He gripped the Whale’s Ingestion of Water and asked, “Do you recognise this blade?”
How could she not recognise it? Liu Ruping’s gaze immediately became filled with fear and pleas. Suddenly, she felt the grip around her neck loosen. “Y- you’re Niu Juxia? Thank the heavens that you’re fine. I heard the people of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain were hunting for you. It made me so worried that I couldn’t even sleep for several days.”
“Do you still plan on denying it after everything that has happened so far?” If Li Qingshan had not heard what she had uttered earlier in the lobby, he might have actually been fooled by her.
“Those are just their one-sided statements. Why would I do that?” Liu Ruping quibbled. She seemed completely reasonable, and she shed some tears as a beauty too. It was an indescribably moving sight.
Li Qingshan began to falter. Originally, he wanted her to die convinced, but he never expected her to deny it all. Apart from the single statement from the masked man, he did not have any evidence that proved Liu Ruping had backstabbed him.
Liu Ruping said, “As long as you spare me, I’ll do whatever you want.”
Li Qingshan suddenly mocked himself. “I’m not the court, so why would I need any evidence? Since you want me to die, then I’ll send you off first!” He raised his blade, and there was a splash of blood, but before it had even reached the ground, it had melded into Xiao An’s flames. All traces of her were removed.
The more beautiful a creature was, the more thrilling it was to destroy them. Probably only humans could understand such a complicated thought. Far too many connotations would always be attaching to killing. Daemons were much simpler. Most of the time, it was just a single word, eat.
Li Qingsahn did not want to become a deviant. Although he tried his best to make himself simpler, of course, he did not plan on eating.
As the east brightened, Li Qingshan stopped and gazed at the grand city that stood near the mountains and by the river in the distance. After several months, he had finally returned to Jiaping city once again.
Li Qingshan changed into the Black Wolf uniform and equipped his Wind-entwining blade, while Xiao An reverted to human form and put on a new set of clothes.
Li Qingshan held Xiao An’s hand and walked over to Jiaping city.
After all these months, he slowed down for the first time. He strolled leisurely. The snow on the sides of the path had yet to melt, while the structures on the two sides gradually became denser and taller. There were decorations everywhere.
It made Li Qingshan suddenly remember that it was the new year. Calculating the time, he had abandoned his old age. He had grown another year older. He was seventeen.
The crows of roosters rose and fell as smoke began to rise from chimneys into the sky. The entire city became enveloped in a grey haze.
What was he doing when he was seventeen in his previous life? He was still studying at school, living the dull, monotonous life of a high school student. Yet right now, he had already claimed the lives of several thousand people. He had to admit that the latter lifestyle was a little more interesting.
Perhaps some people would sigh sorrowfully that being ordinary was reality, or perhaps they would miss the peaceful lives of their past. However, Li Qingshan had none of these feelings. He was willing to undertake even greater danger, abandon even more ethics, just in exchange for how interesting it was.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Qingshan looked at the hawk forged from metal and climbed up the steps.
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Chapter 256 – Spider Queen Lolth
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Chapter 256 – Spider Queen Lolth
In the gloomy depths underground, the atmosphere was frozen like ice. The ice frog leapt around and explained the entire story. The atmosphere did have something to do with the coldness he naturally gave off.
From the beginning till the end, the madam in red maintained the same expression. Her beautiful face seemed like a delicate mask, while viciousness flashed through her beautiful eyes. It was chilling.
After hearing the entire story, she turned around and left, with her scarlet dress dragging behind her.
A large, dark-skinned man with a long, hard beard called out, “Ma’am, how will we be splitting the territory?”
“I’ll allocate it later. It’ll be up to your performance.” When she said that, her lips curled up, forming an indescribably beautiful smile on her cold face. However, it also seemed like brightly-coloured venom.
The four Daemon Generals shivered inside. They immediately decided to finish up with the negotiations of the territory and stop bickering over the minor details. Otherwise, depending on this madam’s mood, their peaceful negotiation would definitely turn into a bloody slaughter, not because of any special reason, but purely because she liked it. Not only had her preference for bloodshed and brutality exceeded the survival instincts of daemons, but even humans paled in comparison.
The ice frog said, “Croak, croak. Great king Milliped isn’t dead. The leader said he would return.”
“He’s dead,” she said without any doubt at all. She scanned past all the daemons, as if she wanted to engrave these two words into their hearts as a decree.
A Daemon General who had lost his daemon core was no different from a dead one. She felt no sorrow towards this useless idiot at all. Instead, she saw an opportunity.
“I will avenge him.” The smile that was as brightly-coloured as venom appeared on her face again, and she melded into the darkness.
On the Green Vine mountain, all was quiet in the main hall.
Fu Qingjin sat with his legs crossed in the main entrance, atop the stairs. Under the moonlight, he gazed at the mountains in the distance. The Green Ruins sword was placed across his legs, quiet and still.
He was quietly waiting for the news of the Herb Gathering ceremony to spread everywhere and ferment.
The three elders sat close behind him. They were slightly uneasy within the dark hall.
The Green Vine Elder said, “Fellow Fu, will daemons really come for revenge?”
The Golden Pheasant Elder rebuked, “Why would those wretched daemons dare to? It was clearly them who broke the treaty and came to the surface to make trouble.”
The Green Vine Elder asked, “Should we take a step back and avoid them while their morale is high?”
The Lone Grave Elder said, “Yep!”
When they calmed down from the anger due to the deaths of their disciples, fear began to overwhelm them. If the daemons really did come for revenge, they would definitely unleash a large-scale attack. They had already grown very old. They had begun to fear death.
Fu Qingjin sat with his back to them as his lips curled into a mocking smile. However, he explained patiently, “I’m remaining here exactly to take precautions against those situations. Look at the Daemon Suppression tablets in your hands. How can we cultivators shirk away in the face of threats from daemons?”
The three elders were surprised. They lowered their heads and looked at the tiny tablet in their hands. It seemed to be made of gold, but also jade; it shone with a dim glow. Two words, Daemon Suppression, were carved on them, which made them think about three days ago.
As soon as the battle had ended, Fu Qingjin had produced these three tablets and invited them to join the Daemon Suppression alliance. With the Sword Collection palace as the leader, they united several large orthodox sects and recruited human cultivators with lofty ambitions to purge and eliminate daemons together. Preparations were still being made for the establishment of this alliance, so the three of them would be founding members.
The three of them happened to be experiencing extreme hatred toward the daemons, and there were many benefits that came with joining the alliance, like the Sword Collection palace sharing high level cultivation methods and secret information. And, if they did well in the daemon suppression operation, there would be spiritual artifacts and pills as rewards. Fu Qingjin had agreed to ask his higher ups to reward them for their service so far when he returned, and this reward would include rebuilding their sect. As a result, the three of them agreed immediately and accepted the tablet.
Afterwards, Fu Qingjin just began waiting for the revenge of the daemons, while the three of them became more and more uneasy. When they clashed with Milliped, they had witnessed the terrifying strength of daemons. They did not possess the same power as Fu Qingjin. If any Daemon General blew up their daemon cores without any regard for the consequences, it would cost them their lives.
And, why would the underground be stupid enough to send another Daemon General over just to die? Even if they came, it would be a whole group of them, which might even include stronger daemons. By then, they would not even know how they died.
But it was already too late for regret. After joining the Daemon Suppression alliance, they would obviously be ordered about by the Daemon Suppression alliance. If they wanted to leave now, were they really planning on treating the Sword Collection palace as a joke? Before the daemons could even come for revenge, Fu Qingjin could destroy them right now. As a result, the Daemon Suppression tablet became more and more troublesome to them.
“The reinforcements of our Sword Collection palace are already on the way.” Fu Qingjin’s next words made the three elders ease up slightly. They looked at one another and could see each other’s bitterness. They could only go with this now.
But there were no reinforcements coming at all.
Fu Qingjin nodded. Those who wanted to achieve great things knew how to protect themselves, while those who focused on their interests alone would likely become blinded by small benefits and lose their lives in the process. There was no point in carving rotten wood.
He remained here so that these three pieces of rotten wood could give off their remaining heat and light. With the Green Ruins sword in hand, he was confident that he could slip away even if a Daemon Commander personally appeared.
Not only had the daemons brutally massacred the disciples of the three mountains underground, but they had also broken the treaty and emerged on the surface, making trouble and letting a massacre unfold. In the end, they were suppressed and slain by him, but this would still not be enough. Those frenzied daemons would come again very soon for revenge. They would kill the sect masters of the three mountains, while he himself would desperately flee for his life. His patience right now was mostly patience he had for people who were about to die, patience for these three “martyrs” and “victims”.
This was the play that the Sword Collection palace had arranged to happen. Fu Qingjin was just the absentminded main character.
Just like grandmasters playing chess, every single move they took possessed multiple objectives, and it would definitely be hiding a continuous string of possible reactions and responses.
At this moment, Fu Qingjin suddenly raised his head and frowned.
Hua Chengzan climbed up the stairs with Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian beside him.
Fu Qingjin asked, “You haven’t left yet?”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “Why would I leave? The town below has closed up, so I have nowhere to go. I just happen to be planning on loitering around on the Green Vine mountain for a day or two.”
“You still shouldn’t have come here, especially with the two of them.” Fu Qingjin only looked at Yu Zijian. He wanted to take her back to the Sword Collections palace once this was over, just in case something went wrong again. It was easy for him to slip away, but it would become extremely difficult if he had to protect a weaker Qi Practitioner in the process. He needed her to leave the mountain.
Hua Chengzan observed Fu Qingjin’s expression the entire time and became even more confident about his conjecture. He smiled. “Don’t worry, what you’re worried about won’t happen.”
“What?”
“She’s already here.” Hua Chengsan pointed at the sky.
Fu Qingjin raised his head, but all he saw were clouds, the moon, and stars. However, he already understood what he was talking about. The Ruyi commandery was her territory. He should have known that none of this would unfold so easily.
She moved through the caves, and the space before her suddenly lit up. It had been quite some time since she last saw moonlight, but it was right in front of her now. However, she could not help but stop. Under the moonlight, a woman in white leaned against the rocks with her hands in her sleeves.
“Gu Yanying!” She frowned.
“A’Luo, long time no see!” Gu Yanying greeted her with a smile, as relaxed as running across her next-door neighbour in the morning.
Seeing her frown without replying, Gu Yanying continued to smile. “I’m already at your door, so won’t you invite me into your home? Or do I need to refer to you as madam Daemon Commander Spider Queen Lolth?”
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Chapter 257 – The Ink Dragon Talisman
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Chapter 257 – The Ink Dragon Talisman
“Don’t block my path.” The long, scarlet dress began to dance. It turned into a smear of red as Lolth directly charged out of the cave.
With a white flash, Gu Yanying appeared right in front of her, with a few strands of her hair drifting through the air. “I’m afraid I can’t oblige.”
Lolth immediately turned away. In a single instant, she changed directions several hundred times, but she was blocked by the white shadow every time.
In that instant, a smear of red light filled the cave, constantly hovering and lingering around a certain spot. However, a white shadow seemed to appear in every part of the cave at the same time, forming an impenetrable wall.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them returned to where they were before, as if they had never moved away in the first place.
Lolth opened her scarlet lips and spat out a strand of spider silk. It turned into a huge web in the air, enveloping Gu Yanying.
Gu Yanying did not move at all. A miniature whirlwind rose up beside her, causing her clothes to flutter. Even to regular people, the whirlwind did not seem to be special. At most, it could just blow a few fallen leaves around.
However, the spider silk that was a hundred times tougher than steel was silently ripped to shreds when it came into contact with the wind.
“Atmospheric wind!” Lolth’s eyes narrowed, and she became even more furious. With a strange, sharp hiss, she began to undergo a startling transformation. Her long dress lifted up, and the lower half of her body turned into a black spider with sharp, long legs and a large abdomen covered in brightly-coloured streaks. It extended to the upper half of her body, and her snow-white skin darkened too as her pupils shone.
She said with a sharp, hiss-like voice, “Are you going to move or not? Don’t forget, half of your blood is daemon!”
Gu Yanying said, “It’s exactly because I’m half-daemon that I’m stopping you. This is the dragon king’s orders.”
“The dragon king! Are you trying to frighten me with the dragon king?” Lolth lowered her body, such that her face was only inches away from Gu Yanying’s. The two faces of absolute beauty were almost pressed together. One was bewitching and magnificent, while the other was graceful and composed.
“Everyone knows that the Hawk God and dragon king completely oppose one another!”
“The Hawk God is the Hawk God, while I’m me. You know, daemons really should get along with each other. Oh right, he also gave me this thing.” Gu Yanying took out an item. It was a black, coiled dragon made of unknown material, brandishing its claws and fangs in a glorious manner.
“The Ink Dragon talisman!”
“What an unsophisticated name.” Gu Yanying curled her lip. “But he did say that whoever sees this is equivalent to seeing him in person. All daemons of the Green province must obey the wielder.”
Lolth said in disbelief, “That’s impossible. How is it possible for the great dragon king to give the Ink Dragon talisman to you, a hal-”
“Lolth, back off.” The Ink Dragon talisman suddenly sprang to life. It coiled around, and a dignified voice rang out, giving an order.
Lolth shuddered and gradually shrank, turning back into human form. She lowered herself and said politely, “Yes, dragon king.” She glanced at Gu Yanying with reluctance before turning around and vanishing into the darkness.
Gu Yanying flicked the Ink Dragon talisman. “Uncle, are you going to continue to put up with it silently?”
The Ink Dragon talisman fell silent. It did not move. As a matter of fact, it just closed its eyes.
Gu Yanying said, “Fair enough.” With a flash, she vanished.
On the top of the Green Vine mountain, Gu Yanying descended from the sky and landed on the top of the hall silently. Her hawk-like gaze landed on Fu Qingjin’s back brilliantly.
Fu Qingjin let out a long sigh and stood up. He turned around and clasped his hands. “I’ve troubled you, commander Gu.” There was not the slightest displeasure in his voice at all.
“Green Vine, Golden Pheasant, and Lone Grave greets ma’am Gu.” The three elders eased up and greeted her in a hurry. They dared not take advantage of their seniority when it came to her.
Yu Zijian exclaimed, “So beautiful!”
Hua Chenglu raised her head and thought obstinately, I’d like to see just what this Gu Yanying looks like. All she saw was a woman under the brilliant moonlight, her clothes whiter than snow, her wide sleeves fluttering in the wind. Her appearance was enough to bring the world to its knees. As a woman, she could not help but sigh in amazement, but if this was all there was about her, there would be nothing impressive about her.
Who knows just how many beauties Hua Chenglu had seen while growing up. They just had their own different merits. She had also heard how there were divine physicians who could change a person’s appearance so that they could become as beautiful as they wanted to be. However, no one could match her bearing.
Turning around, she saw Hua Chengzan with his head raised, just as expected. She suddenly remembered what he had once said, “If you see her yourself, you might be able to understand me!” Whilst Hua Chenglu was unwilling to admit it, she could begin to understand why he would still be infatuated over her even if her appearance was nothing special!
“Little Hua, this must be your sister!” Gu Yanying hovered down and studied Hua Chenglu.
Her smile was as pleasant as the spring breeze. It was difficult for Hua Chenglu to feel ill will towards her. “Greetings from Chenglu, ma’am Gu. My elder brother has mentioned you many times.”
“Knowing by repute is better than meeting face to face!” Gu Yanying poked fun at her.
Hua Chenglu reddened and lowered her head. “It’s the other way around.”
Hua Chengzan smiled silently. “It’s all the same.”
Gu Yanying said, “You’re Zijian.”
“You know my name, ma’am?”
“I’ve also heard little Hua mention you.” Gu Yanying studied Yu Zijian carefully. Her gaze seemed to be able to see through her completely. Yu Zijian could only be considered as somewhat talented, but she was nowhere close to being a genius. However, Gu Yanying did not doubt Hua Chengzan’s judgement. Her understanding of the Sword Collection palace was much deeper than Hua Chengzan’s. Her sharp instincts told her that this child would be the next master of the Violet Clouds sword.
Gu Yanying only spoke with them, brushing aside Fu Qingjin and the three elders.
The three elders turned red, but they were not bold enough to become angry.
Fu Qingjin smiled by himself and lowered his hands. He did not feel awkward. Being brushed aside was a given if he made trouble for someone else.
Gu Yanying suddenly turned her head and said to Fu Qingjin, “You’re not going?”
“I’m going right now.”
“If you’re going to go, then go quickly. Just seeing that sword gives me a headache.”
“Umm.” Yu Zijian was powerless.
“Be good. I’m not talking about you.”
“Before I came here, the master of the palace told me to pass on a message to commander Gu. The territory of humans and daemons only exists on a whim. You’re on your own, commander, so please take care.” As Fu Qingjin said that, his bearing changed. His gloominess vanished, and his gaze became as sharp as a sword, giving off a stern and dignified bearing, as if he had not just passed on the master of the Sword Collection palace’s message, but also his bearing.
“Help me pass on a message too. If you want to make trouble, please find somewhere else. The Green province is very large. For each day the Treaty of Kings remains in place, I will uphold it for another day. As for the matters of the future, that’s something to decide on later.” Gu Yanying’s smile vanished. Her gaze was like a hawk’s as she held him off sharply.
Although neither of them had used any spiritual energy, the people in the surroundings all felt pressured.
Fu Qingjin’s expression loosened up, and he turned back to normal. “I really can’t imitate the palace master. I will definitely pass on your word, commander Gu.” Afterwards, he said to Yu Zijian, “Lady Yu, your destiny is closely linked to the sword. Are you willing to return to the Sword Collection palace with me to practise and study the path of the sword?”
His gaze was serious as he said sincerely, “I came here this time not because of anything else. Just for you.”
With that, the three elders were all shocked. Being a person with a destiny closely linked to the Sword Collection palace was no longer just a pie in the sky. It was basically a staircase that led to the very top in the sky. Even they were filled with envy.
Yu Zijian, who had originally been the most inconspicuous and weakest person present, immediately became the centre of attention. She was rather flustered as her face reddened. “Sorry, but I already promised Chenglu to attend the Academy of the- mmmph!”
“Are you stupid?” Hua Chenglu, who had been stunned the entire time, returned to her senses. She covered Yu Zijian’s mouth. “That’s the Sword Collection palace, for heaven’s sake!”
PS: Almost a new volume. Li Qingshan will truly climb on stage and begin his journey, throwing himself into this vast xianxia world. The set-up earlier does seem a little long, but the fascinating parts are starting very soon. I have complete confidence in it, but in order to achieve what I’m expecting, I need to spend some extra time thinking about it. If my releases fall behind, please forgive me and understand. There will be a satisfying answer in the end, for you and for me.
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Chapter 258 – A Whim
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Chapter 258 – A Whim
In the eyes of the three elders, she was not just stupid. She was as foolish as they came.
Every year, there would be an endless stream of people who would visit the Sword Collection palace, wishing to join them. Often, there would be people who would kneel outside the palace without eating or drinking to express their devotion. As a matter of fact, there had even been people who had knelt to their deaths without being accepted by the palace.
The Green Vine Elder added a word of advice and said, “Zijian, you’ve stayed on my Green Vine mountain for so long, so you can say that there has been some destiny between us. I originally wanted to teach you the secret techniques of the Green Vine mountain and groom you into the future sect master. Today, I wish to advise you from the bottom of my heart. Go to the Sword Collection palace. Both you and your family will derive endless benefits from it. Once you miss this opportunity, you’ll probably regret it for the rest of your life.”
He was more polite and much kinder when he said that to Yu Zijian. While he did find Yu Zijian’s talent to be impressive, grooming her into the sect master had never crossed his mind. He had only said that to develop a positive relationship with her, but he was not completely lying either. Now that basically all the disciples of the Green Vine mountain had been slaughtered, he really would have given her his utmost attention if it were not for Fu Qingjin.
Fu Qingjin said nothing. He only looked at Yu Zijian silently. He naturally gave off a dignified aura where he would order people around, or he would not have convinced the three elders so easily. It was rare of him to show such sincerity, which made him even more difficult to turn down.
Yu Zijian lowered her head and pinched the hem of her clothing until her knuckles whitened. She was not good at rejecting the kind intentions of others. It was not that she could not see the benefits. Being able to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages was human nature. She was not slow-witted or obstinate either, where she had to go to the Academy of the Hundred Schools with Hua Chenglu just because she had promised her.
Probably no one could have guessed her true thoughts. The fate of that stalwart figure who had saved her from danger repeatedly was still unknown, so how could she just leave here and plan ahead for her future? Even if staying in the Clear River prefecture would make no difference to his situation, at least there was a chance for her to see him again. This thought was rooted deeply in her heart.
“I support your choice!” Gu Yanying patted Yu Zijian’s shoulder and smiled.
Fu Qingjin’s eyes narrowed. Finally, he showed displeasure for the first time.
“The path of cultivation is about your conscience. You can’t insist on anything, and whether there is any destiny or not is not for them to decide. As a Hawkwolf guard, I uphold the laws of Great Xia. Even the Sword Collection palace cannot abduct people in my face!”
Yu Zijian said in a hurry, “It’s not abduction. I- I-”
Fu Qingjin looked at her deeply before raising his head and sighing. “Forget it. The time must not be right. You can stay here for now. However, I do believe there will be a day when you come to the Sword Collection palace and do what you must do.”
Then he bowed towards Gu Yanying. “Please take good care of her, commander Gu. Please don’t let anyone hurt her.” He glanced past everyone else. “If even a part of what happened here gets divulged, my sword won’t be showing any mercy.”
The Green Ruins sword thrummed within the sheath as a feeling of desolation filled the surroundings.
The Sword Collection palace was not without enemies. Those who could serve as enemies to the Sword Collection palace would definitely be the most terrifying enemies to have. If they discovered that the next successor of the Violet Clouds sword was here, they would definitely kill her while she was still sprouting.
The three elders were slightly dissatisfied with this. They were three Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet in Fu Qingjin’s eyes, they were not even as important as a girl. However, in the long run, they truly were not as important as this girl.
Gu Yanying smiled easily. “That I can guarantee.”
Fu Qingjin clasped his hands again before turning into a green streak of light and taking off into the air. He vanished completely in the blink of an eye. He was never sloppy when he handled matters. He was extremely decisive.
Gu Yanying bid farewell as well. Before she left, she said to the three elders, “I can see some deathly aura on your faces. It’s best if you are a little more careful in the future.”
The faces of the three elders twisted. The Golden Pheasant Elder let out a dry laugh. “Ma’am, do you happen to know face reading?”
Gu Yanying smiled. “I don’t. I’m just speaking casually. There’s no need to pay any heed to it.”
The four of them passed through the formation on the waist of the mountain. Cold air swept in from all directions, ruffling their clothes.
Yu Zijian and Hua Chenglu held hands and walked at the front, while Gu Yanying and Hua Chengzan fell behind. The only thing audible was how Hua Chenglu constantly scolded Yu Zijian as an idiot and a dumbass, while Yu Zijian argued back.
Gu Yanying and Hua Chengzan looked at each other and smiled. Gu Yanying said, “I’ll leave these children in your care once they go to Clear River city.”
Hua Chengzan looked down. “Don’t worry, commander. I know how to handle them.”
Gu Yanying smiled. “You know, it’s rude to speak without looking at the person.”
Hua Chengzan raised his head in a hurry. There were a few rare slivers of fluster in his clear pupils. Gu Yanying did not directly take off, so he knew that she had something to say to him.
However, Gu Yanying had already directed her gaze at the sky, at an obscure location that he was unable to gauge. That was where the stars existed. “Fu Qingjin, heh. Just his decisiveness alone makes him worthy of being the successor of the Green Ruins sword. Out of the eighteen commanders under me, your cultivation is the lowest, but in terms of resourcefulness and meticulousness, no one can surpass you. Obviously, I don’t have to worry about you, but you do lack this decisiveness. Throughout history, all people who accomplish great things possess some decisiveness.”
Hua Chengsan said, “I don’t wish to accomplish great things.”
Gu Yanying sighed .
“Today, apart from that millipede, there were two other daemons that were extraordinary. If Fu Qingjin had not interfered, the three old men would have almost been finished off.”
As soon as Gu Yanying had arrived, she had only heard a simple story from Hua Chengzan about how it all unfolded. After that, she directly went to stop the Spider Queen’s revenge. Hua Chengzan had already written up an extremely detailed report on what had happened during the Herb Gathering ceremony of the three mountains, but he had yet to submit it. He used it to change the topic of the conversation.
“Oh, how were they?” Gu Yanying did not care, but she still went along with the flow.
“One was extremely large, humanoid but with ox horns on his head, ox hooves on his feet, a tiger tail on his back, and scarlet hair and pupils. It should have been a hybrid among daemons. The other one was a tiny skeleton. For some reason, it demonstrated extraordinary sword techniques after entering the Green Ruins illusion.”
Gu Yanying raised an eyebrow. She naturally thought of the figure that roared out in the snowstorm atop the Ice Sword cliff. Her impression of Li Qingshan was quite deep.
Just what method did they use to contend against Foundation Establishment cultivators? According to her memory, Li Qingshan was still a daemon that had not even condensed a daemon core a year ago. It was impossible for him to be able to threaten Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Hua Chengzan saw how it interested Gu Yanying, so he told her everything that he saw. He was skilled at talking, describing what he saw back then in vivid detail. Even the two others who had directly watched it unfold, Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian, could not help but stop and listen in. They would even interrupt him at times and add to what he said.
Gu Yanying thought, He sure has made rapid progress. In just a single year, he has reached a level like this. In other words, the annihilation of the Qi Practitioners underground was probably due to his plan. The fact that he had managed to take this step so quickly surprised her even more than his cultivation speed.
The master of the Sword Collection palace was right. The territory of humans and daemons only existed on a whim. However, just how many people could easily and decisively go ahead with this?
Gu Yanying said, “Do you remember what happened outside Qingyang city last year?”
As if the chatterbox within him had been set off, he appeared as if he had to stop his thought processes, and he went with Gu Yanying’s question, speaking endlessly, “Of course, I remember. Old Wang invited us to drinks. Oh right, the kid you gave a drink to is called Li Qingshan. He actually went and joined the Hawkwolf Guard…”
Gu Yanying immediately became surprised. Originally, she thought that Li Qingshan had completely fallen into the world of daemons. She had not forgotten about the minor interaction she had with him, but she never expected it to yield something. Her expression remained the same on the surface as she listened to Hua Chengzan.
With that, it only gave Hua Chenglu even more authority to speak. She could not help but follow up on what her brother had said, going off on a great speech about what she saw when she met Li Qingshan on the Island of Cherishing Flowers.
He’s actually practising qi. Just what is this kid thinking? Gu Yanying’s interest was piqued.
Li Qingshan wanted to go to the Academy of the Hundred Schools, the headquarters of cultivators in the Clear River province. Only there could he continue to delve deeper into the world of human cultivators. Only there could he convert the thousand or so hundred treasures pouches worth of items currently in his possession into resources that he needed. Only there would he have an opportunity to refine the spiritual herbs he had collected into pills.
He needed to do all of this using the identity of Li Qingshan. He needed a recommendation from Zhou Wenbin.
Of course, this would not be entirely risk free. He would not be able to avoid an investigation from the Hawkwolf Guard, but according to the information he had received from Qian Rongzhi, the Hawkwolf Guard had never treated him as a criminal and put out an order for his capture. In other words, there was a very good chance that he could fool them all.
And, the worst-case scenario would just be a Foundation Establishment cultivator trying to kill him. Having reached the second layer of the tiger demon, he was confident that he could face off against a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if he was not their opponent, he could escape, and if it really came to that, he could just dive underground and find a hidden place to cultivate in seclusion for a couple of years.
He was not very far off from Daemon General now. Combined with all the resources in the hundred treasures pouches, he would be able to touch on that realm within two decades at most.
Two decades was nothing to daemons. As a matter of fact, it could be regarded as startlingly fast.
However, he did not want to wait for twenty years. Who knew what would happen in the world after two decades. Even when disregarding everything else, the elders of the three mountains might end up dying from old age. And, just what level would Fu Qingjin’s cultivation reach with the support of the Sword Collection palace?
Li Qingshan was confident he could outlive that bastard, but there was no way he could comfort himself with that and convince himself that he had beaten him. He had to find shortcuts and advance valiantly. Many of the dangers involved were not even worth mentioning.
Thinking up to this point, Li Qingshan finally set foot on the top of the mountain. After several months, he had returned here, but he felt like an entire lifetime had passed already. He repressed these thoughts and feelings as he strode towards his original residence to find Qian Rongzhi.
Knocking on the door, Qian Rongzhi saw Li Qingshan and blanked out slightly, but she was not surprised. She said gently and cheerfully, “You’re back.” She was like a wife awaiting the return of her husband from a long journey, both gentle and warm. They had not been apart for a very long time, so there was not a lot of excitement, but it had not been short either. Though, they were clearly accustomed to it.
Li Qingshan said, “It looks like the cultivation method of the Sect of Clouds and Rain suits you very much.”
Their eyes met, and they could sense each other’s changes. One had become gentler, while the other had become even calmer and sharper as they walked along their paths of survival silently.
“It’s so-so!” Qian Rongzhi turned to her side and let Li Qingshan into the house. Seeing Xiao An behind Li Qingshan, her gaze became even gentler. “Xiao An is back too.”
Xiao An produced a soft interjection of agreement, which caused Qian Rongzhi to blank out once again. She let out a smile from the bottom of her heart.
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Chapter 259 – A Tiger’s Dignity
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Chapter 259 – A Tiger’s Dignity
Qian Rongzhi listened to Li Qingshan’s plan and asked, “Won’t you just be walking into a trap? The greatest parlour of the Sect of Clouds and Rain is located in Clear River city. They won’t spare you, nor will they spare Xiao An, unless you have Xiao An enter the Academy of the Hundred Schools too.”
“That’s what I intend to do. The sect might be strong, but they won’t be able to directly touch me in the academy.” Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. With her talent, entering the Academy of the Hundred Schools should not be difficult.
Qian Rongzhi said, “The Academy of the Hundred Schools is the foundation of the empire, so it’s the last place where they’ll let sects interfere. The most dangerous place also happens to be the safest. There are still a few days until the academy begins to accept students, so what are you planning to do?”
“Secluded cultivation,” Li Qingshan said calmly. He needed to use the resources in his possession to break through to a higher level. In this world, only strength served as the greatest safeguard.
“That’s clever. There are special dwellings for secluded cultivation on the mountain. As long as you don’t leave the mountain, the Sect of Clouds and Rain won’t be able to do anything to you.”
This was another reason why Li Qingshan chose to return to the Hawkwolf Guard. The human world was different from the daemon world, and the laws were much more complicated. Having lost Milliped’s protection, the Hawkwolf Guard would be much safer than underground.
It was completely possible for Li Qingshan to go from somewhere safe to another safe place and avoid conflict with the Sect of Clouds and Rain altogether until he possessed enough power. However, that was only if he could gain a footing on the mountain.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Leave that up to me. I’m technically a commander right now, after all!”
Temporarily leaving Xiao An in the residence, Qian Rongzhi tidied herself slightly in front of the mirror. Without putting on any cosmetics, she took Li Qingshan to see the current Black Hawk commander.
Li Qingshan felt that Qian Rongzhi’s transformation was no smaller than his own. She had completely lost her flirtatiousness, as well as the arrogant temperament of a young miss she displayed when he first met her. It was as if she had ascended from vulgarity, becoming dignified and simple but elegant.
However, calling this transformation an internal change would be taking it too far. It was more like putting on a new disguise to adapt to the new environment. Because of the Method of Clouds and Rain, this disguise had become even more difficult to see through, and her thoughts were now hidden deeper too. In her hands, she had managed to completely unleash the value of the arts of charm. It was nowhere near as simple as seducing men.
However, Li Qingshan bore in mind that this woman was definitely not a good person. Regular bad people might have been able to repent on their ways and become a saint, but only the cleverest and dumbest would remain stubborn in their ways. Regular people could all be captivated and led astray, becoming indecisive and uncertain. Only the cleverest and the dumbest people would persist with what they believed in and remain the same.
While he disliked this woman, he had to admit that she was basically one of “the cleverest”. Once a person like that had believed in something, it was basically impossible for them to change their minds.
It just happened to be early in the morning right now. A few Hawkwolf guards emerged from their residences to go eat breakfast.
Li Qingshan discovered that he was familiar with most of them. Qian Rongzhi introduced, “After you left, we held another large-scale recruitment process to fill in the empty spaces. It was very intense, so it is a pity that you couldn’t see it for yourself. Though, it’s not like you lack spectacles like that.”
“Good morning, commander!” Some of the newcomers greeted Qian Rongzhi enthusiastically when they saw her. Seeing Li Qingshan beside her, they were all rather surprised. This young man was also a Black Wolf guard, so why had they never seen him before? What was his relationship with the commander?
On the other hand, the few who did recognise Li Qingshan reacted much more violently. Their eyes widened as their mouths dropped. The two commanders of Jiaping city, along with a group of elite Hawkwolf guards, had basically been annihilated, and it all traced back to Li Qingshan.
“Good morning,” Qian Rongzhi replied with a smile. She was gentle like an elder sister of the neighbourhood, such that she gave off a good impression as soon as people saw her. They could not help but develop some respect for her.
Li Qingshan felt like even if he told these people about Qian Rongzhi’s viciousness, none of them would believe it. It made him think of a saying. People who actually hid their thoughts well would never appear like they were good at hiding their thoughts. As a matter of fact, they would appear to be even gentler than regular people.
Zhuo Zhibo completely paled in comparison to her in this aspect. When a venomous snake hid its venomous fangs, or even the fact that it was a venomous snake, it would be when it was the most terrifying.
“Commander, who’s this kid?”
At this moment, a group of four or five Black Wolf guards blocked the way. They were brimming with hostility. The leader was a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, around thirty years of age. He had a fearsome appearance and was extremely ugly. He studied Li Qingshan curiously.
Qian Rongzhi said, “This is your senior.”
“Hah. He’s still wet behind the ears, and he’s my senior? We sure have a lot of seniors, including a woman and a child. The position befitting women is beneath men!”
The ugly man and the Black Wolf guards around him roared with laughter.
Li Qingshan originally thought they had nothing better to do and were just trying to fight for Qian Rongzhi’s favour, but at a closer glance, he realised that they had come for Qian Rongzhi. The ugly leader was also a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, so he probably was not particularly happy with Qian Rongzhi as his commanding officer.
Li Qingshan had guessed correctly. In order to fill up the ranks of the Hawkwolf Guard quickly, they had loosened the standard in the recruitment process this time. They accepted all sorts of people, so it was impossible to avoid both the good and the bad. This ugly man was not an easy nut to crack. He originated from a tiny sect and gathered a group of his seniors and juniors who specially targeted Qi Practitioners to kill. They never touched regular people, which was why they had not made it onto the blacklist.
He was a fifth layer Qi Practitioner just like Qian Rongzhi. He personally believed he had spent plenty of time and effort on cultivation, and he had the support of his seniors and juniors too, so why would he be willing to remain below Qian Rongzhi? As a result, he provoked her many times to disrupt her authority.
Qian Rongzhi frowned slightly. She seemed both pitiful and helpless. The Black Wolf guards who walked passed all showed displeasure, but they were afraid of speaking up. They all sighed inside over how she was just too soft-hearted.
Li Qingshan glanced at her. “Looks like you haven’t managed to win everyone over with the recruitment this time.”
If a person was just too good at enduring abuse and disguising their emotions, some people would find them weak and also an easy target. Nothing could be done about this.
The ugly man pointed at Li Qingshan. “Kid, you hang with us!” Originally, he planned on recruiting people as soon as he joined the Hawkwolf Guard; he wanted to pull all the newcomers to his side. However, while this damn woman was weak, she knew how to win over people, so a lot of people ended up detesting him instead. He had to do her properly sooner or later.
Suddenly, he saw how Li Qingshan was quite powerful, a fourth layer Qi Practitioner. Moreover, he was young, so he was easy to control. As such, he wanted to rope him in.
Li Qingshan said, “Piss off.”
“Brother, this kid doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness.”
“You’re looking to die!”
The ugly man lost his temper too. He spat out a few threats before suddenly meeting Li Qingshan’s eyes. The blazing anger in his heart suddenly cooled off. What kind of eyes were they? As they looked at him, it did not seem like they were looking at something alive. He began to perspire for some reason.
Who knew how many Qi Practitioners below the sixth layer Li Qingshan had killed. When he was underground, he even broke his own limit and started a massacre. Looking at these people now, they seemed no different from livestock. If he were in the wilderness, he would not even bother with telling them to piss off. He would just kill them all.
There was no need for him to purposefully display his murderousness. This aura arose naturally, stunning and frightening the enemy.
Qian Rongzhi was extremely skilled at observing and reading the minds of people. She trembled slightly. He was becoming more and more terrifying. She had to be even more careful in the future. Just what had he gone through in the past few months?
This was the dignity of a tiger.
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Chapter 260 – Reunion of the Three
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Chapter 260 – Reunion of the Three
From the instincts he had developed through many years of killing and robbing, he could feel that this young man was a difficult person to deal with. Seeing how his senior and junior brothers still howled on around him, even rubbing their fists wanting to get a piece of the action, he growled, “All of you shut up!” He asked cautiously, “May I be honoured to know your name, sir?”
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan said to Qian Rongzhi before directly striding away, acting like they did not exist. The ugly man’s expression changed a few times. When Li Qingshan almost walked into him, he dodged to the side and just watched as Qian Rongzhi left with him. He quietly gulped.
“Big brother!”
“Don’t provoke him. This person is very dangerous.” The ugly man looked at Li Qingshan’s back. If this young man was the Black Wolf commander, he would never even consider challenging him. Now that this woman had obtained a helper like him, she would be difficult to deal with.
In the main office, Fang Enshang pushed aside the curtains, tidied his desk, and prepared some water for his ink. He was about to get to work. He was still full of enthusiasm towards this job. Hearing the footsteps, he raised his head. “Oh Rongzhi, you’re here. Who’s this?”
This was the second time Li Qingshan had met Fang Enshang. Back then in the Quiet Spring valley, a slaughter would have definitely unfolded if it had not been for Fang Enshang’s mediation. He had quite a good impression of him.
Qian Rongzhi introduced them to each other. Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “Greetings to the commander from your subordinate, Li Qingshan!”
“So you’re Li Qingshan.” Fan Enshang looked at this young man who stood tall. He studied him up and down, as if he did not believe that this was the Tiger Butcher who had killed countless. He could not help but ask what he was wondering, “Where have you been during this period of time?”
Li Qingshan stated the excuse that he had already prepared patiently. Most of it was true, but there were some lies as well. He admitted to the fact that Zhuo Zhibo had been scheming against him, which forced him to flee underground. As he fled for his life, he alarmed a powerful daemon underground, and Zhuo Zhibo’s entire group was wiped out. Only he managed to escape.
Apart from the fact that Li Qingshan was the daemon, there were basically no lies in that story.
Qian Rongzhi would chime in and add to his story whenever it was suitable. With how crafty and resourceful she was, she had been on extremely harmonious terms with Fang Enshang over the past few months. She also gained a deep understanding of his character, which she would cleverly use to control his thoughts.
As expected, Fang Enshang fumed over the injustice. “To think there would actually be a commander who would work with criminals in order to deal with his own subordinate! He truly deserved death! Then what about the previous Black Wolf commander, Lao Xishan?”
Li Qingshan said, “I parted ways there with the vice commander. The vice commander might not have believed me and ventured underground as well.”
“Then why have you only just returned?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “That’s actually something everyone knows about. Because of the child by his side, Li Qingshan offended the Sect of Clouds and Rain. For this matter, the vice sect master and four grannies of the Sect of Clouds and Rain had all come to Jiaping city. If I hadn’t contacted him in time to tell him to flee, he would be dead already.”
Fang Enshang slammed the table. “How dare they!”
Li Qingshan said, “I know the Sect of Clouds and Rain is powerful. I’ve returned this time because I want to enter secluded cultivation on the mountain for a period of time. Thanks to district magistrate Zhou’s good graces, he agreed to give me a recommendation to the Academy of the Hundred Schools. As long as I go to the academy, even the Sect of Clouds and Rain should have second thoughts about touching me!”
Fang Enshang patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. As long as you remain in the Hawkwolf Guard here, no one will be able to touch you. Once you make it to the Academy of the Hundred Schools, it’s even more impossible for these sects to act as they please. Our Hawkwolf Guard is not one for others to walk all over!”
He was so sincere that he made Li Qingshan feel rather embarrassed about lying to him. In the end, Li Qingshan handed over the Zombie Daoist’s head and completed the mission, earning him over ten thousand points of contribution.
The Qi Gathering pills or spiritual stones that could be exchanged for using the contribution no longer interested Li Qingshan. However, using the dwellings on the mountain for seclusion also cost contribution, and it was not cheap either. A single day was fifty points of contribution.
Qian Rongzhi brought Li Qingshan to the place for secluded cultivation, which was a large, stone cave dug out from the mountain.
Li Qingshan could sense that the spiritual qi inside was denser than outside, just as expected. There was no furniture inside, just a huge formation carved into the ground.
Qian Rongzhi said, “This is a Spirit Gathering formation, but activating it will cost you additional spiritual stones.”
Li Qingshan looked at the formation. Sure enough, there were several grooves. He nodded and thought, What a clever design.
Qian Rongzhi placed her hand on a round disc on the wall, channelling in true qi and turning it gently. A huge piece of rock slid over loudly.
“Once this stone door is sealed, you can only open it from the inside. If you want to open it from the outside, you’d need to tear it open forcefully. I think even the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain isn’t bold enough to do something like that.”
Li Qingshan nodded. The entire Hawkwolf Guard would never allow something like that to occur. He took out a pill from his hundred treasures pouch and passed it to Qian Rongzhi. “If anything unexpected happens outside while I’m in seclusion, I’ll have to trouble you with handling it. If there are any dangers, I’ll have to trouble you with reminding me too.”
While those lies were enough to fool Fang Enshang, Fang Enshang was not the one to make any decisions with regard to the deaths of the two commanders and a group of Hawkwolf guards. He would have to report this to his higher-ups. Although there should not be any major issues according to Qian Rongzhi’s analysis, he just was taking precautions with this.
“A Sea of Qi pill!” Qian Rongzhi’s eyes lit up.
Sea of Qi pills were crucial pills for Qi Practitioners to break through to the sixth layer. It could assist the Qi Practitioner in condensing a sea of qi, so it truly was quite precious. However, Li Qingshan had found almost a hundred of them from all the hundred treasures pouches in his possession, so giving one away was nothing to him.
“I’ve already gotten my hands on one. With this one, it’ll increase my chances by thirty percent.” Qian Rongzhi accepted the pill, but she did not speak any words of gratitude.
This was their relationship. It was clear cut, where neither of them owed each other anything. They simply made use of one another without any efforts to hide their intentions. There were no meaningless interactions. They would not even say an additional word to each other when there was no need to.
At this moment, there was a thump, and the huge, stone door closed, plunging the cave into darkness.
Qian Rongzhi became extremely relaxed too. In this space that was sealed off from the world, her expression and bearing underwent a wondrous transformation. Her gentleness and kindness vanished, while a bone-chilling sensation filled Li Qingshan once again.
She was like a snake about to eat a person. Dim, cold light flashed through her eyes as she pursed her lips. She smiled. “Looks I can use the medicinal enhancers I’ve kept around now.”
The ugly man and his companions were the medicinal enhancers she had prepared for her breakthrough to the sixth layer. They could provide large quantities of true qi at crucial times.
Li Qingshan frowned. He turned the mechanism. As the stone door opened again and light landed on her face, it was like magic. Wherever the light reached, her expression would change slightly, and when the light engulfed her completely, she had recovered her image as a gentle and kind elder sister.
Li Qingshan felt that compared to him, she was more like those demons and daemons of the legends.
The light cast a long shadow in the cave. Li Qingshan looked at the owner of the shadow. “Diao Fei?”
Diao Fei faltered. “I heard that you’ve returned.” His cultivation had already reached the fourth layer. Although he had not improved as quickly as Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi after they had joined the Hawkwolf Guard, he had not been wasting his time either.
The three people that had once joined the Hawkwolf Guard together were reunited once again.
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Chapter 261 – The Fifth Layer
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Chapter 261 – The Fifth Layer
Below the mountain, they ordered a few side dishes, three bowls of congee, and a few steamers of steamed buns at a breakfast stall.
Originally, Diao Fei wanted to go to a restaurant, but Li Qingshan said, “Morning is not the time to drink.” As a result, they came here.
With three Hawkwolf guards seated, no one else dared to set foot into this place anymore, while the people originally there dispersed in a hurry. Only when Diao Fei tossed out ten taels of silver did the boss’s bitter expression ease up.
Xiao An had her head lowered as she ate a steam bun. Diao Fei faltered. “How old is she?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “If you have something to say, you’re welcome to cut right to the chase!”
Qian Rongzhi helped Xiao An to another steamed bun and smiled too. “So why are you looking for me? We’re all familiar with each other, so there’s no need to hold back. You can just tell me what you need.”
Diao Fei stifled his voice. “Did you know that the disciples of the three mountains have all died underground?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Everyone in the Clear River prefecture knows about that.” However, everyone was focused on how the disciple of the Sword Collection palace had appeared and killed a Daemon General, so this matter actually did not receive much attention. The decline of three small sects was nothing compared to the turmoil of the entire world.
Diao Fei sighed heavily. “You know, I’m technically a disciple of the Green Vine mountain too.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then I need to congratulate you on avoiding a disaster.”
“Curses and blessings come hand in hand. Who knows which is what.” Diao Fei’s eyes became lost. He had been squeezed out of the sect in the past, which was why he had joined the Hawkwolf Guard. Originally, he wanted to focus on cultivation and find an opportunity for revenge, but the people who had squeezed him out were all dead now.
In just a single day, his grievances had turned into nothing. Diao Fei had also received a letter personally penned by the Green Vine Elder, who requested him to come back to the Green Vine mountain.
Li Qingshan understood what he meant by curses and blessings coming hand in hand. All the disciples of the Green Vine mountain were dead, so they obviously had to gather the disciples scattered outside. There were not a lot of disciples like that, but they would immediately go from outcasts to core figures of the sect.
Although most of the disciples of the Green Vine mountain were dead, their foundation and resources remained. When the resources of an entire sect were concentrated on these few core figures, the benefits would be tremendous. At the very least, it would be better than staying in the Hawkwolf Guard. However, just what kind of place was the Hawkwolf Guard? It definitely was not one where people could come and go as they wished. He needed to plead with the vice commander, Qian Rongzhi.
Sure enough, Qian Rongzhi said, “Resigning from your post in the Hawkwolf Guard won’t be easy.”
Diao Fei knew he needed to back up what he said, so he had already prepared a bribe. He glanced at Li Qingshan, hesitating over whether to take it out before him or not.
“I need to pay a visit to the government office, so I’ll be leaving first.” Li Qingshan immediately stood up and lifted up Xiao An, making his way out the door.
At the back of the government office, Zhou Wenbin was strolling through the garden as the caretaker reported, “Sir, Li Qingshan is waiting outside, wishing to see you.”
Zhou Wenbin said, “Welcome him in!” As Li Qingshan strode over, Zhou Wenbin became slightly surprised inside. Li Qingshan seemed to have changed in these few months. He had gone from the third layer to the fourth layer, but just describing it as rapid progress in cultivation did not seem to be sufficient. He seemed to have developed a frightening bearing.
“Greetings, sir.”
Zhou Wenbin returned the greeting in a hurry. He no longer dared to consider himself a senior or sir to Li Qingshan anymore.
Li Qingshan stated his reason for visiting and Zhou Wenbin agreed to it, guaranteeing him that it would be no problem.
Satisfied with that, he caught up slightly with Zhou Wenbin before turning down Zhou Wenbin’s urgings to stay a little longer, bidding farewell and leaving.
After he left, Zhou Wenbin sighed gently. “He truly isn’t someone who would be satisfied with dwelling in a small pond!”
Li Qingshan returned to the mountain. He did not run into Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei again. He directly entered the dwelling, turning the stone disc and closing the door.
Exhaling gently, Li Qingshan took out over a dozen spiritual stones and placed them in the grooves of the Spirit Gathering formation. The lines engraved in the rock immediately lit up, and spiritual qi rapidly gathered into the formation. The densest part was the centre of the formation.
Li Qingshan handed a few things over to Xiao An, reminding her to feed Milliped regularly.
Afterwards, he sat down at the centre of the formation and began practising qi, urging on the flow of true qi through his body.
Since he had returned to human society, his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner was very important. Once he went to the Academy of the Hundred Schools, there would probably be many Foundation Establishment cultivators there, so he could not always rely on transforming to kill his opponent. Even if he left behind no traces, it would still raise suspicion as time went on. And, there would be less trouble if his cultivation was higher.
Li Qingshan placed most of his attention on practising qi this time.
However, that did not mean Li Qingshan had stopped his daemon cultivation. Daemon cultivation was just much simpler than practising qi. All it required were large amounts of resources, and right now, the last thing that Li Qingshan lacked was pills.
The hundred treasures pouches, over a thousand of them, had provided Li Qingshan with a tremendous quantity of various pills. It would be enough to sustain his cultivation for several months at the very least.
He took out a handful of Qi Gathering pills first. Even on the lower end of the scale, there would be several hundred of them. He then shoved it all into his mouth. As soon as they reached his belly, it would be surrounded by a layer of daemon qi as flexible and as tough as flowing water. The daemon core in him would bob up and down, gradually transforming the pills into daemon qi.
As his daemon body had grown stronger and stronger, dissolving and absorbing several hundred Qi Gathering pills no longer caused him a particularly great burden. This process was like a person who had just eaten a meal, and they were slowly digesting it now. It did not affect his other actions.
Li Qingshan took out the jade slip and carefully looked through the mental cultivation method of the fifth layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. His mind then began to rapidly sink, sinking into a boundless sea. This was Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness. Before long, he had entered a meditative trance.
He began to use the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi as the spiritual qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering formation surged into Li Qingshan’s body, rapidly being converted into true qi. He was pushing for the Yin Linking meridian.
A visible haze of light rose up from Li Qingshan’s body. At a closer glance, the haze of light did not disperse into the surroundings. Instead, it gathered towards his body. This was something that only appeared when spiritual qi had reached a certain density.
Li Qingshan could not help but admire the cleverness of human cultivators. Although this tiny Spirit Gathering formation was not as great as Milliped’s bed of spiritual stone, the effects were almost the same.
Qi Practitioners were not suited for directly absorbing the spiritual qi in spiritual stones for cultivation, but they could use spiritual stones to power formations to gather the spiritual qi of the world before seemingly processing it, making it suitable for absorption.
Extremely pure Gui Water true qi surged like the tide, constantly churning towards the Zhubin acupoint. This was the beginning of the Yin Linking meridian.
The Zhubin acupoint opened and true qi entered the Fushe acupoint. After the Fushe acupoint opened too, the true qi smashed through the Chongmen acupoint, reaching the Daheng acupoint on the waist.
Reaching there, the true qi should have been depleted, but spiritual qi flowed in violently, almost pushing the true qi forward.
The Daheng, Fuai, Qimen, and Tiantu acupoints opened one by one, reaching the final acupoint on the throat, the Lianquan acupoint.
Li Qingshan shuddered, and his true qi flowed smoothly. The Yin Linking meridian was open now. He had finally reached the fifth layer.
The entire process was smoother than he had expected. Now, the Yang Heel, Yin Heel, Yang Linking, and Yin Linking meridians were all opened. Li Qingshan’s four yin and yang meridians were open and connected, allowing true qi to flow through them endlessly. He felt his body grow lighter.
It felt extremely similar to ascending to a soaring immortal described by regular people. However, Li Qingshan knew that this was just a feeling. If he actually wanted to fly, it would not be so easy.
However, this goal was not far off either.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. Three days had already passed, while the several hundred Qi Gathering pills in his belly had all been digested. The spiritual stones in the Spirit Gathering formation had dimmed, almost running out of spiritual qi.
Xiao An sat facing a wall, as if she was cultivating too. She had devoured a large quantity of flesh and blood underground. Qi Practitioners could not be compared to regular people. The vitality and essence they possessed was enough to rival ten or even a hundred regular people. She used this opportunity to refine this energy.
Li Qingshan did not disturb her either. He quickly peered into his body, sensing the raging flows of true qi. He tried to make the true qi gather in his dantian, and they coalesced like a sea of qi, but the true qi would return to the meridians as soon as he lost focus.
Yes. Li Qingshan wanted to use the secluded cultivation this time to break through to the sixth layer in a single stroke and split open a sea of qi. By then, he would be able to use all the spiritual artifacts in the hundred treasures pouches in his possession. He would actually be able to control artifacts.
And, his speed and strength would definitely grow drastically as well. Even without transforming, he would be able to fight any Qi Practitioner.
However, according to the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, the first five layers of practising qi were regarded as easy. It would become more and more difficult from the sixth layer and onwards. Opening the Conception, Governing, Penetrating, and Girdle meridians would not be easy. It could not be achieved with just an endless supply of true qi and recklessly smashing through acupoints.
It would involve using the sea of qi as a foundation and balancing the four yin and yang meridians, using an extremely complicated and delicate method. Opening the Girdle meridian would be the most difficult. Apart from being difficult to open in the first place, it was directly related to the sea of qi.
The Girdle meridian was just like what its name suggested. It was like a girdle, wrapping around the waist. It was the only horizontal meridian within the human body, and it was for controlling and binding all the other meridians.
The dantian happened to be surrounded by it. It was exactly because of this controlling and binding effect that the person would be able to gather all the true qi in their meridians and condense a sea of qi. The process of opening the Girdle meridian required great caution, as the slightest carelessness could lead to the risk of suffering from cultivation deviation and harming the meridians.
However, there was a good piece of news too. The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi was the easiest for condensing a sea of qi. Gui Water true qi was relatively gentler and milder, making it difficult to suffer from cultivation deviation. However, the process still required caution.
Li Qingshan also understood the principle that haste was less speed. He had only just reached the fifth layer, so he needed some time to consolidate his cultivation. He was in no hurry either. He had plenty of time for secluded cultivation anyway.
After cultivating for a while longer and depleting the spiritual qi in the spiritual stones, he removed them and replaced them with new ones, reactivating the Spirit Gathering formation.
At the same time, he shoved another handful of pills into his mouth.
Li Qingshan contemplated for a while before taking out the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi again and studying the techniques it contained.
Water elemented techniques were not as great at killing as metal or fire, nor were they as great at ensnaring as earth or wood. They were primarily auxiliary.
For example, there was a Water Mirror technique that allowed the user to spy on the surroundings, giving them utmost perception. The higher the cultivation of the user, the greater the range of the technique.
The Invisibility technique also happened to be of the water element. It was an extremely powerful technique. The effect of invisibility would grow stronger with cultivation. In the beginning, it could only turn the user into a hazy mist, which was perceptible with the naked eye. However, as long as the user reached a high enough cultivation, they could truly achieve invisibility.
However, Li Qingshan had the high grade spiritual artifact, the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility, so he was in no hurry to practise a technique like that.
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Chapter 262 – Cloud Riding and Mist Wielding
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Chapter 262 – Cloud Riding and Mist Wielding
As for those Water Arrow techniques and Water Prison techniques, Li Qingshan had not even considered them. He was not lacking in terms of attacks.
Finally, his gaze landed on two images. Every single technique had a simple image like that.
One of the images depicted a cultivator standing on a thin, white cloud, while the other image depicted a cultivator surrounded with churning mist as if he was accelerating forwards.
What he wanted to learn right now was the Cloud Riding technique and the Mist Wielding technique.
These two techniques were both interlinked and independent of one another.
The Cloud Riding technique focused on hovering vertically, but it was not even as fast as a horse, while the Mist Wielding technique focused on movement, but it was restricted to flying along the ground. With the two combined, the user could ride clouds and wield mist, allowing them to fly freely through the air.
He did not have any particular reason for this. Flight was the dream of all people, and Li Qingsahn was no exception. And, the value of flight in battle was self-explanatory.
When he emerged from seclusion, he could directly fly into the sky and use the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility to hide himself. By then, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to find him in the expansive sky.
And, learning techniques could deepen his control over Gui Water true qi and consolidate his cultivation.
He did what he wanted to do and immediately began to study it. In the sealed room, Li Qingshan formed seals with his hands as he steadied his breath and controlled his heart. A white cloud began to gather in his hand.
In another dwelling for secluded cultivation, Qian Rongzhi began her own cultivation.
Diao Fei watched as the stone door closed slowly with a mixed expression. Qian Rongzhi waved at him with a smile. “I hope you have a safe trip back.” In the very depths of the stone cave were a pile of black bags. The items in there were round and even seemed to be moving, with fresh blood slowly oozing out. They should have been out right now, carrying out a mission.
The smile that could be regarded as gentle and kind instead made Diao Fei shiver inside. Qian Rongzhi did not accept any bribes from him. Instead, she only requested him to help her with something “small”. He had wandered the world for many years now, and he had never been soft-hearted when it came to killing people, but compared to how this woman killed people, he seemed as simple and cute as a child.
These people would vanish from the world forever, and no one would even suspect her.
The stone door closed loudly, and Diao Fei left eagerly, like he was running away from something terrifying. With Qian Rongzhi’s assistance, he managed to place his post in the Hawkwolf Guard on hold, allowing him to return to the Green Vine mountain to cultivate.
The verdant mountain that he once hated suddenly seemed like a wonderland to him, like a verdant pearl. At the very least, the Green Vine mountain was much safer compared to constantly residing with those two people on the Hawkwolf mountain.
Whenever he wondered about whether she would come for him after learning about her secret, he would struggle to find peace. Fortunately, he could finally return now.
The horse galloped for several days, and Diao Fei returned to the Green Vine mountain once more. Compared to its past prosperity, it seemed particularly quiet and lonely now.
Arriving in the main hall, the Green Vine Elder personally received him and gave him a few words of encouragement in an amicable manner. However, Diao Fei had already been through and seen too much of life, so his heart did not rile up over just a few words. He only put on an act that he was moved to tears out of gratitude.
Apart from him, there were a few other men and women he was not too familiar with. Some seemed slightly familiar, while he was completely unfamiliar with the others. However, none of them had a particularly high cultivation. With his cultivation at the fourth layer, he actually ranked third out of them.
They had all been elevated to internal disciples, and they were each allocated a position in the sect. Every single one of them were easy jobs that they could never get their hands on no matter how hard they tried in the past, but now, there were almost not enough people for all of these jobs. The resources and treatment that came with the jobs could almost rival what the first senior brother received in the past.
Diao Fei had been allocated the job of managing and guiding new disciples and their rudimentary cultivation method. This job seemed nothing special, but it was the most prestigious.
The Green Vine Elder gave them a few words of advice before returning to where he cultivated. The remaining disciples of the Green Vine mountain all greeted one another.
One of them was a man with a stubble. He stepped up and said, “I’m Yu Shukuang. Greetings, senior brother Diao.” Looking around and seeing how there was no one around, he stifled his voice. “Senior brother Diao, I heard you recently returned from the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city, right?”
Diao Fei frowned slightly. Serving as the hawks and hounds of the government was not well-received within sects. He had basically touched on Diao Fei’s sore spot, but Diao Fei still affirmed the answer.
Yu Shukuang asked, “Then, are you familiar with Li Qingshan?”
Diao Fei immediately became afraid to cold-shoulder him. “You know him?”
Yu Shukuang said, “Who doesn’t know the great name of the Tiger Butcher?” Seeing how Diao Fei did not believe him, he added, “You can say that I’ve met him once.”
There was no point in hiding anything, so Diao Fei told him about Li Qingshan’s return.
Yu Shukuang seemed like a coarse person, but he was very quick-witted and careful. He maintained a neutral expression and naturally changed the topic of the conversation, going on about the daughter he took pride in.
However, he sighed gently inside. In the past, Liu Fengrui had placed the Proud Sword manor under the Green Vine mountain’s governance, so as the lord of the manor, he was basically half a member of the Green Vine mountain. However, the reason why he could come to the Green Vine mountain was all thanks to Yu Zijian.
After learning that Yu Zijian had a tremendously bright future ahead of her, the Green Vine Elder wanted to establish a positive relationship with her, which was why Yu Shukuang went from half a member of the Green Vine mountain to a full member of the Green Vine mountain, and an internal disciple at that.
Originally, not a single sect would be willing to accept an adult like him. No matter how much the Green Vine mountain had declined, the Green Vine Elder would still much rather start with babies. Why would an experienced member of the jianghu like Yu Shukuang display any loyalty to sects?
Apart from being grateful in general, the main reason why he asked about Li Qingshan was because of Yu Zijian. Yu Zijian had returned safely from the Green Vine mountain and told her father about everything that had happened.
Although Yu Shukuang found that it was quite the pity for Yu Zijian to turn down the Sword Collection palace’s invitation, he still felt he had been quite lucky this year, so he held a great celebration in the manor. However, Yu Zijian always seemed to be in thought, becoming much quieter. She was no longer as lively as she was in the past. Yu Shukuang could not help but lament over how her daughter had grown up.
Before he came to the Green Vine mountain, Yu Zijian asked him to watch out for a certain person with great seriousness. This person was obviously “Niu Juxia” who had fallen silent after the Herb Gathering ceremony.
Yu Shukuang obviously knew who Niu Juxia was, so he leapt in fright. Surely he had not stolen his daughter’s heart, right? However, looking at Yu Zijian, she did not seem like a young girl falling in love for the first time either, so he added something.
“Under these circumstances, he’s probably already…. What are you going to do?” He was afraid she would say something along the lines of mourning for the rest of her life, never to fall in love again, or dying for love.
Yu Zijian lowered her head in silence for quite a while before answering, “I will definitely avenge him!”
The determination in her words made him wonder whether the person before him was still his daughter. He could not help but sigh inside, Zi’er, oh Zi’er, it seems like our daughter really isn’t as gentle as you.
Now that he had learnt that Li Qingshan had returned safely, he felt pained once again. How was he supposed to contact her?
Diao Fei said suddenly, “Li Qingshan is going to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to study soon. Perhaps he’ll be a fellow student of your daughter.”
Yu Shukuang was surprised inside, which was followed up with a bitter smile. As it seemed, there was no need for him to be pained over this. Though, was there really some destiny between them? Hopefully it was nothing bad.
“Li Qingshan is back.” Hua Chengzan tossed a document before Wang Pushi.
It was Fang Enshang’s report. Not only did it have Li Qingshan’s explanation of the case on Zhuo Zhibo’s death, but it also detailed Fang Enshang’s praise for him as well as a personal recommendation for Li Qingshan to join the school of Legalism.
This was not solely due to Qian Rongzhi. Li Qingshan had swept through several dozen older cases as soon as he had joined the Hawkwolf Guard, and he had brought back the head of the most wanted criminal on the blacklist, the Zombie Daoist, with the assistance of the disciples of mohism. He was truly capable. Although he was a little fierce, it matched the stern spirit of legalism to uphold the laws.
Wang Pushi saw and became slightly angered. “He’s actually bold enough to return. Does he really take us for idiots who can’t see through his tricks? Little Fang is far too inexperienced with the world. He has no idea about how vile human nature can get.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Old Wang, don’t get taken away by your first impression of him. Enshan has been telling the truth. You can definitely call Li Qingshan capable when it comes to the job, and he cultivates extremely quickly too. He’s quite a rare talent. He can expand the prestige and renown of our school of Legalism.”
Wang Pushi glanced at him in surprise. “Why do you have such a favourable impression of him all of a sudden? Forget it, let’s just go with that then. I can’t afford to be bothered by this kid. Destroying the remnants of the White Lotus cult is what’s important.” With that, he left in a hurry.
Hua Chengzan looked out the window. The winter snow had begun to melt, and the creatures were beginning to awaken. He did not tell Wang Pushi the real reason.
Back then on the Green Vine mountain, before Gu Yanying had left, she casually said, “If you meet him again in the future, feel free to keep an eye out for him and take care of him. After all, he’s still a person I’ve given guidance to.”
How could he not pay heed to something she had said? It was inappropriate to tell Wang Pushi this in the first place, or it would earn him quite the scolding.
As for the young man who was bold enough to directly ogle her, he was rather interested too, but it was impossible for him to feel any jealousy. Over all these years, who knew how many people she had given guidance to.
On the way back to Clear River city, Hua Chenglu said something to him that he believed to be the most mature thing she had said over all these years, “Brother, you’d better give up. She’s not someone I can imagine falling deeply in love with a man.”
Hua Chengzan could only smile even more bitterly after smiling bitterly. He could not imagine that either. She was as graceful and unrestrained as the wind, and she never demonstrated any emotions, whether it be joy, anger, or sorrow. Even now, he still could not see through her thoughts. She could be as gentle as the spring breeze or as cold as the frigid winds. She was just as unpredictable as the wind. Since she was the wind, why would she remain tethered to someone’s bosom?
Xiao An opened her eyes after rousing from meditation. She had condensed a third Skull Prayer Bead in her hand.
Soon afterwards, she heard Li Qingshan’s eager voice. “Look, Xiao An. I can fly.”
Xiao An looked over and burst out in laughter. Li Qingshan sat with his legs crossed and his hands in seals as white clouds appeared from beneath him, lifting him from the ground. However, he was only a foot off the ground, and he even tottered about. He was nowhere close to flying.
Li Qingshan was not embarrassed. He chortled and said, “This is the first step of a long journey. Just you wait for the day I fly beyond the Nine Heavens!”
Xiao An’s gaze became gentle. “Together.”
“Of course.”
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Chapter 263 – To the Academy of the Hundred Schools
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Chapter 263 – To the Academy of the Hundred Schools
For the past few days, Li Qingshan had focused on studying the techniques. He had managed to gain a basic grasp over the Cloud Riding technique in just a few days. Although he still could not “fly”, he had already made it past the basics, so all he needed was practice now.
This was not because of how great he was at comprehension, but the fact that his affinity with water among the five elements was extremely high. In particular, his true qi was extremely pure. When he used techniques, his advantage would be on full display. He could control true qi as he wished. It was like a group of elite soldiers under strict orders, able to move according to their commander’s wishes and fall into various formations without the slightest disorder. These various formations were the crux to using the technique.
Then, Li Qingshan switched to the Mist Wielding technique. In just a few days, the entire cave became filled with clouds of mist, while Li Qingshan circled around and flew through the cave like he was going for a space walk.
As long as he could combine these two techniques, he would truly be able to fly. However, the difficulty of this was even greater than just practising one of the techniques at a time. All he could do about this was gradually merge the two techniques and accumulate experience. There were no tricks in this at all.
However, Li Qingshan was extremely patient. He took his time to think it through and learn and practise. With Xiao An by his side, he did not find it boring.
The so-called secluded cultivation was actually akin to being in prison, but to be able to temporarily leave all the disputes and conflict at the stone door, he felt indescribably relaxed. He was not pained by this, instead finding peace. If cultivation went with the flow without insisting on a particular thing to happen, the effects would instead be optimal.
This mentality was even more important than the Spirit Gathering formation in the cave. In the path of cultivation, resources were a crucial foundation, but just stockpiling resources could not create powerful cultivators.
Only with a certain disposition and a certain understanding could people perform wonders.
At this moment, Li Qingshan gained a deeper understanding of the importance of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. As more and more pills were being converted into daemon qi and stored in his daemon core, his thoughts became calmer too, without any impatience or restlessness.
Time passed bit by bit, while the clouds and mist permeating the cave grew smaller and smaller, denser and denser. They seemed even more corporeal than before. Li Qingshan grabbed at it, and he felt like he had grabbed a ball of pliable, elastic rubber. However, it was also extremely moist, smooth and light as he sped around in the cave.
Li Qingshan smiled happily. He had finally gained an initial mastery over flight. He plonked his bottom down on a cloud, and the cloud rose up, lifting him up in a stable manner. He sat on it with his legs crossed and asked with a smile, “Don’t I look like an immortal?”
“You don’t!” Xiao An answered honestly.
“In what way?”
“If you don’t, then you don’t.” Xiao An refused to make eye contact with him.
“Alright you, Xiao An, how dare you say this immortal doesn’t seem like an immortal! Get over here!” Li Qingshan extended his hand, and the true qi sprayed over like water, wrapping around Xiao An.
Xiao An giggled, but she did not dodge. She allowed him to grab her, pinch her cheeks, and squeeze her nose, wreaking havoc on her face.
If Diao Fei saw this, he would definitely feel that Li Qingshan was not as terrifying as he imagined him to be. However, if it were not for the fact that Xiao An was here, why wouldn’t he bare his fangs in the dangerous world outside?”
Suddenly, there was a rumble in the distant sky.
Li Qingshan said, “It’s springtime thunder!”
Spring had already arrived. The earth was returning to life.
The bug pouch twitched constantly as Milliped awoke from his lengthy sleep. He was wriggling his body.
Xiao An said, “It’s the stirring of insects1!”
Insects stirred, thunder rumbled, bugs awakened.
Li Qingshan opened the bug pouch and Milliped emerged. He seemed to have grown slightly bigger as he waved his feelers. “Food! Food!”
“You glutton!” Li Qingshan teased him before taking out the food so that Milliped could bury himself in it.
Two months had already passed now. There was less than a month until the Academy of the Hundred Schools began to take in new students.
Li Qingshan wanted to use this month to break through to the sixth layer.
The fifth layer and sixth layer of Qi Practitioner were two completely different concepts. Whether it be in terms of strength or status, they both represented completely different things. As long as he reached the sixth layer, he believed that he would not have to worry about being smothered out even in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, a place teeming with talented people.
He was not going to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to seek refuge. He was not planning on following the principle of remaining discreet and keeping himself safe. No matter the environment, there would always be the survival of the fittest, the laws of the jungle. Only the fittest would receive better resources and be able to enjoy better environments to cultivate in.
This was the path he wanted to walk.
Through this period of waiting, the true qi in his four yin and yang meridians was already full. This was nothing difficult to him, as he could absorb the spiritual qi of the world. Moreover, he had become extremely familiar with the tricks for controlling Gui Water true qi.
Am I ready? Even he did not know, but it was time to go!
Li Qingshan’s gaze became determined.
Below the mountain, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
It was pitch-black within the parlour. After the few incidents, the Parlour of the Clouds and Rain was heavily weakened, and due to pressure from various sides, it struggled to recover its former prosperity.
The hollow centre of the building had once carried and linked the prosperity and liveliness throughout the entire place, but now, it seemed particularly quiet. Only the paintings of flying and dancing women continued to smile.
In the underground palace, a middle-aged man with pepper hair asked, “Is that little bastard really on the mountain?”
The current master of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain replied carefully, “Sect master, we’re absolutely certain. Many people have seen him. L- Li Qingshan is in secluded cultivation in a cave on the mountain.”
“As soon as he emerges, contact me. I refuse to believe that he won’t leave the mountain.” Surprisingly, the middle-aged man was the vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Wei Zhongyuan. He no longer wore his fancy violet robes, but a set of old, grey robes. Clearly, he was here in secret. He ground his teeth the moment Li Qingshan’s name was mentioned.
Ever since Li Qingshan splattered the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with blood and killed the procuress, he had developed grievances with the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Until now, even Wei Zhongyuan’s son and the two grannies of the sect had died under mysterious circumstances.
Wei Zhongyuan refused to believe that Li Qingshan possessed the strength to kill the two grannies, but he was thoroughly convinced that he had something to do with their deaths.
He was hiding below the mountain with great determination. As soon as Li Qingshan appeared, he would capture him and torture him savagely to force out a confession. Only then would he be satisfied. As long as the Hawkwolf Guard did not possess direct evidence, there was nothing that they could do about him.
Of course, he also lacked the courage to charge up the mountain and directly kill Li Qingshan right now.
“Don’t worry at all, sect master. Everything that happens on the mountain and below the mountain is within the range of my perception. As soon as he emerges, the sect master will know immediately.”
As Li Qingshan tried to open the Girdle meridian, he finally realised that the latter four meridians of the eight extraordinary meridians were different from the former four.
Right now, just opening and connecting all the acupoints was not sufficient. During that process, he needed to constantly balance the flow of true qi through the four yin and yang meridians, but the difficulty did not just increase by four times. The difficulty was compounded for each meridian.
In the beginning, he tried to have true qi circulating all four meridians, but he soon realised that this was an impossible mission for him right now.
He could only slow down and urge on the true qi in the Yin and Yang Heel meridians first, but even with his foundation built from using techniques, he often still lost focus over one of the meridians.
Fortunately, Li Qingshan had bought the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi that was complete with comprehensions. The experiences of the past people were extremely detailed, but when Li Qingshan tried replicating them, it would always end in failure.
At a time like this, Li Qingshan obviously went to Xiao An for guidance. Just how was he supposed to balance the true qi?
“Can’t you just split your focus a little?”
“Split my focus? How am I supposed to split my focus?”
Xiao An’s eyes widened. For the first time ever, she was unable to help Li Qingshan, as she completely failed to understand where the difficulty lied.
“I know my talent for comprehension is only so-so, so you don’t need to verbally strike me like that.” Li Qingshan patted Xiao An’s shoulder and said to the upright Milliped, “Yeah, Milliped? How can we grasp something like that so easily?”
Milliped spat out a clump of daemon qi. It was a very small amount, but it was divided into over a dozen thin strands that wove and overlapped with one another, forming an oscillating image.
He might have lost his daemon core and a tremendous part of his cultivation, but he was still once a Daemon General, having reached levels that Li Qingshan had never even experienced before. He seemed slow-witted when dealing with people, but how could something as simple as controlling daemon qi stump him? Li Qingshan had found the wrong daemon if he wanted sympathy.
Xiao An shrugged. “It’s very easy, right?”
Li Qingshan fell silent. He returned to cultivation. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and only then did Li Qingshan learn how to split his focus into two, allowing true qi to flow through his Yin and Yang Heel meridians as he wished.
Another day later, he managed to achieve the balance required to condense the sea of qi in the Yin and Yang Linking meridians too. However, doing this with all four meridians still posed extreme difficulty.
He could only single-mindedly try again and again, without eating or drinking, without sleeping or resting. In the eyes of others, he seemed like he had gone crazy.
Xiao An could not help but become slightly worried.
However, Li Qingshan himself understood that he was neither impatient nor discouraged. All he could do was constantly search for the feeling. Since he was not a genius, he would have to make it up with hard work. If he failed a hundred times, then he would try a thousand times. If he failed a thousand times, then he would try ten thousand times.
However, no matter how patient a person was, they could not help but feel restless and discouraged, especially after trying ten thousand times. Though, Li Qingshan did not. The Spirit Turtle did not only suppress daemon qi, but also his temperament.
During the ninety-one thousand, one-hundred and twenty-secondth time, the four groups of true qi rose up together. They were almost depleted, but they managed to maintain a wondrous balance. At the same time, the true qi in the Girdle meridian circulated rapidly, binding the four groups of true qi together like a girdle, allowing them to flow into the dantian.
Just when the sea of qi was about to form, the true qi dispersed again, resulting in failure.
However, Li Qingshan smiled instead. Reaching this step was definitely a great improvement, but actually splitting open the sea of qi would take a few months at the very least, or even a year. However, there were just a few days before the entrance examination of the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
Apart from hard work, money could make up for one’s lack of talent too. He took out all of his Sea of Qi pills, almost a hundred of them. He placed them in a line before ingesting one. The effects of the Sea of Qi pill was to merge these four groups of true qi, but it did not guarantee success.
Unsurprisingly, the first Sea of Qi pill resulted in failure.
He failed, so he ate another.
This went on.
Even after ingesting over twenty Sea of Qi pills, he still failed to succeed, but Li Qingshan remained unfazed.
If regular Qi Practitioners saw how he ingested these Sea of Qi pills, they would definitely erupt with curses over how wasteful he was. They would all wait until they had some confidence before taking out the precious Sea of Qi pill in hopes of succeeding the first time.
However, Li Qingshan was not afraid of being wasteful. The very purpose of all pills was to reduce his time spent on cultivation. As long as he could become stronger, he could obviously obtain even more and even better pills. Unfortunately, time did not wait.
When he ate the thirty-seventh Sea of Qi pill, the four groups of true qi surged into the dantian at the same time while bound by the Girdle meridian. Under the effects of the Sea of Qi pill, they merged together. A significant amount of the effects from the previous thirty-six Sea of Qi pills lingered, so they basically glued the true qi together forcefully.
But this time, there seemed to be a boom in his belly. The four groups of true qi reached harmony in yin and yang and merged together.
True qi rose and fell in his dantian like an ocean. It no longer reached out. Instead, all rivers ran into the sea, becoming the source and destination of all the true qi in his body.
He had broken through to the sixth layer and condensed a sea of qi!
Li Qingshan finally smiled in relief and energy seemed to drain from his body. The exhaustion and fatigue that had been forcefully suppressed by the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression surged out once more. He almost could not help but tip over to one side and fall asleep.
In the past half a month, he had forcefully used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to keep his mind at peak condition, just so that he could avoid wasting away the sliver of experience he had accumulated from each attempt from pausing and resting.
This brutal method took a great toll on his mind. As a matter of fact, there was even the danger of making his mind snap. However, he managed to endure it all and make it to the other side.
Xiao An came up to him and rubbed his forehead gently. She said softly, “Sleep a little!”
“Don’t forget to wake me up…”
Xiao An’s voice seemed to possess irresistible charm. Before Li Qingshan had even finished talking, he collapsed and fell asleep.
He slept extremely heavily this time, in a state that seemed like a dream, yet not like a dream. He felt like he was floating in the ocean, being washed around by the currents and the waves. He would sometimes be submerged underwater and float on the surface at other times.
Before Xiao An could wake him, he had already awoken from his sleep. He felt that his head still ached slightly, so he shook it and asked, “How long have I slept for?”
“Roughly fourteen hours.”
“It’s time to set off!” Li Qingshan leapt to his feet and revealed a toothy grin.
“Yep!”
Li Qingshan opened the bug pouch and said to Milliped, “You’ll have to bear with it a little more. Don’t worry, it won’t be too long.”
Milliped dived head first into the bug pouch. He discovered the various kinds of food Xiao An had prepared for him, so he immediately began devouring it. He did not seem like he was putting up with anything at all.
Li Qingshan turned the stone disc, and the stone door opened slowly. Fresh air flowed in. Spring was already in the air.
The place for seclusion was located towards the back of the mountain, so it was quiet. He did not bother to inform anyone about his departure, directly using the Cloud Riding Mist Wielding technique. A cloud gathered below his feet.
After splitting open his sea of qi, he discovered that using techniques was easier than ever now, and their effects were much more powerful than before too.
The cloud carried Li Qingshan and Xiao An off into the sky, but as soon as they reached an altitude of a few meters, they vanished as a soft streak of light.
“Sect master, Li Qingshan has emerged from seclusion!” The parlour master reported in a hurry in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
“Where’s he right now?” Wei Zhongyuan had run out of patience a long time ago, so he beamed when he heard the news.
“H- he has vanished,” the parlour master stuttered. The news from the mountain was that the dwelling was wide open, but not a single person was in sight. No one knew where Li Qingshan had gone to.
“That little bastard!” Wei Zhongyuan launched a palm strike and sent the parlour master flying, slamming into the wall heavily and spurting with blood. However, he did not dare to fight back or talk back against the enraged Wei Zhongyuan.
Wei Zhongyuan roared, “No matter where you flee to, I will find you and tear you to shreds!”
The cloud and mist had already reached the highest point that it could reach. The blueness of the sky was dazzling. Li Qingshan extended his hand towards the sky, as if he wanted to touch that vision, his promise beyond the Nine Heavens.
However, he touched nothing, but he smiled instead. The light from the springtime sun was so bright and beautiful that he was unable to look at it directly.
Xiao An stared straight at him, like staring at a vision, silently thinking about her own promise, not returning to her long-forgotten home in the south, but accompanying him all the way beyond the Nine Heavens.
After quite a while, Li Qingshan lowered his head and looked at the ground and the mountains below. The raging waters of the Clear river glistened like a stream of light. The Hawkwolf mountain seemed like a small hill, while Wei Zhongyuan’s roar was probably not even as loud as a mosquito, which Li Qingshan missed completely.
He took out the mental map of the Green province and checked his bearings before pointing towards the south-east.
“To the Academy of the Hundred Schools!”
PS: The path has already begun, and Dream Teller is beginning his advance. During the double tickets event, I eagerly plead for monthly tickets. To me, the true challenge has only just begun. I want to determine the victory and defeat with the plot! I refuse to believe I’ll lose to others! And, I want to ask, which schools of thought do you think Li Qingshan and Xiao An will be joining? The answer is coming right up. I don’t think anyone can guess it. ^_^
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1. The stirring of insects, also known as hibernating insects awaken, is a name of one of the 24 solar terms used in ancient China, which essentially breaks a year into 24 time periods, each with a different name describing the period. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingzhe
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Chapter 264 – Arriving in the Prefectural City of Clear River
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Chapter 264 – Arriving in the Prefectural City of Clear River
The cloud and mist surged, shooting across the sky with a small, white tail.
The gusts of wind blew into their faces and ruffled Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s clothes. The spring wind in the third month was still slightly chilly, but the warmth from the sun was truly intoxicating.
The landscape below them rapidly receded. Li Qingshan had been on aeroplanes in his past life, but it was impossible to compare the feeling of flight to sitting in an aircraft cabin.
Under Li Qingshan’s control, the cloud and mist suddenly rushed down towards a large lake. The crystal green lake hurtled towards his face. In the moment he was about to collide with the lake, he suddenly slowed down, kicking up a clear splash that landed on Li Qingshan’s face. He sped along the surface of the water, leaving behind a trail in the lake.
When he was about to crash into a hill, he suddenly pulled up, rushing towards the blue sky.
The surrounding scenery constantly changed. The cities, towns, and villages appeared before disappearing once again, while the mountains towered before flattening out.
During early spring, he took in all of the natural scenery that had yet to be destroyed by humanity.
For a moment, Li Qingshan felt that his mind had never been so open before.
Li Qingshan took out Milliped from the bug pouch to show the scenery of the sky to this guy who spent his entire life crawling around underground. As soon as Milliped came out, he shrank into a ball.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud, while Xiao An giggled.
His flight speed was not particularly fast. At least, it was not as fast as when Li Qingshan moved along the ground. However, the benefit was that there were no obstacles in the sky, so they could fly along a straight path.
Although there were five hundred kilometers between Jiaping city and Clear River city, covering that much distance in a single day was nothing difficult while flying.
They had set off in the afternoon. The sky above them gradually dimmed, lighting up with stars. In the end, it turned into a resplendent galaxy of stars.
The tiny cloud was like a tiny, lone island, hovering beneath the starry sky. Li Qingshan could not help but be shocked by the scenery around him, which he praised, “So beautiful!”
Xiao An nodded. Li Qingshan rubbed her head before taking out the mental map of the Green province. Taking a look, he said, “We’re almost there.”
The Clear river turned into a jade band glistening with starlight, leading to the very core of the entire Clear River prefecture. More and more boats began to appear on the river.
As the cloud sped along, a ball of fire suddenly lit up in the distant, gloomy horizon. It burned in a dazzling manner.
As Li Qingshan drew closer, he saw the fire split up into thousands of lights, which surprised him slightly.
Originally, he thought the prefectural city of Clear River was just an enlarged version of Jiaping city. At most, it would cover an area a few times larger.
But when he saw it with his own eyes, he felt like he had transmigrated back to his original world, arriving in a modern city towering with skyscrapers. Skyscrapers seemed to grow from the ground. There were plenty that towered above ten storeys, and their designs were extremely exquisite. The city was like a gigantic art gallery instead of the concrete jungles of modern times.
These traditional structures should not have been able to stand in such an imposing manner. In particular, there were a few buildings and pavilions of special design that even a non-professional like Li Qingshan felt did not conform to the principles of engineering, yet there they stood without any issues at all.
Li Qingshan immediately understood that this was the civil engineering techniques of mohism.
Now, this was a cultivator’s world. Their influence had already penetrated every corner of the world. They did not spend every single day flying around in the air and blasting one another with techniques.
Before the city, Li Qingshan dispersed the cloud and mist and walked over with Xiao An by foot. However, he still used the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility, concealing his body while withdrawing all of his aura. It was unlikely for him to run into the people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain in such a large city, but there was nothing wrong with being more careful.
On the ground, he discovered the city to be even more imposing. Just like Jiaping city, there were no city walls here either. If there really was a day when war erupted, the end result would be determined in the sky. City walls on the ground were just a small, earthen slope to the enemy.
There was even less of a reason to use city walls to guard against bandits and thugs. This was the supreme headquarters of the Hawkwolf Guard for the entire Clear River prefecture, with two commanders stationed here. Anyone who dared to make trouble here would be captured immediately and taken away.
Li Qingshan’s first destination was the headquarters of the Hawkwolf Guard. Originally, every single person who joined the Hawkwolf Guard would come to Clear River city to meet the two scarlet bronze commanders after a period of trial. It was basically a formality.
Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei had already come to Clear River city before, but only Li Qingshan had not done so. Before he had entered secluded cultivation, Fang Enshang had specially reminded him to report there as soon as he arrived in Clear River city.
If he wanted to cultivate in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, this was crucial. He could not help but think about what had happened over a year ago, with the handsome “commander Hua” and the stern “old Wang”. He wondered how they would react when they saw him again.
And, with how late it was, the two of them probably were not in their office anymore. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. He sensed a spiritual pulse scan past him.
Li Qingshan immediately raised his vigilance, but he saw no one approaching him. He could not help but become rather perplexed.
Xiao An said, “This is a formation.”
“How do you know?”
“The Book of All said so.”
Li Qingshan was astonished. This was a formation that enveloped such a large city. That was equivalent to invisible city walls, guarding against Qi Practitioners that could actually threaten this place. However, he guessed that the formation was probably much more useful as a deterrent than whatever other purposes it could serve.
Li Qingshan travelled along the river. The multi-storeyed ships on the wide river were like cities among the city. There were loud commotions at the harbour, while the lights were so bright that it seemed like daytime, illuminating all of the willow trees that were currently blooming along the riverbank. It all seemed hazy like mist.
On the main road, people flowed to and fro, weaving between each other like cloth. It was both busy and lively.
Li Qingshan suddenly realised something. These regular people were living in the care of gods.
Li Qingshan wove through the road with Xiao An and found his destination very soon, a scarlet building that stood several dozen storeys high. At the very top of the building was a bronze hawk, even larger than the one in Jiaping city. It also had its eyes wide open and its wings spread. It was very imposing.
Li Qingshan could not help but wonder whether there would be a bird even larger than this made from white silver where Gu Yanying stayed in the Ruyi commandery. If it was the South Centre city, it would probably be a golden hawk.
However, just what significance was all that gold and silver supposed to hold at that cultivation realm?
Li Qingshan removed his invisibility and climbed up the steps, entering the majestic building. The lobby was quiet, and the only thing that connected it to the higher floors was a spiral staircase.
The marble tiles were reflective enough for Li Qingshan to see himself clearly. Only a woman sat behind a marble table as she dozed off.
Li Qingshan purposefully made his footsteps quite obvious, but he failed to awaken the woman. In the end, he discovered that she was just a regular person. The security here was so lax that it was almost impossible to connect it with the Hawkwolf Guard. All he could do was walk over and knock on the desk.
The woman jerked awake. “Who are you looking for?”
Li Qingshan said, “Black Wolf guard of Jiaping city, Li Qingshan. I’ve come to meet the two commanders.”
“Commander Wang has already gone home.” The woman saw the tablet on Li Qingshan’s waist and immediately answered diligently.
Li Qingshan said, “Then what about commander Hua?”
The woman immediately said, “Commander Hua has already gone drinking with women.” She covered her mouth in a hurry, knowing that she had said too much.
Li Qingshan curled his lip. As it seemed, this commander Hua was not particularly dignified here.
The woman was clearly just a regular receptionist. It was probably because no Qi Practitioner was willing to work a job like this, which was why they chose a decent-looking regular person.
“You are welcomed to go upstairs and rest for the night. You can meet the two commanders tomorrow.”
The purpose of this majestic building clearly was not just for work. It also provided lodgings for guards who had come to the city.
Just as Li Qingshan was contemplating on what to do, footsteps began to ring out above.
“You’ve finally arrived.” Qian Rongzhi slowly made her way down the spiral staircase. She was not wearing the uniform of the Hawkwolf Guard, having changed into a thin, long, violet spring dress. Her hair was styled in a fancy manner, revealing her snow-white nape. Compared to the gentleness and kindliness she showed in Jiaping city, she seemed more elegant now.
At this moment, even Li Qingshan struggled to connect her with the Qian Rongzhi of the past. Her bearing had not just changed, but improved as well. Her cultivation had already reached the sixth layer, which probably played a crucial role in all of this.
Li Qingshan frowned. “Why are you here?”
Qian Rongzhi touched her hair. “I’m also going to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to cultivate. Perhaps we might end up as fellow students. Right, Xiao An?” She winked at Xiao An before saying to Li Qingshan, “Congratulations, you’ve reached the sixth layer.”
Although she showed none of it on her face, she was surprised inside. When she initially met him, he was only at the first layer. In under a year, he had reached the sixth layer. He had truly been cultivating at an amazing speed, and his true strength was much more than just that.
Even though she had the brutal cultivation method of the Vitality Devouring technique, the reason why she could cultivate so quickly was closely linked to all those years of accumulation, which was why she managed to split open her sea of qi successfully in a single attempt.
Li Qingshan replied, “Same to you.”
The joy that came from her success was not an act. Reaching the sixth layer as a Qi Practitioner was worthy of celebration for all cultivators. However, with her exquisite outfit, it no longer seemed so simple anymore.
“Rongzhi, what are you doing here? Didn’t we agree to eat together?” A young man made his way down the staircase and arrived beside Qian Rongzhi.
Li Qingshan glanced at him quickly. He had met this man in the past too. He was Wu Gen, the one who led the group that had surrounded the Truth-seeking society.
It was not strange at all for Qian Rongzhi to be acquainted with him. Fang Enshang favoured her heavily, and Fang Enshang and Wu Gen were familiar with one another. As such, now that she had come to Clear River city, Fang Enshang would obviously ask his friend to take good care of her.
When he saw how Wu Gen looked at Qian Rongzhi, Li Qingshan understood even further. That was how a man looked at a woman. Although he intentionally disguised it, the lust was still as clear as day.
The prey had already bitten the bait.
“Brother Wu, this is a fellow colleague of mine who joined the Hawkwolf Guard with me. He’s Li Qingshan. Qingshan, this is a good friend of our commander, Wu Gen.” Qian Rongzhi gave a natural and graceful introduction, but she maintained a certain distance from Wu Gen the entire time. She seemed closer to Li Qingshan.
However, exactly because of that, Wu Gen felt restless and found it to be unbearable. When he met her below the Green Vine mountain in the past, he could feel that this woman was different. Now that he had met her again in Clear River city, and she had changed into a spring dress, she seemed to have transformed completely, causing his heart to thump for her.
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Chapter 265 – Visiting the Parlour of Clouds and Rain Again
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Chapter 265 – Visiting the Parlour of Clouds and Rain Again
Qian Rongzhi was no longer the same Qian Rongzhi as before. She was not in a hurry to change her fate by seducing a superior officer like she had been when she first arrived in Jiaping city. She had the time to wait for the biggest fish now. She knew extremely well that all men were worthless creatures. It would be easier for her to achieve her objective if they could not obtain her.
However, all of this was established on the basis of cultivation. Only with her cultivation at the sixth layer did she attract Wu Gen’s proper attention, preventing him from resorting to more forceful methods.
In the past in Jiaping city, even if she wanted to control Zhuo Zhibo like this, it would have been impossible. Only with strength could she win respect. This was one of the most fundamental principles in the cultivation world.
Li Qingshan saw exactly what was happening, but he did not expose her either. Originally, he had some small grievances with Wu Gen, but now, he instead pitied him. He bowed. “Greetings to sir Wu.”
Wu Gen saw how Li Qingshan was at the sixth layer, but he did not behave particularly arrogantly, so Wu Gen casually returned with a bow. “Not bad. You have some talent. You can consider changing your uniform. Once you join the Academy of the Hundred Schools in a few days’ time, we’ll be one big family, so we’ll need to know each other better. Come with me. I’ll take you to see commander Hua.”
“May I ask where commander Hua is?”
“In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, obviously. Let’s go together.”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, while Qian Rongzhi seemed troubled too. She had just been expelled from the Sect of Clouds and Rain. She had personally killed Wei Zhongyuan’s son, while her cultivation all came from the Method of Clouds and Rain too.
“Rongzhi, I’ve already told you before. That place isn’t like what you imagine it to be. There’s quite a lot of interesting stuff there. Almost all of the best chefs of the entire Clear River prefecture are there. You won’t be disappointed if you go.” Wu Gen had thought Qian Rongzhi was reluctant to visit a brothel, so he persuaded her softly.
Qian Rongzhi tactfully explained Li Qingshan’s grievances with the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
Wu Gen sized up Li Qingshan. “I couldn’t tell, but you sure know how to make trouble.”
Li Qingshan said, “Things never happen according to plan. I’ll stay here for the night and see commander Hua tomorrow.”
“Hold on!” Wu Gen fished out his Scarlet Wolf tablet and flicked it gently. With a flash, he actually began to talk through it, “Big brother Hua, there’s someone from Jiaping city called Li Qingshan who wants to see you, but he seems to have some disputes with big sis Qiu. Yep. Okay!”
Afterwards, he raised his head. “Just wait here. He said he’ll be here in a moment.”
Li Qingshan felt like he had transmigrated back to his previous life and fell into a trance for a moment. He wondered, Just who is this big sis Qiu?
Qian Rongzhi whispered, “The sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Qiu Haitang. A Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
Li Qingshan shuddered. The Hawkwolf Guard of the Clear River prefecture actually had such deep ties with the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
Wu Gen did not behave as arrogantly and recklessly as he did in the Quiet Spring valley in front of his own colleagues. However, he did have to fulfill his ego.
Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi thought of the same thing. They played along with him reluctantly while constantly looking at one another, which displeased Wu Gen slightly.
A while later, there was a long whinny, and a fine horse with a silver mane stopped at the entrance. It actually hovered above the ground, having galloped over on the wind.
The horse was a head taller than regular horses, and it was covered in fine scales. It was more than just a fine steed, but almost a divine steed. A robust figure dismounted from the horse. He was Hua Chengzan.
Wu Gen smiled. “Brother Hua, how about you sell me this Silver Dragon horse for a thousand spiritual stones?”
Hua Chengzan glanced at Wu Gen. “More like just a leg of the horse.” He was clearly tipsy. His face was flushed from drinking, like he had put on rouge. It made him seem extremely beautiful, but his gaze was still clear. As soon as he saw Li Qingshan, his eyes lit up. He never thought the person mentioned by her would appear before him so soon.
After seeing through Li Qingshan’s cultivation, he was surprised. He clicked his tongue in wonder. “The sixth layer! Impressive, impressive!”
Li Qingshan said without being too polite or rude, “Greetings, commander Hua.”
Hua Chengzan waved his hand. “We’re not working right now, so you’re forbidden from calling me commander.”
Wu Gen said, “When I was his age, I was around the sixth layer too. What’s so impressive about that?”
Having reached the eighth layer at such a young age, Wu Gen was known as a genius even among Clear River city that was teeming with talented people. The only person he openly admired was Hua Chengzan. Hearing how he praised Li Qingshan’s cultivation, even doing it before Qian Rongzhi, he was rather unwilling to accept it.
Although Li Qingshan was only seventeen, he gave off a mature bearing. No one who saw him would treat him like a regular teenager. Instead, he was a man who possessed his own charm.
Hua Chengzan said, “How long did it take for you to reach the sixth layer?”
“Around ten years? What’s it got to do with this?” Wu Gen came from a prominent clan too. He had begun cultivating in his youth. He had been sent to the Academy of the Hundred Schools after developing a slight foundation.
Hua Chengzan raised a finger. “He only used one year.”
“Brother Hua, don’t kid around with me!” Wu Gen was immediately stunned. He looked at Li Qingshan in surprise and doubt. He was unable to tell that this slightly unrefined kid had such great talent.
Hua Chengzan asked Li Qingshan, “Am I right?”
Li Qingshan replied, “Basically.”
Wu Gen’s gaze towards Li Qingshan now became much more cautious.
Hua Chengzan wrapped his arm around Li Qingshan’s shoulder naturally. “Come! Let’s go take a look at the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with me!” He immediately felt Li Qingshan’s body stiffen. He smiled, revealing his pearly, white teeth. Although he was slightly tipsy, he seemed quite charming.
Qian Rongzhi thought, So that’s all there is to the man of so-called unmatched handsomeness! She was afraid of carelessly targeting this man, even though he had great value in being used, as she had personally witnessed the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Qiu Haitang, before.
Li Qingshan never thought he would be immediately entering the den of his greatest enemy so far as soon as he arrived in Clear River city. There was a Foundation Establishment cultivator there, so was he not walking into the belly of the beast? He could tell how Hua Chengzan had close ties to the Sect of Clouds and Rain, so surely he was not working with the sect to screw him over, right?
Hua Chengzan said, “Don’t be so nervous. Relax. Women might be as fierce as tigers, but they’re not man-eaters at the end of the day. Right, Rongzhi?”
Qian Rongzhi let out a shallow smile. “Yeah.”
Wu Gen took an even deeper liking towards her. Now that’s a woman I would admire. Regular women would just ogle Hua Chengzan uncontrollably when they met him. They would never be able to deal with him as smoothly as Qian Rongzhi did.
Li Qingshan hesitated slightly. Hua Chengzan slapped Li Qingshan’s back. “Don’t worry, this is my territory, so I can guarantee that you’ll be fine. If there’s anything you want to say, you can spit it all out. As mighty Hawkwolf guards, we can’t just hide around every single day.”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Yeah, Qingshan. Let’s go take a look!”
“As the commander wishes.” Li Qingshan knew that he could not decline. Hesitating would instead attract suspicion, so he agreed firmly.
Qian Rongzhi had a sinister mind, but her insight was sharp too. Since she was bold enough to go, it meant she had already made a judgement. He trusted her judgement. The two of them were in the same boat for this matter. As a matter of fact, her crimes as a traitor were much larger than his.
If even she was bold enough to go, why was he supposed to be afraid? Being able to resolve this issue of living in constant fear of being attacked would be good too.
“Didn’t I say not to call me commander? Though, agreeing is more like it.”
Then, Hua Chengzan crouched down and said to Xiao An beside Li Qingshan, “You must be the Xiao An that the Sect of Clouds and Rain is searching for!”
Xiao An ignored him. She only clung onto Li Qingshan’s hand.
Wu Gen laughed aloud. “Looks like even you have times when you are defeated.”
Hua Chengzan rubbed his nose. “Looks like my charm isn’t enough to affect girls at such an age. Grow up quickly. Then you’ll know just who’s better compared to this Li person.”
Wu Gen laughed aloud, while Li Qingshan grinned. It was difficult to develop any ill will towards him.
The five of them left the building. Li Qingshan looked at the Silver Dragon horse there. Up close, it was even more beautiful. Every single muscle of its body possessed rippling beauty, while the spiritual qi flowing through it was extremely pure too.
Li Qingshan knew this was a spiritual beast that had been tamed by humans. If he measured it according to the scale of daemons, it was already a rather powerful daemonic beast. The stirrups and horseshoes on the horse all shone with light. Together, they were equivalent to a high grade spiritual artifact at the very least. Along with the daily costs to feed and take care of it, it was not something that any regular Qi Practitioners could afford to keep. Even if they could afford to keep it, there was no need for them to keep one either.
However, these unnecessary aspects only demonstrated the Hua family’s strength.
“Do you want to try riding it? Come, I’ll lift you onto it.” Seeing Xiao An ogle at the Silver Dragon Horse, Hua Chengzan seemed to refuse to accept the fact that his charm had failed, so he smiled.
Xiao An refused again. Li Qingshan directly lifted her onto the horse and patted the side of the horse. “Just ride it. There’s still quite a long way!”
“Be careful!” Hua Chengzan warned in a hurry, but he saw how the Silver Dragon horse just stood there without moving. He seemed stunned. “That’s strange. This guy usually has a fiery temper. If I don’t tell him beforehand, he never lets anyone ride him.”
Horses might not be as clever as humans, but they had senses for danger that humans did not possess.
Wu Gen took out something like a tablet and summoned a fine steed. It was not as great as a divine steed like the Silver Dragon horse, but it was still an extraordinary spiritual beast. He invited Qian Rongzhi to mount it.
Qian Rongzhi thanked him with a nod before mounting the horse elegantly.
Hua Chengzan and Wu Gen walked as they led the horses along. The ground followed the main street towards the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Along the way, Hua Chengzan and Wu Gen discussed the advantages of disadvantages of various mounts, not just horses. Sure enough, they were extremely expensive. Including the entire set of equipment, they would cost several thousand spiritual stones at the very least.
Li Qingshan was unable to chime in either. He felt like a kid from the countryside listening to the young masters of the city discussing which car to buy.
While he could afford one, he would never waste his spiritual stones on an aspect like this. He would convert every single spiritual stone in his possession into his own power so that he could fly to higher skies.
Of course, if he really wanted a mount, there were quite a few impressive ones among the daemonic beasts underground. Even if humans managed to catch these wild daemonic beasts alive, they would be impossible to tame, but it was perfectly justifiable for a daemon soldier leader to harass his subordinates.
However, if he wanted to return there, just his identity as a daemon soldier leader would be nowhere near enough. He needed to undergo a heavenly tribulation and successfully become a Daemon General. Only then could he return to the region and reclaim it.
Hua Chengzan would introduce the local customs, cultures, and stories of the prefectural city from time to time as well. He was full of witty remarks, such that no one found it boring.
They arrived before a glorious building. The four words, Parlour of Clouds and Rain, hung high on the building.
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Chapter 266 – Sobering up with Alcohol
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Chapter 266 – Sobering up with Alcohol
The halls were magnificent, and the entire building was lit with lanterns.
It stood several hundred meters high. Even in the city filled with large structures, it stood out.
A string of great, red lanterns dangled down from the edge of the tall, slender eaves. The walls depicted large, enchanting paintings of dancing and floating women. The most unbelievable part about it all was that the wall paintings actually moved about. They winked and gestured at the passersby as their snow-white hands plucked the pipa, resulting in actual music. It was magnificent, just like a wonderland.
Wu Gen said proudly, “What do you think of this place, Rongzhi?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “It’s very beautiful.” She had already been here once before.
Then, Wu Gen asked, “What about you, Qingshan? You won’t be able to see something like this in a small place like Jiaping even if you spent your entire life there.”
Originally, Hua Chengzan thought that Li Qingshan would be utterly dumbfounded and left speechless. Most people who came here for the first time behaved like that. However, Li Qingshan only demonstrated amazement, but he maintained his composure. It earned some praise in Hua Chengzan’s heart.
Li Qingshan said, “It makes me think of home.”
Wu Gen laughed aloud. “That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all day.”
Li Qingshan did not refute him. This place was indeed like his former life, the world of blurred lights, the flickering neon lights, and the movies that confounded fiction with reality. There probably were not a lot of sights that could make him dumbfounded.
Wu Gen took out the item that seemed like a tablet again. Li Qingshan knew that this was called a seal, which was specially used to control spiritual beasts. Hua Chengzan sent the Silver Dragon horse away too.
Entering the parlour, a fragrance rushed into his face. A group of young women in thin, spring dresses came up to receive them. Every single one of them were as charming as flowers and gave off the vigorous aura of youth. They touched and prodded Hua Chengzan, gabbling and chirping at him together. They called him young master Hua, young master Hua endlessly.
Hua Chengzan did not push them away either. He embraced them with both hands and named all of them with great familiarity, which excited these young women again.
“How undisciplined. Don’t you all have things to do?” A woman who seemed like a caretaker walked over and dispersed these unwilling women.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to say that this place was quite different from regular brothels, but he saw how the young women immediately changed when they dispersed to receive customers. They were all very courteous, clearly having undergone strict training. They were even more dignified than young ladies from noble families.
The caretaker woman bowed towards Hua Chengzan gracefully before quickly glancing around. She said bashfully, “Young master Hua, you’ve returned. Your friends have almost run out of patience waiting for you.”
Only then did they know that Hua Chengzan was receiving special treatment. The two other men, Li Qingshan and Wu Gen, had been reduced to mere foils to enhance Hua Chengzan’s charm. They glanced at each other and felt some pity for one another.
Li Qingshan raised his head. The Parlour of Clouds and Rain had the same structure of a hollow centre, but it was not round. Instead, it seemed like a fish, and the entire building was more than ten times larger than the one in Jiaping city. Countless passageways bridged the centre in the air as people walked around on them. It was like a city within a building.
People flowed in and out of the building, including people of different ages and sexes. A few Qi Practitioner were mixed among them, looking around like regular tourists and admiring the strange sights of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
Hua Chengzan teased the caretaker woman a little before asking, “Where’s Haitang?”
“The sect master is cultivating in the back.”
“Get her to come over. I have a few friends I want to introduce to her.”
The woman glanced at Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi before speaking in an unwilling manner, “I’ll go right now.”
However, Li Qingshan raised his vigilance even more. Hua Chengzan directly called this sect master by her name, and he could even invite her over so easily. It was more than enough to prove their relationship.
“Let’s go up first!” Hua Chengzan led the way at the front. When they arrived in a corner of the building, Li Qingshan felt a white cloud surge out from beneath his feet, gently lifting everyone up slowly. Only then did he spot the tiny formation carved into the ground. It flickered with light. Clearly, it was a formation that could create a cloud for riding.
Hua Chengzan saw Li Qingshan’s expression change. He joked, “What, has it reminded you of home again?”
Li Qingshan, “Yep.” Wasn’t this just an elevator? While the exact methods used were different, humans basically all travelled in roughly the same direction when it came to indulgence.
Wu Gen patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder and smiled. “I couldn’t tell, but you sure like to joke around, Qingshan.”
As they pulled higher and higher, Li Qingshan spotted that the Parlour of Clouds and Rain was divided into several spaces according to their floors. He could see this thanks to his extraordinary eyesight. There were spaces furnished with gambing tables and games, as well as spaces filled with people feasting.
Of course, the traditional “services” took up a very large space too. Every single person there was overflowing with smiles. Even Li Qingshan could not help but be infected by this joyous atmosphere. His mind gradually loosened, temporarily forgetting about his worries and grievances. He smiled too.
Hua Chengzan said, “Here, no matter what your identity is, no matter what your interests are, you can get whatever you want. There is boundless joy here.”
Li Qingshan suddenly sensed that something was amiss. He used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to stabilise his mind, and his smile immediately vanished. “Are there formations here that can influence the minds of people?” Afterwards, he saw how Xiao An was unaffected, just as expected, while Qian Rongzhi’s expression remained the same too, likely due to the Method of Clouds and Rain that she practised.
“That’s right!” Hua Chengzan nodded. He appreciated Li Qingshan’s sharp senses.
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t tell me it’s fine to delude people like this?”
Wu Gen said, “What delude people? You’d better stop exaggerating.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Just what part of wine, women, avarice, and pride isn’t deluding people? And, just who dislikes them? Compared to those, don’t you think that using some techniques to bring joy to people in a way that is neither harmful to the body or the mind is much better?”
Li Qingshan shook his head. “I’d rather go without joys like that.”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “Everyone is drunk, so why must you be the only one sober?”
Li Qingshan looked into Hua Chengzan’s clear pupils and asked, “Are you drunk?” He did not feel like Hua Chengzan was one to wallow in these kinds of things.
Hua Chengzan blinked his eyes. “Haven’t you ever heard of sobering up with alcohol?”
The two of them smiled at each other.
Wu Gen said impatiently, “Just what riddles are you throwing at each other?”
The surroundings suddenly quietened. They had already arrived at the very top of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. The stars twinkled overhead, while the surroundings were now a garden. Tall bamboo grew in verdant clumps, with both fake mountains and ponds present in the surroundings. As a matter of fact, there was even a small, gurgling stream. It was impossible to imagine that this was on the top of a tall building. The sound of traditional instruments rang out from a few pavilions in the distance.
They walked along a small path and ran into a half-drunk, middle-aged man who was supported by a gorgeous woman. Both of them were Qi Practitioners, while the man was actually at the tenth layer. His green robes were wrinkled, and he had his hand on the woman’s perky bottom. Even his beard struggled to make him seem even the slightest bit more dignified.
The middle-aged man saw Hua Chengzan and moved away from the woman in a hurry. He tidied up his clothes and put on a gentleman’s act. “S- so it’s commander Hua.”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “What are you doing here, sir?”
The middle-aged man coughed gently. “Collecting material, collecting material.”
The woman rubbed his chest. “Didn’t you say you’d make me feel good once in bed?”
The middle-aged man refuted awkwardly, “Stop talking nonsense.” The woman only smiled, clearly completely unafraid of him. She even tossed a few flirtatious glances at Hua Chengzan.
Wu Gen sniggered, while Hua Chengzan stepped aside to give way. “You can go first, sir. Let’s not delay your proper business.”
Wu Gen said disdainfully, “Shameless degenerate.”
The middle-aged man left in a disheveled manner. Li Qingshan asked curiously, “Who is he?” He had seen quite a few powerful Qi Practitioners before. Whether they were enemies or friends, they all had quite the bearing about them, unlike how unsightly that man was.
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Chapter 267 – The Sect Master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain
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Chapter 267 – The Sect Master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain
Wu Gen said, “A shameless degenerate.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Shh, be quiet!”
“What’s so scary about him? Let’s head over!”
Between the bamboo was a bamboo building. Two strange, stone, humanoid statues held lanterns at the entrance, giving off the feeling of a foreign land. The stream flowed into a bamboo basket on the side.
Li Qingshan entered the building with Hua Chengzan. There were around a dozen young men and women currently drinking happily.
All of them were Qi Practitioners, and none of them were below the sixth layer.
Seeing Hua Chengzan walk in, a young man with some whiskers and fair skin grabbed Hua Chengzan by the sleeve. “Senior brother, you ran off before you were even done drinking. What’s that supposed to mean? You need to be punished with three additional cups.”
Everyone kicked up a fuss together. “Three additional cups!” There were also people who asked, “Who’re they?”
Hua Chengzan said, “Alright, alright, alright. Don’t fuss around. Let me introduce these two friends to you. This one is Li Qingshan and she’s Qian Rongzhi. They’re both joining our school of Legalism.”
“These people are all the talents of our school of Legalism in the Clear River prefecture. They might seem a little unbearable, as they are a bit unbearable. I’m not going to introduce them one by one, but let’s all get along in the future!”
Before he was done, everyone had already begun mocking him, “You’re unbearable.”
Before he had come here, Li Qingshan had already learnt a little about the school of Legalism from the Book of All. The current leader of the school of Legalism was the Scarlet Hawk commander, Wang Pushi.
The Academy of the Hundred Schools was not completely cut off from the outside world. Instead, it had an extremely close connection throughout the many levels of the Great Xia empire. The disciples there had great freedom. As long as they had paid their fees, they could do whatever they wanted. Of course, the fees were large amounts of spiritual stones.
This freedom was exactly what Li Qingshan wanted. The rules were not rigid and restrictive like sects. It was relatively more convenient if he wanted to head out to handle some matters.
Some disciples of legalism would study in the academy while doing their job as a Hawkwolf guard, which was possible as long as they killed a few figures on the blacklist every now and then.
The current primary disciple of legalism was Hua Chengzan, which made it even more difficult for Li Qingshan to decline. The people before him must have been the elites among the school of Legalism. They were unable to disguise their aggressive pride that came with their young age.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands at everyone, but most of them ignored him. However, when Qian Rongzhi emerged from behind and bowed gracefully, it made the eyes of a lot of the men present light up.
“Alright, Wu Gen. I was wondering why you didn’t come find us in the past few days. You said you had a friend coming into town, but turns out you’re just hiding a beauty to yourself.”
“Quit your bullshit.” Wu Gen refused to admit it, but his smile grew even wider.
Everyone saw Xiao An and praised her too. For a moment, the atmosphere was boisterous.
Hua Chengzan pulled Li Qingshan with him to sit down. He poured him some alcohol and smiled. “Just wait a moment. Your enemy will be arriving very soon.”
The others became rather surprised by the treatment that Li Qingshan received. Although Hu Chengzan treated everyone courteously, he was probably prouder than everyone else here. It was very rare for him to be so close with someone.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s just hope we don’t blaze with hatred when we see our enemies.”
Hua Chengzan patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
Li Qingshan smiled. Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind from behind and his body stiffened. Hua Chengzan patted his hand with a smile, as if he was telling him to relax.
A woman wrapped her arms around Hua Chengzan and Li Qingshan’s necks from behind. A pretty face appeared between them and smiled. “What enemy?”
Li Qingshan felt something soft press against his back as fragrance assaulted his nose. He was slightly surprised, as this woman was not a disciple of the Sect of Clouds and Rain drinking with everyone else, but a disciple of the school of Legalism. Her cultivation was even higher than Wu Gen’s, at the ninth layer. She was only second to Hua Chengzan among the disciples of legalism.
Hua Chengzan said, “Stop frightening people. If he punched you, you probably wouldn’t be able to take it.”
“He’s able to bring himself to do something like that?” The woman turned towards Li Qingshan. “You’re able to bring yourself to do something like that?”
Her vermillion lips were inches away as the smell of alcohol assaulted Li Qingshan’s nose. With that, the feeling on his shoulder grew clearer. Li Qingshan coughed gently. “Even if I can bring myself to do something like that, I’d miss.”
“You’re actually able to bring yourself to do that?” The woman stared into his eyes and drew closer to him.
And I definitely wouldn’t miss, thought Li Qingshan.
Hua Chengzan introduced, “Han Qiongzhi, the secondary disciple of legalism, the young miss of the Han family.”
Han Qiongzhi said, “If you put it like that, you’ll make me angry. What young miss of the Han family? You can just call me senior sister! Oh right, hasn’t my little brother come today?”
Hua Chengzan said, “He never comes to places like this. It’s not like you don’t know. Now go. Don’t get in the way of my drinking.”
Han Qiongzhi said, “No, I refuse. They’re all gathering around the new girl, so of course, I have to gather around the new guy.”
As expected, Qian Rongzhi had completely joined in with the disciples of legalism now. Han Qiongzhi suddenly sensed a gaze look over. She turned around and saw Xiao An staring straight at her. She raised an eyebrow and said with displeasure, “Kid, what’re you looking at?”
“She’s not looking at anyone.” Li Qingshan’s voice coldened slightly as he scooped up Xiao An. He lowered his head and asked her, “Do you want to eat anything?”
“Oh? Pretty cocky are we?” Han Qiongzhi raised her voice and attracted quite a few gazes.
Hua Chengzan thought, Oh no. Han Qiongzhi had always been headstrong, but she never liked being brushed off.
“You’re just a bumpkin-” Before Han Qiongzhi could finish talking, Hua Chengzan had shoved a cup of alcohol into her mouth. “Go drink your wine!”
Han Qiongzhi said unhappily, “Exactly why s-” However, she could see how Hua Chengzan’s gaze was warning her despite still smiling. Her anger immediately subsided, and she snatched the cup. “Fine then.”
“Senior sister has been taught a lesson by big bro Hua again!” A female disciple of legalism teased from nearby.
“I’ll rip your mouth out!” Han Qiongzhi glared at Li Qingshan before going off to mess around with that girl.
Hua Chengzan said, “That’s just how her personality is like. She has no ill will towards you.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “That’s fine. Among ninth layer Qi Practitioners, her personality is one of the better ones I’ve seen.” Her personality was so horrible that he almost wanted to kill her.
“If you can yield to her a little, it’ll be very beneficial to you in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, no, the Clear River prefecture. Seeing how she doesn’t dislike you, you might even get the chance to become the son-in-law of the Han family!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “You’d better make use of an opportunity like that yourself, brother Hua!”
Hua Chengzan chuckled. There was a laugh from outside. “He has had far too many opportunities like that. Even if he wants to, he can’t make use of them all.”
The voice was slightly husky, but extremely feminine, while the laughter was infectious, enough to make people feel joy for some reason.
Li Qingshan looked out the door. A woman stepped in. She held a circular fan with peach blossoms, covering half of her dimpled face. Li Qingshan’s eyes widened. She seemed like a sweet maiden around fifteen or sixteen years of age, but the charm and bearing she gave off made her seem like a mature madam. Her body was startlingly curvaceous. Her erect chest pushed her clothes to the limits, her waist pulled together thinly, and her round bottom filled her dress. As she looked around with her beautiful eyes, she had already attracted everyone’s attention.
Li Qingshan had seen quite a few supreme beauties before, but he still gasped in amazement slightly inside. With such grace, who else could she be apart from the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain?
However, he became even more cautious. There was not a single Foundation Establishment cultivator that he could afford to treat lightly.
“Big sis Qiu, what brings you here?” The fair-skinned disciple of legalism with thin whiskers rushed over. He desired her inside, but he refused to show any of that on the surface.
Qiu Haitang smiled and spoke gracefully, greeting everyone. When she saw Qian Rongzhi, she paused. Qian Rongzhi lowered her head in a hurry, but she only sneered inside.
In the end, Qiu Haitang’s gaze landed on Li Qingshan, but it moved onto Xiao An without stopping. She touched her fan and exclaimed, “The Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty! As expected, that’s my impressive disciple. Thanks, Chengzan.”
With a fragrant breeze, Qiu Haitang had already arrived before her in the blink of an eye. She said to Xiao An, “Kid, come with me!”
Li Qingshan growled, “Don’t even think about it!”
Qiu Haitang waved her fan like she was shooing away a fly. “You must be Li Qingshan. For brother Hua’s sake, I’ll clean your slate with my Sect of Clouds and Rain.”
All Li Qingshan saw was the images on the fan begin to move and change as the world spun around him. He used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression in a hurry to compose himself. He was about to strike.
A slender, pale hand extended over from the side, emerging like a butterfly from a bush and grabbing Qiu Haitang’s hand. The fan immediately stopped.
“Haitang, you can’t just abduct people the moment that you see them. You need to ask whether they’re willing to leave with you or not.” Hua Chengzan frowned. He did not know what the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty meant to the Sect of Clouds and Rain. He had not even managed to say everything he had prepared. She had come to take Xiao An away the moment she appeared, even using her arts of charm in the process.
Qiu Haitang was surprised, but not because of Hua Chengzan. She had been expecting Hua Chengzan to stop her. It was not particularly surprising for Li Qingshan to be able to keep his composure either. Instead, she had basically used all of her arts of charm on the child, yet she actually managed to remain unfazed. It was rather unbelievable to her.
However, she was not discouraged. For a moment, her eyes rippled like water, producing many illusions as she asked softly, “Are you willing to leave with big sister?”
Xiao An said crisply, “I don’t want to.”
Qiu Haitang’s expression changed slightly.
Li Qingshan said, “You heard her!” He had to make the Sect of Clouds and Rain give up first.
Hua Chengzan said, “Haitang, it looks like you’re not destined to take her as your disciple, so please just give up on it. I brought Qingshan here to resolve his misunderstandings with the Sect of Clouds and Rain.”
Only then did everyone learn the reason why Hua Chengzan had brought Li Qingshan here.
“If that’s the case, let’s calculate the total debts. Li Qingshan, I suspect you to be connected to the deaths of a few disciples from my sect.” Qiu Haitang’s expression changed once more.
In Li Qingshan’s eyes, she had immediately gone from being a charming beauty to a vicious fiend, enough to stun people. However, he only sneered. Tempting him with the arts of charm might have been somewhat effective, but she was nowhere close to being enough to frighten him.
If he was even afraid of that, then wouldn’t he frighten himself to death once he transformed and checked the mirror? Actually, he was very satisfied with his appearance as a daemon.
Li Qingshan said, “That’s right. I did kill the procuress in Jiaping city’s Parlour of Clouds and Rain. However, she was working with Zhuo Zhibo, and she infringed upon me first. She also abducted innocent girls and forced them into prostitution. I executed her as a criminal according to the laws of Great Xia. The district magistrate ruled over this case too. What do you have to say about it?”
Everyone was stunned. They never imagined that Li Qingshan would actually kill a member of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, and he was even bold enough to stand up against a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was basically out of his mind. They were extremely familiar with Qiu Haitang, all calling her “big sis Qiu”, so when they looked at Li Qingshan again, their gazes were rather hostile.
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Chapter 268 – A Gamble
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Chapter 268 – A Gamble
Only Han Qiongzhi pursed her lips as she thought, This guy has some backbone, unlike regular men who can even forget about their own mothers when they see this whore. Originally, I wanted to find a chance to teach him a good lesson, but I’ll forgive him this time.
Let alone the men here, even the women present struggled to resist Qiu Haitang’s charm. Han Qiongzhi was basically a special exception. People with higher cultivations were more resistant to the arts of charm as well, but at the end of the day, the thing that played the decisive role was a woman’s jealousy.
Whether it be in terms of cultivation, background, appearance, or figure, Han Qiongzhi was first-rate, but Qiu Haitang just happened to be slightly better than her no matter where she went.
Qiu Haitang looked at Hua Chengzan. Hua Chengzan said, “Since you only suspect it’s him, then there’s no evidence. Our Hawkwolf Guard will get to the bottom of this matter ourselves. Sect master Qiu, it’s best if you take a step back.”
“Sect master Qiu? Hua Chengzan, all you know is how to help others against me!” Qiu Haitang lost her temper as the rim of her eyes reddened slightly.
The others never expected Hua Chengzan to stand on Li Qingshan’s side so firmly either. This matter had become a dispute between Hua Chengzan and Qiu Haitang, no, the Hawkwolf Guard and the Sect of Clouds and Rain. They really were unsure with which side to stand on. They were filled with displeasure towards Li Qingshan.
But at the end of the day, Hua Chengzan was still the one in charge of them, so they all tried to persuade her. “Big sis Qiu, isn’t it just the death of someone insignificant? Let’s just forget about it!”
Li Qingshan looked at Hua Chengzan with some surprise as well. He was slightly touched too. This was basically kindness that Li Qingshan did not see often. If he were in Hua Chengzan’s position, he would be all the more willing to help this great beauty Qiu Haitang, not some Li Qingshan he had only met once.
Qiu Haitang said frigidly, “Don’t you even think about that!” Her voice softened, and she said with some hidden bitterness and powerlessness, “Chengzan, two of our sect’s grannies have gone missing. Even vice sect master Wei’s son has died mysteriously. All of this is connected to Li Qingshan. As the sect master, how can I just spare him so easily?”
From how she seemed, everyone felt sympathy towards her, but they were stunned by what her words.
Han Qiongzhi said, “Sister Qiu, don’t kid around. The grannies are all ninth layer Qi Practitioners. I can tell he has only reached the sixth layer recently, so how can he be connected to the deaths of two ninth layer Qi Practitioners?”
Qiu Haitang said, “Qian Rongzhi, get over here and speak. Just how did vice sect master Wei’s son die?”
Qian Rongzhi had originally been standing behind everyone silently. When she heard that, she knew it was unavoidable now. She smiled at Wu Gen beside her before walking out without the slightest worry. “The son of vice sect master Wei, Wei Yingjie, wanted revenge on Li Qingshan, and he went missing.”
She said the exact same thing as she had said before, but Qiu Haitang’s heart skipped a beat. She felt like she had made a wrong move.
Li Qingshan said loudly and clearly, “Listen up, everyone. I was just carrying out formal matters, but this bastard actually wanted revenge on the Hawkwolf Guard. Let’s not say that I did it, but even if I did, is there anything wrong in that?”
Out of the disciples of legalism present, some had already joined the Hawkwolf Guard, while the others would probably end up joining the Hawkwolf Guard eventually. The education they received was that sects were targets to repress and restrict, yet they were actually bold enough to come for revenge against the Hawkwolf Guard? Not to mention that Wei Yingjie had never been on good terms with them with his obscene acts. They all felt that he was better off dead.
Li Qingshan saw Qiu Haitang’s expression waver. She probably would not lay her hands on him in front of so many people, but he had already prepared the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility, ready to receive any sneak attacks on his way back.
He was obviously bold enough to come to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain not just because he believed in Qian Rongzhi’s judgement. He was confident in his own strength too. Qiu Haitang might have been a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but she was skilled in the arts of charm, which were not particularly effective against him. Her battle prowess was probably below the elders of the three mountains.
And, the number of supreme grade talismans on him numbered almost ten now. At the very least, it would not be a one-sided slaughter. If Qiu Haitang actually tried to touch him, she would definitely fail, and she would become pressured from all sides after that.
Hua Chengzan said, “Forget it. Haitang, this was all just a misunderstanding.”
Qiu Haitang said, “I don’t mind taking a step back, but this was originally a matter between Li Qingshan and the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Li Qingshan, you’re a man too, so are you just going to hide behind others like this?”
Li Qingshan asked, “What do you want?”
Qiu Haitang said, “Are you bold enough to gamble against me?”
Li Qingshan said, “You really do know how to joke around, sect master Qiu. You’re a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, so how am I capable enough to gamble against you?” If he could transform, he had some confidence in himself, but in human form, it was impossible for him to defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Qiu Haitang said, “The person who will face you in the gamble obviously won’t be me. His cultivation will only be lower than yours. Are you bold enough to gamble with me?”
Li Qingshan said, “If we’re gambling on who’s better at embroidery, needle-threading, or birthing children, it’d be a certain loss for me.”
Han Qiongzhi broke into laughter. She never knew that he was a bit of a flippant rascal too.
Hua Chengzan smiled too, but he could see that Li Qingshan really was interested in gambling, so he did not stop him. While he had promised Gu Yanying to take care of him, he was not a babysitter. Men obviously had to make their own decisions.
Li Qingshan was indeed interested. He completely refused to believe that a few words from Hua Chengzan could stop the Sect of Clouds and Rain from seeking revenge against him and make them give up on Xiao An. At most, their disputes would be temporarily repressed, which would erupt again in the future. He could only depend on himself.
Even if the Sect of Clouds and Rain were willing to drop this matter, it would depend on whether he was willing to as well. If he did not grab these sexual predators and whores by the neck and beat them to a pulp, he refused to be called Li. Once he went through his heavenly tribulation and became a Daemon General, he would go through all four debts with the three mountains and the Sect of Clouds and Rain one by one.
Qiu Haitang said, “We’ll obviously gamble on what men are best at.”
Li Qingshan asked, “What is it?”
“Drinking, strength, and fighting.” Qiu Haitang named three areas.
Li Qingshan almost burst out laughing. He just happened to be adept in these three areas. He looked at Qiu Haitang and thought, You’re just begging for defeat now. However, he remained composed on the surface and asked, “What’s the wager?”
Qiu Haitang extended a slender finger at Li Qingshan. “You.” Then the finger slid over to Xiao An. “And her!”
Li Qingshan said, “If I lose, you’re more than welcomed to take my head.” He rubbed Xiao An’s head. “But I’ll never wager her, unless sect master Qiu is willing to wager yourself.” But he shook his head soon afterwards. “No, even that still wouldn’t be worth it.”
Qiu Haitang’s expression changed drastically. It had already been an insult for Li Qingshan to label her as a wager, but with a quick twist of his words, he basically told her to her face that even if she was willing to wager herself, in no way was she equal to Xiao An.
This was a stark-naked insult directly to her face. Despite her identity as the sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain and her cultivation at Foundation Establishment, she was not even as great as a little girl?
The disciples of legalism were thrown into an uproar. They were familiar with Qiu Haitang, so their gazes towards Li Qingshan became even more hostile.
Wu Gen said, “This kid’s in big trouble.”
Han Qiongzhi praised inside, Nice one, kid. Does this whore really think the world spins around her? You know embarrassment now, don’t you?
Hua Chengzan sighed gently. This grievance was just too difficult to resolve, not just because of what Li Qingshan had just said. He could already tell that the Sect of Clouds and Rain was determined to obtain this child, while the child happened to be a soft spot to Li Qingshan that could not be infringed on. If it was infringed on, it would definitely enrage Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 269 – Giant Lumberman
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Chapter 269 – Giant Lumberman
Actually, Li Qingshan had no intentions of insulting Qiu Haitang, as these words originated from the bottom of his heart. Qiu Haitang was obviously a supreme beauty, and just like any regular man, he became interested in her, but that was it. It was nothing compared to his familial bond with Xiao An.
However, probably the only person present who approved of this idea was Qian Rongzhi.
“I’m willing to serve as the wager!” A tender voice suddenly rang out. Xiao An had suddenly spoken up after so much silence.
“Xiao An!” Li Qingshan reprimanded.
Xiao An shot a glance at Li Qingshan. “And what will you be wagering?”
The anger in Qiu Haitang’s heart was temporarily repressed by this wonderful news. She said coldly, “I’ll wager this.” She took out an embroidered box and opened the lid, revealing a jade-green pill.
Haze-like mist dispersed, permeating the entire room. Li Qingshan found the jade-green pill to be extremely familiar. It was what Xuanyue had fed him originally. This was the exact type of pill that had saved him from a lengthy period of accumulation, allowing him to directly condense a daemon core.
“A Virtue Accumulation pill!” Han Qiongzhi cried out.
The other disciples of legalism all stared straight at the pill in interest.
In essence, Virtue Accumulation pills were the same type of pills as Qi Condensing and Qi Amassing pills. They were helpful for cultivation. They were called Virtue Accumulation pills because ingesting one was equivalent to a year of accumulating virtue, which was also a year’s worth of cultivation.
Time was the greatest enemy of cultivators, and Virtue Accumulation pills could save an entire year. A pill like that was extremely precious to all cultivators.
“You’re actually willing to take out this pill?” Hua Chengzan furrowed his brows. It was not a small wager for her to risk a Virtue Accumulation pill for a sixth layer Qi Practitioner’s life. As a matter of fact, it was just too great of a wager. This only demonstrated just how determined she was to go forward with this gamble.
Qiu Haitang ignored Hua Chengzan. She said to Li Qingshan, “I don’t want your head. If you lose, then you will have to remain in my Sect of Clouds and Rain and serve as a slave for the rest of your life.”
Quit dreaming!
When Li Qingshan and Xiao An had glanced at each other earlier, they had already made up their minds. If he lost, was he really supposed to cut off his head? He would obviously take off immediately and flee. The only reason why he was willing to wager Xiao An was because he was not wagering anything at all.
Qiu Haitang had obviously considered this too, but she refused to believe that a sixth layer Qi Practitioner could slip away under her watch. This gamble was just to shut up Hua Chengzan.
Li Qingshan acted like he was hesitant before finally agreeing, “Alright!”
“Wait here. I’ll go make some preparations.” Qiu Haitang turned around to leave, but she heard Li Qingshan call out, “Hold on, leave the wager here!”
Qiu Haitang shot a vicious glare at him before tossing the Virtue Accumulation pill to Hua Chengzan. “You can be the eye witness!”
After Qiu Haitang left, the disciples of legalism all gathered over. None of them dared to look down on Li Qingshan anymore. Although he was labelled as arrogant and ignorant to be bold enough to challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his courage was quite admirable at the same time. However, everything aside from the admiration was deep disgust.
Even Li Qingshan was not capable enough to sway all these people that Qiu Haitang had spent many years familiarising with over to his side in just a few words.
Wu Gen whispered, “Brother Hua, why’d you fall out with big sis Qiu over this kid?”
Hua Chengzan only smiled. Why would anyone take what he had said earlier seriously anyway? He said to Li Qingshan, “It’s still not too late for you to back out. As long as I’m here, she can’t do anything to you.”
Li Qingshan said, “But I have some confidence in these three areas.”
Wu Gen sighed. As it seemed, Hua Chengzan was determined to support this kid.
Han Qiongzhi suddenly slapped Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Nice one, kid. I think you can do it. Win over that Virtue Accumulation pill and make the Hawkwolf Guard proud.”
An hour later, Qiu Haitang returned, “Come with me!” She had already recovered her grace, without any resentment or anger anymore.
The cloud landed on the rooftop slowly. With a series of mechanical whirlings, huge beams of wood glided about, colliding in the air and opening up the top floors of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
It made Li Qingshan think of what he saw in the Town of Flowing Clouds. Clearly, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain was also designed by mohists. When the last two large beams merged together, it formed a huge, empty space. In the several floors around the space, there were at least several hundred Qi Practitioners leaning against the railing, watching on.
It was almost time for the entrance examination to the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Most of the non-local Qi Practitioners would choose to check out this renowned parlour within the prefectural city, while Qiu Haitang had already set up a round of betting for everyone. Not only could she make money off it, she could have everyone serve as an eye witness too.
This place seemed like a huge arena.
Li Qingshan landed in the arena and stepped on the ground. He felt that it was firm enough. Afterwards, he had Xiao An wait to the side as he walked into the centre of the space alone. He called out, “Sect master Qiu, where’s the person who will be competing against me?”
Qiu Haitang clapped gently, and Li Qingshan saw a huge door open loudly. A massive figure slowly walked out with heavy steps, along with a series of clatter.
Hua Chengzan said, “Oh no, it’s an otherperson!”
The giant figure emerged from the darkness, arriving below the light. There were gasps from all floors.
Li Qingshan stood quite tall and straight, but when the figure arrived before him, he had to raise his head to see the latter’s fearsome face.
A messy beard covered most of the face, with a large nose protruding out and two deeply-set eyes, which gave off a vicious light.
He seemed human, but he stood over four meters tall, almost as tall as three people. His rippling muscles were a pale yellow, like freshly-cut lumber, but his arms, legs, and neck were all wrapped in chains.
Apart from regular humans, there were many “otherfolk” in the world as well. They seemed like humans, but they possessed many other, strange features, perhaps longer legs or four arms instead of two, and so on.
It was said that these otherfolk were originally widespread throughout the nine provinces, forming their own tribes and countries. However, with the rise of humans, not only had they purged daemons and demons, but these otherfolk had been expelled as foreign people too. Gradually, they vanished from the view of regular people. They only appeared in distant, remote lands rarely visited by humans.
This giant happened to be a type of the many otherfolk, called the Giant Lumberfolk. They lived deep within the mountains. It was rumored that they were similar to trees, able to extract nutrients from the ground and constantly grow larger like trees, which was why they were gigantic and called Giant Lumberfolk.
Hua Chengzan had never thought that Qiu Haitang would actually find a giant lumberman to compete against Li Qingshan either. The odds were truly against Li Qingshan this time. Just with this giants huge stature, Hua Chengzan believed that Li Qingshan would lose even without competing when it came to drinking and strength.
“Haiting, that’s almost like cheating to use an otherperson in the gamble.”
Qiu Haitang smiled indifferently. “An otherperson is still a person, and his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner definitely has not reached the sixth layer. Is there anything wrong with that? If he wants to forfeit, he can do it before the match. You can be quiet now.”
Although the giant had not reached the sixth layer, the amount of true qi his giant body could contain definitely surpassed sixth layer Qi Practitioners.
Han Qiongzhi was rather reluctant to accept this, but she had to admit that Qiu Haitang was crafty. She truly lived up to her identity as a sect master and a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Looking at Li Qingshan now, he seemed to be utterly frightened, and she felt some pity for him. He was quite brave to be bold enough to gamble against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he was a little lacking in the brains department.
The bit of admiration the other disciples of legalism felt towards Li Qingshan had completely vanished. All of them mocked and made fun of him now, like he was an idiot trying to break rocks using eggs.
Wu Gen said to Qian Rongzhi, “We really can’t blame him for this. He’s come from a small place after all. He doesn’t know the power of Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
Qian Rongzhi said instead, “You can’t be too sure about that.”
A person called out from above, “Sect master Qiu, are you playing a joke? How can you still call this a gamble?”
Qiu Haitang said, “Just cast your bets as you please. I’ll treat all the spiritual stones you win as gifts to you all.”
“Can I place a bet too?” Li Qingshan said suddenly.
Hua Chengzan was slightly surprised. There was no dejection in Li Qingshan’s voice. It was still filled with confidence.
Qiu Haitang’s gaze landed on Li Qingshan again, and she scorned, “As long as you’re bold enough!”
“I bet a thousand spiritual stones that I’ll win!”
A moment of silence descended on the entire place before it erupted with laughter.
Three floors up, two beautiful, young girls surrounded a young man in white clothes. One of the girls asked, “Big brother Tian, has that person lost his mind?”
“There has always been plenty of madmen in the world, but without these madmen, the world would be much duller.” The young man’s gaze circled around, glancing past Qian Rongzhi and Han Qiongzhi before landing on Qiu Haitang in the end.
A girl said unhappily, “Brother Tian, you’re being lustful again. Aren’t the two of us enough?”
The young man in white smiled. “You gotta experiment around when you’re young, y’know!”
“Sigh, I know that no one in the world can compare to brother Tian, nor can brother Tian be bound by societal norms. We don’t care how many women you have, as long as you don’t forget about us.”
The young man in white said with deep affection, “You will always be my precious babies!”
Qian Rongzhi felt the gaze from above, but she ignored it. All she heard was Wu Gen smile and say, “He still knows how to joke around. Though, if he loses, he’ll become a slave anyway. His possessions won’t be his anymore, so there’s no risk in betting.”
However, he heard Qian Rongzhi say, “I bet five hundred spiritual stones that Li Qingshan will win.”
Wu Gen was stunned. His face sank. “What are you doing?” He really suspected something was going on between Qian Rongzhi and Li Qingshan now.
Qian Rongzhi smiled,.“I feel like I can win the bet.”
Hua Chengzan suddenly said, “I’ll bet a thousand spiritual stones on him too. I also think I can win the bet.”
Qiu Haitang said, “Since you’re giving the spiritual stones to me, I can’t turn them down, can I?”
A while later, the bets were closed. The majority betted on the giant lumberman’s victory, including the young man in white who casually betted a thousand spiritual stones. Very few people betted on Li Qingshan winning, so the odds were startlingly large.
Qiu Haitang waved her hand, and the chains fell off with a series of rattles, flying into the air. The giant lumberman suddenly turned around and stared straight at Qiu Haitang. He leaned forward, as if he was ready to lunge at her at any time.
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Chapter 270 – Drinking Heartily
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Chapter 270 – Drinking Heartily
Qiu Haitang completely ignored the giant lumberman’s hostility. “If you lose, you know what your fate is, right?”
The giant lumberman growled and turned around powerlessly to face Li Qingshan.
At this moment, over a hundred jars of fine alcohol had been hauled over, placed to one side.
Nearby, a long stick of incense was planted within a censer.
“We’ll time it using the incense. Whoever drinks the most within two hours will win.” Qiu Haitang clapped her hands gently.
The giant lumberman basically lunged over. Reaching out with his large hand, he lifted up a jar of alcohol and glugged it down like he was trying to quench his thirst. The large jar was like a big cup to him. Immediately, the jar had been emptied out, which he then tossed aside.
Based on aura alone, the people who still thought Li Qingshan could get lucky now believed he would lose for sure.
Li Qingshan walked over unhurriedly, opened a jar, and sucked with his mouth. Like a whale taking in water, a clear stream of alcohol flew into his mouth, and before long, the jar had been emptied out.
He praised, “Fine alcohol!” There was a heavy flavour to it and the taste was sharp. It was not spiritual alcohol, but it was still some fine, rare alcohol. When the spirits reached his throat, it left behind a scorching satisfaction.
The giant lumberman glanced at him. He had already drank his third jar of alcohol.
Li Qingshan’s interest in drinking had been piqued. From the moment the black ox had taught him how to drink, he had fallen in love with this taste, but ever since he went to Jiaping city, numerous matters had constantly disturbed him, actually preventing him from drinking to his heart’s content. He found it to be quite a pity.
He could finally drink heartily tonight.
Li Qingshan sat down as if no one was watching. He placed a hand on a jar and said to Qiu Haitang. “Drinking without meat is just lacking some flavour.”
Han Qiongzhi was surprised. In a situation like this, other people would only be bothered by how small their stomachs were, yet he actually wanted to eat too.
Qiu Haitang said, “Hmph, what a fake act. Give it to him.”
A while later, a long table was brought before Li Qingshan. At the centre was a whole roasted goat and a roasted suckling pig, while around it were roasted chickens, roasted ducks, and cold pork knuckles. Basically all the meat dishes that regular people could think of were there.
Li Qingshan did not bother with chopsticks. He directly grabbed a cold pork trotter and bit down. It was fragrant but not greasy, melting in his mouth. He praised, “Delicious!” Wu Gen had said that the famous chefs of the Clear River prefecture were basically all gathered in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. He really was not lying.
When Li Qingshan formally began to drink, the giant lumberman had already drunk his seventh jar.
So far, Li Qingshan had not glanced over even once. He ate and drank at his own pace, unlike the giant lumberman who downed alcohol jar after jar. Everyone could tell that he was enjoying this process. He would pick up another jar after he finished one. He was not forcing himself to drink quickly, but he just happened to drink extremely quickly.
A while later and a few jars of alcohol later, the roasted suckling pig had vanished into his belly.
The people who were not particularly hungry could not help but smack their lips as they began to drool.
Han Qiongzhi asked Hua Chengzan, “Can he win?” Influenced by Hua Chengzan, she had bet five hundred spiritual stones on Li Qingshan reluctantly, but she felt slightly pained afterwards. Five hundred spiritual stones were enough to buy a slightly worse high grade spiritual artifact.
Hua Chengzan said, “It won’t be easy. He has split open his sea of qi and his cultivation is slightly higher, but he won’t be able to refine the alcohol away fast enough. He’s nowhere near as large as the giant lumberman, so he’ll suffer because of that.”
Han Qiongzhi said, “Yet you still bet a thousand spiritual stones on him, even making me believe you had confidence in him.”
“It’s not me who has confidence, but him. Don’t you think he’s worth a thousand spiritual stones of trust?”
Han Qiongzhi looked at Li Qingshan again. He had unbuttoned his garment, revealing his bronze chest. There was a slight smile on his chiseled face. He was not handsome, but he was brimming with masculinity and boldness. Even for her, she was slightly tempted. She gritted her teeth. “He’s worth it!”
This man was worth that much no matter what. To the side, she saw how Xiao An remained composed the entire time. She was entirely unfazed, only watching him silently. There was doubtless and unreserved trust in him.
She began to understand why Li Qingshan would be so protective of her, even bold enough to fight back against Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Ashes fell down and half of the incense had already burned away. Li Qingshan and the giant lumberman’s surroundings had already become filled with alcohol jars, while half of all the jars had already been emptied out by them.
The fragrant smell of alcohol wafted everywhere. Even from three floors away, they could smell it clearly.
The entire place had already fallen silent. There were plenty of people who drank heartily by taking advantage of their protective true qi, but even they were unable to drink like this.
“Brother Tian, they’re so impressive!”
“They’re just two gluttons,” said the young man in white, but he was slightly worried about his one thousand spiritual stones. However, he relaxed very soon.
Among the empty jars, the giant lumberman had already drunk thirty-three, while Li Qingshan had only drunk twenty-two. There was still a difference of a dozen jars.
However, Hua Chengzan noticed that the giant lumberman’s face had already begun to redden, revealing some tipsiness. He had begun to slow down too.
The true qi within the giant lumbermen circulated rapidly, dispersing the drunk feeling. It was no longer just a competition of drinking now, but cultivation too.
Li Qingshan seemed even drunker, but as he drank and ate, he actually drank faster and faster. He purposefully did not use true qi or daemon qi to refine away the alcohol, as there was absolutely no need to.
He seemed much smaller than the giant lumberman, but his actual size had already exceeded fifty feet. He was truly a huge monster.
During the time he spent in seclusion in Jiaping city, he would eat large handfuls of pills every single day. Regardless of whether they were Qi Gathering pills or Qi Amassing pills, he would refine it all into daemon qi. His height as a daemon rapidly increased too. If he transformed right now, his pair of horns might have been able to touch the ceiling.
If the giant lumberman treated the alcohol jars as large cups to chug, then they were tiny, mouth-sized cups to Li Qingshan. Not only was there no need for him to hurry, but he even wanted to carefully savour the alcohol so that it completely diffused into his body. If he refined away the alcohol as he drank, what would be the point of drinking?
When a third of the incense stick remained, the giant lumberman had drunk another ten jars, but Li Qingshan had drunk fourteen. Only eight jars separated them now.
The giant lumberman’s pale yellow skin had already reddened. He began to totter around as he stood there, forcing him to sit down like Li Qingshan.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan sat there firmly. It was quite difficult to see whether his face had become flushed due to his bronze skin, but he did seem even more drunk. However, he drank faster and faster too. This was the drinking style of getting into the groove.
Everyone could see who was winning.
Han Qiongzhi pulled Hua Chengzan’s shoulder and said excitedly, “He might be able to win!”
Hua Chengzan smiled. This kid sure was capable. He had almost forgotten that Li Qingshan was a Body Practitioner in the first place. Although drinking and eating at the same time filled up the belly faster, it was harder to get drunk. And, it would strictly control his drinking speed, allowing his true qi to gradually refine away the alcohol.
If he learned that Li Qingshan had not considered that at all, only savouring the taste of the alcohol even without refining it away, who knew what his expression would become.
Despite all of his smarts, he never would have imagined that right before him was a huge daemon.
Hua Chengzan’s gaze made contact with Qiu Haitang’s. Hua Chengzan bowed slightly, expressing his apologies. Qiu Haitang instead revealed hidden bitterness. Am I just unable to arouse any emotion in you?
The giant lumberman watched as Li Qingshan gradually caught up and panicked inside. He lifted up the alcohol and poured it into his mouth recklessly, but with that, he became even more drunk instead. His true qi was unable to refine it away in time anymore.
When there was still a tiny part of the incense remaining, there was a great boom, and the giant lumberman collapsed on the ground. The alcohol jar in his hand was smashed to pieces, and the remaining alcohol spilled all over the ground.
Li Qingshan stood up and belched. He gluggled down the last jar of alcohol and looked around. “Is that all?” It seemed like he was not satisfied yet.
The incense burnt out.
Silence.
“He’s won!” Han Qiongzhi raised her fist and broke the silence.
An uproar gradually developed everywhere, causing a racket. A giant lumberman had actually lost to a regular person in drinking. No one had been expecting that.
Many people yelled out, “This is rigged!”
There were not just bets on the overall outcome, but bets on the individual matches too. Many of them who originally wanted to make some quick spiritual stones instead lost all of the spiritual stones that they had laboured so much for.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. His loud laughter drowned out all the objections. He said to Qiu Haitang, “Sect master Qiu, have I won this match?” The alcohol fueled his desires, so he fearlessly ogled at her body.
Qiu Haitang said, “I’ll let you have this one.”
Li Qingshan glanced at the drunken giant lumberman. “We might not be able to do the next match now.”
Qiu Haitang said frigidly, “Get to your feet!”
The giant lumberman shivered, and he crawled up from the ground in a tottering manner. Using his true qi, he sobered up extremely quickly.
Qiu Haitang took out a small cauldron from her hundred treasures pouch and tossed it into the air.
With a boom, the small cauldron expanded to ten times its size and landed heavily. Li Qingshan found the floor shake violently. The cauldron was already several tonnes in weight.
Qiu Haitang said, “Ancient strongmen are known to possess the strength to lift cauldrons, so the second match will be lifting this cauldron.”
Li Qingshan said, “You’re the owner of this cauldron. If you work against me secretly, wouldn’t I end up losing in absolute confusion?”
Qiu Haitang frowned. “What do you want instead?” She was actually thinking about that. She completely refused to believe that Li Qingshan’s physical strength would be even greater than the giant lumberman’s.
Giant Lumberfolk were born with extraordinary physiques. After she had purchased him, she even taught him the arts of practising the body. In order to escape, he basically practised it day and night, developing startling strength. When she was not present, she had to shackle him up with chains to keep him from escaping. Even stronger Qi Practitioners would struggle to subdue him.
“Since I’m the eye witness, I’ll provide the cauldron.” As Hua Chengzan said that, he tossed out a three-legged cauldron too.
Qiu Haitang snorted, but she believed that Hua Chengzan would not work against her. She stowed her cauldron away. “There’s nothing that you can say now!
Li Qingshan arrived before the cauldron. The cauldron shone with light. It was a rare spiritual artifact. He extended his arm and grabbed the handle with one hand.
“Idiot! How is one hand enough?!” Han Qiongzhi called out.
Wu Gen sneered even harder. He said to Qian Rongzhi, “Li Qingshan has probably never seen an artifact smithing cauldron. They’re much heavier than cauldrons made of regular metal. Even I can’t lift it with one hand.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Li Qingshan had already lifted the cauldron over his head with a single hand. He casually tossed it at the giant lumberman, “Your turn.”
Wu Gen was speechless.
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Chapter 271 – A Complete Victory
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Chapter 271 – A Complete Victory
The giant lumberman refused to appear weak. He caught the huge cauldron with one hand as easily as catching a toy. He even weighed it in his hand to show off his great strength. After that, he tossed it back to Li Qingshan.
Hua Chengzan warned, “Be careful!” The cauldron enlarged in the air.
Li Qingshan caught it, and sure enough, it was much heavier, but he did not care. He tossed it back to the giant lumberman, and it expanded in the air once again.
The cauldron was tossed between the two of them, growing in size. Even Li Qingshan had to catch it with both arms now. Many Qi Practitioners were dumbfounded by this. Was he still human with this kind of strength?
Even if they used various techniques or talismans like the Divine Strength talismans, they still would not have been able to lift it up so easily.
Only Body Practitioners could understand what was going on, and they showed admiration. They had never thought this young man would be so impressive as a Body Practitioner that he could actually challenge a giant lumberman to a match of physical strength.
Qiu Haitang frowned slightly. Just where did this kid come from? Why was he so strong as a Body Practitioner?
Body Practitioners could not be made with just a secret manual or two and hiding and training deep in the mountains. Their demand for pills would only exceed Qi Practitioners.
She was actually no longer so confident in this match of physical strength that she originally thought to be predetermined.
The Qi Practitioners in the surroundings all held their breaths and watched nervously as the huge cauldron flew back and forth. The giant lumberman had already lost a match. If he lost another, then they had essentially thrown their spiritual stones down a drain.
The giant lumberman caught the huge cauldron again. His face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was drenched in sweat. He had completely sobered up now. The cauldron had already grown to three times its size, weighing heavily on his shoulder. He heaved for breath. Even he began to find this rather cumbersome.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan had already taken off his upper garment. His bronze body did not have any excess flab, but it was unlike the giant lumber’s bulging muscles. Instead, he was perfectly streamline, like he was forged from metal. If the strength he had gained from the ox demon was a piece of ironstone, then the tiger demon had forged the ironstone into a steel blade.
He did not perspire at all. It did not seem arduous to him at all. He might not have been greater than the giant lumberman in terms of pure strength, but there were no Body Practitioners that could rival his endurance and tenacity.
The outcome of the gamble was near.
The giant lumberman made up his mind, roared out, and exerted his full strength, throwing out the huge cauldron.
The huge cauldron whistled towards Li Qingshan like a mountain.
“Dodge it!” Han Qiongzhi cried out.
Hua Chengzan’s expression changed slightly, but the cauldron still swelled in size. If he did not do that, the match would be unfair. All he could do now was let Li Qingshan give up on this match.
“If the cauldron touches the ground, then it’s a loss. You’d better catch it well, fellow Li.” Qiu Haitang smiled charmingly. She could tell the two of them had already reached their limits. If Li Qingshan did not catch it, it would be his loss, but if he tried to catch it, it would be even better. Even if he survived, he would be heavily injured, which would only guarantee his defeat in the third match.
Li Qingshan ignored these people. His eyes narrowed, his true qi sunk in his dantian, and he extended both hands towards the whistling cauldron.
The cauldron slammed into Li Qingshan, leading to a series of cries in the surroundings.
Li Qingshan could sense the tremendous force in the cauldron. If he could transform, this would have been nothing, but it was rather tough on him in human form. However, he gritted his teeth, and the sea of qi in his dantian began to circulate, gushing out with strands of true qi that flowed through his entire body. It turned into a softening force to nullify the force in the incoming cauldron.
Li Qingshan staggered back over a dozen steps with the cauldron, dragging out two long tracks in the ground. He kicked down with his right foot and suddenly came to a halt. There was a crack, and the sole of his foot sank into the floor.
Li Qingshan held the cauldron firmly and let out a toothy grin. He called out, “Back to you!” He suddenly took a step forward, unleashing all of his strength to twist his body, throwing out the cauldron.
The cauldron directly flew out with even greater force than when it first arrived. The giant lumberman was frightened. He glanced at Qiu Haitang, let out a furious roar, and extended his arms. He was prepared to die.
The moment his hands touched the cauldron, he knew that he was unable to stop this force. He knew his body was about to be crushed, so he closed his eyes as he waited for death.
The gust of wind slammed into his face, but he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and saw how the cauldron had suddenly stopped before him, only inches away.
The giant lumberman blinked his eyes, as if he was wondering what was going on. He lowered his head and saw a young man in black. He had caught the cauldron.
The young man in black turned around, revealing a handsome face with straight, slanted eyebrows and twinkling eyes. However, his face seemed like it was forged from metal before being sealed in ice, radiating with coldness.
He said coldly, “It ends here. You’ve already lost.”
The giant lumberman became dejected, but he glanced at the young man in black gratefully. If it were not for him, he might have been dead already.
The young man in black tossed the cauldron back at Hua Chengzan. The cauldron flew into Hua Chengzan’s hand, having already returned to the size of a palm. With a spurt of true qi, it was sent into the hundred treasures pouch. Hua Chengzan said to the young man in black who had suddenly appeared, “Tieyi, what brings you here?”
Han Qiongzhi waved at him. “Yo, li’l bro!”
The young man in black did not seem to see them. He turned around and stared straight at Li Qingshan, saying coldly, “Impressive skills as a Body Practitioner.”
“Right back at you!” Li Qingshan saw it all unfold extremely clearly. The young man in black had only darted out from the side after he had thrown the cauldron. He was like an agile panther, arriving in the blink of an eye and catching the cauldron. His body was so powerful that even Li Qingshan was rather surprised. Was he a legendary Body Practitioner?
When the young man in black received the cauldron, he did not catch it forcefully. Instead, he twisted the cauldron slightly, catching it cleverly and demonstrating his extremely great martial arts.
As if he was already used to the young man in black’s coldness, Hua Chengzan introduced, “The primary disciple of the school of the Military, Han Tieyi. Those who say I’m the greatest below Foundation Establishment must have never met him.”
Li Qingshan nodded, agreeing with Hua Chengzan’s words. Not only did Han Tieyi have a powerful body, but he was also at the tenth layer as a Qi Practitioner. He practised both qi and the body. He would probably struggle to find any even opponents among Qi Practitioners. Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “Li Qingshan!”
Han Tieyi ignored him. He turned around and faced Qiu Haitang, who had her brows furrowed. “How many spiritual stones for this otherfolk? I’ll buy him!”
Hua Chengzan sighed gently. “Haitang, you’ve lost.”
Qiu Haitang clenched her fist for a while before loosening it again, as if she refused to accept this outcome. In the end, she sighed. “So be it. Li Qingshan, the Sect of Clouds and Rain cleans its slate with you. You best not appear before me again either.”
If she insisted that Han Tieyi had interfered with the match, she could make it to the third round, but she was not an unreasonable, pestering woman. And, with Li Qingshan’s performance earlier, it would be difficult for her to emerge victorious even if she made it to the third match. Instead of that, she might as well just admit defeat now. However, the Virtue Accumulation pill truly did pain her. She gritted her teeth in hatred for Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Let’s hope that comes true!” With several thousand additional spiritual stones to his name and the Virtue Accumulation pill in hand, he could probably go knock on that door that led to the Daemon General realm now! As for whether he would appear before her again, that would not be for her to decide anymore.
“Nice one, kid. Nicely done!” Han Qiongzhi came over and slapped Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
The contempt in the eyes of the legalist disciples completely vanished. Just from how his strength of lifting the cauldron alone, not a lot among them could match him, and it was even rarer for him to earn a word of praise from Han Tieyi. After all, that fellow was cold to the bones. No wonder Hua Chengzan valued him so much.
Even Wu Gen could not help but admit that this countryside kid was extraordinary. He glanced at Qian Rongzhi with mixed emotion and only saw her smiling. She was not particularly overjoyed at all. Her demeanour only made him even more interested in her.
With some delighted, others would obviously be concerned. With Qiu Haitang’s forfeit, the entire building was thrown into an uproar.
They had actually lost a bet that they were certain they would win, and they had lost it in such an absolute fashion. There was not even the need for a third match.
“No, this is rigged! Refund the spiritual stones!” Someone called out.
That immediately led to a chain of similar responses. Everyone demanded for the Parlour of Clouds and Rain to refund the spiritual stones. There were quite a few Qi Practitioners who threw several hundred spiritual stones into the bet. To many Qi Practitioners, this was all that they had, and it had all evaporated in an instant, so how could they accept this?
“Does anyone doubt my oversight?” Hua Chengzan’s smiled vanished. He raised his head and looked around. Wherever his gaze passed by, the ruckus immediately settled down.
“Brother Tian, we’ve lost.”
“Whatever. It’s just a thousand spiritual stones, right? It’s nothing at all.” The young man in white behaved like he did not care, but he bled inside. He had not brought a lot of spiritual stones with him this time to enter the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He had basically lost half of it all of a sudden. He muttered under his breath, “Li Qingshan.” before turning around and leaving furiously.
“How many spiritual stones?” Han Tieyi asked Qiu Haitang again. He was determined to purchase the otherfolk.
“Since you want him, how can I accept your spiritual stones, Tieyi? Just take him!” Qiu Haitang casually tossed out a deed.
The giant lumberman stared straight at the thin piece of paper. He was almost tempted to snatch it over, but even if he snatched it and destroyed it, it would be useless. He could not help but become dejected.
Hua Chengzan said, “Forget about my winnings. Just treat it as the payment for the otherfolk.”
Li Qingshan thought, Brother Hua sure is extravagant. A few thousand spiritual stones doesn’t even mean anything to him. Li Qingshan also saw how close he was with Han Tieyi.
Qiu Haitan shot Hua Chengzan a vicious glance. “If I said I’m giving him to Tieyi, then I’m giving it to Tieyi. As for your winnings, I wouldn’t give it to you even if you want it.”
Han Tieyi caught the deed. He remained as cold as ever, and he did not thank Hua Chengzan and Qiu Haitang either. With just a wave of his hand, the deed was immediately reduced to powder.
He said to the giant lumberman, “You’re free now. Come to the Academy of the Hundred Schools the day after tomorrow and join my school of the Military.” He said it like it was an order, cold and leaving no room for negotiation.
He glanced at Li Qingshan again and then at Hua Chengzan, but he said nothing. He strode away.
Hua Chengzan rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly. “He has acknowledged me a little. At least he hasn’t directly taken advantage of me.”
You call that acknowledgement? Only then did Li Qingshan understand that it was not that Han Tieyi did not acknowledge him, but rather he was born with a stiff face and never acknowledged anyone. Li Qingshan then noticed that his strides and rhythm remained the same the entire time, without any variations at all. He was as precise and monotonous as a clock. Was this the demeanour of a military disciple?
The school of the Military might be a decent choice too.
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Chapter 272 – Eccentric and Stubborn
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Chapter 272 – Eccentric and Stubborn
The giant lumberman returned to his senses and growled at the figure with a strange voice, “I’ll definitely be there!”
This was not just out of gratitude for having his life saved. Even with freedom, otherfolk in this world were truly restricted. Perhaps, he might be captured again and forced into slavery once more.
Han Tieyi’s pace did not change at all, as if he had not heard him, or perhaps he was expecting this. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Han Qiongzhi muttered, “How eccentric!”
However, Li Qingshan felt silent admiration. Han Tieyi seemed cold and unreasonable when he handled manners, but he gave off the bearing of a great general. To be able to stand out above the millions in the Clear River prefecture and become the primary disciple of the school of the Military, he sure was extraordinary.
“That’s just how he’s like. Please don’t mind him.” Hua Chengzan passed the embroidered box to Li Qingshan, which the disciples of legalism all envied.
Many people had heard and seen this item before, but never had they eaten it. However, Li Qingshan sighed when he saw this pill that Xuanyue had once fed him.
The Virtue Accumulation pill that even Foundation Establishment cultivators treasured had been given to him by the handfuls by Xuanyue. They had been taken out as easily as how he took out Qi Gathering pills.
A while later, Qiu Haitang also ordered people to deliver the few thousand spiritual stones he had won.
The surrounding people grew even more envious. A few thousand spiritual stones was a tremendous sum to all Qi Practitioners.
Han Qiongzhi had won quite a lot too, and her gaze towards Li Qingshan became more and more gentle. She had completely forgotten about their tiny disagreement before. Seeing how Li Qingshan remained composed the entire time, she said, “I couldn’t tell, but you’re pretty rich.”
If regular Qi Practitioners obtained a Virtue Accumulation pill and several thousand spiritual stones, they would definitely light up with joy. How could they treat such a tremendous sum with indifference or bet a thousand spiritual stones without batting an eye? Even the young masters and misses from clans would rarely be so generous. He even possessed extraordinary abilities as a Body Practitioner. He seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious haze.
When he praised the demeanour of others, others admired him too. Both Han Qiongzhi and Hua Chengzan, and even Qiu Haitang, stopped treating him as a regular sixth layer Qi Practitioner.
“Senior sister Han, don’t tell me that you’ve taken a fancy to Qingshan?” Wu Gen said rather enviously. Among their group, Han Qiongzhi played the role of the eldest sister. She possessed extraordinary talent, she was bold and straightforward, and she was pretty too. Through her constant interactions with them, many people became interested in her. Wu Gen was one of them.
However, she was extremely haughty too. She never took regular men seriously. At most, she was just closer with Hua Chengzan. Whenever someone confessed to her, they would be shut up with a single sentence. “We’ll see once your cultivation exceeds mine.” Gradually, they all lost interest in her, only treating her as an elder sister. However, they still felt rather dissatisfied when they saw her taking a liking to another man.
The other legalist disciples chimed in, “Qingshan is so strong, so he must be extremely impressive in that aspect too. No wonder sister Han likes him.”
Han Qiongzhi refused to accept this. She teased them by wrapping her arm around Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “I think this kid is much stronger than you group of weaklings.” She was not short, but she was still shorter than Li Qingshan. After wrapping her arm around him, she basically pressed most of her body against Li Qingshan. They really did seem a little like a couple.
She even counterattacked. “Rongzhi, don’t you think so too?”
“Just as senior sister Han has said.” Qian Rongzhi smiled. She had already realised that among the group, the last person she could afford to offend was not Hua Chengzan, but Han Qiongzhi.
Hua Chengzan was sharp-witted, but he still had his dignity as a man. He would never bicker, refute, or argue with a woman like her without good reason. Once Han Qiongzhi became carried away, she would actually be capable of doing anything just to get back at someone.
As for whether this would displease the men here, it was even less of a worry. Men respected and admired beautiful women that displeased them.
Wu Gen immediately felt intense pressure. Originally, he never treated Li Qingshan as a rival. Whether it was his appearance, background, or cultivation, Li Qingshan paled in comparison to him, while Li Qingshan’s eloquence and knowledge went even more without saying. He was a just countryside kid with some talent and luck. Even if he had some ties to Qian Rongzhi, he would not worry.
But now, he no longer possessed that confidence.
Han Qiongzhi laughed aloud. “I loathed you a little when I first saw you, but I do like you a little now.” She patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Qingshan, once you enter the Academy of the Hundred Schools, cultivate well. If you catch up to me, I’ll give you a chance, alright?”
It was not like she had not seen men before, so it was impossible for her to fall in love at first sight. At most, it was just some recognition and approval for Li Qingshan. Most of it was encouragement anyway. She did not believe that Li Qingshan could actually catch up to her cultivation.
Although only three layers separated the sixth and ninth layers, every single layer was a tough barrier from the sixth layer onwards. The amount of time required to break through was frequently calculated using years. Being able to open the eight extraordinary meridians within a decade was already quite fast. And, with her talent, she might have already become a Foundation Establishment cultivator then. There was basically no chance for him to catch up, so that was not what she was thinking about either.
In the cultivation world, even when love existed between a man and a woman, a difference in cultivation would form an untraversable chasm between them. Within the world of regular people, perhaps there were tales of young misses eloping with poor scholars, but it was impossible for female cultivators to settle on male cultivators at a lower cultivation level than them. This was not just because of their greater power. Just lifespan alone differed by over a century between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Practitioners.
Li Qingshan grinned and stayed silent. Han Qiongzhi’s appearance and figure went without saying, but her personality was not something that he could manage. Just what were unruly girlfriends? He had already seen far too many in his former life, so he wanted to change up his tastes after transmigrating this time.
Han Qiongzhi immediately became irate. Her eyebrows rose in anger. “What, you think I’m not worthy of you?”
Wu Gen said, “I think he’s just self-conscious!” The other disciples of legalism echoed him. Wu Gen was not the only envious one.
Li Qingshan glanced past them. He knew he had already offended these people slightly with everything that happened today. If he wanted to get along and build good relationships with them in the future, he needed to be modest and discreet.
Li Qingshan extended his arm and tugged Han Qiongzhi into his arms. He lowered his head and smiled. “Qiongzhi, please wait a little for me.” Her mellow, supple chest pressed against his own. The only thing that separated them was a thin, spring dress. It was quite the feeling.
If others were willing to get along with him, then he was willing to get along with them. If others were reluctant to get along with him, then they could fuck off. He had not come to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to be discreet, nor was he here to please anyone.
Hua Chengzan shook his head. Now that was another stubborn one. Let alone Han Qiongzhi, even when Li Qingshan met her for the first time in the past, he had ogled her directly. Though, what he had in his arms right now was a female tiger. He was in constant danger of being mauled.
The disciples of legalism all widened their eyes. They never thought Li Qingshan would actually be bold enough to be frivolous with Han Qiongzhi. They all sneered inside. This guy is in for some bad luck.
Han Qiongzhi never acted too seriously. She did not pay too much attention to the boundaries between men and women. However, if any men believed they could take advantage of her because of this, bold enough to fool around with her, then they would taste the power of a ninth layer Qi Practitioner.
Han Qiongzhi already knew that he was bold, but she was still surprised when he behaved boldly. She raised her head furiously, about to lose her temper, but there was not the slightest hesitation or doubt in the clear eyes that met her, nor was there any frivolousness or teasing. There was only absolute confidence. Her anger immediately collapsed on itself.
She could not help but shift her gaze. Sniffing the odour he gave off that had mixed with the scent of alcohol, she became flushed, as if she had drunk alcohol. As she listened to his powerful, sturdy heartbeat, her heartbeat also sped up slightly for some reason.
The disciples of legalism all gasped. If they wore glasses, then their glasses would have fallen off in shock. They had never seen Han Qiongzhi, who was as fierce as a tiger, behave like this. Just what was going on today with this kid?
Han Qiongzhi unleashed her true qi and broke free from his embrace. She had already recovered. She smiled. “Alright. Now that’s more like a man.”
However, everyone saw her gaze flicker. She was rather awkward. Han Qiongzhi growled, “What’re you looking at?”
“It’s quite late. Let’s all disperse!” Hua Chengzan spoke to help Han Qiongzhi out of the situation, but he never expected Han Qiongzhi to behave like that either. Suddenly, he remembered that Li Qingshan’s nickname was called whatever tiger or something. The female tiger had truly met the male tiger this time.
Now, most of the Qi Practitioners gathered around there had dispersed. Regardless of their fury or resentment, they all remembered one name, Li Qingshan.
Just as the giant lumberman wondered where he would be staying, he heard Hua Chengzan ask, “What’s your name?”
His gentleness warmed the giant lumberman’s heart. He knew that this was his saviour friend, so he answered, “Mu Kui.”
“Mu Kui, you should come with me too. I’ll send you to the Academy of the Hundred Schools in two days’ time.” Since he was someone that Han Tieyi valued, he had to take care of him a little on Han Tieyi’s behalf. Who knew what trouble could arise from an otherfolk wandering through the streets.
In the eyes of regular people, otherfolk were strange, violent creatures. As a matter of fact, you could say that cultivators basically had the same impression of them too. It was quite ironic, but compared to daemons that came in all shapes and sizes, most people feared and detested these humanoid “monsters” more.
Mu Kui nodded. He tailed very far behind everyone, maintaining a safe distance from Li Qingshan in particular. The cauldron that Li Qingshan had thrown out had almost cost him his life.
Wu Gen glanced backwards in some disgust. “Brother Hua, are we really going to bring him with us? Just what is brother Han thinking? No matter how talented otherfolk are, they’re still otherfolk. They have feuds against us as a race. Perhaps he might even backstab us in the future.”
Hua Chengzan replied noncommittally, “He has his own thoughts. Giant Lumberfolk tend to be gentle. They dislike fighting and killing. In the past when we waged war against the otherfolk, it was primarily with the Fire Devouring folk and the Featherfolk. Moreover, the Giant Lumberfolk are divided into many ethnic groups…”
He casually explained the habits and lifestyles of Giant Lumberfolk like he was very familiar with it, demonstrating his wide knowledge; this led to a series of praise from the disciples of legalism.
As Mu Kui listened to Hua Chengzan talk about his home in the deep mountains of the distant west, he became sad, almost shedding some tears.
Suddenly, he felt a figure approach him. Raising his head, he saw it was Li Qingshan, so he could not help but feel startled. He raised his vigilance, but what met him was an extremely resplendent smile.
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Chapter 273 – Ninety Percent, A Hundred Percent
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Chapter 273 – Ninety Percent, A Hundred Percent
After embracing Han Qiongzhi, Li Qingshan knew that he could no longer get along with these elite disciples of legalism, so he did not stick with them either. He purposefully fell behind them. He was very interested in the giant lumberman, but he could not afford to have any distracting thoughts back then during the matches.
Now that the gamble was over, he could no longer hold back his curiosity after hearing Hua Chengzan’s introduction. There were actually such strange beings in the world? And there was more than just one, like those Fire Devouring folk or Featherfolk? What were they like?
Travelling to all corners of the world and taking in all the scenery that the universe had to offer was a part of his oath.
“Are all your clansmen surnamed Mu?”
Mu Kui nodded stiffly.
“Where’s your homeland?”
Mu Kui kept his mouth shut. He became extremely cautious. Was he even planning to target his clansmen?
“Fine then, I’ll change the question. Are there other otherfolk in your homeland?”
It was even less likely for Mu Kui to answer him now.
Li Qingshan suddenly extended his hand. Mu Kui almost struck him instinctively, but Li Qingshan only knocked against his wood-like skin. “So it isn’t wood.”
“Of course it isn’t!” Mu Kui said in a strange tone. He was left at quite a loss as to how to respond. The man who had been as vicious as a tiger earlier was now like a curious child, without any ill will or prejudice.
Li Qingshan said, “I’m definitely going to check out your homeland one day, whether you agree or not.” Just the thought of a group of towering Giant Lumberfolk was extremely interesting.
Mu Kui said, “If you don’t harbour any ill intentions, then I can take you there.” Though, just how far away was his home?
At this moment, Qiu Haitang suddenly appeared in front of Li Qingshan. Both Li Qingshan and Mu Kui were startled, almost lashing out instinctively. Before this common enemy, any ill will between them naturally resolved itself.
Hua Chengzan said, “Haitang!”
Li Qingshan said, “Looks like it hasn’t come true. I didn’t want to meet you again, yet here we are.”
Qiu Haitang ignored him. She looked at Xiao An again. “If this child follows you, she’ll just waste her fantastic talent all for nothing. As long as you agree, the resources of the Sect of Clouds and Rain will all go to her, and I can promise the position of future sect master too.”
Everyone was taken aback. This promise held far too much weight. Although Qiu Haitang had lost a match due to her misjudgement today, the Sect of Clouds and Rain was still a top sect within the Clear River prefecture. While the resources they possessed were not as much as the larger schools, such as the school of Confucianism and the school of Legalism, but their resources did surpass smaller schools like the school of Music and the school of Medicine.
Most importantly, the resources of the academy were not freely available to the disciples. The disciples needed to complete various missions or even contend against one another, and in the end, it would still be split among many people.
Even the resources that Hua Chengzan regularly received from the school of Legalism could not rival this promise of the Sect of Cloud and Rain. This was basically a sect pouring everything they had into a single person. All Qi Practitioners would be tempted by this.
Hua Chengzan was surprised too. Was the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty really that important to the Sect of Clouds and Rain?
He reevaluated Xiao An again. He had to admit that she was an extremely pretty child, the type where he could tell possessed the talent for practising qi with a single glance. However, no one could be certain just how great her talent was. He could only know after she was tested.
And to be honest, he did not like this child very much, as she did not seem like a child at all. Not only did she lack the liveliness and energy of a child her age, but the way she looked at people was chilling at times too.
Li Qingshan only smiled and rubbed Xiao An’s head before this great temptation. “I know her talents better than you. I can give her ten times, a hundred times the resources that you can provide to her.”
Even Hua Chengzan felt like he was boasting with that one. How could he rival a sect that had stood for centuries or millenniums alone? Little did he know that the various resources on Li Qingshan right now were already equivalent to a small sect. However, those were not the resources that Xiao An needed.
“And, even if she wastes her talent, it’s better than being a…” He stopped talking. There was not a single woman who would want to hear his upcoming opinion. He did not want to provoke a Foundation Establishment cultivator with that either.
Qiu Haitang fumed, and she no longer bothered with what she was about to say next. She glanced at Hua Chengzan before storming off. “You’d better talk once you have an inkling about what you’re talking about!”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. Qiu Haitang did not seem like someone who just had their soft spot touched. Instead, she seemed like she had been wrongly accused.
Han Qiongzhi asked, “Do you really not know, or are you acting like you don’t know?”
Leaving the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, everyone clasped their hands and bid farewell, dispersing individually.
Li Qingshan was just about to return to the Hawkwolf Guard to stay for the night, but he was stopped by Hua Chengzan. “It’ll be quite inconvenient for you to stay there. Come to the estate with me. There are some things I want to tell you.”
“Alright.” Li Qingshan agreed immediately. He was a person who drew a clear line between his debts of kindnesses and grievances. The only reason why he could stand up to Qiu Haitang today, even winning a Virtue Accumulation pill and several thousand spiritual stones, as well as a promise for no further trouble, was all because of Hua Chengzan’s assistance.
They left behind the lantern-lit Parlour of Clouds and Rain and stepped into the dark streets. The huge structures of strange shapes to the two sides were like towering beasts. The few remaining lanterns were like the open eyes of these beasts.
Wu Gen and Qian Rongzhi traveled together. When they separated with everyone outside the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Wu Gen seemed extremely confident in the mischievous eyes of his junior and senior brothers. He had always been a confident person, whether it came to cultivation or women.
He possessed what it took to back up this confidence. With his talent and identity, he had already associated himself with countless women given how old he was now. Originally, he believed that she would be a piece of cake too.
But now that the two of them were alone, his confidence had suddenly evaporated. He only found her contemplating face right now even more difficult to grasp.
There were countless questions in his head. What was her relationship with Li Qingshan? Why did Qiu Haitang know her? However, when the words reached his mouth, he became afraid to ask. His mind had basically returned to that of a teenager who had fallen in love for the first time.
Qian Rongzhi suddenly stopped and smiled at him, which made his heart tremor. However, he heard her say, “I have something to do, so you should go back first, senior brother Wu!” Before he could respond, she had already turned around and left.
If any other woman treated him like that, he would definitely burst out with curses. However, he just stood where he was in a daze, actually unable to say anything. He just watched as she vanished into the darkness.
Qian Rongzhi raised her head. The lantern-lit Parlour of Clouds and Rain was reflected in her eyes. She had made up her mind. She had a ninety percent confidence in this gamble.
“You’re bold enough to return?” Qiu Haitang’s voice suddenly rang out from beside her ear.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. A hundred percent.
Under the guide of the voice, she advanced along the twisting and turning path. She did not run into anyone along the way. In the end, she arrived before a vermillion door, which she knocked on gently.
“Come in.” Qiu Haitang’s voice rang out from inside. The door opened automatically. There were a series of veils in the room, which drifted in the night wind. It seemed elusive and beautiful. Through the numerous veils was an enchanting figure, laying on a bed.
The door slammed shut. Qian Rongzhi glanced backwards before walking towards the veils.
Suddenly, the veils seemed to spring alive, wrapping around her like snakes.
She did not resist. Finally, she saw the figure behind the veils, but all she saw were a pair of mesmerising eyes. She was immediately thrown into a trance.
Qiu Haitang said to the dazed Qian Rongzhi, “Now, I’ll ask you a question, and you’ll give me the answer.”
“Yes,” Qian Rongzhi said numbly.
“Where did your Method of Clouds and Rain come from?”
“Wei Yingjie.”
“Just as I had expected. If it weren’t for the Vitality Devouring technique, how could you have cultivated so quickly with your talent?” Qiu Haitang snorted gently. She had sensed the changes with Qian Rongzhi right from the beginning.
However, her mind was preoccupied by Xiao An and her Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty back then. She even confronted Li Qingshan for the sake of Xiao An. As a result, she did not lose her temper on the spot. Dealing with just Qian Rongzhi alone was easy anyway.
She was right.
“Who killed Wei Yingjie?”
“I did.”
Qiu Haitang’s face sank, “No one knows you’re here, right?”
“No one.”
“Then you can go die!” Her slender finger reached towards the top of Qian Rongzhi’s head viciously.
“Vice sect master Wei, you’re returned.” A female disciple bowed carefully in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Rarely had she ever seen the vice sect master with such a twisted expression.
Fortunately, Wei Zhongyuan completely ignored her and rushed past her. She sighed in relief. However, in the blink of an eye, Wei Zhongyuan appeared before her once again. He grabbed her shoulder. “Where’s sect master Qiu?”
Receiving the answer to the question, Wei Zhongyuan tossed her aside and went to find Qiu Haitang alone.
When Wei Zhongyuan lost track of Li Qingshan in Jiaping city and had flown into a rage, a trusted disciple of his contacted him through a high level Communication talisman. He told him, “Li Qingshan has come.”
He rushed back to Clear River city through the night. As soon as he returned to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, he learned everything that had happened from his disciple. Not only had Li Qingshan appeared in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, but he had even won a Virtue Accumulation pill and several thousand spiritual stones in a haughty manner. How could he accept this? He immediately flew into a rage.
The Sect of Parlour and Clouds had never been walked over by others like this, nor had he, Wei Zhongyuan, ever been toyed with like this either!
He basically barged into where Qiu Haitang cultivated. Only when he met Qiu Haitang’s gaze of displeasure did he suddenly recall his identity. He bowed, “Greetings, sect master. If I’ve been rude. I hope that the sect master can forgive me.”
Although sect master and vice sect master only differed by a single word, they were worlds apart. Only a single layer separated Foundation Establishment and the tenth layer, but it was a chasm.
“It’s so late already. What brought you here?” Qiu Haitang asked coldly.
Wei Zhongyuan fumed, “Li Qingshan behaved so brazenly, and he is definitely connected to Yingjie’s death. He’s a sworn enemy of our Sect of Clouds and Rain. Are you really going to let him go because of that Hua person, sect master?”
Qiu Haitang said, “The Hua person you speak of is a Scarlet Wolf commander. We’ve already irritated him when I let you go ahead with that last time. I’ve gambled on this and lost, so don’t say anything more. I’m weary.”
Wei Zhongyuan’s thoughts immediately coldened. He gritted his teeth. “If that’s the case, then I’ll show myself out first.” In the end, he studied Qiu Haitang viciously. His gaze revealed lust and greed. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll show you what’s what. As for Li Qingshan, he would never spare him.
After Wei Zhongyuan’s departure, a figure emerged from the wall screen. It was Qian Rongzhi. She bowed towards Qiu Haitang gracefully. “Vice sect master Wei’s mind is in disorder due to the pain of losing his son. It’ll be even more difficult for him to overcome that barrier, master.”
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Chapter 274 – Seed of Suggestion
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Chapter 274 – Seed of Suggestion
Qiu Haitang’s finger paused. Her long nail had already made contact with Qian Rongzhi’s skin. All she needed was another moment, and she would have pierced Qian Rongzhi’s brain.
Qian Rongzhi remained in a trance, as if she could not feel the tightening veils around her.
Qiu Haitang smiled in a self-deprecating manner. Her two miscalculations today actually made her doubt her arts of mesmerisation slightly, but how could a mere sixth layer Qi Practitioner resist her mesmerisation?
Then she asked, “And how did the two grannies of the East and West Gates die?”
Qian Rongzhi answered.
A while later, Qiu Haitang gained a rough understanding about everything. She stared straight into Qian Rongzhi’s eyes. “From today onwards, you will be my direct disciple. You must show absolute loyalty to me. You cannot deceive me.”
Her eyes sparkled, and the words turned into an unshakeable seed of suggestion, planted deeply in Qian Rongzhi’s heart. Afterwards, she sighed gently and became rather exhausted.
The veils receded, and Qian Rongzhi fell to the ground. Like she had woken up from a dream, she roused from her trance and shook her head. When she saw Qiu Haitang, she called out, “Master!” Afterwards, she covered her mouth in complete surprise. Not only had she been expelled from the Sect of Clouds and Rain already, but even if she was still a part of the sect, she could only call her sect master.
The arts of mesmerisation might have been nothing to people with special cultivation methods and abilities like Li Qingshan and Xiao An, but once its true effects demonstrated itself, it was terrifyingly powerful.
Mohists were only able to control puppets, while corpse refiners were only able to control dead corpses. However, those that cultivated the arts of mesmerisation could control living people. As a technique that placed great emphasis on talent, the fact that it had been passed down through the ages without becoming lost only demonstrated how impressive it was.
Qiu Haitang said, “Should I thank you?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I can never accept that as your disciple. I only got lucky.”
“Then what about the two grannies of the East and West Gates? Did you get lucky too?” Qiu Haitang suddenly asked. She was overly suspicious, so she asked her questions from before again. Qian Rongzhi should not have had any memories from when she was mesmerised.
Qian Rongzhi frowned. “Master, you know that Wei Yingjie is completely useless, so how can he be compared to the two grannies? Only tenth layer Qi Practitioners or Foundation Establishment cultivators can kill the two grannies. In my opinion, vice sect master Wei is suspicious.”
“That’s not something you should say,” Qiu Haitang said sternly, but the corner of her lips curled into a smile. Her behaviour was no different from before.
She looked at Qian Rongzhi from above, No matter how heartless and cruel you are, no matter how many schemes you have, it’s all useless before absolute strength. From today onwards, your talent for scheming will all be mine.
Qian Rongzhi said fearfully, “Yes, master.”
However, she sneered inside, Show absolute loyalty to you? Cannot deceive you? I think Hua Chengzan is the one you want to say these wishful words to the most!
Everything went according to plan.
Everyone was accustomed to using what they were best at, such as how disciples of the Sword Collection palace had to use swords and how disciples of the Burial Mound mountain had to use zombies. Qiu Haitang was no different. She had to use her technique of mesmerisation.
Sure enough, sect master Qiu was still more accustomed to directly controlling her opponent’s minds compared to scheming and using her tongue.
Back when Qiu Haitang used her powers and unleashed the technique of mesmerisation.
Qian Rongzhi felt like her mind had collapsed, receding away like the tide. The superficial arts of mesmerisation that she had learned did not help her. The Pill of Calming she ingested before hand was completely useless too. Before the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her preparations and attempts at resistance were absolutely nothing.
However, all of this was just a distraction. What she actually depended on was the deep understanding of mesmerisation she had developed through the recent period of cultivation, which made her fearless.
It was impossible for Qiu Haitang to control her. Even she could not control herself.
She had grown up under the support of hatred that was as vast and deep as the sea, and for the sake of revenge, she was forced to put on masks upon masks, repressing her own ego and burying her hatred. Such a matter was not as simple as it sounded. Apart from absolute rationality, there was nothing that could repress flames of hatred.
But as time went on, all the developments had completely surpassed her expectations. Before she knew it, revenge was no longer the most important thing. If Qian Yannian was willing to make her the head of the Qian family back then, she could even continue to repress it. It would have just been so that she could become even more powerful. The flames of hatred that had burned her for almost a decade began to pale in comparison now.
Her rationality suppressed her hatred, the means surpassed the ends.
As a result, when she got what she wanted, succeeding with her revenge, she could finally peel off her many masks, but what she discovered was nothing. As a result, she cried bitterly, but she did not gain sudden enlightenment and ascend mentally, much less repent and achieve virtue. She only dried her tears and continued onwards with rationality.
Her desires and emotions continued to provide some meagre impetus, growing and entwining naturally like vines, even if the vines had no idea what the meaning of all this was.
Her trance was not an act. Instead, absolute rationality continued to impel her body. It was ridiculous how Qiu Haitang even tried to test her with such a simple method.
The seed of suggestion that Qiu Haitang had planted in the end was like the seed of hatred she had once planted for herself. It was completely insignificant. Even hatred was unable to control her.
“How can that old ruffian claim master’s pure body? I think no one is worthy of master apart from commander Hua.”
“If that’s really what you think, then I don’t have to worry.” Qiu Haitang eased up. She thought, Apart from being able to think like that, you won’t be able to have any other thoughts.
Sure enough, Qian Rongzhi said, “As your disciple, I will give master whatever she wishes even if I have to go through thick and thin. And, that Li Qingshan. I won’t spare him either. Although my cultivation is meagre, I’ll avenge master even if I have to drag him down with me.”
She had already won the gamble. It was time to collect her winnings.
Qiu Haitang pulled out a jade slip from her hundred treasures pouch. “No one must know about our relationship. I can’t guide you every single day either. In the jade slip are the cultivation notes and comprehensions for the Method of Clouds and Rain, as well as more powerful techniques of mesmerisation. You can go back and study them slowly. As for revenge, there’s no hurry for that.”
Afterwards, she took out a few bottles of pills and passed them to Qian Rongzhi. They were all pills crucial to cultivating the Method of Clouds and Rain and the arts of mesmerisation.
Even in the Sect of Clouds and Rain, rarely did anyone receive such special treatment. Not only did it require sufficient talent, but the disciple also had to go through many years of tests of their loyalty. Qian Rongzhi’s loyalty would obviously be no issue. Giving her some benefits would only propel the growth of this seed of suggestion.
Qiu Haitang was not worried that Qian Rongzhi would become powerful enough to destroy the seed of suggestion she had planted. Qi Practitioners that had the seed planted in them would have their minds twisted. Cultivation would become extremely difficult. Even if they could still make progress as Qi Practitioners, it would be impossible for them to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Qian Rongzhi beamed. “Thank you, master!”
Qiu Haitang said, “You can go!”
Qian Rongzhi bowed extremely politely. “Disciple will be taking her leave.” She turned around to leave, but she suddenly heard Qiu Haitang ask, “Do you like that Li Qingshan?”
Qian Rongzhi turned around. Her face was red from embarrassment as she bit her lip and faltered, as if she was too shy to speak. However, due to the seed of suggestion, she could not help but say, “I- I like master.” She knelt down fearfully. “Please forgive me, master!”
Qiu Haitang smiled. “You’re very honest, so how can I blame you?” Absolute loyalty would result in emotions similar to love. It would be strange if that was not the case.
Unknowingly, Qian Rongzhi had planted a seed in Qiu Haitang’s heart too. This woman is completely loyal to me. She won’t betray me. She poses no threat to me.
Qian Rongzhi stepped out of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain at ease. What a stupid woman. If you want to control others, mesmerisation is only supplementary! You’re not worthy of being Xiao An’s master!
Hua Chengzan, Li Qingshan, Xiao An, and Mu Kui walked slowly. They all had something on their minds, so they remained silent.
Hua Chengzan suddenly said, “There are some things that would be best if you knew, Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Regarding the Sect of Clouds and Rain?”
“Yes. The disciples of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, regardless of gender, mostly cultivate by using practices of harvesting from the other gender, but that’s only for people with poor talent. The people that are actually talented will be specially picked out to cultivate alone. Compared to the promiscuous behaviour of the former, the latter basically practises severe abstinence to ensure that they don’t lose their virgin yin until Foundation Establishment.”
“Then, they’ll find another Foundation Establishment cultivator, and only then do they practise dual cultivation. And, once they choose their partner for dual cultivation, they can’t just choose someone else so freely. This lasts for centuries or even millenniums. It’s even more stable than marriages among regular people. This is the most orthodox method of dual cultivation within daoism. You can even call it a shortcut.”
Only then did Li Qingshan understand. He saw how Xiao An became slightly worried, so he just scooped her up and put her on his shoulders. “Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere. You just have to follow me. Don’t you trust me?”
Xiao An bit her lip and revealed an embarrassed smile.
Only then did she seem like a pure, naive child to Hua Chengzan. Even Li Qingshan had been infected by some of her childishness. He really wondered just how they ended up together. For some reason, the word “mutual dependence” appeared in his head. He became rather eager to see Hua Chenglu.
Li Qingshan asked, “Brother Hua, are you very familiar with Qiu Haitang?”
Hua Chengzan said, “If you don’t mind, you can just call me Chengzan. I met Haitang when I was still a child. The previous sect master had brought her to my home as a guest, and because we’re all in the prefectural city, we did maintain frequent contact with each other.”
Hua Chengzan had put it simply, but Li Qingshan could see the reminiscence on his face, and he knew that the two of them were not just very familiar. They were basically childhood friends. They were both cultivation geniuses, and there was not a large difference in their ages. It would only be strange if no sparks of affection ended up flying between them.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Then I hope you reach Foundation Establishment soon, brother Hua, and embrace a beauty. I think this sect master Qiu is very interested in you.” If his eyes still worked, then he could tell what Qiu Haitang was thinking. However, this young master Hua just happened to be rather unhappy with all of it. The reason truly perplexed him.
If Qiu Haitang wanted to do something like dual cultivation with him, he would agree a hundred percent of the time. Although he still thought about Gu Yanying, that was his long term goal. He still had to eat and drink in the meantime. Thinking up to this point, he seemed like he had suddenly understood something.
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Chapter 275 – Controlling Artifacts and Swords
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Chapter 275 – Controlling Artifacts and Swords
Was Hua Chengzan actually interested in Gu Yanying? From a male perspective, this was as ordinary as it could get. It would only be abnormal if he was not interested. However, Li Qingshan had only just met him, so asking a question like that was going a little too far.
Hua Chengzan said, “Then I also hope you advance aggressively with cultivation and become the son-in-law of the Han family sooner.”
The two of them glanced at each other. They both shook their heads with bitter smiles.
Before they knew it, they had left the prefectural city and crossed through the invisible formation. The grass was lush, and the night birds chirped. It was the middle of Spring. Although it was night, the fragrances of various flowers continued to infiltrate their noses.
“Let’s travel together!” With that, Hua Chengzan summoned the Silver Dragon horse from his seal. With a tug of the reins, the horse raised its hooves and let out a long whinny. It took off on the wind, as if Hua Chengzan had cleared up his thoughts with this.
Li Qingshan flew with Xiao An, tailing closely behind.
The giant lumberman Mu Kui took great strides. He was not slow either.
In under fifteen minutes, they spotted a city that rose and fell in the embrace of the mountains. It flickered with lights in the darkness.
Li Qingshan was astonished. “Is this the Hua family?” Just the scale of the clan had surpassed Qingyang city, and when it came to the grandeur and elegance of the structures, even a hundred Qingyang cities could not rival it.
“The clan got a little big after a while.” Hua Chengzan drew his reins and stopped outside the city gates.
A group of guards passed by on top of the city walls. Every single one of them was brimming with vigour and vitality. Not only were they Qi Practitioners, but they also showed signs of being Body Practitioners too.
“The young master has returned!” someone called out from above the walls. After that, the city gates that stood over a dozen meters tall opened loudly.
Hua Chengzan rode in first. However, Li Qingshan could sense that the city gates were not the only thing that had opened. The entire formation over the Hua family had opened too. When he stepped through this formation, he immediately sensed the abundant spiritual qi in the surroundings. It even surpassed the cavern for seclusion in the Hawkwolf Guard of Jiaping city.
The Hua family was constructed on an extremely fine spiritual ground in the first place. Not only did the formation have defensive properties, but it was also a huge Spirit Gathering formation. It was possible to imagine just how much regular independent cultivators would benefit if they could cultivate here.
If regular people lived here, their bodies would be much stronger and healthier than those outside, resistant to many diseases.
Entering the city, a main road led straight to a structure that seemed like a tall tower in the centre of the city. Apart from this, there were no other particularly tall structures. The eaves were hidden within the shade of the trees. The entire city was like a huge garden, just with buildings interspersed across the entire place.
The vegetation was lush, open corridors winded around through the entire place, and there were both ponds and fake mountains. The scenery would basically change with each step, with just too much to see. However, the entire composition seemed to secretly abide to the principles of the five elements, resonating with the formation.
Pearls were embedded throughout the city, giving off dim light in the darkness and illuminating the paths.
Crossing a small bridge, Hua Chengzan brought them before a building. A small stream gurgled around the front, and a cluster of trees stood behind it.
Hua Chengzan said, “The place where I stay is close to here. It’s in that direction. Everywhere surrounded by the stream belongs to me. You can move around freely in there, but it’s best if you don’t wander around outside. It’s already late, so you should all go rest!”
Hua Chengzan explained this to them before bidding farewell politely.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An entered the building to rest.
Mu Kui arrived behind the building, standing with the trees. He stood on the ground with his feet bare as he stood dead-straight, closing his eyes.
The next morning, Li Qingshan sat before the small stream. The translucent stream glistened. Under the sunlight, the surrounding scenergy became even more pleasant. Looking around, all of it seemed picturesque.
The building hidden in the trees did not stand out at all. Instead, it added a sense of humanity to it all. It completely achieved the principle of humanity being one with nature.
Li Qingshan’s mind grew more tranquil too. He removed a single object from his hundred treasures pouch. It was a small, jade-green sword. Only the blade of the sword existed. There was no hilt.
The sword was as thin as a strand of hair, vaguely translucent. Detailed patterns of waves were engraved on it. Li Qingshan flicked it gently, and it rippled like water.
Since he had reached the sixth layer, he could now control artifacts. Li Qingshan had directly come to the prefectural city the moment he left seclusion, so he had not been able to refine his own flying sword.
After great thought, he had chosen this tiny sword from the hundreds or even thousands of spiritual artifacts available to him. Not only was it a high grade spiritual artifact, but it was even of the water element too. The sword did not come with any special techniques, but it was extremely light, extremely quick, and extremely sharp.
Li Qingshan held the sword in his palms. The pure Gui Water true qi flowed over in ebbs, filling the sword. The sword’s glow flickered rhythmically like breathing.
Hua Chengzan walked over from the small bridge. Behind him were Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian.
Hua Chenglu was grumbling, “Gosh. Something so fascinating went down, yet you didn’t even call me over.” After learning about what she had missed last night, she was filled with regret.
Hua Chengzan hushed her silently. He pointed at Li Qingshan, who sat by the stream nearby.
“Li Qingshan! He has really reached the sixth layer!” Hua Chenglu was surprised. The last time she had met him, he was only at the second layer. In just a few measly months, he had advanced four layers. He was astonishingly fast. During this period, she had never stopped cultivating either, but she had only reached the fourth layer. Of course, that was already quite impressive at her age.
“What’s he doing?” Yu Zjian asked curiously. Although it had only been a few months, everything she had gone through made what happened on the Island of Cherishing Flowers seem extremely distant. The young man seated there could only be regarded as a stranger to her.
Hua Chengzan said, “He’s refining a flying sword. Chenglu, don’t get jealous of him. He might have cultivated extremely quickly, but his foundation will be rather unstable, and his true qi won’t be pure enough. This step will become much more difficult as a result.”
The Hua family had plenty of methods that could boost Hua Chenglu’s cultivation to higher levels, but these methods of quick success would definitely lead to many consequences. And, with an unstable foundation and impure true qi, cultivation would become much more difficult too.
Before Hua Chengzan had even finished speaking, Yu Zijian pointed at Li Qingshan and said, “It’s flying.”
Hua Chengzan looked back in a rush. He saw the small sword in Li Qingshan palms take off into the air with a swish. After that, it turned around and flew back with a swoosh, silently piercing a fake mountain before returning to Li Qingshan’s side, hovering before him.
Hua Chengzan was as insightful as they came. Although the flying sword was still rather stiff when it came to turns, it was basically an unbelievable achievement if this was the first time he had controlled the sword. In particular, he had noticed that the flying sword had actually flown over a hundred paces away. That had completely surpassed the range of regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners. It was on par with seventh or even eighth layer Qi Practitioners.
There was only one explanation for this. Li Qingshan’s true qi was extremely pure.
Faced with Hua Chenglu’s doubtful gaze, Hua Chengzan rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly. How he cultivated was truly a mystery.
Even if there were a lot of pills that could increase the purity of true qi, they could not make it so pure. It would still require tremendous amounts of time for the Qi Practitioner to refine it to such a degree, and when it came to purifying true qi, it would mean stretching out the time spent on cultivation. He must have spent day and night cultivating for the past few months! To be able to catch her attention, he possessed a lot of extraordinary aspects, sure enough.
No matter how clever Hua Chengzan was, he would have never imagined that Li Qingshan possessed a sumeru ring that even Foundation Establishment cultivators did not possess. Moreover, he could absorb the spiritual qi of the world as a Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan had noticed their arrival quite some time ago. However, he had just been concentrating on controlling the sword, so he could not acknowledge them.
He formed a seal with his hand, and the sea of qi in his dantian churned endlessly. Using his obscure connection with the flying sword, he made the flying sword fly about freely, piercing rocks and wood. The power was startling. It demonstrated the power worthy of a high grade spiritual artifact.
His pure true qi played a decisive role in why he could grasp the art of controlling artifacts so quickly. Water was gentle in nature. It was not suited for attacks, but it was extremely mellow, making it easy to control. And, without his pure true qi, he would have struggled to refine a high grade spiritual artifact in such a short amount of time.
After a slight estimate, he noticed that the range of his sword control was around a hundred paces. He could actually behead someone from a hundred paces away now. Once the flying sword left this range, it would weaken significantly, and he would even lose control over it. Who knew how long it would take until he could behead people from a hundred kilometers away.
However, he was already extremely satisfied with this power right now. He also gained a better understanding of why the art of practising the body was in decline. Just how much effort did Body Practitioners have to spend to move faster than a tiny flying sword? And, under the blade of the sword, they were useless even if they were made of metal.
After refining the flying sword, Li Qingshan stood up and smiled. “You’ve come.”
With a flash, the small sword shot into his sleeve and wrapped around his arm like a bracelet. As the first flying sword he would be controlling, this would be his primary method of attack within the human world in the near future. He had to carry it on him constantly and assimilate with it until he could wield it as freely as a third arm.
Only now did the trio approach him. Li Qingshan greeted Hua Chenglu, “Young miss Hua, long time no see. I haven’t forgotten about the assistance you provided me in the past. I’m thinking about a way to return the favour right now.”
Thinking about it now, he realised that both siblings had backed him up before, and it was both against the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
Hua Chenglu smiled in a reserved manner. “It was nothing difficult, so you really can’t label it as kindness. There’s no need to call me young miss either. Just call me by my name. After tomorrow, we’ll be fellow students. I hope you can take good care of me then, Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan said, “Chengzan, your dear sister exceeds you in nobility!”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “Exactly! That’s what the others say too. I sigh over my inferiority too!”
Hua Chenglu had always been clever, so how could she not realise that they were making fun of her? She immediately became unhappy with it all.
Hua Chengzan felt powerless towards this younger sister of his too. Yu Zijian smiled. Only then did she demonstrate her past naivety again.
“And, long time no see to you too, miss Yu.” Li Qingshan saw how Yu Zjian still wore violet, but her aura was much calmer and steadier than before. With a sword on her waist, she seemed valiant in bearing.
She asked in concern, “B- big brother Li, I heard that the Sect of Clouds and Rain wanted to do things to you. Are you fine?”
“I’m fine.” Li Qingshan felt amazed inside. Back then underground, she had called him Niu Juxia. Now, she called him big brother Li.
At this moment, a series of heavy footsteps rang out from the woods. Yu Zijian thought of something and turned around in a hurry. When she saw the figure emerging from the woods, she became disappointed. Even Niu Juxia was not that tall!
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Chapter 276 – Clashing with Wei Zhongyuan
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Chapter 276 – Clashing with Wei Zhongyuan
At the end of the day, Hua Chenglu still had the mind of a child. She was amazed by the sight of the otherfolk, Mu Kui.
“Nice sword. What’s it called?” Hua Chengzan had seen plenty of high grade spiritual artifacts before, but he also understood their value. Regular Qi Practitioners would be doing quite well if they possessed one at the eighth or ninth layers.
Li Qingshan said, “I obtained this out of pure luck. I don’t know it’s name. Oh right, what do you think about Small Stream as its name?”
“There aren’t any decent names for it. It’s just a clear stream.”
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, then I’ll name it the Clear Stream sword.”
High grade spiritual artifacts were nice, but they were nothing in his eyes. Right now, he could even produce the money to buy a supreme grade spiritual artifact. However, there was no need for him to be so wasteful. Starting off with the Clear Stream sword was already extremely impressive.
It was just a clear stream right now, but it would definitely become a great river.
Hua Chengzan asked, “Where’s Xiao An?”
Li Qingshan said, “She’s still sleeping!” In reality, Xiao An had originally been beside them, but upon sensing their arrival, she had fled back into the building.
Hua Chengzan knew that Li Qingshan had already made up his mind. He would not be sending Xiao An to the Sect of Clouds and Rain, so he said nothing more, “Have you decided on which school you’re going to join?”
“Don’t you want me to join the school of Legalism?”
“If you want to, I’ll obviously be very happy for you to join, but if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”
“The matters of tomorrow are for tomorrow to decide!”
“Tomorrow” arrived very soon. A very light, spring drizzle fell from the sky, which made the air moist and cool. Everything in the surroundings seemed so fresh. Perhaps due to practising Gui Water True Qi, Li Qingshan liked this weather very much now.
The climate of the Clear River prefecture was similar to the Jiangnan1 in his former life. Looking down from below the clouds, the streams of water merged together on the ground. Many farmers were currently planting seedlings in the rice fields. It gave off a watery charm.
Seeing the tiny, low-hanging cloud fly through the sky, the farmers were not surprised at all. The existence of cultivators was not a secret in this world.
As people who lived near Clear River city, their insight was much broader than others who lived in Qingyang or Jiaping city. They had grown accustomed to it all. Compared to this, planting the seedlings was more important, as it would determine their harvest for the year.
Only the children would raise their heads and point at the cloud. Some of them even ran along with the cloud for a while. Dreams shone in their eyes.
Today was the entrance examination of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Li Qingshan did not travel with Hua Chenglu and the others. Apart from Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian, the Hua family had other members that would be attending the Academy of the Hundred Schools this year too. There was no point in sticking with them, so he just agreed to rendezvous with them before the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
The Academy of the Hundred Schools was located around fifty kilometers from the prefectural city. It was not far, nor was it close. It would take him under two hours to reach by flying.
Li Qingshan was in no hurry. He travelled a part of the journey slowly. Suddenly, he sensed a sharp, murderous aura press over from the ground.
On the ground was a small mountain range. There were no traces of human activity within a range of several dozen kilometers. It was a good place for an ambush.
A man with peppered hair in fancy violet robes stood proudly on top of one of those mountains. His cultivation was at the startling tenth layer. He was the vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Wei Zhongyuan.
He was dissatisfied with Qiu Haitang’s decision. He had to avenge his son. Without much effort, he found out that Li Qingshan was staying in the Hua family and was about to go to the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He was not bold enough to demand for the Hua family to hand him over, and there was nothing he could do to Li Qingshan once he joined the academy.
As a result, he made up his mind to launch an ambush on Li Qingshan’s way there. Even if he could not capture Li Qingshan alive and get the whole story from him, he still wanted to kill him. Only then would he be satisfied. The only thing he worried about was that Li Qingshan would be travelling together with the Hua family, but now that he saw Li Qingshan had appeared alone, he beamed with joy, and his murderous aura erupted.
Currently, his furious eyes were teeming with malice, and his violet robes ruffled despite the absence of any breeze. He was imposing, just like a mountain.
Li Qingshan realised it was a tenth layer Qi Practitioner with a single glance. Although he did not know it was Wei Zhongyuan, he had basically guessed it already. He halted and called out, “Are you the vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Wei Zhongyuan?”
“Get down here!” Wei Zhongyuan raised his hand, and white true qi gathered in his palm, shooting into the sky as a white blast.
The white light immediately made Li Qingshan think of Hao Pingyan’s Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light. The white light moved with startling speed. Dodging it would be difficult even if he was on the ground, let alone when he was in the sky like right now.
He was surprised, but he did not become flustered. He scooped up Xiao An and leapt. The white blast tore through the cloud, surprising him secretly.
He fell towards the ground. He required time to use the Cloud Riding technique and Mist Wielding technique, and Wei Zhongyuan clearly would not be giving him this time.
Wei Zhongyuan swung his arms backwards. The rock below his feet shattered, kicking up soil. He had already taken off like a cannonball, heading right towards Li Qingshan.
He extended his right hand, striking out again. He was trying to capture Li Qingshan alive.
However, at this moment, Li Qingshan suddenly vanished.
“An Invisibility talisman? Mere trickery.” Wei Zhongyuan snorted coldly, but his expression soon changed slightly. Li Qingshan’s aura had completely vanished as well. Despite his cultivation at the tenth layer, he was unable to detect him.
He raised his arms and launched over a hundred consecutive punches at where Li Qingshan might have landed. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! With a string of explosions, a layer of the small mountain was directly carved away, filling the surroundings with dust. However, there were no traces of Li Qingshan. His frown grew deeper.
Being able to hide his body was nothing, but in order to erase his aura so cleanly, he must have practised some sort of secret technique. This kid would definitely become a huge problem in the future.
As a result, he held his breath and concentrated his mind. No matter what secret technique it was, his aura would definitely leak out once he used a technique.
Even kicking up a slightly unnatural breeze could allow him to sense Li Qingshan and get him through his invisibility.
Li Qingshan had obviously used the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility to hide himself. Seeing how Wei Zhongyuan lurked below like an angered lion, he knew that something was amiss, so he unfurled the Clear Stream sword.
The Clear Stream sword hovered in the air, and he stood on it. Although he was nowhere close to sword riding, supporting his own weight was not too difficult.
The only thing he needed to think about was how to deal with Wei Zhongyuan. If regular Qi Practitioners were confronted with such a terrifying enemy, they would definitely be thinking about how they could escape, but Li Qingshan was contemplating on how he could kill him. A tenth layer Qi Practitioner’s hundred treasures pouch would increase his confidence in breaking through to Daemon General.
While the location right now seemed like wilderness, he was just too close to both the Academy of the Hundred Schools and Clear River city. Transforming was extremely dangerous.
But right now, he was the one standing in the light, with Wei Zhongyuan lurking in the shadows. With Xiao An’s assistance, as well as almost ten supreme grade talismans and the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, it was not necessarily impossible. Oh right, he also had the art of controlling swords that he had recently learnt.
The Clear Stream sword produced a green flash as it stabbed towards the back of Wei Zhongyuan’s neck.
Wei Zhongyuan turned around in a hurry. He smiled viciously. “I’ve found you.”
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1. Jiangnan refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangnan
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Chapter 277 – Meeting Acquaintances Again
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Chapter 277 – Meeting Acquaintances Again
The flying sword controlled by a mere sixth layer Qi Practitioner was nothing in Wei Zhongyuan’s eyes. It could not even pierce his protective true qi.
Without even looking at the Clear Stream sword, he raised his hand and unleashed a blast towards the flying sword.
With a boom, rocks shot off in all directions and huge trees snapped, but there was still no trace of Li Qingshan.
Wei Zhongyuan frowned. Li Qingshan’s technique of erasing his aura was even more powerful than he had previously imagined.
Li Qingshan stood nearby with Xiao An in his arms. There was not even a speck of dust on him. He formed a seal with his hand and wielded it like a sword, drawing and pointing with it.
The Clear Stream sword cut through the air silently, stabbing towards Wei Zhongyuan’s throat with even greater speed.
Ding! It stabbed into the protective true qi and was unable to advance even an inch further.
“Overconfident!” Wei Zhongyuan said in disdain. He reached towards the Clear Stream sword. As long as he caught the flying sword, he could use the aura on the sword to find Li Qingshan.
The Clear Stream sword suddenly rippled like water, inching through the protective true qi.
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. He poured his strength into the Clear Stream sword in a hurry, and with a flash, it turned into a green streak of light and pierced the protective true qi, brushing past Wei Zhongyuan’s face.
Wei Zhongyuan touched the tiny nick on his cheek. He was shaken inside and furious. If he had not tilted his head in time, his head would have been pierced.
Li Qingshan only found out then that the Clear Stream sword could pierce protective true qi as well. Although this feature was simple and nothing special, it made the sword a true weapon for killing when combined with its speed. It truly deserved its status as a high grade spiritual artifact. However, he had failed to kill Wei Zhongyuan in a single stroke then, which was quite a pity.
However, he would be dreaming if he wanted to kill a tenth layer Qi Practitioner like this. What he was trying to do was to completely agitate Wei Zhongyuan, which would give him an opportunity to strike.
The Clear Stream sword turned around and shot over again.
Wei Zhongyuan no longer handled it carelessly. He used a protective technique. A faint, oval-shaped membrane of light appeared around him. As expected, the Clear Stream sword struggled to pierce it so easily now.
If he forced it through, the sword would probably just be caught by Wei Zhongyuan. As a result, he made the sword linger around to disturb Wei Zhongyuan. It was not like Wei Zhongyuan could find him anyway. He had plenty of time to waste on him.
The Clear Stream sword turned into a green flash. Gradually, Wei Zhongyuan became agitated.
“The Glorious Sun of Brilliance Illuminates the Four Directions!”
Wei Zhongyuan brought his hands together before parting them. He lit up, illuminating the surroundings.
The vegetation yellowed and withered, beginning to burn. Thick billows of smoke rose up.
If he used this move on regular people, he could turn several thousand of them blind. However, the effect on Qi Practitioners was nothing special. It just covered an extremely large range.
Wei Zhongyuan looked around and spotted a blurry figure within the endless light. Raising his arm, a shining sword, three feet long, had already appeared in his hand. The name of the sword was called Three Yang, and it was a high grade spiritual artifact. It had turned into a streak of white light as it shot over like a bolt of lightning.
“Oh no! Clear River sword, go!” Li Qingshan called out.
Clang! The green flash struck the white light, revealing the weapon.
With one bigger and one smaller, the two flying swords entangled with one another, producing a messy string of clings and clangs.
The Three Yang sword was swift and powerful. It contained great force, such that it would almost knock away the Clear Stream sword with each clash.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had clashed with someone using flying swords. He only controlled it based on his feelings, but he was severely lacking in both experience and technique. The Clear Stream sword was forced backwards, and in the blink of an eye, the Three yang sword had already arrived before him.
Killing intent erupted in Wei Zhongyuan’s eyes. True qi swelled in his sea of qi, and the Three Yang sword shone brightly, sending the Clear Stream sword over a dozen meters away. It sliced towards Li Qingshan’s legs in a hurry. He had made up his mind to directly cripple Li Qingshan.
With two clangs, two white prayer beads flew out and sent the Three Yang sword flying.
“You can actually control three spiritual artifacts at the same time!” Wei Zhongyuan’s expression changed. While regular cultivators could refine multiple spiritual artifacts for use, they would never use all of them in actual combat. In particular, spiritual artifacts like flying swords required even more concentration. Their true qi would disperse if they split their focus, so they would be better off just focusing on a single spiritual artifact.
However, the two prayer beads that sent the Three Yang sword flying were heavy. They were instead even more powerful than the Clear Stream sword, which threw Wei Zhongyuan into disbelief. Never did he imagine that this actually came from Xiao An, as she seemed to possess no cultivation at all.
Li Qingshan ignored him. Instead of retreating, he advanced. With the Wind-entwining blade in hand, he shot towards Wei Zhongyuan like an arrow. After lurking around for so long, this was the first attack he had delivered in person. He seemed like he was unstoppable.
Wei Zhongyuan only beamed with joy. He was actually approaching him. Did he really think he could make up for the difference between the sixth and tenth layers just because he was a Body Practitioner? However, Wei Zhongyuan still received him seriously. His figure stood as steady as a mountain as he spread his arms forward. White true qi rapidly gathered.
Behind Li Qingshan, Xiao An hid without moving. She held a white bone sword in one hand and a supreme grade talisman in the other.
The distance of fifty paces could be covered in a mere moment; the boundary between life and death was only separated by a moment too.
“Stop!” A yell rang out from the sky, and a metal shield fell down, arriving right between Wei Zhongyuan and Li Qingshan. It turned into a wall of metal.
Li Qingshan secretly lamented over the destroyed opportunity. He kicked off the wall gently and sprang back, arriving in the air. The Clear Stream sword arrived below his feet, and he stood there, clasping his hands. “Senior sister Han, what brings you here?”
The person happened to be Han Qiongzhi. She piloted a flying shuttle with a few familiar faces behind her.
Han Qiongzhi said, “I’m the vice leader of the law enforcement team of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. I’m in charge of the public security around the entrance examinations. You’ve made such a great disturbance, so how can I not come and check?”
The entrance examination was when the Qi Practitioners from various places converged. There would be plenty of incidents when enemies met with great hostility. Some people would become tempted by wealth, resorting to murder and robbery, and there were even cases of people breaking out into a fight over a slight dispute. As a result, the Academy of the Hundred Schools arranged the disciples of legalism into law enforcement teams to maintain order.
The leader was obviously Hua Chengzan. When a bright flash in the distance occurred, regular people would have never been able to sense it during daytime, while Qi Practitioners would not care even if they sensed it. However, Hua Chengzan immediately sensed that something was amiss and realised that he had made a miscalculation, ordering Han Qiongzhi to come over and provide support in a hurry.
Han Qiongzhi turned around and faced Wei Zhongyuan. She immediately became slightly stern. “Wei Zhongyuan, do you plan on murdering a Hawkwolf guard here?” She was acquainted with Wei Zhongyuan, but she had never liked him. He was already so old but only at the tenth layer, so he was not someone worthy of her attention. As a result, she spoke without the slightest hint of courtesy.
Wei Zhongyuan withdrew the Three yang sword reluctantly and said with his head raised, “This is our personal grievance. It’s got nothing to do with the Hawkwolf Guard.”
“Your esteemed sect master Qiu has already agreed to dismiss all grievances with Li Qingshan. If you keep on clinging onto them, then sect master Qiu will never spare you even if the Hawkwolf Guard spares you.” Han Qiongzhi did find Wei Zhongyuan to be irritating, but the Sect of Clouds and Rain was still one of the more powerful sects in the Clear River prefecture. Only Wang Pushi had the authority to pass orders against a vice sect master. Unless Wei Zhongyuan actually killed Li Qingshan in front of them, Wang Pushi would probably be reluctant to fall out with the Sect of Clouds and Rain over a single Black Wolf guard.
At the end of the day, it still depended on the individual’s abilities. The banner of the Hawkwolf Guard was quite useful, but it was not an all-powerful protective charm.
Wei Zhongyuan snorted coldly. He stowed the Three Yang sword away and flew away in the wind. Before he left, he said to Li Qingshan, “You got lucky today. This won’t just end like this. You better clean your neck and wait for death!”
Li Qingshan said impatiently, “You’d better fuck off!” It was difficult to say who actually got lucky today. All Wei Zhongyuan knew was how to throw threats around.
“You!” Wei Zhongyuan’s face turned bright red. He glanced at Han Qiongzhi before storming off.
Han Qiongzhi shook her head. If she had not learnt that he actually came from a small mountain hamlet from Hua Chengzan, she definitely would have believed that he had some powerful background. However, at least that was better than being a coward. She smiled. “You can get on. The entrance examination is about to start, so you’d better hurry up!”
Li Qingshan boarded the flying shuttle with Xiao An. He lowered his head and sank into his thoughts. Whenever he went through a battle, he would always reflect on it, with this battle in particular since Wei Zhongyuan was an enemy he would definitely face again in the future. He wanted to think through the entire battle properly.
After travelling a few kilometers, the flying shuttle suddenly stopped. Han Qiongzhi said with a sunken face, “Get off!”
Li Qingshan asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Han Qiongzhi said, “Don’t you feel like you’ve forgotten something?”
“What have I forgotten?”
Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth. “A thank you! If it weren’t for me, you would have lost your life there today.” So much for rushing over here and saving him. She did not even receive a single “thank you” from him. Perhaps regular people would just grumble inside, but she did not have the personality to keep it all repressed.
Li Qingshan smiled understandingly. “Alright then. Thank you. Though, if you hadn’t come, I had some confidence in making him remain there forever.”
The disciples of legalism were unconvinced. They all seemed like they wanted to mock him. That was a tenth layer Qi Practitioner on par with Hua Chengzan, yet he was actually boasting that he had a chance to defeat someone like that. He sure was overestimating himself.
Although Li Qingshan was raidating with valiance when he charged at Wei Zhongyuan earlier, it was more like charging towards his own destruction. He was overconfident in his abilities.
Han Qiongzhi said, “I don’t believe it.”
“Then thank you.” Li Qingshan shrugged and leapt off the shuttle, riding off on a cloud instead. If someone helped him, even if it was just the tiniest bit, he would remember it. However, what other people believed in was not for him to decide, nor did he care either. Was he supposed to pull out a few supreme grade talismans or the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to justify himself?
Han Qiongzhi was surprised. Originally, she had been waiting for Li Qingshan to thank her and cheer her up, and she would then forgive him for his rudeness. However, she never thought he would be so straightforward. She ground her teeth. “Alright you, Li Qingshan!”
The flying shuttle shot past the cloud. Han Qiongzhi maintained a cold expression, suppressing the urge to glance at Li Qingshan.
Xiao An said softly, “What a weirdo.”
Rarely did Xiao An ever comment on someone. Li Qingshan smiled and pinched her cheeks. “Let’s not stoop to the same level as her.”
At this moment, expansive, mist-covered waters appeared on the horizon. Under the sunlight, the ripples and waves glistened.
Li Qingshan smiled. He was finally here.
Yes. The Academy of the Hundred Schools was located in this great marshland.
The name of the lake was Dragons and Snakes, originating from the classics of confucianism. “Dragons and snakes were produced within the deep mountains and marshes.” It implied that those who set afoot in this lake might rise from mediocrity, transforming from a snake into a dragon and setting foot upon the endless path of cultivation.
This was the beginning.
Beside the lake on a large, sandy shoal stood thousands of people. They formed small groups, either whispering to one another or engaging in lively conversations. Qi Practitioners were converging from all directions. Li Qingshan descended on the cloud, but he failed to attract much attention at all.
The disciples of legalism in black maintained order in the surroundings. Hua Chengzan stood on a tall sentry post, conversing with a few stronger Qi Practitioners who had accompanied their own disciples. When he saw Li Qingshan arrive, he relaxed and nodded slightly, expressing how he was currently busy. He pointed towards a corner of the sandy shoal.
Li Qingshan looked over to where Hua Chengzan was pointing at. He saw a few hundred children standing there, separated from the Qi Practitioners.
There were two types of disciples that the Academy of the Hundred Schools accepted. One was regular Qi Practitioners. They might have come from smaller clans, or they might have been independent cultivators. As long as they were not too old and were willing to pay the school fees, basically all of them were allowed to study in the academy. The academy truly accepted everyone, both good and bad.
The other type was similar to what regular sects accepted. They would choose talented but foundationless children from various places. These children would not directly enter the Academy of the Hundred Schools, nor did they have to pay any school fees. Instead, they needed to practise the Innate Method of Practising Qi for a while. If they managed to condense qi successfully, they could choose among the schools after establishing a foundation. If they failed, then they would be sent back to their hometowns.
Li Qingshan held Xiao An’s hand and made his way over.
“Qingshan, you’ve finally arrived.” A fatty called out and pushed his way over.
Li Qingshan looked at him. He was Ye Dachuan. It was impossible for these children to make their way over by themselves, nor was it possible for Zhou Wenbin to escort them in person. Ye Dachuan would never miss this great opportunity to return to Clear River city either.
“Sir Ye, long time no see.”
“Were you the person on the cloud earlier? My god, I don’t even recognise you anymore! You’ve made it!” Ye Dachuan came up and wanted to pat Li Qingshan’s shoulder, but he was afraid to. He sized up Li Qingshan and clicked his tongue in wonder. No one would have thought that there would be a day when a farmer kid from Qingyang city would actually be able to ride clouds and fly around.
“I’ve heard plenty of stories about you in the past few months. What kind of friend are you supposed to be? You’ve made it so you’ve forgotten about your old friends now.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “How can I forget about what sir Ye did for me to get promoted? Do I need to register her name?”
“There’s no need. I’ve already registered her name. She’s called Xiao An, right? A ship will come to receive her in a while. Oh right, the other two are here too. Just wait here, I’ll call them over.”
The other two? Before he could ask about that, Ye Dachuan had already vanished into the crowd. A while later, he returned with a group of people.
The leader of the group was a majestic-looking middle-aged man with a large face and mouth. He clasped his hands at Li Qingshan. “You must be young hero Li! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!” He was clearly a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, but he gave off vibes of the jianghu as he spoke.
Li Qingshan asked, “You’re?” He glanced around, and just as expected, there were two familiar people, one old and one young, among the group. They were the same two people who had walked out of Qingyang city with him back then, protector Yan Song of the Iron Fist school and Li Long, who had been known as one of the Two Talents of the Crouching Ox.
Yan Song remained at the second layer, while Li Long had already gone from being a third-rate master to a second layer Qi Practitioner. He did not waste the past year. When they saw Li Qingshan, they all found him to be rather unfamiliar. It had been less than half a year, yet Li Qingshan seemed to have become a completely different person. His gaze was calm as he gave off a certain weight. He did not lose out in bearing at all when compared to their school master Tie.
Yan Song exclaimed, “Qingshan, y- you’ve already reached the sixth layer!” He was different from Ye Dachuan. He understood the difficulties of cultivation. He had been stuck at the second layer for many years now. The same young man who did not have any foundation and even needed to learn the Innate Method of Practising Qi from him had actually reached the sixth layer in under a year. He was filled with mixed emotion.
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Chapter 278 – The Watermirror Disc
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Chapter 278 – The Watermirror Disc
Li Qingshan said, “I only reached the sixth layer recently.”
Meeting acquaintances in a foreign land should have been a matter of great joy, but Li Long was left with his mouth hanging, unsure as for how to refer to Li Qingshan. The cowherd that no one took seriously in the past could now rival their school master. Their identities were worlds apart now. Directly calling him by name seemed rather rude.
“Oh, this is the master of our Iron Fist school, Tie Zhan.” His voice even bore a countryside accent that Li Qingshan found familiar.
Li Qingshan thought of the past as well, remembering the frustration with the Crouching Ox village, as well as the dangers of Qingyang city. The master of one of the four great organisations of Qingyang city in the past was now standing before him, but a sixth layer Qi Practitioner was already nothing in his eyes. He had no interest in fawning over him, nor did he want to cause any offence, so he handled him casually,
“So it’s school master Tie. Apologies, apologies for failing to recognise you.”
Tie Zhan said, “The Crouching Ox village sure is a place that births great men. When I saw Li Long, I already thought he was a rare talent, but only when I saw brother Qingshan did I realise that there will always be someone greater. The matter of how you beat the Sect of Clouds and Rain in two matches in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain two days ago has already spread throughout the prefectural city. It’s just a pity that I wasn’t able to see it for myself.”
No matter how influential the Iron Fist school was, they could only treat each other as equals as they were both sixth layer Qi Practitioners. Coupled with the fact that Li Qingshan was relatively young and had limitless potential, Tie Zhan even needed to treat him politely so that he could befriend him.
“Are the disciples of your esteemed school taking part in the entrance examination too?” Li Qingshan glanced at Li Long.
Li Long’s face sank, and he lowered his head. Let alone the fact that school master Tie would never agree, but even if he did agree, where was he supposed to obtain the spiritual stones for the school fees? That was a total of one hundred spiritual stones. He did extraordinarily well in the Iron Fist school, so he would obtain a few spiritual stones every now and then, but they were not even enough for buying various pills, so he was in no position to save any money. And, by the time he really managed to save a hundred spiritual stones, who knew how old he would be. He would have missed the optimal period for cultivation. If he fell behind by a single step, he would be behind forever.
“It’s my son. I do hope that you can take good care of him in the future, brother,” Tie Zhan changed the topic. He looked around. “Where’s he? Didn’t I tell you to call him over?”
Why would the Iron Fist school pay such a tremendous price to send the disciples that they had raised after so much effort to the Academy of the Hundred Schools? Once they had broadened their horizons and increased their cultivation, who would still be willing to serve the Iron Fist school? And, even if they did return, they would probably be coming after the entire organisation to replace him.
“The young master said he’s busy,” Yan Song said awkwardly.
“Call him over!”
With just a moment of thought, Li Qingshan understood what was going on. He fell silent.
A while later, Yan Song brought over a young man with a square face and large ears who seemed slightly similar to Tie Zhan. The young man said impatiently, “What is it? I’m busy!” He was busy talking with a few pretty female cultivators, so he was in no mood to meet some man.
“You bastard, why don’t you greet your big brother Li?”
“What big brother Li? Don’t tell me it’s Li Long?” The young man snickered. Seeing how no one played along with him, he arrived beside Tie Zhan’s side and saw Li Qingshan. He leapt in fright. “You’re Li Qingshan!”
He had also been having fun in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain that night. He had a very deep impression of the person before him. He immediately grew stern. “Greetings, elder brother. I hope you can take good care of this little brother in the future. If there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hold back.” He completely ignored the fact that Li Qingshan was younger than him. He showed great modesty and courtesy, referring to himself as little brother.
Tie Zhan nodded in satisfaction. Although this kid shirked away from his responsibilities sometimes, at least he was not completely ignorant and knew what was what.
Li Qingshan said, “I can tell with a single glance that you’re very smart with a limitless future, but you don’t have anyone to tend to you once you enter the academy. Why don’t you have Li Long enter the academy as a partner of yours? There’s no need for school master Tie to pay anything either. I’ll cover the fees for him. What do you think, school master?”
“Must you be buried in your place of home? Sufficient are the green mountains overgrown.” Since he had already decided to never return to his hometown again, Li Long was probably the last person from the same village he would be able to see in his life. The one hundred spiritual stones to enter the academy had already become nothing to him. Since it took him nothing, why not help him out?
Li Long beamed in joy when he heard that. He glanced at Li Qingshan in great appreciation before looking at Tie Zhan nervously.
Tie Zhan hesitated before smiling. “Fine then. You’re brothers, so you do have to take care of someone from the same hometown. This is Li Long’s good fortune, as well as our Iron Fist school’s good fortune. I can only celebrate over something like this, so why would I say no? If it were not for the fact that the Iron Fist school is currently experiencing some cash flow issues, you wouldn’t need to pay anything at all.” He could see how Li Qingshan was someone who valued the ties of the past. He needed to get that bastard of a son of his to be more polite to Li Long in the future.
“Then thank you, school master.” Li Qingshan took out a hundred spiritual stones from his hundred treasures pouch and passed it to Li Long.
The young master of the Iron Fist school wrapped his arm around Li Long’s neck. “A’Long, you’re rich!” Even without Tie Zhan’s reminder, he had already begun to treat him more warmly and politely.
Li Long knew that this was all because of the young man standing before him. He said gratefully, “Qingshan, I’ll definitely return this sum of spiritual stones to you.” He knew extremely well that the Academy of the Hundred Schools would release various missions, providing disciples with opportunities to make spiritual stones. It was not impossible for him to make this sum of one hundred spiritual stones; this was the most difficult obstacle. Once he made it past this, there were infinite possibilities.
Li Qingshan said, “If you want to return it, then give me two hundred spiritual stones!”
Li Long was stunned, while the young school master muttered inside, Isn’t this usury? He really could not tell, but sure enough, fellow townsmen would always stab each other in the back when they met.
However, Li Qingshan continued, “I’ll wait until the day when a hundred spiritual stones mean nothing in your eyes.”
“Alright!” Li Long nodded firmly.
Ye Dachuan said, “That’s fantastic. You’ll all be fellow students in the future!”
Li Qingshan smiled. As people from the same home town, this was all that he could do. What happened next would depend on how he cultivated.
At this moment, several large ships cut through the waves and mist.
There was a disturbance on the sandy shoal. Everyone stopped talking and raised their heads. The one who stood out the most happened to be the giant lumberman, Mu Kui.
Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian stood nearby. They also had a group of young men and women beside them. They did not pay too much attention to Li Qingshan, who they had only met a few times. They did not come to find him either.
Instead, Qian Rongzhi constantly scanned through the crowd. She was standing with a few enforcement disciples of legalism. She had already heard of Li Qingshan’s battle with Wei Zhongyuan, and she had heard how he said he had some confidence in killing Wei Zhongyuan.
In the eyes of the legalist disciples, this was a boastful joke. They all said it was Li Qingshan’s pigheadedness, but she begged to differ. She believed that Li Qingshan had complete confidence in finishing off Wei Zhongyuan. What mattered was how she was supposed to get Li Qingshan to capture Wei Zhongyuan alive and hand him over to her.
“Rongzhi, you’ve met this kid before us all. Has he always liked to boast so much?” Even now, Han Qiongzhi still felt rather unhappy. She noticed Qian Rongzhi’s gaze and became riled up again.
Qian Rongzhi said, “Senior sister Han, I’m not on close terms with him. Unless he possesses a supreme grade talisman, it’s impossible for him to be the opponent of a tenth layer Qi Practitioner.”
An idea flashed through Han Qiongzhi’s head. She muttered, “Really?” A supreme grade talisman was equivalent to the attack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he really was in possession of one, there really might have been a chance. Of course, it was only a tiny chance at that.
“Come with me!” She immediately could not help herself but pull Qian Rongzhi along with her as she forced her way through the crowd, arriving before Li Qingshan. She grabbed him by the shoulder. “Tell me, do you have a supreme grade talisman?”
“Ma’am Han!” Tie Zhan cried out. Young miss Han was renowned in Clear River city. Her fiery temper had made many people suffer in the past. He never thought Li Qingshan would actually be acquainted with her.
“Weirdo.” Xiao An, who had remained silent on the side the entire time, muttered quietly.
Right? Qian Rongzhi shot a glance at her. Xiao An smiled brightly, like they knew what each other was thinking.
Even Li Qingshan found Han Qiongzhi’s personality to be rather strange. He said, “Lend me your ear.”
Han Qiongzhi stuck her head over in a hurry and heard Li Qingshan whisper, “I have a few.”
Han Qiongzhi was surprised. “Lend me your ear too!”
Li Qingshan shook his head helplessly and leaned in. He heard her whisper, “Really?”
“Whether you believe it is up to you.”
Han Qiongzhi smiled. “Looks like I’ve actually gotten in your way. Fine, I’ll forgive you. Kicking you off the shuttle earlier was my fault, but I still did everything out of good intentions, so you still needed to thank me. We’re fair now.”
“Whatever.”
With that matter now over, Han Qiongzhi was in a good mood. She saw the strange gazes from everywhere, and only then did she realise the implicative nature of whispering in each other’s ears in public. She growled, “What’re you all looking at? Piss off!”
She shot a glance at Li Qingshan again, If you didn’t want others to hear you, you could’ve just used communication technique instead. Why did you have to do that? You clearly don’t have anything good in mind.
With a snort, she stamped her foot and left. Qian Rongzhi nodded at Xiao An before leaving with her. She would have plenty of time to scheme once she joined the academy. She was lucky that Wei Zhongyuan had not died.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An glanced at one another. What a weirdo.
By now, the ships had already arrived on the side of the sandy shoal. One of the ships extended a gangway to the shoal. A bitter-looking female instructor with protruding cheekbones called out, “Come here, children!”
Li Qingshan clasped his hands to bid farewell to Ye Dachuan before holding Xiao An’s hand and squeezing his way through the crowd towards the ship.
The children around them were all noisy, but none of them cried or threw a tantrum. Under the guidance of their respective leaders, they boarded the ship one by one in an orderly manner. Not only did these regular children recommended to come here have to possess the talent to practise qi, but they also had to possess a suitable mental disposition for cultivation too.
“Go. I’ll see you in a while. If anything happens, use this.”
When Xiao An was about to board the ship, Li Qingshan crouched down and rubbed her head. He threaded a jade thumb ring and hung it around her neck, before wagging his thumb before her, showing her he was wearing another jade ring.
These were a pair of jade thumb rings, which were also a set of interesting spiritual artifacts that Li Qingshan had found from all those hundred treasures pouches. The two formed a pair, which would allow them to talk to one another from a distance.
As he watched Xiao An line up and board the ship with the other kids, Li Qingshan sighed gently. He felt like a parent who was sending their child off to school.
A while later, the surroundings emptied out. The gangway retracted into the ship, and it sailed off once more, vanishing into the misty waters.
Only when the sandy shoal was no longer visible did Xiao An look away.
The children struggled to hide their excitement. For most of them, this was the first time they had ever taken such a large ship. If it were not for the stern gaze of the female instructor, they would have begun running around in joy already.
“Hey. What’s your name?”
A pudgy child, around eleven or twelve years of age, asked Xiao An in an arrogant manner. He was dressed in silks and satins, and he was even surrounded by a group of “little brothers”. They all came from the same place. The pudgy child’s family was rich, and he was both tall and wide, so he became their leader.
Xiao An did not answer him.
“That’s a nice ring. Let me see!” The pudgy kid snatched at the ring on Xiao An’s chest as soon as he spotted it. It had always been like this for him whenever he wanted something.
Xiao An took a step back and shoved the ring into her clothes. The pudgy child missed.
“How dare you defy me!” The pudgy child shot a glare at her and actually gave off a sense of brutality. He directly reached towards Xiao An’s hair. At home, all the female servants were afraid of this move. He would only let go after they had wept and begged him.
Hmph, I’ll tear out a patch of your hair. I’d like to see whether you’ll still dismiss me after that.
Xiao An threw out a punch. She suddenly remembered that this was not an enemy she had to kill, so she subsequently held back most of her strength.
With a thump, the pudgy child was sent flying. He collided with his group of little brothers before bursting into tears. The children he collided with began crying too.
“Stop crying! What’s happened?” The female instructor immediately walked over.
“She hit me.” The pudgy child covered his face. He had lost quite a few teeth.
The female instructor frowned. “Did you hit him?”
Xiao An said nothing. Apart from Li Qingshan, she had never really conversed with anyone else. She would prefer turning this ship full of people into fire instead.
The pudgy child said pitifully, “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She just hit me. I even lost a few teeth.”
The female instructor was irritated. She pointed at Xiao An’s forehead. “Tell me, why did you hit him?”
Xiao An suddenly raised her head. A pair of eyes that seemed like black pearls were embedded in her delicate face.
The female instructor looked into the pitch-black, severe eyes and shivered inside for some reason. She was unable to keep pointing at her anymore. Did this kid possess some powerful background? She immediately dismissed that thought. Basically all descendants of influential clans would begin practising qi at a young age. They would be sent to the academy once they developed a certain foundation. Only children chosen from regular people would be on this ship.
As a result, she became even more furious. “Do you even want to hit me too?” She raised her hand, about to beat her with it, but she suddenly thought about how the leaders of the school might be looking over here right now.
As a result, she put her hand back down and thought of something. “Don’t move.” Then she said to the pudgy boy, “Get up. She hit you, so hit her back.”
The boy wiped aside her tears. Having received the instructor’s permission, he seemed to be in pain, but he was complacent inside. Regular children probably would never be able to bring themselves to hit back, but he directly threw a punch as hard as he could. Before he could even celebrate, he felt his stomach ache as he was sent flying again, directly fainting on the ground. Fortunately, his group of little brothers dodged cleverly, so they were not struck by him this time.
There were two, however, who sobbed even harder. “Murder! Murder!”
The female instructor had been paying attention to Xiao An the entire time; she wanted to prevent her from dodging. However, the kick that Xiao An had launched after jumping up was both quick and stealthy, such that even she could not react. She could not help but become enraged as she erupted with curses. “Do you really think a troublesome little animal like you can practise qi and cultivate? I don’t think so! Once we reach the shore, I’ll have you piss off to where you came from…”
She returned to the nose of the ship furiously. She obviously did not have the authority to make the ship turn around, but she had plenty of ways to deal with misbehaving children in the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
In a quiet room within the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
There were heavy curtains in the room, which made the entire place gloomy. Around a dozen or so figures were vaguely visible, sitting in their respective seats.
The various leaders of the schools were all gathered here. The auras they radiated with in the silence was enough to make any Qi Practitioner tremble. Their wills determined everything within the Clear River prefecture that spanned fifteen hundred kilometers.
At the centre of the room was a large, jade disc. The disc was engraved with exquisite glyphs. The name of the disc was the Watermirror disc. It was a strange treasure that allowed them to see anywhere within a range of fifty kilometers.
The true examination had already begun. The leaders witnessed and took note of every single person’s performance.
The Watermirror disc rippled and produced a clear image.
Right now, it depicted the ship.
No matter how the female instructor insulted or threatened her, Xiao An remained calm and unperturbed the entire time, treating the threatening woman like air.
“Is this the child that Qiu Haitang wants? She truly is quite different,” said a man dressed like a confucian scholar with a square hat1 on his head. He had delicate facial features and only seemed to be around thirty years of age, but he was actually at an advanced age of eighty already. He was Ye Dachuan’s brother-in-law, the prefect of the Clear River prefecture, and the leader of the school of Confucianism, Liu Zhangqing. What happened in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain two nights ago obviously could not escape his ears.
“That girly is unfazed by both harassment and flattery. Her mental fortitude is quite rare.” A bald-headed monk nodded with prayer beads in his hands.
“Zhangqing, who chose this woman to receive the children? She’s so harsh and impatient, without any regard for what’s wrong or right. These children will develop a bad impression of the academy the moment they join it,” said a skinny but energetic old man in coarse clothing with a long, formal hat2.
“If the instructor is too gentle, how are they supposed to keep so many kids under control? And, it’s all her fault for not speaking up and explaining what had happened, or the instructor wouldn’t have blamed her. Who can she blame apart from herself? As for the little fatty, he must be removed from the academy immediately. He already knows how to gang up on people and steal at such a young age, paying no regard to what’s wrong or right. What will he become if he practises qi?” The Scarlet Hawk commander, the leader of the school of Legalism, Wang Pushi, said in an impressive manner.
Liu Zhangqing said, “If that’s the case, then we’ll go with that!” A figure immediately stood up and departed behind the curtain. Many instructors were waiting outside, ensuring that their orders could be carried out at any time.
“Let’s look at the person who brought her here instead!” The image in the Watermirror disc changed, now depicting Li Qingshan. He was currently boarding a ship with other people.
Li Qingshan seemed to sense something, so he looked around. Was someone looking at him?
The people behind him urged, “Hurry up!”
Li Qingshan made his way forward and arrived before a jolly instructor. He took out the one hundred spiritual stones he had prepared, and the instructor stowed them into his hundred treasures pouch. The instructor called out, “Another one!”
He seemed like he was running a business. However, Li Qingshan had estimated that the revenue of the academy would probably approach a hundred thousand spiritual stones from just this intake of disciples.
And, this was just the beginning. The way the academy charged their disciples was very special. It was a hundred spiritual stones for every single person for the first year. If they failed to increase their cultivation by a single layer the next year, the fees would double, becoming two hundred spiritual stones.
Li Qingshan knew with the simple knowledge of mathematics from his past life that just by compounding a few more times, the fees would reach a level that no Qi Practitioner could afford. Joining the Academy of the Hundred Schools was easy. There were so many schools, so there would always be a school willing to accept a particular person. However, wanting to remain in the academy was very difficult. Qi Practitioners at higher cultivations would struggle to increase their cultivation, so they would end up suffering instead.
PS: The releases haven’t been as smooth as I imagined they will be. Perhaps you understand this feeling. The more you want to do something well, the more afraid you become of screwing it up, so you find it difficult. This part of the plot also happens to be the transitional chapters that are most difficult to write, so I really have to put in a lot of effort.
I’m not indulging in myself and having the time of my life when I’m not writing. I don’t know about other authors, but when I have a writing block, it’s even more painful than constipation. I can’t settle down no matter what I do. As a man without a car, a house, or a woman, there doesn’t seem to be any serious business I can do apart from write. I want to make some more money too! Fortunately, I’ve basically made it past the toughest part, so the upcoming releases should slowly stabilise.
Originally, I didn’t want to explain so much. Explaining is covering it up, and covering it up is telling stories, which I suddenly remembered was my career, so I’ll explain!
If you understand, then I thank you for your understanding. If you don’t understand, then I can understand why you don’t understand. Anyway, just try to understand each other. Long live understanding each other. Today’s the last day for double monthly tickets, do you understand?
(From the author)
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1. A square hat, as in one depicted in the picture below:

2. A long, formal hat, like the one depicted in the picture below:

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Chapter 279 – Pure Yang Constitution
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Chapter 279 – Pure Yang Constitution
At the same time, the academy would provide various rewards to the outstanding disciples, following the single principle of natural selection. The better you did, the more resources you received. If not, your progression would only become more and more difficult, and in the end, all you would be able to do was run errands for the academy.
Li Long called out excitedly on the ship, “Qingshan, over here!”
Li Qingshan failed to find who was spying on him in the end. He rubbed the back of his head and boarded the ship.
Unbeknownst to him, the leaders of the various schools all witnessed his behaviour.
“This kid’s senses sure are sharp. His cultivation isn’t bad either. He’s quite the talent in the intake this time,” said Liu Zhangqing in evaluation, shifting everyone’s attention onto the focus of the entrance examination. Perhaps there were talents among these children, but it would take a few months at the very least before they knew.
“It’s just a pity that old Wang has already got his hands on him.” The old man in coarse clothing with a long hat shook his head.
“The kid’s a troublemaker. I don’t even know which school he’ll pick.” While Wang Pushi did not particularly like Li Qingshan, he still felt glorified over the fact that the Hawkwolf Guard had produced a talent.
“I think there’s some destiny between this child and our buddha. May I ask if commander Wang is willing to part with him?” asked the old, bald monk.
“He’s a skilled Body Practitioner, so compared to the school of Legalism, the school of the Military suits him better.” Before Wang Pushi could reply, the middle-aged man who sat beside him silently spoke up all of a sudden.
Even as he sat there, his posture was dead-straight. He placed both of his hands on his knees and he did not move at all, staring straight ahead. When he remained silent, he seemed just like a carved statue. Even in a relaxed state, he radiated with a steady sense of power. He was the leader of the school of the Military, the General of Riling Might, Han Anjun.
“One Thought, do they all have a destiny with your buddha as long as they have a bit of talent? Old Han, even your son didn’t contend with little Hua over him. If he really chooses the school of the Military, I’ll shut up immediately.”
“Buddha refers to the buddha in our minds, which is also the buddha within all life. He’s not destined with your buddha, he’s destined with “our” buddha. Namo Amitābha!” The One Thought monk stringed together a list of buddha names.
The Watermirror disc did not remain on Li Qingshan for long. It moved onto others. They focused on the young, talented people with relatively high cultivations in the entrance examination this time. They all discussed which school they should end up in.
Among them, Hua Chenglu would obviously follow Hua Chengzan’s footsteps and join the school of Legalism. Although they did not stay on her for long, they did look at Qian Rongzhi as well. As a Hawkwolf guard, she would naturally be a member of the school of Legalism too. Wang Pushi was pleased with himself.
The issue of the otherfolk, Mu Kui, led to quite a dispute. Even now, the conflict between otherfolk and humans had yet to stop. However, when Han Anjun nodded and said, “I’ll accept him.” there was nothing more that they could say.
Apart from them, the Watermirror disc checked on another dozen or two people. They were all the talents this time. Although Li Qingshan stood out among regular Qi Practitioners, he seemed to be nothing special when compared to them.
The Clear River prefecture that spanned fifteen hundred kilometers was equivalent to all of Jiangnan on the earth that Li Qingshan lived on previously. There was a population in the hundreds of millions, so there were countless people with talent and fortuitous encounters.
To be able to stand out among so many people, be depicted in the Watermirror disc, and be discussed by the leaders of the various schools, Li Qingshan could already be regarded as an extremely rare talent, but he was nowhere close to startling them with his talent. Out of everyone sitting in the room, had they not been geniuses themselves in the past?
Li Qingshan and Li Long leaned against the railing on the ship and discussed what happened after they had parted ways. Because what Li Qingshan went through was just too mysterious and startling, with far too many secrets to hide, Li Long was speaking most of the time with Li Qingshan listening.
As it turned out, Li Long was quite the talent among the Iron Fist school. Going from being a third-rate master to a second layer Qi Practitioner in under a year was already a very startling step. The Iron Fist school was already prepared to elevate him to protector.
An expansive wall of mist suddenly appeared on the surface of the water. It seemed extremely strange in the current weather, but Li Qingshan failed to sense any spiritual qi within it.
However, when the ship sailed through the mist, Li Qingshan felt like the world was spinning around him. He immediately understood that the wall of mist was part of a huge formation, except all of its spiritual qi and spiritual energy was withdrawn perfectly. Then he checked on Li Long, who failed to notice anything. He just looked around in confusion.
Suddenly, a huge, black shadow appeared in the mist, and it rapidly grew larger. It arrived right before them in the blink of an eye. It was a vicious, strange-looking fish, ten times the size of the ship. From so close, it basically seemed like a mountain. Its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth that were the size of spears, and it lunged towards the ship.
There were a series of cries from the ship as various talismans and techniques flew out.
Li Qingshan shook his head. There was no murderous aura, no daemon qi, and no living aura. It was a fake.
The strange fish passed trhough the ship. Sure enough, it was an illusion. The talismans and techniques obviously failed to hit anything. However, the illusion was just too realistic, such that many people were pale-faced, still shaken by what they had gone through.
The male instructor clapped his hands with a smile. “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a joke. Though, if you move through this mist without permission, the joke might end up being real!”
The Watermirror disc obviously caught everyone’s expressions, leading to a series of laughter and a rough evaluation.
The cowardly were not necessarily despised, rejected from all schools. Being faint-hearted did not mean they could not make machines, practise divination, or practise medicine. Since they lacked the courage to fight and kill, then they should just stick with the work that suited them!
Of course, the cultivators that had completely paled in fright had already lost their right to be chosen in Han Anguo and Wang Pushi’s minds. The very core of these two schools were based on fighting and killing. They were not places for the cowardly.
By now, the mist began to disperse as the radiant sunlight landed on the nose of the ship again. The ship inched into the domain of light.
Everyone could not help but gasp. Even Li Qingshan widened his eyes. The dark blue lakewater seemed even clearer than outside the mist. Many large, rare fish swam around in the water. The sky seemed bluer too as a flock of large, white aquatic birds flew over the ship. The spiritual qi was so dense that even breathing seemed much more delightful.
A jade-green island with a chain of mountains stood right before them, with various other islands of different sizes scattered in the surroundings like stars in the night sky. They seemed like pieces of jade that had fallen onto a blue piece of silk.
Li Qingshan suddenly understood something. It was these islands that created the formation, assimilating with nature.
This was the Academy of the Hundred Schools, while the largest island in the centre was known as “Contention”!
The ship directly sailed towards Contention island, and everyone became riled up with it.
A while later, the ship docked.
The instructor brought everyone to a square. There was a formation engraved there. Li Qingshan found the formation to be slightly familiar. Suddenly, he remembered that the formation scroll Sun Fubai had taken out when he had his yin and yang and five elements tested below the Green Vine mountain seemed quite similar, except this one was much larger and much more complicated.
To the Academy of the Hundred Schools, the elemental affinity of their disciples was the most important. As a matter of fact, it served as a first prerequisite.
Li Qingshan had already understood from the Book of All that the school of Legalism preferred profound yin, the schools of Buddhism and Confucianism preferred Profound Yang, the schools of Mohism and Agriculturalism preferred earth and wood, the school of the Military preferred metal and fire, the schools of Names and Novels preferred water, the school of Yin-yang preferred a balance in yin and yang, while the schools of Daoism and Miscellany accepted everyone.
Of course, the prerequisite of elemental affinity was not always absolute. Even if a person had non-matching elemental affinities, they could still join the various schools. The school of Legalism accepted all elements, while the school of the Military was not fixed on metal and fire either. On the other hand, while the school of Buddhism did accept all, the main cultivation method they practised focused on force and strength, so yang, and the great, righteous spirit of the school of Confucianism also required Profound Yang.
They could write an entire book on the considerations they took into account. Li Qingshan only possessed a rough understanding, ensuring that he would not make any general mistakes.
All of the Qi Practitioners stood in line according to how they had initially boarded the ship. They would hear the instructor call their names one by one. After they were called, they would step onto the formation.
“Chen Han!”
A man walked out from the group and arrived at the centre of the formation. The five elements lit up simultaneously. His metal, wood, water, and earth elements were all very weak, but his fire was a blazing ball that stood seven feet high. The yin and yang qi above his head displayed two shades, one light and one dark. Light completely exceeded dark.
Only then did Li Qingshan understand why the testing formation was so large. As it turned out, it could simultaneously test the strength of the various elements.
The male instructor took note of this. “High yi1 for fire, low yi for yang, and the rest is low ding.”
When Hua Chenglu walked into the formation, a huge shadow immediately above her. She was deemed to have low jia for yin, making her a good disciple for the school of Legalism. She left the formation under everyone’s gazes of amazement.
Closely following her was Yu Zijian. She was slightly nervous. She still practised the Innate Method of Practising Qi right now, and she never had her element affinity tested so far.
The formation flashed and produced an extremely soft thrum. Scorching, white light blinded everyone’s eyes as a dazzling ball of light rose up above her head, like a miniature sun.
The light poured through the Watermirror disc, landing in the gloomy room and lighting up everyone’s faces. The expressions of all of the leaders changed slightly.
Liu Zhangqing smiled. “High jia for yang. She’s suitable for practising the righteous spirit of Confucianism. Surely she’s mine, right?”
All people who could reach the extremes of any single element were rare geniuses.
“The fuck do you know?” The slovenly daoist priest that had remained silent the entire time, sipping his alcohol with his head lowered, suddenly spoke.
“Please enlighten me, senior!” Liu Zhangqing was an extremely cultivated person. He bowed and asked for guidance, demonstrating the gentleness, modesty, and courtesy of confucianism.
Of course, the primary reason was because he was not this old daoist priest’s opponent. He was only at early Foundation Establishment, while the old daoist priest had already reached late Foundation Establishment.
The slovenly daoist priest ignored him, remaining fixated on the Watermirror disc as his gaze became quite fervent. All the other leaders of the schools were shocked by this. All of them knew this old daoist was violent-tempered and foul-mouthed, looking down on everything. Yu Zijian’s talent might have been extraordinary, but there was no need for him to behave like this!
But that gave everything away. Liu Zhangqing exclaimed, “The Pure Yang constitution!”
Apart from the scorching ball of light above Yu Zijian’s head, there was not even the tiniest sliver of darkness.
Regular people possessed both yin and yang, just like how birth could not happen with yin alone, and growth could not happen with yang alone. Only extremely accomplished cultivators could reach the limits of yang and produce yin as a result, attaining the state of pure yang. This had always been the most simple principle in cultivation. If there was light, then there was darkness. If there was yin, then there was yang.
However, there were a few, rare cases of people being born with pure yin or pure yang, which gave them a sacred constitution for cultivation. However, men were primarily yang, and women were primarily yin. For the Pure Yang constitution to appear on a woman, it was an outlier among outliers.
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1. Once again, the levels of talent is named after the twelve heavenly stems (just the top four in this case). High, mid, and low are self-explanatory, but the heavenly stems in this case appear to be jia > yi > bing > ding, from highest to lowest. The heavenly stems also appear to be the more dominant measure, so a low jia talent would be better than a high yi talent for example.
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Chapter 280 – Five Elements Constitution
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Chapter 280 – Five Elements Constitution
At the same time, among the five elements for Yu Zijian, a fine-textured, treasured sword directly condensed for the position of metal. It had also made the rankings of jia, but no one took note of it.
Everyone’s eyes lit up. The slovenly daoist priest immediately began to regret his actions.
Sure enough, Liu Zhangqing clapped his hands. “Now that’s a disciple of my school of Confucianism!”
The slovenly daoist priest shook his head. “Now that’s nonsense! If the Pure Yang constitution isn’t used to practise daoism, it’s literally throwing it to waste. The righteous spirit is just a lesser path of cultivation!”
“Amitābha. Sirs, please do not argue. This child has a destiny with the buddha. She’ll definitely be able to attain the fruition of wisdom and condense a śarīra!” Before Liu Zhangqing could refute him, the One Thought monk had already begun spouting buddhist terms.
The slovenly daoist priest smiled. “Why don’t you ask the girly whether she wants to shave her head and become a damned ass with you?”
The One Thought monk was taken aback. Although hair was known as the strands of kleshas, or afflictions, were there any young women willing to cast it aside unless they were completely devastated inside? The school of Buddhism was a major school, but they had nowhere near as many disciples as the slovenly daoist priest, and it was exactly because of these rules and precepts. As a result, the One Thought monk stopped arguing. He only lowered his head and chanted to himself, having already made up his mind to try to win her over later.
The slovenly daoist priest thought, This bald ass won’t pose any problems, but as for Liu Zhangqing, he’ll be an issue. Though, I can just tell the girly about prefect Liu’s romantic affair when the time comes. He snickered.
Liu Zhangqing shivered inside when he heard the snicker. He knew the slovenly daoist priest was up to no good, but he only smiled elegantly, expressing his determination to win her over.
Since the three of them had already spoken, the other leaders decided to keep their mouths shut, and it was not just because the Pure Yang constitution was indeed suited for their three schools the most. Among the academy, the schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism possessed the greatest influence and power too, so how were they supposed to contend in terms of resources?
All the schools just served as a platform for cultivation. Even the line between the statuses of master and disciple was not as clear as it was in sects. Disciples were responsible for earning their own cultivation resources, rather similar to the schools from Li Qingshan’s previous life.
However, once they came across an actual genius, they would do everything that they could, regardless of the cost, to win them over. The hundred schools of thought would contend against one another, forming their own factions. An additional genius disciple would be additional power in the future.
Originally, no one paid much attention to this young girl beside Hua Chenglu, but the radiance she displayed now stunned everyone.
Hua Chengzan glanced over from afar and saw Yu Zijian scamper out of the formation in a hurry. He smiled. So it was the Pure Yang constitution. That was what it was. They should be able to tell, right?
Among these people, no, the entire Academy of the Hundred Schools, probably no one had a brighter future than her; this was just a glimpse of her glory.
A while later, Mu Kui entered the formation too. He directly condensed a towering tree for the wood element and was evaluated as high jia for wood, displaying the Giant Lumberfolk’s extraordinary talent and affinity for the wood element.
The sun rose higher and higher as the cultivators were tested one by one. A genius would appear from time to time, leading to admiration and praise from everyone. Qian Rongzhi happened to be one of them. She also had an affinity for yin, which was evaluated as low jia. She was only slightly worse than Hua Chenglu.
Finally, it was Li Qingshan’s turn. He made his way into the formation slowly, and a vast wave of water suddenly expanded into the surroundings.
Yu Zijian sighed in admiration. “So powerful!” Hua Chenglu remarked too, “No wonder he can control the water elemented flying sword so easily.”
At the same time, he condensed a weapon and a boulder for metal and earth. Although they seemed much coarser compared to Yu Zijian’s treasured sword, they were still quite rare. A ball of white light appeared over his head, along with a small shadow.
“Quite interesting.” The male instructor smiled and took record of it. “High jia for water, low yi for metal and earth, mid bing for wood, low ding for fire, high yi for yang, and low bing for yin.”
If he knew the results of Li Qingshan’s previous test, he would not just find it as quite interesting anymore. Last time, the wave of water was only half this size, while the metal and wood elements were nowhere as prominent either.
Although it was not exactly impossible to change the talent and elemental affinity of a person, it was extremely difficult. It either required extremely precious pills and herbs, or decades or centuries of bitter cultivation.
However, the supernatural abilities from the black ox had directly turned Li Qingshan into something else, and gradually, he began to possess the talent and power only available to daemons.
A few more leaders took note of Li Qingshan in front of the Watermirror disc.
Everyone in the crowd looked at him with gazes of admiration and jealousy too.
“Brother Tian! Isn’t he the person that we saw in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain? His talent for the water element is so impressive!”
The young man in white said disdainfully, “It’s so-so. I’ll show you what impressive actually means later.”
A while later, the instructor called out, “Chu Tian!”
The young man in white smiled at the two girls beside him before stepping into the formation gracefully. His eyes were filled with absolute confidence.
Now, the testing period was almost over. The sun had almost risen to its highest point. Everyone felt slightly sick of this now, no longer focused on it, conversing among themselves instead. A few instructors discussed among themselves, ready to clear away everything as well and take everyone to go eat. They would then continue with other tests in the afternoon.
Suddenly, five colours, gold, green, blue, red, and yellow, rose up into the sky. Above the five corners of the formation hovered a fine, sheathed sword, a towering tree, ebbing waves of water, a scorching ball of fire, and a lofty, miniature mountain.
All five elements demonstrated their extremes.
The square immediately fell silent.
“They’re all high jia. No, even the formation can’t test it. Is there something wrong with the formation?” The instructor that took notes cried out, breaking the silence. Cries and sighs of admiration rose up in the surroundings. Everyone could not help but stare at the centre of the formation, at the young man in white called Chu Tian.
A genius. A true genius.
Even the various leaders almost ended up missing the Pure Yang constitution that Yu Zijian had demonstrated because it was just too rare, let alone these Qi Practitioners.
Yu Zijian had only stood in the formation for a moment before leaving in a hurry. Even if some people noticed the absence of darkness in the light, they would just dismiss it as having not looked carefully enough.
In the end, the only evaluation she received was high jia for yang, so the treatment she received was similar to what Mu Kui and Li Qingshan went through. It was nowhere near as shocking as Chu Tian right now.
“You’re so outstanding, brother Tian!” The eyes of the two girls by Chu Tian’s side lit up. Chu Tian smiled at them, as if he was saying, How’s that?
“The Five Elements constitution!”
The various leaders were all stunned. The intake this year sure was special. There was the Pure Yang constitution, and then the Five Elements constitution appeared. They were both extraordinary talents that rarely appeared even across the span of several decades. It would lead to quite a competition between the schools.
Li Qingshan watched on silently too. He lamented over how there sure were a lot of geniuses in the world! Suddenly, he felt the young man called Chu Tian shoot a provoking glance his way, which perplexed him slightly.
Chu Tian stood there for quite a while before slowly making his way out. He unfurled his fan and seemed extraordinarily elegant. If he was slightly more handsome, he would be perfect. However, no one noticed this small flaw of his right now. The talent he had displayed was enough to make up for everything. Strength served as the best appearance for a man.
Not only did the various leaders stop caring about the remaining tests, but even the Qi Practitioners present stopped paying attention. There was a racket on the square. The people who had demonstrated extraordinary talent in the testing earlier were now surrounded by quite a lot of people. Some clever Qi Practitioners had already chosen their targets to befriend. Everyone belonged to the same cohort, so they should have gotten along with one another anyway.
In particular, several dozen people filled Chu Tian’s surroundings. No one doubted the fact that this young man would rise up very soon.
Li Qingshan rubbed the jade ring on his thumb. He wondered how Xiao An was doing.
The ship that Xiao An was on instead sent them to a smaller island on the outskirts. The children were all taught the Innate Method of Practising Qi and bestowed with a single Qi Gathering pills. After that, they were taken to a hall where they began meditating in search of the mysterious feeling of qi.
Nearby, the female instructor stood with a pointer and a sunken expression. She would glance at Xiao An from time to time, appearing even more bitter now.
Although an instructor had already told her the entire story due to Wang Pushi’s orders, she became even more furious. This girl was clearly making a fool out of her!
And, the messaging instructor had told her that some of the leaders of the schools had become displeased with her, so she became both fearful and furious. She was tempted to give Xiao An a beating immediately, but the instructor also warned her that this child was not a regular child, but one that a few leaders might end up favouring. As a result, she was no longer able to lash out in anger, but that did not mean she was willing to just accept this.
She had already made up her mind. She would not let Xiao An have it easy. She refused to believe that she was unable to teach a single kid a lesson in the next few months with everything in her reach.
Xiao An ignored this hostility. Instead, she focused on practising qi. She did not find the Innate Method of Practicing Qi unfamiliar. When Li Qingshan practised this cultivation method, he had frequently come to her for guidance.
Finding the feeling of qi was enough for these children to turn red from holding their breaths, but it was no difficulty for her. In a single instant, a strand of true qi appeared, beginning to flow through her body.
After flowing for a while, it had strengthened by several fold. The Qi Gathering pill had already been absorbed completely, but the true qi continued to grow at an unbelievable rate.
The path of practising qi, in simpler terms, was refining vitality into qi. Primarily, it was about extracting vitality from the body and refining it into true qi. Who knew how many people she had refined in order to create the tiny body of hers, so the vitality she possessed was countless times more abundant than regular children.
She was neither limited by understanding and comprehension nor resources, so before long, she had completed the first three layers of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
Afterwards, the true qi began to push through her Yang Heel meridian, but in the end, it flowed smoothly through the Shenmai acupoint before passing through the other acupoints too. It connected the acupoints to form the Yang Heel meridian.
The various obstacles in the eyes of regular people was a piece of cake to her. If the meridian was a river, then her river had no dams at all.
Right from the very beginning, her body condensed from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty had been perfect.
A while later, Xiao An stood up.
The bitter-looking female instructor immediately scolded her, “Who told you to stand up?”
Xiao An replied emotionlessly, “I’m done.”
“What do you mean you’re-” To her surprise, the female instructor suddenly noticed that the aura Xiao An gave off had already reached the third layer.
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Chapter 281 – Heavenly Meridians Prodigy
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Chapter 281 – Heavenly Meridians Prodigy
The female instructor rubbed her eyes. Was she dreaming?
However, the child with extremely delicate facial features but a neutral expression was clearly at the third layer.
The other instructors were alarmed too, walking over to take a look. They saw Xiao An and looked at her like she was a monster as well. They were filled with disbelief.
According to the rules of the academy, children that could not develop a feeling of qi within three months would be expelled. Even if they managed to sense it, they would still have to remain here for three months and learn some basics, forbidden to make contact with the outside world.
Xiao An had originally been rather reluctant to stand out too much, but the thought of not being able to see him for three months immediately made her worried. This was a form of yearning, and it was even more unbearable than being burnt by fire.
As a result, only one choice was available before her, which was to complete the Innate Method of Practising Qi and reach the third layer as a Qi Practitioner. To her, this was nothing difficult.
The female instructor screeched, “That’s impossible! She must have been hiding her cultivation.”
In the history of the academy, there were geniuses who had managed to complete the Innate Method of Practising Qi within three months, but just how long did it take her? Two hours?
The other instructors all nodded. This was the most logical explanation. After three months, the child with the highest cultivation would receive a precious reward. Since she was in possession of something as precious as a communication ring, possessing a spiritual artifact that could hide her aura would be nothing strange at all. The person behind her wanted to use this method to get his hands on the reward, but he must have never expected children to be so simple-minded.
The female instructor called out, “How despicable. I was wondering how she could fool my eyes when she kicked that kid. Little liars like this should be severely punished and immediately expelled from the academy.”
The large hall became noisy. The restless children just happened to be at the end of their patience with meditation, so they all opened their curious eyes now that something so interesting was going on. They began discussing among themselves, and some of them even gathered over slowly.
Only Xiao An remained as quiet as before, but a rare sliver of worry appeared on her face now. She said, “I’m going.” before making her way out of the hall.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?” The female instructor extended her hand sternly, kicking up a swift breeze. She wanted to teach her a proper lesson.
Xiao An looked back and clenched her fist.
“Stop!” A plump old man made his way over in just a few steps and grabbed the female instructor’s hand.
The female instructor said, “Professor, she…”
“There’s no need to say anything. I’ve heard it all.”
The instructors of the academy were all composed of disciples who could not afford the school fees but wanted to remain in the academy. Their cultivations were not necessarily higher than the disciples of the various schools. For example, the female instructor had only just overcome the major obstacle of the sixth layer.
Professors were equivalent to high level instructors. Their cultivations were even higher. The plump old man was at the ninth layer, and he was responsible for all the education on this island, guiding these children who were new to cultivation.
The plump, old man was a kind person. When he saw how she was about to lay her hands so heavily on such a cute little girl, he objected very much inside. “Let’s leave this up to the leaders of the schools!” Afterwards, he said to Xiao An kindly, “Little girl, can you lend me your hand?”
Xiao An nodded. She loosened her fist and raised her hand.
The plump old man gripped her thin wrist with three fingers and injected some true qi. At first, he was in doubt, but soon, he was overcome by shock. “T- this…”
The female instructor said, “She’s just a little liar!”
The plump old man barked, “Shut up!”
The female instructor shivered in fright. Even the other instructors rarely treated her so harshly, so they were taken aback. They wondered what he had discovered.
The plump old man ignored their doubts. He removed the jade tablet from his waist and injected it with true qi.
Just as Liu Zhangqing argued with everyone else over which school Chu Tian should belong to, the jade tablet on his waist flashed. He picked it up and touched it gently with a finger. The plump old man’s rather hoarse voice rang out, “Leader, a child has already reached the third layer.”
Liu Zhangqing frowned. “You’re kidding with me.”
“I’m not.”
“They must have hidden their cultivation!” Liu Zhangqing gave it a moment of thought and came to the most logical conclusion. However, being able to reach the third layer at such a young age was still quite rare. They might have possessed ill intentions, but it was still a pity, so just a slight punishment would do.
Right as he was about to order the plump old man to bring the child over, he heard the old man say, “It’s not that either.”
Every single person seated there had sharp senses. They all stopped bickering and looked over at Liu Zhangqing.
Liu Zhangqing asked impatiently, “Then what’s going on?”
“I think… she’s a Heavenly Meridians prodigy.” The old man gulped, as if even he was not convinced.
Liu Zhangqing was momentarily stunned. He wanted to cover up the jade tablet, but it was already too late. The eyes of the various leaders all lit up like the eyes of wolves.
All Liu Zhangqing could do was continue asking, “Are you sure?”
The ears of all the leaders pricked up. Not only were they excited and eager, but they were also rather doubtful too. All of them had heard about Heavenly Meridians prodigies before, but none of them had seen one. That was even rarer than the Pure Yang and Five Elements constitutions.
“All eight extraordinary meridians, twelve standard meridians, and various acupoints are open,” the plump old man uttered a total of twelve words, completely summarising a Heavenly Meridians prodigy.
The slovenly daoist priest immediately snatched over the controls for the Watermirror disc. The image changed, depicting a tiny island. The island enlarged rapidly, flying into their faces. The image passed through the golden-yellow eaves and landed on the old man. His expression was both stern and solemn. The image immediately moved over to Xiao An beside him, and the daoist priest cried out, “It’s her!”
As a result, no more doubts existed anymore. The Watermirror disc had depicted her just earlier. Back then, she truly did not possess any auras befitting of a Qi Practitioner. There were no concealing spiritual artifacts that could fool the eyes of a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if a spiritual artifact like that did exist, it was not something a third layer Qi Practitioner kid could control.
She really was a Heavenly Meridians prodigy!
Everyone’s expressions changed. Heavenly Meridians prodigies were born with connected meridians, allowing their true qi to circulate without any obstructions at all. Cultivating to the tenth layer would be a piece of cake for them. Another way to put it would be that their constitutions were similar to tenth layer Qi Practitioners who had lost all of their true qi. All they needed to do was fill it up with true qi again.
Most cultivators in the world would be stuck as Qi Practitioners forever. Even those in possession of the Pure Yang constitution and the Five Elements constitution required great effort to break through the bottlenecks one by one, climbing up step by step. However, Heavenly Meridians prodigies did not share this issue. Instead, the issue they faced from the very beginning was how to reach Foundation Establishment.
The Pure Yang constitution was more suited to the schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Meanwhile, although the Five Elements constitution did cover a larger range, at least it was not enough to interest the school of Yin-yang. However, all sects, schools, and clans would be interested in a Heavenly Meridians prodigy. No matter how aloof these leaders were, they would still roll up their sleeves, ready to contend with one another. If they won, then they would be winning over a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the very least.
They finally understood why Qiu Haitang had offered her that promise. She was enough for any sect or clan to support with all the resources they possessed.
Liu Zhangqing said, “Bring her to Contention island immediately and have her yin, yang, and five elements tested!”
“Yes!”
“And, that woman, whatever she’s called, she’s not suitable for guiding children. Send her back to Contention island for her to reflect on her actions!”
This time, even Wang Pushi agreed with the decision. What kind of dirty woman are you supposed to be? Is a Heavenly Meridians prodigy someone you can wrongly accuse?
Suddenly, he thought of something and secretly cursed Liu Zhangqing for his craftiness. He has been so loud on purpose, clearly wanting to ingratiate himself with the kid. No, I need to get little Hua to talk to Li Qingshan about this. Whether he can be promoted to a Scarlet Wolf will depend on his behaviour this time.
“Sir, sir!” The female instructor’s cries rang out from the jade tablet. Through the Watermirror disc, they could all see her face turn sheet white the moment she heard Liu Zhangqing’s decision.
Only Xiao An remained unfazed, which disappointed Liu Zhangqing slightly. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Wang Pushi. Sparks seemed to fly. The leaders of the schools all look at one another with hostility.
Clang! Clang! Clang! There were three resonant sounds.
In the corner of the room, an old man brimming with a rustic aura struck the ground three times with his smoking pipe, shaking out the ash.
The old man’s face that was riddled with gullies was a brownish-yellow, as if he himself had been smoked. He wore a short, white gown as he half-sat, half-crouched on the chair. He seemed like an old farmer who had tended to the land his entire life, which made him stand out very much. Suddenly, his eyes swiveled, and the light and wisdom that flickered through them gave away his true identity, the leader of the school of Agriculturalism.
He was the oldest here, so old that no one knew exactly how old he was. Everyone showed some respect to him, and even the slovenly daoist priest was no exception. No one knew his original name anymore either. All they knew was that his surname was Huang, and he called himself earth elder Huang.
“Everyone, please calm down. It’s just a Heavenly Meridians prodigy. Look at how startled you’ve become, losing your composers as leaders of schools.” As earth elder Huang said that, he added a tobacco leaf to his pipe. Firelight flickered in the darkness, and the smell of smoke wafted out.
When he saw Yu Zijian or Chu Tian, he did not say a single word. Affairs involving humans were never constant. They would constantly fluctuate. He seemed to have grown accustomed to it, so he no longer placed much emphasis on it.
“Have you seen one before, elder?” Liu Zhangqing asked politely.
“Over two centuries ago, I did see one.”
“What about now?”
All of the leaders listened closely. Even the coldest out of all of them, Han Anjun, could not help but listen attentively. Just what had the Heavenly Meridians prodigy attained after two hundred years? They must have reached much more than Foundation Establishment, but if they did, they would not be a figure without renown, yet they had never heard of someone like this before.
Earth elder Huang let out a puff of smoke. “Now, I’m sitting here, and he has already been buried for a century.” He did not go into any more detail. The death of a nameless figure was not worth any more detail than that, no matter how great of a genius he was in the past.
The leaders all came to a realisation. Good talent bore no semblance on how far someone could make it. In particular, Wang Pushi lamented about this a lot. Back then, there were so many Qi Practitioners with better talent than him that he could not even count them all even if he had ten hands, but in the end, only he had made it so far.
They all could not help but sigh that experience came with age, and people would only grow firmer with age.
The Watermirror disc was still locked onto Xiao An. They would still contend against one another for her, but they had settled down.
Finally, the last Qi Practitioner had been tested. The instructors let out a yawn, about to take the Qi Practitioners to lunch.
Suddenly, a shuttle pierced through the sky. The plump old man got off with Xiao An, while behind them was the sunken female instructor. She was very dissatisfied, and she utterly refused to accept this. She was basically staring daggers at Xiao An, tempted to slice her up. However, the child never took her seriously the entire time.
At this moment, she felt a sharp gaze sweep past her face. She raised her head and saw a frosty young man staring at her with a frown, which made her shiver inside for some reason.
PS: I normally celebrate my birthday by the lunar calendar, so not October 2, but the 22nd of the 8th month. Yep, which was two days ago. The issue is that my mum just remembered it today, and then I only remembered it after she reminded me. What did I eat for lunch on that day? Half a bowl of salty as hell noodles, and that’s not even the first time. Table flip! I must be adopted, right? I must be adopted! At least remember which day I was adopted! Sobs.
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Chapter 282 – Mutual Promotion
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Chapter 282 – Mutual Promotion
Li Qingshan’s senses for murderous auras and hostility were as sharp as they came, so how could he not notice her? If it were directed at him, he might have not cared, but since it was towards Xiao An, that was enough for him to kill her.
The female instructor saw how Li Qingshan was also a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, so she glared back to hold her ground. However, Li Qingshan’s gaze had already shifted over to Xiao An.
What she failed to notice was Qian Rongzhi’s gaze, as gentle as water, from within the crowd. There was no killing intent or hostility in there at all. Even if the female instructor saw it, she would find it very gentle.
“Xiao An, why have you come here?” Li Qingshan asked. Suddenly, he was taken aback. Hmm? The third layer?
Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan and immediately revealed a dazzling smile, throwing herself into his arms.
“What’s wrong? It has only been a morning since you last saw me. How did you reach the third layer?” Li Qingshan rubbed her head. He vaguely understood that this was probably due to the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Even the plump old man could not bother to explain things. He knew the leaders were all watching, so he urged, “Get tested for your elemental affinity.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “This is good too. We can cultivate together. Go get tested!”
Under everyone’s watch, Xiao An made her way towards the formation. Most of the Qi Practitioners were bewildered. Why did a kid appear at the end, and why did the professor personally bring her here? Did she possess some powerful background? Though, she sure was impressive to have reached the third layer at such a young age.
No one imagined that she had still been a regular person in the morning, or at least she seemed like one. Even if someone thought of that, they would immediately dismiss this absurd idea.
“Isn’t that the child who follows Li Qingshan around? Called Xiao An or something? Didn’t she take part in the test for children?” Han Qiongzhi asked in surprise.
Hua Chengzan frowned. What was going on with this kid? The third layer? Was she hiding her strength? Aside from that, there were no better explanations. Suddenly, he thought of something. Don’t tell me?
“Brother Tian, look at that child. She’s so pretty!”
“I think we’ve seen her somewhere.”
Chu Tian just happened to be walking away while surrounded by a crowd. He also looked back in confusion? More people to be tested? What a waste of time. The Academy of the Hundred Schools should increase their requirements. Otherwise, even nobodies could study alongside him.
Xiao An stood in the centre of the formation. Looking at the ancient formation carved deep into the rock, she found it to be extremely familiar.
This sense of familiarity was even more intense than what Li Qingshan had experienced, but it was so sudden too. It was like an unexpected rogue wave slamming into her, releasing the remnants of a few memories.
She could not help but close her eyes. At some point in her past, she had stood in a similar formation as a delighted cry rang out in the surroundings, “Success!”
What success?
The formation let out an indetectable hum and suddenly lit up. The surroundings fell quiet. Everyone was slightly taken aback before bursting out with laughter.
“Talent like that sure is rare!”
Chu Tian laughed the loudest. “Don’t tell me that’s the Five Elements constitution too?”
Around Xiao An in the five corners of the formation flickered a smear of golden light, a tender grass shoot, a translucent droplet of water, and a pale yellow flame. The location for earth was just empty. Only at a closer glance could the hovering speck of dust be seen.
In the air above the formation, the light and darkness were so weak that it was almost invisible.
“All low ding?” The instructor responsible for recording the talents frowned. No, it should have been even lower than low ding. She did not possess any talent for the five elements, yin, or yang. If Chu Tian was a supreme genius, then she was supremely useless.
The plump old man sighed. The female instructor mocked, “Is this the Heavenly Meridians prodigy that the school leaders valued? I think she’s just a piece of trash!”
Li Qingshan glanced at her indifferently. There was no longer any murderous aura. There was no need for him to behave so viciously towards a dead person. He was not interested in why she was so hostile to Xiao An either.
His Xiao An was someone that even brother ox had praised as a genius.
The various school leaders were disappointed. Originally, they wanted to confirm which school Xiao An would belong to from her elemental affinity, but all of it was so low. This meant that her connection with the spiritual qi of the world was so weak that it was almost non-existent.
Sigh. It would have been fine if she had even average talent for any single attribute. No, even if it was mediocre, it would be fine. However, this was basically akin to possessing no talent at all. She would be alright as a Qi Practitioner, but Foundation Establishment required connecting with the spiritual qi of the world.
Liu Zhangqing shook his head with a soft sigh. “Can you call this both a blessing and a curse?”
Behind her supreme talent hid a tremendous flaw. It was not impossible to make up for her lack of elemental affinity, but the required resources were so tremendous and precious that probably only large sects like the Sword Collection palace or the Umbral Yin sect, or large clans like the provincial lord’s estate, could bear the costs of and produce. However, if they poured all of these resources into any regular Qi Practitioner, they could still produce a genius, so why did they have to spend it on her? The heavens were playing a huge, evil joke on her!
The various school leaders looked at earth elder Huang again. They found his foresight to be rather admirable. Prodigies could not be determined from a single aspect alone.
The old man continued to smoke his pipe, neither disappointed nor surprised.
Only the One Thought master brought his palms together and lowered his head, acting like he was taking pity on her. His lips curled into a mysterious smile. It’s all the buddha’s arrangements!
“This can’t be right!” The man in coarse clothing with a long hat muttered with a frown. As the leader of the school of Yin-yang, Ma Buyi’s understanding of yin, yang, and the five elements completely surpassed the other school leaders. Born into the world, humans were created from yin, yang, and the five elements in the first place. Even regular people should not have been in possession of such poor talent.
“Child, you can come out from there now,” the plump old man said kindly.
Xiao An kept her eyes shut, without moving at all.
A woman’s cold voice rang out in her ears from the depths of her heart. “Do you understand the use of this formation now? Show me!”
She muttered with an almost indiscernible voice, “Yes, queen mother!”
“What did you say?” asked the plump old man.
Li Qingshan could sense there was something off about Xiao An. He took a few steps forward, wanting to pull Xiao An out.
The formation suddenly began to operate, shining with light.
The translucent droplet of water flew towards the tender grass shoot. The shoot began to grow, turning into a sapling in the blink of an eye. Just as the sapling thrived and budded, a spark landed on it, turning into a roaring fire.
The sapling was burnt to ashes, scattering as countless specks of dust, which were drawn over to the tiny speck of dust. They turned into a black piece of soil. Glimmers of golden light appeared in the soil, gaining a smear of gold.
Afterwards, the droplet of water appeared again, turning into a gurgling stream and wrapping around dead wood. It sprouted and grew once more.
The fire was unable to burn it all away. It sprouted once again in the spring wind.
At the same time, the two specks of light and darkness merged together above the formation, constantly revolving around one another. They would swell in size with each rotation, growing to the size of fists in the blink of an eye. The light and darkness were completely different, yet they also merged together without any repulsion. It looked like a diagram of yin and yang from all perspectives.
The instructor recording the affinities and talent was stunned. “All of the elements have reached high ding, no, bing!”
The Qi Practitioners in the surroundings had already become dumbfounded. Wasn’t this a testing formation? Since when could it be used like this?
“The five elements are promoting one another, and yin and yang are growing mutually. How is this possible?” Ma Buyi’s eyes widened as he leapt to his feet.
Liu Zhangqing frowned. “Fellow Ma, what is going on?”
“Do you know the full name of this formation?” Ma Buyi’s breathing became rather ragged.
The school leaders were all stumped. With their knowledge and experience, they even knew about a few rare, strange formations if they were asked, but they just happened to be at quite a loss regarding the name of this formation. Wasn’t this just the formation used to test elemental affinities?
The slovenly daoist priest asked, “Is it the Mutual Promotion and Regulation Formation of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements?”
Ma Buyi said, “Exactly. Daoist brother, you truly are knowledgeable. Do you know what the true usage of this formation is?”
Even the slovenly daoist priest was rather stumped this time. Apart from testing affinities, what else was it for?
Ma Buyi said, “The cultivation methods of ancient cultivators have all been about practising yin, yang, and the five elements together. You all know that, right?”
The so-called supernatural powers in the ancient times was a power that merged together yin, yang, and the five elements. It allowed them to use any technique freely, with extraordinary power and infinite flexibility. However, the difficulty of cultivation and the requirement on the cultivator’s talent was unimaginable to cultivators of the present day. Only a very small number of people could grasp it. If they used the standards of the ancient times as a requirement on present day cultivators, then it would be quite impressive if the academy was left with around a hundred or so people.
In order to fight their enemies, ancient cultivators gained inspiration from their enemies, the daemons and the otherfolk, constantly improving the path of cultivation. That was why the cultivation method of practising just a single element of true qi existed in the present day. Although it decreased the overall quality of cultivators, it multiplied the number of cultivators by hundreds or thousands of times, which allowed the establishment of human supremacy.
The various leaders nodded. This could be regarded as the basic history of the cultivation world. Suddenly, they seemed to understand something, and they looked into the Watermirror disc.
A startling transition occurred in the formation.
The tree had already been burnt to ashes over a dozen times by the fire, but under the nourishment of water and earth, it had become a lush forest. A river parted the thick soil, winding through the forest as specks of gold glimmered in the river water.
They were unable to spot Xiao An in there anymore. They would only be able to catch a glimpse of her when the flames rose up and burned down everything again. The yin and yang had vanished too. They merged with every spark and every part of the tree shade, pushing and pulling, fluctuating between yin and yang.
The five elements no longer stood alone. Instead, they had merged together, like a living world. It seemed like the birth of the universe as primitive creation unfolded.
“They’re all yi,” the note-taking instructor murmured. He no longer knew what to say. Although they were all yi, anyone could tell that this was even rarer than Chu Tian’s complete jia. And, the yin, yang, and five elements were still growing. Reaching jia was just a matter of time.
“That’s right. This formation was created for ancient cultivators to practise cultivation. Practising yin, yang, and the five elements together requires you to understand the changes and transformations within interpromotion and interregulation. It’s both a method of cultivation and a very popular game among ancient cultivators, a game forgotten by people,” Ma Buyi uttered by himself. His gaze made him seem like he was reminiscing, but also sighing, about the past.
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Chapter 283 – Contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought
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Chapter 283 – Contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought
Testing elemental affinity was just a secondary function of the formation, but to cultivators of the present day, this was the only function that they knew about. Many formation scrolls even simplified the formation’s original core, only leaving behind the function of testing elemental affinity.
However, the formation engraved into the rock on Contention island had several thousand years of history. It was a complete formation passed down since ancient times. Its size and complexity was nothing like the formation Li Qingshan originally believed it was, only able to test elements simultaneously.
Today, Xiao An unleashed its long-forgotten function.
Everyone was dumbfounded. Originally, they thought they had already seen a supreme prodigy, and they would not become shocked again.
But now, just what was a prodigy? Watching this sight that completely exceeded their imaginations and understanding unfold, they could not even develop any jealousy anymore.
Liu Zhangqing asked again, “Then what is her talent for yin, yang, and the five elements?”
Ma Buyi glanced at him. He could not be bothered with answering him. He continued to stare at the Watermirror disc as his gaze made him seem rather crazed.
Right from the very beginning, the child had not been using the formation’s low level function of testing elemental affinity. Instead, she had been conjuring the transition between yin, yang, and the five elements, which was why she needed to start with their weakest forms, which were the droplet of water and tiny grass shoot in other words. As for her talent, it would depend on how far she could go with this process.
Her talent would never be lower than the level she had conjured. As a matter of fact, it should have been much higher than that, which was why she could accomplish it so skillfully and easily. What she demonstrated right now was no longer talent, but capability, unmatched capability.
Ma Buyi took off his long hat and lowered his head to the ground. “Everyone. Today, I, Ma Buyi, have only a single request, which is for this child to join my school of Yin-yang. If you have any requests in the future, I will oblige to all of them.”
The various leaders were shocked. Among them, Ma Buyi was not as unruly as the slovenly daoist priest, but he was still known for how proud he was. He was like an ancient reclusive cultivator, standing proud and aloof from the world.
However, no one would offend him because of this, as he was skilled in the art of divination. Everyone had a moment when they required his abilities, but when did he ever request others with such humility?
Everyone in the world knew that the school of Yin-yang was proficient in divination, but Ma Buyi did not take pride in that. In the ancient times, even third-rate cultivators could divine the good and the bad. The school of Yin-yang was the remnants of ancient cultivators. Ancient cultivators focused on omnipotence and being capable at everything, so divination was only one of the aspects they had to be proficient in.
However, when compared to the other schools that focused on a single aspect, they no longer seemed very proficient in those aspects anymore. In the end, only divination alone became the special art of the school of Yin-yang, which they became renowned for, and it was exactly because it required the powers of yin, yang, and the five elements as a foundation.
Whether it be Yu Zijian’s Pure Yang constitution or Chu Tian’s Five Elements constitution, neither of them were unable to interest him, as the school of Yin-yang required balance. From a certain perspective, the designation of genius in the ancient times differed tremendously from the present day.
However, if it was this child instead, then she would definitely be able to unleash the true glory of the ancient cultivation methods of the school of Yin-yang.
The various school leaders were silent. None of them could give up on this child so easily.
As the tree turned into a forest, and the stream turned into a river…
“They’re all jia! Mid jia! High jia!” The instructor constantly changed his evaluation.
When he uttered the words high jia, there was a boom, and the scene on the formation exploded loudly, turning into seven different colours and returning back to the original yin, yang, and five elements.
Only Xiao An was left standing in the formation. Her expression was slightly lost. Everything that unfolded earlier felt like a dream.
Whether it was to her, or to the others.
The process she conjured had already reached the limits that the formation could endure, like how a rubik’s cube would lose its function as a challenge or a game to a professional speedcuber.
Li Qingshan rushed over in a hurry. “Are you alright?”
The various leaders all looked at one another. Their gazes were not as simple as mere hostility anymore. Instead, there was utmost determination to win her over without any room for compromise.
“Namo Amitābha,” the One Thought master, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly chanted the buddha’s name. His voice was like the morning bell, the thunderous roar of a lion. It was forcefully and resonant. “This child has a destiny with the buddha. Please do not compete with this lowly monk, everyone.”
“I knew you’d say that, you damned bald ass,” said the slovenly daoist priest.
The One Thought Master said urgently, “There really is destiny this time!” Just as everyone had been disappointed by Xiao An’s talent for yin, yang, and the five elements earlier, only he had secretly celebrated. Finally, there was no need for him to contend with anybody.
He could see a clear, buddha’s light from Xiao An that even the transitions and processes unfolding in the formation could not hide. Never had he seen such a clear root of wisdom and buddhist nature in the eyes of a child.
But this time, the arrangements of the buddha seemed to be quite unexpected.
Han Anjun said coldly, “So they were just the falsehoods of a buddhist monk earlier? I could see earlier that her kick to the little fatty was accurate, precise, and vicious, very much like the demeanour of my school of the Military’s wind, forest, fire, and mountain1.”
“Women should be well-versed in the themes of romance, accompanied by poems and books. How can you let her become a nun and tend to statues of buddhas? Or a new recruit in the military, bleeding and sweating in the army? I think there is no school apart from my school of Confucianism that can handle someone with such great talent.” Liu Zhangqing gave up on maintaining his gentle, modest, and courteous demeanour as he specifically targeted them.
With a bang, the slovenly daoist priest kicked over the long table before him. The alcohol jugs and cups scattered over the floor, making quite the ruckus.
“Whoever dares to contend for Xiao An against me better be ready to try what this great daoist is capable of first.”
The One Thought master pulled his robes apart, revealing sturdy pectoral muscles that completely contrasted against his original appearance. He roared, “Hey! You ox nose, I’ve endured you for long enough now! Do you really think my school of Buddhism is actually incapable of dealing with you?”
“Heh, you bald ass2. I’ve grown tired of you a long time ago. Let’s settle this today!”
The two of them pulled away from one another. The leaders of the minor schools could not help but stand up and chime in with their own thoughts at the same time, even though they knew it should have been impossible for them to contend against the major schools.
“With the mechanisms and puppets of the school of Mohism, she can rival millions alone…”
“Practising medicine to save people is the duty of the school of Medicine…”
“If she doesn’t learn music theory, it’s basically a pity that she’s born as a woman in the first place…”
Their original solemnity and respectfulness immediately descended into a noisy mess, no different from a vegetable market. The instructors awaiting orders outside were all stunned. If they began fighting inside, they would all end up as unwitting sacrifices.
“Writing novels is pretty good too!” From a corner, a middle-aged man said timidly. He sat in the corner the entire time, without emitting a peep of sound. Now, he finally could not help himself anymore.
The room suddenly fell silent. All of their gazes gathered on him. They were as stern as knives as murderous aura gathered like dark clouds.
The middle-aged man immediately broke out in a cold sweat. “I- I’m just saying…”
The arguments continued. The middle-aged man exhaled deeply. He was utterly dejected.
The One Thought master had already revealed the shredded upper half of his body, maintaining a fierce glare.
The slovenly daoist provoked loudly, “Bald ass, come at me! This great daoist will give you a handicap of three moves!”
“Hell of Ice!” Wang Pushi erupted.
The leaders all felt a frosty wind sweep over. It was grim and bleak, as mighty as hell itself.
The room immediately went from warm spring to the middle of winter. Even a layer of ice appeared. Everyone could not help but stop arguing and look at Wang Pushi.
“Everyone, please calm down. Do not lose your composure as the leaders of schools. Have you all forgotten what old brother Huang said earlier?”
From the beginning till the end, only the calm, old man remained silent, sitting there peacefully. It made them all slightly embarrassed.
“Old brother Huang, what do you think-” Wang Pushi paused. Unexpectedly, the earth elder Huang that sat there smoking his pipe was just an earthen figure. If he had not used the Hell of Ice, even he would have failed to notice that.
They all suddenly turned their heads and looked into the Watermirror disc.
Earth elder Huang currently stood before Xiao An with an amiable smile. He seemed to be chattering endlessly to her. He even fished out a handful of peanuts for her.
“That fucker! It’s the Earthen Substitute and Ground Contraction!” The slovenly daoist priest cursed aloud.
In the hands of earth elder Huang, these two earth elemented techniques could create wonders. None of the Foundation Establishment cultivators actually managed to sense anything. Sure enough, people grew craftier3 with age!
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1. You may be somewhat familiar with the Japanese name of wind, forest, fire, and mountain—fūrinkazan. It’s derived from Sun Tzu’s Art of War, popularised by Takeda Shingen. It basically means “as swift as wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakable as mountain,” which are concepts that should be applied to warfare.
2. Bald ass and ox nose go hand in hand as insults to buddhist monks and daoist priests respectively. I’d say this is something to keep in mind.
Bald ass originates from the fact that buddhist monks often lead a donkey around when travelling for alms and for developing good karma, and there are a lot of these monks that dirty the name of buddhists by stealing, tricking, or just forcefully begging for alms. As a result, when local people spotted these monks, they would call out, “Run! The bald-headed person leading an ass is coming!” Gradually, it turned into bald ass.
The origin of ox nose is a little more complicated. A major deity in Daoism, Laozi, was said to have left China after riding through Hanggu pass on a black ox. After he became a deity, the black ox became an immortal ox too, which later people joked that it was being led around by the nose by “Laozi”. Laozi’s mount in Daoism also happens to be the black ox he rode on. The reason why it’s an insult is because although the ox became an immortal ox, it was still a mere animal, a beast.
3. The last sentence is a pun, with reference to “people would only grow firmer with age” in chapter 281. Crafty and firm sound the same in Chinese.
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Chapter 284 – Destiny with the Buddha
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Chapter 284 – Destiny with the Buddha
Xiao An walked out of the formation in confusion. The surroundings were hazy as the sounds seemed distant before gradually clearing up.
She could clearly see Li Qingshan’s concerned face and clearly hear his worried voice. “Xiao An! Xiao An!” Gradually, she eased up again, and the remnants from the depths of her memories settled once more. She revealed a smile.
The surroundings had fallen dead silent. The female instructor was pale-white. She understood just how much trouble she was in this time. The child was much more complicated than she seemed.
With the limelight stolen away from him, Chu Tian said, “There’s nothing impressive about that. If I wanted to, I could do that too.”
The instructors responsible for guiding the Qi Practitioners returned to their senses. It seemed to be time for them to take everyone to go eat.
An old man with a face full of wrinkles appeared out of nowhere. He said gently, “You must be Xiao An!”
Li Qingshan shivered inside. He felt an aura as heavy as the ground itself from the old man. A Foundation Establishment cultivator!
The instructors bowed in a hurry. “Sir school leader, what brings you here?” They too had seen quite a few prodigies stand out during the elemental affinity test, but the various schools would only begin their contention over these prodigies once the tests were complete. Never had the leader of a school appeared at a time like this, let alone the fact that it was earth elder Huang, the most composed out of the leaders of the schools.
Earth elder Huang completely ignored the others. His eyes remained fixed on Xiao An. He bore the special, amiable smile that a senior would show to a junior, treating her with great warmth. He became more satisfied with her the more he looked at her.
“Come, try this. I planted it myself.” He reached into his hundred treasures pouch and pulled out a great handful of peanuts, directly shoving them into Xiao An’s hand.
Han Qiongzhi was stunned. Since when was this old man so generous? He was actually giving away the spiritual fruits he had tended to in his garden with great effort over several years.
Xiao An raised her head and glanced at Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan could also see the spiritual energy within the handful of peanuts. There were at least ten times more powerful than pills like Qi Gathering pills. The benefits offered by a Foundation Establishment cultivator would probably come with greater costs than what met the eye.
Hua Chengzan shook his head with a bitter smile instead. Earth elder Huang was known to be as patient and settled as the earth. Never had he seen the earth elder behave in such an urgent manner throughout his time in the academy. But clearly, this child was enough for earth elder Huang to behave like that.
He considered himself to be a prodigy, but in that moment, he could only acknowledge her superior talent. No wonder Haitang wanted her regardless of the cost.
Just, just what are the origins of this child?
“Senior, please tell me what you want my Xiao An to do! Please be straightforward!”
Only at this moment did earth elder Huang seemingly notice Li Qingshan. Under the radiance of a supreme prodigy, not only did others pale, but even their presence seemed to become non-existent.
“This is the leader of the school of Agriculture, earth elder Huang. Why don’t you greet him?”
“Greet my ass!” A voice erupted. The person was still extremely far away when they uttered the first word, but they had already arrived nearby by the last. The slovenly daoist priest roared at earth elder Huang, “Old brother Huang, where’s your composure as a school leader?”
“The entrance examination still hasn’t ended. This isn’t in accordance with the rule of the academy,” Liu Zhangqing said in a sunken manner. Clearly, he was unhappy with being played.
Earth elder Huang took a puff of smoke. “I already have a foot in the grave, so does respect mean anything to me at all? As for rules, they’re set by humans.” He looked back, and his face became amiable again. “Child, as long as you join my school of Agriculture, you can eat these kinds of fruit whenever you want. What do you think?”
“The school of Agriculture?” Liu Zhangqing snickered. He removed a twin fish jade tablet from his waist. It flickered with light, actually a supreme grade spiritual artifact. He said nothing, but the disdain on his face explained everything by itself. Move aside, you broke ass. Intellectuals aren’t so easy to just walk over.
Earth elder Huang snorted out of anger too, emitting a stream of smoke from his nostrils. However, his gaze towards Xiao An only became even more amiable and kind.
“The school of the Military is about certain success when attacking, certain victory when fighting, about wind, forest, mountain, and fire, about invincibility.” Han Anjun would produce a great quake with each step, making the ground shake. The bearing he gave off made him seem like an entire army.
“The path you must walk must be one of the ancient cultivators. Please listen as I explain the reason in detail…” Ma Yuyi said with great sincerity, but why would anyone let him explain in detail?
“Namo Amitābha. Child, you have destiny with the buddha. Really. Buddhism monks don’t tell falsehoods.”
The slovenly daoist priest stamped his foot. “It’s all bullshit!” But now, no matter how loudly he cursed, no one paid anymore attention to him.
In the blink of an eye, the various leaders of the schools appeared one by one. Perhaps cold, perhaps amiable, or perhaps violent, the various powerful auras clashed on the square with great intensity. Their only target was Xiao An.
The school leaders embroiled in a contest as they constantly increased the benefits they could offer, describing the better future they could grant to her. At that moment, just the supreme grade spiritual artifacts that Li Qingshan saw were several in number. He also heard quite a few glorious deeds and stories regarding the accomplished seniors of the various schools.
Unfortunately, this contest did not last for too long. It quickly devolved into a war of pulling the rug and digging up dirt.
“Tending to the statues of buddhas and passing her later years in solitude? Master, do you really plan on destroying her life?” Liu Zhangqing said tersely.
“Child, this sir Liu has over a dozen concubines, and he even visits brothels regularly.” The One Thought master spoke the slovenly daoist priest’s mind, launching this verbal trump card.
The corner of Liu Zhangqing’s eye twisted.
“The school of Confucianism is full of hypocrites!” “The school of Yin-yang is completely useless!” The school of Agriculture is full of bumpkins!” The school of Military warps human nature!” All of these abuses that they had kept repressed in their hearts erupted.
A while later, the eyes of the various school leaders all reddened from anger.
The One Thought master unfurled the monk robes he had just put on again, revealing the ripped upper half of his body.
Li Qingshan stood beside Xiao An, so he was also surrounded by them all. He felt uncomfortable. Were these the leaders of the various schools? Sure enough, they were each stronger than the last, but their demeanour was horrid. They were like a group of wretched hounds fighting for food.
Yet, it just so happened that he could not even rival any of these wretched hounds.
The Qi Practitioners that were relatively closer were all pressured by the aura. They all staggered backwards before directly collapsing on their bottoms.
Everyone was dumbfounded. Just what was going on?
Wu Gen said, “Brother Hua, what are we supposed to do?”
Hua Chengzan’s responsibility was to maintain order during the entrance examination, but all he could do was shake his head when confronted with this group of disorderly people. “Let them be!”
Xiao An glanced at Li Qingshan again.
“Li Qingshan! Do you still remember me?” A desolate coldness descended. Li Qingshan suddenly turned around. “Old- commander Wang!”
Wang Pushi stood with his arms crossed nearby. He did not partake in the contest. He walked over.
Li Qingshan’s impression was that this Scarlet Hawk commander did not seem to be on particularly good terms with him. He knew the reason for this extremely well too. Although knowing the reason was completely useless, he still raised his guard.
Wang Pushi patted his shoulder firmly and laughed aloud. “Impressive, kid! It has been so long since I last saw you, and you’ve already reached the sixth layer! I haven’t misjudged you!”
Li Qingshan grinned. You haven’t misjudged me? You’d better think about why again.
“This is enough for you to be promoted to Scarlet Wolf guard. As long as you cultivate a little in the school of Legalism, there’s a great chance for you to become the future Scarlet Wolf commander too!”
“Thank you for your care and concern, commander Wang. I’ll definitely work hard so that I don’t let you down, commander!” If Li Qingshan still could not tell what he was hinting at, there was no point in him living for so long anymore.
Wang Pushi chucked inside. This time, it’s me, old Wang, who has gained the advantage.
The school leaders immediately responded. They looked at Li Qingshan together. Dammit, how did we forget about how the child was brought here by this kid? She’ll definitely listen to an adult like him with how young she is!
The slovenly daoist priest tried to save the situation in a hurry. “You have to think about it clearly!”
The One Thought master said, “Exactly.”
As the various gazes landed on him, Li Qingshan immediately felt the pressure multiply. He sighed gently and crouched down, asking Xiao An, “Are there any schools you want to go to?”
“I want to stick with you!” Xiao An ignored the gazes in the surroundings and said gently.
Wang Pushi smiled even wider. According to the rules, no one could forcefully interfere as long as this child had made her decision. Even if they wanted to interfere, they would have to ask him, Wang Pushi, first. Moreover, there was the Hawkwolf Guard behind him.
Li Qingshan smiled. “That’ll be a little difficult. You know I can’t handle those buddhist scriptures!” He stood up, brought his hands together, and bowed. “One Thought master, just as you have said, Xiao An has a destiny with the buddha. Please accept her into the school of Buddhism to cultivate!”
From a certain perspective, the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was a buddhist ability. She constantly read the various buddhist scriptures and sutras to deepen her understanding of this ability. Now that this opportunity had presented itself, he obviously could not let her miss it. In her hands, even the Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings would be unleashed with extraordinary power, so if she learnt even more greater buddhist techniques, just how powerful would they become?
And, during the contest earlier, the conditions that the One Thought master had offered were extremely impressive in order to express his sincerity. As her guardian, he had to choose a path most suitable for her.
The One Thought master was slightly surprised before ravishing in joy. Originally, he thought there was no chance for him to succeed. The school of Buddhism was one of the better major schools within the academy, but they were nowhere close to the schools of Confucianism and Legalism in terms of the number of disciples they possessed. Their numbers paled in comparison to their old rival, the school of Daoism, too.
After all, most people possessed various kinds of desires, with young people in particular. Just how many people were willing to follow the precepts, rendering all vanities void to comprehend the unsurpassable buddhist dharma? Not to mention that Xiao An was still a little girl, which made the chances of success even more meagre.
But never did he imagine that the tables would turn in the end, giving him what he wished for. He brought his hands together and bowed back at Li Qingshan. “Indeed, indeed. Sir, your wisdom truly blazes like a lantern. She does possess a destiny with the buddha. This is not a lie. Everything follows the buddha’s arrangements.”
Li Qingshan thought, If the buddha really knew about Xiao An’s existence, he’d probably slay her in the very first instant. He saw how Xiao An frowned rather unhappily, so he comforted her and said, “Don’t be like that. We’ll both be in the academy. We’ll have plenty of chances to see one another.”
Xiao An would never object to him, and she also knew that he did this for her sake, so she nodded gently. “Alright.”
The One Thought master smiled in relief. It was all over now. “Sirs, thank you for going easy on me!”
Wang Pushi’s complexion immediately coldened, turning into a face without mercy. He shot a glare towards Li Qingshan sternly before leaving in a flash.
Li Qingshan understood that it would be rather difficult to be promoted now.
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Chapter 285 – The Guardian King’s Pearl
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Chapter 285 – The Guardian King’s Pearl
The other school leaders were all disappointed. They either rode off on clouds or strode through the air. Just like how they had come, they vanished in the blink of an eye.
In the end, only Ma Buyi remained behind. He let out a deep sigh and said to Xiao An, “Since you’ve already chosen, there’s nothing that I can say. However, the gates to the school of Yin-yang are open to you at all times! Contention is not all that exists among the hundred schools. They also exchange their thoughts with one another, accepting any and all. The One Thought master shouldn’t mind this.”
“Just like what the fellow has said, the hundred schools all have their own specialties, and they don’t hoard it all to themselves like those sects in the wilderness. If you’re interested, Xiao An, you are most welcomed to listen in on school leader Ma’s teachings. You’ll definitely benefit from it.” The One Thought master recovered his usual, cultivated manner. Since Xiao An had joined the school of Buddhism, she would just be a knowledgeable disciple of the school of Buddhism even if she learned from the other schools; this was already set in stone. No one could change this anymore.
Ma Buyi nodded. He glanced at Xiao An once more reluctantly before riding away on the wind.
The One Thought master revealed a smile. The smile gradually grew wider before he suddenly laughed aloud. He said to Xiao An, “Child, come with me!”
Li Qingshan said, “There are still tests in the afternoon.”
The One Thought master waved his hand. “There’s no need to waste any time on them. An afternoon is enough for her to grasp the basics of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual.”
If there were other disciples of buddhism here, they would definitely develop jealousy, which would in turn affect their cultivation. The Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual was a secret method rarely ever passed to others. Not only did it require an extremely firm foundation in buddhism, but it would normally only be passed onto someone after they had undergone various tests. She was practising the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual right off the bat. It truly was quite the starting point.
“Buddhist monks tell no lies. I’ll give this Guardian King’s pearl to you as a gift to welcome you to the school of Buddhism. This can summon a guardian king to protect you. It complements the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. It will bring great benefits to your cultivation.”
The One Thought master took out a golden pearl from his hundred treasures pouch. As it glimmered with light, a glaring guardian king was vaguely visible. From how impressively it shone, it was a true supreme grade spiritual artifact. He erased his imprint casually and passed it to Xiao An.
Everyone was thrown into an uproar. Everyone knew what a supreme grade spiritual artifact was worth. When they saw how the school leaders competed against one another with supreme grade spiritual artifacts up for offer, they had already been extremely shocked. Now that the One Thought master had actually taken out a supreme grade spiritual artifact, they had no idea how to respond. They could not even develop any jealousy. Most Qi Practitioners would never obtain supreme grade spiritual artifacts in their entire lives.
Li Qingshan sighed with amazement too. Choosing to come to the Academy of the Hundred Schools truly was the correct decision. They had obtained a supreme grade spiritual artifact for free from just showing up. It had to be mentioned that right now, only the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his possession barely counted as a supreme grade spiritual artifact. Although he could expect it to grow stronger in the future, it was probably not as effective as this Guardian King’s pearl right now.
Xiao An accepted the Guardian King’s pearl, and her mind shuddered. The set of white bones condensed from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty that hovered within her flesh jolted slightly. She reacted mysteriously to this uncommon buddhist spiritual artifact.
The Guardian King’s pearl flashed, and a six meter tall guardian king immediately appeared around her. Whether it be the crown on its head or the vajra1 in its hand, they were both extremely detailed. Its expression was filled with fury, and it seemed life-like, enough to frighten anyone.
Li Qingshan thought, The power of supreme grade spiritual artifacts truly is startling.
The One Thought master was astounded too. Supreme grade spiritual artifacts needed to be refined before use. Never could anyone use it the moment it entered their hands, and it was all the more impossible with Xiao An’s third layer cultivation.
And, while he did erase his imprint, it was not cleanly removed—a faint connection still remained. Xiao An needed to remove this completely if she wanted to use the Guardian King pearl as she wished.
But earlier, he clearly sensed that the residual imprint had immediately vanished the moment the Guardian King pearl entered Xiao An’s hands; it was like a capable scholar meeting a wise lord, like a beauty meating a romantic, immediately discarding everything and throwing themselves into their embrace, casting aside their old master like an old shoe.
Xiao An stowed the Guardian King pearl away and bowed slightly, expressing her thanks.
The One Thought master smiled bitterly. Despite his cultivation, he actually felt worried that he would not be able to guide or control this child. He said, “Sir Li, if you’re interested, you’re welcome to cultivate in my school of Buddhism too.” With the One Thought master’s status, this was a gesture of great courtesy.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Thank you master, but in my life, I never cultivated goodness, relishing only murder and arson. If I join buddhism, I’ll probably just disturb the peace of buddhism. I’d better find a different path!” His oath was to travel the world with fine alcohol in his hands and beauty in his arms. He was unable to learn buddhist methods of how to eliminate his desires and cleanse his heart, nor did he want to learn.
“In your life, you never cultivated goodness, relishing only murder and arson.” The One Thought master frowned and repeated that before glancing at Li Qingshan deeply again. “This sounds extremely vulgar at first, but if you think about it closely, it also seems to be allegorical. You have a destiny with the buddha. You might not achieve instantaneous enlightenment today, but it may come to you in the days that lie ahead. Xiao An, let’s go!”
Li Qingshan was secretly filled with admiration. Originally, this had been uttered by the Flowery Monk, Lu Zhishen, as he passed away in meditation. “In my life, I never cultivated goodness, relishing only murder and arson. Suddenly, my golden shackles have been opened; here, my jade locks have been pulled asunder. Alas! Hereby the river tide cometh, now I finally realise that I am what I am!2”
He had replied with this absentmindedly, as if something was at work. As for whether destiny actually existed or not, that would be up to destiny!
Xiao An tugged Li Qingshan’s sleeve, looking at him, reluctant to part with him. Originally, she wanted to cultivate with him, which was why she did all of that to come here, so why were they separating again?
Li Qingshan’s heart softened. He crouched down and promised her. “Just go with the One Thought master and cultivate well. Once I’m done here, I’ll come find you.”
Only then did Xiao An nod, releasing his sleeve.
The One Thought master watched all of this unfold as he sighed inside. For those who studied buddhism, a rudimentary grasp was monkhood, renouncing all worldly ties and pursuits. Being so attached to a certain person was not good. However, there was no need for him to worry either. At the end of the day, she was still just a child. It would all be resolved once she grew a little older.
The young man was rather talented, but he lacked the strength to stand beside her. Before long, their cultivations, identities, and statuses would completely pull them apart into two different worlds; this could not be changed by anyone’s willpower. In the future, he would just be an acquaintance of hers at most.
The One Thought master said, “This monk bids farewell.” He placed his hand on Xiao An’s shoulder and took a step forward, disappearing promptly.
Li Qingshan turned around and returned to the crowd. They all looked at him in respect, and it was not because of who he was. Even idiots could tell that the child called Xiao An had a limitless future ahead of her. With how close he was to her, he achieved glory too.
Hua Chengzan had sunken into his thoughts too. She had made him take good care of Li Qingshan, but he had never imagined the child would be even more surprising. Foundation Establishment was just a matter of time for her, so he had to establish a good relationship with Xiao An. Probably even she had failed to see this!
He glanced at Yu Zijian nearby before glancing at Chu Tian in the crowd. These geniuses rarely ever appeared even across several generations, but this time, there were three of them, each more impressive than the last.
As it seemed, the Clear River prefecture’s Academy of the Hundred Thoughts would be welcoming a period of great glory among the academies of the nine prefectures in the Ruyi commandery. He, a former prodigy, would dim in their brilliance. He could not help but feel very pressured.
Han Qiongzhi had the least self-control. She rushed over to Li Qingshan. “Just who is the child to you?”
Li Qingshan said proudly, “My only family!” Regardless of what other people were thinking, her glory was also his glory.
At this moment, the plump old man seemed to receive some order, and he arrived before the sheet-white female instructor who was at a loss as for what to do. He said sternly, “With your character, you are not suited to the job of an instructor. From this moment onwards, you are dismissed from the academy. Go back and pack your things!”
This order did not come from the One Thought master, but the leader of the school of Confucianism, Liu Zhangqing. The other leaders had no objections to this either. A supreme prodigy was about to rise up in the Academy of the Hundred Schools of the Clear River prefecture, so they could not allow her to develop any ill will towards the academy. As a result, the female instructor’s punishment had to be severe.
The female instructor turned even paler. Originally, she wanted to find an opportunity to expel Xiao An from the academy, but never did she imagine it would end up with her dismissal instead. She screeched, “I re-”
The plump old man cut her off sternly. “This is for your sake!”
The female instructor trembled. She was bitter, not stupid. She understood what would await her. Even if she disregarded the consequences of disobeying the school leaders, just the child alone would become a great figure that she could not afford to offend if she was given a few years’ time. By then, if she remembered this grievance of the past, just the slightest revenge would be a great calamity to her. The best thing she could do right now was to quickly vanish from her view and hope that she would not remember her again.
She immediately stomped her foot before storming off. She thought, Just you wait! I will get revenge! However, even she felt like she did not have much of a chance. It was mainly to dismiss the fear in her heart.
Of course, no one knew that Xiao An basically had no concept on these principles of how people treated one another, unless it involved Li Qingshan. She did not feel any anger or hatred at all.
Afterwards, under the lead of the instructors, the group arrived before a building. A forest wrapped around it, making it extremely tranquil. They could smell a special fragrance from afar.
Li Qingshan raised his head and saw the three large words of “Hundred Flavours Restaurant.” He could not help but think about how he had once eaten in the Hundred Flavours restaurant below the Green Vine mountain. As it turned out, the origin of the place was here. That night, he had heard that the Town of Flowing Clouds would be opening again for the entrance examination. Where was it located?
Li Qingshan’s question was answered very quickly, as after a meal in the Hundred Flavours restaurant, the next stop was the Town of Flowing Clouds. It was more than enough for him to witness the close relationship between the Academy of the Hundred Schools and the town. At the very least, the school of Miscellany would not be missing this opportunity to make some spiritual stones.
The town was located in an empty spot on the south-western shore of the island. Although it was in a different place now, the structure was exactly the same as when it was below the Green Vine mountain.
The instructor clapped his hands in front of the gates to the town. “Everyone, you have some free time here now. Please consider which school you plan on enrolling in and make some preparations for the upcoming tests. Please do not leave the town.” Afterwards, he handed out pieces of colourful writing paper. “You all should know the rules. Everyone can only list five schools, and any more beyond that will be rendered null. In four hours, please regroup here.”
Li Qingshan received a piece of paper too. He discovered that the various information regarding elemental affinity was all recorded on there, and there were five blank spots.
PS: I got home a little later than I anticipated yesterday. I became sleepy as hell when it wasn’t even nine, and I slept for almost twelve hours. I’ve finally managed to recover most of my energy, but tidying up my interrupted thoughts took time. It basically took me four hours to write this chapter. But at last, I can continue my dream. I believe this isn’t just my dream. Please, recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and evaluation tickets! Let’s set off!
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1. A vajra is a ritual weapon in Buddhism, which symbolises both indestructibility and unstoppability. You can read about it on wikipedia, or you can refer to the image below:

2. Lu Zhishen is a character from Water Margin, who became a buddhist monk throughout the story, but never actually bothered with any buddhist practises. He attains instantaneous enlightenment right before death. The translation of the ode originates from wikipedia.
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Chapter 286 – The Five Schools Chosen
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Chapter 286 – The Five Schools Chosen
The afternoon sunlight poured into the bookstore, illuminating the dust in the air.
Under the plaque of “Sea of Books” were a few long tables, covered in books. Sun Fubai had his head lowered as he sorted them. Suddenly, he felt his vision darken. A young man stood in front of the table. He had a robust figure, and while his bronze face was not handsome, he radiated with masculinity.
“Sir, what are you looking for?”
Li Qingshan glanced at Sun Fubai. Hope you are well. He lowered his head to check out the books and almost burst out laughing. The tables were covered with books like “Secrets of the Confucian Exam” or “Eight Methods to the Daoist Exam”. They were not pricey either, just a spiritual stone for one.
“I haven’t decided on the schools to enrol in yet. Do you have any recommendations, uncle?”
Sun Fubai immediately took out a book that gave a brief introduction to each school. Li Qingshan flipped through it slightly and paid a spiritual stone, but he put the book back down. “I’m not good with books. You don’t have any guests right now, so why don’t you give me some recommendations, uncle? I’ll buy another five books according to my needs.”
Li Qingshan placed great trust in Sun Fubai’s experience and moral character. After arriving in the Town of Flowing Clouds, he had rushed right over here immediately, wanting to hear his recommendations.
Sun Fubai was surprised. There were not a lot of people like him. He passed the spiritual stone back to Li Qingshan and smiled. “If you want to buy them, then I’ll explain them to you for free! Pass it over so that I can take a look!” After looking at the colourful piece of paper, he nodded. “Seventeen years old. Not bad, not bad. Do you have any schools that you’d like to join?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m originally a Hawkwolf Guard, so the school of Legalism would be my first choice. I’ve also dabbled in some Body Practitioner techniques too, so the school of the Military seems like quite a good choice too. I have an old friend in the school of Mohism, so that’s also within my considerations. As for the school of Confucianism and Daoism, they’re both impressive major schools, so they seem to be five.”
Sun Fubai shook his head with a smile. “The school of Mohism is good, but it doesn’t suit you very much. If I’m not mistaken, you practise Gui Water true qi!”
Li Qingshan said, “Yes.” And I even purchased the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi from you.
“Why don’t I tell you which schools you’re not suited for first?”
“Sure.”
“I won’t go into the school of Mohism. As for the school of Buddhism, I don’t think you look like a person who wants to become a monk. The school of Confucianism prefers Profound Yang true qi, but of course, Gui Water true qi works too. Though, if you want to pass the school of Confucianism’s examination, you’d need to be rather good with literature. At the very least, you need some foundation, or you’ll struggle to pass even if you buy my Secrets of the Confucian Exam.”
Li Qingshan shook his head. Ever since he reincarnated, he had barely read any books at all. He could still recite some poetry and lyrics from his past life, but he knew that was nowhere close to being rather good with literature. And, he had no interest in holding a position in the government either, so it seemed like he could only give up on the school of Confucianism.
“Although the school of Legalism is technically your original school, the core cultivation methods they practise require you to resonate with the realm of Hell, which regular people refer to as the netherworld. Normally, it’s best if you practise Profound Yin and another type of true qi from the five elements. Your Profound Yang surpasses your Profound Yin, so it’ll be difficult for you.”
The realm of Hell! Only then did Li Qingshan learn that this aspect existed for the school of Legalism. The school of Legalism primarily dealt with punishment and torture, but there was no place more punishing and tortuous than hell. If it were not for Sun Fubai, he would have absolutely no inkling about the school of Legalism. So much for Hua Chengzan, not even warning him in advance.
Though, Hua Chengzan did not deserve the blame here. Li Qingshan was different from those weaker, second or third layer Qi Practitioners. He had already reached the sixth layer with the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. There was no need for him to switch cultivation methods. If he reached Foundation Establishment and stepped through these gates to cultivation, would a suitable cultivation method really serve as an issue to him? In this aspect, Sun Fubai was instead not as knowledgeable as Hua Chengzan.
Li Qingshan thought, It’s not like damned ol’ Wang Pushi likes me anyway. If I join the school of Legalism, I’ll have to put up with him every single day. That would be horrible. “Then I’m not going to enrol for the school of Legalism.”
Sun Fubai said, “The school of Yin-yang requires a general balance between yin, yang, and the five elements, so you don’t have a chance either. Let’s see, just how many remain now?”
“The schools of Daoism, the Military, Miscellany, Names, Agriculture, Novels, Medicine, and Music.” Li Qingshan felt his thoughts clear up. All he needed to do was drop another three schools now.
Sun Fubai said, “The schools of Daoism and the Military are both major schools, so you have to choose them. Gui Water true qi is suited for the schools of Names and Agriculture too, so that’s four schools now. All you need to do is fill in the remaining spot with any of the minor schools. You have enough talent to freely choose among them anyway.”
“Alright!” Li Qingshan immediately borrowed a brush and some ink from Sun Fubai, filling in the sheet of paper with the schools of Daoist, the Military, Names, and Agriculture. Only one blank was left. The remaining schools were all minor schools, so they could not rival these major schools when it came to both cultivation methods and resources. Often, they would be the final options for Qi Practitioners with the worst talent.
Li Qingshan did not hesitate much at all. He was about to fill it in with “Music”. During times of loneliness in the past, the reed pipe would accompany him. He had grown rather attached to it.
And, when he saw the school leaders earlier, the leader of the school of Music was a beautiful madam in palace wear. Her beautiful voice that sounded like an oriole’s song left a deep impression on him. If he joined that school, perhaps something immoral and condemned by society could unfold.
Of course, this was just the deep-rooted bad habits of men at work.
Sun Fubai stared at the “high jia” evaluation for Li Qingshan’s water element. After faltering for quite a while, he finally blurted out, “Uhh, the Gui Water true qi is extremely suitable for the school of Novels.”
“Really?” Li Qingshan was surprised, but soon afterwards, he filled in the blank with “Novels” with a flick of his brush. He brought it to the sun and took a look. “Done!” It was just a filler anyway, so it did not matter what he wrote.
Right now, it was time for Qi Practitioners to choose their schools. All they needed to do was to take part in the tests for their five schools, and it would be up to the schools to choose their Qi Practitioners. If they passed all the tests, then the choice would be up to the Qi Practitioner again. It basically guaranteed everyone to join a school, with nobody missing out. It was very different from how sects recruited disciples.
Li Qingshan took out five spiritual stones. “Uncle, please give me the books for the five schools!”
As if he was extremely embarrassed, he refused one of the spiritual stones. “The test for the school of the Military is actual combat, so you don’t need a book.”
Li Qingshan was extremely confident in his ability for actual combat. “Then four books! Heh, I wonder what the school of Novels tests. Don’t tell me it’s writing stories!” For some reason, he thought of the shitty book Sun Fubai had given to him in the past again. If he wrote a story like that, he would probably be chased out of the exam venue!
Sun Fubai became even more uneasy. He shoved all the spiritual stones back into Li Qingshan’s hands. “Sigh. Actually, with your talent, you don’t need to make any preparations at all. As long as you show up, the school leaders will all accept you.”
At the end of the day, the tests and examinations were just a formality. Whether someone passed was completely up to the school leader. With Li Qingshan’s cultivation at the sixth layer as a seventeen year old and his “high jia for water” talent, he would be enough for many schools to fight over during other years.
Once someone’s talent reached a certain point, such as Xiao An, they would even be directly taken away by the school leaders, without any regard for the rules. They would not have to undergo any tests at all. Strength was respected in the world of cultivation. There was no point in trying to reason around.
“Umm, okay then.” Li Qingshan was perplexed. He was turning down business.
At this moment, Qi Practitioners walked over in groups of fives and threes.
Sun Fubai’s gaze wavered. “I have customers now, so you should go!” Once Li Qingshan had left, he suddenly shook his head with a bitter smile. What’s there to be uneasy about? It’s not like he’d end up in such a miserable situation. I’m just doing the last bit that I can.
Li Qingshan strolled through the town alone before suddenly hearing a call for him.
“Oi! Qingshan! Over here!” Hua Chenglu waved at him from afar. Beside her was Yu Zijian and a few disciples of the Hua family.
Li Qingshan went up to greet them. Obviously, they asked each other which schools they had enrolled in too.
Hua Chenglu took out her piece of paper. The only school filled in there was “Legalism”. The rest was left blank. She wanted to join the school of Legalism anyway. It was not like she would be rejected, so there was no need for her to waste time on additional tests.
“What did you enrol for?”
Li Qingshan took out his piece of paper too. Hua Chenglu frowned as soon as she saw it. Li Qingshan thought she was unamused over the fact that he did not enrol for the school of Legalism, but she pointed at the school of Novels. “Why’d you enrol here?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s just a filler.”
Hua Chenglu said, “Whatever. It’s not like it’s possible for you to end up there. Hmm? You haven’t enrolled for the school of Legalism!”
Li Qingshan gave a slight explanation. Hua Chenglu did not probe him any further either. She told him a few more things before parting with him.
Li Qingshan shook his head slightly. He really should not treat himself like a big deal. To Hua Chenglu, he was just an acquaintance she had seen a few times. In terms of familiarity, he probably even paled in comparison to the descendants of the Hua family.
Although he was unaccustomed to, or even detested, mingling with others, all people liked attention from others. However, after contemplating the secrets he hid, sure enough, less attention was better. Only by laying low could he fly high.
But there would be one day when he would make his name spread throughout the world.
……
“That damned brat! So much for me picking him out from the mountains! He has shown me no respect at all! If the other school leaders weren’t present, I would’ve killed him on the spot.” Wang Pushi slammed the desk, jolting all the items on there.
Hua Chengzan knew that he was just venting his anger. He comforted him with a smile. “Old Wang, just calm down. Don’t stoop to his level. The kid could use the One Thought master’s Guardian King’s pearl the moment she laid her hands on it, so maybe she actually does have a destiny with the buddha. It’s not like we can insist against fate.”
Wang Pushi continued to fume. “Want to be promoted to Scarlet Wolf? Want to join my school of Legalism? Don’t even think about it!”
“Do you have to be like that? He still originates from our Hawkwolf Guard after all, and with his talent, the other schools definitely won’t let him slip by if you don’t want him. Combined with his relationship with the child…”
Under Hua Chengzan’s gentle persuasions, Wang Pushi’s anger subsided. “Fine. Once he joins the school of Legalism, I’ll get him good.”
In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed. Li Qingshan handed the piece of paper to the instructor, which was then passed onto the school leaders. Every single one of them possessed a copy.
Wang Pushi held Li Qingshan’s paper as his face darkened. Everyone familiar with Wang Pushi would know that this was an expression of extreme anger. Who would have thought that Li Qingshan had not enrolled in the school of Legalism at all. All of his plans had fallen apart now, as if he was being mocked.
It was as if he could hear Li Qingshan say, No matter how powerful or how impressive you are, you’re nothing to me. There’s nothing you can do about me if I don’t join your school of Legalism.
Hua Chengzan smiled bitterly. He was unable to pacify Wang Pushi anymore. If he didn’t fill in the school of Legalism, then so be it. At least I can try to calm him down with how your elemental affinity doesn’t match. But of all the schools to fill in, why the school of Novels? You could have filled in any other school, and I’d be able to speak up for you!
“He has gone too far!” Wang Pushi roared. It pierced the roof of the building and reached the sky, alarming a flock of birds in the forest.
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Chapter 287 – Climbing the Mountain in Search of the Dao
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Chapter 287 – Climbing the Mountain in Search of the Dao
The birds flew over the great lake. The setting sun dyed the rippling waves of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes a reddish-yellow.
On Contention island, the tests had already begun despite the setting sun.
Qi Practitioners did not have to eat or sleep at fixed times like regular people. Going an entire night without sleep was nothing. The lunch at noon was akin to an additional benefit provided by the academy to them so that they could taste the delicious food on par with spiritual medicines for free.
Everyone boarded the ship once more, sailing to a small island in the east. The island was nowhere near as large as Contention island, but it was much larger than the other islands.
Within the rising, evening mist, a solemn daoist temple stood high on the mountain on the island. It did not give off an aura of peace and tranquility. Instead, it seemed to look down upon the various other schools.
It was rumored that most ancient cultivators were daoist priests, and they served as the origin for all techniques and cultivation methods. Most of the cultivation methods practised within the hundred schools originated from the school of Daoism.
In the present day, the school of Daoism was no longer the only option for all cultivators, but there was a saying, “Daoism stands to be the greatest among the hundred schools”. That only demonstrated how influential the school was.
The tests of the academy occurred consecutively, so all the Qi Practitioners would move about with each test. They could use this opportunity to familiarise themselves with the locations of the islands and the scenery they offered.
Regardless of the school they ended up with, they all had to visit these islands. The spirit of the academy was about the hundred schools resonating together and embracing all. Every single disciple of the academy could learn from other schools.
Of course, if they wanted to learn the very core teachings of a school, it would take them some effort and spiritual stones, but it was not impossible. It was unlike those cultivation sects, which would threaten them with death or permanently crippling their cultivation.
This was also the aspect that Li Qingshan admired the most. There was a reason why the Great Xia empire could keep all the cultivation sects in the world at bay with the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
The Qi Practitioners all disembarked and crossed through a forest along a small pathway, arriving before the mountain.
An instructor said, “Those who have enrolled for the school of Daoism, climb up the mountain with me. Those who haven’t, wait below the mountain. Don’t wander too far away.”
Li Qingshan discovered that the majority of the Qi Practitioners, almost a thousand of them, climbed up the mountain.
Not only was the school of Daoism a major school second to none, but it had no specific requirements on elemental affinities either. The school of Daoism was known to possess three thousand major paths and countless smaller paths. No matter who it was, they would always be able to find a path suitable for themselves.
As a result, almost everyone filled in “Daoism” within their five spots, even treating it as their main target. Li Qingshan was no different. His primary targets were either the school of Daoism or the school of the Military, but the school of Daoism did suit him more.
Everyone climbed up the mountain, and the moment they reached half way, mist rose up in the surroundings.
Li Qingshan sensed that everyone had vanished. Only he remained on the mountain path. He knew he had entered a formation.
“The test begins,” a voice boomed.
Li Qingshan gathered his mind and took a step forward. As soon as he took that step, his body immediately became several times heavier, while his true qi had been completely suppressed by the invisible formation too. It was not even possible to open his hundred treasures pouch, let alone use any techniques.
At that moment, all of the Qi Practitioners climbing the mountain had been reduced to regular people. The protective formation of the school of Daoism began to demonstrate its startling power.
Li Qingshan was unfazed. He took another step forward, and the wide, stone steps suddenly became a narrow, meandering footpath. The two sides were sheer cliffs that seemed bottomless. He could imagine that if he fell down, he would not actually die, but he would lose his right to join the school of Daoism.
At this exact moment, wild winds rose up without any fixed directions, blowing him around.
“Argh!”
There was a howl, and a Qi Practitioner fell down from the mountain path, spiralling off the cliff. Even though he knew he would be fine, he could not help but be utterly frightened. Just when he was about to hit the bottom, the surroundings suddenly twisted and changed. With another glance, he had returned to the bottom of the mountain. The group of Qi Practitioners waiting there all looked at him in disdain.
He called out, “I refuse to accept this! I was blown off by the wind. With my cultivation at the third layer, how can I possibly fend off the protective formation of the school of Daoism?”
“The more perturbed you are mentally, the stronger the winds and the narrower the path becomes. You can’t even control your fears when you knew it’s all an illusion, yet you still want to practise daoism? Piss off,” a voice boomed out. It was the slovenly daoist priest.
Hua Chenglu curled her lip. “You’re clearly just useless. My elder brother said that if you can ease your nerves and control your mind, even regular people can make it to the end of the path. Sigh, I wonder if Zijian is fine.”
The Qi Practitioner finally became defeated. He originated from a small clan. With his cultivation, he was regarded as a genius in the clan, and he was protected like a treasure. Never had he experienced any danger, so even his legs had almost given way from the fright earlier, which was why he slipped and fell.
However, this principle did not seem to apply to Li Qingshan very much at all.
His gaze was calm, and his steps were steady. Having gone through so many battles to the death already, the path failed to invoke any fear in him. However, the path just happened to grow narrower and narrower, and the wind blew harder and more chaotically.
He remained unfazed. His body would sway with the wind as he advanced at a steady pace. He admired the rare scenery to his two sides. He was as leisurely as a mountaineering tourist.
Towards the end, he was basically walking along a thin wall that stood tens of thousand meters tall, but it was still more than enough for him. He looked around as he thought, The school of Daoism’s test really does have some difficulty about it.
The slovenly daoist priest saw this. He sneered. “Brat, let’s see how long you last.”
With a thought, large droplets of rain began to fall down from overhead. The path became slippery and even more difficult to walk on. Suddenly, there was a boom of thunder, so close that it was basically above his head. Regular people would probably trip from fright even if they were on flat ground.
The slovenly daoist priest snickered. He shifted his gaze onto someone else.
Sweat gathered on the tip of Yu Zijian’s nose. She bore Hua Chenglu’s reminder in mind as she stared straight at the path ahead, afraid to look to the sides.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind bombarded her. She swayed with it, but because she was holding a sword, she was not particularly balanced. She was just about to fall off the cliff.
The slovenly daoist priest curled a finger, and a gentle breeze blew over from the other side, lifting her up softly. Only then did she stabilise herself.
“Master, that doesn’t seem too appropriate!” A young daoist priest with small eyes watched on from the side the entire time. He could not help but say this after seeing how the slovenly daoist priest played favourites.
He wore a set of black clothes with a daoist hair ornament on his head. There was a silken belt around his waist and hanging from it was a tablet carved with the word “One”. It was a representation of a primary disciple. His cultivation was at an impressive tenth layer.
The slovenly daoist priest’s face reddened. He did not treat his dear disciple as rudely as the other school leaders. Instead, he explained, “Juechenzi, she’s just a girl, so it’s very normal for her to be afraid of heights. Who’s born without fears anyway? The mind is something you can slowly harden. As for men, you need to be a little more vicious. The edge of a treasured sword comes from grinding and sharpening…”
“Master, the treasured sword is still there!” Juechenzi pointed.
The slovenly daoist priest looked over. Whether it was the wind, frost, or torrential downpour, none of it was able to make Li Qingshan’s gaze waver. His pace instead sped up, running wildly through the wind and rain.
He might not be particularly clever, and he might not possess any outstanding talent, but he did possess ambition and courage that almost no one could rival.
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Chapter 288 – Thousand Days Drunk
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Chapter 288 – Thousand Days Drunk
The slovenly daoist priest was surprised too. He appreciated people with great willpower very much, and his talent was rather impressive too. If this had happened in the past, he would definitely try to convince him to stay in the school of Daoism.
If Li Qingshan sent Xiao An to other schools, then so be it. But just why was it the school of Buddhism of all the schools? It would make the damned bald ass complacent. He had truly crossed the line this time.
Suddenly, he came up with an idea. With a wave of his arm, the windy, rainy weather vanished. The moonlight fell onto Li Qingshan. To his surprise, the path before him had recovered its original width, while his true qi was no longer suppressed either. The stars twinkled in the sky, and the daoist temple was nearby too.
He was afraid of becoming careless, so he slowed down. Arriving before the daoist temple, he saw a young daoist priest with small eyes waiting there. He nodded. “Congratulations, sir. You’re the first.”
Li Qingshan looked back. There were still two or three hundred Qi Practitioners left on the mountain path, advancing with difficulty. Some of them tottered around, while others teetered about. As long as they lost their balance, they would be sent to the bottom of the mountain immediately.
“Someone has emerged from the formation! It’s that Li Qingshan person!” A Qi Practitioner called out.
Hua Chenglu was perplexed. “How is it possible to break out of the formation midway?”
Qian Rongzhi sat in the thatched pavilion nearby as she watched on indifferently with a smile. This kid’s probably in trouble now.
Just like Hua Chenglu, she had only enrolled for the school of Legalism. She had already learnt about the various school leaders from Wu Gen and Fang Enshang in detail before the examination.
The leader of the school of Daoism was the strongest at late Foundation Establishment. He was close to condensing a Golden Core, and he was the most unruly out of all of them. He never liked the school of Buddhism. Even if the other school leaders were displeased with Li Qingshan’s choice, they probably would not act up, perhaps due to their identities, perhaps they cared about Xiao An, or perhaps they treasured talent. However, this old daoist priest was different. Once he was carried away, he was even bold enough to rain the other school leaders with curses.
Li Qingshan had broken out of the formation midway up. There must have been something going on behind the scenes for this anomaly to happen.
“I’m Li Qingshan. May I ask for your name, esteemed daoist?” Li Qingshan turned back again and clasped his hands. Although he was calm and composed, a tenth layer Qi Practitioner clearly was not someone he could just brush aside.
“This lowly priest is called Juechenzi. Please come with me!”
Juechenzi made his way towards the main hall with Li Qingshan. When they arrived in front of the hall, Juechenzi gave Li Qingshan a glance, wishing him good luck, before sending him in alone.
The large hall was empty. There was only a formation on the ground, shining dimly.
The slovenly daoist priest sat in front of a statue. The hair around his temples had already become grizzled, but he was brimming with energy and vigour. He said slowly, “Li Qingshan, do you recognise me?” His voice boomed like thunder, rolling and echoing through the hall.
“Obviously.” Out of the school leaders, the slovenly daoist priest was the person who gave Li Qingshan the most powerful and terrifying impression.
The slovenly daoist priest said, “And yet you still have the courage to come!”
Li Qingshan asked, “Why wouldn’t I?”
“In what way does my school of Daoism pale in comparison to the school of Buddhism? You better be clear with your explanation!”
Li Qingshan was stunned. He finally understood why it had been so difficult as he climbed up the mountain path just then. The slovenly daoist priest had clearly been working against him. He became angered by this too.
“What, you can’t answer me?”
Li Qingshan laid out his hands. “I never thought that a mighty leader of a school would be so petty. If you don’t want me to join your school of Daoism, I’ll get off the mountain immediately. There’s no need to say anything else.” He turned around to leave. If he remained in the school of Daoism, he would have to put up with his abuse constantly. Who could endure that? The school of Military was not a bad choice anyway, and if that did not work out, he still had the schools of Agriculture and Names.
Juechenzi stood outside the hall, gazing at the shining moon in the sky as he smiled and shook his head.
“Where do you think you’re going? Halt!” said the slovenly daoist priest.
Li Qingshan immediately felt his body seize up. He was immobilised. His right foot still hovered in the air, having failed to pull it back in time.
This was a curse!
The slovenly daoist priest said, “Are you saying that I’ve been unfair?”
Li Qingshan said nothing. His eyes churned with fury. He gathered all of his true qi, his sea of qi surged, and all of his muscles tightened. His right foot that had been frozen mid-air actually fell down bit by bit. With a boom, it landed on the ground, and he turned his head. “Yes!” His eyes shone brightly, like a wolf’s glare.
The slovenly daoist priest was surprised. He was not skilled in curses, and he had used the curse without much thought earlier, but it truly was unbelievable that Li Qingshan could forcefully break free with his cultivation at the sixth layer. This was no longer just due to his strength, but his extraordinary willpower too.
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance. Let’s gamble.”
Li Qingshan asked, “What are we gambling on?”
“Obviously what you are best at, drinking.” A jar of alcohol suddenly appeared in the slovenly daoist priest’s hand. He removed the sealing clay, and a streak of light shot out. The smell of alcohol permeated the entire hall.
“What are we gambling on?”
“If you can drink this jar of alcohol without falling drunk, I’ll let you join the school of Daoism, and I’ll forget about everything that happened in the past. If you fall drunk, then you’ll piss off, off of this mountain!”
“What if I refuse to gamble?”
“It’s fine if you don’t gamble. I’ll still treat you as passing this test, but don’t even think about joining my school of Daoism. I have plenty of ways to get you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Fine, let’s gamble.” With the toughness of his daemon body and how he could nullify the alcohol with his true qi, he refused to believe that he would fall drunk. And, the jar of spiritual alcohol was probably equivalent to a thousand Qi Gathering pills.
The slovenly daoist priest tossed the jar over and Li Qingshan caught it. He took a tasting sip and felt like he was drinking liquid fire, but it was extremely satisfying too. Afterwards, he tilted his head back and drank heartily, leaving not a single droplet behind. He tossed the jar on the ground. “How’s that?”
However, the slovenly daoist priest was laughing. He suddenly split into two, then four, then eight.
Li Qingshan immediately felt the world spin around him. He muttered, “Oh no!” He never thought the kickback from the alcohol would be so powerful. The entire hall twisted and changed.
“Fall!” The slovenly daoist priest stretched out the syllable.
With a thump, Li Qingshan collapsed on the ground, drunk. He began to snore.
The slovenly daoist priest walked over and kicked Li Qingshan. He smiled. “So much for being so crafty. You’ve drunk my Thousand Days Drunk.”
The slovenly daoist priest loved drinking, but with his cultivation, falling drunk was difficult. Under the idea that drinking without falling drunk could not be regarded as drinking, he went through multiple books and brewed this Thousand Days Drunk himself. Even he would fall drunk when he drank it, let alone a mere Qi Practitioner!
The slovenly daoist priest waved his hand again, and a daoist guardian in golden armour appeared, carrying Li Qingshan to the back of the hall.
Just as he was complacent, he suddenly thought of something. He uttered, “Crap!”
He checked the mountain path in a hurry. The person with the Five Elements constitution who he had been caring for the entire time, Chu Tian, had already fallen off the path. He could not help but feel regret. However, when he saw how Yu Zijian was still there, he finally relaxed. The Pure Yang constitution was even more important than the Five Elements constitution to him.
Yu Zijian no longer gripped the sword so firmly. Instead, she carried it on her back. The sight of her father teaching her movement techniques during her childhood appeared in her mind again. Don’t be scared. Steady.
And when she raised her head, a powerful figure hovered before her. If Niu Juxia was here, he definitely would not be afraid! She had never seen him display an emotion like that, even when he turned around and returned to the place filled with daemons underground.
“I’m useless!”
“If you’re useless, then why did I save you?”
“I want to stay here to help you out!”
“We’ll see after you accomplish something with your divine abilities first!”
Her gaze gradually became determined. The person who had rescued her while risking his life was not useless. If she failed here, how was she supposed to help him out? How was she supposed to avenge him?
Her footsteps gradually sped up. She ignored the bottomless cliffs to the two sides and only stared ahead, chasing after that figure.
The slovenly daoist priest showed great appreciation for this. He said to Juechenzi, “Look, I was right, wasn’t I? All she needed was a chance.”
Juechenzi could only say, “Wise be master.”
In the end, less than two hundred people made it to the top of the mountain. On the mountain path, the test would become harsher the closer they were to finishing, especially to those lacking in talent.
There was no need for them to complain about the unfair nature of the test. Since they lacked supreme talent, they had to possess supreme willpower, or how else were they supposed to contend with those prodigies.
As soon as everyone made it to the top, they saw the slovenly daoist priest. They all greeted the school leader.
The slovenly daoist priest got right to the chase. “You’ve all passed. I’ve already recorded your names down, so you’re welcome to leave the mountain and partake in the tests of the other schools.” Suddenly, he said to Yu Zijian in a pleasant and kind manner, “You must be Yu Zijian!”
Yu Zijian said in a hurry, “Yes!”
The slovenly daoist priest said, “You can stay behind.”
Yu Zijian said, “But… I still have other tests…”
The slovenly daoist priest waved his hand. “There’s no need to partake in them!” As long as she did not partake in any other tests, the only school Yu Zijian could join would be the school of Daoism.
Juechenzi whispered, “Master, that would be breaking the rules!”
The slovenly daoist priest growled, “Fuck those rules. That damn bald ass could directly intercept a person even before they went through any tests, so why can’t I keep someone here?”
Juechenzi thought, You intercepted her too.
He saw how Yu Zijian hesitated, so the slovenly daoist priest said, “With your Pure Yang constitution, there’s no place more suitable for you than the school of Daoism. Here is the only place where you can unleash the full potential of your talent. As for all the pills and medicines, I might refer to myself as a lowly priest, but I’m richer than those “lowly monks”. I can see that you like swords, so I’ll give you this Nine Yang sword as a welcoming gift!”
He drew out a shiny sword and tossed it before Yu Zijian. Surprisingly, it was also a supreme grade spiritual artifact.
Originally, it was impossible for disciples to be bestowed something like that the moment they joined the school no matter how talented they were. He only did this so that he would not lose out against the school of Buddhism.
Yu Zijian closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She no longer hesitated anymore. Under everyone’s envious gaze, she grabbed the sword hilt.
The slovenly daoist priest smiled in a satisfied manner. With this test, one of the three most dazzling geniuses had already fallen into his hands. As long as he guided her well, he refused to believe that she would end up any worse than the damn bald ass’s disciple.
As a result, many Qi Practitioners expressed their willingness to stay behind. Apart from the Qi Practitioners that had only enrolled for the school of Daoism, the rest were shooed off the mountain by the slovenly daoist priest. If he really held them back here, he would probably just incur the wrath of the public.
The ship set sail once more. No one noticed Li Qingshan’s absence. Even if they did, they would have just thought he had remained behind in the school of Daoism.
Li Qingshan had an absurd dream that night. He dreamt that he had returned to his past life and was a student again. He had overslept, missing an important exam.
“Wake up!” Juechenzi took out a pill and shoved it into Li Qingshan’s mouth.
Li Qingshan let out an alcoholic breath and slowly woke up. The horizon shone dimly as morning birds sang.
Fuck, it’s not a dream.
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Chapter 289 – The Cloudwisp Island
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Chapter 289 – The Cloudwisp Island
Li Qingshan sprang up. “W- what’s the time right now?”
It was as if Juechenzi had been expecting him to ask this. “The tests for the other schools have all ended already.”
Li Qingshan fell back down again. He had been toyed around by this ox nose. The alcohol was far too strange. If this was the case, he could not remain in the academy any longer.
Juechenzi said, “You don’t have to worry too much. There’s still another school you can join.”
“Which one?”
Juechenzi pointed below his feet. “Here.”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. “But I’ve lost the gamble, and your master dislikes me too.”
Juechenzi smiled. “But you’ve still technically passed the test. My master has a fiery temper, but he also treasures talent. Do you know just how much the jar of Thousand Days Drunk you drank is worth? He doesn’t even have enough for himself most of the time. If he just wanted to screw you over, why would he take that out? As long as you plead to him properly so that he regains some self-respect, he’ll definitely accept you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Plead? How am I supposed to plead? Are you saying that only he has self-respect and I don’t?”
Juechenzi said, “What do you think?”
Li Qingshan sighed heavily. He stood up again. Self-respect was earned through strength, not by flapping gums. Just how could a Qi Practitioner be compared to a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Juechenzi said, “Come with me! Master is giving sermons before the new disciples.”
With no other choice, all Li Qingshan could do was follow him.
Along the way, Juechenzi educated him. “No matter how master insults you, just endure it. The mountain path was for overcoming your fears, while now is for overcoming your pride. Only with tolerance can you achieve greatness.”
Li Qingshan remained silent. He arrived at the front. The slovenly daoist priest sat high up, while the new disciples sat in the hall. Yu Zijian sat the closest to him.
With Li Qingshan’s appearance, everyone cast their gazes over. The slovenly daoist priest continued his lecture, as if he was not there.
Li Qingshan went up and said reluctantly, “I’ve lost the gamble.”
The slovenly daoist priest said, “If you know you’ve lost, then why don’t you piss off?”
Li Qingshan suddenly raised his head, but he saw Juechenzi standing behind the slovenly daoist priest, mouthing a few words. “Endure it.” Li Qingshan clenched his fist.
The slovenly daoist priest sneered. “What, you refuse to accept your defeat?” As a result, he began to mock and curse Li Qingshan in front of everyone.
Everyone showed disdain for Li Qingshan. So much for showing off. There’ll always be someone who’ll get you.
Yu Zijian could not bear with it, so she said, “Master…”
Juechenzi looked over. “Zijian!” He understood his master’s character. The more a person tried to calm him down, the more carried away he would become.
The slovenly daoist priest became more complacent as he cursed on. “You’re just a piece of trash in my eyes. You managed to climb up the mountain out of sheer luck. Kneel down right now and prostrate three times, and I’ll…”
“Shut up!” Li Qingshan roared, cutting off the slovenly daoist priest.
The hall fell completely silent. He was actually bold enough to speak to a school leader like this. Moreover, it was the strongest school leader, the leader of the school of Daoism, at that.
The slovenly daoist priest’s expression changed. This kid still needed some more verbal thrashing so that he would understand just who was in charge of the school of Daoism.
Li Qingshan said loudly and clearly, “If I’ve lost, then I’ve lost. I, Li Qingshan, admit defeat. But why must you keep prattling on, you ox nose? Your words are like flatulence, foul to the senses. What’s so impressive about the school of Daoism anyway? I’ll just not join.” With that, he turned around and left.
Juechenzi called out, “Sir, please be careful with what you say! Master!”
The slovenly daoist priest’s expression darkened. “Let him piss off!”
Without any obstructions, Li Qingshan made his way to the bottom of the mountain in one breath. His anger eased up slightly. He leapt into the air and took off, flying into the Lake of Dragons and Snakes. For a moment, he was rather frustrated. He had no idea where to go.
If he was alone, then it would be easy. Perhaps he could go join a sect, or just go to another prefecture and join the Academy of the Hundred Schools there. The world was so large, so was finding a place to stay at really an issue? But now, Xiao An had already joined the school of Buddhism, so it was not like he could travel far away. Maybe he could go plead with the One Thought master and just become a monk. His destiny with the buddha sure had arrived quickly!
But with another thought, he knew that he would never plead with anyone. Even if he would, they might not necessarily accept him. Accepting him might actually offend the slovenly daoist priest through and through.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of something. Perhaps there was one test that was not over yet!
Last night on the ship, the instructor had given a rough explanation with regard to the order of the tests. The school of Daoism was the first stop, and the ship would travel in a clockwise direction, cruising to the various islands. They did not specially arrange the tests of the major schools to come first.
Back then, Li Qingshan could not help but ask, “Haven’t you missed a school?”
“Which one?”
“The school of Novels.”
“You’ve enrolled for the school of Novels?” The instructor looked at him in disbelief, while the other Qi Practitioners looked at him with a similar expression.
“Yeah!”
The instructor pointed at the mental map in his hand. “Look, it’s here. It’s the final stop. You can go there by yourself when the time comes.”
Shouldn’t it be the fourth stop according to the clockwise order? And why do I have to go there by myself?
Li Qingshan did not think too much about these questions. He never took the school of Novels seriously anyway.
A while later, Li Qingshan set foot on this drearily peaceful little island. This was the Cloudwisp island that the school of Novels occupied.
An entire night had passed, but the test for the school of Novels, last on the list, might still be ongoing.
Though, he was wrong.
Li Qingshan followed the cobblestone path and crossed through a bamboo forest. He saw a simple courtyard. The courtyard was covered in fallen leaves, as if no one had swept it in a very long time. It did not seem like anyone lived there at all. He seemed to hear the moans of a woman.
He frowned, knocked on the door, and called out, “Is anyone here?”
A lazy voice rang out from the depths of the courtyard. “Who’s it?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve come for the test.”
With that, there was a swish, and a wild gust of wind kicked up the fallen leaves. A middle-aged man rushed out of the courtyard, arriving before Li Qingshan. He had a mustache on his face that was not exactly handsome. His clothes were ruffled, and he gave off a faint smell of cosmetics. There were several kiss marks on his face, and there was even a clear love bite on his neck. Combined with the moans from earlier, it was obvious what he was doing.
“It’s you?” Li Qingshan suddenly remembered how he had once met this person in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain three days ago.
“It’s you!” The middle-aged man remembered Li Qingshan as well. Various pieces of information drifted through his head. High jia for the water element. A seventeen year old sixth layer Qi Practitioner. A genius! A genius! He thought in an emotional manner, Senior brother, you really haven’t lied to me! You really haven’t lied to me!
“Are you the instructor of the school of Novels?” Looking at his age, he dismissed the possibility that he was a disciple. As for the possibility of him being the leader of the school, he had not even considered it. He had seen the various school leaders, and they all had a certain bearing about them. Even the slovenly daoist priest that utterly irritated him gave off the bearing of a school leader.
The middle-aged man tidied his clothes in a hurry and wiped away the kiss marks. He coughed gently and stood with his hands behind his back. “I am the leader of the school of Novels, Liu Chuanfeng!”
Li Qingshan was stunned. He wanted to turn around and leave immediately. No wonder no one enrolled for the school of Novels. But then he thought about how his priority right now was to find a place where he could stay, so he took the time to ask, “How are you going to test me?” Don’t tell me it’s essay writing.
Liu Chuanfeng scratched his head, as if he was even more confused than Li Qingshan.
He only seemed even more unreliable in Li Qingshan’s eyes. Don’t tell me the test has already ended?
Suddenly, Liu Chuanfeng’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Li Qingshan by the shoulders. “You’ve passed! You’ve passed!”
“What?” It was true. Li Qingshan was wrong. It was not that the test of the school of Novels had not ended. Instead, it had never started to begin with.
What Liu Chuanfeng said next made Li Qingshan feel like he had been struck by lightning. “From now onwards, you’re the primary disciple of my school of Novels!” As he said that, he took out a waist tablet with the word “One” from his hundred treasures pouch, hanging it on Li Qingshan’s waist personally. He did not even try to ask which school Li Qingshan planned on choosing, wanting to accept him into the school just like this.
Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath and asked softly, “Don’t tell me I’m the only disciple of the school of Novels!” Surely that’s not true! Surely not!
“Yep!”
It’s true!
Li Qingshan removed the tablet from his waist expressionlessly before throwing it as hard as he could. With a swish, the tablet vanished into the bamboo forest. He turned around and immediately left.
Liu Chuanfeng roared out from behind, “Stop!”
Li Qingshan immediately raised his guard, but Liu Chuanfeng did not attack him. Instead, he took out an item from his hundred treasures pouch and tossed it before Li Qingshan.
“As long as you join my school of Novels, I’ll give you my specially-made Cloudwisp brush.”
Li Qingshan never imagined that there would be a moment where people would try to throw spiritual artifacts at him too. He was slightly interested. He lowered his head and took a look. A mid grade spiritual artifact. He completely gave up on hope now. Probably even a hundred of these could not be exchanged for a supreme grade spiritual artifact. Instead of calling it a bribe, it was more like an insult!
Li Qingshan did not say much. All he did was silently pull out ten mid grade spiritual artifacts from his hundred treasures pouch before stowing them away again. He clasped his hands and took his leave.
Liu Chuanfeng sobbed. “Sir, I’m pleading with you!”
Li Qingshan stopped, raised his head, and let out a long sigh. So be it. Being pleaded with was always better than pleading. Most importantly, this was a place where he could stay. It was so desolate here too, so it suited his cultivation instead!
He turned around and extended his hand.
“What?”
“The tablet!” Li Qingshan heard how primary disciples would receive a lot of special benefits within the academy. They could freely enter a few places that regular disciples were forbidden to set foot in. It would be convenient for Li Qingshan to study in the other schools in the future.
Liu Chuanfeng beamed with joy. He never imagined that Li Qingshan would actually agree. Suddenly, he waved his hand, and a tiny dog appeared out of nowhere. It let out a few barks and rushed into the depths of the bamboo forest. A while later, it returned with the tablet in its mouth.
Li Qingshan accepted it, and the dog vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place. He could not help but be taken aback. “What’s this?”
Liu Chuanfeng said complacently, “This is the secret art of my school of Novels. It stretches beyond the imagination of most.”
Li Qingshan clearly noticed that the kiss marks on Liu Wenchuan’s face had vanished before he knew it. Even the smell of cosmetics was gone too. Perhaps the school of Novels really did possess extraordinary abilities.
Liu Wenchuan brought Li Qingshan into the house. This was a suspended house made from wood and bamboo. The smell of ink permeated the gloomy room as the paper-covered short table was in a mess. The papers were filled with a few thickly-dotted characters.
Liu Chuanfeng swept aside these papers, revealing the table surface. He invited Li Qingshan to sit down as he demonstrated great hospitality by pouring him tea.
Li Qingshan picked up a piece of paper soon afterwards and asked, “Did you write these?”
Liu Chuanfeng said proudly, “Yes. You can call me the Master of Wind and Moon. That’s my pen name.”
So familiar, it sounds so familiar. I must have heard it somewhere before!
Li Qingshan came to a sudden realisation. Wasn’t the name of the author on the book that Sun Fubai had secretly shoved into his hands the Master of Wind and Moon?”
He understood everything now, why Sun Fubai’s expression was like that, and why no one enrolled for the school of Novels! He shot to his feet and kicked over the short table.
Fuck your novels!
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Chapter 290 – Disciple of Novels
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Chapter 290 – Disciple of Novels
Liu Chuanfeng stood up as he slammed the table. “Kid, I could see that you’re a man of talent, which is why I’ve been putting up with you. Don’t take it too far. You can insult me, but you can’t insult my novels.”
“You’re the exact person I’m insulting. Your novels are trash, trash!” Li Qingshan clenched his fist and cursed.
“You… you…” Liu Chuanfeng pointed at Li Qingshan, overcome with anger.
Outside, the wind blew over the clouds, and their shadows enveloped the place. The sunlight no longer reached the room. The bamboo building seemed rather gloomy.
Li Qingshan could feel a wondrous form of true qi rise up from Liu Chuanfeng. Only now did he finally give off the pressure of a tenth layer Qi Practitioner.
Come. Show me what your school of Novels is capable of.
“Li Qingshan, I will bind you in chains and a pillory and have a hundred beasts tear at you. It’s still not too late if you take back what you said.” Liu Chuanfeng’s true qi suddenly erupted, and the smell of ink grew heavier.
Li Qingshan said, “Your- novels- are- trash!”
“You unruly disciple!” Out of anger, Liu Chuanfeng clutched a brush in his hand and swung it hard.
With a jangle, a set of long chains flew out, wrapping around Li Qingshan firmly. With a clack, a wooden pillock locked around Li Qingshan’s neck.
“Calls of the Hundred Beasts!” Liu Chuanfeng said.
Tigers, bears, lions, wolves, snakes…
Various vicious beasts surged forward, letting out terrifying hisses and growls, lunging towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan frowned, not out of fear, but out of disappointment.
With a jolt, he spread his arms and broke out of the chains. He grabbed the wooden pillock and ripped them to pieces easily.
By now, the vicious beasts had arrived before him. With a thought, there was a clear thrum, and the Clear Stream sword flew up, turning into a stream of blue light with a series of swishes. After a few twists and turns in the room, all of the beasts were killed.
The chains and pillory were just regular chains and pillory, while the beasts were just regular beasts. They were enough against regular people, but against Qi Practitioners, especially a warrior who had gone through countless battles like him, he would be dreaming if he thought it would be effective.
Even if he just stood there and allowed the beasts to tear at him, were they supposed to penetrate his protective true qi or bite through his skin?
He held his fingers like a sword, pointing them at Liu Chuanfeng. “It’s not enough!” In the blink of an eye, the Clear Stream sword had arrived before Liu Chuanfeng.
Liu Chuanfeng said in a hurry, “Big-footed Monk, come out!”
Li Qingshan shivered, as this name had appeared in the book that Sun Fubai had given him. This was a character with extremely wondrous abilities. According to the descriptions of the book, it was not someone he could defeat.
They could actually summon characters from books. He understood what the school of Novels was capable of. Was he finally unleashing his true strength?
A large, fat monk with his chest exposed appeared out of nowhere. The most conspicuous part of him was his two large feet. He kicked the Clear Stream sword away with one foot as the other foot kicked towards Li Qingshan’s chest.
The kick was so powerful that it could pierce rock. This was on a completely different level compared to the beasts.
Just as Li Qingshan tried to avoid the attack, his feet suddenly slowed down. The floor had turned into swamp before he knew it. This tiny swamp obviously could not keep him trapped. Instead, it stimulated his fighting spirit. Alright, I’ll show you what’s what. He made up his mind and threw a punch, striking the sole of the Big-footed Monk’s foot.
The outcome was unexpected. With a great thump, the Big-footed Monk was sent flying back faster than it had arrived. It vanished in the air.
Liu Chuanfeng felt a chill on the back of his neck. The Clear Stream sword had shot over. He raised his protective true qi in a hurry.
But all of this was just Li Qingshan’s distraction. With surging murderousness, he arrived before Liu Chuanfeng in a single step and swung his palm like a blade, forcefully destroying his protective true qi.
Liu Chuanfeng wailed, “Spare me, good sir!” He saw the knife hand strike stop right before him firmly.
Li Qingshan withdrew his hand and recalled the Clear Stream sword. He returned the short table he had kicked over to its original spot, sat down, and picked up the teapot, pouring himself a cup before pouring another one for Liu Chuanfeng.
The clouds passed over in the sky and sunlight flowed in once more, falling on the wisps of water vapour from the tea. All was peaceful.
Liu Chuanfeng was surprised. He also arrived by the short table and sat down. “You…”
Li Qingshan extended a hand. This world did not have a custom of shaking hands, so Liu Chuanfeng was left at a loss for a while before he understood what was going on. He grabbed his hand.
Li Qingshan shook his hand. “Let’s get along in the future. There’s just the two of us on the island, and there probably won’t be anymore people arriving here in the future.”
In the battle earlier, if Liu Chuanfeng had not used the powers of the school of Novels, only relying on his identity as a tenth layer Qi Practitioner and using some regular techniques, then it would have been very difficult for Li Qingshan to emerge victorious unless he used the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Even with a powerful body and an opponent lacking all interest in fighting, it would be very difficult to overcome a difference of several layers.
He wanted to see the powers of the school of Novels, while Liu Chuanfeng also wanted to show off the powers of the school of Novels. The end result was not very optimistic at all. No, it directly destroyed Li Qingshan’s last sliver of hope. He instead thought it through now. He was no longer angry at all.
It was not like he was lacking a cultivation method right now. The Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi was enough to last him until Foundation Establishment. By then, he would not be worried about being unable to find a better cultivation method anyway.
His priority in joining the academy was learning the various arts like alchemy, artifact forging, formations, and so on. He could learn them regardless of the school he belonged to. His identity as the primary disciple would provide quite a lot of convenience too. One aspect included coming to and leaving the academy freely, without requiring anyone’s permission.
Who knew how many contests a person would have to go through in the other schools over an identity like this. They could never obtain it as easily as in the school of Novels. Being unfavoured, unable to enter the limelight, was not necessarily a bad thing. Cultivating in peace was all that mattered.
As Liu Chuanfeng sat before Li Qingshan, he basically behaved with utmost caution. The school of Novels had truly gained an impressive disciple this time. He saw how Li Qingshan had sunken into his thoughts, so he was afraid of interrupting him. A while later, he heard Li Qingshan sigh. He asked, “When do we start cultivating? You’ve seen the techniques of my school of Novels earlier. It truly has limitless potential…”
Li Qingshan listened quietly without interrupting him. The power of the school of Novels was extremely special. It could make the fake become real, create something from nothing, turn fiction into reality.
It was said that the school of Novels originated from when a cultivator went travelling in the ancient times. He heard about a monster that specially drained the vitality of children in the local region. All the children that had been caught by the monster would die from atrophy. It filled the entire city with fear, enough to make people pale from the slightest mention of the monster.
However, the cultivator had never heard of this monster before. After a close inspection, he discovered that it was not a monster running amok. Instead, it was a strange disease, and the reason for it was because all the wells in the city had been contaminated by a special spiritual stone vein. Children possessed weaker bodies, so they were unable to fight it off, but adults would be fine.
He purified the water source with his powers and healed the children, resolving everything. Afterwards, just when he was preparing to leave, he personally witnessed the monster, and it was exactly the same as the rumors.
A monster that never existed had actually appeared in the world, as people believed in its existence. The powerful belief gathered to form a power, but that was still not enough. It required some sort of… critical component.
He discovered that the spiritual stone vein that contaminated the water source formed a strange loop, like some kind of inscription or formation, providing this component. He began to think. Could his powers provide this component to?
This paved a brand new path of cultivation. In the very beginning, all it did was record the gossips and strange legends among the people, turning it into tales and rumours, which would then be passed on through word of mouth. After generations upon generations of inheritance and improvements, especially after the school of Mohism invented mechanisms for printing books, it finally became the school of Novels of the present day.
Repeat a lie enough and it would become the truth. They used ink and brushes to create tales, using themselves to provide this component. As a result, fantasy would spring alive in their hands. It could create anything and everything. In terms of being interesting, there were probably no schools that could rival the school of Novels.
However, Li Qingshan had already witnessed its battle applicability. Unfortunately, all it was was interesting. Being interesting was not enough to defeat opponents. Writing a novel that people actually believed to be real, with characters that they would cry and laugh along with, was probably even more difficult than managing a city. It was not like cultivators lacked money anyway when it came to running a city. All they needed to do was hire a few advisors skilled in administration and pour in a few million taels of silver, and the place would prosper by itself.
Li Qingshan had read several impressive novels in his past life, and he did not mind becoming a plagiarist, but he had almost no impression of them anymore after almost two decades. Compared to that, he would be much better off if he just stuck with his Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi!
Faced with Liu Chuanfeng’s eager gaze, Li Qingshan shook his head and declined. “Thanks, but there’s no need for that. Where’s my room?”
Liu Chuanfeng was completely disappointed. He forced out a smile. “It’s very big here, so anywhere you’d like.”
Li Qingshan bowed slightly and left. He wandered through the courtyard and the building. He discovered that while it was not on par with the temple in the school of Daoism, it was not exactly small either.
The elevated bamboo and wood structure formed several winding corridors. As he walked through them, the clear sound of footsteps would echo around. The spring breeze would blow into his face, and the bamboo grove would sway. There was a slight chill in the air.
With his footsteps, he would gradually kick up ripples in the water below the bamboo building. The water gradually grew deeper too. When he arrived at the back of the courtyard and opened the bamboo door, a small, jade-green lake reflected the blue sky and verdant bamboo before him. It was a wonderful sight.
A bamboo rocking chair stood on the porch quietly. Li Qingshan sat down on it, and with a creak, it swayed gently, as if he could pass his entire life in a trance and wash away his carnal thoughts like this.
He sat there for a while before standing up. He smiled. He finally had a place of belonging now. He did not have to worry about his life being in danger, nor did he have to think about killing others here. He could cultivate slowly.
Now, it was time to go see Xiao An.
Arriving at the front room, Liu Chuanfeng was no longer there. A set of blue robes were folded neatly at the door, with a Cloudwisp brush on top.
Li Qingshan put on the clothes, stowed the brush away, and wore the tablet on his waist. He rode off on a cloud, flying towards Anāsravāṃ island of the school of Buddhism.
The full name of the island was Threefold Anāsravāṃ island, based off the threefold training1 and practises of buddhism—śīla, samādhi, and prajñā, or moral virtue and precepts, meditation, and wisdom and insight respectively. As mentioned in buddhist scriptures, “Gathering your mind results in moral virtue. From moral virtue arises mental training and stability, and from mental training and stability arises wisdom and insight. This is called the Threefold Anāsravāṃ disciplines.” The place was also known as Threefold Disciplines island, or Moral Virtue, Meditation, and Wisdom island.
Arriving above the island and looking over from afar, buddhist pagodas were scattered across the place, full of solemnity. He could vaguely hear the chanting of buddhist scriptures. It rivaled the school of Daoism’s Wuwei island in terms of scope. Xiao An was here.
In the Sea of Books within the Town of Flowing Clouds, Liu Chuanfeng bowed all the way to the ground as soon as he entered through the door.
Sun Fubai’s heart sank. “Junior brother, what are you doing? Don’t tell me… the school of Novels has been abolished?”
The hundred schools in the academy were not fixed. There were some differences from prefecture to prefecture. Apart from the ten standard schools2, there were many places that did not possess minor schools like the school of Music, the school of Medicine, and so on.
The academies also practised the survival of the fittest. It had been several years since the school of Novels had gained a disciple, so the various school leaders had already submitted a written statement together to the Academy of the Hundred Schools in the Ruyi commandery so that they could remove this stain in the academy of the Clear River prefecture.
If the school of Novels were not a part of the ten standard schools that the founding emperor had designated, the higher-ups would have accepted their request a long time ago. But even with that being the case, they had issued an ultimatum. If the school leader, Liu Chuanfeng, was unable to reach Foundation Establishment or accept any new disciples, then they would abolish the school of Novels in the Clear River prefecture and take back Cloudwisp island so that another school could occupy the island.
Sun Fubai originated from the school of Novels. He was unwilling to see this happen, so having run out of choices, he would try whenever he saw a slightly talented Qi Practitioner. There was always a possibility, but he had actually given up on all hope too.
Liu Chuanfeng shook his head hurriedly. “Thank you, senior brother. Thank you, senior brother. Our school of Novels has gained a successor. There’s no need to worry about it being abolished.”
“Who is it?” Sun Fubai widened his eyes. Just who was so unlucky?
“Li Qingshan!” He might have had a bad temper and might have been unwilling to learn the secret arts of the school of Novels, but he was truly the primary disciple of the school of Novels.
Sun Fubai remained dazed for quite a while. His eyes reddened slightly too. His hard work had finally paid off.
“Junior brother!”
“Senior brother!”
“Boss, do you have any cultivation methods?” A while later, a Qi Practitioner walked in and just happened to see Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai holding hands and looking at one another with tearful eyes. He was actually left speechless, leaping up in fright and backing out of the store in a hurry.
After Li Qingshan’s departure, the slovenly daoist priest lectured the methods of daoism a little further in order to demonstrate his tolerance before dispersing everyone. He asked Juechenzi, “Where has that bastard gone?”
Juechenzi said, “Master, he seems to have… he seems to have…”
“What’re you stuttering for? Spit it out? Has he gone to plead with that damned bald ass One Thought? Or has he gone to find Liu Zhangqing for a retest?”
Juechenzi said, “Neither. He has gone to Cloudwisp island.”
The slovenly daoist priest said, “What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Juechenzi said, “I wanted to tell you earlier, but as soon as I mentioned Li Qingshan’s name, you told me to shut up.”
The slovenly daoist priest slapped his thigh. “My word! He might as well go find that damn bald ass and become a monk instead. Get him to piss over here. I’ll accept him into my school of Daoism.”
Juechenzi said, “It’s already too late. School leader Liu handed in the register immediately. Li Qingshan has already become a disciple of the school of Novels, and he’s the primary disciple.”
The academy had its rules. No matter how they contended against one another during the entrance examination, once a disciple joined a school, that was it. No one could change that, or the academy would have been reduced to a mess a long time ago.
The slovenly daoist priest felt regret. Li Qingshan’s inflexible will and staunchness suited his tastes very much. Others might have deemed him to be rude seeing how he openly cursed at a school leader, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he felt some admiration outside of his anger. When he was young, he was also renowned for his hubris and rudeness. Who knew how much suffering he had gone through because of his horrible temperament.
“Master, you should’ve just stuck to scolding him a little. What you said towards the end was just too insulting. It’s no wonder that he couldn’t put up with it any longer.”
“Are you saying that your master is in the wrong?”
“Disciple dares not.”
The slovenly daoist priest was utterly miffed. “Of all the normal choices he had, he just had to choose to go write novels. I’d like to see just what he turns into.”
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1. The island is basically named after the Threefold Training or Disciplines prevalent within buddhism, which involves following precepts, meditating, and gaining wisdom and insight. Anāsravāṃ in this context means that these three disciplines are karma-neutral practices—they don’t come at the cost of karma and merit, allowing for liberation from suffering in the end. Anāsravāṃ is the opposite of sāsrava, which does come at a cost of karma and merit, so while you can derive benefit in the present, sāsrava practises are likely to lead to negative consequences in the future.
Anyway, you can read more about the Threefold Disciplines here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path#Threefold_division
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threefold_Training
2. The ten standard schools in this case consist of the schools of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Yin-yang, Legalism, Names, Mohism, Miscellany, Agriculture, and Novels. Normally, the school of Diplomacy would replace the school of Buddhism, but seeing how a school of Diplomacy was never mentioned, I assumed it was the school of Buddhism instead. If the school of Novels is removed from the list, it is also known as the nine streams of thought, or just the nine streams.
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Chapter 291 – Within the Anāsravāṃ Temple
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Chapter 291 – Within the Anāsravāṃ Temple
“The brat has joined the school of Novels?” Wang Pushi was taken aback in surprise, doubting his ears.
Hua Chengzan told him the entire story with a bitter smile. Gu Yanying originally wanted him to take care of him, yet he ended up in the school of Novels under his care. Hua Chengzan had no idea how to explain this to her the next time he met her.
Wang Pushi let out a sigh. “Zhou Tong has gone too far this time. Whatever, he reaps what he sows. Tell the brat that if he copies Liu Chuanfeng and writes those dirty novels, I’ll expel him from the Hawkwolf Guard.”
Hua Chengzan said, “School leader Liu has already invited all the school leaders to Contention island to discuss this. You’d better go too!”
After Wang Pushi left, Hua Chengzan turned around and made his way through the door. Almost a hundred new disciples of legalism sat straight in the hall.
Hua Chengzan made a gesture for everyone to settle down. “Don’t be nervous, everyone. This isn’t the school of Confucianism. There aren’t so many customs and rules. We’ll all be seniors and juniors in the future. I’ll be your first senior brother, Hua Chengzan.” He bowed slightly in an easy-going and graceful manner, enough for people to admire him.
Everyone returned the gesture in a hurry. They felt much more relaxed now. Hua Chenglu’s eyes even lit up. Now this was her elder brother.
Then Hua Chengzan said sternly, “The school of Legalism may not focus on so many unnecessary and overcomplicated gestures of mere courtesy, but we do have rules, and these rules are the law. If your actions in the school of Confucianism defy etiquette, then you will be criticized and be forced to correct yourself. But here, there is only punishment!”
“There’s no point in hiding this from you. I’ve tried a few of the punishments of the school of Legalism. There are floggings, beatings, whippings, lashings, as well as water prisons, darkness prisons, fire prisons, and so on. They don’t feel too bad. Among them, I sincerely recommend whippings. If there are female disciples that must be punished, I’ll consider personally carrying out the punishment myself.”
Hua Chengzan wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk, leading to a hall of laughter. The nervous atmosphere vanished completely. The men smiled with understanding, while the women became slightly furious from embarrassment. However, who could help the fact that this renowned young master Hua was a handsome romantic?
The primary disciples played an extremely important role within each school. Many of the times, they would serve as representatives of the school leader.
Li Qingshan descended on his cloud and arrived outside the stūpas. Two monks in grey robes appeared in a flash. “Who are you? What brings you here?”
Li Qingshan stated his origins and his intentions.
However, when he said that he was the primary disciple of the school of Novels, the two monks glanced at one another before looking back at him. They looked at him like he was a rare creature as they smiled strangely.
Only when they heard Xiao An’s name did they grow serious. They had not left Anāsravāṃ island, but they had heard about what had happened on Contention island from the new disciples. This junior sister Xiao An of theirs definitely held a significant position in their master’s heart. Probably even their first senior brother paled in comparison.
“Please come with me, sir.” said the older monk on the left with his palms brought together.
The monk brought Li Qingshan through the stūpas, arriving outside an independent monastery. He had Li Qingshan wait outside as he went into the monastery, whispering in front of the meditation room. “First senior brother, a person called Li Qingshan has come. He claims to be the primary disciple of the school of Novels. He has come to see junior sister Xiao An.”
No matter how poor of a reputation the school of Novels had, he could not just give the cold shoulder to a primary disciple. Apart from the One Thought master, the only person that had the right to receive him was the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism.
The main door to the meditation room opened up, and a fat monk emerged, smiling from ear to ear like a smiling buddha. However, when he heard Xiao An’s name, a cold light flashed through his eyes. He ignored the monk and made his way out of the monastery by himself. He saw Li Qingshan waiting at the entrance and asked, “Are you Li Qingshan?”
Li Qingshan bowed. “That’s me. May I ask for your dharma name, senior brother?”
Enlightened Mind studied Li Qingshan and saw how he was only at the sixth layer, so he showed much contempt. You say that you’re a primary disciple with just this measly cultivation, wanting to stand on equal footing with me? He said indifferently, “Enlightened Mind.”
Li Qingshan frowned slightly. He was at a loss as for how he had offended him, but he asked patiently, “May I ask where Xiao An is? Please lead me to her, senior brother.”
“Master has gone to Contention island to meet with the other school leaders. Before he left, he told me that junior sister Xiao An is currently in seclusion and that no one should disturb her, so please go back, sir!” When he heard Xiao An’s name, fury rose up in his chest once more. He became ruder as well.
Last night, he had heard how the One Thought master had given her the supreme grade spiritual artifact, the Guardian King’s pearl. Moreover, he had personally passed the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual to her. Mind Enlightenment found this rather difficult to accept. He had been looking forward to the Guardian King’s pearl for quite some time now. Even he, the primary disciple, had yet to possess a supreme grade spiritual artifact, while within the school of Buddhism, only he had the right to practise the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual in the past as the primary disciple. He felt threatened by her.
As a result, he could not help but ask the One Thought master about this, but he was met with a scolding. The One Thought master told him to uphold his duty as the first senior brother to serve as a model to others, not to rely on material objects or develop jealousy.
He was not bold enough to argue back. He put on an act that he deeply regretted his actions, punishing himself by reflecting on his actions in front of a wall. Only then did he earn the One Thought master’s recognition. However, it only made him even more furious. He knew he could not get back at Xiao An, or his master would never spare him. Now that Li Qingshan had come knocking, and he seemed very familiar with Xiao An, he obviously would not let this opportunity slip considering he was also under his master’s orders. He would properly vent his anger.
“If you won’t take me to her, then I’ll go find her myself.” Li Qingshan could not be bothered with dealing with him. No matter how busy or occupied Xiao An was, she would still see him. Even if she was in seclusion, she would still notify him.
Enlightened Mind’s face sank. He blocked Li Qingshan’s path with a flash. “Didn’t you hear what I said? How can I allow you to trespass on the peaceful land of buddhism?”
Li Qingshan said in irritation, “As a primary disciple, I can move about freely even if I’m on other islands, so how is it trespassing? Baldy, I’m showing you some respect for the One Thought master’s sake. Don’t take it too far!”
Enlightened Mind had yet to see a new disciple argue back against him. As the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, he possessed great status and authority. He was on the same footing as Hua Chengzan, so how could he allow such disobedience from someone weaker than him? Let alone the primary disciple of the school of Novels, but even if the leader of the school of Novels, Liu Chuanfeng, was here in person, he would still look down on them.
“I’ve never heard of a person like you in the academy. Who knows if you’ve just stolen your set of clothes, wanting to hatch a plot against our school of Buddhism. As the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, I must follow my master’s orders and protect junior sister Xiao An. If you want to see her, you’d better get through me first!”
He drew a shining monk’s spade1 and held it before him.
Apart from the school of the Military in the Hundred Schools of Thought, the school of Buddhism had many methods for Body Practitioners too. Those who practised both qi and the body were known as warrior monks. His posture was extremely proper, while his bearing was powerful. The monk’s spade kicked up a gust of wind, causing the leaves on the tree to fall down.
Li Qingshan immediately felt a powerful pressure. It even surpassed Wei Zhongyuan’s. While buddhism was about benevolence and sympathy, they had plenty of techniques to purge demons and daemons. He was also a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, but he could not be compared to someone from a sect that did not focus on combat like the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
However, the last thing that Li Qingshan feared was pressure. He raised an eyebrow, about to let loose, but he soon remembered the fact that this was still the territory of the school of Buddhism after all. Xiao An would still have to cultivate here, so offending this primary disciple would probably be detrimental to her. As a result, he withdrew his true qi.
Mind Enlightenment saw how Li Qingshan was afraid, so he showed even more contempt. And I had thought you were actually going to clash with me. Turns out you’re just a coward putting on a front. “The pure land of buddhism is not a place where you, a dirty novelist, can run amok. If you have your wits about you, you’d better leave quickly. Don’t come back.”
Li Qingshan gritted his teeth. He raised his hand and tapped the thumb ring gently. “Xiao An, where are you?”
Xiao An’s delighted voice immediately rang out from there. The two of them conversed a little. As it turned out, Xiao An was not in the Anāsravāṃ temple; this temple was where monks cultivated. To the south of Anāsravāṃ temple was the Pure Moon nunnery. An old nun who worked as a professor in the academy served as the abbess, responsible for guiding the female nuns.
Li Qingshan said, “If you want to cultivate, then just cultivate. I’ll just come a few days later.”
All Xiao An said was, “Wait for me.”
Li Qingshan said to Mind Enlightenment, “You’re not letting me go find her, so surely there’s nothing you can say now that she’s coming to find me!”
Mind Enlightenment furrowed and raised his eyebrows. His plump face immediately became slightly fierce. He swung down heavily with the hefty monk’s spade in his hand. “Begone, vile being!”
The various school leaders all set aside their matters at hand and gathered once more on Contention island to discuss the matter of the school of Novels. It was the same room as last time. It seemed even darker in there, while the atmosphere was slightly heavy too.
Liu Zhangqing was the most annoyed. The school of Confucianism pursued cultivating the body, managing the family, administering the empire, and bringing peace to the world. Normally, all the Academies of the Hundred Schools, no matter where they were, would basically accept the leader of the school of Confucianism to manage the various matters. Back then, he had led the movement to jointly abolish the school of Novels too.
Liu Wenchuan’s disgraceful, obscene novels had already crossed his bottom line a long time ago. Obviously, he had also played a role in the decline of the school of Novels to a point where they did not even have a primary disciple. He believed that the school of Novels would definitely be abolished after this entrance exam, but who would have imagined this to happen?
He had already promised the Cloudwisp island to someone else, along with the identity of the leader of the school of Painting. The future leader of the school of Painting had already promised him many benefits that interested him, but now, all of his plans had fallen apart. He felt indescribably annoyed, so he could not help but grumble about the slovenly daoist priest a little.
The various school leaders had grown unhappy with the slovenly daoist priest’s behaviour a long time ago, so they used this opportunity to erupt. They all blamed him.
The slovenly daoist priest would never just sit back and accept the blame. He immediately cursed each and every one of them individually, turning the meeting into a mess. He ended up becoming carried away, placing a foot on the table and rolling up his sleeves. “Come, come, come. If any of you don’t like what you’re hearing, you can come at me together. If this lowly priest is afraid of you all, then call me a bald ass.”
“Amitābha, I haven’t said anything this whole time, ox nose, so quit taking digs at this lowly monk.” This time, the One Thought master had said nothing in this meeting. He did not care about the fate of the school of Novels. All he cared about right now was Xiao An.
At this exact moment, a message rang out from the tablet on the One Thought master’s waist. “Oh no, they’ve begun fighting, abbott.”
“Who has begun fighting with who?”
“First senior brother and Li Qingshan.”
When the school masters heard Li Qingshan’s name, they all gathered their focus. Right now, he was the source of all their problems, as well as the key to dealing with the issue of the school of Novels.
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1. A monk’s spade:

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Chapter 292 – Guardian Kings Subdue Demons
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Chapter 292 – Guardian Kings Subdue Demons
Liu Zhangqing immediately fished out the Watermirror disc, which conjured an image. The monk’s spade in Mind Enlightenment’s hand was imbued with true qi, turning into a startling wave that forced Li Qingshan back. However, Li Qingshan was like a small boat in the storm, rising and falling with the wave without capsizing.
Wang Pushi frowned. “This brat really is a troublemaker.”
After hearing the whole story, the One Thought master became displeased too. “Xiao An is currently practising the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual, so no one should disturb her. Li Qingshan is far too insensible.”
As an esoteric cultivation method of buddhism, originally only the primary disciple, Mind Enlightenment, could practise the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. This was not because the One Thought master was unfair and favoured Mind Enlightenment. Instead, it was because the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual possessed far too much depth. It required a very firm foundation and a very high level of understanding for a cultivator to practise it.
This was beyond what talent alone could achieve. It required an extremely deep foundation in cultivation and a great understanding of buddhist philosophies. It was not something that a new disciple could practise. There were plenty of buddhist disciples who would take quite a few years despite their cultivation foundation to practise this cultivation method.
The reason why the One Thought master had arranged for this to happen was to separate Li Qingshan and Xiao An, especially after he learnt that she had only known Li Qingshan for around a year, and they were not connected by blood. This was for Xiao An’s sake too. As a buddhist disciple, too many distracting thoughts would affect her cultivation. As long as he separated them for a while, time would naturally erode away everything.
His other objective was to eliminate Xiao An’s arrogance so that she could learn her flaws before this wondrous method of buddhism that even she was unable to practise. No matter how great of a genius she was, there was nothing she could do if she did not comprehend the essence of buddhism, cut off her worldly ties, and cultivate in peace.
Nightfall yesterday, outside the Anāsravāṃ temple, in the Pure Moon nunnery.
Xiao An changed into a set of grey monk robes and knelt quietly before the buddha.
The One Thought Master picked up his razor, personally performing tonsure and completing this ancient ceremony for her.
When the shiny tonsure razor reached towards her long, dark hair, the abbess of the nunnery, the One Leaf abbess, despite personally believing her mind had already achieved a stillness akin to an ancient well, actually found this slightly regretful. With that, she would serve as a buddhist monk for the rest of her life, cutting off her worldly ties.
Xiao An raised her head and avoided the razor. She looked at the jade buddha in the niche.
The One Leaf abbess discovered that her dark eyes were even more akin to an ancient well than her own heart before smiling self-deprecatingly. She was just a child. Were there any girls who were willing to cut the beautiful long hair they had grown themselves? Because of her unbelievable talent, didn’t that make her mind unsettled too?
She brought her palms together and stated, “A head of black hair is akin to three thousand strands of afflictions. Shaving away your hair is ending these afflictions. Don’t be so reluctant to give it up. Only with loss comes gain.”
However, little did she know that losing her hair meant nothing to Xiao An. Even losing her body meant nothing. It was all just an illusion, just like how even the greatest beauty would be reduced to a pile of white bones someday. She had never cared about it in the first place. Whether it was a head of black hair or three thousand strands of afflictions, it was all for him, so how could she shave it away so easily?
The One Thought master said, “Tonsure is a crucial ceremony for joining the school of Buddhism. It represents cutting away all your concerns so that you can wholeheartedly cultivate. If you don’t go through with this, you won’t be able to become a disciple of the school of Buddhism.”
Xiao An said nothing. She took out the Guardian King’s pearl and placed it before the buddha.
There was no need for anyone to say anything to her. Even a supreme grade spiritual artifact was not enough for her to go through with this.
The One Thought master remained in silence for quite a while before letting out a long sigh. He allowed her to cultivate in the Pure Moon nunnery without going through tonsure, but it only made him even more determined. He could not allow a mere Li Qingshan to affect this rare, supreme genius of his school of Buddhism.
Benevolent be the buddha. Perhaps she was supposed to suffer a little so that she would know when to take a step back in the face of difficulties.
In the blink of an eye, Mind Enlightenment had already forced Li Qingshan down the cliff. He was encased in the wrathful, glaring, golden avatar of a guardian king, which swung down with the golden, half-transparent monk’s spade in his hand.
There was a great clang.
Li Qingshan parried with the Wind-entwining blade and stopped the monk’s spade, but his arms shuddered, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger ached. The power from Mind Enlightenment had completely exceeded anything that a Strength Talisman of the Guardian Kings could provide.
A notch immediately appeared on the Wind-entwining blade. Under the force of the monk’s spade, it let out a painful groan as it twisted and changed shape.
There was a flash of blue light, and the Clear Stream sword shot out from Li Qingshan’s sleeve, stabbing towards Mind Enlightenment’s forehead. There was a clink, and it was sent flying. It failed to harm the golden avatar at all.
“Like an ant trying to shake a tree! Why don’t you piss off!” Mind Enlightenment crushed down with the monk’s spade.
Li Qingshan was secretly amazed by the power of buddhist cultivation methods. If he did not transform, he would have to use the Cursive Sword Calligraphy if he wanted to get through this golden avatar.
Suddenly, his vision lit up, and he smiled. Looks like there was no longer any need for that. A petite figure rushed over by leaping roof to roof, her black hair dancing in the air. He did not think too much. He just felt that she still looked better with hair.
The One Thought master saw this too. He immediately questioned the One Leaf abbess, “Junior sister, didn’t I say that she’s forbidden from leaving seclusion if she didn’t complete the first layer of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual? Why did you let her out?”
He had placed down restrictive formations at the location where Xiao An cultivated. Not only were others forbidden from entering or disturbing her, but even Xiao An herself could not leave until she reached the first layer of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. Apart from him, the only person who could let her out was the One Leaf abbess. He had left plenty of food in there for her, along with precious pills. They were enough to sustain her cultivation for quite a while.
Before the wide open doors, the One Leaf abbess stood in a daze. She did not answer him. All she muttered was, “That’s impossible!”
The One Thought master understood the reason very soon. Within the Watermirror disc, Xiao An’s aura had already reached an impressive sixth layer.
With her own vitality and the pills left behind by the One Thought master, she had used a single afternoon and a night to push her cultivation up by three layers. As for condensing a sea of qi that was enough for countless Qi Practitioners to pain over, she had no idea what the difficulty was. It was just like when she had taught Li Qingshan in the past.
When she saw Mind Enlightenment, a rare sliver of fury appeared on her tiny, expressionless face, and she erupted with golden light.
The downward gaze of bodhisattvas brought benevolence to the six realms, while the furious glare of guardian kings could subdue demons.
Raising its vajra high into the air, it transformed and turned into a huge, golden sword in the end. It cleaved down towards Mind Enlightenment’s back.
If the One Thought master still had any doubts earlier, then he would finally be convinced now. She had truly reached the first layer with the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. Just the Guardian King’s pearl alone could not create such a realistic avatar.
Mind Enlightenment experienced a feeling of danger. He swept backwards with his monk’s spade and the two tremendous forces collided, producing another deafening boom.
Mind Enlightenment gazed at the guardian king’s avatar behind him in disbelief. He staggered backwards and collided into the cliff face behind him.
The cliff trembled and pieces of rock fell down.
Using the attack, Xiao An leapt backwards and nullified the force.
The two guardian kings confronted one another with furious glares. Although Xiao An’s guardian king avatar was slightly smaller, it was no less consolidated than Mind Enlightenment’s with the support of the Guardian King’s pearl.
The onlooking monks were all dumbfounded. Was this really their junior sister Xiao An?
It was not just them. Even the One Thought master felt the same. This was the first time in his entire life that he did not feel joy for his disciple’s improvements. Instead, he felt a sliver of mixed fear. This was talent that could strike fear within people.
The Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual, an esoteric buddhist cultivation method that the One Thought master believed Xiao An would struggle to comprehend, was absolutely nothing before the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, a supreme ability that went from buddhism to the demonic, turning the cultivator into an embodiment of the White Bone Bodhisattva.
Yet, under the black ox’s guidance, she had forcefully learnt this ability despite being still in the state of a ghost. After that, she had never stopped studying the buddhist scriptures, rapidly deepening her understanding and comprehension.
The Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual was no different from the buddhist scriptures she had seen in the past. They were all for the sake of deepening her understanding of the essence of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. And, it began to lead to a mysterious transformation. Even buddhas could become demons, so what were guardian kings supposed to be?
For the first time too, the slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong, felt like having a disciple like that would not necessarily be good news either, as perhaps he would enter seclusion for a few months, only to discover that his disciple had already become more powerful than him after he emerged. As for having Yu Zijian exceed Xiao An, he no longer held any hope in that anymore.
Actually, if Xiao An joined the school of Daoism instead, her cultivation speed would just be startling at most, despite her supreme talent.
The One Thought master was right. She did have a destiny with the buddha, but not as a disciple of buddhism, but as an enemy of buddhism. There was a saying in the world, “Your enemy is the person who knows you the best.” What she wanted to become was the “nemesis of buddhism”. Just her objective alone had surpassed all regular monks.
The room fell utterly silent. All of the school leaders were knowledgeable. They had quite a deep understanding of the Guardian King’s Method of Demon Subdual. Even if their shock failed to match the One Thought master’s, it would not be far off.
The slovenly daoist priest asked the One Thought master, “How long did you take to reach the first layer of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual?”
The One Thought master said, “I became a monk when I was seven, practising qi while studying the dharma and teachings of buddhism. When I was twenty-five, I reached the ninth layer and gained the recognition of my master, who was also the previous school leader, the Ziming master. After which, I switched to the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. I comprehended it a year later, reaching the first layer.”
“And how long did she take?”
The One Thought master said hoarsely, “A single night!” And, he had switched to the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual as a ninth layer Qi Practitioner. Compared to that, it was far more difficult for Xiao An, at the third layer with only the foundation from the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
This had already exceeded the boundary of geniuses. She was a deviant, a monster.
The slovenly daoist priest patted the One Thought master’s shoulder.
Liu Zhangqing sighed gently. Originally, he wanted to pull some strings and force Li Qingshan to leave the school of Novels. Of course, he would not be able to switch to other schools either. He would be breaking the rules if he remained in the academy, so he would give him some benefits and recommend him to go elsewhere.
As the ruler of an entire prefecture, this did not cause him any mental burden at all. Those who wanted to achieve great things could not afford to scruple over small details. However, he had to reconsider this plan now. At the very least, he needed to go from “force” to “convince”.
Li Qingshan clearly held an extremely important position within this child’s heart. Even though time could wear away everything, it would not take her too long to reach his current level. He did not want to bear the hostility from a person like that, and it was not like he had given any thought to it in the first place.
In the Anāsravāṃ temple, Xiao An clashed with Mind Enlightenment. The vajra sword and monk’s spade constantly collided together and produced tremors such that the huge, nearby bells began resonating too.
Even the old monks in the temple had never witnessed something so extraordinary before.
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Chapter 293 – Mentally Devastated
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Chapter 293 – Mentally Devastated
Xiao An could not expose her powers from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, so originally, it should have been impossible for her to contend against a tenth layer Qi Practitioner like Mind Enlightenment. The Guardian King’s pearl that the One Thought master had bestowed upon her played a critical role right now.
Supreme grade spiritual artifacts were not items that Qi Practitioners could completely control. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could unleash their true power. However, Xiao An could use the Guardian King’s pearl the moment it entered her hands. When she reached the first layer with the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual, she could unleash its full power. It no longer paled in comparison to when the One Thought master used it.
In Li Qingshan’s hands, even the Cursive Sword Calligraphy that could barely be regarded as a supreme grade spiritual artifact already possessed so much power even without being refined. On the other hand, all of the power of a true supreme grade spiritual artifact was being unleashed right now.
And, the huge vajra sword was like an embroidery needle in Xiao An’s hands, swinging downwards, thrusting forwards, flicking downwards, swinging upwards, sweeping high, and sweeping low.
When she swung down, it was enough to cleave mountains in two. Li Qingshan could not help but think about the heavy, inky vertical stroke in the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. When she swept low, it was similar to the light and nonchalant horizontal stroke. She had completely digested and absorbed all the sword intent within the three fragments of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. The vajra sword turned into a flurry of golden light.
Many of the school leaders had a thorough understanding of the sword, and Liu Zhangqing was one of the best among them. He carried a sword on his waist right now. It was not an ornament, but an actual weapon for killing.
The confucian disciples of this world were not those pedantic, physically weak scholars. Apart from being educated in literature and etiquette, swordsmanship was a core subject too. On many formal occasions, carrying a sword with them was the norm.
He stared at the Watermirror disc and subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword. The sword intent that was as light as clouds yet as powerful as dragons startled him. Suddenly, he noticed how all the school leaders were looking at him and realised he had lost his composure. He smiled bitterly. “This isn’t the swordsmanship a child should possess.”
She was only ten years old, so just how did she comprehend and achieve something so profound with the sword? Even if she was a genius of the sword, how was she supposed to explain the startling, heavy, and fierce aura of slaughter?
Mind Enlightenment was skilled with martial arts, but how was he supposed to rival her? His combat experience was nowhere near as rich as hers. Against Xiao An, who had a much lower cultivation than him, he actually failed to gain the upper hand at all. Instead, he became more startled as he fought.
Why? Why? What is going on? Namo Amitābha. Namo Amitābha. Something must be wrong, right?
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to assist Xiao An, but he stopped worrying when he saw this. He just stood aside and watched on.
In the battle of the past when he worked with Xiao An, she played the role of an assassin most of the time. He was responsible for attracting the attention of the enemy and creating an opportunity, while she was responsible for grasping this opportunity to deal a killing strike. If she bided her time, then she bided her time, but once she struck, she would definitely be able to heavily injure the opponent. Rarely had she ever engaged in a fair, one-on-one battle like this. This was quite a rare opportunity for her to practise her swordsmanship.
Without Li Qingshan, Xiao An naturally adapted her battle tactics, no longer striving for a single killing strike where she unleashed everything that she had. Instead, she was like a renowned calligraphist practising calligraphy, wielding the sword in an orderly manner. She did not halt at all. She would form a character with a few strokes, and a hundred characters would form a piece of literature.
Even Li Qingshan felt surprised over how much Xiao An had improved. Aside from his joy for her, he sighed slightly too. He felt like even if the ox demon, tiger demon, and spiritual turtle were combined, they did not seem to be as impressive as the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Sure, his cultivation might have been low, unable to unleash the power of these three cultivation methods, but Xiao An had not even reached the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Right now, she had barely mastered the basics and was still fumbling around. Her room for future improvements was unimaginable.
As it seemed, he really had to work hard on cultivation once he got back. He could not fall behind her. Perhaps it was due to his fragile pride as a man, but he wanted to possess the power to take care of her at all times.
Just what did brother ox have in mind? He had no idea. Perhaps he would only get an answer the moment he opened the sumeru ring.
“The child’s sword is about to triumph. Mind Enlightenment is going to lose,” said Han Anjun. His understanding of the path of the sword might not have been as deep as Liu Zhangqing, but he had extremely sharp senses over the tides of war.
Yes, the tides of war. In his eyes, the clash between two people was like the clash between two armies.
The army led by Mind Enlightenment possessed a vast number of soldiers, but their morale was unstable, and their movements were disorderly. On the other hand, Xiao An’s army advanced step by step. With the scheming waves of storming, sneak attacks, and ambushes, their morale increased, while Mind Enlightenment’s army gradually became exhausted..
It was a different perspective, but they saw the same outcome in the end. Once the piece of literature was complete, it would be ambushes from all directions, resulting in certain death.
Xiao An raised her hand, but the vajra sword slowed down, as if it had suddenly become a thousand tonnes heavier. It would pause with every inch it moved.
Every single movement would leave behind a clear image visible to the naked eye. She completely pushed the power of the Guardian King’s Method of Demon Subdual and the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to the limit.
It seemed extremely slow, yet Mind Enlightenment felt he was stuck in a hopeless situation with nowhere to escape to. Before so many monks, he would never accept an outcome like this, so he roared out in a hurry, and the guardian king avatar roared out too.
As the bells in the temple boomed, the monk’s spade rippled with layers of golden light. This was the first time he had used the powers of the spiritual artifact itself. It suddenly moved several times faster, cleaving down diagonally. “I’ll kill you, you monster!”
Li Qingshan suddenly stood up. He never imagined the counterattack of the primary disciple would be so startling.
The One Thought master called out, “Oh no!” He vanished.
However, neither of them could intercept in time. Xiao An’s body halted slightly from the tremor. Just when she was unable to dodge the attack, she remained unfazed, but the expression on her guardian king avatar underwent a slight change. It abruptly gave off indescribable fury and hatred.
The furious glares of guardian kings were for purging demons, a dignified fury of righteousness. However, the fury on Xiao An’s guardian king avatar was much deeper and more terrifying, as if it wanted to slaughter all living creatures.
Just what kind of fury was enough for an eminent monk of buddhism who had almost attained the fruit of bodhisattva to create the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, swearing to slaughter all living creatures and slay buddhas? This was the first time she had sensed a fraction of it.
The light on the vajra sword sank, undergoing a change that no one managed to notice.
Under this boundless fury, it swung upwards from below.
Clang! There was a sharp sound within the roaring sounds of bells. The vajra monk’s spade had been forcefully chopped in half, dispersing as light. Mind Enlightenment stared at it in a daze, wondering whether he was dreaming or not. How was it possible for the vajra monk’s spade he had condensed off the basis of a high grade spiritual artifact to be chopped in half unless his master was here in person?
He could not help but look around, searching for the One Thought master’s figure. However, all he saw before him was the guardian king avatar with the sun behind its back, seemingly shining with golden radiance, wielding the vajra sword with two hands and raising it high into the air.
Xiao An said gently, “Die.”
The guardian king roared, “Die!”
The golden radiance condensed on the sword, falling towards Mind Enlightenment’s forehead.
The One Thought master had already arrived above Anāsravāṃ temple. Originally, he had come to save Xiao An, but for some reason, his first disciple, the primary disciple, had fallen into dire straits instead in just a split second. He wanted to save him, but it was already too late. He called out in the air, “Stop, Xiao An!”
However, how could his voice move faster than the vajra sword? Even if Xiao An heard him, she could not stop. She was filled with the tremendous fury of the eminent monk from the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
There was a flash of golden light. All the monks were stunned. Time seemed to stop. The entire temple fell silent.
This lasted until the appearance of a crack. From the tip of the vajra sword, it extended to over a hundred meters away, forming a terrifying, black crack. Mind Enlightenment’s courtyard that sat on the crack had been chopped in half, while the central cultivation hall stood for a while longer before collapsing loudly.
Mind Enlightenment collapsed to one side. The avatar around him had already vanished. His plump face was filled with fear as he stared at Li Qingshan. At that critical moment, Li Qingshan had kicked him aside, which was why he had managed to survive. Otherwise, his fate would be the same as the cultivation hall.
The One Thought master descended from above. “Xiao An, you…” However, he was at a loss as for what to say.
Xiao An dispersed the avatar and smiled sweetly at Li Qingshan. “You’ve come.”
Li Qingshan gave her a thumbs up. “Impressive!”
The surroundings were dead silent. The new disciple could contend against the primary disciple just on the second day of joining. This alone had already exceeded the imaginations of the monk. And, she had actually defeated the primary disciple. This made them all blank out as they wondered whether they were dreaming or not.
The One Thought master said furiously, “Mind Enlightenment, what’s this all about? Tell me everything.”
Li Qingshan frowned. He was afraid that this baldy would lie again.
Mind Enlightenment climbed up from the ground and knelt before the One Thought master. With three thumps, he prostrated himself three times and said, “Please understand, master. I was completely in the wrong about this. I became jealous of the care that master showed to junior sister Xiao An, so I purposefully made trouble for sir Li Qingshan, and I also broke the precept of anger, lashing out against sir Li Qingshan first. Please punish me, master.”
Originally, Li Qingshan thought that Mind Enlightenment would want to complain against him, so he prepared a rebuttal. He was immediately left speechless now.
The One Thought master was stunned too. “Mind Enlightenment, you…?”
“I’m willing to relinquish my position as primary disciple to junior sister Xiao An. Please forgive me, junior sister.” Then Mind Enlightenment said to Li Qingshan, “Thank you for saving my life, sir!”
Mind Enlightenment was pale, and his eyes were dull, but he no longer possessed any hatred anymore. He definitely was not hiding anything or biding his time. No matter how powerful the opponent was, he would always undergo self-imposed hardships to strengthen his resolve for revenge. He would be confident that there would be a day when he got his revenge. But now, the opponent he faced was a child, a child who began practising qi yesterday and defeated him today.
To be able to make it to the position of primary disciple, he clearly was a clever and capable person, but it was exactly because he was clever enough that he felt despair. Although Xiao An’s attack had failed to land, it had shattered his arrogance, jealousy, and anger. He was forced into achieving instantaneous comprehension.
Mind Enlightenment said, “I want to face the walls of Cliff Inscription cavern and reflect on myself for three years. Please give me permission, master.”
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Chapter 294 – Till Death Do Us Part
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Chapter 294 – Till Death Do Us Part
Wall facing was both a cultivation method of buddhism and a method of punishment. Three years of wall facing was akin to three years of house arrest. During those three years, he could not communicate with others, move around freely, or enjoy any form of entertainment. It was even more terrifying than prison. The level of monotony was enough to drive a regular person crazy. To a disciple of buddhism, it was a great test of their temperament.
Rather restless disciples with impressive talent had always been the One Thought master’s favourite disciples. If this were in the past, the One Thought master would definitely be delighted with how Mind Enlightenment volunteered to face the walls of the Cliff Inscription cavern, but right now, he was afraid that he had given up all hope. The more of a genius a person was, the easier it was for them to become dejected and downhearted once they faced a setback.
“Have you thought it through properly?”
“Yes!” Mind Enlightenment buried his head deeply into the ground. He looked back through all the years he spent in the Anāsravāṃ temple. All of his pride and status had vanished with that single word he uttered. He felt extremely dejected. Sorrow welled up inside and tears began to run down his face like rain. He broke into sobs.
The One Thought master rubbed his head. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. This might be good news to you.”
“Master, I’ve embarrassed you!” Mind Enlightenment hugged the One Thought master’s leg; he was like a pitiful child, having returned to the time when he initially joined the Anāsravāṃ temple as a little acolyte.
“You haven’t. You will always be my best disciple. You need to pull yourself together!” The rim of One Thought master’s eyes reddened involuntarily.
The monks in the temple all shed tears too. Although there were many flaws in their first senior brother, he still took good care of them. They too felt pained now that he would be gone for three years.
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose and thought, Why do I feel like Xiao An and I are the bad guys?
After crying, Mind Enlightenment seemed to have become much more relaxed. He made his way around his master and his junior brothers, making his way to the Cliff Inscription cavern to cultivate. From the beginning till the end, he did not even glance at Xiao An at all. This child made him feel fear. This kind of fear did not originate from the strike that Xiao An had almost killed him with, but from the strike when she cut through the vajra monk’s spade.
It was only a short instant, but the bone-chilling coldness suppressed all of his power and thoughts. His indestructible vajra monk’s spade had broken under that exact power, or should you say thought.
The One Thought master watched Mind Enlightenment leave. He turned around and faced Xiao An. He opened his mouth, but he had no idea on what to say. Was he supposed to scold her? Or praise her? Regardless of what he did, none of it seemed right. There was only one thing he was certain about. He would not serve as the master of this child for too long. “Have you completed the first layer of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual?”
“Yes, master.”
The surroundings were thrown into an uproar. The monks all looked at one another, seeing an exact reflection of the current expression that they had. Within a prefectural Academy of the Hundred Schools, the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual could be regarded as a powerful cultivation method that was rarely passed onto anyone. Cultivating till the very end could result in the condensation of a Vajra Śarīra, which was on par with the Golden Cores of the school of Daoism.
Xiao An suddenly asked, “Master, are you afraid?”
The corner of the One Thought master’s eye twitched. He uttered the buddha’s name constantly. After quite a while, he placed the primary disciple’s waist tablet in Xiao An’s hand. “From today onwards, you are my school of Buddhism’s primary disciple. To be able to hold this position, just martial prowess is not enough. You also must have a deep understanding of the buddhist dharma, such that you can answer your junior’s queries.”
Xiao An said, “Yes, master.”
The One Thought master wanted to give her a few more words of advice, but he ended up sighing gently instead. “Don’t forget about the purpose of buddhism. You should get along with your fellow students. You should not have used that attack against your fellow student.”
He was reluctant for Xiao An to take up the position of primary disciple, but in the Anāsravāṃ temple right now, just who had the ability to replace Mind Enlightenment? Even if they could replace him, how long could they hold the position for? Would it be half a year or just three months?
As a result, Xiao An became the youngest primary disciple throughout the history of the Clear River prefecture’s Academy of the Hundred Thought. If it were not for Li Qingshan, she would be the primary disciple with the lowest cultivation throughout history too.
Xiao An wanted to rebuke him, but Li Qingshan pressed down on her shoulder and shot a glance towards her. “The One Thought master is right. Why don’t you thank your master?”
Xiao An said obediently, “Thank you, master.”
The One Thought master frowned. He said sternly, “Li Qingshan, before Xiao An has reached the first layer with the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual, no one is allowed to disturb her. That was my order. Why part of it did you not understand?”
His beloved disciple had given up his position as primary disciple, placing himself under house arrest to go wall facing, so why wouldn’t he be annoyed? He was unable to vent it on Xiao An, so he obviously used the ‘troublemaker’ Li Qingshan instead.
“One Thought master, the disciples of the academy are of the same breath and branch, standing together through thick and thin. What’s wrong with him coming to Anāsravāṃ island to meet someone?”
Before Li Qingshan had said anything, a voice rang out from the direction of the stūpas. Turning around, Li Qingshan saw Liu Chuanfeng gliding over on a huge, white crane. After holding hands and shedding a few tears with Sun Fubai, they even took out some wine and dishes and drank a few cups together. After receiving the news, Liu Chuanfeng paled in fright and rushed over. Right now, Li Qingshan was his prized possession. If he let anything happen to him, the school of Novels would be doomed to abolishment. By then, he would not even have a place to cry at.
“Master, Mind Enlightenment insulted my school of Novels in the face of the public, damaging the bond between the schools. He wanted to hurt people over the slightest disagreement, so why must you say that we are in the wrong instead?” Liu Chuanfeng leapt off the white crane and landed before Li Qingshan, clasping his hands.
Li Qingshan saw how his clothes swayed in the breeze. He really did seem slightly graceful. This was the first time his impression of him had improved slightly.
The One Thought master just happened to have some anger to vent, yet the jittery Liu Chuanfeng had actually come to make noise right in his face. He widened his eyes into a glare. Even without the guardian king avatar, a heavy pressure crushed down on Liu Chuanfeng.
Liu Chuanfeng bowed deeply. “Sorry. We’re completely in the wrong. It’s all my school of Novel’s fault, so please forgive us, master. You unruly disciple, why don’t you apologise to the master?”
Li Qingshan grinned. He held back his urge to slap him across the face. With a school leader like this, why wouldn’t the school of Novels be abolished?
In the end, the matter remained unsettled.
Li Qingshan brought Xiao An back to Cloudwisp island with him to show her around. Along the way, there were several times when Liu Chuanfeng wanted to approach him, but he avoided him every single time. He did not want Xiao An to be influenced by him.
Returning to Cloudwisp island, he saw someone waiting for him in the courtyard within the bamboo forest.
The leader of the school of Confucianism, Liu Zhangqing, stood with his arms behind his back, listening to the sound of the bamboo swaying in the breeze with his eyes shut. He only opened his eyes a while later. “It has been several years since I’ve been here. The scenery here is still so beautiful. It’s just a pity.”
Liu Chuanfeng obviously understood what he was referring to by pity. All he could do was smile dryly and bow. “School leader Liu, long time no see.”
However, Liu Zhangqing completely ignored him. He was straightforward “Li Qingshan, just what are your conditions for you to leave the school of Novels? Let’s hear them.”
He did not treat Liu Chuanfeng like he existed at all. Liu Chuanfeng’s smile froze, but he dared not show any displeasure. He looked at Li Qingshan for help. He almost seemed like he was pleading with him.
However, Li Qingshan did not look at him. He replied to Liu Zhangqing politely, but not overly so. “Sir Liu, can I join other schools if I leave the school of Novels?”
Liu Chuanfeng was ashen.
Liu Zhangqing shook his head. “No. If you leave the school of Novels, you leave the academy. However, I can recommend you to a very impressive sect to cultivate. The Pine Sough academy of the Heavenly Lake mountain is rather renowned throughout the entire Green province. The head of the academy is a Golden Core cultivator who has already undergone two heavenly tribulations. You’ll have a much better future there than the Academy of the Hundred Schools of the Clear River prefecture.”
Liu Chuanfeng had already given up hope. No one would ever decline such a great offer.
Li Qingshan replied, “Apologies. Thank you for your kind intentions, school leader, but I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer.”
Liu Changqing frowned. “What conditions do you have in mind? Please let me know.”
Li Qingshan smiled at Xiao An and held her hand. “I won’t accept any conditions, no matter what they are. We’re not separating.”
Liu Zhangqing said, “Do you know this saying? Instead of sticking together against the odds, why not just separate and wander off freely? There are no never-ending banquets in the world. Separation is only a matter of time. If you remain here, you will be thrown behind very quickly with her cultivation speed. By then, what are you supposed to do? If you go to the Pine Sough academy, there might be a chance you meet again in the future. Or, are you trying to use her to procure some benefits for yourself?”
Whether it was the kind advice or the goading, clever words, every single thing that Liu Zhangqing said hit the point.
Li Qingshan was unable to maintain his smile anymore. In the end, he sighed slightly. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Xiao An’s heart tightened. Liu Zhangqing smiled.
“But, I’ve already heard too much of the general principles of the world, of what is right and wrong. Right now, all I want to do is follow my heart. My heart tells me I want to be with her. To be honest, I don’t believe in eternity either, but the longer, the better.”
He shrugged easily. “Till death do us part.”
The wind whistled, the bamboo swayed, and the light flickered.
Liu Zhangqing had already left. He personally believed he was giving insightful advice, but when a man like that said something like that, it meant his mind was made. His will was as firm as rock, utterly immovable.
Liu Chuanfeng said emotionally, “Thank you! Thank you!” The school of Novels had dodged a bullet.
Li Qingshan said, “I didn’t do it for you.”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Thank you anyway. I’ll go prepare lunch to celebrate your formal entry to the school of Novels.”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s still morning!” However, Liu Chuanfeng had already drifted off into the bamboo building as he hummed to himself, while Li Qingshan saw tears pool up in Xiao An’s large eyes.
“What’re you being all emotional for? I’m doing it all for myself. Haven’t you heard them? I’m using you, you idiot!” Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s little head.
Xiao An wiped away her tears and took out a pill glistening with golden light from her hundred treasures pouch, passing it to Li Qingshan. This was a buddhist spiritual medicine that the One Thought master had given to Xiao An. It might not have been on par with the Virtue Accumulation pill, but it was not far from it.
Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. “I’m just saying. You’d better keep it for yourself!”
Xiao An insisted, as if she would cry if he turned her down.
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose, with no other choice but to accept it. He felt strange inside. He tossed these thoughts aside. “Come, I’ll show you a nice place.”
In the depths of the courtyard, in the corridor on the lake.
The rocking chair swayed gently as Li Qingshan held her in his arms. He sniffed her faint fragrance of sandalwood, gently caressed her silk-like hair, and looked at the lake.
She had her eyes closed, like she was asleep.
“I’m doing it all for myself.” He was not lying when he said that. What existed in his mind were not just noble thoughts of taking care of her and protecting her. With her by his side, he finally would not have to be lonely anymore.
PS: Writing in peace, asking for monthly tickets in peace.
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Chapter 295 – Seeing Hao Pingyang Again
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Chapter 295 – Seeing Hao Pingyang Again
A flying shuttle shot across the surface of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes, arriving on Cloudwisp island.
Out of the three people who disembarked, the leader was a burly man with a full beard, and there was a young man with darker skin to his left, and a young man with a long face and slightly swollen eyelids to his right.
They wore deep, blue robes, and their waist tablets were all inscribed with a single word, “Mohism.” They were the trio who had entered the Zombie cave with Li Qingshan in the past to kill the Zombie Daoist, Hao Qingyang, Zhang Lanqing, and He Yishi.
Hao Pingyang stowed the flying shuttle away and studied the island that was so quiet that it seemed deserted. He asked with furrowed brows, “Are you sure he joined the school of Novels?”
Zhang Lanqing said, “It can’t be wrong. It’s here. He has already made a name for himself in the academy.”
He Yishi said, “He has made a name for himself for being an idiot. He’s actually bold enough to insult the leader of the school of Daoism. He must be tired of living.”
Hao Pingyang shot a glare at him, while Zhang Lanqing said in a hurry, “Yishi, how can you say that? Qingshan saved us in the past after all!”
He Yishi said with his swollen eyelids, “He was just using us to complete his mission. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have ventured underground, and Jin Yuan and Jin Bao would not have died either.”
“Then why are you here? Why don’t you piss off instead?” Hao Pingyang growled. Ever since he had returned from the Zombie cave, he found He Yishi to be quite a despicable person, so he began to alienate him. This time, it was all because of Zhang Lanqing’s persuasions, reminiscing the fact that the three of them had once risked their lives together. As such, they had called him to come with them.
He Yishi turned his head away and no longer said anything, but he stuck to what he said.
Hao Pingyang snorted coldly and strode away. Zhang Lanqing sighed and followed behind him.
He Yishi moved his feet too. He did not come here to thank Li Qingshan for saving his life. Instead, he had come to see Li Qingshan’s miserable condition. The school of Novels? What a joke.
“Qingshan! Qingshan!”
The familiar roars penetrated the bamboo forest with true qi, reaching Li Qingshan’s ears.
Li Qingshan emerged from the courtyard. Hao Pingyang happened to be walking through the bamboo, so when he saw Li Qingshan, his face lit up with joy. He rushed over and patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder heavily and said happily, “You really are here.”
Li Qingshan said, “Brother Hao, long time no see! There’s brother Zhang and brother Yi too.”
“Hmm? The sixth layer? Just how did you cultivate? It hasn’t even been a year!” Hao Pingyang’s current cultivation was the same as the past, still at the sixth layer. The later four meridians of the eight extraordinary meridians were extremely difficult and slow to open. When he heard Li Qingshan had joined the school of Novels on Cloudwisp island, he had rushed over to find him, but he did not know he had already reached the sixth layer.
Zhang Lanqing was surprised too. He was also the same as before, still at the fifth layer. He was currently preparing to condense his sea of qi and break through to the sixth layer. Li Qingshan’s cultivation speed was just far too startling.
However, the most surprised was He Yishi. After returning from the Zombie cave, he made a breakthrough with his cultivation and reached the fifth layer. When he came to see Li Qingshan, he was filled with confidence too, ready to savour his dejected look from above and find some peace inside. However, he never thought that the weak second layer Qi Practitioner of the past would break through four times and reach the sixth layer in under a year. He felt more and more uneasy instead.
Hao Pingyang shifted his gaze and saw Xiao An standing quietly under the eases of the building. He had quite a deep impression of this beautiful child. “Isn’t that… Xiao An?” His eyes were not lying to him, right? How had Xiao An reached the sixth layer too?
Zhang Lanqing said, “Senior brother, were you really that busy building cannons in the workshop that you haven’t even heard of this? Xiao An is a Heavenly Meridians prodigy. She cultivated to the third layer in four hours, and when her elemental affinity was being tested, the school leaders even showed up to contend for her… Though, she’s at the sixth layer now. Is the rumor wrong?”
Li Qingshan gave a short explanation of what had happened. Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing had no idea on what to say. She had completed the first layer of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual in a single night, defeating the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, Mind Enlightenment. If it were not for the fact that Li Qingshan was personally telling them this, they never would have believed it. They studied Xiao An in surprise and doubt, and sure enough, they saw the tablet of the school of Buddhism’s primary disciple on her waist.
Hao Pingyang grinned. “I feel like I’ve gotten to know someone extraordinary. Are we supposed to bow?” When regular disciples saw primary disciples, they all had to bow out of respect and call them senior brother or sister, not to mention the fact that she came from a major school, the school of Buddhism.
In Zhang Lanqing’s memory, the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, the Mind Enlightenment monk, was an extremely haughty figure. He was unable to connect the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism to Xiao An right in front of him.
Li Qingshan said, “That’s a funny joke, brother Hao. Don’t just stand here. Come on in!”
Arriving in the guest room, the three of them sat down, and Xiao An went off automatically to find a tea set, bringing tea over. The three of them stood up in a hurry again and accepted it. This was tea from the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism. Hao Pingyang was not too perturbed with how he never focused on the minor details of courtesy, but Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi basically felt flattered. They looked at Li Qingshan again, but they saw how he was at ease. After serving the tea, Xiao An sat down beside him obediently, just like in the past.
He Yishi was completely dejected inside. Whether it be Li Qingshan or Xiao An, they had both reached a higher domain than him. He was filled with jealousy. The heavens were unfair! He had cultivated painstakingly for all these years, yet it could not even rival a year from Li Qingshan, or a day and night from Xiao An.
After a slight conversation, Zhang Lanqing could not help but sigh. “If it’s the school of Buddhism, then so be it. It’s a good place to join. However, with your talent, Qingshan, joining the school of Novels really is quite a pity.”
Li Qingshan took a sip of tea and said without minding, “The school of Novels is not all bad.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Yeah, it’s not all bad. This environment is suited for cultivation. Joining the school of Novels doesn’t mean you have to learn their arts. With your talent, Qingshan, you’ll definitely be able to reach Foundation Establishment in the future. By then, there’ll be plenty of good cultivation methods available to you.”
“Just as brother Hao has said.” Li Qingshan smiled. Hao Pingyang seemed like an unsophisticated person, but he was extremely sharp-witted, and his concern and encouragement moved him too. Zhang Lanqing was a prudent, honest person who did not want to offend anyone as well. Only He Yishi was rather strange, glaring at him. Who knew what he was thinking.
Hao Pingyang changed the topic. “Have you chosen your subjects?”
Li Qingshan said, “I haven’t yet. I heard there are quite a lot of subjects. I don’t even know where to start right now.”
Within the academy, from Contention island to the various other islands, they all had subjects, ranging from forging artifacts and alchemy to philosophy and literature. They covered everything, and disciples from other schools could listen in too. However, regular new disciples would primarily focus on the arts of their own schools once they joined the academy. Since Li Qingshan was reluctant to learn the arts of the school of Novels, these subjects were extremely important to him. They were also one of the reasons why he had joined the academy in the first place.
Hao Pingyang said, “Then that’s perfect. We’ll choose them for you. There’s quite a lot you need to know when it comes to choosing. Lanqing, you’ve brought a list of subjects, right?”
“I have.” Zhang Lanqing pulled out a piece of paper from his hundred treasures pouch in a hurry. It was covered in tiny words. Every single line was neat and uniform in size. Clearly, it had come from a printer and was not hand-written.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and read through them carefully—“Divinations and Symbols”, “Identifying Spiritual Herbs”, “Explanations for the Yi Wood Method of Living Qi” and so on. According to the timetabling, there were over a dozen days of classes. On the back of the paper were the times and locations for the classes, as well as the names of the instructors and professors. Apart from subjects that were directly related to cultivation, there were also subjects on literature and etiquette, or even appreciating music. There was everything.
This was all knowledge that Li Qingshan required the most. It would assist him in understanding everything about cultivation. He was rather impatient to learn as well, but if he really was supposed to choose from all these subjects, he really would be left at a loss. And, he noticed that there was a price at the end of a few subjects, such as a few subjects from the school of Music. They could only be taken at the cost of a few spiritual stones.
Hao Pingyang explained, “Some subjects can cover highly important and secretive aspects to certain schools, so they obviously won’t just teach it to anybody for free. Moreover, the professors need money too. However, as a primary disciple, it’ll all be easy. You can take any of these subjects for free.”
“Do the subjects of the school of Music also cover highly secretive subjectives? They actually want spiritual stones too.” Li Qingshan remarked in surprise.
Hao Pingyang smiled. “That’s because most of the disciples of the school of Music are females. If they don’t charge spiritual stones, there’ll be a great group of men mucking around in each subject.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at Li Qingshan. “If you have spare time, you should check it out too. Perhaps you’ll find a good match for you! It’s free to you anyway. There are a lot of people who would be jealous of you if they found out.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “How are Qi Practitioners lacking women? Can’t they just go looking outside? I’ve come to the academy for cultivation, not match-making.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Now you can’t say that. How can regular women rival the charm of female cultivators?”
Li Qingshan could not help but think of Gu Yanying, and he discovered that Hao Pingyang was right. Everyone was born the same way. There were only so many different combinations of facial features. Gu Yanying was not exactly any fairer than a regular woman either, but every twinkle in her eyes and every smile she gave was just so breath-taking.
This had nothing to do with the arts of charm. Just like how flaws of the inside would show themselves externally, “bearing” was no longer a mere concept. At the very least, she truly did possess the word “qi1”.
However, Li Qingshan disagreed with Hao Pingyang’s suggestion. “Can you still be regarded as a qualified cultivator if you spend all your time thinking about a woman?”
Hao Pingyang said, “The path of cultivation is boundless. If you walk alone, won’t it be lonely? If you have a partner for dual cultivation, it’ll be like a combination of the qin zither and se zither2, a complementary match. It’ll bring you great joy, and perhaps, you might even make it a little further. There are many people with companions like this in the academy, like him beside you.”
Li Qingshan looked at Zhang Lanqing in surprise. He never thought he would have a partner too. Zhang Lanqing’s darker face reddened slightly in embarrassment.
Hao Pingyang said, “Whenever we go out for some fun, he never comes with us. That’s the exact aspect that she fancies about him. Heh, honest people never suffer.”
“Don’t you have someone too, brother Hao?” Li Qingshan asked with a smile. The idea of bearing suited men too. Hao Pingyang was not handsome, but he was frank and generous. He could be regarded as quite charming too.
Zhang Lanqing immediately said, “Originally, there were people who took a fancy towards senior brother, but he spends all his spare time in the workshop, and whenever he leaves the academy, he indulges himself in women and alcohol. There’s no one who can put up with that.”
Hao Pingyang chuckled. “My hands are full already, so why would I have the time to deal with them?”
“And yet you’re advising me?” Li Qingshan broke into laughter. The Academy of the Hundred Schools was quite similar to the universities of his past life, but with even more freedom. Here, it did not matter even if there was a class you did not want to attend. All you needed to do was give the school leader some notice, and no one would care even if you went out travelling for a few months. You could do whatever you wanted as long as you paid the fees every year.
However, these disciples of the academy could not be compared with the abundant university students from his past life. They were true prodigies.
PS: One release for today. My back suddenly began hurting in the afternoon, and I felt quite ill. Don’t tell me this is a so-called occupational illness? Hopefully, I’ll be better after sleeping! (from the author, not the translator)
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1. Bearing in this case is a phrase in Chinese, 气质. The first character, 气, is qi.
2. A qin zither is a plucked seven-stringed Chinese instrument, while a se zither is a plucked twenty-five to fifty stringed Chinese instrument. It’s said that a combination between the two creates great music, which makes them a great pairing.
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Chapter 296 – Choosing Subjects and Missions
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Chapter 296 – Choosing Subjects and Missions
Hao Pingyang said, “Even if you’re uninterested, listening to their music is still quite a rare treat.”
“I’m definitely not going to let that opportunity slip by. If there’s the chance, it might actually turn out like what you said.” Li Qingshan licked his lips. The two men looked at one another and smiled.
Zhang Lanqing said, “You guys should stop. There’s still a child here. You’d better choose your subjects instead! Have you already decided on your cultivation method?”
Li Qingshan nodded. “Yep, I’m sticking with the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi.”
“Good. Do you have any interests? Talismans, formations, alchemy, or forging artifacts, which one do you want to learn?”
“I want to gain an understanding of all of them. What would you recommend, brother Zhang?” Li Qingshan saw how there were over a dozen subjects related to alchemy on the list, and the professor for each subject was different. Just how was he supposed to choose?
Hao Pingyang said, “You found the right person for that question. Lanqing has basically taken all these subjects before. He’s known for his diligence and studiousness.”
Zhang Lanqing smiled modestly. “All I know is a little bit of everything. However, you should understand them all a little. They might not be very relevant, but dabbling around in other areas can benefit your cultivation too. Though, don’t become overly distracted. It’s best if you focus on a single subject, or two at most. If there are too many, it won’t turn out well.”
“If it’s possible, I do want to try them all, but I’m in no hurry either. Right now, I primarily want to learn alchemy, with formations or forging artifacts on the side.” Li Qingshan smiled. He still had a long path ahead of him, so he obviously had to make ample preparation.
Zhang Lanqing agreed. “Alchemy is indeed the best. Basically all the schools have subjects for alchemy, varying in depth and focus. Though, the best professors are still the ones from the school of Daoism and the school of Medicine. Do you have any foundation in alchemy, Qingshan?”
Li Qingshan answered honestly, “I’ve only made a cauldron full of Qi Condensing pills under someone’s guidance before, and the results were only average.”
Zhang Lanqing said, “Looks like it’s still best if you start with the basics. It’s perfect timing with how the entrance examination has just finished. They’ve opened up a lot of classes recently.”
Afterwards, Zhang Lanqing recommended a few subjects regarding alchemy to Li Qingshan, giving a detailed introduction to the aspects that they excelled at and their flaws. He even mentioned which professors were more impatient and taught extremely quickly, how it would be difficult to follow along if he was slow-witted, and which professors were much more patient, preferring to waste time and so on.
In the end, he decided on a subject taught by the school of Medicine. It was called “Rudimentary Alchemy”. There were classes every few days, and it would go on for a few months.
This was exactly what Li Qingshan wanted. He had just fallen out with the leader of the school of Daoism. If he wanted to study there, the slovenly daoist priest’s disciples would probably make trouble for him even if the daoist priest himself allowed it. All he wanted was to cultivate in peace in the academy and increase his cultivation, not clash with others.
Zhang Lanqing chose a few other subjects for understanding talismans, formations, and forging artifacts for Li Qingshan. They were all for learning the history and common knowledge of a few general techniques within the arts, which Li Qingshan could use to decide what he was interested in. Out of them, Hao Pingyang specially recommended an artifact forging subject by the school of Mohism. He said he wanted to show Li Qingshan around on the Divine Mechanism island when he came for class.
After choosing these core subjects, Li Qingshan discovered that he still had a lot of time on hand. He was welcomed to choose a few interesting subjects to fill up the space, such as going to the school of Music to listen to some performances and so on.
“Apart from these, is there anything else to take note of?”
Zhang Lanqing said, “Next is choosing missions.”
“Missions?”
Hao Pingyang said, “When we went to kill the Zombie Daoist last time, that was a mission. When we returned, we received quite a lot of spiritual stones as a reward.”
As it turned out, the disciples themselves had to find ways to provide the basic necessities of living in the academy. Apart from a handful of outstanding disciples, they all had to find ways to procure cultivation pills by themselves. The process was not as simple as cultivating in a sect, but the academy would not order disciples around like sects either. Instead, it was similar to the Hawkwolf Guard, directly marking out the rewards for the missions. The willing could obtain spiritual stones and pills.
“I’m not lacking in spiritual stones or pills right now.” Li Qingshan had only used up a small fraction of the resources he had obtained underground. There was no need for him to waste time on this.
Zhang Lanqing shook his head. “These missions are closely linked to your cultivation. They’re not just for making spiritual stones.”
“What do you mean?”
“For example, the most common alchemy missions, which you can accept as long as you can refine Qi Condensing pills. The academy will prepare the materials for you, and all you need to do is turn in a specific number of Qi Gathering pills within a certain time frame to complete the mission.”
“I see.” Li Qingshan immediately understood. If he was good at alchemy, he could even earn some additional pills with these missions, but if he was bad at alchemy, he would basically be working for free. It might even end up costing him spiritual stones instead. As a new alchemist, there was quite a high chance that these missions would cost him.
But even if it came at a cost to him, he could still gain a large quantity of experience in alchemy within a short time frame. After all, just collecting these random spiritual herbs would take quite some time. He could not help but admire the people who came up with these missions. Their methods of exploitation were just too brilliant.
Zhang Lanqing said, “Another example would be our mission last time. It provided us with actual combat experience. There are even some missions that test your ability at using techniques. You should familiarise yourself with the academy first, and afterwards, you can take a look in the Missions hall on Contention island.”
The three of them chatted, and time passed extremely quickly. Before they knew it, the sun had already risen to the middle of the sky.
He Yishi did not say a single word the entire time. He just sat there, glancing at Li Qingshan from time to time. Who knew what he was thinking.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan stopped talking. He glanced at the bamboo forest outside the courtyard. Originally, he thought that Liu Chuanfeng had returned, but instead, he saw a handsome man in black clothes walking through the forest, making his way over to the courtyard.
Hao Pingyan grew serious. It was the primary disciple of another school. He was Hua Chengzan.
Why has he come here? Zhang Lanqing thought, but he suddenly remembered Li Qingshan’s identity as a Hawkwolf guard. Surely he hadn’t come here to speak out against Li Qingshan, right? Li Qingshan had joined the school of Novels after all. Despite becoming the primary disciple, it was still not a glorious piece of news.
He Yishi immediately smiled from ear to ear on his fazed face.
The three of them were afraid to slight this renowned figure of the academy. They bowed. “Greetings, senior brother.”
Hua Chengzan nodded back at them, basically returning the gesture. His gaze landed on Xiao An, who sat beside Li Qingshan. He was extremely well-informed, so he already knew about what happened on Anāsravāṃ island. If he had not heard it personally from Wang Pushi, he almost would not have believed it. Now that he saw she was at the sixth layer, he sighed emotionally inside. Anyone still bold enough to claim that they were a genius before her would be as shameless as they came.
He cut right to the chase and said, “You turned down prefect Liu’s offer?”
Li Qingshan said, “I did.”
Hua Chengzan sighed with a smile. “Well, what can you do now? Though, old Wang has told me to pass a message onto you.”
“What message?”
Hua Chengzan looked back and saw Liu Chuanfeng carrying a food box, descending from the air on his white crane. He said, “I’ll tell you later.”
Li Qingshan immediately understood. Clearly, the message had something to do with Liu Chuanfeng, and it was not positive either. However, he truly was an exceptional man to maintain such a demeanour even when he faced Liu Chuanfeng, someone who was despised by all.
“Qingshan, I’ve returned.” The white crane vanished as soon as it landed. Liu Chuanfeng halted, becoming slightly surprised when he saw so many people here. He saw Hua Chengzan standing there and bowed automatically. “So it’s commander Hua who has come. It truly is an honour for my humble abode. Please forgive me for failing to welcome you.”
The two of them were both at the tenth layer, while Liu Chuanfeng was even a school leader, but their statuses were on completely different levels.
The mohist trio, on the other hand, bowed politely. The school of Novels might have been despicable, but a tenth layer Qi Practitioner was not someone they could look down on.
Hua Chengzan returned the gesture with a bow. He did not show any disdain, nor did he put on any fake act of respect. He looked around. “With how peaceful this place is, even I’m tempted to move in here.”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “As long as the commander is willing. I welcome you to move in at any time. There are plenty of rooms.”
The two of them chatted slightly. Liu Chuanfeng said, “It’s quite late now, so get ready to eat. Today, I’ve asked the Hundred Flavours restaurant to put in a lot of work. They’ve made me a whole feast. Hold on, my senior brother is heading over right now. You’ve met him before, Qingshan.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Is it elder Sun? If that’s the case, I’d better sit in too.” He glanced at Li Qingshan. “You can also say it’s a celebration for your entry into the school of Novels, Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan smiled. Just as he had expected, Sun Fubai was also a disciple of the school of Novels. With how even Hua Chengzan called him elder Sun, it only proved that as long as there was nothing wrong with their conduct, they could all earn respect, even if they were disciples of the school of Novels.
Liu Chuanfeng casually invited the mohist trio to stay behind. He Yishi was rather interested. Not only would it be a free feast, but he could also familiarise himself with the primary disciple of the school of Legalism. An opportunity as great as this never presented itself.
However, Hao Pingyang declined. Their identities differed by far too much, so it would be quite uncomfortable to eat together. “We still have some matters to attend to, so we won’t disturb you any longer. Qingshan, if you have time, let’s go drinking. It’ll be on me.”
Li Qingshan paced over and caught up to them. He passed a Sea of Qi pill to Zhang Lanqing. “Thank you for your troubles, brother Zhang.”
Zhang Lanqing declined in a hurry. “How can I accept that?”
Hao Pingyang said, “If he’s giving it to you, then just accept it! Where’s mine?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s not like you need to condense a sea of qi. It’ll be on me if we go drinking.”
“Haha, I’m kidding. If I said it’s on me, then it’s on me!”
Zhang Lanqing thanked him sincerely. Right now, what he needed the most were Sea of Qi pills. An additional Sea of Qi pill would increase his chances of condensing a sea of qi by thirty percent. It was basically giving him exactly what he needed at the right time.
He Yishi was filled with jealousy as he watched on. He was also at the fifth layer now, so he clearly wanted this Sea of Qi pill too. Unfortunately, Li Qingshan did not even glance at him.
After they left, Hua Chengzan asked, “Was the tall, skinny fellow from earlier He Yishi?”
Li Qingshan asked, “How did you know?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Hua Chengzan would never go out of his way to investigate this petty matter, but he did know that there was someone called He Yishi out of the mohist disciples Li Qingshan knew, and he was hostile to Li Qingshan. He could guess who He Yishi was from simply glancing at their demeanours.
Li Qingshan said, “Acting all mysterious.”
At this moment, a few women suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the courtyard. Every single one of them were first-class beauties, with delicate faces and wonderful curves. They took out the dishes from the food box and placed them on the table. The clothing they wore were very revealing too. They could catch glimpses of certain body parts too as they moved around.
“The arts of the school of Novels sure are useful.” Hua Chengzan smiled, carefully hiding the contempt in his eyes.
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Chapter 297 – Two Ants
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Chapter 297 – Two Ants
“It’s all just a lesser path of cultivation, a lesser path I say.” Liu Chuanfeng failed to notice it. Instead, he spoke rather proudly. He even glanced at Li Qingshan and noticed his amazement as he carefully studied these beauties. It only made Liu Chuanfeng even happier. His objective was to lead Li Qingshan down the school of Novel’s… greater path of no return.
It was true. Li Qingshan was studying these conjured women. Their plump, milky-white buttocks could suck in the attention of all men, but he did not just look at that. While these women were smiling, their eyes were hollow, without the slightest liveliness at all. They were like the beauties on game posters generated by computers in his past life, or some kind of detailed blow-up doll.
Of course, they were much more realistic than those. They were probably characters from Liu Chuanfeng’s smut novels. Perhaps, their performance in bed would be very impressive too!
However, what was the point of that? He would be much better off by going for an easy session in a brothel. At the very least, it would be with a living person.
Li Qingshan felt deep sorrow from this. No wonder so many people looked down on the school of Novels. He spent all day using his abilities from the school of Novels to do something so degrading. It was so bad that even the primary disciple from his own school of Novels wanted to beat him up, not to mention the fact that Xiao An was still watching curiously from one side.
Li Qingshan’s voice sank. “Liu Chuanfeng, you’d better know when enough is enough!”
Liu Chuanfeng was annoyed. He was actually treating him so rudely before an outsider. Did he really think his position as a school leader meant nothing? However, when he met Li Qingshan’s furious eyes, he immediately thought of the knifehand strike he had swung down with earlier this morning. His straightened chest shrunk back again, and he said awkwardly, “We’re all intellectuals, right? So can’t we just talk over this? Look at you and what you’ve become. You’ve embarrassed yourself in front of commander Hua! Let’s eat!”
Li Qingshan had already grown accustomed to fighting over the slightest disagreement. Combined with Liu Chuanfeng’s behaviour, he found it all very difficult to adjust to, as if he had done something wrong. He fought the strong, not the weak. There really were not a lot of tenth layer Qi Practitioners as weak-willed as Liu Chuanfeng.
Hua Chengzan shook his head. It really was uncommon for a school leader for god’s sake to end up like this.
Sun Fubai just happened to walk in at this moment. As soon as he saw the conjured women, he frowned too. “Junior brother, what are you doing?”
Liu Chuanfeng opened his mouth. “I’m…”
“You’re screwing around! Why don’t you hurry up and stop the technique?” Sun Fubai’s snowy-white eyebrows had almost scrunched up together. His junior brother was quite a talent when it came to cultivation. It was already very impressive of him to have reached the tenth layer despite how much the school of Novels had declined, but sometimes, he was not particularly clever. He did not know how to handle situations.
Liu Chuanfeng dispersed the women in a hurry. With a clatter, the bowls and chopsticks in their hands fell to the ground. He picked them up in a hurry, conjuring a stream of water to clean them. He set up the table himself with a frown and a pout, like a young wife who had been wronged.
Hua Chengzan clasped his hands. “Elder Sun, long time no see.” There was an additional sense of closeness and sincerity in his voice now.
“What elder Sun? Just call me Fubai.” Sun Fubai grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand. “Young man, we meet again. I never thought you’d actually come here.”
“I didn’t think you’d be a person of the school of Novels either, Fubai.” Li Qingshan hinted at something else. This old man’s plans sure ran deep.
Sun Fubai said, “Sigh, you’ve seen the situation for yourself. The school of Novels isn’t going through a very optimistic situation right now. Surely you don’t blame me when I made you fill in those three words!”
Li Qingshan asked, “Why would I? If it weren’t for you, Fubai, I’d have nowhere to go right now. Although it’s a bit below standard here, it’s quiet, so it’s good for cultivation.”
“You can eat now,” Liu Chuanfeng said quietly.
Sun Fubai raised a hand. “Please!”
At the feast, they exchanged toasts and poured alcohol for one another. Xiao An said nothing, and Liu Chuanfeng could not butt in either, but with Hua Chengzan and Sun Fubai’s presence, there was plenty of talking. Combined with the beautiful scenery of the bamboo, it was possible to say that everyone was delighted.
In the afternoon, Li Qingshan arrived by the edge of the lake with Hua Chengzan.
The expansive mist stretched as far as the eye could see.
Hua Chengzan thought about how he would say it before telling Wang Pushi’s warning to Li Qingshan euphemistically. There was so much euphemism that if Li Qingshan had not been listening carefully, he would have believed that Wang Pushi was giving him words of encouragement.
Li Qingshan said, “Even if he didn’t warn me, I wouldn’t waste my time on something like that. Oh right, what’s going on with He Yishi?”
Hua Chengzan told him the entire truth, about how He Yishi had hinted at Li Qingshan being the murderer in his statement to the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan was furious. “What a scoundrel! I saved his life time and time again, yet not only does he not know to show any gratitude, but he has actually stabbed me in the back instead. It’s no wonder why he was afraid to talk to me earlier.” He was not a generous and forgiving person. Letting his enemies go without exacting revenge was not in his blood. He would definitely find an opportunity to teach He Yishi a proper lesson and get his revenge.
Hua Chengzan reminded him. “Killing is forbidden in the academy. If you kill someone here, no one will be able to protect you.”
Li Qingshan said, “I’ll just throw a sack over his head and give him a beating.”
“If you’re going to do it, do it cleanly. Don’t leave behind any evidence.” Hua Chengzan smiled.
Li Qingshan smiled too. “I don’t think that’s something a disciple of legalism should say.”
“Li Qingshan, as the Scarlet Wolf commander of the Clear River prefecture, I hereby declare your arrest! Prepare to be punished under the laws of the empire!” Hua Chengzan suddenly grew stern before smiling again, “Is that more like it?”
The changes in his expression were like going from winter to spring. The ice on the lake cracked, and the water spring’s water gushed out, melting the ice unknowingly and turning it into a lake of warm water.
Li Qingshan could not help but think about a saying from his past life. “There are no women in the world who can resist a smile from Jiang Feng, nor are there any heroes who can resist a gentle strike from Yan Nantian.” Hua Chengzan possessed Jiang Feng’s charms from the legends, while he probably could only develop his strength like Yan Nantian1.
“Tsktsk, there probably aren’t a lot of women in the world who can resist your charm. It’s no wonder that sect master Qiu is so infatuated with you.”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “We’re just friends.”
Li Qingshan said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re friends or not. If she’s interested in me, I would never turn her down.”
Hua Chengzan said, “If it’s not mutual, yet you stay together, it’ll only make you lonelier.”
Li Qingshan said, “I think you just have nothing better to do.”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “You can say that.”
Li Qingshan was helpless over how unperturbed he was. He thought of something and made fun of him. “Though, don’t tell me you have some special interests with how you went as far as to offend your friends to help me?”
Hua Chengzan replied seriously, “You overestimate yourself.”
Li Qingshan snickered. He studied him and said, “Surely I’m passable.”
Hua Chengzan could no longer stand it anymore either. “Someone told me to take care of you.”
Li Qingshan said, “You’re finally telling the truth. It’s Gu Yanying, isn’t it?”
Hua Chengzan was slightly stunned, or even rather irritated, by how he had suddenly called her by name. However, he had great control over himself, so he showed none of it on the surface. All he did was ask, “How did you know?”
Li Qingshan said, “I might not be the cleverest, but I do have some wits about me. It’s impossible for boss Wang to get you to take care of me. He utterly loathes me. The commander loathes me, yet you still need to take care of me. That means that the person’s status is even higher than boss Wang, such that even boss Wang has to listen to them. The only person I’ve seen who is as important as that is Gu Yanying.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Smart. Your analysis is impressive.”
Li Qingshan became carried away. “And, I’m confident enough to say that you’re interested in her.”
“Oh? How come?”
Li Qingshan said, “You’re not even fazed when someone as fantastic as sect master Qiu takes a liking to you, and you don’t like men either, so that can only mean you have someone else you like. Even I have only seen a single woman who completely surpasses sect master Qiu in terms of charm. Great commander Gu probably doesn’t treat me with any importance at all, so she probably just told you to take care of me without proper thought. Just a single careless word from her is enough for you to uphold it like strict orders, even going as far as to offend your friends for me. You can’t just call that loyalty to your commanding officer anymore.”
Hua Chengzan said, “You’re far too modest. You don’t just have your wits about you. You’re the cleverest.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then you really shouldn’t take care of me.”
“Why?”
Li Qingshan grinned. “Because we’re rivals.”
Even Hua Chengzan was left surprised for quite a while before erupting in laughter, laughing so hard that he had to lean on his knees.
“Alright you, Li Qingshan. It has been quite a while since I’ve laughed so hard. Pfft, rivals. Hahahaha! This is just too interesting.”
Li Qingshan looked at him with a smile. He was as firm as a rock excavated from a ravine. Clearly, he was not joking.
Hua Chengzan stopped laughing, but he continued to smile, “Do you know what we look like?”
“What?”
“We look like two ants fighting over a mountain. Oi, go away, this is my territory. But we can’t even move a single rock.”
Li Qingshan said, “Even if we’re ants, as long as we climb as hard as we can, there’ll be a day when we climb to the top of the mountain.”
“Climb? Don’t you understand? The mountain is rapidly growing taller. By the time you take a tiny step, it has already grown ten times higher. Wake up!”
Li Qingshan said confidently, “You underestimate me.”
Hua Chengzan said, “Alright. Then I’ll definitely have to take even better care of you and see just how long you can climb for.”
Li Qingshan was instead surprised. “I’m obviously going to climb until I die. Don’t tell me you’ve turned pursuing a woman into everything there is in life?”
He had set himself a distant goal, and he would be doing all that he could to strive towards it, but he did not treat the goal as his absolute meaning of existence. Whether it was Gu Yanying or venturing beyond the Nine Heavens, if he died half way, killed off by someone, then all he would do was shrug and apologise to brother ox.
This was both an imprint from his past life and a deep impression he had gained from this life. The hunger and cold in the cowshed filled the boy cowherd’s mind with only wearing cotton clothes and eating meat. Right now, his goals were only equivalent to larger cotton clothes and more delicious meat. He understood the value of these two items more than anyone else. The warmth of cotton clothes to warm a person’s heart, and the delicious taste of meat surpassed all pills and medicines. They were not divine. He could strive towards them with his own two hands.
“I have nothing better to do, but you won’t understand this feeling.” Hua Chengzan smiled.
PS: Yep, just as expected, it doesn’t hurt anymore today. Haha, I’m so young and full of energy, so why would I develop any occupational illnesses- Ah, my hand, it’s so numb, I can’t feel any-
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1. The saying comes from Gulong’s wuxia novel, Juedai Shuangjiao, which you can read more about from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juedai_Shuangjiao
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Chapter 298 – The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots
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Chapter 298 – The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots
Li Qingshan said seriously, “You’ll regret it when the time comes.”
Hua Chengzan stared at Li Qingshan. Gradually, the corner of his lips curled up uncontrollably, and he broke out in laughter again.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. “Have you laughed enough?”
Hua Chengzan used Li Qingshan’s shoulder to support himself. “Sorry, sorry. I really couldn’t help myself.” After laughing for a while longer, he said, “I’m willing to take care of you not just because of what she said. You’re far too interesting. If you were a little more delicate in terms of appearance, you really might be passable.”
A chill ran down Li Qingshan’s spine as he was filled with disgust now that Hua Chengzan had quipped him with the exact same remark.
Hua Chengzan took off in the wind as he laughed aloud, flying off into the sky. His smile gradually vanished as he muttered to himself, “Is it regret?”
Li Qingshan turned around and returned to the courtyard. He saw Liu Chuanfeng hugging the jar of alcohol, directly pouring it into his mouth. Sun Fubai seemed to be trying to calm him down on the side.
Liu Chuangfeng ignored him. He placed down the jar of alcohol heavily and said, “In order to prepare these dishes, I had to pay out of my own pocket. When other school leaders eat in the Hundred Flavours restaurant, the owner personally comes out to welcome them. They can eat whatever they want, and it won’t even cost them a single spiritual stone. Yet, I just have to pay like everyone else. If I try to haggle the price, I get people rolling their eyes at me. What’s all this for? All of this is so you’ll recognise the school of Novels and learn the arts of the school!”
Sun Fubai said, “Junior brother, you should stop saying all of this!”
“Xiao An, let’s go.” As Li Qingshan said that, he brushed past Liu Chuanfeng, acting like he was not even there.
Xiao An leapt up and made her way into the depths of the bamboo building with him.
Liu Chuanfeng was taken aback. Suddenly, he smashed the jar of alcohol on the ground. “Go, just go. You’re all the same. You all look down on me.”
Li Qingshan abruptly stopped. He said without looking back, “Liu Chuanfeng, please have some dignity, and perhaps you’ll earn some of my respect. However, if acting and complaining like a madman just because you’ve had a little to drink is all that you know, you truly don’t deserve any respect at all. Why don’t you think about the reason why the school of Novels has declined to its current state!”
Liu Chuanfeng was speechless.
“Well said!” A man with a long hat walked over slowly. His appearance was thin and simple. He was the leader of the school of Yin-yang, Ma Buyi.
Sun Fubai thought, The Cloudwisp island really hasn’t been so lively before. It’s him who has brought in this new breath of life, but how long can it last for?
Li Qingshan said, “Greetings, school leader. May I ask what has brought you here, sir?”
Sure enough, Ma Buyi’s gaze landed on Xiao An. His eyes were filled with amazement and eagerness, “I’ve come for Xiao An. Have you heard of the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots?”
Li Qingshan shook his head. Sun Fubai instead exclaimed, “Is it the ultimate esoteric technique of the school of Yin-yang, the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots?”
Sun Fubai gave an explanation, and Li Qingshan learned that the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots was originally an ancient cultivation method passed down through the ages. It was worth even more than the school of Buddhism’s Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual, and it was extremely difficult to practise too. Not only did it require extremely sharp senses for yin, yang, and the five elements, it also required the person to be able to wield yin, yang, and the five elements freely. Even in ancient times, not a lot of people could practise it.
However, once they achieved success with it, they would be able to unleash extraordinary power. As long as they were interested in learning, they basically could use all the techniques of the various elements of the present day. And, the most powerful aspect of the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots was not even in battle, but in divination. They would be able to conduct divination with seven lots, allowing them to know about the past and future and forecast any good or ill omens.
“Xiao An is the most suitable successor for this esoteric technique.” Ma Buyi’s eyes lit up. He was eager to see the effects of this esoteric technique of the school of Yin-yang once Xiao An learnt it.
Li Qingshan said, “Xiao An is still a disciple of the school of Buddhism after all. I’m afraid this isn’t something we can decide on.”
Ma Buyi said, “I’ve already discussed it with the One Thought master. He has agreed for her to learn it.”
“Wouldn’t the two different cultivation methods clash?” Li Qingshan was rather surprised. He never expected the One Thought master to be so generous, allowing his own primary disciples to spend time and effort on the cultivation methods of other schools.
“You have no idea. There are many differences that exist among ancient cultivation methods and cultivation methods of the present day. In particular, it differs tremendously with buddhist cultivation methods. It won’t clash with the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual.”
“But she’ll definitely end up slowing down with her cultivation.” Li Qingshan immediately hit the main issue.
The reason why the One Thought master had agreed to Ma Buyi’s request was because Xiao An cultivated just too quickly, which made him rather afraid for some reason. He did not know about the encompassing vows recorded within the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. All of it was just a monk’s hunch.
“That’s true, but I think it’s worth it. As a Heavenly Meridians prodigy, it might be smooth sailing for Xiao An as a Qi Practitioner, without any obstructions at all, but once she reaches Foundation Establishment, she won’t have this advantage anymore. And, if she continues onwards, each step will only become even more difficult to take. Clearly, a foundation is extremely important, so why not use this period of advantage to make her foundation even firmer?”
Li Qingshan found it to be quite reasonable. He asked Xiao An, “What do you think?”
Like an adult, Xiao An lowered her head and pondered for a while. She glanced at Li Qingshan before nodding in agreement.
With Xiao An’s agreement, Ma Buyi let out a smile. He was an extremely clever and observant person. Looking at the circumstances, he thought, Li Qingshan really is very important to her. Does she want to slow down her cultivation and wait for him?
However, that was not Xiao An’s objective. It was unlike what the One Thought master and the other school leaders were predicting either. As a matter of fact, it was the exact opposite. She was worried that they would separate and end up in different worlds, but she was afraid that she would be the one to fall behind.
In the past, the black ox had once told her, “His path will be extremely dangerous. You’ll need to do everything you can to keep up with his footsteps. If you don’t think you can persevere, just give up on the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty!”
But how was it possible for her to give up? Whether it be the Guardian King’s Method of Demon Subdual or the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, it was all like comparing a rock to a mountain before the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Her cultivation speed was not actually that fast. Once Li Qingshan transformed, her cultivation would even be slightly lower than his, as the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was simply too profound. Even with her comprehension, each step was extremely difficult to take. All she did before was use the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty as a foundation before disguising herself as a regular person, which was why she managed to achieve the miracle of reaching the sixth layer in a single day and night.
This body condensed by the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty might have been an amazing Heavenly Meridians prodigy to others, but to her, it was just an empty beauty, no different from the illusionary reflection of the moon in water.
Compared to Li Qingshan’s dual cultivation as a human and daemon, it might seem like there were two sides to her too, but there was actually just a single path in front of her, the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Of course, she could discard that path and only focus on the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. With the advantage brought on by the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, it would be nothing difficult for her to reach Foundation Establishment or even higher.
However, the requirements that the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty placed on the cultivator were not just talent and comprehension, but willpower and disposition too. If her pursuit of great beauty surpassed her nature of white bones, if she treated the buddhist dharma with more importance than this cultivation method, then this supernatural ability would become much more difficult if she ever wanted to return to it.
At the very least, there was no one in this world who could overcome this fact. Even with Xiao An’s talent and comprehension, she was unable to reopen a closed door. She still wanted to accompany Li Qingshan to beyond the Nine Heavens, so how could she give up on a mountain for the sake of a rock?
On the Ice Sword cliff, she too had witnessed the moment when the black ox struck out. She was no less shaken up by it than Li Qingshan. If the black ox was looking forward to a day when Li Qingshan could stand beside someone like that, just what was she supposed to do to remain by his side? The Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual or the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots? Quit joking.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was her only choice.
As a result, even without Ma Buyi, she would still slow down her cultivation. This just happened to provide her with a good excuse. Moreover, polishing a rock could assist her in understanding the mountain too.
She was quite interested in the divination techniques of the ancient cultivations, as while the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty did include techniques like that, her cultivation was still too low right now. It was beyond her reach. Right now, all she could do was start with the simple stuff and gain a prior understanding as some preparation for the future.
Ma Buyi said, “This isn’t a place for me to pass this onto you. Come back to Antiquity island with me!”
Xiao An glanced at Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan smiled. “Go and cultivate properly with school leader Ma. I just happen to be planning to cultivate in the afternoon.”
After seeing off Xiao An, Li Qingshan was about to return to his room to cultivate with some pills.
Liu Chuanfeng suddenly stood up. “I- I have a good place for cultivation here.”
“Oh?”
Liu Chuanfeng brought Li Qingshan into the depths of the courtyard. There was an empty space around the centre of the huge courtyard. The surroundings were all sealed up. Li Qingshan had not discovered this place during the morning.
There was a formation engraved on the empty ground. It was very similar to the Spirit Gathering formation Li Qingshan had once seen in the seclusion room in the Hawkwolf Guard, but it was much larger and more complicated. The grooves had already been filled with spiritual stones too, and they seemed different from regular, inferior spiritual stones.
Li Qingshan wanted to extend his hand over, but he was immediately forced back by a great power. He was unable to take a single step towards the formation. He could feel that even if he transformed, he would not be able to smash through this power.
Liu Chuanfeng took out his waist tablet. The waist tablets of school leaders were different from those of regular disciples. They were extremely detailed. Half of it depicted clouds, but various figures, plants, and beasts were conjured within the clouds. Every single one of them were as small as a mustard seed, yet they were also depicted in minute detail.
Liu Chuanfeng raised the tablet, and the formation flashed gently, producing a thrum. It was like some kind of mechanism had been activated. Liu Chuanfeng invited Li Qingshan to enter.
Li Qingshan made his way into the formation. This time, nothing obstructed him.
As soon as he set foot in the formation, Li Qingshan felt an extremely pure and tremendous energy. It was much more powerful than the energy in the Hawkwolf Guard’s seclusion room.
And, he could even sense that the formation did not just gather the spiritual qi of the world. There was also some kind of huge, complicated system that resonated with it.
Li Qingshan was right. It was the tremendous formation that enveloped the entire academy. The formation on Cloudwisp island was one of its components.
To be chosen by the Academy of the Hundred Schools, the Lake of Dragons and Snakes had always been a rare blessed land, while the islands chosen by the nine standard schools were blessed lands among blessed lands. Spiritual veins crossed through below each island, while the place where they chose to build the formations were on the openings of the spiritual veins.
Gathered through the formation, the spiritual qi had reached an unbelievable density. It was quite a rare holy land for cultivation. However, only the various school leaders had the right to cultivate there. Even the primary disciples did not have the right.
However, with how much the school of Novels had already declined, the various rules only existed in name now. Liu Chuanfeng had witnessed Li Qingshan’s wealth before too, so he was unable to think of anything aside from this that could interest him.
Standing in the formation, Li Qingshan gained a deeper understanding of the importance of “environment” out of the four crucial elements to cultivation—wealth, companionship, method, and environment. If he cultivated here, it would be countless times more effective even if Qi Practitioners were unable to absorb the spiritual qi of the world.
And, he could absorb the spiritual qi of the world. His cultivation as a Qi Practitioner was about to take a qualitative leap forward.
He was unable to completely understand the value of this formation, but he knew that he had to pay spiritual stones whenever he used any facilities according to the rules of the academy. He was just about to ask.
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Cultivate well.” before turning around and leaving. Originally, he wanted to use his drunkenness to speak a few words of truth and touch Li Qingshan, but he never expected it to achieve the exact opposite effect. He was completely dejected now. He had already given up on hope. If a person like him practised the arts of the school of Novels, it truly would be a waste!
Looking at Liu Chuanfeng’s rather lonely figure, Li Qingshan said, “Hold on.”
Liu Chuanfeng turned around, and Li Qingshan said sincerely, “Thank you!”
Liu Chuanfeng forced out a smile. “You’re welcome. You’re the only disciple of our school of Novels after all.”
“But I’m very sorry.” Li Qingshan kept clear tabs on his debts of kindness. He had to pay him back, but he could not waste his precious time on a futureless cultivation method as a form of payback.
Liu Chuanfeng said, “There’s no need to say anything. I understand. I won’t try to force you into it anymore.”
Li Qingshan said, “Why must you write those kinds of books?”
Liu Chuanfeng lowered his head and clenched his fist. “I don’t want to write that stuff either. You know that the novels I write are, are trash. But no one is willing to read what I write seriously. If no one reads my novels, I can’t gather any power of belief.”
“Then why don’t you just abandon the cultivation method of the school of Novels? With your cultivation at the tenth layer, all you need to do is put in a bit of work, and there’s a great chance that you’ll reach Foundation Establishment.”
“If I do that, I’ll just be a regular cultivator, and the path of the school of Novels will really end for good. The previous school leader, who was also my master, held my hand before he passed away, telling me to continue the legacy of the school of Novels. You might look down on me, but regardless of what you think of me, I’m a novelist!”
With that, a great burden seemed to be lifted from Liu Chuanfeng’s shoulders. He raised his head and murmured, “Master, I’ve done everything I can.”
“Revitalising the school of Novels is not necessarily impossible,” Li Qingshan suddenly said at this moment.
Liu Chuanfeng turned around in a hurry. “You’re willing to practise the arts of my school of Novels?”
Li Qingshan said, “I never said that.”
“Then…?”
“However, I might be able to help you. Though, I do have one condition. Recall and destroy all of those… novels.”
Liu Chuanfeng wanted to object instinctually. Those pieces of trash were all the treasure he had left.
“There’s no need to panic. Time is not scarce, whether it’s for you or for me. You have plenty of time to think about it. Whether it’s ten days or a hundred days, I await your answer.” With that, Li Qingshan entered the centre of the formation. He crossed his legs and sat down, closing his eyes and meditating.
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Chapter 299 – The Night of the Rise of the School of Novels
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Chapter 299 – The Night of the Rise of the School of Novels
Li Qingshan roused from his meditative state. By then, the moon had already risen to the centre of the sky, illuminating the ground with a silver glow.
The moonlight carved up the rows upon rows of bamboo structures into light and shadows.
On the ground, a pillar of light rose up into the air, complementing the moonlight.
Suddenly, he realised that he was in the pillar of light. It was the light gathered by the formation.
Within his sea of qi, his true qi became even more plentiful. Under the suppression of the spirit turtle and the purification of the sumeru ring, it was like a clear, boundless lake, sitting still without the slightest ripple. However, as long as he needed to, he could create great waves in it and destroy everything before him.
Li Qingshan smiled. With the assistance of this formation, there were no longer any obstacles to him as a Qi Practitioner. He made his way out of the formation and followed the crisscrossing corridors, returning to his residence, a bamboo building by the lake.
After he had chosen it in the morning, he did not even have the time to tidy through it.
He was about to stay for a very long time in the academy, so he had to tidy and clean it properly.
Lantern light shimmered in the bamboo structure, along with a few soft voices. Li Qingshan smiled and entered through the door.
Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai currently sat before one another. They turned their heads together. “Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan made his way over to the table and sat down. He asked nonchalantly, “Have you decided?”
“I have.” Liu Chuanfeng’s eyes were red as if he had cried earlier. Agreeing to Li Qingshan’s condition was equivalent to casting aside all of his hard work in the past. It also meant that all the characters he had created one by one would leave him forever, never to appear in this world again.
Even if they were all fake, without the slightest sense of liveliness, they had accompanied him through countless days and nights after all. If it were not for Sun Fubai’s persuasions, he would have never decided in such a short amount of time.
Sun Fubai said, “When the sun rises, I’ll order people to recall and destroy those novels.”
Li Qingshan said, “Then there’s no need for that. You can just let them fade away by themselves.”
“Huh?” Liu Chuanfeng widened his eyes.
Li Qingshan said, “All I need is your determination. I hate people who don’t want to sacrifice anything and just want to sit there, waiting for someone else to come save them. Fortunately, you’re not one of them.”
As if he had been saved from a hopeless situation, Liu Chuanfeng grabbed Li Qingshan’s hands and thanked him incessantly.
After he calmed down, Li Qingshan said, “Then let’s begin!”
“How do we begin?” Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai looked at one another.
Li Qingshan shrugged. “By teaching me the cultivation method of the school of Novels of course.”
“Y- you’re willing to learn?” Liu Chuanfeng asked in disbelief. Li Qingshan had been quite firm with his attitude originally.
“Not necessarily. I need to understand it first, but there’s a possibility that I’ll learn it. I’m not the saviour of the world. It’s not like I can save the school of Novels without even understanding the predicament it’s in,” Li Qingshan said obviously. The principle he followed was going all the way, or not even starting.
Liu Chuanfeng was emotional, but Sun Fubai was slightly worried. Could it still be revived when fresh, new blood was channeled into this old, rotting body? Or would the blood just go to waste along with it?
But regardless of all that, the school of Novels that had halted for many years began to advance forwards once again.
“Senior brother, you tell him!”
Sun Fubai cleared his throat and began the lesson.
The cultivation method of the school of Novels was not difficult to practise. As a matter of fact, there was not even the need to practise a different cultivation method. Just using the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi as a foundation was enough. All that was needed was to condense a divine talisman within the body.
Divine talismans could be regarded as a type of spiritual talisman, but it was no ordinary spiritual talisman. Spiritual talismans were documents of the world. Cultivators could use them to connect with the world. However, divine talismans could connect with another special power, which was the power of belief that came from the minds of living beings.
Cultivators with divine talismans would possess special characteristics that regular people believed belonged to gods. The name of the divine talisman was the Talisman of Great Creation.
In the distant past, the ancient cultivator copied the twisted shape of the underground spiritual vein. That was the basic form of the Talisman of Great Creation. The first step for a disciple of novels was to condense this divine talisman.
This was not anything difficult to Li Qingshan. He estimated that he could complete it within ten days at most. His high jia affinity for water played a crucial role here.
However, this was only the most simple step to a disciple of novels. Gathering the power of belief and strengthening this divine talisman was the hardest part.
Writing a legendary novel was anything but easy, but in Li Qingshan’s past life, he had witnessed many people achieve a feat like that! He had personally witnessed the birth of many legendary characters. With the existence of the Divine Talisman of Great Creation, they would definitely be able to appear in this world alive.
Then, what was he supposed to do right now? Which book was he supposed to copy?
Seeing how Li Qingshan was now willing to learn the cultivation method of the school of Novels and that there was no need for him to destroy his novels anymore, Liu Chuanfeng recovered mentally. He said proudly, “You might look down on me, but writing novels really isn’t easy. In terms of writing novels, you probably can’t match me.”
Li Qingshan agreed deeply. He had never been someone who could sit down and write novels. He could not recall all those words from his past life, but even if he did, could it change anything at all?
Those stories that catered to modern tastes would probably fail to conform to the norms of people of the current age. In the end, they would just be written off as a madman’s spoutings. Even if he managed to create a legendary classic through plagiarism, just how many years would it take before it took off? Even if he succeeded in the end, against all odds, it would all just be about him. It was not saving the school of Novels.
Sun Fubai had thought of this problem a long time ago. He sighed with worry. “It’s not that easy!”
Li Qingshan said confidently, “I think you’ve been missing the most critical issue!”
“What?”
“Whether it’s novels or the divine talisman, they’re just components to the process. The most critical aspect is the medium!”
“What does medium mean?” This new vocabulary left Sun Fubai and Liu Chuanfeng rather perplexed.
Li Qingshan gave a slight explanation. “It’s the same as the channels of distribution. Even if you can write the novels, it’s useless if no one reads them.”
Liu Chuanfeng still did not understand. “If you think that’s the issue, then you’re completely underestimating us.”
Only then did Li Qingshan learn that Sun Fubai possessed an extremely large business within the world of regular people. All the major publishing houses of the Clear River prefecture were under his name. As long as Liu Chuanfeng wrote something, no matter how unimpressive the content was, it could be printed in mass quantity using the printers created by the school of Mohism. Then, it would be distributed to the book stores in various places. Every single book could be sold for a low price, or even given away for free, but it was all useless.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Is that it?”
“How else are you supposed to do it?” Liu Chuanfeng asked.
Li Qingshan said, “I was born in a tiny mountain village. There was not a single bookstore there. I went over a dozen years without reading a single book. You could count the number of people who can read there on a single hand.”
“So what?” Liu Chuanfeng was confused. It was very normal for those ignorant people of mountain villages to be unable to read. Even regular scholars looked down on these people, let alone mighty Qi Practitioners.
However, Sun Fubai seemed to pick up on something.
Then Li Qingshan said, “You said earlier that the officials who rule over a region from the school of Confucianism also condense a divine talisman in their bodies, right?”
“Yeah, the divine talisman is called the Talisman of Great Virtue. It’s actually just the school of Daoism’s original Talisman of Merit.”
Merit was an extremely important concept to ancient cultivators. The difficulty of cultivation and the threats of daemons and monsters forced them to use all the power available to them.
These two divine talismans used completely different powers from the minds of people. One was belief, while the other was gratitude. After doing good, people would often establish memorial tablets and tend to it daily out of gratitude towards their benefactors.
Although Talismans of Merit could not turn fiction into reality like the Talisman of Great Creation, it did build up good fortune and could nullify calamities.
In that chaotic age when daemons ran amuck, luck was even more important than power. Cultivators would often face awkward situations like running into a dog after taking a turn, only for it to be a Daemon General. No matter how talented you were, the only fate that awaited you was becoming a snack.
What, you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Do you really think Daemon Commanders won’t be strolling around? If not them, what about powerful members of the otherfolk and terrifying demonic cultivators?
The power of the individual was just too miniscule. Even if they hid for their entire lives and cultivated in seclusion, bad luck would still be unavoidable.
As a result, learning divination and building up merit became crucial aspects to cultivators. Being able to forecast these situations or being in possession of some additional luck to avoid these situations were critical.
But in this day and age, there was no need to worry about those situations anymore. Although cultivators still contended and competed against one another, all of it seemed extremely gentle and cute before daemons, otherfolk, and demons.
As a result, devoting effort into accumulating merit was not particularly useful anymore. Only the worthless disciples of the school of Confucianism would take the path of officialdom, which made quite a lot of cultivators lament over the collapse of virtue and how people were not like how they used to be anymore.
Sun Fubai asked, “Qingshan, you mean?”
Li Qingshan said, “I mean you’ve mistaken your identities right from the very beginning. The school of Novels is not about how to write stories, but like the officials from the school of Confucianism, to manage this land that stretches fifteen hundred kilometers and get as many people as possible to become disseminators of the stories.”
“You might think that these people are very ignorant, but since when did we need clever people? Isn’t it exactly the ignorant who believed in ghosts and monsters, which made them real? To be honest, I hold no prejudice against you for writing those things. I just dislike it, but just because I dislike it, it doesn’t mean that everyone dislikes it.”
“I believe they don’t have any particularly high requirements for stories. As a matter of fact, I think they would much prefer those stories that you write to those poems and lyrics written by great confucian scholars. An audience for the literarily supreme can never surpass an audience for the good and simple.”
Liu Wenchuan’s eyes lit up. If he really managed to achieve that, breaking through to Foundation Establishment would become anything but difficult. However, he was still distressed. “But they can’t read!” Surely he could not spend a few years teaching old farmers how to read!
“This is just the most long-term plan and strategy. We might not be able to teach old farmers how to read, but can’t we just teach children? It’s not like we lack money. All we need to do is establish a few hundred or a few thousand private institutions… of hope and teach children how to read for free. There’ll be a day when they become the footstone of the school of Novels.”
Sun Fubai was also stunned by Li Qingshan’s plan. His insight had completely exceeded their imaginations. Even the school of Confucianism that focused on education without discrimination and enriching the public had never thought of setting up these private institutions… of hope, hoping they would never learn to read and just continue their peaceful lives as simple people.
This plan just seemed so logical. They had only ever thought about how to write touching novels, not how to nurture readers, much less from these ignorant farmers who stood at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Perhaps, it was exactly because he came from a mountain village that he could come up with this idea!
The idea of private institutions of hope was utterly fantastic. They could even use novels as materials for education, but obviously not with what Liu Chuanfeng wrote. After all, he was the one who was determined for Liu Chuanfeng to destroy these books in the first place. They felt like a light bulb had lit up before them, and as they thought about it, the light bulb turned into a scorching sun very soon.
Li QIngshan gave them time to digest the ideas. Then he said, “If we look closer, it’s not just written words that can spread stories!”
In the day and age he originally came from, there still were not a lot of people who were willing to sit down and read. However, through the various mediums available, they still managed to create more “gods” within the past twenty years than the past two thousand years.
Sun Fubai’s mind had been opened. “Do you mean?”
“We need storytellers, singers, actors, everyone and anyone who can disseminate our stories. Afterwards, we’ll band them together and form- form an association, called the Cloudwisp association.” Li Qingshan extended his right hand; he suddenly closed it before swinging it. “We’ll get them to travel to every corner of the Clear River prefecture to spread the stories we write.”
These people were truly of the bottom class in this world. They were despised wherever they went. Their statuses were even lower than farmers. Who knew how many worlds separated Qi Practitioners from them, yet they needed to use their power right now. Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai would have never even thought of this, but with further thought, they found it very reasonable.
When Li Qingshan originally said he could save the school of Novels, they were not completely convinced. They were thinking about just trying whatever he said for the moment. But now, they were completely convinced. This idea could definitely work. If they went with Li Qingshan’s ideas, the school of Novels had a future.
“Stop bending over your desk and writing. Go outside and build all of this. It might take some time, but as long as you succeed, there’ll be quite a lot of people who’ll believe you even if you say the world will end next year. What kind of power will we have then? The power to end the world?” Li Qingshan said jokingly.
Sun Fubai and Liu Chuanfeng had never been so excited before. There was only a single thought in their heads—the school of Novels could be saved!
“Fubai, this will be very troublesome to achieve, so you’ll need to use your forces among regular people. We’ll need to recruit as many helpers as we can to achieve this bit by bit.”
Sun Fubai smiled and waved his hand. “It won’t be troublesome; it won’t be troublesome at all.” With his age, his cultivation had halted a long time ago. There was no longer a lot of meaning in continuing with it. However, if he really succeeded with this, it would be possible for his cultivation to advance even further and reach a realm he had never even imagined originally.
The power gathered by the divine talisman was a power that surpassed the conventions of cultivation in the first place. Whether it was for the school of Novels or for himself, he had to do his best.
On this night with a bright moon, the reason for the rise of the school of Novels was planted.
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Chapter 300 – A New Beginning
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Chapter 300 – A New Beginning
In a plaza, an old man in an old set of clothes stood before a square table on a tall platform, eloquently telling the story of how the founding emperor conquered the tribes of the west. While the passers-by all knew about this piece of history, he managed to tell it with cadence, so it was still enough to captivate the entire teahouse full of customers such that they even forgot to eat the snacks before them.
Sun Shuping was originally a scholar, but just like most other scholars, he failed to make a name for himself through studying. There was a saying that the most useless existence was a scholar. Once any hope of scholarly or official posts were lost, those who did well would become aides or private advisors, while those who did poorly would start up a private institution and serve as a teacher. Of course, there were people who ended up as beggars on the streets too.
He did neither well nor poorly. Because of his nimble tongue, he managed to study under an old storyteller, which allowed him to become a storyteller himself. Combined with the fact that he was literate and had read extensively, he surpassed his master in this area. Before he knew it, a few decades had already passed, and he had basically made a small name for himself.
A series of harsh bird cries rang out. Sun Shuping’s mouth did not stop, but he looked over with a frown. He saw a swollen man in silks enter the plaza with a birdcage. He pushed his way to the front boldly, sitting down right in front of the platform.
As if it were frightened, the bird’s caws were even sharper now, which garnered furious gazes from everyone. However, they also seemed to be afraid of the fatty’s authority, so they dared not say anything.
Sun Shuping could not help but stop. He smiled at the fatty. “Sir, you can’t bring birds into the plaza, so please hang your birdcage outside?”
The fatty rolled his eyes. “Hang it outside? Do you know how much my bird is worth? If I lose it, are you supposed to compensate me? You tell your stories, and it’ll caw by itself. Let’s see which one is more pleasant. Don’t worry, you won’t be missing out on any money from me at all. It’ll be much more than these penniless people.”
Sun Shuping’s frown grew even wider now. With a smack, he slapped the table. “To be continued! Be sure to not miss out!” He ended with this iconic phrase that never changed, leaving with an exaggerated swing of his arm.
Praises rang out in the plaza. Clearly, it was not just because of the story that he told, but also because of the quality of the storytelling. They tossed many copper coins onto the platform.
His disciple, Li’l Rock, scurried onto the platform, picking up the money while clasping his hands and bowing. He looked just like a little monkey, which led to a roar of laughter.
“Ouch!” Li’l Rock exclaimed and fell to the ground. His forehead began to bleed as a bloody silver coin fell down on the platform.
Sun Shuping helped up his disciple in a hurry and exclaimed while pointing at the fatty. “You!”
“Keep going. Tell me some more. I have plenty of money!” The fatty sneered as he tossed a handful of silver pieces up and down in his hand. “If I support you, then you’re something, but if I don’t, you’re just a damned storyteller. How dare you turn against me? Don’t you know who I am? I’ll pelt you to death with money.”
A golden streak of light flew up from below, striking the fatty’s head before bouncing onto the platform. It was a gold piece.
The fatty’s head had already become covered in blood. He had directly fainted.
“Mister Sun? Our boss invites you to meet him.” A burly man flashed somehow and arrived right in front of Sun Shuping.
Li’l Rock saw the gold piece and rushed over while holding his head. He picked up the gold piece and bit it. He cried out in joy. “Master, it’s real gold! And what a big piece it is!” His head no longer hurt anymore. He had never touched gold before in his entire life.
Children that grew up in the plaza were not particularly precious. Sun Shuping felt rather pained instead. Storytelling was a lowly trade. Anyone could curse them if they wished. He had been through plenty of that in the past, but he did not want this child to suffer his entire life with him. He made up his mind to make him change his future profession.
As he thought about these miscellaneous things, he arrived before a private room on the second floor. He lifted up the bamboo curtain and saw an old man in glowing health seated there. The clothes on him were not particularly fancy, but he could tell with a single glance that they were made out of the best, most comfortable material. He did not give off an air of arrogance either. However, just by sitting there calmly, he stood out.
With the insight he had developed over many years, he could tell that the “noble” before him was not a person who would come to a place like this to listen to stories. It was more likely that he was a cultivator, which made him even more afraid of disrespecting him. He bowed politely. “This junior is Sun Shuping. Thank you for your assistance, sir.”
Sun Fubai studied this storyteller who was renowned in the local region of a hundred kilometers. He nodded slightly. He was satisfied with him, which only affirmed Li Qingshan’s idea. Through this storyteller, stories could become much more vivid and fascinating no matter how ordinary they were!
“Brother, have you heard of the Cloudwisp association?”
“I haven’t.”
“Well, now you have. This isn’t a place for us to speak. Come with me.” Sun Fubai directly stood up and made his way out the door. Li’l Rock just happened to be rubbing his head with one hand while holding the gold in the other, craning his neck in to peer around.
“But all I know is how to tell stories!” Sun Shuping was dumbfounded. He struggled to imagine just why a “noble” like him who casually tossed gold pieces at people, a legendary cultivator, would be looking for him, a storyteller.
“Then that’s more than enough.” Sun Fubai rubbed Li’l Rock’s head. “There’ll be plenty of gold.”
Li’l Rock immediately discovered that his head had stopped aching, and he had stopped bleeding too.
After leaving the Academy of the Hundred Schools, Sun Fubai immediately gathered the managers of the major publishing houses to give an announcement that they were recruiting people in the various cities and districts of the entire prefecture. At the same time, he personally visited the few most famous storytellers and bards within the prefecture.
According to Li Qingshan’s plan, the greatest use of these people were not as storytellers and bards, but as teachers. They could impart others with the experiences they had gathered throughout their lives, becoming the very core of the Cloudwisp association.
At the same time, in a corner of the prefecture, he had also found a manor to serve as the headquarters of the association. Propelled by absolute power and absolute wealth, the Cloudwisp association that Li Qingshan envisioned was established and built up rapidly. However, they were still uncertain about just when it could come into play and how great of an impact it could make.
As Sun Fubai ran around everywhere, Li Qingshan arrived on the school of Mohism’s Divine Mechanism island, ready for his first class in the academy.
He arrived below the huge, arched doors that were symbolic of the island. Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing were waiting for him there. The island was covered in various strange machines and tall structures. A group of wooden horse puppets galloped past, filled with a strange sense of vitality.
They entered a majestic, spiral-shaped structure, which unfortunately seemed more like a turd in Li Qingshan’s eyes; inside, it also swirled upwards. They basically stopped at around the height of the second or third storey and entered the room in the centre of the swirls.
The circular room was like an upside down conch. Quite a lot of people were already sitting in the stepped seating area, discussing with one another in small groups. Apart from the mohist disciples in navy blue, there were also many disciples from other schools in uniforms of different colours and designs.
Li Qingshan’s bluish-green of bamboo was unique compared to all of them, but he did not stand out in the crowd. However, all Qi Practitioners were people with sharp senses, so when they glanced over, the topic of their conversations changed silently.
“Oh? Isn’t this the primary disciple of the school of Novels, Li Qingshan?”
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Chapter 301 – Studying Artifact Forging for the First Time
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Chapter 301 – Studying Artifact Forging for the First Time
A mocking sneer rang out from the crowd.
Li Qingshan looked back with a raised eyebrow. He was unable to tell which ignorant person was trying to provoke him. Was it a daoist disciple under the slovenly old daoist? Or was it a buddhist disciple who was unhappy with Xiao An?
However, all he saw was a young man in white dressed like a scholar with two pretty girls beside him. Hmm? A confucian disciple.
“Who’re you supposed to be? State your name.”
Chu Tian sneered. “Don’t act like you don’t know me. This young master is Chu Tian.”
Li Qingshan found him to be slightly familiar. Suddenly, he remembered who he was. Wasn’t he the genius young man who was discovered to possess the Five Elements constitution during the elemental affinity test?
However, he had never had any contact with him, so why was he so antagonistic? He had no idea about how Chu Tian had lost a thousand spiritual stones because of him, but even if he did know about it, he would have still told him that it served him right.
Seeing how hostile Chu Tian was, Li Qingshan did not bother being polite either. He said indifferently, “I don’t have a habit of remembering the names of small fry.”
Chu Tian furrowed his brows, and he immediately lost his temper. Since young, never had anyone looked down on him so much.
“Alright you, Li Qingshan. I came here and insulted you a little. All you had to do was put up with it obediently and make me happy, and it’ll be your good fortune. Instead, you’re bold enough to even talk back. You have no idea just how much trouble you’ve made for yourself. I can see you’re quite a man of talent, so if you apologise to me right now and call me big brother, we’ll be brothers.”
Li Qingshan was utterly dumbfounded by this. He really had not seen such a piece of work before. Even his anger vanished. He looked at Chu Tian with a frown, turned his head, and asked Hao Pingyang, “Is there something wrong with this person’s head?”
Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing were dumbfounded too. They deeply agreed with that question. Never did they think that one of the three geniuses from the entrance examination this time, Chu Tian, would actually have something wrong with his head.
Although Li Qingshan’s identity as the primary disciple of the school of Novels garnered quite a lot of contempt or even hostility, all the people here were new disciples. Just who would want an enemy just for a moment of verbal pleasure? That was simply sheer stupidity.
However, this genius, Chu Tian, clearly had not considered that. He spouted a bunch of nonsense that even shocked the onlookers.
A girl beside Chu Tian grumbled, “How dare you speak to our big brother Tian like that? Don’t you know that our big brother Tian is-”
Before she had even finished, Li Qingshan had already pulled Hao Pingyang over, hiding behind him like he was hiding from a psycho. It immediately made her face redden.
Chu Tian was furious. “Li Qingshan, stop right there! Are you afraid of me? If you’re afraid, then call me big brother, or I’ll never spare you!”
Li Qingshan said, “In my entire life, there’s only a single person who I would call big brother. Compared to him, you’re like a turd. Stay away from me. Just because you’re a turd doesn’t mean I’m afraid to step on you.”
Their argument had already attracted quite a lot of attention. There was a roar of laughter with that.
Hao Pingyang laughed. “That’s one amazing metaphor.”
Hua Chenglu and Yu Zijian were there too. Under the guidance of their seniors, they knew this professor from the school of Mohism taught basic artifact forging the best.
Hua Chenglu smiled. Li Qingshan was still the same as when she first met him, as haughty and arrogant as he could be.
Chu Tian never thought he would instead become a laughing stock. He was utterly fuming. Just when he was about to blow his top, someone called out, “The professor is here.”
The disciples all returned to their seats. Chu Tian was utterly furious, but even he was not bold enough to begin fighting before a professor. There seemed to be quite a lot of freedom in the academy, but it still had rules, and these rules were upheld by the school of Legalism, which was renowned for their draconian administration.
Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing used this opportunity to bid farewell. They could be regarded as senior disciples in the school of Mohism, so they would never waste their own time by retaking these basic classes. They just said that they would look for him after class and show him around the island.
Li Qingshan stopped paying attention to Chu Tian too. He found a spot towards the back and sat down. The entire lecture hall was structured like a great swirl, while he sat on the edge of the swirl. This habit of his actually originated from his distant past life, which made him sigh slightly.
However, as soon as he sat down, the space beside him immediately emptied out. In particular, a female disciple from the school of Confucianism basically showed disgust as she retreated seven or eight steps away.
Li Qingshan smiled. He did not care. Chu Tian’s voice suddenly rang out in his ear. “Do you understand who is the turd now?”
Li Qingshan frowned. There was a gentle gust of fragrance, and Qian Rongzhi sat down beside him. She smiled. “Nice clothes.”
Chu Tian was surprised. Qian Rongzhi was a woman he had taken a fancy to. He immediately felt like he had just been betrayed. He turned his head away furiously.
“What’s up?” Li Qingshan did not shift his gaze when he asked that. A skinny old man with grizzled hair entered with a few boxes in his hands, making his way to the centre of the swirl and standing on the circular platform.
Afterwards, he began to drink tea without the slightest care in the world.
Everyone was surprised by this, but none of them dared to talk among themselves. They all communicated using true qi.
Qian Rongzhi asked, “Where’s Xiao An? Why isn’t she with you?”
“I don’t think our relationship has reached the point where we can talk about her.”
Qian Rongzhi became sad. Li Qingshan was unable to discern her real feelings either. “She’s currently in the school of Yin-yang, learning the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots with Ma Buyi. If you have something to say, spit it out.”
Li Qingshan could completely disregard Chu Tian’s so-called provocations from a genius, immediately cursing back, but when he spoke with her, he had to raise his guard slightly. He was reluctant to fall out with her over something as petty as this, and he just had a feeling that her concern for Xiao An was not fake.
Even if Chu Tian ground his teeth in hatred against him, he would not care, but if he sensed hostility from her one day, then only the word “kill” would remain.
“Thank you. Wei Zhongyuan. Do you have time?”
“You’re in such a hurry?”
Qian Rongzhi leaned against her hand. “You gotta be swift with revenge, right? I don’t need you to kill him right now either. I still need to plan a little.”
“Revenge? You mean yours or mine?”
“Mine, of course.” Qian Rongzhi rubbed her smooth cheek. She wanted to return that slap ten fold, a hundred fold. She said leisurely, “I can’t wait to tell vice sect master Wei in detail just how I tortured Wei Yingjie to death. After that, I will unleash the same method on him. Hehe, now that’s the joys of life.”
Under the principle that the enemy of an enemy was a friend, Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath and held back his urge to curse her. What a fucking deviant.
Qian Rongzhi seemed to be extremely amused by Li Qingshan’s expression, as if she had finally found someone who would listen to her inner voice, and that person would be forced to listen too.
“As remuneration, I can investigate Chu Tian’s background for you. He won’t just leave the matter like this. Oh, and that female instructor who wants to harm Xiao An too.”
“We’ll see. The old man is about to begin,” Li Qingshan answered casually, neither agreeing nor declining. Wei Zhongyuan had to die anyway. As for the female instructor, he would kill her if he met her. It would bring him a bit of pleasure too.
However, little did he know that in the eyes of regular people, this thought of his made him seem no different from a deviant.
On the lecturing platform, the professor finally stopped drinking tea. He gently coughed twice with a satisfied expression. “Everyone, I’m Meng Xiqi…”
The two of them stopped conversing, focusing on the class.
It was fine when the professor called Meng Xiqi was quiet, but once he began, he did not stop. Words flowed out of his mouth like a river, going from the origins of forging artifacts to the development of forging artifacts. His voice echoed through the spiral lecture hall, clearly heard by everyone.
“Some people say alchemy, forging artifacts, and so on are all outer paths of cultivation, and they’re not wrong. However, it’s exactly because of these outer paths of cultivation that you can sit here in peace, without having to worry about attacks from daemons, yet those daemons that truly only practise a greater path of cultivation are forced to hide deep within the mountains or underground…”
This was basically the first time Li Qingshan had come in contact with the path of forging artifacts, so he listened extremely carefully. And just like what Zhang Lanqing had said, Meng Xiqi spoke extremely well, full of wit and humour and striking great interest in the audience. He was only at the eighth layer, but he could be regarded as an expert in the aspect of forging artifacts.
After giving a general overview on the history and significance of forging artifacts, Meng Xiqi began to teach the actual path of forging artifacts.
Li Qingshan was entranced by it. Only then did he learn just how wondrous the path of refining artifacts was. From the initial transformation and fusing of materials, followed by the infusion of glyphs and inscription of formations, every single step was extremely impressive.
He never thought that these “outer paths of cultivation” would actually be so closely linked either. The glyphs mentioned in forging artifacts were different from the glyphs from the path of talismans, but they were identical in nature.
Glyphs were characters, characters that communicated with the world. Just the common types numbered at almost a thousand, and they had a myriad of effects depending on their combinations. During the process of forging artifacts, the infusion of glyphs was a crucial step, so understanding a little about the path of talismans was critical.
And, above spiritual artifacts were arcane artifacts, which were inscribing formations into artifacts to produce even more powerful and complicated effects. Qi Practitioners obviously lacked the ability to achieve this, but if they wanted to become a real artifact smith, then they had to know some basic formations.
Li Qingshan knew he had to revise the subjects he would be taking, but he felt like he had found a direction in the darkness. He was overjoyed.
Meng Xiqi spoke for two hours before returning to the very basics of forging artifacts—transforming the state of the materials.
“A good blacksmith goes through many steps to forge a sword. The basics steps include smelting, hammering, and quenching. They need many tools, like furnaces, large hammers, small hammers, air bellows, tanks of water, grindstones, and so on. However, to us, just a single artifact forging furnace is sufficient, or even no furnace…”
Finishing up with his explanation, he picked up the wooden boxes he had brought with him. Inside were many small, square pieces of wood, arranged neatly. He made the disciples in the front row pass them backwards.
Meng Xiyi requested them to turn the wood into a sphere without destroying the wood grain. The wood was pine wood, so it was relatively soft and easy to mould. In order to learn artifact forging, they needed to be able to mould a substance with their own power.
Li Qingshan received a piece of pine wood too, and he immediately began to practice with it. He slowly channeled true qi into it, following the method that Meng Xiqi had taught him, gradually fusing the true qi with the wood.
With the purity of his true qi and the gentle nature of Gui Water true qi that made it easier to control, he succeeded on his first try with this.
As he began to mould his true qi, the piece of wood began to twist and mould with it too, as if it was not wood, instead becoming gas or water with the Gui Water true qi.
PS: Sure enough, this pace suits me better. I gotta control my own mind delicately like forging artifacts!
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Chapter 302 – Reincarnated Celestial
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Chapter 302 – Reincarnated Celestial
Li Qingshan’s confidence swelled. After experimenting around for quite a while, he finally removed the eight corners of the piece of pine wood. However, the wood grain had cracked, reduced to a mess. Panicking slightly, he could not help but increase his input of true qi, and the wood piece immediately shattered with a bang.
He looked at Qian Rongzhi beside him. She was not doing any better either.
Qian Rongzhi casually crushed the piece of pine wood and smiled. “Looks like neither of us are geniuses.”
However, they were not doing too badly. Li Qingshan believed that as long as he was a little more steady, forming a sphere would be nothing difficult. However, he would still need to closely understand just how to avoid cracking the wood grain.
There were a lot of Qi Practitioners who even struggled with the first step, unable to imbue the objects with true qi even after numerous attempts, so they obviously could not mould the pine wood at all. If they rushed it, then they would shatter their piece of wood too.
Meng Xiqi sneered. “If you can’t achieve that, it means you have no talent for forging artifacts. There’s no need for you to attend anymore of my classes. Save yourself some time.”
The Qi Practitioners were all proud people, and this professor Meng was only a Qi Practitioner as well, so a few people stood up and left.
Afterwards, Meng Xiqi smiled. “Actually, I also failed when I tried the first time.”
Everyone was stunned. Meng Xiqi said, “Arrogance is your greatest obstacle to learning. If you’re not even patient enough for this, then there truly is no point for you to learn how to forge artifacts. Don’t forget, talent can be made up for with hard work. Alright, show me what you’ve achieved. Lift them up.”
Many wooden spheres were lifted up into the air. Of course, those who did too poorly were too embarrassed to show their handiwork. Meng Xiqi’s gaze landed on Chu Tian. His wooden sphere was perfectly round, with the wooden grain clearly visible. There was not the slightest crack; instead, it was like it had been carved out of wood.
“You there. Please stand up. What’s your name?”
“Chu Tian.”
“Nicely done.”
Chu Tian enjoyed everyone’s gazes of admiration with pride. He thought, That’s a given. I’m a genius. What talent can be made up for with hard work? That’s all just to trick fools. He even glanced back at Li Qingshan.
Qian Rongzhi said to him secretly, “What’d I say!”
“These days, there really aren’t as many enemies that are so simplistically cute.” Li Qingshan smiled, but he was uncertain whether she understood him.
There was no break in between. Only after four hours did the lecture end, and only then did Meng Xiqi stop talking. He put his hand on the back of his head and yawned. “That’s all for today. I’m getting old. I get tired just from standing a little.”
He twisted his neck, and with a sudden crack, his head fell off his shoulders, rolling off the platform. Scarlet blood gushed out like a miniature spring.
The cozy classroom immediately turned into a terrifying murder scene. Cries rang out from everywhere. The female confucian disciple who had avoided Li Qingshan with disgust even screamed out.
Chu Tian’s expression changed drastically. He never thought he would personally witness a murder on his first day in the academy, and despite his cultivation, he failed to see who had done it or how they did it. He released his protective true qi instinctively.
Everyone felt threatened in the lecture hall.
Meng Xiqi’s body remained standing there, as straight as an arrow. The decapitated head on the ground began talking. “Oops, I’ve used too much force.” The headless body made its way off the platform, picked up the head. and placed it back onto its shoulders. With a click, it locked back into place.
The lecture hall was dead silent. Everyone was dumbfounded.
Li Qingshan grinned. He never thought this professor from the school of Mohism would have such a mischievous hobby. Not only did he teach a class using a puppet, but he even unleashed this move at the end.
He had noticed a long time ago that the thing teaching the class on the platform was not a living person, but a puppet. It seemed identical to humans on the surface, even giving off the aura of a Qi Practitioner, but the smell it gave off was extremely strange.
Drinking tea and coughing gently were all for creating a false impression, which fooled many people, but they were not enough to fool his senses. The substance that sprayed out in the end was not human blood either.
However, he was still amazed by how exquisite the puppets of the school of Mohism were. He must have done this to create an extremely deep impression in those new mohist disciples!
He also saw that Qian Rongzhi was completely unfazed. Even though her senses were not as sharp as his, he would instead be surprised if she had failed to see through the act. As for Chu Tian, who had become so complacent over the praises from a puppet, no one took him seriously anymore.
Puppet Meng Xiqi said, “Careful observation and calm and collected thinking is even more important than turning a piece of wood into a sphere for the path of forging artifacts. Anyone can achieve the latter with practise, but those who lack the former will struggle to become an artifact smith.”
The atmosphere in the room lightened up and laughter rang out. Although they knew they had just been toyed with, Meng Xiqi, who was hidden somewhere, still managed to win their admiration. However, quite a few female cultivators were still pale.
Chu Tian withdrew his protective true qi. His face was bright red. He felt like what Meng Xiqi had said earlier was purposefully directed at him, which filled him with resentment.
Puppet Meng Xiqi used his hand to point out the disciples that were not surprised earlier, asking them one by one about how they knew he was a puppet.
Li Qingshan did not believe the puppet had the ability to think, only the ability of judgement, such as which spheres were rounders and which people’s expressions remained mostly the same. All of this should have been due to a certain procedure for operation. This was a piece of cake to achieve compared to puppets made for combat. Its eyes that seemed no different from real eyes should have been the key to all of this.
When it was Li Qingshan’s turn, he stood up, moved his mouth a little, but produced no sound at all. He sat back down.
The puppet professor said with great sincerity, “Thank you.”
Li Qingshan smiled. As it seemed, he was right.
There was a roar of laughter, while Hua Chenglu secretly applauded him. She had basically gotten her revenge for being fooled earlier. Apart from being courageous, this guy really was rather sharp-witted too. She could not help but think about that rainy night in Lakeside city, where he clasped his hands gracefully in the dark alleyway whilst wearing a rain cloak.
This memory that had already become blurred suddenly became clear. Even if the circumstances worked against a man like that, even if he had accidentally ended up in the school of Novels, he would still probably become quite accomplished!
After asking everybody, puppet Meng Xiqi bowed deeply. “Thank you for your suggestions!” He pointed at his head. “I’ve already stored it all in here. I’ll have to keep improving it when I get back. I’ll give a box of pine wood pieces to all the disciples from earlier as a reward.”
The disciples that saw through the fact that the professor was a puppet climbed onto the platform one by one, collecting their box of wood.
“Don’t forget to practise.” Puppet Meng Xiqi repeated this.
When it was Li Qingshan’s turn, just when he wanted to collect the box of wood, the puppet professor grabbed him firmly. “I might be a puppet, but you can’t fool around with me.”
Li Qingshan understood that he was no longer speaking to just the puppet right before him. He smiled. “Yes, professor.”
Puppet Meng Xiqi released his hand and patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “I’ve heard Pingyang talk about you. You’re welcomed to come here more often in the future.”
Li Qingshan stowed his notes away and made his way out of the huge, spiral structure. The sun was setting already. Before he knew it, an afternoon had already passed by, but he felt extremely satisfied and at ease with the small box of wood in his hand.
This was his first class. He had finally taken another step forward.
Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing were waiting below the streetlight across the road. Yes, it was a streetlight. The long pole held up a hazy yellow light, illuminating a large part of the road. There were already insects buzzing around the light.
“Li Qingshan, stop right there!”
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to make his way over, a roar rang out from behind him, which attracted quite a lot of attention.
He had almost forgotten about this fellow. Li Qingshan turned around and said to Chu Tian, “Kid, what do you want?”
Fighting without permission was forbidden in the academy, while the person who started the fight would be severely punished. And, it was not just physical pain for those who thought they could play the hero. It would include a penalty of spiritual stones too.
Initially, Li Qingshan had been searching for a peaceful environment, but he felt rather unhappy now. If he were in the wilderness, he would have crushed this kid to death right now. He wanted to see just what trump cards he had apart from his Five Elements constitution and whether they were more powerful than his own.
Chu Tian said, “I want to challenge you to a gamble. Are you bold enough to accept?”
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. “This is too good to be true!”
Chu Tian was instead stunned by Li Qingshan’s reaction and felt slightly anxious, but he soon settled down. Li Qingshan was just a sixth layer Qi Practitioner. Even if he knew some Body Practitioner techniques, there was nothing to be afraid about.
“Are you going to accept or not?”
“Alright? What are we gambling? Tell me.”
“It’ll be fighting, obviously. What, are we supposed to compete at who’s better at being a good-for-nothing glutton? If that’s the case, I’ll never be able to beat you. Haha!” Chu Tian laughed, but he discovered that no one laughed along, so he shut up awkwardly.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, sure. Give me a time, location, and the wager.”
Chu Tian said, “The location will obviously be the Main Martial Arts stadium on Great War island. The wager will be a thousand, no, two thousand spiritual stones. The time- the time will be in three month’s time.”
He was tempted to teach Li Qingshan a vicious lesson right now, but he felt uneasy for some reason, which was why he pushed it back by three months. After joining the school of Confucianism, Liu Zhangqing had personally passed him the Great Palm of the Five Elements. He could practise five kinds of true qi simultaneously, giving him tremendous power. Three months were sufficient for him to attain a basic mastery of it.
By then, let alone the sixth layer, even Qi Practitioners of the ninth or tenth layer would be a piece of cake to deal with. And, Li Qingshan would definitely improve slowly in the school of Novels, so as time went on, victory would be certain for him even without using “that”. He could not help but feel slightly proud over his own cleverness, but he began to worry that Li Qingshan would turn him down.
“Alright. Then in three months’ time it is.” Li Qingshan agreed happily. What he lacked right now the most was time. Three months were enough for him to digest most of the pills in his hundred treasures pouch, and it was enough to push his strength as a daemon and human to a new level. Chu Tian gave him exactly what he wanted.
Just like that, they agreed on their gamble, and Li Qingshan turned around and left.
“Hey, Li Qingshan.”
Hua Chenglu rushed over and grumbled. “You won’t even greet me when you see me. So much for going through thick and thin together in the past.”
Yu Zijian said, “Big brother Li.”
Chu Tian saw how another two beautiful women gathered around Li Qingshan, which only made him even more jealous.
Hua Chenglu communicated with Li Qingshan. “You mustn’t fight him. You won’t be able to win!”
“How come?”
“He’s a Reincarnated Celestial!”
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Chapter 303 – Refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy (One)
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Chapter 303 – Refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy (One)
This was the first time that Li Qingshan had heard of that phrase. He laid out his hands. “I’ve already agreed to him anyway, so who cares if he’s a…”
“Shh. Fights in the academy aren’t that simple to organise.” Hua Chenglu shushed him.
Li Qingshan saw how many people were looking over. He said gently, “Here’s not a place to speak. I have friends who are going to the Hundred Flavours restaurant with me. Do you want to come along?”
“I’ve only heard about it from my elder brother too. The school of Legalism has a gathering tonight, so I won’t be able to go along. Anyway, just be careful.”
Hao Pingyang said, “Isn’t that the younger sister of commander Hua? I never thought you’d be so familiar with the Hua family.”
“They’re all pretty nice people.”
Zhang Lanqing asked worriedly, “Are you really going to fight Chu Tian?”
“Haha, that kid is begging for a death sentence.” Hao Pingyang was completely confident in Li Qingshan. Back then, he had already been extremely impressive when he was just at the second layer, so was he supposed to be afraid of a kid at the same level of cultivation as him now that he was at the sixth layer?
Li Qingshan smiled. “Let’s go and get some grub.” Though, he did take a note of the two words, Reincarnated Celestial.
In the Hundred Flavours restaurant, they gazed at the sparkling lake under the setting sun and drank until they were tipsy. The sun had already set now. Li Qingshan returned to the Cloudwisp island.
Liu Chuanfeng was currently biting the end of his brush in deep thought. There was a single light on the table that shone brightly, illuminating the entire room.
“You’re going to fight someone?”
Li Qingshan took off his shoes before the porch and sat down before the table. “Yep. Let me take a look at how you’ve been going.”
Liu Chuanfeng was currently preparing for his new novels. Of course, it would not have anymore sexual content, so it was suitable for distribution through the various channels.
“I’ve just begun. Sigh, what’s so good about fighting? You might as well just stay home and write novels instead.” Liu Chuanfeng snatched back his draft in a hurry.
“There are two thousand spiritual stones if I win.”
“Go get him!”
“Oh right, do you know what a Reincarnated Celestial is?”
Liu Chuanfeng asked, “What’re you asking that for?”
“That Chu Tian seems to be a Reincarnated Celestial.” Li Qingshan took out a piece of pine wood and channeled true qi into it, continuing with his practise of forging artifacts.
“What! You can’t accept his challenge then!”
“Reason?”
“You know how there’s no limit to the universe, right? How there are worlds outside of this world. So-called Celestials are basically people from beyond this world, who pass away due to various reasons. However, their spirits linger, and they reincarnate here. They’re peculiar from the moment they’re born, with extraordinary appearances and tremendous fortune. And, once they awaken their innate knowledge, they’ll become even more powerful.”
“A Reincarnated Celestial. No wonder then,” Li Qingshan muttered in thought. He had seen many Qi Practitioners in the past, whether they were friends or foes, but it was truly his first time meeting someone like Chu Tian.
With Chu Tian’s mental fortitude and intelligence, it was a miracle that he could reach the sixth layer at such a young age. As it turned out, he was the same as him. They were both transmigrators. With how vast the world was, there were countless people with strange, fortuitous encounters, not just him. As a matter of fact, the worlds beyond these worlds were not even exclusive to him.
Liu Chuanfeng said, “You don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself either. When the disciples of two schools want to fight, the permissions of both school leaders is required. It’ll be fine as long as I vehemently refuse.”
“No, you will agree to it.” Li Qingshan crushed the piece of wood in his hand.
“You-”
“Don’t worry, I’ll win!” Li Qingshan took out another piece of pine wood. He refused to believe that he would be defeated by an idiot, even if he was some Reincarnated Celestial.
However, he would not be careless either. Increasing his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner would obviously be his main priority, and he had a trump card too.
Liu Chuanfeng no longer tried to convince him otherwise. He just agreed to it before talking with him a little more. Li Qingshan borrowed Liu Chuanfeng’s waist tablet and entered the cultivation formation. The faint light illuminated his surroundings.
He took out the supreme grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy from his hundred treasures pouch. This was the strongest trump card in his possession in human form. The supreme grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy had already been terrifyingly powerful before he had even condensed a sea of qi, enough to threaten ninth layer Qi Practitioners.
Now, he had condensed a sea of qi, which was a critical moment of development to Qi Practitioners. The true qi within his body was no less than ten times more powerful than the past. If he could truly refine this spiritual artifact, he truly believed that there would no longer be any Qi Practitioners that could resist a “gentle strike1” of his.
By then, regardless of what trump cards Chu Tian possessed, all he had to do was unleash the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, and he could show him what was what.
Originally, he would never show anyone the supreme grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy. It would be no different from a child playing around in the busy streets while holding a handful of gold.
But now, with the increase in his strength, the relatively safe environment of the academy, and how it was unlikely for the school leaders to just steal from him, he began to consider this. He had to think about the consequences too. After all, he was a primary disciple now, while Xiao An was a supreme genius recognised by all the school leaders too, as well as the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism.
He was like a child who had finally grown into a teenager, moving from the busy streets to a school. Safety had increased drastically now, so he possessed some confidence in taking it out and showing it to others.
Li Qingshan unfurled the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and gazed at the criss-crossing inky sword slashes on there. He brought his fingers together on his right hand like a sword, subconsciously waving it around following the slashes on there. He was unable to replicate what Xiao An had achieved, immediately comprehending the sword intent within there, but he gradually felt like he was benefiting from it.
Compared to when he had first obtained this fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in the bandit’s nest, his insight and knowledge had increased by more than tenfold. He could gradually understand many obscure things now.
Li Qingshan planned a little. He decided to get down to business first. He held the two sides of the scroll with both hands as the Gui Water true qi in his sea of qi immediately surged, gushing down his arms and into the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
The various strokes on the Cursive Sword Calligraphy lit up one by one, far more than before and far brighter too.
Refining spiritual artifacts was a special right that only Qi Practitioners who had condensed a sea of qi possessed. It was to use their true qi to imbue the spiritual artifact with their own imprint. After doing so, the sea of qi in their dantian could resonate with the spiritual artifact itself. If they were flying swords or flying blades, then ranged control would be possible.
Of course, refining a supreme grade spiritual artifact seemed to be a little difficult for Li Qingshan right now.
After most of the strokes on the Cursive Sword Calligraphy had lit up, it stopped, and his true qi began to run out.
A blue light flashed through Li Qingshan’s eyes. Obviously, he had his reasons for refining the spiritual artifact within this formation.
Specks of light, visible with the naked eye, flickered in the formation and merged into his body.
The sea of qi that had almost run out was full once more, gushing into the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. The brilliance flooded every single stroke, lighting up Li Qingshan’s face with delight.
Just when he was about to succeed, Li Qingshan’s smile stiffened, and the process of refining the spiritual artifact halted once more, but it was not because there was insufficient true qi.
Every single stroke on the Cursive Sword Calligraphy twisted and trembled, flickering with instability.
Li Qingshan thought, Oh no! With a flip of his hand, he directed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy outwards. At the same time, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy unleashed a blinding flash and terrifyingly sharp sword qi gushed out.
The sword qi was disorderly while the sword intent was aimless, but the Cursive Sword Calligraphy felt chillingly cold in Li Qingshan’s hand. The power that a supreme grade spiritual artifact could erupt with was simply too terrifying. If it had been directed at him, it would be a miracle if he was just heavily injured if he did not transform and unleash the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell beforehand.
The light vanished with a flash, while the sword qi and sword intent were so short-lived that it seemed like they had never existed in the first place.
Time seemed to stop for a moment. With a few gentle cracks, the parts of the bamboo building suddenly slid around.
Afterwards, like some sort of mechanism had been set off, the delicate, majestic structure was reduced to thousands of pieces. The structure did not collapse. Instead, it flew apart.
Li Qingshan felt his vision open up. A fan-shaped region opened up before him. The formation was originally located at the very centre of the building, but now, he could see the bamboo forests outside.
“Heavens. What are you doing.” Liu Chuanfeng heard the disturbance and rushed over. He was utterly dumbfounded by this sight.
“I’m refining a spiritual artifact,” Li Qingshan answered honestly. He even showed him the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his hand. He had already made up his mind on this. If he needed to, he would show the Cursive Sword Calligraphy to others, so there was no need to hide it from Liu Chuanfeng anymore. They were basically in the same boat anyway.
“T- that’s a supreme grade spiritual artifact. You were actually refining a supreme grade spiritual artifact?” Liu Chuanfeng had realised a long time ago that his primary disciple was not as poor as regular Qi Practitioners, but he was still astounded by the fact that he could produce a supreme grade spiritual artifact.
Li Qingshan said, “What, can’t I? My true qi is very pure.”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Do you have any common sense? Let alone a sixth layer Qi Practitioner like you, even those at the tenth layer can’t refine a supreme grade spiritual artifact. This isn’t an issue of whether your true qi is pure enough. Instead, it has exceeded the abilities of Qi Practitioners. It’s something that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can accomplish.”
Li Qingshan was surprised. “But Xiao An could use the supreme grade Guardian King’s pearl the moment she received it.”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Using is one thing, refining is another. Do you know what they call Xiao An in the academy?”
“What do they call her?”
“A deviant, a monster.”
“That’s just what mediocre people think,” Li Qingshan said disdainfully, but he also understood that he probably could not rely on breaking this trend for now, seeing how he practised the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi.
“No wonder you’re bold enough to fight Chu Tian.” Liu Chuanfeng glanced at the half-destroyed building again. He was still shaken. He might be a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, but if he began fighting him, the person to die would definitely not be Li Qingshan. Even if he could not refine it, just how many Qi Practitioners could oppose him as long as he used it?
Li Qingshan said, “I obviously wouldn’t agree to a battle that I’m not prepared for. He has trump cards, so why can’t I have some too?”
“Sigh, looks like I need to put up another mission to get the disciples of mohism to come fix this place. The measly sum of spiritual stones the higher-ups give aren’t even enough for me to collect material in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.” Liu Chuanfeng sighed before he wiggled his eyebrows at Li Qingshan. “Look, my dear disciple, when you win two thousand spiritual stones, why don’t you invite your master to a session of joy?”
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. “Who’s supposed to be your dear disciple? Let me tell you, you better stop visiting places like that in the future. I’m on bad terms with the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Who knows, they might end up kidnapping you in order to get me. If that ever happens, I’m not even going to bother with their demands.”
“I have forgotten that, but don’t talk nonsense. I’m still a school leader after all, so how could they lay their hands on me?”
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1. A reference to Gulong’s wuxia novel, Juedai Shuangjiao. It’s the same as the one in chapter 297.
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Chapter 304 – Refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy (Two)
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Chapter 304 – Refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy (Two)
Li Qingshan asked, “You can resist Qiu Haitang’s mesmerisation?”
“T- obviously not. Alright, I’ll do what you say. You’re the big brother in charge then, alright?”
“Then we’re brothers from here on out.” As Li Qingshan said that, he thought of what Chu Tian had said to him and could not help but burst out laughing. His tiny bit of depression from failing to refine the Cursive Sword Calligraphy vanished too.
“You have no respect for your seniors at all.” Liu Chuanfeng put on an angry face, but he laughed along too.
In Li Qingshan’s eyes, Liu Chuanfeng was riddled with flaws, but there was something good to him. He did not have any haughtiness about him. Perhaps he had grown accustomed to this due to all the abuse he had suffered, but he lacked an air of arrogance and self-importance that regular Qi Practitioners possessed.
Li Qingshan asked, “How many spiritual stones does the school of Novels receive every month right now?”
Liu Chuanfeng crouched down outside the formation. “If it’s right now, then I get around twenty each month. Oh right, you’re a primary disciple, so you can collect ten spiritual stones each month too. Combined with the amount for disciples who handle management, the school receives roughly forty spiritual stones.”
“That sure is pitiful.” Li Qingshan shook his head, but then he remembered he was collecting over twenty spiritual stones each month for doing nothing, all the while occupying this wonderful place for cultivation. It was no wonder the academy wanted to get rid of him.
Liu Chuanfeng refuted, “That’s just how much a Qi Practitioner school leader receives! The main reason is because there aren’t enough disciples!”
Li Qingshan asked, “How is it calculated exactly?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “That’ll be complicated. The amount mainly depends on the quantity and cultivation of the disciples. It can also be increased through completing missions and triumphing in various competitions. On the other hand, if disciples break the rules, then it’ll be reduced.”
“Anyways, the more a school develops, the higher the salary the school leader will receive, and the more resources they will be able to allocate. Sigh, if we can reach the same level as the school of Buddhism, I’d give you a supreme grade spiritual artifact for free too.”
“I’m putting that on record. Let’s do everything we can together!” Li Qingshan gained a new understanding of the school of Novels’ predicament. It was a tough start, but it also represented vast future prospects. The pie was small, but there was no need for him to share it with so many fellow disciples, so the share he received might not necessarily be smaller than the disciples of the major schools.
However, all of this was built off the assumption that the pie could grow bigger. Li Qingshan was very confident about this too.
Liu Chuanfeng became worked up. “Don’t worry, I’ll break through to Foundation Establishment very soon. By then, just my salary as a school leader will increase by tenfold, and the true strength of novelists can only be unleashed at Foundation Establishment.”
Although novelists could turn fiction into reality, the ability was held back by two factors. One was the power of beliefs, while the other was the cultivator themselves. The former was like electricity, while the latter was like a motor. No matter how much electrical energy there was, if the motor was insufficient, then it still would not be able to convert it into electromotive force.
“Go write your novels!” Li Qingshan waved his hand with a smile. Since he had already become a disciple of the school of Novels, he had the responsibility to prop up the school of Novels as long as it did not get in the way of his cultivation.
After Liu Chuanfeng left, Li Qingshan stowed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy away with a slight feeling of pity. Afterwards, he took out another scroll of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
He possessed a total of three scrolls of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy right now. One was at the supreme grade, one was at the high grade, and one was at the mid grade.
The one he had taken out right now was the high grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy he had obtained from the masked man. He had already refined a high grade spiritual artifact before, the Clear Stream sword, so he was filled with confidence right now.
Fifteen minutes later, several dozen strands of sword qi shot into the night sky, and Li Qingshan failed once again. He began to find this rather difficult to accept, as he had clearly succeeded in the past before. However, with some thought, he understood the reason for his failure.
Although he had successfully refined the Clear Stream sword, that was because the sword was of the water element in the first place, and he practised Gui Water true qi. The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression had granted him extraordinary senses for the water element too, which was why he had managed to refine it so easily.
Without his various advantages, refining a high grade spiritual artifact as a sixth layer Qi Practitioner was not that easy. Normally, they all used mid grade spiritual artifacts.
However, Li Qingshan did not become dejected. In the next moment, he took out the weakest fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, which was originally known as the Sword Qi Calligraphy. He had purchased it in the auction hosted by the school of Miscellany. It was only a mid grade spiritual artifact.
Li Qingshan exhaled gently and calmed himself from his arrogance. Perhaps he should have started with the weakest Cursive Sword Calligraphy. He had been a little too eager for easy success.
As his true qi flowed in, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy lit up, but before he could even celebrate, the light suddenly began to tremble, approaching collapse once again. Although it was just a mid grade spiritual artifact, normal mid grade spiritual artifacts could not compare to it in terms of explosiveness.
But Li Qingshan stayed put, staring straight at the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. The flickering stabilised once more. Not only did it stop spreading outwards, but it even began to withdraw slowly.
Li Qingshan suddenly saw the twisted strokes begin to move.
No, the strokes were not moving. Instead, there were countless swords swinging about. These strokes were the trajectories the swords had left behind, like footprints left behind in a desert.
However, compared to the traveller itself, these deep footprints were so temporary and insignificant. Li Qingshan had no idea who the author was, but he felt admiration from the bottom of his heart. When the black ox had praised the author of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he was still unable to comprehend the implications. Just how impressive was he to earn the recognition of brother ox?
Now, he had begun to understand. Perhaps this sword style was not something that should have appeared in this world.
As he felt amazed, Li Qingshan finally completed the refinement of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, but before he could even relax, something happened. Several dozen strands of sword qi abruptly swept backwards, rushing into his sea of qi along his meridians.
With the entry of the sword qi, the sea of qi immediately began to churn and ache.
“Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!” Li Qingshan growled, and the spirit turtle’s daemon core appeared. The several dozen strands of sword qi were firmly suppressed, completely immobilised. However, they refused to shatter under such pressure. They were almost solid from how consolidated they were, drifting around in his sea of qi.
Still shaken, Li Qingshan felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
If his original form were not a huge, powerful daemon, his meridians would have been in pieces already. If he did not know the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he probably would not have been able to avoid the fate of death either.
He never thought there would actually be such a vicious trap within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Now, he felt extremely relieved that he had failed to refine the supreme grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Even he was reluctant to imagine the consequences of several dozen strands of raging sword qi with the power to destroy over a dozen bamboo structures erupting in his body.
He had basically witnessed the dangers of the path of cultivation once again. He could understand how his predecessors who had obtained the Cursive Sword Calligraphy before him all felt when they refined the spiritual artifact happily, only to be slain instantly.
Suddenly, he felt that something had appeared in his sea of consciousness.
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Chapter 305 – Sword Qi in the Dantian
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Chapter 305 – Sword Qi in the Dantian
A sword.
Among the countless swords that had once danced before him, one of them had condensed in his mind. It was pitch-black like ink, swinging around freely.
Li Qingshan sensed something. He left the formation and arrived in the bamboo forest, fishing out a sword from his hundred treasures pouch.
His arm drooped down naturally with the tip of the sword pointing towards the ground. Suddenly, like a willow leaf in the wind, he lifted it high up, pointing it straight at the sky.
Nearby, an old stalk of bamboo split open from bottom to top.
Li Qingshan was not in a state to be amazed. The ink sword in his mind suddenly fell.
Li Qingshan moved with the sword, turning around and slicing vertically. The sword qi shot off as blurs, causing a region of bamboo to collapse with a series of thuds.
Right now, the person was not controlling the sword. Instead, the sword was controlling the person.
Li Qingshan leapt about freely according to the dancing sword in his mind like he was a monkey. The sword in his hand vanished. Only his surroundings flickered with specks of light.
Wherever it went, it was unstoppable. The sword moves and sword intent were extremely sharp.
Numerous blurs suddenly gathered together. Li Qingshan held the sword right in front of him, stroking past the flat of the sword with two fingers. The cold, blue light shone past his resolute face.
As it turned out, the greatest use of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy was not for defeating opponents, but to store and pass on this cultivator’s path of the sword.
As for the sword qi that had infiltrated his body, they were not a vicious trap, but a method for future generations to comprehend the sword intent, as well as a test!
If they had Xiao An’s talent and could comprehend the sword intent to such a level from just looking at the calligraphy, then even if the sword qi infiltrated their body, they could control it freely. However, if they were mediocre people, then they would be unworthy of this legacy.
However, Li Qingshan could not help but guess that this cultivator probably never expected his Cursive Sword Calligraphy would be split into so many fragments. However, if it were the complete Cursive Sword Calligraphy, just how terrifying would the test be?
The small, inky-black sword in his mind probably would not be as simple as just dancing around a few times. Just the terrifying sword intent it would emanate with would be enough to instantly annihilate the consciousness of regular cultivators.
He sure had gotten his hands on something impressive.
Li Qingshan suddenly smiled. He tossed the sword aside, which stabbed into a rock.
He leapt up and pushed off a few tender bamboo branches, arriving on the east of the island in just a few steps. There was a small, jagged outcrop of rock.
He leapt out of the bamboo forest. Mid-air, his true qi sank into his dantian as he spread his arms. The several dozen criss-crossing strands of sword qi suppressed in his dantian shot out, striking the mound silently. Some of the rocks cracked as they were unable to withstand the force, but aside from that, there was not much sound at all.
A cricket had originally been rubbing its wings, letting out a loud chirp. Now, it had completely fallen silent. It fell off the rocks. There was not a single trace on its body, while the entire outcrop of insect cries had been reduced to silence. They had been slain by the scattered sword intent.
As it turned out, this was the correct way to use the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
Li Qingshan understood now. He channeled his true qi into the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and allowed it to flow back into his body, hiding in his dantian. If he suddenly erupted with it while fighting an enemy, just how startling would the power be?
Of course, if he comprehended the path of the sword in the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he obviously would not be harmed by the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Li Qingshan was currently using a high-handed method of forcefully suppressing the sword qi.
However, he believed that while he was not a genius, he was not an idiot either. He had already refined it now, so as long as he spent some time on it, he could obviously comprehend the path of the sword in the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Of course, it would just be whatever the mid grade spiritual artifact contained.
An idea randomly flashed through his head. Li Qingshan suddenly understood why the Cursive Sword Calligraphy had been split up into so many fragments. He also understood how to merge them back together.
It was exactly because people could not withstand the complete test of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy that it had been split up. There was no need for him to be proficient in forging artifacts. All he needed to do was refine the Cursive Sword Calligraphies one by one and merge the sword qi in his dantian. After that, he would be able to achieve the same effects as merging the fragments together.
Li Qingshan took out another fragment, the high grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy. As long as he could refine two of them, he was confident that he could defeat any Qi Practitioner, let alone Chu Tian.
However, he needed to comprehend the path of the sword in the mid grade Cursive sword Calligraphy first. It was a pity that Xiao An was not here, or she definitely would be able to help him out.
Perhaps she had sensed his calling, as Li Qingshan saw Xiao An rushing over when he looked back, arriving before him and smiling at him.
In the school of Yin-yang, Ma Buyi had placed his long hat to one side. He was in a slight daze. Due to the complexity of the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, he was prepared to spend several months teaching it to her.
The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots was split into seven main parts. The depth and complexity of each part surpassed the five elements cultivation methods like the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi by several fold. As for completely merging the seven parts, the difficulty would compound even further.
Ma Buyi finished explaining the first part to her in great detail and care. He was just about to go into detail about the wonders of the part.
Xiao An said, “Please continue.”
Ma Buyi frowned, but upon considering the fact that sitting right before him was a rare prodigy that seldomly appeared even across a century, he thought maybe it would be easier for him to teach her after she had learned the entire cultivation method. As a result, he explained the entire Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots to her.
However, before he could tell her anything else, Xiao An had piped up. “Is there anymore?”
Ma Buyi answered, “There isn’t.”
“Thank you.” Xiao An stood up and bowed before turning around and leaving. She was anxious to see Li Qingshan. Ever since they had come to the academy, it seemed like the time they spent apart had increased. She disliked it very much.
Ma Buyi asked, “Where are you going?”
“Isn’t there no more?”
Ma Buyi asked, “Do you understand it?”
Xiao An replied, “A bit.”
Ma Buyi immediately quizzed her with a few questions. She replied smoothly without batting an eye. She had truly understood “a bit”.
Of course, this did not mean she had completely grasped the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots. The parts of greater depth required her to slowly comprehend as she cultivated. They were not something she could understand from just a short explanation.
As a result, despite only knowing “a bit”, she answered very accurately. However, in order to reach this level of understanding “a bit” in the past, the time Ma Buyi spent under the careful guidance of his master had to be calculated with years.
Now, he could finally understand a little bit of what the One Thought master was thinking. Having a disciple like this basically made him, the master, feel defeated for some reason.
He refused to accept it. “It’s easier said than done. You need to actually achieve it through cultivation.”
As a result, all Xiao An could do was sit down. Because it was not the buddhist dharma, she was unable to practise it as swiftly as the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. After spending a whole day and night, she gained a basic grasp over the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots.
Ma Buyi waved his hand in a daze. “You can go. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come find me.”
Xiao An bowed again before turning around and leaving.
She tread over the waves as her sleeves fluttered in the wind. As soon as she arrived on Cloudwisp island, she spotted Li Qingshan’s location with a single glance and smiled sweetly.
Li Qingshan immediately asked Xiao An about the path of the sword within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Sure enough, Xiao An had not refined any of them, but her comprehension of the path of the sword hidden within had surpassed Li Qingshan’s.
Li Qingshan listened to her explanation and immediately felt like he had benefited tremendously. She had also gained quite a lot of inspiration from Li Qingshan’s comprehensions through physical practice, which allowed her swordsmanship to improve yet again.
However, comprehension was one of the most complicated feelings out there. Even Xiao An was unsure of how to explain it to Li Qingshan at times, so she would just pick up the sword and spar with Li Qingshan using the sword style from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
For days and nights on end, a large and small figure chased one another and clashed within the jade-green sea of bamboo. The swords collided together and thrummed as large portions of the bamboo forest collapsed.
Liu Chuanfeng was pained just from the sight of it. He had just spent quite a lot of spiritual stones and issued a mission for the destroyed bamboo buildings. If this continued, the two of them would probably shave the tranquil Cloudwisp island bald of any vegetation.
He was thinking it was the two of them, but actually, it was just Li Qingshan alone. Xiao An’s sword strokes were powerful, but they were extremely focused. She would not touch a single branch or leaf unless she had to.
However, after just a few days, the amount of bamboo felled decreased drastically. Only then did Liu Chuanfeng stop worrying.
After another dozen or so days, bamboo shoots burst out of the earth during a spring drizzle.
The spring breeze danced, the sea of bamboo swayed, and the sky was filled with fine rain.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An stood within the rain. The landscape in the distance blurred within the rain, like it stood within an ink painting.
They wielded bamboo swords, sometimes close together and sometimes far away. Their swords rarely ever clashed. Every single movement they made seemed like they were mentally connected, cooperating with one another perfectly. They no longer seemed like they were clashing swords, but dancing together.
In the very beginning, Li Qingshan wielded a low grade spiritual artifact sword. Afterwards, he switched to inferior spiritual artifacts, then a regular sword, followed by the current bamboo sword.
He even sourced his materials from the bamboo forest below his feet. He had personally created it using his arts of forging artifacts. This obviously was not so that he could act cool. Instead, as his control over sword qi increased, his requirement for the material quality decreased.
If it were the Li Qingshan of the past, probably even a metal sword would be reduced to dust in his hands.
Now, it demonstrated that he had finally comprehended and gained control over the path of the sword within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
Though, when it came to actual fighting, it would obviously be better if his weapon was more powerful. Against an actually powerful opponent, trying to pull something like “No sword in hand, but a sword in the heart” was just looking for death.
Li Qingshan was relieved. He had finally digested the complete path of the sword within the first fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. There was no need to use the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas anymore. The sword qi swam around freely in his sea of qi like fish.
He suddenly called out, “Xiao An, use your full strength.”
The bamboo sword vanished, turning into a wave of sword qi. Some of them were heavy, some light, some slow, some fast, some straight, some twisted. This was the first time Li Qingshan had comprehended the delicate differences among them. He no longer unleashed all of them at once like a swarm of bees.
Xiao An smiled. Golden light erupted from her body, and the guardian king planted its sword into the ground, standing as firmly as a mountain.
Cling! Clang! The sounds rang out like a bell. However, only the few heavy strands of sword qi managed to leave behind some shallow marks on the guardian king avatar. The rest failed to achieve anything.
“The cultivation methods of buddhism are basically cheating.” Li Qingshan grinned. It was obviously no issue for these sword qi to pierce protective sword qi, but it was impossible for them to get through Xiao An’s avatar.
However, he had only digested the mid grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy so far. If it were the high grade one instead…
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Chapter 306 – Secluded Cultivation Below the Island
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Chapter 306 – Secluded Cultivation Below the Island
Li Qingshan took out another piece of Cursive Sword Calligraphy. With the foundation from refining the mid grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he was confident he already possessed the ability to refine this fragment.
However, he still ended up stowing it away again after hesitating for quite a while.
The infiltration of sword qi was easy to deal with, but when the sword intent invaded his mind, it would be far too dangerous.
The head, also known as the spirit platform within the world of cultivation, even surpassed the dantian and the sea of qi in terms of importance for cultivation.
And, it was extremely fragile too. If his meridians were torn to shreds and his dantian was destroyed, there was still hope for him to repair them, but once his mind was injured, he would become psychotic at best.
He was not in any life-threatening danger right now, so there was no need for him to take this risk.
At this moment, the bug pouch on his waist writhed. Li Qingshan opened it and let out Milliped.
Milliped had grown much longer. He moved his body about and scurried through the bamboo forest rapidly as soon as he emerged. “I’m getting smothered to death.”
Spring and summer had always been the times when insects were the most lively. It was obviously very uncomfortable for him to be trapped in the bug pouch.
Li Qingshan felt slightly ashamed. Ever since he had entered the academy, he had been occupied, and he had even been more busy than usual lately. He had been focusing on the path of the sword, so he ended up neglecting his friend, Milliped.
After letting out Milliped for some exercise, he opened the bug pouch. “Just bear with it a little longer. I’ll bring you some good food later.”
He returned to the courtyard of the school of Novels, and Liu Chuanfeng demanded, “You’re back. Give me two thousand spiritual stones.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Two thousand spiritual stones for what?”
Liu Chuanfeng smiled. “For the battle with Chu Tian, obviously. Liu Zhangqing has already agreed to it. You really need to thank me properly this time around.”
Li Qingshan counted out two thousand spiritual stones and handed it to him. He asked in confusion, “Why do I have to thank you?”
As it turned out, Liu Zhangqing had originally disagreed with the battle between Chu Tian and Li Qingshan when he heard about it in the school of Confucianism. As the lord prefect of the region, he did have some honour about him. This matter would affect Chu Tian and Xiao An too, the two geniuses of the academy. He was reluctant to create any internal trouble.
As a result, Liu Chuanfeng completely unleashed his talent for mockery. He declared how victory was certain for Li Qingshan and defeat was certain for Chu Tian everywhere. How could Liu Zhangqing allow a scoundrel like him get away with this? Out of sheer anger, he agreed to it and set a date. The wager obviously had to be handed up to the academy beforehand.
And, this matter involved more than a single school in the academy.
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to react. If they could not fight, then they could not fight. It was not like he had any particularly deep grievances with Chu Tian. Liu Chuanfeng sure was impressive in this aspect.
During this time, Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing had come to visit too. They came twice. They wanted to ask him why he was not attending class, but when they saw how he was working hard on his swordsmanship, they left without disturbing him.
They also knew about the gamble going on between Li Qingshan and Zhu Tian. Right now, increasing his personal strength was obviously the priority, so he could only set forging artifacts aside for now.
Li Qingshan asked, “Fubai still hasn’t returned?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Senior brother has sent back a message. He has basically set up the structure already, and the Cloudwisp association is almost ready for opening. He has invited both of us over to celebrate later!”
Li Qingshan admired Sun Fubai’s ability very much. In such a large world, he was able to mobilise so many resources and achieve this step in just twenty odd days. It really was impressive.
If he were responsible for this, he probably could not finish it even if he had half a year. It had nothing to do with his intelligence. Instead, he lacked experience and contacts. It sure lived up to the saying that old people were like living treasure.
“Very good. Though, I might not be able to attend the opening ceremony. I’m preparing to cultivate in seclusion for a while.”
“Seclusion!” Liu Chuanfeng immediately understood that this was for the battle with Chu Tian.
Li Qingshan, on the other hand, thought of several other things. Milliped was his friend, not his mount or pet. He could not keep his friend trapped in the bug pouch all day long.
Though, the battle with Chu Tian definitely was one of the reasons. His original plan was to ingest pills slowly while learning how to forge artifacts and refine pills so that he could accumulate even more knowledge and resources, guaranteeing that he would not run out of pills. However, he changed his mind now. Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit.
Li Qingshan asked, “I think you told me that there are special dwellings of secluded cultivation on the main island?” There were many facilities on the island, and the primary disciple could use all of them for free. The cultivation dwellings were included among them.
Liu Zhuanfeng said, “Can’t you just cultivate here? The spiritual qi there isn’t even as abundant as here.”
“I have my plans.”
Li Qingshan arrived on Contention island with Xiao An and found the instructor responsible for managing the cultivation dwellings.
The instructor saw how it was two primary disciples who wanted to choose a cultivation dwelling. If it were just Li Qingshan, then so be it, but Xiao An had shaken up the entire academy before, so the instructor showed them all the respect that he had.
“Are you planning to enter seclusion separately or together?”
“Together.”
“Please come with me then.” The instructor did not ramble. He brought the two of them into a hall. The tiles trembled before rapidly sinking down.
There was actually a huge hole dug out in Contention island. It was divided into over a dozen floors. Each floor had many cultivation dwellings for the disciples of various schools to use, and every single dwelling was firmly sealed, covered in numerous formations, preventing them from sensing any aura of others.
Li Qingshan sensed that the closer he got to the bottom, the denser the spiritual qi became. The surging spiritual qi blew upwards like wind.
Only when they reached the very bottom of the hole did they stop.
The instructor passed a round disc to Li Qingshan. “This is the disc. This is the lowest floor. There’s only a single cultivation dwelling here. It has the best spiritual qi formations, and it’s extremely spacious too. You won’t be able to affect one another if you cultivate in there together. If regular disciples wanted to use it, it’d cost them over a dozen spiritual stones for just a single day.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Is it possible for people to spy on what’s going on inside from the outside?”
The instructor said, “It’s impossible. Not only are there several formations serving as obstructions, but there’s an interference of spiritual energy too. Even school leader Liu’s Watermoon disc can’t penetrate there. Not only is it shut off from the outside world, but it’s also impossible to enter the place too. Once the dwelling is shut, it can only be opened from the inside.”
“It can’t be opened from the outside?”
“Well, you can’t say that exactly. There are obviously ways to open it from the outside, but that’s only for extraordinary circumstances, such as when the academy is under attack, or when you haven’t paid your school fees.”
Li Qingshan smiled and clasped his hands. “Thank you for your explanations, instructor.”
“Both of you are figures with tremendous future prospects. To be able to assist you is my honour. Please make sure you have prepared food and water yourselves. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get out of here and stop wasting your time for cultivation.”
Li Qingshan and Xiao An entered the dwelling and used the key again. The stone door slammed shut and several formations began operating.
The spiritual qi here was unable to rival the formation on Cloudwisp island, but it was close. At the same time, it was safer and more secretive.
Li Qingshan let out Milliped before taking out all the food he had purchased from the Hundred Flavours restaurant, basically making it up to him. His eyes met with Xiao An’s, and he pinched her nose. “Watch as I defeat you with sword qi once I emerge.”
“I don’t think so!”
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Chapter 307 – Second Layer of the Spirit Turtle
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Chapter 307 – Second Layer of the Spirit Turtle
The news of the battle between the primary disciple of the school of Novels, Li Qingshan, and the person in possession of the Five Elements constitution, had spread throughout the academy.
Now, the news of Li Qingshan and Xiao An entering seclusion kicked up another wave.
Hua Chenglu clenched her fist. “What an idiot.”
Yu Zijian grumbled, “What’d I do this time?”
“I’m not talking about you.”
There were many disciples seated on the cushions in the surroundings. They all turned their heads over.
“The two of you, please be quiet.” The professor who was currently teaching them alchemy at the front of the daoist temple warned them.
Hua Chenglu stuck out her tongue. Just what was wrong with Li Qingshan? So much for reminding him. However, she soon remembered how that man’s stubbornness was something else. Otherwise, why would he have given up on the opportunity to play up to the Hua family back then, leaving so eagerly?
After class, Yu Zijian took Hua Chenglu around Wuwei1 island for a stroll.
Yu Zijian said, “Big brother Li definitely won’t lose. Isn’t he in secluded cultivation right now?” She had witnessed just how haughty Chu Tian had been that day, so she could not help but stand on Li Qingshan’s side.
Hua Chenglu said, “What would you know? How can his cultivation speed rival…” She stifled her voice. “The Reincarnated Celestial, Chu Tian? The only person who can do that is the deviant, Xiao An.”
Even if they were not Heavenly Meridians prodigies, Reincarnated Celestials still cultivated at speeds beyond what regular cultivators could achieve. The reason for this was said to be because the comprehensions from their past lives lingered, remaining in their minds, which was why they could often deal with bottlenecks and difficulties that stumped regular cultivators with a “flash of inspiration”.
“The brat is going to embarrass himself this time. If he chose to fight Chu Tian immediately, he might still have a chance at victory, but seclusion?” Wang Pushi sneered.
Hua Chengzan said, “You can’t just treat him like a regular person. Since he’s bold enough to agree to it, he’s confident that he can emerge victoriously.”
“Since when did you have such a high opinion of him?” Wang Pushi was surprised.
Hua Chengzan said, “Old Wang, you just have prejudice towards him, which is why you can’t see his merits. Just think about it. How long did it take for him to go from the pine tree outside Qingyang city to the Academy of the Hundred Schools? And how many difficulties had he faced during the process? Had he ever been defeated?”
Wang Pushi fell silent. “Alright. I’ll place a bet on him when the time comes then.”
On Anāsravāṃ island, the only thing that the One Thought master could do was smile bitterly when he heard how his primary disciple had entered seclusion without even giving him prior notice. All he could do was let her be.
“Seclusion? Hah, if seclusion was effective, what would the point of geniuses existing?” When he heard the news, Chu Tian laughed aloud to the two girls beside him.
“Big brother Tian us the best. Big brother Tian would never lose to that ruffian.”
Over two months passed in the blink of an eye. There were still two hours until the battle, but a lot of cultivators had already stopped what they were doing and ventured to the Main Martial Arts stadium to watch.
There were even a few school masters who hid themselves in the rooms for the distinguished guests.
It was impossible for Liu Zhangqing and Liu Chuanfeng to not be here. The slovenly daoist priest was fuming, wanting to see how Li Qingshan made a fool of himself, while in Wang Pushi’s eyes, Li Qingshan was still a member of the Hawkwolf Guard at the end of the day.
The other school leaders who had nothing to do with this also wanted to see just how much the so-called Reincarnated Celestial could grow. Li Qingshan was obviously just playing the role of the yardstick.
However, from the beginning till the end, Li Qingshan never appeared. The door to the cultivation dwelling below Contention island remained shut.
In the end, Han Anjun declared Chu Tian’s victory and handed four thousand spiritual stones to him.
Chu Tian tilted his head back and laughed. “Now that’s clever of him, or it’ll be even more humiliating for him! I will definitely take back what I’ve lost!”
“You’re so powerful, big brother Tian!” “You’ve defeated the enemy without even fighting!”
Liu Zhangqing glanced at the pale-white Liu Chuanfeng with a sneer.
Wang Pushi cursed aloud. All he said was there was something wrong with his own head to have placed bets on Li Qingshan. If it were not for the fact that the cultivation dwellings could not be opened without special reasons, he was tempted to rush in and drag Li Qingshan out. He was not afraid that Li Qingshan would lose. It was just a few inferior spiritual stones at most. However, he could not lose like this.
Hua Chengzan frowned. “Is Qingshan at an important juncture for cultivation, which is why he can’t pause for the moment?”
“It’s just practising some shitty qi, so why can’t he pause for a moment. I think he’s just scared.”
“Scared?”
The Main Martial Arts stadium became noisy. Those who had lost spiritual stones would definitely curse aloud, while those who had won could not help but sneer a little.
The novelists had become the laughing stock of the academy once again.
The slovenly daoist priest rubbed his chin. The kid definitely did not seem like someone who would run away from a battle. Did he become influenced by that coward, Liu Chuanfeng?
On Contention island in the underground cultivation dwelling, Li Qingshan did in fact forget about the battle.
Xiao An remembered it, but she did not remind him, as even if she did, he would never emerge right now.
The cultivation progress this time had exceeded Li Qingshan’s initial estimates.
Originally, he planned to digest most of the pills in his hundred treasures pouch, and then he would take another step forward with the Spirit Turtle Method of Sea Suppression.
However, this step ended up being quite large, such that he reached the boundary of the second layer. All he needed was another step, and he would succeed with his breakthrough.
At this moment, the Virtue Accumulation pill he had won from Qiu Haitang and the pill Xiao An had obtained from the One Thought master played a decisive role.
By now, Li Qingshan had already ingested all the pills he could use for cultivation in his hundred treasures pouch. All that remained was the Virtue Accumulation pill, which he had now swallowed too. He began to refine it slowly.
At a time like this, neither his wager of two thousand spiritual stones nor his own reputation was enough to distract him.
These three supernatural abilities were like the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty to Xiao An. They were his fundamentals, while the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression was the fundamental of fundamentals.
It was very likely that the second layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression would be the key that opened the gate to Daemon General. Once he stepped through, Li Qingshan would no longer be the same. The world would no longer be the same.
Time passed slowly. Who knew how long had passed.
Suddenly, a resplendent, azure light rose up from Li Qingshan’s body. The light actually formed the blurry figure of a spirit turtle, moving its head and limbs about in a vivid manner.
Only when it filled the entire dwelling did it suddenly begin to retract again, withdrawing into Li Qingshan’s body. It shrank into the tiny spirit turtle’s daemon core. Although it was tiny, it did become larger compared to before.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and light shone through them. His mind felt like still water. It was at great peace.
He had finally reached the second layer with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, but he did not break through to Daemon General immediately. However, he had been expecting this. Otherwise, he would be undergoing his heavenly tribulation in the academy. He would be out of his mind.
No matter how well-sealed the underground dwelling was, it was still unlikely to conceal the aura. By then, the only fate that would await him would be a combined beating from the school masters.
However, this door was already opening for him. He could vaguely see the boundless scenery inside. He had already planted a foot on the door sill. Now, all he needed to do was pull his other leg forward, and he would be able to step through.
This process was easier said than done. Who knew just how many cultivators had stopped at the tenth layer, unable to take this step even after an entire decade. Who knew just how many daemons had died during the heavenly tribulation. He had to be as cautious as he could be and gather even more resources so that he could complete this most crucial step in his life as a human, no, daemon.
Even without experimenting, Li Qingshan could feel that Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to get through his Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shield as long as they did not possess wondrous treasures like Fu Qingjin, or their cultivations had reached the same level as the slovenly daoist priest.
Most importantly, he could once again continue with the abilities of the ox demon and tiger demon that he had put on pause. If both of them reached the third layer, the spirit turtle at the second layer would probably struggle to keep them suppressed, but if he only reached the third layer with the ox demon, it should be no issue.
With the progression of cultivation, the power of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength became even more startling. His powerful body would be what he would rely on the most to fend off the heavenly tribulation.
At this moment, Xiao An reminded Li Qingshan about the battle.
Only then did Li Qingshan remember it. He checked the time. It should have already been summer outside, right? It only deepened his understanding of a cultivator’s concept of time. It was no exaggeration that it was timeless in the mountains, and years did not exist outside the seasons.
He felt it was a slight pity, but he was not particularly fazed. If he missed it, then he missed it. He could let this kid get ahead of himself for now. Was he supposed to be worried that he would not be able to redeem himself in the future?
He missed it anyway, so there was no need for him to hurry anymore.
“Then let’s continue.” Li Qingshan saw how Milliped had curled up into a ball too in a corner of the room, drawing in the spiritual qi within the dwelling. He seemed to focus on cultivation even more than Li Qingshan. This place was obviously more suited for his cultivation and recovery than the bug pouch.
Milliped had once been the one with the highest cultivation out of them, while his understanding that it was timeless in the mountains ran even deeper than what Li Qingshan knew.
Xiao An nodded too. Recently, she had reached a whole new level through her cultivation of the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual and her comprehension of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots required even more time from her too, so she could slowly deduce it and practise it.
Li Qingshan took out the high grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy once more. He had only focused on his daemon cultivation recently, so his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner had remained at the sixth layer.
However, he had utter confidence in himself this time around.
With his experience from refining the Cursive Sword Calligraphy last time and his comprehension of the path of the sword stored inside it, it did not take him too long to refine it. He succeeded on his first try.
Afterwards came the most dangerous moment. The infiltrating sword qi was ten times more vicious than before.
Just like last time, a sword as black as ink appeared in his mind again, dancing about like before. However, the terrifying sword intent it gave off was like countless thin needles shooting off in all directions.
The release of sword intent from last time only made Li Qingshan comprehend something, giving him the urge to wield the sword. However, Li Qingshan’s head ached with splitting pain this time, almost to a point where he could not even gather his focus.
It was possible to imagine that almost no Qi Practitioner could survive under these circumstances, with their minds in a mess and the sword qi infiltrating their bodies, basically caught in a pincer attack.
However, Li Qingshan growled, the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
The first thing that the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas suppressed was not the sea of qi, but the sea of consciousness.
A boundless spirit turtle conjured in Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness, pressing down on the inky sword. The terrifying sword intent immediately stagnated.
The spirit turtle’s power could control everything. This was Li Qingshan’s greatest safeguard, and it was the reason why he was bold enough to refine this fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy.
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1. Wuwei refers to a daoist concept of “inaction”. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei
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Chapter 308 – The Seventh Layer
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Chapter 308 – The Seventh Layer
Li Qingshan’s mind lightened up. At the same time, the spirit turtle completely suppressed the sword qi in his sea of qi.
Even with that being the case, traces of tears appeared in several of his meridians. His meridians stung. If he were a regular Qi Practitioner, this would have been an extremely severe injury, requiring the expertise of the school of Medicine to treat.
However, Li Qingshan just transformed slightly and released his daemon qi, washing away the residual sword qi. Before long, these injuries had gradually recovered. As a powerful daemon infinitesimally close to the realm of Daemon Generals, he possessed extremely powerful self-healing. He could basically recover from any wound as long as he had enough time.
After recovering, Li Qingshan immediately got to work, comprehending the path of the sword within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Under the control of the spirit turtle, he released the sword intent bit by bit, slowly feeling and comprehending it.
But clearly, it was much more difficult this time around. Li Qingshan opened his mouth and asked, “Xiao An, teach me your sword style.”
Xiao An immediately stopped cultivating and began studying it with him.
Time flew, but no one noticed.
This time, it had taken him even longer than last time. Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Qingshan wielded the two fragments of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy together and channeled true qi into them. When the true qi transformed into sharp sword qi, it flowed back into his body, but it had already become subdued, unable to cause him anymore harm.
He had finally comprehended the entirety of the path of the sword within the second Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Now, he wanted to merge these two Cursive Sword Calligraphies together in his sea of qi.
The two groups of sword qi of different strength gathered in his sea of qi and began fighting; it was as if they did not come from the same place and were mortal enemies instead.
Li Qingshan did not use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to forcefully suppress them. Instead, he used all of his will to control them. Gradually, the stronger group of sword qi gained the upper hand, devouring the weaker group. The two fused together completely, turning into over a hundred strands of extremely sharp sword qi.
Because they had been completely refined, the cluster of sword qi was enough to rival the supreme grade Cursive Sword Calligraphy, and he could wield it as he wished, which made it even more wondrous. Just how many people would be able to block it if he suddenly unleashed this move in the middle of a battle?
A streak of golden light appeared behind Li Qingshan. The huge vajra sword swung down on him.
Li Qingshan wielded his fingers like a sword and lifted them above his head.
The vajra sword and sword qi clashed together, producing a long screech.
The vajra sword pressed down bit by bit. Li Qingshan knocked it away and rushed forward. “You’re launching another sneak attack on me.” In order to increase his control over the sword qi, Li Qingshan had asked Xiao An to launch sneak attacks against him at any time so that he could unleash the sword qi when he felt threatened. This was quite a good idea for someone like Li Qingshan who was accustomed to battle. However, she seemed to have become addicted to it.
“Didn’t you want to defeat me with sword qi?” Xiao An giggled and fused with the sword. The vajra sword turned into a streak of golden light and whistled over.
“You’re underestimating me!” Li Qingshan fished out a low grade spiritual artifact sword and swung it.
The tips of the sword collided. Li Qingshan let out a roar, and the sword qi in his dantian channelled into the sword. The vajra sword cracked.
As it shattered, the guardian king avatar collapsed too, revealing her petite figure. He scooped her up and pinched her cheek viciously while tickling her. “Why don’t you keep being naughty?”
Xiao An let out a burst of laughter that sounded like silver chimes.
Li Qingshan sat down right where he was and placed her on his knee. “You weren’t holding back, were you?”
Xiao An leaned against his chest, raised her head, and looked at him. Her eyes seemed to twinkle like stars as she shook her head firmly. Her seaweed-like hair swayed from side to side like waves.
Li Qingshan asked, “Really?”
Xiao An nodded with a smile. “Really.”
The Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual was a wondrous buddhist cultivation method, but just a cultivation at the first layer was indeed insufficient to block sharp sword qi that was almost on par with supreme grade spiritual artifacts.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. “I said I would defeat you with sword qi, yet you insisted that I couldn’t.”
“Okay, I admit that you’re good. Are you happy now?” Xiao An pouted.
However, for guardian kings to subdue demons, it required a heart of fury, while for the path of the sword to defeat opponents, it required the intent to kill. When she faced Li Qingshan, she obviously did not feel that way, so whether it was the demonified guardian king or the unmatched path of the sword from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, she was unable to unleash even half of their power.
“It’s about time now. Let’s get ready to emerge!” Li Qingshan said. The time he had spent in secluded cultivation this time had truly exceeded his initial estimates.
“I still want to cultivate for a little longer. Can I?” Xiao An bit her lip and looked at him with her large eyes filled with eagerness.
Just who in the world could say no to a gaze like that?
Li Qingshan lowered his head and pressed his forehead against her head. “Alright, whatever you want. I don’t have any pills left, but it’s not too bad if I practise qi here.”
Xiao An smiled. To her, there was no difference in where she cultivated, but being able to cultivate with him always brought her the most joy. They would not be disturbed by anything. In this sealed dwelling, they could spend every single moment together without being separated at all; it was like a tiny haven that allowed them to shelter from the storm of the outside world.
Li Qingshan raised his head deep underground.
Even with the layers of formations and the thick earth separating him from the surface, he could still clearly sense the unique pulse of spiritual qi of the world clearly. This was what his spirit turtle’s daemon core told him as a daemon.
Xiao An pressed her thumb against the joint on her middle finger and calculated a little before saying confidently, “It’s snowing.”
Li Qingshan said, “Wanna go out for a snowfight?” Xiao An replied, “Okay!”
As a result, the stone door to the dwelling opened loudly.
On the Cloudwisp island, in the courtyard within the bamboo.
The entire courtyard was filled with snow, with no one to clear it away. Probably only the school of Novels would face a predicament like this, but it also managed to maintain the purest, most uncontaminated snowfields.
The bamboo stood like noble people, completely unfazed and just as graceful as before. However, some of them bent over from the accumulated snow, like they were trying to pick up a snowflake from the ground.
The door and windows were wide open. The gentle, cold breeze blew snowflakes onto the bamboo floor, and the shine of the snow dimmed in the darkness too.
It was like the most beautiful landscape painting there was. Of course, only cultivators were able to take their time and appreciate this sight quietly without fearing the cold.
Liu Chuanfeng wore a single, bluish-green gown as he leaned against the table, writing diligently. Neither the cold nor the scenery seemed to be able to faze him.
The Cloudwisp association had already begun to unleash a startling effect, and his flame for writing novels seemed to be reignited. He wrote stories painstakingly.
Of course, these stories no longer possessed any sexual content at all. Instead, they were elegant and refined.
Li Qingshan’s words had given him extremely deep inspiration. He was completely aware that he was not trying to win over those educated scholars right now.
Without anyone’s advice, those iconic stories of young men falling off a cliff and finding a rare treasure or young misses eloping with poor scholars emerged from the tip of his brush. Beautified by the storytellers and bards, they reached the ears of thousands of regular people. The rate at which his power of belief gathered suddenly jumped.
Of course, it was not entirely smooth sailing. He faced quite a lot of uncertainty and hesitance during the process. In order to increase his efficiency, he would write many openings before asking the Cloudwisp association for feedback. If he could gain recognition, then he would keep writing, but if he could not, he would change it immediately. He devoted all of it to serve the readers.
Right now, he was writing exactly one of these novels that had been developed half way. Out of his many novels, this one had garnered the most recognition and support. The name, Master of Wind and Moon, began to accumulate some renown.
It had been a very long time since he last visited the Parlour of Clouds and rain, and it was not because of Li Qingshan’s warning. Rather, he simply had no time at all. His deadline to hand in the draft was approaching. He had to make time for the storytellers to familiarise themselves with the story.,
He wrote and wrote like his life depended on it. If it were possible, he wanted to continue this story forever—one book, two books, three books and so on. He was not fighting alone. He was not fighting for just himself. The entire school of Novels was currently reviving in his hands.
Thump! Thump! Thump! “Anyone home?”
Liu Chuanfeng suddenly raised his head. Because his mind was still submerged in the story, his eyes were in a daze, so he seemed rather bewildered. However, he gradually made out the person standing in the corridor, blocking the light from the snow. It was his primary disciple that he thought of day and night.
“My dear disciple, you’ve finally returned!” Liu Chuanfeng threw himself towards him.
Li Qingshan swatted him aside and called out to the snow, “Xiao An, come on in!”
“Why were you in seclusion for so long? Don’t tell me you were actually afraid of Chu Tian? If you were afraid, why didn’t you tell me earlier? You made me lose so many spiritual stones, do you know? He has already reached the seventh layer, and it’s said he’s going to break through again soon. It’s utterly infuriating with how good he is at…” Liu Chuanfeng lifted up the teapot and poured some tea as he rambled on. Suddenly, he stopped and widened his eyes.
“Y- you’ve reached the seventh layer.” He finally sensed the aura from Li Qingshan. Sure enough, it was at the seventh layer.
“Exactly!” Li Qingshan smiled. He placed the cup into Xiao An’s hands. “When I was practising qi, there was a small accident, which was why I took a little longer.”
Liu Chuanfeng was filled with disbelief. Just what accident could allow a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had just broken through to reach the seventh layer in just a few months?
The path of cultivation became more difficult the further a person went. After condensing the sea of qi, it would be quite fast if a person could open the three remaining meridians, the Penetrating, Conception, and Governing meridians, within a decade, before spending another decade to open the twelve standard meridians throughout their body, reaching the peak of Qi Practitioners, the tenth layer.
Afterwards, they could use two or three decades to slowly comprehend the final step, or should one say the first step, Foundation Establishment.
People would be considered as elites if they reached the tenth layer before the age of fifty, outstanding if it was before the age of forty, and geniuses if it was before the age of thirty.
This was the path that most talented Qi Practitioners and many Foundation Establishment cultivators took. Plenty of geniuses like Hua Chengzan would emerge on the path too, but they were all the renowned geniuses.
Li Qingshan was just seventeen. If he continued at this pace, he could easily make it into the category of geniuses.
If he knew about the exact time Li Qingshan had spent cultivating, his eyes would probably fall out from shock. He had spent just three months, not the nine months that Liu Chuanfeng thought.
Although he could absorb spiritual qi of the world to no end, practising qi was not about just absorbing spiritual qi. Originally, he should not have reached the seventh layer so quickly, but he ended up finding another wondrous use for the sword qi in his dantian.
Forcefully splitting open meridians.
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Chapter 309 – I’ll Let You Take Three Moves First
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Chapter 309 – I’ll Let You Take Three Moves First
After reaching the sixth layer, converting the spiritual qi into endless true qi and attacking the various acupoints no longer seemed as useful as before.
At this moment, the sword qi in Li Qingshan’s dantian gave him a great inspiration. He tried merging the sword qi into his true qi so that he could forcefully split open meridians and smash through acupoints. He never thought he would actually succeed.
His true qi was already extremely pure. Combined with the support from the sword qi in his dantian, the various obstacles on the path of practising qi could no longer serve as a bottleneck to him. The Cursive Sword Calligraphy truly was extraordinary.
Liu Chuanfeng saw Li Qingshan take a step in the corridor. The mist gathered rapidly beneath his feet. His speed of using techniques had become startling.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m obviously going to go find Chu Tian. I think it’s best if I take back that sum of spiritual stones.” Li Qingshan clasped his hands without looking back. Xiao An leapt onto the cloud, and with a whoosh, the cloud took off with a long tail.
The school of Buddhim had a forest of stūpas, while the school of Confucianism had a forest of stone tablets on Great Virtue island.
The dark-grey, shiny tablets recorded the life events of the past seniors of virtue of Confucianism to inspire the later generations.
Chu Tian and a group of confucian disciples sat before a huge stone tablet as they listened impatiently to the instructor explain the past events. What shitty virtuous person? Could he match a celestial?
The instructor suddenly stopped and gazed past Chu Tian. Chu Tian turned around, and his eyes suddenly widened. He saw Li Qingshan leaning against a stone tablet, smiling at him. He was not dejected or resentful over his loss at all. He even waved his hand, like he was greeting an old friend.
And- and he had actually reached the seventh layer too, just like him. This brought great disappointment to Chu Tian, as he wanted to see Li Qingshan’s appearance as a defeated dog. He no longer cared about the ongoing lesson and suddenly stood up.
“Li Qingshan!”
“It’s about time anyway. We’ll stop here for today.” The professor glanced at the sky. He was reluctant to offend a rising genius disciple like Chu Tian. It was not like a lot of people were actually paying attention to this lesson anyway.
The confucian disciples all gathered beside Chu Tian, gazing at Li Qingshan nearby. Their eyes were filled with contempt.
Chu Tian said, “You’re still bold enough to come here?”
Li Qingshan answered, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“What do you want? Don’t tell me you’ve come to admit your defeat? Now that’s something a man would do. Call me big brother, and from now onwards, we’ll be…”
“Have you defeated me?”
Li Qingshan interrupted him with a single question. Chu Tian immediately lost his temper. He pointed at Li Qingshan. “Acting shamelessly isn’t going to save you from me!”
Li Qingshan said, “How about this? Would you like an opportunity to defeat me?”
“Is that so? Alright, I agree. I’m just afraid you’ll scamper away with your tail between your legs again!” Chu Tian sneered, and the confucian disciples laughed along.
Li Qingshan extended four fingers. “This time, we’ll gamble this much. Four thousand spiritual stones!”
The laughter stopped. All the confucian disciples taking the lesson here were new disciples. Even if they poured together all the spiritual stones they had seen in their lives, they had never seen so many before. They could not help but become frightened by the number. Chu Tian was stunned too.
Li Qingshan asked, “What, you don’t have enough spiritual stones? Need me to lend you some?”
“Alright. Since you’re gifting me spiritual stones, why wouldn’t I agree?” Chu Tian sneered as he ravished in joy. He was filled with absolute confidence. He had already attained an extremely deep understanding of the Great Palm of the Five Elements. As he practised five kinds of true qi simultaneously, the five elements promoted one another, so he had over ten times as much true qi as regular seventh layer Qi Practitioners. How could he lose?
“Same location. As for the time, let’s do three days later, just in case something else gets in the way and a scoundrel ends up getting away with his small success again!”
“This time, I will leave you convinced over your defeat,” Chu Tian said viciously. Not only did he want to win, but he wanted to properly humiliate Li Qingshan too. He planned to show him the difference between a mortal and a celestial.
Three days later, in the Main Martial Arts stadium of the school of the Military.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had come to Great War island. When he saw the Main Martial Arts stadium, it reminded him of a huge arena, but there were no tightly-jammed seats. Instead, several platforms of varying heights stood in the surroundings. They were for watching the demonstrations of martial might. From afar, there was a clear order among the platforms with quite the pattern. It did not seem messy at all. Clearly, it was the handiwork of an architect from the school of Mohism.
Chu Tian stood with his arms behind his back as his white clothes fluttered about. Although he was not exactly handsome, he appeared to be filled with an intense bearing in the eyes of onlookers as a result of his great strength.
The platforms in the surroundings were filled with standing people. This huge gamble had already attracted the attention of the entire academy.
A few figures were vaguely visible in the special seats at the very top.
Wang Pushi gazed at the sun. It was about time.
However, Li Qingshan still was not here. The other platforms were filled with discussions.
A group of legalist disciples either sat or stood on one of the platforms. There were plenty of familiar faces that Li Qingshan would recognise.
“Why hasn’t he come yet? Don’t tell me he’s afraid again!”
“He gave away a few thousand spiritual stones last time. Why haven’t I run into an opponent as nice as him?”
“You’d better stop talking. He’s the primary disciple of the school of Novels! You can’t afford to offend him!” Wu Gen said extremely seriously.
It led to a roar of laughter. Wu Gen laughed along as well and felt proud of himself.
“Rongzhi, how much have you gambled this time?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “The same as last time.”
“The same? Surely not.” Last time, Qian Rongzhi had wagered on Li Qingshan and lost quite a lot of spiritual stones as a result. Wu Gen gave Li Qingshan a good scoffing to her, but he never expected that she would still gamble in the same way. It made Wu Gen quite unhappy.
She possessed quite a lot of suitors in the academy right now. She even seemed to have a somewhat ambiguous relationship with that genius, Chu Tian. However, she had always maintained her distance from him.
Wang Pushi lowered his head and asked Hua Chengzan beside him, “How much did you gamble this time?”
Hua Chengzan sat on the edge of the platform with his legs crossed. He extended two fingers. “Two thousand. I need to make back what I lost last time, after all!”
Wang Pushi said, “You just trust him that much?”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “If he loses this time, then I’ll wager four thousand next time.”
“He’s here, he’s here!” A series of calls rang out from below, and everyone raised his heads.
A cloud with a long tail shot over. It glided past a high platform, and Xiao An leapt off, landing beside the One Thought master. The One Thought master looked at his primary disciple he had not seen in quite a while with a bitter smile. He had no idea whether to praise her or berate her. At least there was someone beside him now.
The unspoken rule of the academy was that only the primary disciple could stand beside their respective school leader. Although this high platform was very spacious, only two people could stand on it at most.
Hua Chengzan said, “Old Wang, were you this fast back then?”
“My affinity for water is only yi.” Wang Pushi could use the Hell of Ice, so he was obviously familiar with this water element technique with the highest practicality. However, he did not move as quickly as Li Qingshan when he was at the tenth layer.
“This speed seems to make him more than just high jia,” Hua Chengzan said in thought.
The formation for testing elemental affinity was only used on Qi Practitioners. High jia was already an extremely rare affinity, so there was no point in setting the range so that it could measure to something higher.
After reaching the second layer with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, his connection with water had increased drastically, which was why he was able to sense the snowfall from inside the cultivation dwelling. Just like the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging, the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression gradually changed his constitution.
They were trying to measure a spirit turtle’s water affinity using a human formation. Was that not a joke? A spirit turtle was water itself, no, the ruler of water.
After dropping off Xiao An, the cloud plummeted down without slowing down at all, straight towards the ground.
With a boom, the cloud was smashed into pieces and dust rose up in the surroundings.
Yu Zijian felt something tighten around her right hand. She saw how Hua Chenglu was extremely nervous.
“Are you worrying for him?” Yu Zijian asked quietly.
“You idiot! I’ve wagered a lot of spiritual stones on this!” Hua Chenglu stared straight into the mist and vaguely saw a figure standing with his chest held high in there. Only then did she relax.
The dust dispersed. Li Qingshan stood with his arms crossed. He smiled slightly as his bronze face radiated with confidence. His blueish-green clothes that should have been very elegant just radiated with power on him.
This time, he was perfectly on time.
The leader of the school of Military, Han Anjun, was presiding over the battle, and he said, “During the battle, all pills, talismans, puppets, and spiritual stones are forbidden from use. If you break these rules, you will be disqualified immediately.”
This was the rule for fighting within the academy. Most of the battles were competitions of martial prowess and matches to grow stronger in. They were not battles to the death.
If they were allowed to use these items that offered boosts, it would devolve into a pointless battle of endurance where they would waste large amounts of resources for nothing. The academy did not endorse that. School leader Han Anjun was presiding over this battle to ensure that he could stop the battle at any time to minimise injuries and avoid casualties.
After a simple explanation of the rules, he cut right to the chase. Han Anjun asked, “Do you have any objections?”
“I don’t.” “I don’t.”
“Begin!”
The giant lumberman Mu Kui wielded a huge hammer and struck a bronze gong that stood even taller than him.
The thunderous sound boomed through the entire island, startling flocks of birds. The battle began.
Chu Tian said, “And I had thought you would run away from the battle again. Hmph, seeing how you’re gifting me so many spiritual stones, go ahead. I’ll let you take three moves first.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Without batting an eye, Li Qingshan launched three water arrows. They failed to even pierce Chu Tian’s protective true qi. Water element techniques were not known for their offensive power. He did not use his entire strength in the attack either.
“Courtesy demands reciprocity. I’ll let you take three moves too. Go ahead!”
Chu Tian was furious. He never thought he would actually try toying with him. Sharp, golden light lit up in his hand and swung out like a blade. He called out, “Metal Crescent Slash!”
The sharp, crescent-shaped golden light whistled through the air.
“One move.” Li Qingshan took half a step back and twisted his body naturally. The Metal Crescent Slash brushed past him. He was completely unscathed.
Before he could even correct his posture, he felt the ground below him shake.
“Lone Wood Spiling!” Chu Tian’s voice rang out. Green light flickered around his right foot as he stamped down.
A huge log burst out from the ground, straight into the air.
“Two moves.” Li Qingshan leapt up slightly and stomped down. The log splintered loudly.
Waves of heat emanated over. Fire turned Li Qingshan’s face bright red.
“Bird of Flames!” A bird scorching with fire like a phoenix extended its wings that spanned over thirty meters across and lunged over violently. It turned into a sea of flames that swallowed Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 310 – Cloud Ridge Giant
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Chapter 310 – Cloud Ridge Giant
With how silent the platforms had fallen, it was clear that Chu Tian’s strength had shocked everyone. Not only did the three moves include metal, wood, and fire element techniques, but all of them possessed startling power too. If they were fighting Chu Tian instead, they would probably be killed with his first move. It would be even less likely for them to escape from these flames.
How was it possible for Li Qingshan to win against such an opponent? He even tried acting tough, letting Chu Tian take three moves. He was just knocking on death’s door.
Yu Zijian felt her hand tighten until it ached. She saw how worried Hua Chenglu was. “Are you worried about your spiritual stones?”
“I’m worried about him!” Hua Chenglu quickly realised what she had said and blushed. “Oh you. I can’t believe you’re still in the mood to joke around right now.”
“Don’t worry, Chenglu. He’s not the type of person who would be defeated by moves like this.” Yu Zijian patted Hua Chenglu’s hand. She seemed to see that person’s figure on Li Qingshan, an unyielding will.
Liu Zhangqing smiled. Chu Tian might have been lacking a little mentally, but his strength went without saying. Not only did he have over ten times more true qi than regular people, but his techniques were extremely powerful too by using the principle of the mutual promotion of the five elements.
Li Qingshan had challenged him out of sheer ignorance. He was simply asking for trouble. Even if he managed to survive this attack, he should be heavily injured, unable to keep fighting!
Chu Tian laughed aloud, just like he did during the battle last time. “Do you really think you’re worthy enough to give me a handicap of three moves? General Han, I’ve won this battle!”
Han Anjun stood on a platform nearby; he was like a statue, as if he had not heard Chu Tian. Suddenly, he raised his hand and pointed at the fire.
Chu Tian looked over with a frown, and his eyes narrowed. Li Qingshan stood within the sea of fire, unscathed. His posture had not even changed. A circular, faint-blue barrier enveloped him, which resisted the roaring flames no matter how hard they collided against it.
Li Qingshan said, “Three moves!”
The Water Curtain technique was relatively more renowned among the various water element techniques. It was a defensive technique that could nullify power and neutralise attacks.
However, how was a seventh layer Qi Practitioner’s Water Curtain technique able to block Chu Tian’s Bird of Flames? Not only was Chu Tian puzzled, but even Liu Zhangqing was perplexed as well.
Li Qingshan smiled. “What, do you want another three moves?”
“Since you want to be so reckless, don’t blame me for not holding back!” Chu Tian erupted with fury. He formed seals with his hands. He moved so quickly that his hands seemed to multiply.
Li Qingshan did not use this opportunity to attack either. Instead, he just stood there with his arms crossed, as if he really planned on letting him take another three moves. Even the various school leaders felt like he was being a little too conceited now, but he had a plan.
Chu Tian pulled back his hands, and all the blurs vanished, merging before his chest. He slammed his hands against the ground violently.
There was an unbelievably loud rumble. The onlookers all felt the platforms shake slightly, as if there was an earthquake. A crack immediately appeared between Chu Tian’s hands, spreading to Li Qingshan’s feet.
A huge, earthen yellow hand extended out from the ground and headed towards Li Qingshan. The five thick fingers reached towards him like stone pillars.
Li Qingshan leapt up and unleashed his cloud, flying around the arena while looking down.
The entire stadium was filled with cracks now. The earthen yellow arms extended out of the earth and into the air before pressing against the ground. A humanoid figure used it to hoist itself out of the earth, like it was a giant that had awakened from its millennium-long slumber by the outside world. Rock and soil rolled off its body, revealing a perfect, humanoid shape. It stood over thirty meters tall.
The huge shadow it cast even enveloped quite a few platforms.
The people on the platforms were alarmed. “W- what is this technique?”
“The Earthen Strongman!” Earth elder Huang squinted his eyes.
“What? This is the Earthen Strongman?” A tanny, simple-looking young man beside earth elder Huang cried out, as he also knew this technique, and he was at the tenth layer.
The Earthen Strongman was an earth element technique. Anyone who cultivated Wu Earth true qi could use it, but when regular weaker Qi Practitioners used it, the ones they summoned would only be the size of a man. Stronger Qi Practitioners might have been able to summon ones towering at ten meters, but an Earthen Strongman this huge had already exceeded the understanding of regular Qi Practitioners. They struggled to make out what this technique was.
The power of techniques were basically determined by three factors—elemental affinity, true qi quantity, and understanding of the technique itself.
Without a doubt, Chu Tian was one of the best of the best for all three factors, particularly with the last factor. With his advantage as a Reincarnated Celestial, he basically knew how to use techniques even without being taught them, as if he was born with them. Even the primary disciple of the school of Agriculture paled in comparison to him. After all, in this current day and age of peace, regular Qi Practitioners would never spend too much time or effort on techniques.
Chu Tian stood on the Earthen Strongman’s shoulder and looked down at Li Qingshan. “If you want to admit defeat now, it’s already too late. If I want to kill you, no one can save you!”
This was extremely arrogant of Chu Tian to say, but no one treated it as a boast. This colossal figure probably weighed thousands of tonnes. Before a single punch from it, any protective true qi or defensive techniques would be rendered useless. He would immediately be crushed to pulp. Even if someone wanted to save Li Qingshan, it would be too late.
Before they knew it, this battle had already evolved into a struggle of life and death.
Han Anjun’s eyelashes trembled, while the primary disciple of the school of the Military, Han Tieyi, said, “General.”
Han Anjun said, “Let him kill him.”
Chu Tian laughed madly. Under his control, the Earthen Strongman extended a huge hand towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan rode the cloud and slipped between the huge fingers in an extremely close shave. He felt his vision darken. At this moment, the other hand had already slammed down from above. The cloud descended rapidly, which was the only reason he managed to avoid that punch.
With a boom, the Earthen Strongman’s punch struck the ground heavily. A shockwave visible with the naked eye spread out in all directions. Wherever it passed by, masses of earth leapt up with it.
A few Qi Practitioners on the platforms basically wanted to flee out of fright. A screen of light appeared as the several hundred platforms formed a circular barrier, enveloping the entire stadium.
The shockwave dispersed, leaving behind a huge pit in the ground. Everyone was dumbfounded by the power. Was this really a technique used by a seventh layer Qi Practitioner?
Basically every corner of the stadium was within reach of the Earthen Strongman’s arms, and it definitely did not have any points of weakness.
Li Qingshan rode around on his cloud like a fly, weaving and dodging around, avoiding the Earthen Strongman’s attempts to catch him time and time again in close shaves.
Chu Tian sneered aloud. “What, is running all you know? Or are you trying to exhaust my true qi? I might as well tell you this then. Once my Earthen Strongman is created, the earth itself serves as a foundation for it. As such, it will never run out of power.”
“Twelve moves.”
Chu Tian was stunned. “What did you say?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “All for you to take!”
The slovenly daoist priest laughed too. He took a sip of alcohol. “This kid is still so arrogant. I like it! It’s just a pity!”
“Fuck you!” Chu Tian completely lost his temper. The Earthen Strongman opened its mouth and let out a soundless roar. It took quaking steps and spread out its arms, lunging towards Li Qingshan.
A huge shadow extended over. Li Qingshan felt like a mountain was falling on him, but he kept smiling. “Since you want to play, I’ll play with you!”
Boom! The two huge hands collided together heavily, and everything in between them vanished.
Hua Chenglu screamed. Wasn’t Li Qingshan dead now? Why hadn’t the referee Han Anjun interfered? Did he really want to see Li Qingshan die?
Chu Tian said, “As I’ve said, if I want to kill you, no one can…”
The Earthen Strongman opened its hands. There was nothing between them apart from a puddle of water.
The Water Clone technique. It could mould water into shapes and mislead people.
Sounds of amazement rang out in the surroundings. A shadow enveloped Chu Tian, but he did not care. At such an altitude, the only thing that could shroud the sun were clouds.
At this moment, Chu Tian saw many Qi Practitioners pointing behind him in surprise. He quickly turned around. He saw “clouds”.
A cloud giant even larger than the Earthen Strongman grabbed the Earthen Strongman by the shoulder with its left hand while forming a fist with its right. It threw it heavily at the Earthen Strongman’s face, causing it to stagger backwards and collapse heavily, striking the barrier around the stadium.
A huge slab of earth slid off the Earthen Strongman’s face as rock and soil flowed out. The punch was originally directed towards Chu Tian who stood on the Earthen Strongman’s shoulder, but his reactions were quite fast, so he managed to dodge it.
Li Qingshan sat on the cloud giant’s shoulder and said, “What a coincidence! I just happen to know a similar technique!”
During the time he spent in seclusion, Li Qingshan did not just practise qi. He also tried the techniques that came with the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, but he discovered it was all different now. These techniques that originally required him tremendous amounts of time to understand and grasp suddenly posed no difficulty at all anymore. He could use them after just a bit of study, and their effects were extraordinary too.
He did not become a genius overnight. This had nothing to do with his ability to comprehend. Instead, it was instincts, just like how fish could swim and birds could fly. Controlling everything that had to do with water was the spirit turtle’s natural ability. The Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression had almost changed his very essence.
As a result, he tried all of the water element techniques in the cultivation dwelling. Li Qingshan did not wait around during the three days before the battle either. He got Liu Chuanfeng to find some stronger water element techniques suited for battle.
Liu Chuanfeng might not have been well-off, but he was still the leader of a school, while his senior brother, Sun Fubai, literally sold these things. As a result, he immediately gave him a few powerful water element techniques.
The “Cloud Ridge Giant” was one of them. Learning the Cloud Ridge Giant required great mastery over Mist Wielding and Cloud Riding.
The Cloud Ridge Giant was condensed from water vapour after all. It was massive, which was why it was called a “giant”, though it was not exactly more powerful than Chu Tian’s Earthen Strongman. However, it seemed like he had gained the upper hand.
“You actually- You actually!” Chu Tian roared. As if the punch had landed on his face, it ached with a fiery pain. Originally, he wanted to annihilate Li Qingshan quickly with absolute supremacy, but reality had proved him wrong time and time again.
The Earthen Strongman stood up once again as it rapidly recovered from the damage to its face.
The two colossal figures stood within the stadium, as if they had returned to a battlefield of primeval times.
Amidst the shock, all the Qi Practitioners wondered about the same question. Was this still a battle between Qi Practitioners? And ones at the seventh layer?
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Painting a Snake and Dabbing in the Eyes
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Painting a Snake and Dabbing in the Eyes
The name might be a little weird, but this is actually a note for requesting for monthly tickets at the start of the month!
Though, I still want to use this opportunity to ramble about some things, things about the novel itself.
This month’s been quite surprisingly difficult. First, my grandfather passed away, which forced me to halt releases for a week, but all it affected was releases. There are some things that run much deeper that are troubling me.
You can say that this is also the primary reason behind the unstables releases of Chronicles of Xu Xian. It has once troubled me deeply. When I thought I could avoid it by switching to a Levelling-up novel1, it has instead come knocking once again.
I didn’t even understand what it was, until one day. I suddenly realised what’s troubling me isn’t my flaws, but my strengths. You might find this strange. How can my strengths trouble me?
All of this originates from the very source of this. Why do I write novels?
I think I’m the same as most people. If you’ve ever thought about writing novels, you must have experienced this too. In the very beginning, it’s just a good idea in your mind, a novel thought, a touching scene. But afterwards, it will extend on forever, making you feel like you have to write something.
However, when many people start writing, they realise that they can’t express these ideas in their minds, so they give up. Fortunately, I possess this ability. I can turn those ideas into interesting and touching segments of the story.
One of my strengths is that I don’t lack these ideas. They seem like inexhaustible starlight, leaping out and calling out to me everyday, “Write me! Write me!”
All I can say is, “Alright.” That’s because this is my mission. I need to use an invisible thread to string them together so that they can shine before you.
However, it’s not that easy.
Only now did I realise, Did I mess something up?
I think you’ve all heard the story about “Drawing legs for snakes2”. I once treated this old fable as the story of a fool, “Just who can be so stupid!” This continued until a certain moment, which was right now. I suddenly realised that I was that idiot.
Writing a novel isn’t threading a line. Instead, it’s drawing a snake. There’s a head and a tail, while the in between forms the snake’s wriggling body.
However, this snake was just too long and too big, to a point where I often forget this. In order to demonstrate these ideas in my head, you guessed it! That’s right, I drew legs for the snake!
This is not a small matter, so I paused the releases and passed it off as thinking over the plot. However, no matter how beautiful these “legs” were, no matter how diligently I drew them, even I could feel that something was off, let alone you. So afterwards, I paused the releases.
And as you know, “He who draws legs for the snake misses out on drinking.”
I finally understood that while these ideas were very beautiful, very touching, and very interesting, they did not belong to this story. They belong to another story, another style.
If the twisting and warping of all these ideas didn’t exist, it would be good news to both this book and to me. I can write this story of grinding and levelling-up in peace. Perhaps the novel won’t shine, but it’ll still be a snake.
If you complain about how you’re worse than others and how they’re more successful than you, that’s probably because you’ve done something stupendously idiotic and you’re still unaware. The idiotic thing is probably so simple that it can be accurately described using a fable.
Racking your brains out sometimes isn’t as great as a convenient scribble from others.
I’ve written so much nonsense, so you might be irritated by it now! As a note, requesting for monthly tickets, you can call this akin to the “snake legs”! I should have used this time to write another chapter and erupt while letting out a battlecry, raising morale instead!
Hehe, old habits die hard! All I can say is that I’m really not a genius. I don’t have the talent of achieving instantaneous enlightenment, achieving godhood through a single novel. However, I will be like Li Qingshan, advancing forwards step by step. Please join me on this process and please lend me a hand.
That’s because I refuse to draw snakes for the rest of my life. Right now, it’s just because I don’t have enough power. There will be a day when not only do I draw legs, but I’ll draw claws, scales, horns, ears, whiskers, a tail, and finally, I’ll dab in the eyes.
Perhaps it might summon the winds and lightning and emerge from the wall, taking off on the clouds…
When that day arrives, I’ll have you sit beside the dragon horns and soar through the wind and sky, all the way to beyond the Nine Heavens!
Translator’s Note: The author’s note heavily plays off a few Chinese idioms, allegories, and sayings. As I’ve mentioned earlier, there’s the fable of drawing legs on the snake. At the same time, the author refers to the Chinese myth of how snakes can evolve into dragons once they cultivate for a sufficient amount of time. And at the end, with how it “emerges from the wall” towards the end, it’s a reference to the allegory of “Dabbing in eyes for the painted dragons”. Basically, a renowned Chinese painter, Zhang Sengyou, painted four life-like dragons on the wall of a temple, but he did not dab in the eyes. He did not do so as he claimed the dragons would spring alive and subsequently fly away if he did. A person ignored his warnings and painted the eyes in for two dragons, and just as Zhang Sengyou had warned, the two dragons sprang alive and flew away with winds and lightning (dragons are known to cause storms in Chinese legends). The allegory is basically used for things that are just a tiny element away from perfection. You can read more about this here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Sengyou
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1. Levelling-up novels, just as the name suggests, is about the main character powering up throughout the novel, like he “levels up” in a game. The novel places quite an emphasis on growing stronger, if you couldn’t tell already.
2. Drawing legs for snakes is a fable (and a Chinese idiom) where there’s a group of people who compete for a jar of alcohol. Basically, they decide to compete by seeing who can draw a snake the fastest. One of them finishes well before everyone else, and in his arrogance, he even spends time to add legs to his snake. When he goes to claim his prize of a hearty drink, one of his competitors says that snakes don’t have legs, so he hasn’t drawn a snake. At this moment, that same person finishes drawing and takes the alcohol for himself. The moral of the story is not to go over the top, as you might end up shooting yourself in the foot.
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Chapter 311 – Outcome Already Determined
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Chapter 311 – Outcome Already Determined
If it were just Chu Tian, then so be it. He had always been called a genius anyway. However, Li Qingshan was a disciple of the school of Novels that they had mocked all this time, a clown for fulfilling their sense of superiority. Perhaps no one treated him as a genius due to the trio from the entrance examination.
However, at this moment, reality told them that Li Qingshan was a true genius, a genius that could rival Chu Tian. Meanwhile, their mockery was simply so foolish. Their sense of superiority immediately collapsed.
On the platform occupied by the mohist disciples, Hao Pingyang slapped Zhang Lanqing’s shoulder. “I told you he has got some moves.”
Zhang Lanqing smiled easily too. In the past three days, he had worried a lot. He Yishi stood in the corner of the platform and raised his head to look at Li Qingshan on the Cloud Ridge Giant. All he felt was fear.
Yu Zijian praised, “So powerful!” Hua Chenglu said, “He really is something else. What did I say? With my insight, how could I go wrong?”
Wu Gen posed a question to himself. As an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, could he stand a chance against either one of them? He glanced at Qian Rongzhi. She maintained her smile the entire time, neither worried or surprised, as if everything was developing according to her expectations. It only added to her wondrous charm.
He had once thought of himself as a conqueror. Only at this moment did he suddenly realise he was drawn to her due to her strength, her unconfused, unwavering, unhesitant “strength”.
Perhaps it was time for him to cast everything aside and cultivate properly. Perhaps he should copy Li Qingshan and enter secluded cultivation for a while.
“Old Wang, how’s that?” Hua Chengzan looked back and smiled.
“Interesting, but it’s still nowhere near enough!”
“Then let’s just see how everything unfolds!”
Chu Tian and Li Qingshan’s gazes clashed in the air above the arena.
“Turns out I’ve always been underestimating you,” Chu Tian said in some disbelief.
“Same here. I really am quite surprised by how you’ve managed to say something like that,” Li Qingshan said with composure.
“But if you think you can defeat me like this, you’re far too naive. What Cloud Ridge Giant? That’s just a facade, a bravado. Watch as my Earthen Strongman smashes it to pieces!”
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The Earthen Strongman’s steps were like blaring drums as it rushed towards the Cloud Ridge Giant with whistling wind.
The Main Martial Arts stadium was massive, but that was with respect to human size. Compared to these two colossal figures, it was like a tiny stage, nowhere to dodge, nowhere to hide.
The huge punch was like a mountainside landslide as it smashed towards the Cloud Ridge Giant’s head, or more accurately, Li Qingshan beside the head. It moved with stoppable, terrifying power.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Li Qingshan smiled. He could tell from a long time ago that Chu Tian had no idea about battle tactics at all. If Li Qingshan were in control of the Earthen Strongman instead, he would have caught the cloud in the situation before. And, he would not throw punches right now either. Punching right now was completely pointless. All Chu Tian knew was how to brawl like a regular person.
Chu Tian could use techniques to annihilate most Qi Practitioners, so there was no need for him to try and learn these battle tactics or whatever they were. With the size of the Earthen Strongman, just being able to brawl would be sufficient.
However, it was not enough today.
The clouds surged, and the Cloud Ridge Giant tilted its head. The Earthen Strongman’s punch missed. A pillar of clouds rushed up as a vicious hook shattered the Earthen Strongman’s chin.
Because the Cloud Ridge Giant was just too large, it only resembled a blurry humanoid shape. Even its eyes and mouth were just three depressions in the cloud, and it did not have legs either, just a long tail of clouds.
Li Qingshan would never use it to unleash his martial arts either. However, as long as he paid attention to the situation and used his judgement, he could abuse someone inexperienced like Chu Tian.
The Earthen Strongman lost its balance, and the Cloud Ridge Giant drifted forwards. A straight, left punch landed on the Earthen Strongman’s face, and with a boom, it crushed its nose.
If it were a human, then it would have suffered heavily from that, but the Earthen Strongman was not made out of flesh and blood after all. It did not know what pain or dizziness was. As Chu Tian roared out, it threw a punch back at the Cloud Ridge Giant’s chest.
With how big the Cloud Ridge Giant was, it was impossible for it to dodge. Li Qingshan had no intentions of dodging either. The Cloud Ridge Giant received the punch and continued to advance forwards, beating up the Earthen Strongman to the point where rock and soil flew off its body.
The Earthen Strongman’s punch pierced the Cloud Ridge Giant, directly creating a hole. Chu Tian laughed aloud. “Die!”
What answered him was a combination. A left jab, a right straight, and a left hook was completed in a single stroke, causing the Earthen Giant to stagger backwards. Its face had been reduced to a mess.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Idiot.”
Just like how water element techniques were not suited for battle, the Cloud Ridge Giant was not made for fighting. It was nowhere near as destructive as the Earthen Strongman. As a matter of fact, it paled in comparison to the impenetrable defenses of earth element techniques too. However, it was accustomed to absorbing and nullifying damage.
The clouds surged and gathered once again, filling in the hole within the blink of an eye. The pliable Cloud Ridge Giant was perfect for overwhelming the Earthen Strongman that triumphed through brute force.
Everyone on the spectating platforms were dumbfounded. They never thought Li Qingshan would gain the upper hand the moment he struck. He was not conceited for giving Chu Tian a handicap of three moves. Was he really a disciple of the school of Novels?
“Beat him up! Beat him up!” Hua Chenglu called out.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Among the thunderous rumbles, the Cloud Ridge Giant forced the Earthen Strongman to the edge of the arena, unleashing its fists as it wished.
The Earthen Strongman fought back desperately, but it was unable to break out of this awkward situation. Instead, it appeared feeble before the Cloud Ridge Giant.
The slovenly daoist priest laughed aloud as he watched on. “Juechenzi, this is called eroding rock with water, conquering the unyielding with yielding. Interesting, interesting. What a pity, what a pity.”
“Li Qingshan, you’ve really infuriated me now! I’ll make you pay the price!” Chu Tian’s hands flashed about as he formed seals once again.
With a cry, a huge Bird of Flames unfurled its wings and rushed into the sky, lunging towards the Cloud Ridge Giant.
It was even larger than the one from before. Chu Tian road on the bird’s back as the flames around him turned him scarlet red. The tongues of fire licked around him. At this moment, no one noticed his unhandsome appearance anymore. He seemed like a legendary god that could wield fire.
Liu Zhangqing smiled as he stroked his beard. This move alone was enough to evaporate away the Cloud Ridge Giant.
At this moment, there was a dragon’s roar that drowned out the bird’s cry. A water dragon surged over diagonally, biting down on the bird’s neck.
It was complete with horns, scales, claws, and teeth. All of it was conjured from water.
The Blaststream Water Dragon.
This was the technique with the greatest destructive power out of everything that Li Qingshan had grasped so far.
The water dragon bit the fire bird, and it rushed into the sky, smashing it heavily against the screen of light at the top. The barrier seemed to shake.
Chu Tian lowered his head in surprise. He saw Li Qingshan standing between the horns of the dragon as the azure blue ripples of water swept his clothes about without wetting him. He continued to smile faintly like before, as if he was mocking his helplessness.
Chu Tian gritted his teeth as he roared inside, How dare you mock me! How dare a mere mortal like you mock me! I am a celestial!
The flames on the fire bird surged, and it pecked down on the dragon’s head, snapping its horns. Its pairs of talons ripped away the dragon’s scales. The water that contained the vitality of the water dragon leaked out, but before it had even reached the ground, it turned to steam due to the high heat.
The Blaststream Water Dragon coiled around the fire bird and dug in deeply with its four dragon talons. Feathers dropped out of the sky, turning into ashes.
Among the hisses, huge swathes of steam permeated the surroundings. On the ground, the Cloud Ridge Giant and the Earthen Strongman continued to throw punches at one another.
The mouths of many spectating Qi Practitioners had dropped, having forgotten to close them again. They seemed to be stupefied, as if they had been taken back to a primeval battlefield, where gods wielded divine beasts and clashed with surging fire and water, while giants took arms on the ground, fighting to no end.
Many people had even clenched their fists, making up their minds to cultivate diligently.
Very few Qi Practitioners of this day and age could witness battles between cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above. This battle had a huge impact on them.
Liu Zhangqing looked around the platforms and took note of everyone’s expressions. Regardless of the outcome, the entire academy would benefit from this battle. These disciples who had grown accustomed to peace could truly witness what fighting was.
As it seemed, he needed to organise battles like these more frequently in the future. From the news he had received recently, he could already vaguely smell the scent of war.
However, he had no doubts of the outcome of this battle right from the beginning. He was just waiting to see when Chu Tian would set aside his pointless arrogance.
The dragon and bird entangled with one another. Li Qingshan and Chu Tian had never been so close to each other throughout the entire battle. They could clearly see the fury and smile on each other’s faces.
“Li Qingshan!” Chu Tian roared. Pushing off the back of the bird, he rushed towards Li Qingshan. Five-coloured true qi appeared from his body, suddenly condensing into a five-coloured palm that smacked right towards Li Qingshan.
“Great Palm of the Five Elements!”
Li Qingshan pushed off the dragon’s head and rushed into the air. His true qi surged within his sea of qi, all pouring into his fist. Like a roaring tsunami, he threw the punch.
Liu Zhangqing said, “The outcome has already been determined.”
The palm strike and punch collided. The water dispersed.
It was at this exact moment that the water dragon, locked in battle with the fire bird, dispersed too. It was vaporised to surging mist.
The Cloud Ridge Giant engaged in close combat with the Earthen Strongman. Although it had gained the upper hand and destroyed most of the Earthen Strongman, most of its body had been exhausted away too. Both of them only stood at a few meters tall, so they were unable to attract anymore attention, nor were they able to determine the outcome of the battle.
The only thing that everyone saw was Li Qingshan rapidly falling down into the mist and vanishing.
Li Qingshan had lost. His full-powered punch was unable to fend off Chu Tian’s cultivation method, the Palm of the Five Elements.
Hua Chenglu suddenly felt pained. It was true. No matter how hard a regular person worked, they could not defeat a genius, much less a Reincarnated Celestial like Chu Tian.
On the other platforms, many Qi Practitioners felt dejected too. They had originally come to see Li Qingshan make a fool of himself, but when Li Qingshan actually demonstrated strength that could contend with Chu Tian, they began to support him before they even knew it.
This was because Li Qingshan was the “weakling”. Compared to Chu Tian, he was a “mortal”, just like them. They wanted to see a mortal defeat a celestial, just like how regular people always looked forward to miracles.
Chu Tian descended from the ground, and the Palm of the Five Elements destroyed the Cloud Ridge Giant along the way. He looked around as he sneered inside. What an idiot. To think you even cursed me earlier, actually thinking you could take on my Palm of the Five Elements. You’re probably half-dead now! How dare you make me so dishevelled. Watch as I smack you to death with my palm strike.
Hua Chenglu stood up and arrived on the platform where Han Anjun stood. “Uncle Han, please announce the outcome of the battle!”
However, Han Anjun, who was always serious and as cold as a rock, curled the corner of his lips slightly as he said, “The outcome has already been determined.”
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Chapter 312 – The Sword of Reversion
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Chapter 312 – The Sword of Reversion
“Qingshan!” Watching as Li Qingshan fell out of the air, Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing both paled in fright.
He Yishi instead eased up. He gazed at Han Anjun on the platform in the distance. As long as he did not interfere, then it would be for the best if Chu Tian killed Li Qingshan, nipping this source of trouble at the bud.
“Yeah, the outcome has already been determined, so why don’t you separate them? Chu Tian is going to kill Li Qingshan!” Hua Chenglu said in a panic as she grabbed Han Anjun’s sleeve.
There were friendships between generations among the Han family and Hua family, and they did not focus on a confucian education, so there was not a lot of courtesy they had to follow.
Han Anjun said, “Let him kill him.”
Hua Chenglu turned to Han Tieyi. “Tieyi!”
However, Han Tieyi seemed to have emerged from the same mould as Han Anjun, even speaking in the same manner. It made Hua Chenglu so furious that she stamped her foot. She arrived on the platform where Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan stood. However, all she discovered was Wang Pushi staring straight at the centre of the arena as if he was stunned.
Just when she wanted to ask for help, Hua Chengzan pointed. “Look!”
“Look what?” Hua Chenglu looked over with a frown. The barrier from the formation had already dispersed, and the rolling steam gradually drifted apart.
A lustrous edge, three feet long, shone with cold light. The straight blade of the sword extended off in two directions.
One end disappeared into the mouth of a black dragon. That was the guard, while the coiled body of the dragon formed the hilt, gripped within a powerful hand. Li Qingshan had lunged forward, as if he had pressed all of his strength into the sword strike.
He said softly, “If I wanted to kill you, a single move is all that I need.”
The other end had completely stabbed into Chu Tian’s back.
Chu Tian’s face twisted from pain and fear. He did his best to turn around. His eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but blood spurted out instead.
Sword qi was currently devastating his innards. As long as Li Qingshan gently twisted the sword or swung it to one side, Chu Tian would be a dead man.
No matter how great of a genius he was, he was unable to escape the fate of death.
However, Li Qingshan’s hand was still, but it was not because he did not want to move it. He never showed mercy when it came to killing people.
A fair-skinned hand was gripping the blade of the sword with three fingers, severing the killing intent.
Liu Zhangqing stood between Li Qingshan and Chu Tian in an impressive manner. His brows were firmly furrowed, still in shock. He never expected Chu Tian to actually lose, and to lose in such a swift manner, so swift that he had almost failed to save him in time from dying here.
Li Qingshan was very tempted to try to see whether his strength could break free from the grasp of the three fingers and kill Chu Tian here. However, the thought only flashed through his head before he let go of the sword hilt and clasped his hands at Liu Zhangqing.
“School leader Liu, long time no see.”
Outside the arena, the audience went from absolute silence to a complete uproar.
W- what was going on? What happened in that moment?
The pervading mist had failed to influence Chu Tian’s sharp senses. He immediately discovered Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan knelt on the ground on one knee, as if he was quite heavily injured.
Originally, Chu Tian wanted to say a few words and humiliate Li Qingshan, but he remembered that Han Anjun could interfere at any time, so he swallowed those words again. He directly charged over and launched a palm strike ruthlessly.
With a plop, Li Qingshan was forcefully smashed apart by the Palm of the Five Elements, reduced to a puddle of water.
“Hmph, a pointless struggle before your death!” Chu Tian was slightly taken aback, but he did not care too much. Having used so many techniques already, Li Qingshan must have depleted more true qi than him. Li Qingshan had received a palm strike from him too, so he was like a toothless tiger. He no longer posed any threat anymore.
This thought was severed by an extremely terrifying sword intent. As the mist surged, a huge figure could be vaguely seen as it rapidly approached Chu Tian from behind.
Murderousness filled the air as light and shadows twisted. Li Qingshan appeared.
He moved like a tiger, while his gaze was like a dragon’s.
“Protection of the Five Elements!”
It was already too late for him to turn around. The five-coloured hand returned to Chu Tian and turned into a circular, five-coloured barrier of light. The five colours mixed and fluctuated as the five powers twisted and merged.
It bore the principle of the mutual regulation of the five elements. Earth could contain water, while metal could chop down wood. It completely surpassed any regular protective technique.
This was what Qian Rongzhi had told Li Qingshan.
Deep within the night in the bamboo forest, light and shadows danced about as Qian Rongzhi moved her vermillion lips, telling him about the power of the Palm of the Five Elements.
“If you can’t get through his Protection of the Five Elements, you won’t be able to defeat him.”
“I will win.” Li Qingshan gave her a simple description of this reality, even though he was not confident he could pierce this five-coloured barrier.
The path of slaughter had never been about who had more true qi or who could use stronger techniques, which was why he provoked, why he mocked, why he triumphed, and why he was defeated. All of this, every little part of it, was preparation for this moment.
After a fierce battle, Chu Tian had depleted quite a lot of his true qi too, and he had lowered his guard too. As a result, Li Qingshan used the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility to hide himself and immediately concealed all of his aura before casting out a bait using a water clone.
All of it was for this sword strike.
Without any hesitation, Li Qingshan poured the hundred or so strands of sword qi in his dantian into this strike.
The sword qi collided with the five-colored barrier, and the sound of glass shattering rang out. The tip of the sword tasted blood as sword qi surged into Chu Tian’s body.
Victory was determined in an instant.
Liu Zhangqing glanced at Li Qingshan deeply as he patted Chu Tian’s chest. An abundant amount of righteous qi rushed into Chu Tian’s body, forcing out the sword.
The sword shattered mid-air.
Li Qingshan rubbed his chest. Chu Tian’s Palm of the Five Elements really was impressive. Even now, his arm and chest still ached. If it were not for his extraordinary toughness, the outcome would not have been determined so easily.
Liu Zhangqing frowned even harder. Originally, he wanted to force out the sword qi too, but the sharpness surpassed his imaginations. Even under his righteous qi, it managed to linger tenaciously.
With how heavily injured Chu Tian was, it would probably come with a great loss of cultivation. Liu Zhangqing raised his head and looked at Han Anjun. He used his gaze to question why the referee had not prevented this from happening. As the leader of the school of the Military, his reactions were definitely much faster than Liu Zhangqing. He could have prevented Chu Tian’s injuries altogether.
“I’ve already said.” With a swish, Han Anjun vanished from the platform and appeared before Li Qingshan, demonstrating that he was indeed capable of something like that.
Suddenly, Hua Chenglu understood what Han Anjun had meant earlier by, “Let him kill him.” It was not Chu Tian killing Li Qingshan, but Li Qingshan killing Chu Tian, and he would not interfere with it.
Liu Zhangqing let out a great sigh. Chu Tian was just too good at offending people. Originally, Han Anjun’s responsibility was to prevent any major injuries or deaths during the battle, but Chu Tian had yelled out, “If I want to kill you, no one can stop me.” Such words were akin to slapping him across the face.
Han Anjun passed eight thousand spiritual stones to Li Qingshan. He even patted his shoulder and said, “Nicely done, though you’re still a little rough in some aspects of battle. You’re welcome to come take a look at my school of the Military in the future.”
All the spectating military disciples widened their eyes. Rarely did they ever hear their school leader praise a person like that, not to mention speak such a long sentence. This was basically the utmost glory. He had already gained the recognition of the school of the Military.
Han Anjun had spent many years of his life waging war, so he possessed a sharp sense for all battles. When Chu Tian arrogantly declared that he wanted to kill Li Qingshan, he had already guessed the outcome of the battle.
It was purely due to the difference in their mental states. One was arrogant and conceited, in a hurry to destroy his opponent, while the other was extremely calm, moving methodically. Out of the countless battles throughout history when the weaker side triumphed over the stronger, there were far too many examples like this. If a calm and collected person was bold enough to take the initiative and challenge a person stronger than him, he would definitely possess some confidence.
Now, the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple where the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus, do many calculations lead to victory and few calculations to defeat, let alone no calculation at all?1
Afterwards, Han Anjun watched on like he was appreciating a classic battle. Li Qingshan’s army was nowhere near as powerful as his opponent’s. He used raids to the flank of the opponent in the beginning before confronting the enemy head on, finally feigning defeat and baiting the enemy into a land of no return. The three hundred sacrificial soldiers rushed out, straight into the enemy general’s tent, claiming the general’s head. He was unable to express his praise for how refined the calculations were.
Li Qingshan said politely, “Yes, general.” Although Han Anjun’s cultivation was not the highest among the school masters, he believed the one standing before him would be the one to survive to the very end if a chaotic battle really did erupt among them.
Han Anjun declared loudly, “This battle has ended! Li Qingshan wins!”
Clang!
The giant lumberman Mu Kui struck the bronze gong, declaring the end to the battle.
Cheers rang out from the spectating platforms as they chanted Li Qingshan’s name. Even quite a few confucian disciples chanted along.
This was not due to Li Qingshan alone. During the few months Chu Tian had spent in the academy, he had flirted around with female cultivators as he ordered male cultivators around. Every second word he spat out was either genius or talent, basically mocking them as hard as he could. However, they were unable to do anything to him. They had all erupted with their resentment with this opportunity.
Hao Pingyang raised his arms and called out. He cheered the loudest. Zhang Lanqing held his hands emotionally, while He Yishi had become ashen in the corner.
The two girls who always followed Chu Tian around rushed over to his side and sobbed.
“Big brother Tian! What has happened to you, big brother Tian?”
“I don’t accept it! I don’t accept it! You despicable cheat! I haven’t lost! I haven’t lost!” Chu Tian jerked awake violently. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared right at Li Qingshan, as if he wanted to stand up and fight him again.
He utterly refused to accept this outcome. He still had not used that yet. He still had powerful trump cards he had yet to use. As long as he unleashed just one of them, Li Qingshan would never be his opponent.
On one hand, he was reluctant to expose this before so many people, while on the other hand, he was confident. He believed that he could finish off Li Qingshan with techniques alone, but never did he think that the situation would reverse so swiftly and quickly.
He was like a general who had been slain by the sacrificial soldiers still muttering about the army of a hundred thousand strong he had yet to mobilise, but his head had already been tossed high into the air, dying a regretful death.
“Yeah. Big brother Tian, you haven’t lost.”
“No, you’ve lost!” Qian Rongzhi cut her off.
“Rongzhi, you!” Chu Tian was stunned. Recently, he had shown plenty of goodwill towards Qian Rongzhi. She was unlike the other female cultivators too, who expressed great disgust towards his womanising behaviour. He thought they were friends already.
“Qian Rongzhi, you bitch!” One of the girls swore.
Qian Rongzhi ignored them. She crouched down and held Chu Tian’s hand. Her gaze was filled with motherly, gentle sympathy, as if she felt bad for him from the bottom of her heart. She said softly, “Little Tian, everyone loses. It doesn’t matter if you lose once as long as you can stand up again. You’d better get some rest first!”
Chu Tian felt warmth flood the bottom of his heart. Her gaze was so gentle, as if it could comfort any and all pain within a person’s heart. There was no mockery or contempt, only sympathy.
At that moment, she seemed like the most beautiful woman in his eyes.
PS: No scamping on labour, no scalping on content, no watering down. A total of nine thousand characters, a mortal defeats a celestial. It’s a good omen. For the wild ambition of painting a dragon, I need to work hard this month. May the lords lend me the strength as we advance together.
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1. Comes from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Partially borrowed from Lionel Giles’ translation.
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Chapter 313 – Trudging Back Through the Snow
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Chapter 313 – Trudging Back Through the Snow
Liu Zhangqing frowned. Why would a disciple of legalism know the arts of charm? However, he saw how she was friends with Chu Tian, and she was indeed comforting Chu Tian’s mind, so he did not interfere.
Qian Rongzhi used this opportunity while Chu Tian was mentally shaken up to cast a firm shadow in his heart.
Of course, it was not something like a seed of suggestion. She had no idea how to plant something like that, and even if she did, she would never do it before so many school leaders.
Her arts of charm were completely harmless. At most, it would just make Chu Tian develop a good impression and feeling of love towards her, but that was enough. Compared to something as coarse and inferior as seeds of suggestion, this suited her better.
She knew Chu Tian was hiding something, something that he had not even told the two girls beside him about. However, under her verbal probings, she learned the existence of this object. Just what was it that could make the arrogant, conceited Chu Tian behave so cautiously?
No matter what it was, she had to obtain it. If she could not manage that, then she would still have a powerful pawn under her thumb. Even in the worst-case scenario, he would be a human-shaped pill, though his true qi of the five elements might be rather difficult to digest.
Chu Tian recovered his fighting will. He stared at Li Qingshan with pure hatred. “Li Qingshan, you got lucky this time. I won’t spare you. I’ve said before that if I want to kill you, no one can stop me.”
Li Qingshan slighted him casually. “You’re welcome to try at any time.”
Chu Tian’s mind eased up, and he fell into a slumber. Out of the two girls beside him, the older one said to Qian Rongzhi, “Sorry, big sister Qian. We shouldn’t have said that to you.”
Qian Rongzhi sighed gently. “I can understand what you’re feeling. Take good care of him.”
Li Qingshan had no idea why she was doing this, but he still took pity on Chu Tian. I hope you recover before this venomous snake swallows you. I still want to make some more spiritual stones off you!
Chu Tian was taken to Benevolence island by the school of Medicine’s leader. In the blink of an eye, the various school leaders and primary disciples had all vanished.
“Qingshan, please don’t hold a grudge against my school of Confucianism. This battle was not necessarily a bad thing for Chu Tian. It’s a blessing that the academy has a genius like you. There will be a lot of competitions of swordsmanship on Great Virtue island in the near future, so you’re welcome to participate too. Your sword is very interesting.” Liu Zhangqing tossed that out and left, demonstrating his extraordinary demeanour.
At this moment, Hua Chengzan arrived before Li Qingshan. “Where’s your wolf tablet?”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. Did Wang Pushi really find him so repulsive that he wanted to expel him from the Hawkwolf Guard? However, he did not say anything, simply taking out his wolf tablet and handing it to Hua Chengzan.
Hua Chengzan accepted it before passing a scarlet bronze wolf tablet back to him. The shiny, red wolf tablet was extremely detailed, such that he could even make out the eyelashes on the wolf. It was rather hefty as he held it in his hand.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s this?”
Hua Chengzan said, “Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. Old Wang told me to give you this. In the future, if you want to investigate anything or make some spiritual stones, you’re welcome to go take a look at the Hawkwolf Guard of Clear River city.”
“Alright!” Li Qingshan smiled. In order to gain someone’s recognition, there was always a need for him to prove himself.
Wang Pushi and Li Qingshan did not hate one another. It was simply a result of Li Qingshan’s negative first impression on him combined with everything that had happened after that. Today, Li Qingshan had proved himself. This did not mean Wang Pushi now liked Li Qingshan, but regardless of how he felt about him, this man had earned the right to this identity and status. This was how the school of Legalism handled things.
“Now, let’s go celebrate!” Hua Chengzan wrapped his arm around Li Qingshan’s shoulder before calling to Han Tieyi in the distance, “Tieyi, you’re forbidden from leaving. Come along as well.”
“Am I invited too?” The primary disciple of the school of Daoism, Juechenzi, approached them with a smile.
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback. He smiled. “Since we’re friends, why wouldn’t you be invited?”
During the banquet that day, Li Qingshan had drunk a lot of alcohol. Originally, Li Qingshan was competing against Hua Chengzan.
Hua Chengzan was unable to continue any further before long. His face was crimson. He turned them against one another, fiercely praising Han Tieyi’s drinking capacity. Before they knew it, it turned into a drinking competition between Li Qingshan and Han Tieyi.
The first-class spiritual alcohol was emptied jar after jar. Han Tieyi kept a cold expression the entire time. Let alone becoming drunk, his expression had not even changed the entire time, which made even Li Qingshan uneasy.
After downing over thirty jars, Han Tieyi suddenly closed his eyes and collapsed like a log, unable to get up anymore.
“So I’m still the victor after all.” Li Qingshan laughed aloud. He heard about how Hua Chenglu had stood up for him, so he specially went over to toast to her, turning her bright red.
Using his drunken recklessness, he patted his chest and said, “Miss Hua, you’re the same as your older brother, a good person. If you have any trouble in the future, feel free to come find me!”
Even if he did not drink, he would still give her a promise like that. Back then in Lakeside city, it was all because of her assistance that he had managed to escape. She had even given him a puppet for free as Xiao An’s birthday present. He drew a thick line between kindness and grievances. Perhaps he could ignore small grievances, but he would always return kindness, no matter how big or small.
“Really?” Hua Chenglu blinked her eyes.
“Really.” Li Qingshan was not after a solemn pledge, but he would never shirk away from a promise among friends.
“Alright, then a promise is a promise.” Hua Chenglu lifted her cup and clinked it against Li Qingshan’s gently as if she was considering something.
Then, Li Qingshan went to find Juechenzi to drink with. Juechenzi had not come under the orders of the slovenly daoist priest. Instead, he had come out of his own accord. He wanted to resolve the grievances between Li Qingshan and the school of Daoism, but it was not because he was afraid of Li Qingshan. With the slovenly daoist priest’s cultivation nearing Golden Core, he feared nobody.
In a different time and place, perhaps they would be master and disciple. However, under these particular circumstances, they had instead developed resentment for one another. Juechenzi wanted to share his master’s burden, and he also felt that Li Qingshan was worth befriending.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An had not even spent a year in the academy, but Juechenzi firmly believed they would become prominent figures in the Clear River prefecture in the future, or even more than that.
Juechenzi took advantage of his drunkenness to say, “My master wished for none of what happened on that day too. He originally admired you very much. He often laments to me again and again about how great of a pity this all was.”
Li Qingshan, “Since it’s all in the past now, let’s not talk about it anymore. There’s nothing bad about the school of Novels anyway. At least I can stand on equal footing with you as a primary disciple.”
The slovenly daoist priest had screwed him over, but it was not because he wanted to harm him. He just wanted to vent his emotions, but Li Qingshan did not give him this chance, instead cursing back at him. With the slovenly daoist priest’s cultivation and status, if he were just slightly petty, it would mean endless trouble for Li Qingshan. It showed that he was rather forgiving too.
As such, why would Li Qingshan cling onto this matter of the past?
Zhang Lanqing stood to one side with a smile. His face had also reddened despite his darker skin tone. He discovered that if he looked closely, the primary disciples of five schools were actually present. Excluding Li Qingshan, the primary disciple of the school of Novels, the schools of Buddhism, Daoism, Legalism, and the Military were all renowned major schools.
Figures like them would shine no matter where they were.
Li Qingshan returned to Cloudwisp island alone, while Xiao An went back to Anāsravāṃ island. Despite being the primary disciple, the time she had spent on the island so far was even less than that of a young acolyte. No matter how ignorant she was about how to conduct herself, she still knew that this was rather inappropriate. And, she was burdened with another important mission, which was to help Li Qingshan collect pills so that he could complete that final step.
The One Thought master’s emotions were mixed, but he still felt happy when he saw his primary disciple return. Before Xiao An had even said anything, he had already presented her with many pills to support her future cultivation.
Regardless of how he felt, if he made a supreme prodigy like her suffer on his Anāsravāṃ island or waste time due to a lack of pills, it would be an utter waste.
If he learned the reason behind why she had returned, he would probably facepalm in exasperation. Fortunately, it was unlikely for him to ever know. He could roughly estimate just how many pills other disciples would eat and how many missions they would complete, but just who could estimate her cultivation progress?
Xiao An did not need these pills either. Right now, the true qi she had condensed in her body was just something akin to an illusion. Practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was still based on refining flesh and blood.
Li Qingshan had already promised her that he would take her out to “uphold justice” again soon. Yep, that was how he said it, but in her ears, it sounded more like a “great feast”.
Xiao An said, “Master, I want to listen to your sermons of scriptures.”
“Alright, alright, alright. Which one would you like to hear? I’ll give you one right now.” The One Thought master was delighted. Learning the texts of buddhism was an extremely important component of cultivation to buddhist disciples, but it was also a component that was extremely easy to neglect, particularly for genius disciples like her.
When he faced regular disciples, the One Thought master would tell them earnestly, “Only by comprehending the essence of buddhism can you progress with great ease in practising the buddhist cultivation methods.” However, just how much ease did Xiao An need with her current cultivation speed? He would obviously feel happy from the bottom of his heart now that Xiao An had come to him out of her own accord to hear his sermons without becoming blinded by her own talent.
Little did he know that as a practitioner of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, Xiao An understood this principle better than anyone. Although she had read through the entirety of the jade slip called the Canon Depository, buddhist scriptures were different from the path of the sword. No matter how clever she was, it was impossible for her to comprehend their essence so easily.
From a certain perspective, the classics that were purely ideological were more profound and complicated than most cultivation methods.
Xiao An said, “All of them.”
The One Thought master could only smile bitterly. The buddhist scriptures were as vast as the open sea. He had read through all of them, but he only specialised in a single area, and that was already an extremely outstanding achievement.
Xiao An remained silent most of the time, but whenever she asked a question, it would be a difficult one. The One Thought master scratched his bald head and finally made up his mind. He wanted to hold an assembly of dharma and invite all the eminent monks he knew throughout the Clear River prefecture, no, the nine prefectures of the Ruyi commandery, so they could come and give sermons to her.
After all, surely he did not have to bear this “punishment” alone. He could imagine just how speechless she could make his senior and junior brothers become. He actually began to look forward to it.
“Amitābha, how sinful of me, how sinful of me!”
Seeing Li Qingshan return, trudging through the snow, Liu Chuanfeng suddenly raised his head and extended his neck. He asked, “Did you win?” Because of his experiences last time, he was afraid to watch the battle this time.
“I won.”
Liu Chuanfeng danced around. “That’s fantastic! That’s fantastic! Hahahaha, the heavens have blessed my school of Novels. No one will look down on me anymore!”
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Chapter 314 – I Want to Write Novels!
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Chapter 314 – I Want to Write Novels!
Li Qingshan was tempted to say, “Oi, I don’t think this had anything to do with you!” Throughout the entire battle, he did not use the techniques of the school of Novels at all.
But regardless, the battle still allowed the declining school of Novel’s reputation to surge. At the very least, no one dared to mock its primary disciple anymore.
After settling down, Liu Chanfeng gave him an update on the situation. “Qingshan, all thanks to my senior brother’s efforts, the Cloudwisp association you mentioned has basically been established now. Sure enough, the process of gathering the power of belief is much faster. If this continues, there’s a lot of hope for me to reach Foundation Establishment. This was all your idea, so you need to condense your Divine Talisman of Great Creation soon too!”
Li Qingshan hesitated, rubbing his chin in thought.
“Yeah, Qingshan. It’s just you now!” Outside, a voice rang out clearly. Sun Fubai circled around in the air on a white crane before landing in the courtyard.
Li Qingshan glanced over and almost failed to recognise him. Sun Fubai was still the same Sun Fubai as before, but a lot of his grey hair had vanished, and his face had a healthy shine. He radiated with energy as he walked. He was in high spirits. His leisurely aura as an old man had faded away, replaced by the determined spirit and aura of a middle-aged person.
“Senior brother, your cultivation!” Liu Chuanfeng exclaimed.
Originally, due to the limits of his talent, Sun Fubai was an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, and basically all hope of making further advances in cultivation had been severed due to his age. However, after being gone for most of the year, Sun Fubai had returned as a ninth layer Qi Practitioner.
With the progression of his cultivation, his true qi had increased, and all eight of his extraordinary meridians were connected now, so he obviously seemed younger. However, the core reason behind all of this was the influence on his mentality. Compared to idling around in a bookshop and waiting for his end to come, establishing foundations for the school of Novels and bringing glory back to the school was without a doubt much better for raising his spirits.
Sun Fubai smiled. “I didn’t sit around during this period. I casually wrote some things too.”
With how large the Cloudwisp association was, it was obviously impossible for it to thrive off just a single person’s novels. As the boss behind the scenes of the Cloudwisp association, Sun Fubai would obviously make use of the “mediums” he had created himself. Recently, whenever he dealt with the matters on hand and had nothing better to do, he would lift up his brush again and write.
He had read a myriad of books in his life and experienced the vicissitudes of human life, such that Liu Chuanfeng was nowhere close to matching his knowledge and wisdom. Following the path that Li Qingshan had laid out, he adjusted his writing style slightly and wrote things that ordinary people would like to see. The results were actually extremely good. Now, the popularity of the Ancient Cypress Elder probably even exceeded Liu Chuanfeng’s Master of Wind and Moon.
He had gathered large quantities of the power of belief. Having been stuck at the eighth layer for many years, the assistance brought on by this power allowed him to forcefully break through, taking another step forward with cultivation.
Li Qingshan asked, “Fubai, what brought you back here?”
Sun Fubai said, “I heard you were going to fight someone, so I came back to take a look. Looks like you’ve won.”
Now, only the three of them remained for the school of Novels. Now that they were all gathered here, it was a joyous occasion. They were all filled with delight.
Sun Fubai said, “I’ve brought some things back for you two too.”
“Oh? What is it?” Liu Chuanfeng accepted an ordinary, large bundle wrapped in white cloth from Sun Fubai. Apart from being tied together by red silk, there was nothing special about it. It did not give off any spiritual qi either.
Li Qingshan became curious as well. To cultivators, there was basically nothing good that lacked spiritual qi. Sun Fubai’s gift was rather strange.
Liu Chuanfeng opened it. It was filled with paper and letters.
In order to receive the feedback from below in time so that Liu Chuanfeng could adapt his stories, he made the members of the Cloudwisp association ask for the audience’s opinions once they completed their storytelling or performances. Afterwards, it evolved into many members of the audience writing letters to the “Master of Wind and Moon”. Even if they were not literate, there were special people who could write on their behalf. He gathered all of their responses and handed them over to Liu Chuanfeng.
Liu Chuanfeng opened them up and read them in a hurry. Obviously, most of them commended him, with quite a lot giving suggestions and expressing their anticipation for his works. He sat there and just laughed to himself idiotically. As the school leader with the least dignity, who was frequently mocked by others in the academy, he had found his long-awaited respect. He truly experienced the magnificence of writing novels.
This gift was truly more precious than any pills or spiritual stones.
Then, Sun Fubai said to Li Qingshan, “Qingshan, you like to drink, so I brought back the fine liquor from various lands for you. Although they’re not as great as spiritual alcohol and can’t assist you with your cultivation, they’re still something to relish.”
The domain of the Clear River prefecture that spanned fifteen hundred kilometers had produced several dozen fine liquors. Their ingredients and methods of fermentation all differed. Sun Fubai had chosen the best of the best among them, bringing them back for Li Qingshan.
Just his intentions behind this was enough to touch Li Qingshan. Sitting at home and tasting the fine liquor from various lands was quite a pleasurable thing to do.
Li Qingshan accepted the several dozen jars of fine alcohol and bowed. “Fubai, you’ve outdone yourself.”
Sun Fubai smiled. “It’s all but a trifle. Compared to your ideas, it’s absolutely nothing. I’ve already planted the tree by borrowing your ideas. If you refuse to enjoy the shade underneath, then you’ll really be letting down my hard work.”
Reaching there, just who could still decline him? Li Qingshan said, “I want to condense a Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Please teach me, Fubai.”
The power of belief could conjure anything and everything. While its effects were nothing special in Liu Chuanfeng’s hands, he had no idea on how to fight in the first place. For example, if he could summon something as simple as a metal chain, he could turn the tides of battle by catching the opponent off-guard as long as he timed it correctly, even if he failed to bind his opponent with it. If he knew something like that, it would only be easier for him to deal with a narrow-minded idiot like Chu Tian.
And, if he advanced even further and the power of belief he had accumulated was powerful enough, just trapping his opponent for a second would be enough for him to land countless strikes.
Sun Fubai smiled. The school of Novels had a successor now.
Liu Chuanfeng heard none of it. All he did was laugh to himself idiotically as he read these letters. He read them bent over, he read them laying down, and he even read them crouching down.
Sun Fubai and Li Qingshan smiled at one another.
An ocean surged with azure waves to no end. Countless rivers flowed into it. The seawater evaporated and turned into clouds, filling the rivers once again.
At this moment, a mysterious power suddenly flattened every single ripple on the sea. A simplistic, navy glyph rose up from the still seas. Countless water dragons rose up and merged there. The simplistic glyph became clearer and stronger, radiating with withdrawn light before hovering over the ocean in the end.
The seawater began to surge once more. Vaguely, there seemed to be a spirit turtle swimming about.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. A divine talisman seemed to flicker in the depths of his eyes. The process of condensing the Divine Talisman of Great Creation was much simpler than he had anticipated, probably because of how pure his true qi was. He had completed it in less than three days.
However, the path of divine talismans was different from regular cultivation. Condensing a divine talisman was just the basics.
Sun Fubai had already returned to the prefectural city to deal with the matters of the Cloudwisp association. Li Qingshan had given him a few more suggestions, so he hurried back to make the Cloudwisp association even larger.
As for Liu Chuanfeng, he left the academy after he finished reading the letters. He wanted to follow the example of ancient novelists, to go out travelling and collect references.
As a result, only the primary disciple, Li Qingshan, was left on the large island. However, before he departed, he left something to Li Qingshan—a fine table.
The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones had already been prepared.
The pure-white paper laid there flat, becoming even whiter under the snowy reflection from outside the window. On the brush rack were a row of weasel hair brushes of varying sizes and styles. Even someone as unsophisticated as Li Qingshan experienced an urge to write.
Several days later, Liu Chuanfeng returned from collecting references. He said he was collecting references, but he actually visited the various branches of the Cloudwisp association scattered across the land, listening to the storytellers tell stories he had written while secretly grinning. Riding around on a white crane, he had visited quite a lot of places in those seven or eight days.
He wondered just how Li Qingshan was doing. Hmph, writing novels isn’t that easy. He must have written some trashy works. I’ll teach him a proper lesson later and reestablish my dignity as a school leader.
Liu Chuanfeng arrived in the bamboo loft, and sure enough, he saw Li Qingshan sitting before the table with a brush in his hand and Xiao An on the ground, reading the commentary on a buddhist scripture. She spotted Liu Chuanfeng and glanced at him, but she said nothing.
However, Li Qingshan did not even look over. Liu Chuanfeng thought, Pretty diligent. He walked over and took a look. The white paper was empty. There was only a black blotch of ink that had dripped down from the tip of the brush.
“Where are the parts that you’ve finished?” Liu Chuanfeng asked.
Li Qingshan turned his head slightly. “What parts finished?”
“The novel!” Liu Chuanfeng said obviously, but he soon noticed that his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was rather messy too. Li Qingshan, who had been eternally high-spirited, actually seemed rather dishevelled now.
“Heehee!” Xiao An giggled, but Li Qingshan immediately glared at her. She stuck out her tongue and pulled a face.
Li Qingshan finally understood what barely forcing out six words over three days1 meant now.
In the beginning, he wanted to write something original, but he gave up on that thought very soon. Although his memories of his past life were mostly gone, he still remembered a few iconic stories after all.
However, when he tried to convert these memories into words and express them through the tip of the brush, he immediately felt he was not made for this line of work.
He managed to write a little after quite a lot of effort, but his penmanship was so horrid that even he himself found it to be unbearable. Suddenly, he realised just how boring those iconic stories in his memories actually were.
He had tried calming his mind by drinking tea, he had tried riling himself up with alcohol, but none of it worked at all. He was unable to write anything at all. He even began to admire Liu Chuanfeng a little. Regardless of the quality, at least he could still throw a book together.
It took every shred of Liu Chuanfeng’s willpower to hold back his smile, but his smile still managed to leak out from every single crease on his face. All of the creases said the same thing, “Hah, to think you would have a day like this.”
He said ‘earnestly’, “It’s just like what I said, it’s not that easy. The first step is always the most troublesome. Come, allow the renowned novelist, the Master of Wind and Moon, to teach you how to write.”
Thud. Li Qingshan threw the brush away and leapt to his feet. “I’m not writing anymore. What’s so great about writing novels anyway? It’s a waste of time. I’m going to go out and move around a little.” He left through the door with Xiao An, flying off on a cloud and vanishing into the darkness before dawn. His rebukes could be heard from afar. “Stop laughing!”
Liu Chuanfeng was speechless. He shook his head and sighed. Looks like it really would be difficult for the legacy of the school of Novels to thrive on!
Around dusk, Liu Chuanfeng happened to be bent over a table, writing, when Li Qingshan entered through the door. There were bruises on his face, but his smile oozed with confidence. “I want to write novels!”
PS: Many of the stats in the past two days have reached record-breaking levels. Word count is false, but support is real. I’m almost going to laugh to myself idiotically like Liu Chuanfeng. Thank you. Many parts of the upcoming plot will be much smoother. As soon as I’m in a good mood, who knows, I might erupt with releases. Although I’m clumsy and slow-witted, I have plenty of time. I have neither boyfriends nor girlfriends. This might be misfortune to regular people, but to a novelist, this truly is great fortune. There’s probably no chance of a mass release today, but let me prepare a little. It’ll probably take a day or two! I will continue to request for monthly tickets for the month and subscriptions and support! I also want to write novels!
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1. Forcing out six words over three days is a spin off of forcing out six words over seven days, which comes from a Chinese skit by Zhao Benshan, a renowned skit writer in China.
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Chapter 315 – How Do I Start Writing (One)
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Chapter 315 – How Do I Start Writing (One)
Li Qingshan left Cloudwisp island with Xiao An, pinching and twisting Xiao An’s cheeks. However, she leaned against his arms and laughed even harder, such that even Li Qingshan felt powerless.
The sun had yet to rise up. It was currently the darkest part of the night. The academy was silent. He could only hear the neverending rise and fall of waves below the ice.
Although Qi Practitioners could go for several days and nights without sleep, they would still rest at night like regular people if there was no need to stay up so that they could maintain their mental state. It was beneficial to cultivation.
Li Qingshan wanted to move around a little, but he had no idea where to go. In the past few days, he felt like something had been pressing against his chest the entire time.
Suddenly, he thought of something. Didn’t he still have some unresolved grievances?
Hao Pingyang happened to be clinging to his blanket, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, he heard a few knocks on the door and got up to see who it was. Opening the door, he saw Li Qingshan and Xiao An standing there.
Li Qingshan told him about how He Yishi had tried to frame him when the Hawkwolf Guard was carrying out an investigation.
Hao Pingyang was infuriated too. Without saying another word, he put on his clothes. “Let’s get him!”
The two of them then knocked on Zhang Lanqing’s door. After a moment of thought, Zhang Lanqing said, “Give me a moment.”
He returned upstairs. They could vaguely hear a woman’s complaints, along with Zhang Lanqing’s gentle pleading.
The two of them smiled at one another. Li Qingshan thought about how Zhang Lanqing’s cultivation was not particularly high, but he spent his days even more comfortably than them, unlike him who had to face an obscene man who wrote smut all day.
He could not help but think about finding a woman to warm his bed. The figures of a few women flashed across his mind. Hua Chenglu was too young. Yu Zijian was not bad, but she had yet to blossom completely either. Han Qiongzhi would be pretty good, but it seemed like it had been quite a while since he had last seen her.
Speaking of which, sect master Qiu Haitang was still the best. They say a friend’s wife is off-limits, but it’ll just be in my fantasies, so you can’t blame me, little Hua.
Xiao An stared straight at Li Qingshan. She found his expression to be slightly strange, rather similar to Liu Chuanfeng’s. Did he infect Li Qingshan with something bad? Did she have to kill him?
As Li Qingshan was carried away by his fantasies, Zhang Lanqing came back down, and Li Qingshan said, “Apologies. We’ve interrupted your spring night.”
Zhang Lanqing reddened. “What spring night? Let’s go!”
It was still very dim outside, but rows of street lights lit up the way. Various structures of strange shapes stood within the darkness. Looking at them in the darkness, it added a sci-fi-esque feeling to the air.
Li Qingshan had compared the Academy of the Hundred Schools to university before, but the status of Qi Practitioners were obviously beyond anything university students could match. It was impossible for them to be all squeezed into a single dormitory, even nominating a bunch of people in charge.
They all had their own residences, which they could personally adjust using the mechanisms built into the structure. Just this alone demonstrated how great a mohist disciple’s residence was.
He Yishi’s residence was located in a corner to the west of Divine Mechanism island. He was sleeping too, except he slept rather uneasily. After Li Qingshan made a name for himself in that battle, his fear grew with each passing day.
He had once investigated Li Qingshan and learnt that he possessed the nickname of “Tiger Butcher” in Jiaping city, and he possessed a cruel, murderous character. Just this alone had made him jerk awake several times. He set down layers upon layers of trigger mechanisms, but it still gave him no peace.
Seeing how close Hua Chengzan and Li Qingshan were to one another, he knew that being exposed was just a matter of time. His own betrayal haunted him constantly.
He Yishi suddenly sat up in bed. He was covered in cold sweat. He had dreamt that Li Qingshan had become a tiger and mauled through his belly, ripping out his organs.
Blurrily, he saw a few dark figures standing before his bed. He jerked awake completely.
Li Qingshan and He Yishi met face to face. They made eye contact and were both stunned.
He Yishi had set up many warning mechanisms, but how was it possible for them to be triggered with Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing here? They dismantled all of them, allowing them to enter He Yishi’s bedroom smoothly. They were just about to throw something over his head and vent their anger, but they never expected him to actually wake up at a time like this.
Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing looked at one another too.
Li Qingshan rushed up. He picked up the cotton blankets and threw it over his head, beating him viciously. They were already here anyway. Were they supposed to apologise and say that they had entered the wrong room at a time like this?
Below the blankets, He Yishi called out, “Don’t kill me! I’ve seen nothing! I’ve seen nothing!” After witnessing Li Qingshan’s battle against Chu Tian, he no longer possessed even a shred of confidence in holding his ground against Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to react. He never planned on killing He Yishi in the first place, or he would not have called Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing to come with him. Not only was his killing intent not heavy enough to kill in the academy, but He Yishi was not worth this risk to him either.
Li Qingshan lifted his fists of revenge and gave He Yishi a thorough beating.
“Qingshan, enough! He doesn’t deserve death!” Zhang Lanqing was afraid Li Qingshan would actually beat He Yishi to death.
He Yishi ached all over, but he was still so touched that he almost began crying. Senior brother Zhang was truly a kind-hearted person!
“I’m fully aware!” Li Qingshan punched him another three times viciously. “He Yishi, don’t act like you’ve seen nothing. The person who beat you was me, Li Qingshan. I saved your life back then, but you turned against me instead. Today was for showing the consequences. I’m not a person who you can frame just because you want to. If you hold any ill intent towards me again in the future, I’ll never spare you! Let’s go!”
He heard the footsteps vanish through the door, followed by a bang when the door closed. Only then did He Yishi reveal himself from his covers slowly. His face was swollen like a pig’s, to the point where he almost could not open his eyes. His fear of dying was gone now, while his body was in agony. He even felt like a few bones had broken.
He had never suffered so much before. As he sobbed, he cursed Li Qingshan, he cursed Hao Pingyang, and he cursed Zhang Lanqing. After becoming exhausted from all the cursing, he collapsed on bed and felt his mind lighten up. Finally, there was no need for him to be on edge all the time. He could finally sleep in peace.
If Li Qingshan learnt how his beating had instead brought He Yishi relief and liberation, who knew how he would feel? Anyhow, Li Qingshan was in quite a good mood right now. A part of the gloominess he had built up over the past few days had vanished.
He was not afraid of He Yishi reporting this to someone either. He did not have evidence, and even if he did have evidence proving they were responsible, they would just suffer a bit of punishment at most, but He Yishi would not be able to remain in the academy any longer. A backstabbing, ungrateful scoundrel was not welcome anywhere.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to invite Hao Pingyang and Zhang Lanqing to the Hundred Flavours restaurant for breakfast, but Zhang Lanqing insisted on going home. Afterwards, he invited out his “companion”. She was not a supreme beauty, but she was a gentle and understanding person.
When the female cultivator witnessed the arrival of the two primary disciples, both prominent figures within the academy, her small complaint completely vanished. She felt happy that Zhang Lanqing had friends like them. She even personally manned the kitchen, preparing a sumptuous breakfast for them all.
Zhang Lanqing helped her out during the process. Even Li Qingshan was amazed by how perfect of a combination they were. Everyone had their own path of cultivation. With how vast it was, there was no need for a person to advance alone, and even if companionship resulted in nothing in the end, there would be no regrets when looking back.
A few bowls of congee and a few pickled vegetables were served up. The taste was nothing special, but Li Qingshan still sang praises about how lucky Zhang Lanqing was. All of it came from the bottom of his heart.
The sky lit up, and the day of study and cultivation began.
Hao Pingyang said, “You’ve missed quite a few classes on forging artifacts.”
Li Qingshan was currently facing a dilemma about whether to continue writing novels or not, so he was in no mood to study artifact forging. “I need to visit the school of the Military for some matters. I’m going to hold off artifact forging for now!”
The leader of the school of the Military, Han Anguo, had personally invited him. No matter his reason, he had to go.
He cared quite a lot about what Han Anjun had said too. He had not undertaken any systematic battle training before, purely relying on his own understanding, so there was nothing he could do about his moves being rather rough. He could unleash a hundred and twenty percent of his strength during every single battle through his impressive talent for battle, reaching the state where any move that could knock down a person was a good move.
However, if he could receive some guidance from a master of battle like Han Anjun, he would definitely benefit quite a lot. Compared to the techniques that involved true qi, forging and tempering his body was still his roots, particularly when he transformed.
And, according to his past experiences, moving around and working up a sweat would put him in a good mood too.
As the disciples of the other schools were still struggling to get out of bed, all the military disciples had already begun training. They all stood on the snow-covered land, naked. They were all doused with a bucket of ice water first before being forced into the lake to swim a lap around Great War island.
It was no different from living in military barracks, but no one even batted an eye. When they leapt into the icy lake, if they hesitated even in the slightest, the officers behind them—equivalent to the professors—would immediately give them a kick, showing them absolutely none of the respect that Qi Practitioners deserved.
Though, almost a year had already passed since the entrance examination. Even the new disciples would not hesitate anymore.
Those who could not put up with this lifestyle had already left the school of the Military. Among the academy, the school of the Military was the only one with disciples who left willingly. It was also the only one without female disciples.
Forging the body was no less painful than practising qi. They had to undertake the hardships of tempering and toughening their bodies. Only creatures like men would give up on their wonderful lives and experience a sense of pride as well as a hot-blooded bond of brotherhood through these masochistic drills.
Within the academy, the disciples of the school of the Military were the most united too.
Han Tieyi was at the very front with a patrol group. Suddenly, he heard a loud whistle from above, and he spotted Li Qingshan smiling on the cloud, saying, “Nice build, though your drinking capacities are a little lacking! Hahaha!” Li Qingshan thought about his glorious achievement of toppling Han Tieyi in drinking again.
Han Tieyi heard why Li Qingshan had come, and he immediately withdrew the disciples back on shore. Afterwards, he made Li Qingshan wait outside.
Li Qingshan arrived before the central building of the school of Military. Outside the martial arts hall, there were several hundred tall, wide steps. Several hundred military disciples stood to the two sides, all bare-chested and neutral in expression, without shifting their gazes at all.
Li Qingshan said, “You’re far too polite. You’ve even arranged a special welcoming ceremony for me!”
Han Tieyi appeared on the top of the steps. He wore a set of black clothes that were easy to work in, which accentuated his straight eyebrows and twinkling eyes, making him seem extraordinarily valiant. “If you want guidance from the school leader, we’ll have to see whether you qualify or not.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Then how can I qualify?”
Han Tieyi seemed to smile, but it was just too fast, such that even Li Qingshan doubted his own eyes.
“Don’t use any techniques. Fight your way up!”
PS: Going with the flow is much better than insisting on a certain day. An eruption of three chapters today. Who still dares to say I’m morally compromised? I’ll change it all today, so where are the monthly tickets at!?
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Chapter 316 – How Do I Start Writing (Two)
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Chapter 316 – How Do I Start Writing (Two)
Li Qingshan had been expecting this from Han Tieyi. He raised his head and gazed over. There were at least seven or eight hundred military disciples standing on the long steps, ranging from as low as the second or third layer to as high as the seventh or eighth layer. They were cleverly divided by the steps.
Every single disciple of the school of the Military gave off a scent of valour and fierceness. If regular Qi Practitioners were hounds, then they would be true wolves. From a rough glance, their figures did not seem particularly large, but when it came to actual battle, it would be completely different.
Han Tieyi said, “The training mission today is actual combat. Your objective is to defeat that person.”
“Yes, sir!”
Military orders bore the weight of mountains, and it would be strictly enforced. Several hundred pairs of eyes turned towards Li Qingshan at the same time, all staring daggers at him.
Every single one of them had witnessed the battle the other day. They admired and applauded this person who had defeated Chu Tian despite the odds, earning Han Anjun’s praise, but they did not fear him. As “soldiers”, they were people who had to be able to cast aside their personal safety and charge in with full strength even against enemies that outnumbered them ten-to-one.
Li Qingshan could truly feel the existence of the army’s “might”.
When they poured their strength together and achieved unity, they would form a monster called an “army”. The tremendous bearing crushed down on him like an avalanche, like he was facing an army a hundred thousand strong.
Yes, if it were an army composed of regular people, even if they were a hundred thousand strong, they still would not be able to stop them.
Faced with this situation, it would be quite rare if regular Qi Practitioners could even unleash thirty percent of their full strength.
However, was Li Qingshan a regular person? He had never been shaken up by anyone’s aura or bearing before. Compared to lifting a brush and writing, situations like this were what he was adept at dealing with. As a matter of fact, he even liked such situations.
Not only was he composed and devoid of any fear, but this had even set off his burning fighting spirit, making him eager to try them. He laughed aloud. “Tieyi, we’re friends who’ve drunken together, even though I overwhelmed you, hahaha! Yet, you use something like this against me. When I get up there, I’ll definitely give you a punch or three.”
He infuriated the military disciples with that. Although they admired Li Qingshan’s strength, he was just a seventh layer Qi Practitioner if he could not use any techniques or weapons. He knew the art of forging the body, but just who here didn’t know that? Let alone beating him up, they could even exhaust him to death.
Han Tieyi snorted coldly. “Then you’d better give it a try! Do you really think you’re invincible just because you defeated that piece of trash?”
Li Qingshan turned towards Xiao An and said, “Wait here. Watch how I tear through his military formation!”
With that, he planted a foot on the steps. Over a dozen figures leapt up and immediately filled his vision. As they called out, they attacked every inch of Li Qingshan’s body at the same time. Their combination was flawless, like they were a single person. They sealed off every single direction for Li Qingshan, along with any possibility for him to dodge.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! He was basically struck at the same time all over his body. The punches, kicks, palm strikes, and knee strikes were like spear thrusts and hammer blows. Even a boulder would be smashed to pieces by them.
We’ve won. All the disciples who launched the attack thought at the same time. He had no protective techniques. They did not even sense any protective true qi. How was he supposed to withstand their punches and kicks with his body alone?
“Now, this is the welcoming ceremony our school of the Military gives to esteemed guests!” said a military disciple, answering Li Qingshan’s little joke from earlier.
Li Qingshan lowered his head. His tied-up hair was shaken loose, draping onto his face.
“Really? Punches as weak and as powerless as this don’t seem like a particularly enthusiastic welcome.”
The military disciple who had spoken suddenly became stunned. A pair of eyes shone red like a beast’s within the messy hair as his lips curled into a vicious grin, exposing his snow-white teeth.
With a jolt, the true qi stored within his sea of qi began to surge out.
All the military disciples who had struck him were sent flying, landing far away. Their arms and legs that they had used to strike Li Qingshan were in agony, but none of them groaned. Some of them even struggled back onto their feet, wanting to fight back.
“It’s best if people like that just sit out if that’s all the strength that you have. People like that can’t pique my interests at all.”
As Li Qingshan said that, he continued to climb up the steps. Whenever he climbed a step higher, even more and even stronger military disciples would attack him. He still did not fight back, allowing his body to endure their attacks. He did not even bother to shake them off. The punches from third or fourth layer Qi Practitioners would never be able to harm him even without protective true qi.
On the steps, the military disciples had completely surrounded Li Qingshan, punching and kicking him, but they failed to slow him down, not even slightly. Instead, their arms and legs ached as Li Qingshan shook them off. They were in utter shock. Just how powerful were his defences?
Li Qingshan could tell that he had to climb to a certain height before stronger military disciples would attack him.
Han Tieyi watched on from the very top. Their gazes met.
Li Qingshan smiled. Suddenly, he leaned forwards, and his arms draped down naturally. The stone steps that had been reinforced using techniques cracked under his feet.
All of a sudden, Li Qingshan’s figure vanished from before the military disciples.
Li Qingshan had already shot off like an arrow, charging through the military disciples in his way and sending them flying. He directly rushed towards the highest point on the steps.
The Tiger Demon Climbs the Mountain in an unstoppable fashion.
No one had expected Li Qingshan to actually be so fast when he decided to move quickly. In the blink of an eye, he reached the top of the stairs, only ten steps away from Han Tieyi.
The military disciples all roared out, “Stop him!”
Not a single disciple remained where they were anymore. All of them were alarmed and set off at the same time. If they allowed Li Qingshan to charge to the very top, they truly would become laughing stocks.
“Eat my fist!”
Li Qingshan grinned. The bones throughout his entire body thrummed as he mobilised all the true qi in his dantian. Nothing happened when he remained still, but once he struck, he would unleash his full strength.
His vision suddenly dimmed, as if a wall had appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path to Han Tieyi.
The giant lumberman Mu Kui let out a furious roar. Lifting his arms over his head, he swung them down like battering rams.
He was the otherperson who had once competed against Li Qingshan in a trial of strength. He was naturally endowed with unrivalled physical strength, and he had spent most of the past year working diligently, allowing his strength to reach a whole new level. He wanted payback right now.
Thump! The platform at the very top of the steps seemed to shake.
The punch and the battering rams collided.
Mu Kui was overwhelmed with shock. Under an overwhelming force, his colossal body stumbled backwards before he collapsed on his bottom in the end.
Li Qingshan maintained his posture of throwing a punch without taking a single step back.
The ox demon had provided him with great physical strength, while the tiger demon had provided him with unrivalled explosive power. Together, he could even force back a giant lumberman who was naturally endowed with strength.
However, Mu Kui’s obstruction gave the military disciples the opportunity to stop Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan looked around.
The strongest disciple present at the eighth layer had already arrived before him. His fists actually burned with flames, fusing his abilities as a Body Practitioner and a Qi Practitioner together. Even Li Qingshan could not afford to underestimate him.
A little further away, over a dozen seventh layer Qi Practitioners unleashed their various techniques and shone with an assortment of colours. Even further away, several hundred men of the school of the Military formed a sea of surging heads, lunging over like a wolf pack that had spotted prey.
In front of him, Mu Kui had stood up again; he spread out his arms, refusing to let Li Qingshan pass.
“That’s more like it! Come get me together!”
Li Qingshan laughed before turning around and charging into the crowd. He was like a fierce tiger that had climbed to the very top of the mountain before turning around and lunging back down.
The Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain!
The first in line was a seventh layer Qi Practitioner. He wielded his palm like a knife as Geng Metal true qi condensed a blade. His moves were as swift as lightning, specialising in tearing through protective true qi.
The path of the military did not have any spectacular techniques, but what they could do was condense all their power into a single point, forming a simple but highly effective killing move.
His plan was that as long as he could force back Li Qingshan by even half a step, they would be able to fall into formation and launch combined attacks against Li Qingshan. By then, no matter how capable Li Qingshan was, he would not be able to break free. He would be a sitting duck.
Li Qingshan only attacked without defending. He allowed the Geng Metal blade to land on him while all he did was smile viciously and throw a punch.
At that moment, whoever retreated would take a great blow to their momentum.
If that’s the case, then I’ll make you suffer. The military disciple gritted his teeth and swung down hard.
Even an idiot knew what was more damaging—being struck by a punch or being chopped by a blade.
With a thump, the military disciple took off like a broken kite, falling down the steps and colliding against his fellow officers. His eyes were wide open. All he saw was a white mark on Li Qingshan’s shoulder, which soon disappeared.
Just what kind of body tempering techniques did he practise? That was the final thought that flashed through his head before he fainted.
Li Qingshan’s Gui Water true qi was extremely pure. Although it could not block the Geng Metal blade qi completely, it could slow it down momentarily. Before it could even land on him properly, Li Qingshan interrupted the attack with his punch, and the residual power was nowhere near enough to get through his Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
We’re both seventh layer Qi Practitioners, but my physical strength is greater, my speed is faster, and even my true qi is more pure. How are you supposed to contend against me?
Li Qingshan attacked every single direction, like a tiger within a flock of sheep. All he saw were figures. There was no need for him to consider what moves he would use. All he did was throw his arms and legs about, and the military disciples would be sent flying as they called out one by one.
Above, there were also a few drillmasters of the school of the Military besides Han Tieyi. They could all tell that Li Qingshan was not a brute on a mindless rampage. From the beginning till end, he did not give the strongest few disciples the opportunity to surround him. Their fellow officers had instead become their obstacles.
It was truly shocking that he could still grasp the entire situation despite how chaotic it was. Even more shockingly, he actually seemed to be trying to defeat all of these disciples alone.
An old drillmaster asserted, “It’s impossible for his physical strength and true qi to last that long.”
Fifteen minutes later, half of the military disciples had already collapsed. All of them could fight no more. Some of them had even fainted, directly rolling down the steps, and this was all with Li Qingshan holding back, or they would have been dead.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan was still as energetic as ever, without the slightest hint of exhaustion. Instead, he was in high spirits, calling out, “Satisfying!” He grabbed a military disciple by the leg and whirled him around a few times like a weapon before throwing him far away.
The drillmasters were utterly astounded. The old drillmaster from earlier added again, “This kid truly has taken me by surprise, but he won’t be able to last much longer.”
Sure enough, Li Qingshan’s true qi had already begun to run out. He would only use his true qi to block relatively more dangerous attacks, which earned a series of nods from the drillmasters.
However, fifteen more minutes passed, and Li Qingshan could not even unleash his protective true qi anymore. His sea of qi was empty too. He completely relied on an ox’s resilience and a tiger’s staunchness to keep fighting. He became riddled with injuries too, but his vigour did not weaken at all. Instead, he grew even fiercer, reaching a peak.
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Chapter 317 – How Do I Start Writing (Three)
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Chapter 317 – How Do I Start Writing (Three)
Li Qingshan swept away the military disciples like an autumn breeze to fallen leaves. Having lost his protective true qi, he was covered in wounds, gasping for air. In particular, his chest had an extremely prominent print of a scorched fist. He was covered in blood, both from others and himself.
Large swathes of military disciples laid on the ground below his feet.
Li Qingshan grinned and chuckled to himself. A battle like this was even more satisfying than downing fifty jars of fine alcohol. Everything troubling him had been cast aside.
The few dozen remaining military disciples looked at him like he was a monster. If it were not for Han Tieyi and the drillmasters watching on from above and the fact that their lives were not in danger, they would have scattered a long time ago.
No matter how great the willpower of the military disciples were, it was still finite.
However, there were still moments when this “monster” would be weakened. “Don’t let him recover! Get him, brothers!”
However, their faint glimmer of hope was soon put out by Li Qingshan.
He grabbed two military disciples by the neck, one in each arm. Tightening his grasp, the two of them directly fainted. After that, he casually tossed them aside.
At this moment, a fist arrived before him. He received it with a headbutt, and with a crack, the arm broke, and Li Qingshan shook his head too.
Although he seemed like he could collapse in the next moment, he remained standing staunchly. Only when the last military disciple had collapsed did he laugh aloud.
Li Qingshan had not achieved this because he had erupted with extraordinary strength. Instead, he had finished off all the seventh layer Qi Practitioners one by one in the chaotic battle, while the strongest opponent, the eighth layer Qi Practitioner, had been finished off at the cost of an injury from forcefully taking on a punch. The otherperson Mu Kui had received a kick from Li Qingshan too, rolling down the steps and falling unconscious.
Even an exhausted tiger was not something that a group of wolf cubs could threaten.
Now, no one else could stand on the several hundred steps anymore apart from him.
Li Qingshan said to Xiao An, “See?”
Unknowingly, the spectators below were not just Xiao An anymore. There were also many other disciples from other schools who had heard the news and rushed over from the other islands. They all stared at him in shock. All of them had just watched him defeat approximately ninety percent of the disciples of the school of the Military alone. Was he still human?
Li Qingshan looked down from above and saw a sea of heads. It was a gathering on par with the one during his battle against Chu Tian. Hua Chengzan, Hao Pingyang, and a few others were among them. Han Qiongzhi seemed to be there too.
“Li Qingshan, that coward? Did he enter seclusion and run away from the battle again?” Han Qiongzhi had just returned from a mission when she heard about the news of the battle between Li Qingshan and Chu Tian.
A few months had already passed by now. The slight heart throb she experienced back then had already vanished. Ever since she learned Li Qingshan had entered the school of Novels, she knew that he had probably lost the right to pursue her forever. She found this to be a slight pity.
Only when she heard how he wanted to fight the genius Chu Tian did she become interested again. She went to watch and simply because of his favourable impression on her, she wagered five hundred spiritual stones on him, but in the end, he did not even show up, which immediately disappointed her. The slight heart throb turned into disdain. All she thought was she had completely misjudged him back then.
Hua Chengzan leaned against the door. “Of course, he came. I said this last time. You misunderstood him. He’s not someone who would run away from a battle.”
Han Qiongzhi continued to tidy her things. “If you were a woman, I’d probably suspect you feel something towards that kid. No, you might even be infatuated with him. What, did Chu Tian beat him until he was half dead, making you lose another one thousand spiritual stones?”
Hua Chengzan said, “The heart of a woman is as difficult to grasp as a needle on the bottom of the ocean, but getting a woman to understand a man is extremely difficult too. This time, I won.”
Han Qiongzhi stopped what she was doing. “What did you say?”
“Of course. I made back everything I lost last time. Chu Tian is still hospitalised in the school of Medicine. And, the kid you’re talking about has already reached the seventh layer. I think catching up to you is just a matter of time for him. Of course, if the two of you fight right now, you probably aren’t his opponent.”
Han Qiongzhi asked, “Then what about him? How’s he doing?”
“Basically unscathed. I heard he has been writing novels recently. Hehe, if old Wang hears this, it’ll drive him crazy again.”
Han Qiongzhi frowned. “Have I misjudged him? Tell me exactly what happened.”
As a result, Hua Chengzan told her the entire story. With how nimble his tongue was, he would probably be the best storyteller there ever was if he decided to tell stories.
Han Qiongzhi was enthralled. She was tempted to rush over in person and celebrate with Li Qingshan. So she had misunderstood him. She put down her things. No, I have to go see him.
However, she stopped herself again. When he joined the school of Novels back then, I didn’t go to see him, so if I go see him now, wouldn’t he just take me as a snob?
But he had entered secluded cultivation just a few days after joining the school of Novels. She had been busy too, which was why she had not visited him. And, as a woman, it would be utterly humiliating for her to have any contact with a person from the school of Novels.
Just as she was stuck in this dilemma, a legalist disciple reported, “Senior brother and sister, there’s another show going on again! Han Tieyi has laid down his military formations for Li Qingshan to challenge!”
“Let’s go take a look!” Hua Chengzan said, so Han Qiongzhi just went with the flow. She hated missing out on the fun the most.
After she arrived, Han Qiongzhi felt rather glad. At least she had not missed this battle.
As she watched Li Qingshan rampage through the military disciples with a composed smile, she suddenly felt her heart thump, while her eyes were firmly glued to him too.
Hua Chengzan smiled. “Who’s the one infatuated now?”
Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened, but she did not back down. “Do you have any issues with that? This is the type I like. It’s countless times better than a pretty face like you!”
Hua Chenzan rubbed his nose. “You really can’t keep a grown girl at home. In the blink of an eye, your childhood friend has become a pretty face.”
They knew one another since they were children. Since young, he had been radiating with charm, such that he would interest basically every single woman that he met. Only she maintained a relationship of purely friends with him. Even without him, Han Qiongzhi would still dislike romantic men, as she came from a clan of soldiers. No matter how charming Hua Chengzan was, it would still be ineffective against her.
Han Qiongzhi sniggered. “This time, li’l bro Tieyi’s in for quite the humiliation. My old man must be quite ashamed too.”
Before she had even finished speaking, a cold snort pierced her ears like an awl. Han Qiongzhi shivered all over as she became sheet-white.
Hua Chengzan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth. “It’s the old coot. To think he would actually be so vicious to his own daughter.”
Hua Chengzan said, “There aren’t any daughters who speak so brazenly either.”
As they spoke, the outcome had been determined on the platform. Han Qiongzhi saw how Li Qingshan was riddled with wounds, tottering about, which pulled at her heartstrings. She called out, “You’ve won, so come down already!”
“Hold on. I need to beat you up now!” Li Qingshan instead turned around and made his way up as he said this to Han Tieyi.
Li Qingshan climbed up step by step, arriving before Han Tieyi.
A military disciple on the ground suddenly climbed up and wrapped his arms around Li Qingshan’s waist.
“Brothers, stop him!”
The incapacitated military disciples all grabbed Li Qingshan’s legs with everything that they had.
Li Qingshan lifted his fist, throwing it towards the military disciple around his waist. The disciple just closed his eyes, but he continued to cling onto him. However, he felt no pain at all. For some reason, Li Qingshan had pulled the fist back again.
Li Qingshan moved his heavy feet with difficulty, forcefully dragging so many people along as he approached Han Tieyi step by step. He tottered about very much as he walked, but he was determined.
With a thump, he finally stepped onto the platform on the top, throwing a punch towards Han Tieyi.
Han Tieyi raised his hand to stop the drillmasters who wanted to interfere. Without dodging at all, he received the punch.
“Young general!” The military disciples were all furious. This was akin to watching helplessly as the enemy general charged through their ranks and killed their commander. Every single military disciple who was still conscious felt disgraced. They gritted their teeth, with some even tearing up like children.
“Release him,” Han Tieyi ordered. “There are still two more punches.”
Li Qingshan exercised his body slightly. “Even I find punches so powerless to be boring, so I’ll keep it on credit for now. I’ll punch you when I recover my strength!”
With that, Li Qingshan fell backwards. There was a flash of golden light, and Xiao An caught Li Qingshan with her vajra avatar.
The sound of snoring rang out as he slept away soundly. As he slept, he grinned in pure satisfaction.
“Give him to me. He needs some treatment.”
A woman arrived beside Xiao An. Her beauty was picturesque as she spoke gently. Dressed in white clothes, she seemed to radiate with white light. An ivory tablet hung from her waist, engraved with the word “One”.
On the steps, disciples of the school of Medicine in similar white clothes got to work, tending to and treating the wounds of the military disciples.
Han Tieyi said to the woman, “Ru Xin, thank you for your troubles.”
The school of the Military could handle regular injuries. As a matter of fact, the disciples themselves could recover without any treatment at all. However, if the injuries were slightly more severe, they would ask the disciples of the school of Medicine to help out, preventing any potential lingering problems.
“Since I’m getting paid, of course I have to do my job and leave you satisfied.” Ru Xin smiled gently in a natural and graceful manner. The school of the Military was the school of Medicine’s greatest customer. Rarely did they ever have so much business.
“Senior sister Ru Xin, he seems to be mostly fine,” a muscly man said in a low, muffled voice.
“We have no idea if he has suffered any internal injuries. It’ll be bad if it becomes something chronic. Don’t you think so, little sister?” Ru Xin crouched down and asked Xiao An.
Xiao An felt that Li Qingshan would be completely fine with how his body was built, but she was still worried, so she nodded in agreement.
A green leaf flew out from Ru Xin’s sleeve. It expanded and lifted up Li Qingshan. A green light rose up and encased Li Qingshan. His smaller wounds immediately began to recover.
Even more green leaves flew out from her sleeve, over a hundred of them. They lifted up all the military disciples who were relatively more injured.
This was not a technique, but a spiritual artifact. It was a spiritual artifact that came in a set. Although it was only high grade, it was probably worth even more than regular supreme grade spiritual artifacts.
Ru Xin glanced at Li Qingshan on the leaf and pursed her lips. His body was so powerful that it basically exceeded all regular understanding. It was very much worth studying.
Han Tieyi turned around and entered the martial arts hall. To the very back sat Han Anjun, who held a bronze, three-legged cup for drinking alcohol. To his sides were ten seats, nine of which were occupied. Only the seat to Han Anjun’s right was empty.
All of them were eighth or ninth layer Qi Practitioners, while the vicious-looking, bulky, bald man to Han Anjun’s left was impressively at the tenth layer Qi Practitioner.
The bald man said, “General, why won’t you give us permission to fight? Why must we let that kid run amok in such an arrogant manner?”
The eight other people were furious too. They had watched helplessly as Li Qingshan defeated all of their fellow officers alone before a public audience. If it were not for Han Anjun’s power and influence, they would have run out of patience a long time ago and interfered.
Among the academy, apart from the primary disciple, there were a total of ten disciples who held the greatest status. They were known as core disciples. The nine of them were truly valiant soldiers and generals. They possessed the strongest battle prowess in the entire school. If any one of them had joined in on the battle earlier, it would have been possible to change the outcome.
Han Anjun said sternly, “Just outnumbering him is not enough, is it? You even want to bully the weak too?”
The bald man refused to relent. “They were all empty-handed, so how could they properly unleash the power of the encirclement? If they fought in actual battle with real weapons, he would have died long ago.”
Han Anjun placed down his bronze cup heavily. “I think the one arrogant is not him, but you lot! In a real slaughter with anything and everything allowed, he can kill his way in here in under half an hour. You all seem so skilled and capable during training, but when it comes to actual battle, you show your true colours and descend into a complete mess. This is embarrassing, utterly embarrassing! All of you piss off and spend three days reflecting on yourself.”
The quiet Han Anjun suddenly spoke up, scolding them violently. All of them fell silent from fear and left under Han Anjun’s orders. Only Han Tieyi remained.
Han Anjun’s expression gradually eased up. He let out an extremely rare smile. “Tieyi, well done. This is the bit of motivation that they need. They can’t keep thinking they’re stronger than the disciples of the other schools just because they have it a little tougher every day.”
As the leader of the school of the Military, his senses for certain things were far sharper than Liu Zhangqing’s. Under the facade of peace, something seemed to be growing tense again. War was near.
His exact objective was to borrow Li Qingshan to fiercely temper the military disciples so that they could prepare for any potential turmoil. Embarrassment was better than losing their lives. He was not afraid of embarrassing the school of the Military. Dead people felt no embarrassment.
“I didn’t think he could make it all the way up like this.” Han Tieyi frowned. He did not doubt Li Qingshan’s ability to charge all the way up, but making his way up step by step after sweeping aside everyone had taken him by surprise.
“His body tempering techniques are something else. It’s just a pity that he’s not a disciple of my school of the Military. Otherwise, our chances of winning the martial arts competition of the nine prefectures would increase by thirty percent at the very least.” Han Anjun let out a sigh just like the slovenly daoist priest.
Out of the prodigies who had appeared during the entrance examination, Li Qingshan would be the greatest if he were evaluating them. Both Chu Tian and Yu Zijian paled in comparison to him. Although Xiao An’s talent was monstrously high, she was not necessarily suited for the path of the military. However, Li Qingshan was basically born to be a soldier. He liked fighting and killing, yet he also possessed courage and sharp wit.
Han Tieyi said, “He’s not a disciple of the school of the Military, but you still can give him some guidance, general.”
Han Anjun said, “That’s what I have in mind too. I’ll leave this to you for now!”
Only when the big fish was violent enough could the group of small fish be prompted into action, erupting with unprecedented potential and becoming even more united. And, even without this reason, they were reluctant to see someone with such great potential like him being wasted away in a place like the school of Novels.
“Yes, sir!”
Li Qingshan woke up from his dream. White blankets covered him with white walls, tables, and chairs around him. The curtains swayed in the breeze as sunlight poured in from the windows.
A pure-white lily was placed by his bed, giving off a faint fragrance. The weather had cleared up before he knew it, allowing the warm sunlight to pour in.
Li Qingshan stretched a little; he felt that various parts of his body still ached slightly. However, he felt extremely happy too. Sure enough, compared to writing novels, this lifestyle suited him better. It was best if he just gave up on that unrealistic idea!
He closed his eyes and sensed the various parts of his body. They were all fine. His depleted dantian began to build up true qi again too.
True qi originally followed a process of circulation. Having overexerted it, his recovery rate was extremely gradual, but his true qi’s quality did increase.
He had benefited quite a lot from this battle. Although he did not receive a single word of advice from Han Anjun, he had comprehended plenty of things.
He was a genius for actual combat. He radiated with charm in battle and battle would also unlock his potential. Although none of the military disciples seemed like his opponent, the moves they unleashed, the tricks in how they used their force, and even the feeling when he was struck by them brought him great benefit.
Ru Xin walked in from outside. “You’re awake.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Another beauty, and a beauty at the tenth layer. Sure enough, there were plenty of fish in the sea. He really struggled to understand what Hua Chengzan was thinking.
Though, if he actually had to compare them, the person standing before him was slightly worse than Gu Yanying. He had no idea why he felt like that. Perhaps it was the truth, or perhaps it was his deep impression speaking, which he had gained from suddenly seeing a supreme beauty after spending over a decade trapped in the countryside.
Wasn’t there a story just like this? A scholar had eaten a bowl of lotus starch in a farmer’s home whilst in abjection, and he found it to be utterly delicious. Afterwards, he became a high-ranking official and tried the lotus starch made by all the renowned chefs in the region, but none of it tasted like before. In the end, he found the same famer’s home as before and ate it again, but it no longer tasted like before anymore.
He was very interested in finding an opportunity and testing whether this story was true or not for himself.
“I’m Li Qingshan. May I ask for your esteemed name?”
“How could I, Ru Xin, not know about the infamous fellow Li’s name?”
Were there surnames like Ru? Li Qingshan was perplexed. He looked around. “Where’s Xiao An?”
“She has been called back by the One Thought master. It’s not like you’re riddled with illness either, so there’s no need for her to remain by your bedside constantly.” As Ru Xin said that, she sat down by the bed and pressed her hands against Li Qingshan’s bare chest. His bluish-green robes had been ripped to pieces during the battle.
Her hands that were as soft and smooth as jade slid from his chest to his belly. “Your wounds healed very quickly. The vitality your body contains is simply shocking.”
“I ate some unknown fruit when I was young, and I just became so robust afterwards.” Li Qingshan casually made up a lie. Is she interested in me? Heh, she must have witnessed my valiance in the school of Military. She has been drawn to me by my bearing.
Whatever, I can’t just let her do all the work. Li Qingshan had always been a person who did whatever he wanted. He grabbed Ru Xin’s hand. “I still have to thank you for treating my injuries with so much care.”
Ru Xin’s face stiffened. She tried to pull her hand back, but it was stuck. Her face reddened slightly, and it was not out of embarrassment, but anger. She had plenty of suitors in the academy, but there really were few as shameless as him.
Li Qingshan thought his charm had already reached Hua Chengzan’s level.
Ru Xin said sternly, “Sir, if you don’t let go, I’ll have to call out.”
Only then did Li Qingshan let go of her. He was surprised. “Didn’t you touch me first?”
“I’m the doctor, and you’re the patient. That’s something that comes first. What? Do you like it like that, being massaged by someone? Though, I need to say it is an option. That is one of the services our school of Medicine provides, but it costs money.” Ru Xin lowered her head with a faint smile. She seemed extremely moving.
Li Qingshan was both excited and disappointed. “Alright. How many spiritual stones is it?”
“Lie down. I’ll go make some preparations.” Ru Xin smiled enchantingly and left.
A while later, a man covered in muscles barged in. He asked with a thunderous bellow, “You want a massage!”
Li Qingshan was stunned. “Isn’t it… Isn’t it supposed to be…”
“How can senior sister Ru Xin do manual labour like this? Come here!” The muscly man cut right to the chase and began slamming Li Qingshan’s back with his iron palms that could split boulders.
“Not bad.”
A while later, Li Qingshan stood up and praised from the bottom of his heart. The muscly man was truly a disciple of the school of Medicine. He seemed rough, but his hands were extremely nimble and careful, whether it be while kneading, pinching, slapping, or pressing. He completely relaxed Li Qingshan’s body and also channeled his body with Yi Wood true qi brimming with vigour.
Li Qingshan felt relaxed. All of the bruises on his body had vanished too. It was worth the sum of spiritual stones.
The muscly man bellowed, “Thank you for your patronage!”
Li Qingshan stood up and fished out a set of clothes from his hundred treasures pouch, putting them on and making his way out.
Ru Xin smiled. “How do you feel? How’re my junior brother’s massaging skills?”
“Pretty good.” Li Qingshan smiled. The violent slaps from the muscly man had indeed severed those thoughts of Li Qingshan. She was not interested, so he could not be bothered either. It was not like he would die if he went without a woman. There were countless other things he could pursue in life.
Ru Xin was slightly surprised. Originally, she thought Li Qingshan would be embarrassed and displeased, or even furious. She had already prepared some excuses.
However, she never expected him to be so unperturbed, and his gaze towards her had turned back to normal. She instead began to doubt her own charm.
“This must be your first time visiting Benevolence island, right? I’ll show you around!”
Since a primary disciple had come, he obviously had to be received by another primary disciple. Although he came from the declining school of Novels, Li Qingshan had already proved to everyone that he deserved such treatment.
They strolled around idly. With a beauty beside him, it was quite interesting.
With nothing better to do, Li Qingshan began to ask about the school of Medicine. “Doctors focus on curing illnesses and saving lives. Saving lives make sense, but do cultivators fall ill too?”
Ru Xin said, “There’s nothing we can help them with! We can give them whatever illness we want.”
The school of Medicine was not some kind and gentle motherly figure. Instead, they were skilled in poisons and pestilence. Poison naturally referred to various kinds of potent toxins, while pestilence referred to diseases. They collected various kinds of diseases and could kill people without anyone knowing. Among the gods that the school of Medicine worshipped, there were gods of plagues.
“Not funny,” said Li Qingshan.
“Really? How strange. No one ever laughs whenever I say that. Whatever. You’ll always run into a few freaks. The illnesses of cultivators normally aren’t prominent. Instead, they lurk within the body, either damaging the meridians or destroying the balance between the five elements. It might not be life-threatening, but over time, it will affect their cultivation.”
“And, aside from illness of the body, there are illnesses of the mind too. I specialise in mental illnesses. Physical illnesses are easy to deal with, but once you become mentally ill, you’ll struggle to make any progress at all on the path of cultivation, like commander Hua from the school of Legalism. Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s afflicted with a mental illness. Saving a cultivator’s path of cultivation is basically saving their lives!”
Li Qingshan grinned. “Then why don’t you save him?”
Ru Xin said, “His illness has already progressed too far. Doctors can’t cure the helpless, just like how buddha can only bring salvation to those who are destined!” Suddenly, she stifled her voice. “Look at the two over there. Their illnesses have progressed too far too. They’re beyond help, utterly beyond help!”
Li Qingshan looked over and saw Qian Rongzhi supporting Chu Tian as they strolled around in the garden, smiling from ear to ear. If it were not for the fact that he knew Qian Rongzhi’s behaviour and Chu Tian’s personality very well, he really would have believed they were a match made in heaven.
“What illnesses do they have?”
“One suffers from madness, while the other suffers from arrogance.”
“That sure matches them.” Li Qingshan smiled before changing directions and avoiding them.
Chu Tian was currently in a state of pure peace and bliss, so he sensed nothing. However, Qian Rongzhi immediately sensed them. She glanced over and saw Ru Xin’s back. She frowned slightly. This woman was very troublesome.
Li Qingshan mentioned how he had once been interested in coming to the school of Medicine to learn alchemy.
Ru Xin said, “You’ve made the right choice in choosing the school of Medicine. The school of Daoism only refines pills. We refine medicine too.”
“Is there any difference?”
“Refining pills is only for cultivation, but refining medicine can cure illnesses.”
Ru Xin brought Li Qingshan to the main dispensary in the school of Medicine to show him around. Sure enough, apart from the dazzling array of spiritual pills, there were also various coloured liquids and powders.
Li Qingshan saw a small box labeled as “Jade Skin Powder”. He asked, “What illness does this cure?”
Ru Xin said, “It specially cures the illness of darkness.”
“The illness of darkness1?”
Ru Xin studied Li Qingshan. “Yep, just like what you suffer from. If you use this medicine, you can become a true pretty face within three to seven days.”
Li Qingshan shook his head. He had already become slightly accustomed to Ru Xin and the words she spouted that conflicted with her appearance and bearing. However, the medicines refined by the school of Medicine were quite interesting. At the very least, the alchemy from the school of Daoism could not create something like the Fluid of Invisibility. He had never even thought of some of the items being sold here.
“And what illness does this cure?” Li Qingshan pointed at the glazed bottle filled with blue liquid at the top.
“You mean the Water of Recollection? It’s just as its name implies. It clearly cures amnesia. If you accidentally forget your surname, you can drink it, and I guarantee you that it’ll be effective. Though, the side-effect is that you might lose your sense of direction.”
Ru Xin said casually, but she saw Li Qingshan’s expression change suddenly.
Li Qingshan said, “You mean it can recall anything? Even your past life?”
Ru Xin said, “Unfortunately, my abilities still pale in comparison to granny Meng’s soup2.”
Just as Li Qingshan felt rather disappointed, he heard Ru Xin say, “Though, as long as it’s something in your head, you’ll definitely be able to recall it once you drink my medicine. Even if you want to know what you ate for lunch ten years ago today, it won’t be an issue.”
“Can I try it?”
“Do I know you? Your surname is Li.”
“Honestly, a hundred spiritual stones for a bottle. There’s no need to look at me like that. You’re flattering me,” added Ru Xin.
Under various forms of speechlessness, Li Qingshan ingested a spoonful of Water of Recollection. The dust-laden matters of the past suddenly shook off their dust and lunged at him, clearly replaying in his mind. There was a page in a book covered in thickly-dotted words.
The first sentence was, “Zhang Wuji3 turned around…”
Li Qingshan yelled inside, There’s hope for my illness!
PS: I finally made it at the last moment. I heard people say how nine thousand words isn’t a mass release, so does thirteen thousand words count? Though, there probably aren’t going to be any tomorrow morning. Ah, I’ve fully burnt.
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1. If you haven’t realised already, the Chinese sense of beauty involves extremely fair skin. To my dark-skinned readers out there, please take no offence. After all, Li Qingshan prefers his skin dark too.
2. Granny Meng, or Meng Po, is the goddess of forgetfulness in Chinese mythology. It’s said that once you die and enter the afterlife, you drink granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness and permanently forget about your past life so that you can reincarnate. Here, Ru Xin is clearly implying her Water of Recollection is unable to undo the effects of granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness, so it can’t make people remember their past lives. If you want to read more about her, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Po
3. Zhang Wuji is the main character of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, a wuxia novel written in 1961 by Jin Yong, which you can read about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heaven_Sword_and_Dragon_Saber
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Chapter 318 – Plagiarising a Novel
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Chapter 318 – Plagiarising a Novel
“That’s north!” Ru Xin pointed her thumb backwards.
Li Qingshan could not be bothered with dealing with her. “Just how much are you selling the Water of Recollection for?”
“Hah. I originally refined it for fun, but I never thought I’d actually be able to sell it.” Ru Xin’s smile vanished, and she extended her hand. “A hundred spiritual stones for a bottle. Thank you for your patronage!”
Li Qingshan ground his teeth. “Weren’t you joking earlier?”
Ru Xin said, “And who’s fault is it that you didn’t laugh? This must be very important to you, right?”
“I’m being serious here. Stop messing with me.”
Li Qingshan grabbed her hand. The Water of Recollection was extremely important to him, and it was not just for writing novels. It was for Xiao An too.
“One spiritual stone, two spiritual stones, three spiritual stones…”
“What are you doing?”
“Calculating your fee!” Ru Xin glanced at the hand he held.
Li Qingshan shook away her hand immediately.
Ru Xin smiled. “Forget it, forget it. Doctors treat their patients with the same selflessness as parents to their children. Seeing how anxious you’ve become, I can’t bring myself to charge you. I’ll just give you this bottle of Water of Recollection.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Since when were you so nice?”
Ru Xin said, “Though, promise me one thing.”
Li Qingshan said, “What thing?”
Ru Xin whispered, “When you fight the disciples of the school of the Military again, be more heavy-handed with them. It’s best if you beat them until they’re half-dead!”
“So much for treating your patients with the same selflessness as parents to their children!”
“Children won’t listen unless they’re disciplined.”
“Fine. I’ll be going then.” Li QIngshan casually agreed to it. He accepted the Water of Recollection and stowed it away in his hundred treasures pouch. He was in a hurry to rush back and experiment with it.
“Hold on, three spiritual stones.”
“What three spiritual stones? Didn’t you give it…” As Li Qingshan said that, he saw Ru Xin extend her hand over with a smile. You’re actually charging me!?
“Fine then. Let’s do a hundred spiritual stones then.” Li Qingshan grabbed Ru Xin’s hand and stared straight into her eyes.
“Four spiritual stones, five spiritual stones…” Ru Xin was unperturbed. She began to count.
However, this was not a particularly quiet place. Instead, it was a dispensary where people came and went. Many disciples of the academy came here to buy medicine. When Li Qingshan grabbed Ru Xin’s hand earlier, he had already attracted some attention.
Ru Xin was a great beauty renowned throughout the academy for quite some time now, while Li Qingshan was a prominent figure at the peak of his prominence.
The two of them were both primary disciples too. They held hands and stared at each other in broad daylight, causing everyone to look over and whisper among themselves in discussion.
“Oi, oi, look.”
“Does Li Qingshan have that kind of relationship with senior sister Ru Xin? How courageous of him!”
“Thirty-three, thirty-four…” Ru Xin maintained her smile. She snorted. “You’re actually serious?”
“I think I can afford a hundred spiritual stones.” Li Qingshan wanted to teach a lesson to this improper woman.
“Then let’s go for it. Are spiritual stones really that easy to make?” As Ru Xin snorted; her face blushed slightly, but who knew whether it was from embarrassment or anger.
“Li Qingshan, what are you doing!?”
Two furious bellows rang out from outside the dispensary simultaneously.
One of them was Chu Tian, radiating with five-coloured true qi, while the other person was actually Han Qiongzhi. They both glared at Li Qingshan furiously.
Chu Tian had looked over along Qian Rongzhi’s gaze, and he immediately spotted Li Qingshan. He blazed with hatred when he saw his enemy, and when he saw how he was with Ru Xin, he could not help but follow them over. From the moment he had arrived at the school of Medicine and spotted Ru Xin for the first time, he had begun treating her as his woman.
He saw Li Qingshan holding Ru Xin’s hand the moment he arrived, and Ru Xin actually seemed like she allowed him to too. He immediately felt like he had been betrayed. He was utterly furious, tempted to lash out and kill Li Qingshan with a palm strike.
As for Han Qiongzhi, she heard that Li Qingshan had woken up, so she wanted to come take a look at him. Unfortunately, this visit utterly enraged her. Hua Chengzan stood with his arms crossed with a smile as he stood to her side. This kid sure has some bearing. He seems to be able to get all the ones I can’t get. He could not help but think of Gu Yanying. He shook his head. Impossible.
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, and Ru Xin took advantage of this to pull her hand back. She said resentfully, “Thirty-five spiritual stones.”
“I’ll pay once I get the remaining portion of the goods.”
Li Qingshan waved his hand. He did not even look at Chu Tian, directly making his way over to Hua Chengzan. “Chengzan, what brought you here? Senior sister Han, long time no see. Why are you glaring at me?”
“Fuck your grandfather!”
Through the use of true qi, the voice clearly rang out in Li Qingshan’s ears. Li Qingshan felt like he had been struck by lightning, as the voice came from neither Han Qiongzhi or Chu Tian. It came from Ru Xin.
He turned around and stared at Ru Xin in disbelief. “What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Ru Xin maintained her gentle smile, standing there elegantly in her white clothes. She seemed like a legendary angel in white.
Han Qiongzhi said, “Li Qingshan, I’m talking to you! I’ve specially come to see you!”
“Oh, thank you. I’m mostly fine. I have some matters I need to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave first. When I have some spare time, I’ll invite you two to lunch or dinner.” The only thing on Li Qingshan’s mind about right now was the Water of Recollection. All he wanted to do was go back and experiment with it.
Han Qiongzhi said, “Oi, you…”
Li Qingshan had already flown off on a cloud. His distant voice rang out, “Oh right. Chu Tian, I wish you a speedy recovery.”
Chu Tian’s face darkened as he held back his urge to attack him. The hundred or so strands of sword qi had caused extremely severe damage in his body. Even after all these days, he had yet to completely adjust to the damage.
He trotted over to Ru Xin and asked in concern, “Senior sister Ru Xin, are you fine?”
“Junior brother Chu, you should be fine now, right? It’s all thanks to the care and concern from the three beauties. Hmm? Where are the other two?”
Chu Tian said proudly, “They’ve both entered secluded cultivation for me!”
Ever since Li Qingshan emerged from secluded cultivation and defeated the genius Chu Tian, it set a trend of secluded cultivation. Everyone wanted to rise up out of nowhere like Li Qingshan.
Ru Xin was rather surprised. She glanced at Qian Rongzhi. “This must be junior sister Qian’s idea, right? It must be tough on you.”
After a few months of secluded cultivation, they would probably emerge only to find that everyone had changed, and their man had been stolen too! Oh right, the two idiotic girls did not seem to mind sharing their man with others, but they could not rely on others being as stupid as them!
“It’s all their own idea. They all feel powerless. They whole-heartedly want to help little Tian. I was extremely touched when I heard about it too. I agreed to help them take care of little Tian for a few days. Please don’t misunderstand, senior sister. We’re just friends.” Qian Rongzhi smiled. Separating those two dimwits from Chu Tian had not taken her a lot of effort.
“I’ve given them a lot of pills. Their cultivation will definitely improve tremendously this time. As my women, Chu Tian’s women, they won’t suffer.” As Chu Tian said that, he looked at Ru Xin in a hinting manner.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Senior sister Ru Xin, little Tian truly is a good man worth entrusting your entire life to.”
“Haha, yeah, yeah!” Ru Xin felt slightly disgusted. There were freaks every year, but more than usual this year! Originally, she wanted to warn him a little, but men like him were utterly stupid. There would be no pity at all if he died.
A good man? Heh, then let the bad girl teach you a lesson!
Qian Rongzhi stopped worrying. Alright, this woman won’t be causing any trouble for now. Only if all the men in the world were as “good” as Chu Tian.
“I want to write novels!” Li Qingshan rushed through the door and said confidently as soon as he returned to Cloudwisp island.
Under Liu Chuanfeng’s surprised gaze, Li Qingshan returned to his room alone. He took out the bottle of Water of Recollection and placed it on the table.
The bottle stood around three inches tall and was filled to the brim with thick, azure fluid, like liquid memories.
Li Qingshan directly picked it up and took a small sip.
The rather bitter taste spread out from the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes in a hurry and thought hard, wanting to recall his forgotten memories.
Actually, everyone was capable of remembering every single detail that they saw and heard. However, these useless pieces of information would gradually sink into the depths of their minds. The Water of Recollection basically presented these dust-clad memories before him clearly once more, including every scene, every voice, and every emotion.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and began to write swiftly. The familiar story reappeared in his hands.
Liu Chuanfeng was in a daze at the entrance of the room. He had no idea what this dear disciple of his was, but he was afraid of interrupting him, so he backed away quietly.
Li Qingshan wrote faster and faster as his right hand gradually turned into a blur. He felt like the ink in the inkstone had run out before he had even written much. He directly ground and filled up a small pot beside him with ink.
The sky was about to darken, and a novel composed of a thick stack of paper covered in illegible handwriting stood on the table. The high quality weasel hair brush in his hand had almost been worn away completely now.
At this moment, the words in his head gradually blurred. The effects of the Water of Recollection were gradually fading away.
Li Qingshan placed down his brush and rubbed his wrist. That’s all for today!
“You wrote all of this!” Having run out of patience a long time ago, Liu Chuanfeng rushed in and reached towards the thick stack of paper on the table.
Smack! Li Qingshan swatted his hand aside. “Don’t touch, I’m not done yet!” As he said that, even he himself felt proud, as proud as when he swept aside the eight hundred disciples of the school of the Military. Although it was all plagiarised, that was just an insignificant detail. Even with his two lives combined, he had never written so many words before!
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Now that’s rare of you. Can you really write something good by writing like this?”
“What I’ve written are things regular people would all love to see and hear. I guarantee you it’ll be even more warmly received than your overly-advanced stuff.” Li Qingshan seemed to have already witnessed a successful path as a novelist unfold right before him.
As long as he had the Water of Recollection, he could take this path smoothly and easily, at no cost to him yet also deriving infinite benefit.
Although the power scaling of wuxia novels was a little low, he never planned on using it for battle anyway. No matter how powerful the characters he created were, no matter how much power of belief he had, he would be restricted by the Divine Talisman of Great Creation as a Qi Practitioner, so the power of what he could summon would be limited too. At most, they would be around the seventh or eighth layer.
To regular Qi Practitioners, being able to summon four or five helpers around the same cultivation was already a very impressive achievement, but with Li Qingshan’s strength, assistance like that was almost nothing. It would just be a waste of his power of belief instead.
The power of belief was an important resource. It could turn fiction into reality through the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Right now, his Divine Talisman of Great Creation was still in its initial stage. As long as he constantly strengthened it, its effects would not be limited to just a few novels.
At this moment, Xiao An walked in from outside. She saw Li Qingshan and let out an innocent smile.
Li Qingshan entered a daze. A question he had never pondered carefully, nor was he bold enough to ponder carefully, entered his mind. Could the Water of Recollection help Xiao An recover her memories?
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Chapter 319 – A Slight Ripple
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Chapter 319 – A Slight Ripple
Xiao An was always able to read Li Qingshan’s emotions immediately. She tilted her head in confusion.
Li Qingshan chased out Liu Chuanfeng and closed the door, asking Xiao An a vague question about how her cultivation had been going recently.
Xiao An became even more confused. “Has something happened?”
Li QIngshan smiled bitterly and rubbed his head. He had never believed he was an indecisive person, but now he understood the reason why he was not indecisive; it was because he had never encountered a matter he struggled to make a decision over.
Helping her recover her memories and finding her original name and identity had once been one of his wishes. Sending her back home had been the first promise he had made in this world.
However, if the moment for him to fulfil his wish and promise of the past arrived simultaneously, smiling would be the last thing he would do.
“I found something that might be helpful to you.” After a while of consideration, Li Qingshan told her the truth. He took out the remaining half a bottle of Water of Recollection and explained its effects to Xiao An.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan discovered that Xiao An was no more composed than him. The hand that held the bottle had even begun to tremble, causing the azure fluid to shake too.
She felt no excitement or joy from being able to recover her memories. She cast her gaze downwards. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her large eyes.
“I don’t want to drink it.”
“Why?” Li Qingshan asked despite knowing the answer already. They understood one another so well that they were basically mentally connected, so why wouldn’t he understand what she was thinking? If it were possible, he would rather go without knowing the existence of this medicinal fluid, even if he could no longer gather the power of belief through writing novels so easily.
However, as an adult, he could not let a child indulge in their stubbornness, nor could he indulge in his own stubbornness. He had to do what was “good” for her.
“Stop being so stubborn. Just try it. I tried it earlier. The effects are pretty good, so it might actually be effective on you. Of course, there’s a chance it’ll be ineffective, so don’t expect too much from it.”
Xiao An raised her head and stared into Li Qingshan’s eyes. She said with an expression that could make anyone’s heart ache, “I don’t want to go anywhere, please?”
Li Qingshan gradually made up his mind and turned back to normal. He grinned and pecked her forehead heavily. “I’ll go wherever you go!”
Xiao An closed her eyes. Tilting her head back, she drank all of the remaining fluid in the bottle.
The slightly bitter fluid flowed through her throat and reached her stomach. It turned into a mysterious power, which permeated her body and rushed to her head.
A while later, Xiao An opened her eyes.
Li Qingshan asked, “How is it?”
Xiao An shook her head. “Nothing.”
From the day she began practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, her soul had fused with her bones, and after countless days and nights of cultivation, her bones had already become as tough as diamonds. Not only were they resilient to external forces, but even external powers were unable to seep into them.
As a result, whether it be absorbing the spiritual qi of the world or ingesting pills, they were completely ineffective to her. All they strengthened was a skin bag of appearance. Her only path of cultivation was using fire to devour flesh and blood and refine white bones.
The Water of Recollection was obviously ineffective to her too.
As if he were relieved, Li Qingshan let out a long sigh. “I knew it. None of the medicine refined by that woman is particularly effective. Don’t worry. All you need to do is take it slowly with your memories.”
Xiao An agreed softly. She asked curiously, “That woman?”
“She’s a woman of complete disorder. Don’t worry about her. Here, have a read of the novel I’ve written.” Li Qingshan lifted her onto his knee and showed her the manuscript he had plagiarized laboriously.
Xiao An read through it very carefully. From time to time, she would point out the “strange” parts in the novel. By “strange”, she was referring to the fact that it was a wuxia novel, which was foreign to this world. A lot of the vocabulary and literary references had issues too.
Li Qingshan was troubled once more. As it turned out, plagiarising a novel would not be so easy either. “What am I supposed to do?” He had not read a lot of novels in his life. It had only been a year or two since he left Crouching Ox village, so his understanding of this world was not particularly deep.
Xiao An smiled. “I have an idea.”
Liu Chuanfeng happened to be chewing the end of a brush right now as he wondered just what this disciple of his had written.
Li Qingshan suddenly strode over. “Do you have any novels that I can read?”
Liu Chuanfeng asked, “What do you want to read?”
Li Qingshan said, “Anything but yours. It’s best if they’re by some famous authors, or they’re in fashion right now. Give me everything that you have.”
“What’s wrong with mine?” Liu Chuanfeng immediately refused. He was no longer the Master of Wind and Moon of the past anymore. He immediately pulled out a letter from his hundred treasures pouch. “Look at how they’re praising me.”
Li Qingshan shot him a glare, and Liu Chuanfeng took out a great pile of books with great obedience. There were several hundred of them.
Li Qingshan lifted them up and left immediately. Liu Chuanfeng called out from behind. “Be careful with them! They’re all collector’s editions.”
The One Thought master’s monk robes ruffled as he quietly arrived outside the bamboo residence where Li Qingshan resided. His gaze passed through the layers of the bamboo building, and he saw a large and small figure under the glow of a lone lantern.
Xiao An currently laid on the ground reading novels. She rifled through the pages, reading swiftly. Over a dozen books had already become piled beside her.
Li Qingshan stood around, as if he was thinking of something. He would twist around from time to time, throwing kicks and punches.
He was currently summarising and concluding his successes and failures in the battle today. If he read instead, he would have forgotten the first seven pages by the time he had read ten. However, the battle today played in his mind like a movie, clearly visualising every punch and kick. He could even remember how he had defeated every single disciple of the school of the Military.
Gradually, the figures around him faded away, and the expressions and figures of every military disciple blurred. All that was left was a group of matchstick-like military disciples charging over on the long staircase.
He copied their moves and the way they exerted force. The lantern light projected his shadow onto the wall, which moved about swiftly in the narrow space.
One of them laid still, while the other one moved about. However, this formed an atmosphere that was strangely warm and sweet, which the One Thought master found to be strangely familiar. After quite a while of thought, he remembered that this was the feeling of home.
In order to save lamp oil, his mother sewed and mended clothes under the moonlight, and he ran around chasing fireflies in the courtyard.
The One Thought master dismissed these thoughts in a hurry. He sighed helplessly. How could an ascetic be constantly attached to the idea of “home”?
Over the past few days, Li Qingshan’s performance that had surpassed any regular cultivator’s had instead made him even more worried.
They were not connected by blood. Right now, she was still young, but if she grew a little older and developed those feelings, it would probably become even harder for her to cut him off. She would lose her rationality too. Separating them would become even more difficult.
After hesitating for a moment, the One Thought master turned around and left. He had to enlighten her with his various fellow monks in this upcoming assembly of dharma so that she could cut off her worldly ties.
The rifling of books and the whistling of punches and kicks stopped one after another.
“I’m done.” Li Qingshan’s true qi sank into his dantian as he smiled. If he faced the same battle formation again, he was confident that he could emerge victorious with even greater ease.
Xiao An smiled. “Let’s begin!”
Under the lantern light, Li Qingshan wrote while Xiao An spoke. The two of them gradually edited the novel so that it would conform with this day and age better. Time dripped away unknowingly.
There was no need for them to rack their brains and go to such great lengths. Weren’t they creating memories with every passing moment?
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Chapter 320 – One Step at a Time
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Chapter 320 – One Step at a Time
“Did you really write this?” Liu Chuanfeng held the thick draft and said in disbelief. Even at a minimum, there were a few hundred thousand words there, but Li Qingshan had only used a few days.
“Don’t tell me you copied it from somewhere?”
Li Qingshan said with no confidence at all, “How can you say that? Have you ever read something remotely similar to this?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Plagiarism won’t net you the slightest power of belief, no matter how well you’ve copied it.”
Taking the Divine Talisman of Merit as an example, the merit would never misidentify its target no matter how far the cultivator who did the good deeds were, even if there were people who shared the same name and appearance as them. This was the wonders of divine talismans.
Li Qingshan became uncertain. He had copied something from his past life, which belonged to another world. In this world, it should be an original work.
“Alright, then allow your master to take a look and edit it for you.” Liu Chuanfeng leaned over the table and began reading.
Li Qingshan strode away. In the past few days, he had been either copying or editing. Even with Xiao An’s help, it still made him dizzy.
After editing this “maiden work” of his, the One Thought master sent someone to call Xiao An back to the Anāsravāṃ temple. Apparently, she had to make preparations for the upcoming assembly of dharma.
Xiao An only said she would find a way to get some more pills before leaving in a hurry.
This instead made Li Qingshan rather apologetic. After dealing with the matter regarding the school of Novels, it was time for him to properly gather some resources and prepare for that final step.
Although he called it the final step, Li Qingshan refused to underestimate it. It was very likely that this step would be even more difficult to take than any other steps of the past.
There were many living examples around him of the difficulty. Liu Chuanfeng, Hua Chengzan, Ru Xin, and so on were all at the tenth layer.
There was a dangerous heavenly tribulation involved too. He could not afford to be careless at all.
There were still quite a lot of resources left from his massacre underground, but getting rid of the spiritual artifacts and talismans would be rather difficult, even if the spiritual stones were easier to deal with.
After arriving in the academy, he had once asked Sun Fubai about the school of Miscellany that focused on this business. As it turned out, rarely did they ever purchase these items, and even if they did, they would only pay extremely low prices for them.
The world had been in a state of peace for so long. Fighting and struggling became extremely rare. Without a demand, there was no market for them. And, compared to this, the price of high level pills was constantly on the rise due to the increase in Qi Practitioners and the increasing rarity of spiritual herbs.
And, Li Qingshan had quite a lot of qualms over these items too. He had not exactly obtained them legitimately. If he sold them en-mass, he would probably attract the attention of observant people.
Through his contact with people like Qian Rongzhi and Hua Chengzan, Li Qingshan deeply understood that there were many clever people in the world. Deducing facts from small clues was basically a form of instinct for certain people. He personally believed he did not have this ability. All he could do was be as careful as possible, without leaving behind anything that might give him away.
After a while of thought, Li Qingshan’s gaze gradually became determined. I’ll take one step at a time!
The first step were the missions issued in the Missions hall on Contention island.
Li Qingshan’s eyes constantly darted around the bulletin board. Very soon, he locked onto a mission. It came from the school of Agriculture. It was a mission for watering their fields of wheat. It sounded simple, but it clearly stated towards the end that it required the Spiritual Rain technique.
The Spiritual Rain technique was a wide range healing technique. Not only could it heal injuries, but it could also allow people to recover their true qi. In battle, it was something that could play a decisive role. Due to how difficult it was to learn, rarely were there any people who knew it in this day and age.
If it were not for the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, which allowed him to master any water element technique with ease, he probably would have never bothered with this technique either. Perhaps it was exactly because of this reason that the rewards for the mission were quite plentiful.
It was clearly winter, but Longevity island of the school of Agriculture was brimming with life.
Earth elder Huang sat on a ridge in the fields, smoking his pipe. He circled out a region in the vast fields of golden wheat before him.
“Give me 3.9 centimeters of rain in this region. I’ll deduct a spiritual stone for every millimeter you miss, understand?” He did not give Li Qingshan any special treatment, even with his outstanding performance lately.
Li Qingshan said politely, “Understood.” He closed his eyes and prepared for a moment. A streak of light rose up from his hands and flew into the air, turning into a large region of spiritual drizzle that fell from the sky. The slightly droopy wheat immediately straightened out, as if it was absorbing the spiritual rain.
Earth elder Huang was slightly surprised. Originally, he thought Li Qingshan would have to use the Spiritual Rain technique several times to water such a larger region, but Li Qingshan only used it once. The area he covered was simply startling. And, at a closer glance, the spiritual rain was not off by a single millimeter. It was 3.9 centimeters exactly.
“Well done.”
Li Qingshan smiled and accepted the spiritual stones. It sure had been easy for him to make spiritual stones. All he had to do was use a technique once. Apart from watering the wheat fields, there seemed to be missions for watering the medicinal gardens of the school of Medicine too in the Missions hall.
“You want to learn alchemy from me?” Ru Xin studied Li Qingshan with a strange gaze. His face was filled with sincerity, and he even held a watermelon in his hand.
“This is just a gift for taking me on as a student. If you agree, I can pay you spiritual stones too. Of course, you can’t go overboard with the price.”
This was Li Qingshan’s second step, grasping alchemy as quickly as possible. As for the watermelon, earth elder Huang had picked it from a neighbouring melon field and given it to him for completing the mission perfectly.
“The school of Medicine has classes for alchemy. It won’t cost you a single spiritual stone.”
“It takes too long.” Li Qingshan shook his head. The classes held by the professors were nice, but in consideration of every single disciple’s ability, they purposefully slowed down the process. They explained complicated concepts in simple words. While it was interesting, it would take too much time. And, the ability of the professors probably paled in comparison to the person before him.
Ru Xin’s mouth was quite foul, but she was still a decent person. After that time, he had asked for Water of Recollection from her two more times, but she refused to accept any spiritual stones at all. And, despite being a great beauty, she had no air of arrogance about her either. She obviously became his first choice.
Ru Xin said, “Let me consider it. Let’s eat the watermelon first!”
They cut open the watermelon, and the red pulp gave off a special fragrance. Li Qingshan took a bite, and it melted in his mouth. It was as sweet as honey, and the spiritual qi within it merged with his sea of qi too.
Li Qingshan thought about how wondrous the school of Agriculture’s arts were. The effects were no worse than regular pills. It was just a pity that he was not a disciple of the school of Agriculture. Compared to refining pills, he preferred farming much more.
Ru Xin was still staring at Li Qingshan. She had produced a notch in the watermelon with her teeth as her pink lips were dyed red. Afterwards, she let out a loud slurp, which interrupted Li Qingshan’s thoughts.
“Can’t you eat a little more quietly?”
Ru Xin said, “Little kids know nothing at all. When you eat watermelons, you need to slurp it.”
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes and placed down the watermelon round. The huge watermelon had vanished into her belly in the blink of an eye.
Ru Xin wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “I refuse!”
“What?”
“I’ve considered it, and I refuse. I’ll see you out!”
“Then spit out my gift if you won’t take me as a student!” Li Qingshan was very tempted to choke her.
“You really want it?” Ru Xin acted like she was about to stick her hand into her mouth, as if she would actually spit it out if he wanted it.
Li Qingshan was slightly disgusted, but he ground his teeth. “Spit it out!”
With a ptui, Ru Xin spat out a melon seed. “You can go back and plant it yourself. What an idiot. Hahaha!”
Li Qingshan caught the melon seed and revealed a look of pity. He shook his head with a sigh. “What a pity, what a pity.”
Ru Xin asked, “How’s it a pity?”
Li Qingshan said, “Originally, I wanted to pay you with a True Spirit pill, but it’s a pity someone doesn’t want it. I’ll go find Juechenzi instead. When it comes to alchemy, the school of Daoism is still the best.”
“Hold on, you said a True Spirit pill?” Ru Xin was fazed. True Spirit pills were critical for reaching Foundation Establishment. She was currently at the tenth layer and was toeing this threshold. She could not help but become interested.
Li Qingshan said, “Yeah!”
“You have a True Spirit pill? I don’t believe you!” Ru Xin recovered her composure and shook her head with a faint smile.
There was basically no supply of True Spirit pills in the cultivation world right now. The most important medicinal herb for refining True Spirit pills, the Blue Butterfly flower, was basically extinct. Blue Butterfly flowers only grew on top of spiritual stone veins. It was impossible to cultivate them in Spirit Gathering formations.
Across the entire Clear River prefecture, there were truly just a handful of sects and clans with spiritual stone veins. Over many years of mining and excavating, they produced precious little amounts. They did not even have enough to refine the flowers into pills themselves, so it was even more impossible for them to sell them. Despite all the years she had spent in the school of Medicine, she only possessed two True Spirit pills right now. It was impossible for Li Qingshan to be in possession of something like that with his background.
However, little did she know that not only did Li Qingshan possess True Spirit pills, but he possessed more than one too. He was sitting on a great pile of Blue Butterfly flowers as well, and he had even been in possession of a Blue Butterfly flower field in the past.
Li Qingshan did not bicker with her. He casually fished out an embroidered box from his hundred treasures pouch. With a thud, he opened the box and displayed the True Spirit pill inside.
Ru Xin held her cheek and sighed. “In order to pursue your senior sister, you’ve even taken out a True Spirit pill. Your senior sister is very touched by this gesture…”
Li Qingshan said, “Cut it with the acting. Are you going to teach me or not?”
Ru Xin extended her hands and closed the embroidered box gently. “I’ll teach you, but you should probably keep the True Spirit pill for yourself! With how quickly you cultivate, you’ll probably need it in just a few years. You can’t reach Foundation Establishment without this.”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. He did not think there was an understanding and considerate side to her.
Ru Xin smiled. “Let’s just do spiritual stones. A hundred spiritual stones per a day. I will teach you with great, great care and detail.”
“You can just directly say you’ll be dragging it out a lot. I am a man of my word, so when my alchemy is enough to refine True Spirit pills, I’ll give this True Spirit pill to you. What do you think?”
If he refined all the Blue Butterfly flowers in his hundred treasures pouch into True Spirit pills, they would be worth far more than those spiritual artifacts and talismans, and he had no need to worry about demand either. This was the most important step for his breakthrough to Daemon General.
Li Qingshan extended his right hand, and Ru Xin placed her hand atop it gently. She smiled. “Deal!”
Actually, an agreement like this was like a challenge. Originally, they were supposed to produce a written pledge on Contention island with a witness present, but Li Qingshan was quite unclear with this process, and Ru Xin had not mentioned it either.
Around dusk, Li Qingshan returned to Cloudwisp island and let out a soft sigh. He felt rather exhausted. This was not only because he was learning alchemy, but also because Ru Xin would say some weird things from time to time, giving him a headache. However, under the temptation of the True Spirit pill, she basically put in her best effort to teach him. Her guidance was extremely efficient too, with no need for him to make time to attend formal classes. It had resolved one of the issues troubling Li Qingshan.
As soon as Li Qingshan stepped into the courtyard, Liu Chuanfeng rushed over and grabbed Li Qingshan by the collar.
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Chapter 321 – Trial Mission
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Chapter 321 – Trial Mission
“D- Did you really write this?”
Liu Chuanfeng’s eyes were slightly red. Originally, he had read the draft with a mindset of giving Li Qingshan some advice and revitalising his dignity as his teacher.
Yep, martial arts practitioners. Seems to be a world without cultivators. It’s quite the setting, but isn’t it a little too literarily unsophisticated? There isn’t even an opening poem. Oh right, Qingshan comes from the mountains. Getting him to write poems would be asking too much of him. It’ll be up to his I, his teacher, to fix this.
Liu Chuanfeng read it slowly with an opinionated mindset. Afterwards, he gradually forgot about his original objective. The cohesive plot of the novel had sucked him in, turning page after page. By the time he had returned to his senses, he had already reached the end. The sun was already setting.
The writing style of the entire novel was vastly different from the ones he had read before, but it had a grand setting and portrayed everything to great detail. Even right now, he could recall the scenes vividly. This novel was not bad at all. Instead, it was unimaginably good, which destroyed his original plans.
Li Qingshan said, “Of course.”
“Impossible. That’s impossible,” Liu Chuanfeng muttered. He had been writing for so many years now, so he understood the difficulty that was involved.
“Hah, that’s because I’m a genius.” Li Qingshan patted Liu Chuanfeng’s shoulder. Sure enough, the story from a great master was powerful. Of course, he would have never been able to do this without Xiao An’s localising edits.
“Hmm? What’s this?” Li Qingshan peered into his body and discovered that a speck of light had appeared in the dim Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Liu Chuanfeng. He appeared several times more pleasant to the eye now.
Originally, he had still been worrying about whether he could collect the power of belief with something he had plagiarised. Didn’t he already have his first reader?
Liu Chuanfeng was unable to come up with any appropriate responses to that. All he could do was accept Li Qingshan’s explanation for now. It was probably because he originated from the jianghu, which was why he could write matters of the jianghu so easily and with such vivid detail.
“Qingshan, you definitely won’t regret joining the school of Novels. I’ll send this off to the Cloudwisp association right now. Have you thought of a pen name?”
Li Qingshan immediately became stumped. He furrowed his brows in thought before thinking of something. He extended his index finger. “How about Jin Long, or Golden Dragon1?” He had considered the two authors he was most likely to plagiarise from and fused their names flawlessly.
Liu Chuanfeng reeled back, cringing. It really was quite difficult to come up with a name cruder than that. He bellowed, “Do you think you’re giving names to children in the village? We’re novelists. Our pen names are basically our second names.”
This was the first time Li Qingshan had felt so meek before Liu Chuanfeng. He muttered, “Golden Dragon sounds so awesome and auspicious.” He racked his brains hard again. As a great author who had “written” a million words already, it truly was quite awkward for him to be stumped over coming up with a pen name that was only a few words long.
“Wuji. Wuji is pretty good, right?”
“As a novelist, how can I have the same name as a character in my books? What will my readers think of me?”
“Qingshan!”
“All you did was drop your surname. My dear disciple, please be a little more serious.”
Li Qingshan said, “I understand now. I’ll just be Li Qingshan!”
“What? Isn’t that your real name…”
“Yeah, it is my real name!” Li Qingshan smiled as he radiated with confidence. Recently, he had been caught up in far too many regular matters. He had almost forgotten this old dream of his.
There would be a day when he would spread the name “Li Qingshan” across the nine provinces, with millions muttering his name.
This was more like a fantasy that a child had while staring at the sky. If he mentioned it, people would only laugh. Even he himself found it quite amusing when he thought of it himself. However, it was called a dream exactly because of that.
Refining True Spirit pills was not a dream. Becoming a Daemon General was not a dream either, as they were too serious. If he did it, he would do it solemnly, while those who heard about it would be solemn too.
Bedding Gu Yanying could be regarded as half a dream. Although he was so serious about it, he had almost made a certain person collapse from laughter. Hmph, when lower people hear of the Dao, they’ll laugh aloud. If they don’t laugh aloud, it’s not the Dao2.
Who the fuck cares about what others think? I, Li Qingshan, will become the strongest, most famous man, or should I say daemon, across the nine provinces.
All of his down-to-earth hard work was for reaching this fantasy. Novels were just the first step to his grand plan, so why did he have to think so much about coming up with a fake name?
“The great novelist, Li Qingshan. Now I like this name! Get Fubai to broadcast it properly for me. I’ll personally shell out ten million taels of silver for this. Get everyone in the Clear River province to know my great name!”
“What great name?”
Just as Li Qingshan’s thoughts flowed in high spirits, Hua Chengzan rode the wind and arrived on the island.
Li Qingshan went to receive him. “What brought you here?”
Hua Chengzan heard about how Li Qingshan had actually written a novel. After hesitating, he hesitated some more before asking, “Don’t tell me it’s those, right? Old Wang hasn’t been in a good mood recently!”
Li Qingshan said, “Am I that kind of person?” It turned Liu Chuanfeng bright red, fuming.
“I wouldn’t think so. I heard you spent all afternoon on Benevolence island?” Hua Chengzan hinted with a smile. He had befriended the greatest female primary disciple in the entire academy in such a neat and quick fashion, and he had even managed to capture the tomboy Han Qiongzhi’s heart. His charm was so impressive that it was truly beyond anything Liu Chuanfeng possessed.
“Don’t misunderstand. I was just learning alchemy from her,” Li Qingshan explained in a hurry. Ru Xin could be a very good partner, but clearly, she was not interested in him. He did not want to damage his reputation either, nor could he bothered to use this opportunity to pursue her.
“Pursuit” always came with an element of “begging”. He just happened to utterly hate begging others. He was not born into this world to serve a woman. Even if it were Gu Yanying, this aspect would remain unchanged.
“Whatever. Let’s not talk about that. Do you have any spare time lately?” However, Hua Chengzan did not believe him. He too had a lot of first hand experience with that woman’s personality. She definitely was not someone who would spend time teaching Li Qingshan alchemy for no reason.
“Why?”
“A trial mission.”
This was a tradition that had always existed within the Hawkwolf Guard. Whether it were new Hawkwolf guards or promoted Hawkwolf guards, they all had to complete a trial mission to demonstrate that they had the ability to hold their post. Although it was more symbolic than practical now, it was still necessary. Having been promoted to Scarlet Wolf guard, Li Qingshan could not avoid this either.
“What’s the mission?” Li Qingshan only felt that receiving private lessons from Ru Xin was even more correct of a decision. Otherwise, who knew when he would be able to learn alchemy in its entirety and refine True Spirit pills with all these interruptions.
“One of our Nighthawks has been killed. It might be connected to the White Lotus cult. Don’t worry, it’s just an investigation mission. If you can find the murderer, then feel free to avenge our people, but if you can’t, just report back.”
Li Qingshan said, “My previous trial mission was also an investigation mission.” And, in the end, the entire Qian family was annihilated.
Hua Chengzan said, “As long as Altar Lord level figures don’t appear, regular Qi Practitioners probably won’t even be able to touch a hair on you. Through her various encirclements, commander Gu has just about killed off most of the Altar Lords from various regions. The remaining that managed to slip away are too afraid to show themselves too. And, there’ll be an additional reward for completing this mission.”
“What reward?”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “It’s what you’ve been looking forward to all this time, which is going to the Ruyi commandery and meeting commander Gu!” This was also an ancient tradition of the Hawkwolf Guard. Newcomers had the right to see their commanding officer’s commander. If they were lucky and became chosen, there would be a lot of benefits.
“That’s not bad at all.” Li Qingshan smiled too. He also wanted to verify some thoughts of his and approach that half-a-dream of his.
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1. Jin Long can be translated as Golden Dragon. The two authors Li Qingshan is thinking of are most likely Jin Yong and Gu Long. They are both highly reputed wuxia authors from the 20th century. They also form two legs of the Tripod of Wuxia (Basically they’re two of the three most reputed wuxia novel authors).
2. Comes from chapter 41 of Dao De Jing or Tao Te Ching. I can go on a tangent about why I avoid using Dao everywhere else, but end up using it here, but it’ll be too lengthy. You are welcome to ask me about it in my discord channel.
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Chapter 322 – Fate and the Fate of Love
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Chapter 322 – Fate and the Fate of Love
“When do I set off?” Li Qingshan asked.
“The sooner the better. It’s best if you set off tomorrow!”
“Alright, then tomorrow it is!”
“Report to the prefectural city tomorrow. Oh right, when your book gets printed, give me a copy.” Hua Chengzan left behind the uniform and accompanying blade of Scarlet Wolf guards before bidding farewell and leaving.
The next day, Li Qingshan changed into the impressive Scarlet Wolf uniform and arrived at the office of the Hawkwolf guard in the Clear River prefectural city.
He made his way to the highest floor and knocked on Hua Chengzan’s room.
However, the person who opened the door was Han Qiongzhi. As soon as she saw Li Qingshan, she gave him a fierce glare and moved aside in a sulking manner. She ignored him.
Li Qingshan was perplexed. However, this first young miss Han had always been subject to changing moods, so he did not take it seriously either.
Hua Chengzan sat behind the desk with his hands crossed and a smile on his face. No matter when, he always seemed like he was in control of the situation.
He gave a simple explanation of the mission. The murdered Hawkwolf guard was called Zhou Pei. He had once been a Nighthawk and because of his merit from the mission of encircling and suppressing the Truth-seeking society founded by remnants of the White Lotus cult, he had recovered his identity as a regular Hawkwolf guard.
He had been killed in the process of carrying out a mission two days ago. His corpse was delivered back with the word “traitor” engraved on his body. They suspected it to be the handiwork of the remnants of the White Lotus cult.
When Li Qingshan heard “Truth-seeking society”, he suddenly remembered it all. He had seen Zhou Pei before, and he had been personally responsible for the demise of the Truth-seeking society. The suspected murderer happened to be the leader of the society who had slipped away through his fingers, Qiu Ruiliu.
Never did he think that he would end up with this mission again. The coincidences and arrangements of fate in the world were truly unpredictable.
However, it actually was not much of a coincidence at all. There were hundreds of cities within the governance of the Clear River prefecture, and Hua Chengzan was responsible for numerous missions too. However, Li Qingshan originated from the Hawkwolf Guard in Jiaping city, while Zhou Pei’s post had been in Jiaping too. That was why he had specially allocated this mission to Li Qingshan. It was a little like returning home after achieving great success.
The information and documents were placed on the table. Two hands extended towards them simultaneously. Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi’s eyes met before they looked at Hua Chengzan together.
“Isn’t this my mission?”
Hua Chengzan said seriously, “Although it’s an investigation mission, it has to do with the White Lotus cult, so we can’t afford to be careless. According to the rules, the mission has to be jointly carried out by at least two people.”
Li Qingshan pulled his hand back. He no longer said anything. Han Qiongzhi was strong enough, even though she was a little ill-tempered. They could reach Jiaping by noon if they flew, and a slight investigation would take a day or two at most. It was nothing he could not put up with. And, she was still a beauty at the end of the day. At least he would not be lonely on the journey.
Han Qiongzhi slammed the desk. “No, I disagree!”
Hua Chengzan said sternly, “This is the order of your commander!” No matter how lax he was usually, the hierarchy was still clearly divided within the Hawkwolf Guard, strictly abiding to the laws. Unless Han Qiongzhi resigned from her post, she was forced to obey.
Han Qiongzhi stared at Hua Chengzan before glancing towards Li Qingshan on the side. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something and blushed.
Watching the two leave, Hua Chengzan leaned back comfortably on the high back of the chair. “Junior sister, this is all your senior brother can do for you.”
Since young, rarely were there any men that Han Qiongzhi appreciated. If this was not rare enough, then it was even more rare for Han Anjun to appreciate the man in question too. As her childhood friend, he obviously had to assist her. Spending time alone with each other was the best way to develop their feelings. If she went back home with Li Qingshan as well, that would only be for the better.
He was helping out a friend too. If Li Qingshan could establish ties with the influential clan that was the Han family, he would benefit endlessly too. At the very least, he could receive help from Han Anjun, and there was even a chance for him to enter the care of Han Anguo. There would be no need for him to worry about running out of cultivation resources anymore. This was basically a match made in heaven. He had never thought his joke from before might actually come true. He could not help but admit that Li Qingshan had been developing rather impressively.
As for Gu Yanying, it would be best if he woke up from that great daydream of his as soon as possible!
Outside, Han Qiongzhi asked, “Was it your idea?”
“Of course not.” Li Qingshan curled his lip. “Even if you can get whatever you want, you first young miss, I, Li Qingshan, would never bother to use tricks like this.”
Han Qiongzhi raised an eyebrow. “What? Am I not worth using tricks for?”
“You are, you are. You most definitely are. Can you wait a moment for me? There’s a place I need to visit first.” Li Qingshan played along casually and looked around.
“That’s more like it. Where are you going? How mysterious. Something bad?”
Li Qingshan said, “Then let’s go together!”
It was inconvenient to use techniques in the city, so they travelled on foot. They arrived outside a small building on one side of the city. The plaque that hung high above the entrance spelled out two words, “Cloudwisp Association”.
Han Qiongzhi was surprised. “Did your school of Novels do this?”
Li Qingshan grinned. He gave no explanation. This was the first time he had come here too. He had obviously come here to take a look at the development of his new book.
Last night, Liu Chuanfeng had personally delivered the draft here.
Sun Fubai and Liu Chuanfeng knew that Li Qingshan would be coming, so they came out to receive him together. However, when they saw Han Qiongzhi, they were slightly surprised.
There were many young masters and young misses from influential clans in Clear River city, but rarely did anyone surpass the one right in front of them. They could not help but wonder when they saw how she accompanied Li Qingshan.
For Li Qingshan’s sake, Han Qiongzhi bowed towards Liu Chuanfeng in an unconcerned manner. “What are you doing here?”
Liu Chuanfeng admired the impressive ability of this dear primary disciple of his even more. In the past when she saw him, she would not even look at him properly.
“You’ll know as soon as you see it.” Sun Fubai invited them in with a chuckle, taking them around the Cloudwisp association on a tour.
The various storytellers were currently reciting Li Qingshan’s novel in the hall upstairs, preparing for their future performances. All of them agreed that Li Qingshan’s novel was extremely fascinating, and it happened to be extremely suited for storytelling too. However, due to the lack of sophisticated poems, it could not be used to target scholars and nobles. It brought the bards to their wits’ end as they tried to write lyrics for it.
Li Qingshan swung his hand in an exaggerated manner. “If you can’t sing it, then you can act it out, right?” He behaved like he was acting it out, which enlightened these people.
In another room, a group of painters and artists created accompanying illustrations for the characters in the novel. This idea originated from Liu Chuanfeng. Ever since he discovered accompanying illustrations, his books of smut sold much better, and it was easier for him to gather the power of belief too.
In the printing press to the back of the association, over a dozen printing machines purchased from the school of Mohism ran at full capacity, humming aloud. They pressed the characters against the white paper one by one. Once the accompanying illustrations were completed, they could repeat the process then bind it all together, and it would become a book.
Li Qingshan looked around and expressed complete satisfaction. “I really can’t spare any extra time, unfortunately, so I must trouble you with the matters here, Fubai.”
Sun Fubai said, “We’re all one family. Saying something like that would be alienating me.”
“When are we going?” Han Qiongzhi asked impatiently. These people from the school of Novels sure were strange. They were cultivators, yet they spent all their time mingling with these regular people. What was so interesting about that?
She had flipped through a stack of printed copies too, but she found it boring from just a single glance. Apart from cultivation methods, she had no interest in anything that contained words at all. All she felt was that compared to fighting the disciples of the school of the Military, he really was not that admirable when he wrote novels instead.
“We’ll go right now.” Li Qingshan could imagine how his name would spread throughout the entire Clear River prefecture before long, so he was in a good mood.
“Let’s go together. It’s faster if you take this.”
Arriving outside, Han Qiongzhi was just about to pull out the flying shuttle, and Li Qingshan agreed with her. Her expression eased up before immediately stiffening again. No matter when, she could never afford to embarrass herself as the first young lady of the Han family. Even if she had a good impression of him, she could not try to coddle or suck up to him. Not to mention that this guy even had the audacity to brush her off back on Benevolence island.
A cloud shot into the air, flying directly towards Jiaping city.
As he travelled back along the same path as before, Li Qingshan felt rather sentimental.
Han Qiongzhi had always been a bold and easygoing person, but when she faced him, she would think about Hua Chengzan’s intentions behind these arrangements. She wanted to get closer with him, but she was also afraid of embarrassing herself. If she acted up whenever she felt like it like before, wouldn’t she just be like those little girls in love? That was even less of her style.
In Li Qingshan’s eyes, her usual behaviour was no different from a little girl’s, yet she just had to act mature right now, which was very awkward for her. For a moment, she was actually unable to say anything to him at all.
Fortunately, Li Qingshan’s sentiment left just as quickly as it had arrived. A while later, he began conversing with Han Qiongzhi, and only then did she ease up slightly, but she remained tense. She did her best to maintain a grasp over her actions. This just happened to be one of her weak points.
As they spoke, all Li Qingshan felt was that this first young miss Han’s personality seemed to have changed suddenly and drastically. She became reserved. Although she lost some of her sharpness, she became slightly less easy going too, which perplexed him. However, they were not exactly close, so it was not like he could get to the bottom of this.
Never did he think that his chaotic battle to vent his gloominess in the school of the Military had touched on her tender feelings.
After travelling for four hours, they saw a lone mountain in the distance, standing beside a great river. A hawk perched on there, watching over the city that stretched into the distance.
The cloud vanished below him, and Li Qingshan landed firmly on the top of the mountain. He looked around. It has been a while, Jiaping.
The Black Hawk commander, Fang Enshang, brought all the Black Wolf guards to receive them. There were quite a few old acquaintances among them. They all saw how a great Scarlet Wolf guard beauty stood beside Li Qingshan, who wore his Scarlet Wolf uniform. Just her composed bearing had surpassed all regular women. They were unable to describe their admiration for her, and they felt a tinge of sour jealousy.
They had all personally witnessed Li Qingshan joining the Hawkwolf guard back then. He was just a kid from the mountains, but little did they think that in just a short year or two, he would have risen to such a level.
Fang Enshang bowed politely. “Greetings from Fang Enshang.”
Li Qingshan returned the gesture to Fang Enshang, while Han Qiongzhi went up and patted his shoulder. “Little Fang, long time no see. Why’re you still at the sixth layer?”
Fang Enshang said, “Your language sure is unforgiving, second senior sister. How can my talent match yours, senior sister, or this fellow Qingshan right here? When I first met him, he was only at the fifth layer.” Because Han Qiongzhi was the secondary disciple of the school of Legalism, she was known as the second senior sister.
“You flatter me. I think it’s commander Fang’s bearing that’s changed the most. You’ve become much more mature.” Li Qingshan felt much of Fang Enshang’s naivety was now replaced with the bearing of a commander.
“You’re two men, yet you sing praises for one another. Don’t you find it embarrassing? So tell me just what is going on.”
Having escaped the awkward situation of being alone with Li Qingshan, Han Qiongzhi turned back to normal and immediately took control of the situation. As she asked for the full story regarding this matter, she requested Fang Enshang to take them to Zhou Pei’s corpse.
Clearly, Han Qiongzhi had a lot of experience with dealing with matters like this. Li Qingshan was willing to follow along with her too, remaining silent and contrasting against her.
In the chilly morgue, Fang Enshang lifted a white cloth and exposed a naked corpse that had turned blue. Sure enough, the word “traitor” was carved into the body.
Li Qingshan had seen plenty of corpses before, so he was mostly unfazed. All he did was furrow his brows in thought. He did not feel like daoist priest Qiu was someone who would do something like this. This was more like a method of revenge used by third-rate figures of the jianghu.
To a very large extent, the Truth-seeking society had not been destroyed by the Hawkwolf guard, but by Niu Juxia, who had killed his way out. Even if they knew Zhou Pei was a spy, their grievances did not run so deep. Just slitting his throat would have been more than enough.
Han Qiongzhi was unafraid too. She studied the naked corpse without any bashfulness that a normal woman would possess. Instead, she became angered. “They’re out of their minds to provoke the Hawkwolf Guard like this. Little Fang, do you have any leads?”
Fang Enshang said, “I was just about to say. We had an informant report yesterday that daoist priest Qiu had appeared in the north-west. He seemed to be travelling in the direction of Ancient Wind city.”
Li Qingshan’s doubts became even heavier. He had experienced daoist priest Qiu’s craftiness first hand. Why would someone like him leave behind traces that regular informants could spot? And, wasn’t Ancient Wind city where the Qian family once stood?
His second trial mission actually pointed there once again. Was this a coincidence, or was there another reason for this?
Han Qiongzhi covered the corpse with the white cloth quickly and said to Li Qingshan, “We’ll go right now!”
Li Qingshan hesitated. “I don’t think this is as simple as it seems.” He stated his doubts.
If this were in the past, Han Qiongzhi would have definitely mocked Li Qingshan as a worrywart. However, after everything he had been through, she knew he was not a coward. However, it would not be in line with her character if she did not charge over to Ancient Wind city immediately, sniff out Qiu Ruiliu, and cut him to pieces.
“Then what do you think we should do?”
Fang Enshang was slightly taken aback. How rare. To think that even his second senior sister would have a moment when she would ask for the opinion of someone else. In the school of Legalism, she never listened to anyone apart from the two commanders.
Li Qingshan considered it for a moment. “Let’s just go with what you said!”
Although he had his doubts about this, he trusted Hua Chengzan’s judgement. They should not encounter any danger in this mission, or Hua Chengzan definitely would have warned them.
Why would an Altar Lord of the White Lotus cult set up such a large trap, even going as far as exposing themselves, just to ambush two Qi Practitioners? If they really did not care about their own safety, they might as well just come to the Hawkwolf Guard and massacre to their hearts’ content. Wouldn’t that be better? Why did they have to lure them to such a remote place like Ancient Wind city?
The most likely possibility would be that Qiu Ruiliu had gathered another group of independent cultivators and had set up a shoddy trap. With his abilities, he could kill whoever came at him as long as they were below Foundation Establishment.
Han Qiongzhi said, “Then why’d you say that?”
Li Qingshan shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with being more careful.”
“Qingshan’s doubts are very reasonable. Daoist priest Qiu is very crafty. I’ll come with you. An additional person brings additional help.” Fang Enshang could still remember how Wu Gen had failed even with all the Hawkwolf guards accompanying him.
Han Qiongzhi said, “There’s no need. Give this brother a proper burial. If he had family, take good care of them. He won’t die in vain. We will avenge him.”
She saw how Fang Enshang wanted to say something else, so Han Qiongzhi cut him off. “If the two of us work together, there won’t be any problems at all!”
PS: Gotta build up before the battle, gotta think before the twist. The chapter tomorrow morning might be missing. Allow me to think about it carefully.
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Chapter 323 – Altar Lord of White Lotus
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Chapter 323 – Altar Lord of White Lotus
With great confidence as well as trust in Li Qingshan, Han Qiongzhi waved her hand, and the two of them set off.
Han Qiongzhi urged him, “Hurry up and summon the cloud!”
It was early in the afternoon when Ancient Wind city, which sat on the side of the mountain and faced fertile land, appeared before them. It was dyed a faint yellow by the dim sun of winter.
Under the ancient city gates, Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi gazed ahead.
Although it was winter, quite a lot of people moved around on the streets. There were both adults and children, giving off a worldly hubbub. It was the same as the past, and it would remain like this in the future too. There did not seem to be any danger or hidden killing intent.
As they walked through the streets, the two of them had instead raised quite a lot of attention, treated as outsiders.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s look around for him!”
Han Qiongzhi called out, “Qiu Ruiliu, we can already see you, so come out!”
They attracted even more gazes over. Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile. Was a move used to trick children supposed to work?
A creak followed her voice. At the end of the main road, the doors to the Qian estate swung open loudly.
No different from the past, Qiu Ruiliu wore the robes of a daoist priest as he stood at the entrance. He clasped his hands. “I was unaware that esteemed guests would be coming, so please forgive me for failing to welcome you!”
It actually worked!
Before he had even finished talking, Li Qingshan felt a scorching gust of wind kick up beside him. Han Qiongzhi shot over, leaping towards the entrance of the Qian estate.
With a swish, she drew her blade from her sheathe. It lit up with flames that were ten meters long as she swung it towards Qiu Ruiliu’s head.
“Die!”
This attack was the school of Legalism’s Blade Aura of the Death Sentence. It possessed the dignity of law, the right to execute people, as well as the decisiveness of the school of the Military. Before the attack had even arrived, it could already overwhelm the opponent with awe.
However, Qiu Ruiliu simply stood right there, smiling as he watched the blade arrive before him.
With a clang, the blade landed on a black barrier of light. A formation enveloped the entire Qian estate. It would be extremely difficult for her to contend against the formation alone.
Knocked back, Han Qiongzhi made a flip in the air and landed gracefully.
Qiu Ruiliu said, “Originally, I wanted to lure some powerful people here, but I never thought I’d only lure over some shrimp.”
“Murder!” Only now did the passersby on the streets react. They all called out as they fled towards their homes. They were merely some poor people, so why would they want to become involved in a battle like this?
“Why aren’t you helping me?” Han Qiongzhi turned around and asked Li Qingshan. However, all she saw was Li Qingshan staring at the black barrier around the Qian estate with a frown.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan suddenly grabbed Han Qiongzhi, and they took off into the sky.
“What are you doing?” Han Qiongzhi said as she put up a struggle. Even if Qiu Ruiliu was protected by a formation, the power of the formation would not be endless. Moreover, she possessed a few supreme grade talismans too. Even if this was an ambush, there was nothing for her to worry about.
However, Li Qingshan said nothing at all. His face was sunken as he wrapped his arm around her waist like a hoop of metal. An unprecedented feeling of alarm loomed over his heart.
“You want to leave? It’s too late!” Qiu Ruiliu laughed aloud. Even in this moment, he seemed to be brimming with righteousness, more upright than insidious.
A black streak of light shot into the sky from within the Qian estate, pushing the black barrier outwards. It caught up with Li Qingshan instantly, enveloping the entire city.
As if night had suddenly descended, even the winter sun in the sky dimmed. Some of the people who had yet to flee back home suddenly halted. They became riddled with cracks before collapsing like sand statues, reduced to a dark red smear on the ground silently.
Without any preparations or prior signs, the entire city, whether they were male or female, whether they were old, frail, women, or children, had died in that instant.
There were no heroes that appeared, engaging in a battle between good and evil to save the common people. There were no laments or pain. All it was was an instant, and everything became deathly silent. The hubbub of the streets seemed to have never existed in the first place.
The moment Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi were enveloped by the black barrier of light, they stiffened. They felt like they were being crushed and ripped apart by a terrifying force, as if it wanted to crush them to a pulp, yet also rip them to pieces.
Under the balance of the two powers, it was almost like nothing, but destruction was omnipresent. They could feel it in their bodies.
The cloud condensed from spiritual energy collapsed quietly. The two of them fell out of the air.
Han Qiongzhi’s confidence was completely replaced with fear. It was impossible for just a person like Qiu Ruiliu to cast down a formation like this. At the very least, they needed an Altar Lord of the White Lotus cult to achieve this.
Li Qingshan, on the other hand, immediately thought of the story Gu Yanying had once told him, about how the White Lotus Mother had sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives.
This time, they had unfortunately won the grand prize. There was an Altar Lord hiding within the Qian estate at the very least.
Han Qiongzhi mobilised her true qi desperately, but her true qi refused to obey her. She wanted to say something to Li Qingshan, but she saw how stunned he was as he stared at her. She subconsciously touched her cheek.
Her fair, smooth cheek had become like an age-old oil painting. A tiny crack had appeared, oozing with blood.
……
Ancient Wind city has probably been reduced to a ghost city now!
In the Academy of the Hundred Schools, Qian Rongzhi gazed at the blue sky and thought about that.
Everything that had once been would be reduced to nothing in the White Lotus cult’s Lotus Bloom formation.
She chanted softly, “All sins annihilated ,the lotus blooms.”
The first time she had met Qiu Ruiliu was during the encirclement mission last time. In order to hunt him down in the caves that were as complicated as a cobweb, they had split up, communicating with one another with their tablets.
In the end, she had found the injured Qiu Ruiliu.
This time, it was a complete coincidence, or perhaps it was inevitable. She did her best to search for traces before entering a cave that was least likely for Qiu Ruiliu to choose to escape in.
In the darkness, two pairs of eyes met one another. There was no conversation, nor was there any fighting. She acted like she had seen nothing before backing out again.
Back then, Qiu Ruiliu was injured, but she was just a fifth layer Qi Practitioner. If she fought and kept Qiu Ruiliu busy, he would die for sure, but it was very likely for her to fall in battle too. It was not a worthwhile exchange.
A few months later, in a very ordinary mission, she met Qiu Ruiliu again, or should you say he had come looking for her. He invited her to join the cult. He did not try to threaten or tempt her. All he did was show extreme sincerity. “I knew from the moment that I saw you that you’re a person of the White Lotus cult! If you refuse, then cut off my head right now and turn it in at the Hawkwolf Guard. I won’t resist.”
Whether it was the truth or a lie no longer mattered.
Qian Rongzhi considered for a moment before agreeing. She became a believer of the White Lotus, and she offered all of her possessions to the White Lotus cult, along with the Qian estate, so the White Lotus cult could use it as a secret base. Under her urgings, it obviously turned into a land of sacrifice for the White Lotus cult.
Even she was uncertain whether she was expecting Li Qingshan to go there or not, whether it was a coincidence or just inevitable. If he died, she would sigh for him. Hehe.
Han Qiongzhi looked at the blood on her hand. Fear filled her eyes. For the first time in her life, she was so close to death.
At this moment, the black streak of light that had lifted up the black barrier retracted and twisted. The top instead swelled, like the bud of a flower. The mottled, dark-red smears on the ground began to disappear bit by bit as the final trace that proved their existence gradually vanished. Their flesh, blood, and souls had all become nutrients to the flower bud so that it could bloom.
Li Qingshan tried to mobilise his true qi, but his sea of qi had scattered, as if it had collapsed on a much more rudimentary level. It was even more impossible for him to use any techniques.
As the flower bud bloomed, the power of the formation grew stronger, and the damage to their bodies increased. If this continued, they would die even if the hidden Altar Lord just stood by.
This was the terrors of the White Lotus cult that had battled Gu Yanying and the entire Hawkwolf Guard of the Ruyi commandery for all these years. Despite also being Foundation Establishment cultivators, the elders of the three mountains basically seemed friendly and courteous in comparison.
Qiu Ruiliu let out a sigh. “The heavens hold benevolence. I can tell the two of you are anything but ordinary people, so why not forsake darkness for light? Join our White Lotus cult and let’s bring salvation to the world together. It’ll save you from quite a lot of suffering too.”
“Shut up!” Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth, and the taste of blood filled her mouth. As a stronger Qi Practitioner, she possessed a body that had completely surpassed regular people, which was why she had not collapsed immediately under the formation. However, her injuries were spreading bit by bit, like millions of ants gnawing away at her body, suffering a slow death.
“You were not born to be a coward!” Han Anjun had once scolded her like this. Although she found that old man utterly irritating, he was completely right about this. No matter the predicament, she, Han Qiongzhi, would never embarrass herself, especially when Li Qingshan was watching.
Qiu Ruiliu said, “You refuse to come to your senses! However, being able to become a part of the black lotus and cleanse your sins in the process is your good fortune.”
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. He was about to strike. No matter who it was, if they wanted to take his life, they would have to ask his fists first. Even if this formation could suppress his true qi, it could not suppress his daemon core. Having reached the second layer of the spirit turtle, he would no longer be so helpless even if he faced a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He had indeed hesitated for a moment earlier. His body was much tougher than Han Qiongzhi’s. Although he was suppressed by the formation, it did not cause him any actual harm. With how powerful the formation was, he would have no choice but to transform if he wanted an opportunity to break out, but he would have to expose his greatest secret too. However, he could no longer care so much at a time like this. He could not just watch Han Qiongzhi die.
Han Qiongzhi said sternly, “Go!”
“What?” Li Qingshan frowned. If they could enter and leave this formation as they pleased, what were they feeling fear for?
“The black lotus is the crucial point to the formation. I’ll break it, and you use this opportunity to escape! There might only be an instant, so you have to grasp it properly. Go back and seek reinforcements. Avenge me!”
If there aren’t any chances, then let’s die together! She did not manage to say that before leaping up, charging towards Qiu Ruiliu. She held a supreme grade talisman in her hand.
Blood seeped out from between her fingers, wetting the talisman in the blink of an eye. The talisman flashed. She had used the residual true qi in her blood to ignite the talisman in the most primitive way possible.
The talisman began to burn, turning into a scorching fire ball. It rapidly swelled in size and rose up like a dark-red sun. It illuminated Han Qiongzhi’s smiling face that was covered in cracks. “Die!”
“Altar Lord!” Qiu Ruiliu’s expression changed drastically. There were no Qi Practitioners who could endure the might of a supreme grade talisman.
However, before the fire ball had even reached the peak of its power, it began to dim, swallowed by the darkness. It rapidly subsided, such that only a wave of heat was left when it arrived before Qiu Ruiliu.
Han Qiongzhi’s smile vanished. Despite her despair, she continued to move, clutching a second supreme grade talisman in her hand.
Qiu Ruiliu drew a sword with a wood-grain-like pattern. He lamented, “I can’t bear for you to suffer so much, so I’ll send you off!”
A shadow flashed past Han Qiongzhi, arriving before Qiu Ruiliu. It was Li Qingshan.
Alarmed, Qiu Ruiliu swung his sword.
Li Qingshan raised his hand, and several dozen strands of sword qi shot out. Even the terrifying formation was unable to dull their edge.
Qiu Ruiliu was stunned. Criss-crossing marks covered his body before shifting slightly. Before he could even fall apart as pieces, he collapsed due to the formation, reduced to a dark-red smear.
PS: Feeling slightly unwell today, so I’m a bit late. Thank you for forgiving me!
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Chapter 324 – Arrival of the Hundred Schools
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Chapter 324 – Arrival of the Hundred Schools
“You! Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Han Qiongzhi stopped.
Li Qingshan’s tall figure stood before the entrance of the Qian estate as he looked back and said, “Apologies. I don’t have a habit of having women die for me!” He was apologising for his momentary hesitation earlier.
“Even if we’re trying to interrupt the formation, I have a better chance at it than you. You go instead!”
“I’m in charge here!” Han Qiongzhi caught up with him in a hurry. Li Qingshan pointed at her forehead, and a supreme grade talisman lit up, enveloping her.
Although the power of all talismans had greatly weakened within the formation, it would still be of some use. The thin cracks on her face immediately stopped spreading.
She wanted to speak, but a recovery pill was tossed into her mouth, and her injuries began to heal.
“Only women who listen are adorable. Don’t let my efforts go to waste.” Li Qingshan said nothing more. He turned into a gale and made a beeline for the inner courtyard of the Qian estate.
Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth and rushed towards the exit of the city.
“Sometimes, there needs to be a sacrifice, but no matter who the sacrifice is, it shouldn’t go to waste.” This was also something Han Anjun had once told her. Even in chess, the concept of bait and sacrificial pieces existed, let alone in a battle between two armies. This was the path of the school of the Military.
The familiar scenery rushed past him as Li Qingshan charged in.
His true qi was useless now. Not only was he unable to fly, but he had even lost the ability to make turns in the air. Right now, his feet could not afford to leave the ground without good reason.
Who knew how many walls he had run through. Finally, he arrived at the inner courtyard, the origin of the black lotus stalk.
There was a pond of lotus flowers to one side. The lily pads were verdant as the lotus flowers bloomed, emanating with fragrance like it was late spring. He could vaguely see a carp swimming around in there. It was brimming with life. However, it seemed like such a strange contrast to the deathly silent Ancient Wind city.
A man in black ceremonial robes with a black lotus crown sat on a lotus leaf with his legs crossed. He extended his hand to stir the water of the pond, teasing the carp. He was like a cultivated scholar. He did not even give off a hint of treachery.
However, the thick stalk of the black lotus that was about to bloom was planted right before him. It had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
“You’ve come. Looks like Ruiliu has already departed. No, I can say he’s come too.” The man in black looked at the black lotus and smiled.
Li Qingshan was very tempted to just swing his blade at him without uttering a single word, just like what Han Qiongzhi had done, but the warnings in his heart were basically screaming out. This black-robed man was not just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. The feeling he gave Li Qingshan approached what the slovenly daoist priest exuded.
Under such a state, perhaps he only needed a single move to kill him. However, the more dangerous it was, the calmer he became. He searched for the slightest opening, the slightest hope of survival.
“Who are you supposed to be?”
“Names are just a form of reference for convenience, so you can call me Black Lotus!”
“Your companion has died. Don’t you feel sorrow or fury for him?”
“I feel happy for him. He’s tained with quite a lot of sins, so it’s about time they catch up to him.” Altar Lord Black Lotus chanted slowly, “All sins annihilated, the lotus blooms. Away from the sludge, to purity and clarity!” His gentle voice had quite the charm. His eyes were clear and at ease, like an eminent monk. Anyone who saw him would want to get closer to him.
“You feel happy for yourself, as he’s made your lotus a little stronger. Though I wonder when you’ll pay for your own sins?”
“Perhaps today.” Black Lotus smiled.
Li Qingshan was speechless. The Altar Lord had not just overcome death. He truly viewed death as relief. The thoughts of cultists truly could not be analysed with logic.
At this moment, there was a splash in the pond, and a red shadow passed through the lily pads, squirming around and swimming over. It nodded towards Li Qingshan in acknowledgement. It was the same fish that Li Qingshan had originally released. It opened its mouth, as if it was asking for pills.
“You know each other?” Altar Lord Black Lotus waved his hand. “Go, go. I don’t have any pills for you right now.”
Even against a carp, something that was only regarded as a daemon in the eyes of regular people, his expression was so gentle that he seemed like he was coaxing a child throwing a tantrum for candy. Perhaps this metaphor was wrong, as he had personally killed hundreds, if not thousands, of children just then.
The Altar Lord was helpless. He took out a pill from his hundred treasures pouch and placed it in the carp’s mouth, rubbing the carp’s head. Only then did the carp swim away in satisfaction. The pill was not as great as Virtue Accumulation pills, but it was not far off either.
No, I can’t keep dragging it out any longer. Li Qingshan took a step forward.
“You want to cut the black lotus and save your friend?”
Li Qingshan’s steps halted. Had this Altar Lord been spying on them the entire time? If that was the case, it would be difficult for him to carry out his plan.
“I saw nothing. I was just guessing you were planning that. Hawkwolf guards rarely move alone, especially when they face the likes of us. You were staring at the black lotus the entire time before. Is it a man or a woman?”
“Are you planning to use the power of belief within your divine talisman to activate a talisman and launch a sneak attack against me?”
Li Qingshan’s heart that had just settled down slightly suddenly tightened again. When he activated the talisman and opened his hundred treasures pouch, he had not used his own blood, but the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Ever since he left the prefectural city, the power of belief within the divine talisman had gradually increased. Clearly, it came from the members of the Cloudwisp association.
The power of belief had always been an extremely special power. It was not affected by the formation at all. Right now, it played a critical role for achieving victory, but he never thought the opponent would see through and disclose everything before he could even strike.
The Altar Lord said, “The power that the divine talisman in your body radiates with is still very weak, but it’s still not something that I can just ignore. Whatever, go ahead!”
“What?”
“I won’t stop you. If you can shake the stalk, the formation will shake for an instant too, and your friend will have the opportunity to escape from here. I want to see how you’ll achieve this.”
Li Qingshan frowned. Never had he met such a strange opponent.
Black Lotus said, “Don’t worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. You can treat what I said as sincere words coming from the heart of a dead man!”
“A dead man?” Li Qingshan strode towards the black stalk, but he was filled with doubts. If the Altar Lord had done everything he could in an attempt to kill him right from the beginning, he would instead be at greater ease. However, this situation was just too unexpected, which only pressured him more. He had to guard against an attack from the Altar Lord at all times, and he had to worry about whether this was a trap or not.
However, he did not purposefully maintain his distance from him either. At such a distance, they were just a few meters away, which was absolutely nothing in the eyes of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Li Qingshan halted. He wielded his fingers like a sword and leapt up. The remaining dozen or so strands of sword qi in his body fused with his finger and stabbed towards the black stalk.
The unstoppable sword qi stabbed deeply into the stalk, cutting off its access to nutrients. The huge bud on top tottered slightly too. The sky suddenly brightened slightly before recovering its darkness once more.
Li Qingshan returned to the side of the pond and looked at the Altar Lord in bewilderment.
Sure enough, the Altar Lord had done nothing. Instead, he praised, “The sword qi is quite extraordinary. No wonder Ruiliu crumpled from just a single strike.”
“Now, it’s time for the matter between us,” Li Qingshan said. Han Qiongzhi must have used this opportunity to escape. Now, only the two of them remained in Ancient Wind city. He could transform and fight to his heart’s content. With the formation serving as an obstruction, he would not be spotted by outsiders either.
“Oh?” The Altar Lord was slightly surprised. Even if this seventh layer Qi Practitioner had some special powers, standing up against a Foundation Establishment cultivator when he could not even use his true qi would be overestimating himself a little.
“Even in the face of great danger, people like me will confront it calmly, without losing their composure. Why must you copy the mediocre and put up a pointless battle of desperation?” He instead lectured Li Qingshan.
“Cut the bullshit!” Just when Li Qingshan wanted to unleash his daemon qi, he heard footsteps from behind and looked back. “Why did you come back?”
“I don’t have a habit of having men die for me either. And, I’ve never been an adorable woman in the first place. There’s no need for me to please you!” Han Qiongzhi’s expression changed as she rebutted.
Even she herself did not know why she had returned. From the education she had received since young, retreat was the most optimal decision in a situation like this, and she would not be at any fault either. Whether it was the Hawkwolf Guard or the school of the Military, neither of them encouraged pointless sacrifices.
Wavering about at a time like this would instead waste the sacrifice of her companion. Originally, she hated these gestures that were no different from a little girl’s, but this time, she was unable to abandon him. In her heart, he was not just a colleague, a friend, or a companion.
“I just feel like I can’t escape the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Instead of being defeated one after another, we might as well put on one last struggle together. Perhaps we might have a small chance.”
“So it really was a woman, and a beautiful one too. It truly is rare to find a pair that both pleases one another and are willing to sacrifice for one another. You should treasure this fate that has brought you together.”
At this moment, Altar Lord Black Lotus continued to study them in interest. As he spoke, he seemed more like a matchmaker.
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to react either. If someone was willing to die with you, then it would be nothing even if they found out about your secret!
He said to Han Qiongzhi, “Be careful.” He took out all of his supreme grade talismans and was about to unleash them in a desperate battle.
“Hold on!” The Altar Lord suddenly raised his hand.
Li Qingshan would never wait if he faced other opponents, but this Altar Lord Black Lotus was just far too strange. From the beginning till the end, let alone killing intent, he even lacked hostility.
“Both of you go. The people I was waiting for have come!” The Altar Lord raised his head towards the sky.
A streak of scorching white light cut through the darkness, descending from above and landing on the black lotus that was about to bloom.
Boom! Thunder soon followed.
A few familiar figures descended from above.
Han Qiongzhi cried out, “Father!”
Han Anjun was among them. Beside him was also Liu Zhangqing, Wang Pushi, the One Thought master, and the others. Basically all the school leaders were present. As for the lightning bolt, it had originated from the peak Foundation Establishment slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong. That was why it had managed to rip through the formation in a single stroke.
Wang Pushi said, “Altar Lord Black Lotus, today is the day you die!”
PS: Had a night of sleep and feeling slightly unwell became feeling very unwell. The climate of Henan sure is messed up! Just this one chapter today. I’ll return to regular releases tomorrow. I’ll go make some ginger soup, so I’ll recover tomorrow!
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Chapter 325 – Blowing Hot and Cold
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Chapter 325 – Blowing Hot and Cold
The Altar Lord heard that and smiled towards Li Qingshan as if he was saying, “Like I said!” He seemed to be completely unaware that he was already in dire straits. The black lotus beside him had only tottered slightly after being struck by the lightning.
Li Qingshan could not help but look at Han Qiongzhi. Had she sent out a distress signal when the formation had weakened? Han Qiongzhi was just as confused as he was.
No, that was impossible. The Academy of the Hundred Schools was over five hundred kilometers away from their present location. Even if she did send a signal, it was impossible for them to arrive so quickly. There was only one explanation—this was a trap, a trap for the White Lotus cult. Their identities as the hunter and the hunted immediately reversed.
Even if Altar Lord Black Lotus had the support of the strange black lotus formation, he still stood no chance against the attacks of so many school leaders. The gates of death loomed before him.
However, another question appeared in Li Qingshan’s mind. If that were the case, why hadn’t they struck earlier, letting this city full of people die and even risking Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi’s lives?
Wang Pushi said, “You planted the black lotus, so I’d like to see how you escape this time.”
“Life and death is set by fate. I did not flee in the past out of my own volition, but because the time was not right. I have always felt apologetic over that. You will definitely be satisfied today, commander.”
As it turned out, the black lotus was not just a regular arcane artifact. Instead, it was one bound to the Altar Lord’s life. He could unleash this formation when he planted the black lotus, such that even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be at his whim if they entered it. He was truly in his strongest state right now.
However, once it was planted, he could not move it so easily, so he was also in his weakest state.
All Foundation Establishment cultivators knew escape techniques, and Altar Lord Black Lotus was among the best of the best at such techniques. As long as he was not trapped by a formation, he could escape easily even when surrounded by all these Foundation Establishment cultivators. He had been surrounded multiple times in the past by Hawkwolf guards because he had been exposed, but they had failed to capture him every single time.
At the cost of several tens of thousands of lives, they had finally managed to trap him here for good. They were about to complete a service of great merit, such that even Wang Pushi could not help but feel delighted.
Liu Zhangqing said, “It’s just a pity for these tens of thousand lives.”
“Namo Amitābha!” The One Thought master chanted. His face was filled with pity. He could have prevented all of this.
“There’s no need to blame yourself, sir prefect. You take responsibility for the millions that occupy the Clear River prefecture. You have an obligation to make trade-offs.” Black Lotus said, “There’s no need to be sad, master. All of their sins have already been washed away. They’ve comprehended the wondrous essence of the lotus, sent off to the blissful paradise. Instead, we are the ones who dwell in filth, tainted with sins, unable to be liberated. Now that’s worth lamenting over.”
The Altar Lord did not expose their hypocrisy. Instead, he comforted them gently, without the slightest extremism. He was filled with tolerance and understanding.
“Vile spawn, shut up!” A thunderous lion’s roar erupted from the One Thought master’s mouth. With a furious glare, he said, “If I don’t enter hell, who’ll enter hell? Even if I must be tainted with sins, I’ll still kill you all and purge you scourges for the world!”
The Altar Lord said, “Master, you’re wrong there. Legalism uses strict laws to warn and deter people, which is why killing me is commander Wang’s priority mission. Confucianism governs the people and must weigh the trade-offs presented before them, which is why the entire city of people has been sacrificed, with no other choice available. However, the buddha is benevolent. Although there are great beings who purge demons, you cannot let your fury overtake your benevolence.”
Li Qingshan could see exactly what was going on. The various school leaders had initially tried to get under his skin verbally, but the Altar Lord remained as calm as still water. He was unaffected.
The slovenly daoist priest said impatiently, “What’s the point of spouting all this nonsense? Let’s just work together and kill this bastard!”
Han Anjun said to Li Qingshan, “Well done. Take her away from here.”
That seemed to signal the beginning of the battle. The various school leaders all surged with light, drawing their spiritual or arcane artifacts.
Li Qingshan glanced at the Altar Lord deeply before pulling Han Qiongzhi away with him. The Altar Lord even said with a smile, “We won’t be meeting again.”
Li Qingshan did not feel positive at all. The Altar Lord was just too composed, and from what he had said earlier, he seemed to have been expecting all of this. Even his own life or death no longer seemed important to him. From the beginning till the end, let alone fury or killing intent, he had not even spoken or behaved harshly, which instead gave Li Qingshan a deep sense of dread.
Arriving near the formation, he left without encountering any obstructions at all.
Without the life-threatening pressure, Han Qiongzhi was unable to contain her injuries anymore. She immediately spurted with blood and fainted.
Li Qingshan was afraid of wasting any time too. He summoned a cloud first, taking them to a safe location that was high enough and distant enough before shoving another recovery pill into Han Qiongzhi’s mouth. He used a technique to heal her injuries.
A while later, Han Qiongzhi woke up slowly, and Li Qingshan stopped worrying. He glanced down and began to frown again.
The battle did not erupt immediately like he had been expecting. Altar Lord Black Lotus said something, and the school leaders all became stunned.
What was going on?
The bamboo forest covered the ground with swaying and mottled shadows. The winter near Clear River city was very cold too, but it was not bone-chilling like Ancient Wind city. Qian Rongzhi was currently lamenting as she tread through the snow alone.
A delicate courtyard appeared before her. It was just as empty and quiet as before.
There was only Liu Chuanfeng writing away diligently in there. Novels had already become his only source of pride, so he could not allow his own disciple to steal the show from him.
However, he was focusing so hard that he failed to even sense Qian Rongzhi’s arrival.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. This person had not been informed and taken along to kill the Altar Lord. However, this was expected.
That day, after accepting Qiu Ruiliu’s invitation, she immediately reported it to Wang Pushi.
Sure enough, Wang Pushi told her to play along first and serve the role of a Nighthawk on the surface so that she could investigate the internal ongoings of the White Lotus cult and find the whereabouts of even larger targets. Then he reported it to the Ruyi commandery so that they could organise another attempt to kill them all.
Instead, he purposefully fed her some information so that she could earn the trust of the upper echelon of the cult. With greater risk came greater reward, so she obviously received quite a lot of rewards from both sides. However, due to her mediocre talent, she was unable to break through so easily.
Thump, thump. Qian Rongzhi knocked against the bamboo strut on the veranda. “Is Li Qingshan here?”
“You’re?” Only now did Liu Chuanfeng raise his head. He felt injustice. His dear disciple was no better than him, so why was he so lucky with women?
Qian Rongzhi stated her school and spoke a few words of courtesy before fishing out a jar of alcohol from her hundred treasures pouch. “Seems like I’ve forgotten. He hasn’t completed his trial mission yet, so I guess fate just doesn’t want him to drink this. I’ll give this jar of alcohol to you instead, sir!”
Liu Chuanfeng was immediately overjoyed. About time I got lucky with women. He faked a cough. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea. Why don’t you wait here for Qingshan to return?” He did not even wait for Qian Rongzhi to make any insistences when he added, “If that’s the case, I might as well oblige.”
A while later, there was a clank, and Liu Chuanfeng knocked over the jug of alcohol, falling onto the ground.
“Just like the rumors. He’s useless.” Qian Rongzhi had coated the alcohol in true qi, so she spat it all out again. Afterwards, she picked up his waist tablet and made her way towards the central formation of Cloudwisp island.
Being a spy was a dangerous profession no matter what day or age it was. They would be surrounded by the enemy at all times, with only death awaiting them once they were discovered, let alone a double-crossing spy who constantly blew hot and cold.
However, she had it somewhat safe. For the entire time, she had not attracted any suspicion from the White Lotus cult.
Because she had subsequently reported everything back to the White Lotus cult.
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Chapter 326 – The Affairs of Life are no Different from Chess
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Chapter 326 – The Affairs of Life are no Different from Chess
Just as the school leaders were about to strike, Altar Lord Black Lotus said, “School leaders, do you only look right in front of you and never behind you?”
“What do you mean?” Liu Zhangqing asked.
“This is both my designated end, as well as the Academy of the Hundred Schools’ designated end.”
“You can’t talk yourself out of this. Are you just trying to make time? The academy is protected by a great formation. Even if the White Lotus Mother comes in person, she won’t be able to break through it so easily.” As Liu Zhangqing said that, his expression suddenly changed.
He took out a formation disc coiled with dragons and snakes. The glow it had originally shone with had actually vanished. The various school leaders all knew what this meant. The Formation of Dragons and Snakes that guarded the academy had fallen!
Qian Rongzhi watched as a white lotus grew in the formation. It swayed about, pure and beautiful.
The stream of spiritual qi that constantly gushed into the air was immediately severed. The formation was powerful, but it required great precision too. It was like a machine. As long as a single component became defective, the entirety would be affected.
The sky twisted. It remained just as blue as before, but the mist that surrounded the various islands of the academy gradually dispersed under the winter sun.
A few fishermen who happened to be on the lake gazed at the islands before them in surprise. They had already heard about how immortals occupied this place, but this was the first time they had seen it in person.
“What’s going on!?” Disciples of the various schools all emerged from the buildings and gazed at the sky, discussing among themselves. They had even thought that the formation had encountered some sort of difficulty in its operation.
Hua Chengzan was the first to sense that something was off. He said in surprise and fury, “Qian Rongzhi, what are you doing!
?” Then he spotted the resplendent white lotus. His surprise and fury turned into disbelief, as well as a sliver of fear.
He already knew that Qian Rongzhi was a spy in the White Lotus cult, but he never expected her to actually become carried away with it. The White Lotus cult had become an existence hated and loathed by all a long time ago, only growing worse as time went on. Their members were always in precarious situations. With how clever she was, why would she become so devoted to their cause?
Qian Rongzhi said, “Commander Hua, I’m just an insignificant soldier carrying out orders, so why must you make things difficult for a mere woman like me?”
Why would Hua Chengzan listen to her? He lunged over straight away. Before anything else, he had to destroy the white lotus so that the formation could begin operating again. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Qian Rongzhi did not try to stop him either. She took several steps back in retreat, which surprised Hua Chengzan slightly. However, he seemed to see a white figure flash through the depths of the bamboo forest from the corner of his eyes, appearing before him.
It was an old woman with grey hair. Although her face was covered in wrinkles, she seemed extremely benevolent. Her deep creases from smiling made her seem like she was constantly smiling. She held a white lotus in her hand, but it was close to withering away. Her gaze towards Hua Chengzan was so gentle too, like she was looking at her own son or grandson.
However, Hua Chengzan experienced an almost suffocating pressure. He turned mid-air and leapt backwards. A few people appeared beside him before he knew it. There were men and women, old and young, but they all smiled.
They were not sneering or smiling sinisterly, nor were they faking their smiles. Instead, it possessed joy from the bottom of their heart, as if everything in the world, no matter how insignificant, brought them delight.
A cold sensation filled his head, running all the way to the soles of his feet. He was familiar with all of these people apart from the old woman, having heard about them many times. The bounties on their heads were astronomical. The remaining Altar Lords of the White Lotus cult had all gathered here.
Qian Rongzhi bowed politely, “Disciple Qian Rongzhi welcomes the holy mother’s esteemed presence, the various Altar Lord’s presence.”
Hua Chengzan was shocked. Sure enough, the old woman was the White Lotus Mother, but wasn’t she rumored to be a middle-aged woman?
“Get up. There’s no need to dwell on these empty gestures. I still need to thank you for opening the door for me. I’ve made you take on quite the risk.”
“To share the holy mother’s burden is my responsibility.”
“Who’s this?”
“His name is Hua Chengzan. He’s a Scarlet Wolf commander, and he’s a trusted subordinate of Gu Yanying.”
Only when she heard Gu Yanying’s name did the White Lotus Mother look at Hua Chengzan carefully. “You really are quite a rare handsome man. If I were a little younger, even I’d probably be interested. It truly is a waste for you to serve below that Gu Yanying who doesn’t know the wondrous essence of life.”
Hua Chengzan knew that he was probably done for this time. He smiled. “It’s just a pity that I don’t like old women.”
“Oh? Then what do you think about this?” The White Lotus Mother was not bothered by that. She underwent an alarming transformation. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out bit by bit as her withered lips gradually reddened. Even her grey hair had turned black, and her skin had become snow-white. In the blink of an eye, she had become a beautiful young woman. The white lotus in her hand seemed to rejuvenate too, returning to a state before it had bloomed.
The White Lotus Mother said with a clear voice that sounded like an oriole’s song, “Although I seem a little old sometimes, I’m still a person after all. Is he on the list too?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Yes!”
“Then take him back. Enlighten him to the righteous cause and turn him into a member of the White Lotus cult!”
Before he could even see what the White Lotus Mother had done, Hua Chengzan collapsed on the ground helplessly. Although he was still conscious, he could not even move a single finger or mobilise a single shred of true qi.
A thought filled his head for no reason. Is this the difference that exists between me and her?
The White Lotus Mother left behind an Altar Lord to watch over the formation and directly made her way over to Contention island. The other Altar Lords ventured to the other schools and islands with their various cultists to gather resources and find people on the “list”.
This list had originated from Qian Rongzhi. It recorded all the talented disciples of the various schools.
The White Lotus cult had clashed numerous times with the Hawkwolf Guard. They had sustained heavy losses, and they had been labeled as a heretic cult too, so they were oppressed from all directions, almost to a point where they had run out of successors. The plan this time was for resolving this issue.
This “list” would replenish the White Lotus cult with new blood. In particular, tenth layer Qi Practitioners like Hua Chengzan just needed to be “enlightened to the righteous cause” and producing a few more Altar Lords would not be an issue.
As for the people who failed to make it onto the “list”, they would be cleansed of their sins and sent off to paradise.
Among the academy, the most battleworthy school leaders had all set out to kill Altar Lord Black Lotus. How could the remaining school leaders match the White Lotus Mother? Right from the beginning of the battle, victory was already guaranteed.
After hearing Altar Lord Black Lotus’s words, the various school masters were all stupefied as they hovered above Ancient Wind city. These outstanding disciples they had carefully chosen and nurtured slowly over time were exactly the most important aspect of the academy.
If anything happened to them, the entire Clear River prefecture would be drastically weakened. More terrifyingly, it was very likely for these people to become their future enemies. It was rumored that the White Lotus Mother could forcefully pour the doctrine of the cult into the minds of cultivators, turning them into comrades.
Wang Pushi finally understood the greatest miscalculation in his plan. If Qian Rongzhi had actually met the White Lotus Mother, then she would have been filled up with the cult’s doctrine too. Any of her free thought, such as her ability to weigh advantages against disadvantages, would no longer exist. Even if she were to die for the White Lotus Mother, she would be willing. The Altar Lord right before them was a living example.
The Altar Lord said, “Will you be rushing back to provide reinforcement, or will you be staying here to kill me? I hope you can decide soon. Being indecisive is not a good idea.”
“I’ll kill you wretch first!” The One Thought master let out a lion’s roar. His pewter staff exploded with light and struck towards Black Lotus.
In the courtyard within the bamboo forest, Hua Chengzan moved his lips with difficulty. He looked at Qian Rongzhi in confusion. “Why did you do this? Has the White Lotus cult really brainwashed you?”
“I’ve already said, I have no other choice.” Qian Rongzhi sighed. If it were possible, she would much rather remain on the lookout for opportunities and slowly strengthen herself instead of becoming involved in a dangerous struggle like this. Achieving success was not so easy. No matter how much a measly Qi Practitioner racked their brains, they still needed some luck to survive. However, she only ever took gambles where she was guaranteed to win. The thing she hated the most was luck.
Now, she had completed everything that she could do. All she was waiting for was the judgement of fate, as this time, she was not the chess player, but the chess piece, and a chess piece that could be controlled by both sides. The dangers and feeling of helplessness involved was so great that there was no point for her to tell anyone about it.
Now, all she could do was wait for the appearance of the other player.
A white shoe landed on the lotus heavily, even grinding it forcefully. The white lotus that even lightning could not shake had been immediately ground to dust.
The shoe was embroidered with beautiful, detailed silver lines, which twisted into a profound glyph. On the ground, Hua Chengzan recognised it with a single glance; it was an arcane artifact. He tried his best to look up.
There was a set of graceful, free-flowing white clothes embroidered with wings. Under the beams of sunlight, the person’s face was slightly blurred, but the smile formed by the corner of her lips would always remain so clear and give him such a lasting impression.
Qian Rongzhi immediately stood up. She bowed towards the owner of the shoes in a rather exhausted manner. “Subordinate Qian Rongzhi has been awaiting great commander’s arrival for quite some time now.”
Suddenly, Hua Chengzan understood everything. I see! After completing her trial mission, he followed the rules and brought her to the Ruyi commandery to see her. They had a private conversation. Everything must have originated from there!
The expression of the Altar Lord who had stayed behind changed drastically. Every single cultist of the White Lotus was far too familiar with this figure. She was basically on par with the White Lotus Mother herself. He immediately fled using a technique. In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived over three hundred meters away, pulling far away from the formation.
The jade folding fan suddenly unfurled, and she swung it casually.
The Altar Lord felt a slight breeze brush past him. He called out, “Holy mother, escape!” His body suddenly split into two.
The bamboo forest remained silent for quite a while before falling apart with a rustle. Looking from above, the neat shape of a fan had suddenly appeared in the forests of the island.
“White Lotus, it’s checkmate!”
“Gu Yanying!”
The White Lotus Mother suddenly looked back. Light rushed towards the sky once again from the Cloudwisp island, and the Formation of Dragons and Snakes began to operate once more. She had entered this place after disabling the formation, but she was now trapped within the formation.
What was going on? Just which part went wrong? It was impossible for Qian Rongzhi to betray her after being filled up with the cult’s doctrine.
Gu Yanying patted Qian Rongzhi’s shoulder, showing her approval. Being able to remain true to themselves in the face of the White Lotus Mother’s Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple despite only being a Qi Practitioner was truly rare. She obviously had to make use of such a rare opportunity.
No one knew when, but a group of cultivators in white clothes appeared in the bamboo forest. They stood behind her, awaiting her command.
Like she was wielding a blade, she gently swung her finger.
“Yes, ma’am!”
The refreshing breeze stirred the lotus.
Ancient Wind city had been reduced to ruins, and the Qian estate had already been reduced to dust.
Only the pond which the black lotus had been planted in remained the same. The carp swam around leisurely in there as the pond reflected Li Qingshan’s expression of contemplation.
Li Qingshan stood beside the pond as thousands of thoughts filled his head.
The affairs of life were no different from chess, all within the control of those familiar with it.
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Chapter 327 – Extra
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Chapter 327 – Extra
The battle only lasted for a very short amount of time, and it was completely one-sided. With a group of school leaders present, if they failed to overwhelm a single Altar Lord, then they would be utter laughing stocks.
When the battle reached its most intense moment, Altar Lord Black Lotus was already prepared to launch an attack with his life on the line so that he could pull a school leader or two down with him. However, he seemed to sense something. He personally cut down the black lotus and grabbed a single lotus seed within the seed pod. He said, “My end has not arrived yet.” before fleeing into the distance.
The various school leaders were all afraid of being injured by his final strike, so they had all pulled away from him, which instead gave him the opportunity to escape.
The slovenly daoist priest and Ma Buyi pursued him together. The Altar Lord had fled, but he had personally cut down his lifebound arcane artifact, so he was not lightly injured either. As long as they could catch up to him, they could severe his final hope of survival.
The slovenly daoist priest and Ma Buyi were the most appropriate choices for pursuit too. The other school leaders all returned to the academy to provide reinforcements.
In the beginning, Li Qingshan had no idea what had happened. All he felt was confusion. The battle had arisen because of him, but even he had no idea what it entailed.
In the end, it was only because Han Qiongzhi had asked Han Anjun in great displeasure that Li Qingshan finally gained a rough idea about what had happened.
If this were a game of chess between the Hawkwolf Guard and the White Lotus cult, or perhaps Gu Yanying’s chessboard, then the role he played probably even paled in comparison to a chess piece.
This was because both sides understood that this mission was just a symbolic fuse to set off a chain of events; it was not the focus. As a matter of fact, it was even purely a coincidence that Han Qiongzhi and he were the ones carrying out the mission. If Hua Chengzan changed his mind, perhaps there would be two other Hawkwolf Guards instead, or maybe there was no need for anyone at all.
They were not sacrifices, nor were there any risks either. They had not been used as bait or sacrificial pieces. It was impossible for Wang Pushi to use Han Anjun’s daughter, the secondary disciple of the school of Legalism, as a sacrifice.
The various school leaders had appeared when the black barrier unfolded. The primary reason why they had not struck immediately, apart from wanting to wait for the black lotus to be planted properly, was because Han Anjun wanted to give his own daughter a test. He wanted to see how she would perform. He believed that an experience like this would be akin to a precious treasure to Han Qiongzhi, who had never suffered any particularly large setbacks before.
The school leaders would have never just stood aside and watched as they were being slaughtered. If the Altar Lord actually tried to touch them, the school leaders had their ways to protect them.
After Han Anjun’s departure, Han Qiongzhi erupted with curses over this arrangement, but Li Qingshan fell silent. As it turned out, the greatest risk he faced was transforming before all the school leaders.
Apart from being still shaken up, he felt gloomy too, which he wanted to get out of his chest. Compared to this, he would much rather transform and battle the Altar Lord to death.
Han Qiongzhi did not think too much of it, probably because this was not the first time she had experienced a “test” like this. After cursing to her heart’s content, she no longer thought about it anymore. Instead, she felt rather perplexed when she saw Li Qingshan standing by the pond alone.
She went up and said, “What’s wrong with you? Are you worrying about Xiao An? She’s fine.” Han Anjun had only told her everything through a spiritual artifact after he had returned to the academy.
Li Qingshan smiled in a self-deprecating manner. “I’ve stolen quite a lot of the show recently in the academy, to a point where I actually thought I was a big deal!”
If he had been abused, then he could bide his time and wait for an opportunity for revenge. If he had been used, then he could find the person who had used him and ask for an explanation. But right now, he was just unhappy with all of this, and there was no one he could vent it on.
The Altar Lord had been very polite to him, perhaps because he was a highly cultivated person, or perhaps there was something wrong with him mentally. However, the primary reason was because Li Qingshan was nothing in his eyes. You said I’ll die today. Okay, maybe I might actually die. After a casual conversation, he sensed that the school leaders could no longer hold themselves back, so he just brushed him aside. “You can go. The people I’m waiting for have come.”
Wang Pushi’s thoughts were probably even simpler than that. I sent you on a mission with no danger at all, so what can you be displeased about? You think I should tell you beforehand? Why should I?
Going even further, Gu Yanying had no idea he was carrying out this mission at all. Wang Pushi was just a chess piece too.
It was as if just when Li Qingshan felt like he was the main character, someone had run over and stated to him clearly, “You’re just a supporting character, no, you’re not even a supporting character. You’re just an extra for the Hawkwolf Guard.”
The other supporting Hawkwolf Guard character, wait no, Han Qiongzhi asked, “What’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s something that’s very difficult for women to understand.” This was a man’s battle between his grand ambition and cruel reality. Perhaps the more wonderful the dream was, the more painful it was when it was time to wake up!
Han Qiongzhi shot a glare at him. She hated it when people used the fact that she was a woman as an argument, but when she remembered how Li Qingshan had even risked his life for her survival, her gaze softened again.
“You think you’re so great just because you’re a man? When you’re complacent, you think you can do anything, but once you become dejected, you can’t even match a woman, acting like how you don’t care on the surface when you’ve already given up and admitted defeat inside.”
“Are you talking about Hua Chengzan?”
“How did you know?” Han Qiongzhi was taken aback.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. “I can’t tell normally, but you really are quite adorable!”
Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened, and she clenched her fists. “I think you only have a bit of bearing about you when you’re fighting or drinking.” Looking at Li Qingshan’s wretched smile, she was tempted to punch him.
Smiling at one another, both of them felt much closer.
“Let’s go back!” Li Qingshan said. After locating his anguish, his mind had instead settled down. He became even more determined. Regardless of whether he could accept it or not, he had to accept it all. This was life. No one was born to be a main character, nor was there anyone destined to play the role of an extra for the rest of their life. He had to continue further down his path.
“Alright.”
It was at this exact moment that the surface of the pond rippled, and a huge carp poked its head out.
“Daemon!” Han Qiongzhi clenched her fists.
“I’m the one who raised it.” Li Qingshan stopped Han Qiongzhi. “You go first. I want to bid farewell to it.”
After chasing Han Qiongzhi away, Li Qingshan crouched down and rubbed the carp’s head. “You sure are pretty lucky. I think the pond is too small for you, such that you’ll outgrow it very soon. Do you want me to release you into the Clear river?”
The huge carp nodded before suddenly diving to the bottom of the pond. Just as Li Qingshan felt puzzled, the carp swam back with something in its mouth, placing it in Li Qingshan’s hand.
Li Qingshan looked at it carefully and saw that it was a tiny black seed pod. There were around a dozen or two lotus seeds in there, with only one missing. It was the seed pod of the black lotus from earlier. Even Li Qingshan was uncertain about whether the black lotus was conjured from spiritual energy or if it was an actual plant. However, he did know that the seed pod was anything but ordinary.
“For me?”
The carp nodded before opening its mouth.
Li Qingshan stowed the seed pod away. He reached into his hundred treasures pouch, but he had already eaten all of his pills. After a moment of consideration, he found a spiritual fruit and fed it to the carp. Only then was it satisfied.
Li Qingshan used a technique and swept the carp onto the cloud. He picked up Han Qiongzhi and headed back to the academy.
Along the way, he released the carp into the Clear river. It dove into the water happily, without the slightest reluctance to part with him.
Afterwards, he was met with a casual question from Han Qiongzhi. “Do you like commander Gu?”
Li Qingshan replied without much thought, “I do.”
In the end, Han Qiongzhi immediately turned hostile and refused to pay anymore attention to him.
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised at first, but no matter how dense he was, he could still tell what Han Qiongzhi felt about him. He could not help but become content with himself. I, Li Qingshan, possess charm too! He could not help but think about the joking words he had said a few months ago.
He could not help but begin to closely study Han Qiongzhi beside him. Her pretty, short hair must have come from Han Anjun’s influence. There were many bald disciples in the school of the Military. Her tall nose bridge was very sculptural, while her pursued lips flowed with determination, or should he say, stubbornness.
She resembled her cool brother, Han Tieyi, slightly. Perhaps a pair of straight eyebrows and twinkling eyes were too valiant for a woman, but she was without a doubt a beauty.
Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened even more. She was filled with indescribable joy. She felt that even though she had been “tested” once again by her damned old man, it was not entirely bad.
However, she finally lost her patience with Li Qingshan’s gaze too, as this wretch was not satisfied with just her face. He had already begun to size up her body, and he had just reached a conclusion of “fantastic”.
“What’re you looking at!?” When she said that, even Han Qiongzhi herself felt feeble.
“Do you like me?” When he said that, even Li Qingshan felt like he probably had better things to do.
How could Han Qiongzhi admit that? As a result, the two of them returned to the Lake of Dragons and Snakes under a strange tension once again.
The sun had just begun to set, dyeing the ripples of the lake red.
Just as he had wanted, he had used less than a day to complete the trial mission, but everything that had occurred completely exceeded his imagination.
Thinking about it now, all he had done was watch a great show and play the role of an extra. Thankfully, he had not left the stage just yet.
However, only when he approached the academy did he realise that the true show had actually unfolded here.
The Formation of Dragons and Snakes no longer existed, and every single island had sustained horrifying damage. Large swathes of structures had been knocked over, with many disciples cleaning them up.
However, the island with the most exaggerated damage was Contention island. The jagged mountains there seemed to have been cut apart and ground down, turning into large swathes of cracked rock. There was not a single complete structure there.
Li Qingshan rushed over to Anāsravāṃ island, and sure enough, he found Xiao An safe and sound. Only then did he stop worrying. However, the island was filled with despair. Many monks had died, refined by the Altar Lords of the White Lotus cult. Not even their corpses remained.
Li Qingshan embraced her tightly and felt a different kind of danger. This was a battlefield where two Golden Core cultivators had once fought. There was not a single Qi Practitioner that could protect themselves, no matter how talented they were.
In the past, the Soaring Dragon Elder had cut down mountains like tofu. He could still recall it vividly.
“Qingshan.”
Someone called out his name. Li Qingshan looked back and saw Hua Chengzan. Their eyes met, and both of them felt like they had just survived a disaster.
Hua Chengzan said, “Sorry, I didn’t know either… Are you fine?”
Li Qingshan wrapped his arm around Hua Chengzan’s neck and smiled. “Do I look like I’m in trouble? You’d better stop asking stupid questions like that in the future.”
Hua Chengzan smiled too, but it was rather forced. Compared to Li Qingshan, he had actually just returned from the gates of death. All it would have taken was a single thought from the White Lotus Mother, and he would have been dead already.
“Commander Gu wishes to see you.”
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Chapter 328 – A Second Word of Advice
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Chapter 328 – A Second Word of Advice
Li Qingshan had never thought that the place where Gu Yanying wanted to see him would be Cloudwisp island.
Within the flickering bamboo forest were clothes even whiter than snow. It was another winter.
Her illusionary figure was already right before him. Li Qingshan focused his mind and walked over. “Greetings, commander Gu!”
Gu Yanying looked back. Her gaze was like a hawk’s, as if she wanted to see through him completely.
Li Qingshan raised his head and met her gaze. His memories from two years ago were suddenly verified. None of it was fake or a dream. He was just wet behind the ears in the past, but after going through so much and witnessing so much, did he still possess the same courage?
Gu Yanying suddenly smiled, like the breeze of early spring. It seemed warm, but it was still cold, passing by freely.
“You…” The white clothes drifted past before him. Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. She had specially called him here, yet she said nothing to him at all. What was the meaning of this?
Gu Yanying stopped and looked back. “I was originally prepared to tell you something, but it looks like there’s no need for that now.”
There was no fury or dissatisfaction, nor was there abjection or self-deprecation. There was only firm determination. To a man like that, there was no need for her to say anything at all. All she had to do was watch and see which step he could make it to.
Li Qingshan said, “You might as well say it.”
“Then I’ll give you a word of advice. A piece of trash like you won’t have the right to drink tea with me even in a hundred years’ time. How’s that?” Gu Yanying could not help but laugh.
Li Qingshan remained silent for a while. He replied, “That’s quite old-fashioned.”
Gu Yanying tapped her chin with her fan. “Really? I can’t think of a worse way to say it. As long as you get what I mean!”
Those who were truly powerful would not go around everyday calling others ants. All they would do was step over the ant nest unwittingly. Why would anyone purposefully crouch down on the ground and point at a group of ants, saying “You stupid, weak insects.” unless there was something wrong with their head?
Li Qingshan said, “Is that the second word of advice you’ve gifted me?”
“The Green province spans fifteen thousand kilometers. The jianghu is only but a corner.” This was the first word of advice she had given him, and he had already achieved it. He had emerged from the conflict of the jianghu and arrived in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, the stage where cultivators clashed.
Gu Yanying raised her folding fan. Atmospheric winds swept around it and carved a sentence into a verdant bamboo stalk to the side. “A piece of trash like you won’t have the right to drink tea with me even in a hundred years’ time.”
She waved her fan again, and the piece of bamboo was carved out, arriving before Li Qingshan.
“Keep it. You’re welcome to throw it before me in the future with your head held high. Good bye, little bro Qingshan!”
Her voice still lingered in the bamboo forest, but she had already taken to the skies, without leaving a single trace behind.
During the battle this time, the White Lotus cult almost faced complete destruction. Only the White Lotus Mother managed to escape. However, it was at a tremendous cost to her cultivation, and she even sustained heavy wounds. She could no longer pose any harm anymore. Perhaps she would recover her strength in the future and come out to stir up a storm again.
However, she no longer possessed the right to be her opponent. To her, this game of chess was already over. When the White Lotus Mother fled, she did not even pursue her. All she did was watch this old rival of hers leave one last time. Hopefully, she would be clever enough to not show up again, or bide her time until she had left the Ruyi commandery at the very least!
Li Qingshan returned to the bamboo courtyard. Hua Chengzan was waiting in there. He asked, “What did she say to you?”
“Here!” Li Qingshan passed the bamboo piece to Hua Chengzan.
Hua Chengzan’s expression became quite strange.
“Do you want me to pass this to you instead? I think it suits you better than me.”
“Piss off. Keep it for yourself!” Hua Chengzan tossed it back to him.
Liu Chuanfeng emerged from inside. He rubbed his bleary eyes. “Qingshan, you’re back. Ah, it’s already so late. The alcohol’s got quite the kick.”
Li Qingshan and Hua Chengzan smiled bitterly at one another. As others were shaking in fear, fighting for their lives, he was having the snooze of his life.
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s just a joke, but it’s also the truth. Do you understand what I feel now?”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s the truth for you. Don’t pull me down to the same level as you. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a little handsome, I would have cut a piece of trash like you off a long time ago.”
“You’re saying I’m a piece of trash?”
“Piece of trash. If you think you’re so capable, why don’t you go establish a foundation?”
“Alright, just you wait!”
The next day, Hua Chengzan entered secluded cultivation.
He might not have shown it, but the mental shock he had experienced was probably even greater than Li Qingshan’s. No one had told him any details from the beginning till the end. He had almost lost his life in the attack, and in the end, that person did not even bother to talk to him anymore than she needed to. He even paled in comparison to Li Qingshan in this aspect.
If you’re thinking that my special treatment in the past is a reason for you to abandon yourself, then I’ll just treat you like a Qi Practitioner! Since we’re already destined to be worlds apart, why should I waste this time on you?
Li Qingshan carefully studied the black seed pod under the lantern light. He also tried to remove a lotus seed. It seemed like a black pearl, shining like a gem. It seemed to contain a strange power.
However, it was not a pill or medicine he could directly convert into daemon qi or true qi. Since the black lotus had only grown with the sacrifice of the entire Ancient Wind city, several tens of thousand lives, did that mean it was the essence of flesh and blood? He had to show it to Xiao An.
As he thought of that, a petite figure appeared at the door silently. She leapt into Li Qingshan’s arms again. It was Xiao An.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was scared I won’t be able to see you again.”
A clash between two Golden Core cultivators was like a natural disaster. No matter how powerful a Qi Practitioner was, they would still be in a precarious situation, constantly in fear. She had no choice over how she reacted either. She found death meaningless, but she was unable to find separation meaningless.
“Don’t worry. You’ll always be able to see me again. Let’s venture beyond the Nine Heavens together!” Li Qingshan pecked her hair and showed the lotus pod to her. “Is this of any use to you?”
As soon as Xiao An held the seed pod, she felt the surging life force inside. This was the only power that she could convert into her own cultivation through her flames.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Looks like I didn’t return with nothing this time. I don’t know why, but Altar Lord Black Lotus didn’t take the entire seed pod with him, making it easy pickings for us.”
Back then, the Altar Lord had unleashed all the power of the black lotus. He was ready to perish together with them. If he had plucked the entire seed pod, then the black lotus would immediately lose its core, and it would not be able to unleash any more power. The school leaders were not ignorant children. They could not be scared off by a mere demonstration of power.
It was exactly that violent explosion that had reduced Ancient Wind city to ruins, and in the centre of the explosion was absolute darkness. Even with the school leaders’ eyes, they were unable to see what was going on in there. The seed pod had fallen into the pond at this exact moment.
The carp had leapt up and swallowed it, but it was unable to digest it, which was why it spat it back out. The lotus pod did not give off any light or spiritual qi either, such that Li Qingshan had failed to notice it even when he stood beside the pond. The various school leaders were in a hurry to hunt down the Altar Lord or provide assistance to the academy, which made it even more impossible for them to look around carefully. This was how it had fallen into the great carp’s possession.
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Chapter 329 – A New School
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Chapter 329 – A New School
Under Li Qingshan’s suggestion, Xiao An tried ingesting a black lotus seed. Immediately, the flames released some extremely pure essence of flesh and blood, enough to rival the flesh and blood of over a thousand people.
Xiao An immediately began cultivating, refining the lotus seed completely.
Li Qingshan stopped worrying too. Originally, he planned on taking Xiao An on another trip outside. However, not only would it be time-consuming, but he could easily attract suspicion too.
A bloodthirsty personality could explain why he killed, but the disappearance of the corpses would be difficult to explain. If he caught the attention of someone observant, then he would be in trouble. These lotus seeds should be enough to provide for Xiao An’s cultivation for a very long time. At the very least, she would not be held back by the lack of flesh and blood.
Leaving Xiao An there to cultivate, Li Qingshan opened the door. The moon shone brightly with a few stars in the night sky, and white snow covered the entire courtyard. He also had to make some preparations for his own path.
That night, Li Qingshan visited Benevolence island and Wuwei island first and found Juechenzi and Ru Xin. The schools of Daoism and Medicine were the most skilled in alchemy. As the primary disciples of the two schools, they were both in charge of some pills. He chose some higher quality pills and bought them, also reminding them to not tell anyone else.
The two of them were neck deep in work after the disaster that the academy had faced. Ru Xin was in a hurry to heal the injured, while Juechenzi had been handling the various matters of the school of Daoism in the slovenly daoist priest’s place, as he was still missing. They had a short conversation with him and handed the pills to him in a hurry before getting back to work. Even Ru Xin was not in the mood to joke around.
In the end, he went to the school of Miscellany’s Treasure island. He exchanged all the remaining spiritual stones on him for pills in the main store of Miscellaneous Goods. He also kept an eye out for the prices of other items. He discovered that the prices of spiritual artifacts and talismans had begun to increase.
He could imagine the shock that the cultivators had experienced from this battle. Li Qingshan gave it some consideration, but he still decided against selling the talismans and spiritual artifacts on him.
Returning to Cloudwisp island, Xiao An was still meditating. As it seemed, refining the black lotus seed would take quite a lot of time.
Li Qingshan did not disturb her. He thought over everything he had gained today. Because he had focused on choosing relatively better pills, he did not have a lot of them, but it should still be enough for him to reach the third layer with the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
He did not plan on entering seclusion to cultivate. As long as he ingested pills and practised daily, he should achieve success before long. By then, his body would become stronger once again, and he would be much more confident when facing the heavenly tribulation.
The sky gradually lit up, and Hao Pingyang came to visit him. He told Li Qingshan a piece of news—Zhang Lanqing had died.
He had died at the hands of an Altar Lord. All he was hit by was a single attack, and he was reduced to nothing. He could not fight back at all. If it were not for the fact that the Altar Lord wanted to capture Hao Pingyang alive, he would have been dead already too.
When he mentioned that, Hao Pingyang’s voice became hoarse, and his eyes reddened.
Li Qingshan asked after quite a while of silence, “Is there anything I can do?”
“I’ve just come to tell you this. He has already been avenged. I plan on paying a visit to his home.” Hao Pingyang said a few other things absentmindedly before leaving.
This was the last bit of existence that this dark-skinned, honest-to-the-core man had left behind.
Li Qingshan stood in silence for a little longer before beginning to practise his forms. In the empty bamboo forest, he practised the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength again and again. He did not stop until he used up the final shred of his strength. Only then did he fall down on the ground, huffing and puffing.
The sky gradually grew brighter. Today, they held a collective funeral on Contention island. It was called a funeral, but most of the cultivators who had died had not even left behind any remains. Even if they did leave behind remains, they had been delivered back home to be buried too.
The various disciples lit lanterns over the lake, remembering their fellow disciples that they might or might not have known.
Li Qingshan gazed off into the distance. The lantern light drifted apart in the darkness, gradually growing further and further away. He returned to Cloudwisp island and continued cultivating.
Pills after pills were converted into energy in his body before turning into power that surged and churned within him, awaiting for a time of release.
On Contention island, a building rose straight from the ground. Due to the engineering of the school of Mohism, they built structures at a startling rate. There were many mechanical structures too.
At the top of the building, the twelve school leaders gathered in a single room.
The slovenly daoist priest was utterly displeased with this result. His pursuit of Altar Lord Black Lotus had failed in the end. He had almost leapt to his feet and erupted with curses when the One Thought master glanced at him, but he held himself back in consideration for the atmosphere.
Earth elder Huang took great puffs of his pipe. The school of Agriculture had suffered heavy losses, but not in terms of disciples. Instead, his precious fields and orchards had sustained quite a lot of damage. When the cultists of the White Lotus saw so many spiritual fruits, they forcefully plucked them regardless of whether they were ripe or not. He ended up getting it all back, but it was still quite the loss.
Standing behind them to their sides were their primary disciples. They all sat on their heels quietly too.
Only Wang Pushi lacked a person behind him. Hua Chengzan had entered secluded cultivation. For him to neglect the bigger picture despite his personality, it only demonstrated how determined he was.
Xiao An wore black, silken robes. A wooden pin barely managed to hold it together in a bun, but quite a lot of her long hair still flowed behind her. After digesting a black lotus seed, she had advanced with her cultivation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty yet again, and she had conveniently pushed her cultivation as a Qi Practitioner to the eighth layer too, which was a better match to her identity as a primary disciple and provided an explanation for the pills the One Thought master had given her.
Li Qingshan’s gaze brushed past Ru Xin. She nodded slightly in acknowledgement as her lips curled slightly. This disastrous event that had shaken up the entire academy did not seem to affect her much. He believed that if it were not for the fact that she had to consider the feelings of others, she would still be joking around fearlessly.
This was not just lacking a sense of parental selflessness as a doctor. She was basically heartless. It made Li Qingshan feign a glare at her.
As the main person in charge, Liu Zhangqing sat in the main seat just like before. He cleared his throat and attracted everyone’s attention, saying, “Through this disaster of the academy…”
After a sorrowful grieving over the deaths, he suddenly changed the topic. “… but it has also exposed many holes in our system. A certain school leader was so weak and powerless that he couldn’t even keep an eye over his own waist tablet, so is he really shameless enough to continue holding a position he does not deserve?”
He did not mention a name, but everyone’s gazes landed on Liu Chuanfeng, who sat at the very end. Despite his drunken dream, it still had not managed to save him completely.
Liu Chuanfeng felt awkward, but he was accustomed to this. It was not like Liu Zhangqing had the right to dismiss him as a school leader anyway. The only reason why he had to lose his waist tablet was because it was a component in the plan too, so just how was he supposed to stop all of it?
Liu Zhangqing said, “Our academy is in urgent need of a capable and responsible school leader to watch over the formation on Cloudwisp island.”
Li Qingshan was perplexed. Surely a school could not claim two islands at once? The school leaders would be overwhelmed if that were the case!
Liu Zhangqing said, “In order to make up for our academy’s lost strength as quickly as possible, I recommend establishing a new school in our Academy of the Hundred Schools of the Clear River prefecture, one that can protect the formation on Cloudwisp island. Fellow Chu, please come in!”
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Chapter 330 – The Battle for Cloudwisp Island
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Chapter 330 – The Battle for Cloudwisp Island
Tap, tap, tap. A cane struck the ground again and again. An old man of advanced age walked in with a hunched back with the support of a young man. His face had already waned to a rather horrifying extent. Only his eyes still seemed to shine.
Li Qingshan had never seen a person so frail from old age. He believed that if it were not for his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, he would have been reduced to a pile of buried bones a long time ago.
“I’m Chu Shidao. Greetings to you all.” Chu Shidao pushed aside the young man and released his cane, bowing to everyone.
Everyone stood up and bowed back. Even earth elder Huang was no longer able to take advantage of his seniority. He placed down his pipe and said to Liu Zhangqing, “You’ve actually invited great master Chu here. Are you planning on having great master Chu take over as a school leader?”
Chu Shidao was not an individual obscure to the public. He possessed great renown throughout the entire Ruyi commandery. There was not a single person who would not gasp in admiration over his painting ability. It was an extremely great honour to be in possession of one of his paintings. However, it was rumored that he was close to the end of his life now, and he had stopped painting already, retiring from public view as a hermit. They never expected him to actually appear here.
“I’ll be honest with you all. My life is already close to its end, so I’m afraid I can’t occupy the position of school leader for very long. By then, my little disciple will take over. Danqing, why don’t you bow to the various seniors?”
Only then did the school leaders find out that Chu Shidao had come here to guide the delicate young man beside him. He only seemed to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but his cultivation had already reached the tenth layer. He was definitely worthy of being evaluated as a “genius”.
They had heard quite a long time ago that Chu Shidao had accepted his final disciple. He had vanished for an entire decade in order to teach this disciple of his. Now that they saw him today, it turned out to be true.
There were no objections. If a person like him was willing to join the Academy of the Hundred Schools of the Clear River prefecture and establish a school of Painting, it would be the academy’s honour. And, they had heard that he had many indirect disciples, who could make up for the academy’s loss of strength.
They added a seat below Liu Chuanfeng. This was probably the one and only time Liu Chuanfeng would have the upper hand.
However, the ownership of Cloudwisp island would not be decided so easily.
When Liu Chuanfeng heard how they wanted to take his foundations away from him, he began to panic too. “Cloudwisp island, for the past millennium, has always been my school of Novels’ island. We’ve tended to it and protected it for all those years. We’re losing it just because I made a slight mistake? That’s completely unreasonable.”
The various school leaders began to differ slightly in opinion too, but obviously not because of the useless Liu Chuanfeng. Instead, it was because of Li Qingshan who stood behind him.
Li Qingshan had mocked himself over what he had gone through this time, but in the eyes of the school leaders, he was a true genius with a brilliant future ahead of him. There was nothing they could complain about over both his cultivation speed and strength in battle. He had even been personally summoned by her yesterday. They could not oppress or neglect someone like him without proper thought.
Liu Zhangqing began to show signs of anger. “This is not all. You know exactly what those dirty works of yours you wrote in the past entail.”
The One Thought master said, “I’m afraid that would be an inappropriate reason. Although we have always disagreed with school leader Liu’s actions, not only has he stopped writing those obscene books in the past half a year, but he has recalled them all and destroyed them too, which only demonstrates his change. Regular people aren’t sages. Everyone makes mistakes. There is nothing better than changing for the better after a mistake. Please reconsider, school leader Liu!”
Liu Chuanfeng was strangely touched. “Thank you for speaking for me, master.” Right now, no one cherished his pen name of the Master of Wind and Moon more than him. After understanding the true path of the school of Novels, he had recalled all those books with complete willingness.
The One Thought master glanced at Xiao An. “This was all your own work.”
“This lowly daoist also feels that master Chu shouldn’t be in such a hurry to usurp another’s island!” The slovenly daoist priest spoke too, agreeing with the One Thought master for once. You already have a foot in the grave, yet you still want to flaunt about in our academy? How despicable.
To Liu Zhangqing’s surprise, even Wang Pushi and Han Anjun objected. Out of the five major schools, actually four of them disagreed with him.
No matter how much renown Chu Shidao had, no matter how high his cultivation was, he was still an “outsider”. If he wanted to usurp someone the moment he arrived in the academy, then it was extremely easy for others to repulse him.
Li Qingshan’s relationship with them played an extremely subtle role too. Ever since he joined the school of Novels, combined with Liu Chuanfeng’s own hard work, the opinion on the school of Novels had indeed been changing bit by bit unknowingly. Although it was still a pile of mud, at least it was worth supporting. Otherwise, who in their right state of mind would speak for a person who wrote smut?
Chu Shidao said, “Forgive my ignorance, but since when could a Qi Practitioner hold the position of school leader? And since when could a school possess a single disciple?”
Liu Chuanfeng was speechless. Cultivation would always be the most important standard for measuring a cultivator. This also happened to be his greatest flaw.
“I’ll be able to undergo the heavenly tribulation before long.”
Chu Shidao said, “And before long, I’ll depart from this world too. I’ve heard about the wonders of the school of Novels for a very long time now, about how you can turn make-believe into reality. That just happens to be what my school of Painting is capable of too. Why don’t we compete against one another and use that to decide the ownership of Cloudwisp island?”
Why would Liu Chuanfeng be bold enough to compete against a Foundation Establishment cultivator? He wanted to shirk away from the request.
“I won’t harass you just because you’re weaker. It’s not a good idea for school leaders to clash too.” Chu Shidao’s gaze suddenly turned towards Li Qingshan. “This must be your disciple!”
“I’m Li Qingshan. Greetings, great master Chu.”
“I’ve long heard about how you’re good with battles, and your abilities as a Body Practitioner are startling. Are you bold enough to compete against my disciple?”
“May I ask how we would compete?” Li Qingshan glanced at Chu Danqing.
“Paintings and novels are both matters for the refined. If painters and authors were to fight with their hands and feet, it would be far too tasteless, so why don’t we just take a step back and turn make-believe into reality? My disciple will produce a painting, while you will produce a novel. We’ll let the characters in the painting and novel decide it all. What do you think? Cloudwisp island will go to whoever wins.”
Even the various school leaders present had never heard of a battle like this, but they also felt like Chu Shidao was completely brushing aside their opinions.
Liu Chuanfeng shot a glance at Li Qingshan, wanting him to turn down the challenge. There were so many school leaders on their side right now, so why would they accept the challenge?
Li Qingshan never planned on agreeing anyway. If it were just a battle of martial prowess, he was confident in himself even though Chu Danqing was at the tenth layer. However, he had absolutely no confidence in a battle like this. This old man had some understanding of him, so he wanted to use his weakness against him. How was it possible for him to fall for this?
“If you still won’t agree to this, then all I can do is write to the Academy of the Hundred Schools in the Ruyi commandery to request for the dismissal of the Clear River prefecture’s school of Novels, no matter how embarrassing or awkward it will be!” Chu Shidao tapped his cane against the ground heavily, displaying his unswerving determination. “This is just too tasteless, which is why I’m reluctant to do so.”
All the school leaders understood why Chu Shidao’s attitude was so firm. These were definitely not empty threats. He came from the commandery city of Ruyi. If he wanted to use his connections to dismiss the school of Novels that had a Qi Practitioner as a school leader and a single disciple, it would be a piece of cake. Most importantly, the school leaders present had once submitted a request to dismiss the school of Novels in writing together. Perhaps Chu Shidao only needed a slight push, and he could get what he wanted.
By then, surely they could not submit another request together to protect the school of Novels instead!
Liu Chuanfeng paled silently. He had some understanding of Chu Shidao’s influence too. The school of Novels had just set its foot on the right path and was developing, so if they really were dismissed, all their hard work would go to waste. And, he would never give up on the ancestral property that was Cloudwisp island. He looked towards Li Qingshan in a pleading manner.
Li Qingshan said, “Alright, I’ll agree to it. However, the school of Novels is unlike the school of Painting that can complete a work in a stroke of a brush. We require time to propagate so that we can collect the power of belief. Only then can we turn make-believe into reality. I can produce a novel, but I need a year at the very least to propagate it.”
“A year is too long.”
“Anyways, I need time. If great master Chu refuses to agree to this, then there’s no need for all of this. Please write to the Ruyi commandery for our school of Novels’ dismissal.”
In the end, under Liu Zhangqing’s mediation, they agreed on six months.
Chu Shidao had his reasons for this too. He had already displeased the school masters for wanting to usurp Liu Chuanfeng. If he pushed even harder, he would probably infuriate them all. He had already gained a deep understanding of the school of Novel’s ins and outs beforehand too.
Li Qingshan had already published a book, but the book was about a fictitious story of the jianghu. It could not rival Danqing’s painting. As a result, he would be forced to publish a new book, which would take a few months at the very least. Even if he managed to publish it in time, there would not be enough time to propagate it, preventing him from gathering sufficient power of belief. By then, it would be absolutely nothing of importance.
They dispersed. Chu Shidao and Chu Danqing went with Liu Zhangqing to take residence in the school of Confucianism.
Li Qingshan and Liu Chuanfeng returned to Cloudwisp island, discussing how they were supposed to fight back.
Liu Chuanfeng was frantic. “Oh no, it’s just six moths. How is that enough? You’ve agreed too hastily.”
Li Qingshan said, “If I didn’t agree, are you supposed to come up with some other idea?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Quickly. I’ll grind the ink for you, so go write quickly. Forget it, why don’t I just edit that novel of yours, considering it hasn’t reached the shelves yet? Wielding the Dragon-slaying sabre, Zhang Wuji split open the Bright peak in a single stroke, stunning the cultivators of the six great sects. Cheng Kun planted twelve World-destroying Hunyuan Thunderbolt bombs under Shaolin temple, wanting to destroy all the cultivators. How’s that?”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He could not help but admire Liu Chuanfeng’s quick wit. He really had not thought of this idea in the beginning, turning a wuxia novel of low fantasy into one of high fantasy and increasing the power level by at least ten times over.
“Then how are you supposed to change the part when they’re adrift at sea? You can’t trap cultivators on an island!”
“Don’t be stupid. Beyond the nine provinces is the Boundless ocean. If you went there right now, you definitely won’t be able to return! How it’s written still depends on us novelists, right?”
Li Qingshan thought about it, “Then you edit it!”
With his permission, Liu Chuanfeng was overjoyed. He rushed off.
Li Qingshan shook his head. He was thinking of another idea. Liu Chuanfeng’s idea was obviously a good one, but he might not be able to gather so much power of belief.
In his past life, novels had initially been serialised in newspapers before being propagated through various television adaptations, which was why it could achieve so much popularity. Rome was not built in six months.
Even if he changed it into destroying the nine provinces in a single stroke, so what? If he could not gather enough power of belief, all it would be was more bark than bite even if he could conjure it. After all, he had to consider the natural limitations of the Divine Talisman of Great Creation.
Li Qingshan returned to his room and unfurled a piece of white paper. He got to work, continuing with the plan he had thought of. He was preparing himself for both possibilities.
These stories should be able to gather extremely pure power of belief rapidly.
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Chapter 331 – Chu Danqing
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Chapter 331 – Chu Danqing
Don’t tell me there’s some kind of defensive formation here!
As Chu Danqing thought that, he walked along the small cobblestone path. A thick layer of snow covered it, with another layer of bamboo leaves on top. No one had cleaned it up.
The bamboo forest was primarily green, but there was also yellow too, standing tall and reaching towards the skies. It obviously turned into an array of colours in his eyes. There was light green, verdant green, light yellow, gamboge, pale yellow, and so on. The dazzling array of colours flattened out, turning into a delicate painting of realism.
He shook his head violently to shake away these thoughts. He had spent an entire decade learning painting deep within the mountains, such that it had almost driven him crazy. Sigh, the outside world is still better!
The senior sister from the school of Medicine diagonally across from him earlier was so pretty. His master often said that there were great beauties within paintings, and he also possessed the ability to make these beauties emerge from paintings, but living beauty was different from that of paintings. This was the aspect he differed from his master the most. His master said these were all just distractions, but he still preferred them more.
“It’s you?” Li Qingshan saw Chu Danqing look around as he walked over.
“It’s me. I’ve come to check out the future territory of our school of Painting!” Chu Danqing raised his chest. Chu Shidao had told him to come and investigate Li Qingshan—know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. However, he was still unsure about how he would approach this.
“Do you drink?” Li Qingshan was not sitting before a table seriously and working on his masterpiece. Instead, he sat in the corridor, leaning against a wall. He held a jade cup in one hand with jars of alcohol around him.
Although he had already confirmed the direction that he wanted to write in, he still felt troubled when it came to actually writing. He paced around the room a few times before suddenly remembering how he had yet to drink the hundred jars of fine alcohol from Sun Fubai!
Wanting to emulate the story of how Li Bai1 could string together a hundred poems from just a peck of alcohol, he took it out and drank a few cups alone. Although it was all fine alcohol, it was lacking in flavour.
Even Li Taibai had to raise his cup to toast to the moon and his shadow so that the three could “drink together.” As such, it really was quite difficult for him to drink alone. Li Qingshan thought long and hard. Xiao An was currently making preparations for the assembly of dharma. Milliped was hibernating, while Hua Chengzan was in secluded cultivation. Han Tieyi was probably too busy with the matters of the school of the Military too, unable to make any spare time to drink with him.
Just as he felt pained over the absence of a drinking buddy, he suddenly saw Chu Danqing, so he invited him.
Chu Danqing was stunned at first. He was unable to say everything he had thought of beforehand. He never really drank. Painters were not poets, so they could not spend all their time in a drunken stupor. Only with a clear mind could he paint with a clear vision and steady strokes.
Smelling the fragrance of the alcohol, he could not help but gulp.
A small, clear stream flowed out from the alcohol jar, entering two jade cups.
Chu Danqing, originally called Goudan’er2. Twenty-one years of age. Due to his delicate babyface, he seemed very young.
As he begged on the streets in his youth, he was discovered by Chu Shidao in his hometown. He possessed a special bloodline known as the Jade Blood of Vermillion and Black, which was why he was called Danqing3, and he took on his master’s surname. When he was eleven, he was taken into the mountains to learn painting from his master. He had only emerged a month ago. He had come to investigate Li Qingshan.
Over a dozen jars of alcohol in, before Li Qingshan had even said anything to him, he came clean with everything. He wrapped his arm around Li Qingshan’s neck and spouted exactly what he was thinking.
“I want a woman!” Chu Danqing called out. His voice resounded through the bamboo forest, and he then proceeded to laugh idiotically.
Li Qingshan sighed and shook his head. Look at what all that smothering had done to such a good child!
“You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk. Drink, let’s keep drinking!”
“You can’t keep drinking.”
“Why can’t I keep drinking? I- I have money!” Chu Danqing rummaged through his hundred treasures pouch for quite a while, but sure enough, he did not find a single piece of silver. Without thinking any further, he pulled out a stack of paintings. “I’ll pay with paintings!”
As a result, Li Qingshan received a pile of ready-made specimens that he could use to understand the abilities of painters.
“You!” There was a cry, and Han Qiongzhi arrived before the bamboo loft.
Hua Chengzan was gone, so as the secondary disciple of the school of Legalism, she had been piled high with work. However, when she heard how Li Qingshan would be battling someone, she still managed to make some time and come take a look. However, she was met with a delicate young man basically in Li Qingshan’s arms, even trying to feed Li Qingshan alcohol. She immediately felt like she had been struck by lightning. So it turned out he leaned in that direction. No wonder he could treat her so indifferently.
Then she thought about something Hua Chengzan had said to her before he had entered seclusion, “If I still don’t get myself together, someone might end up cutting me off.” Has little Hua fallen for his schemes too? This Li Qingshan is up to absolutely no good. Little Hua has only just entered seclusion, and he has already found someone new. Sigh, what am I thinking!?
“Don’t misunderstand! He likes women!” Li Qingshan could tell what Han Qiongzhi was thinking with a single glance, so he rectified in a hurry. However, never did he imagine that Han Qiongzhi’s thoughts had already reached such a complicated level in just a single moment.
After he said that, Chu Danqing saw three Han Qiongzhis too. He raised his cup. “Ah, three beauties. Come drink!”
“Like I said!” Li Qingsahn shrugged.
“Where’d this drunkard come from? Huh? The tenth layer?”
Only after listening to Li Qingshan’s explanations did she learn that the person right before her was Li Qingshan’s future opponent. She really had no idea whether she should be happy for him or not. His opponent had come to investigate him, but from just a few jars of alcohol, he had said everything on his mind, even giving Li Qingshan a pile of paintings.
For example, great sir Li’s opponents had always been either a genius like Chu Tian or seven hundred valiant soldiers from the school of the Military. He had even faced an opponent like Altar Lord Black Lotus before and emerged unscathed. Now that he was supposed to fight someone like him, she really had no idea on what to say…
“Don’t underestimate him. The paintings from him can defeat regular tenth layer Qi Practitioners.” Drunkenness did turn people boastful, but Li Qingshan believed that these were not drunken boasts. The “Jade Blood of Vermillion and Black” definitely were not empty words.
In a single decade, he had gone from being a young beggar to a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. He was so talented that he was no less of a prodigy than Chu Tian. Painters could channel their painstaking efforts and spiritual energy into paintings, such that they could summon everything in the paintings when they needed to. They had a similar ability to novelists.
However, there was no need for them to gather the power of belief. As long as they had sufficient time, they could create an entire army. With how vast the world was, able people and outstanding talents really did appear one after another. None of them could be underestimated.
Han Qiongzhi studied Chu Danqing closely and struggled to see even a hint of a genius from this drunkard. Even Chu Tian had some pride and arrogance about him!
Li Qingshan picked up Chu Danqing, found an empty bedroom, and casually threw him onto the bed. Chu Danqing immediately began to snore away.
Li Qingshan said, “Still not satisfied.”
As a result, Han Qiongzhi just crossed her legs casually and sat down before Li Qingshan. She accepted the new cup Li Qingshan had passed over and drank it all. She smacked her lips. “The Apricot Blossom brew of the Ten Miles store.”
“You’ve been there before?” Just when Li Qingshan wanted to fill up her cup, she had already grabbed the jar for herself.
“Tsk. What alcohol haven’t I tried in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain?”
This group of young masters and young ladies all fooled around in a location of prosperity in Clear River city, a place of indulgence, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. They basically indulged in their senses however they could.
Li Qingshan glanced at her. “Actually, I like women too.”
Han Qiongzhi was halfway through drinking, but suddenly, she was unable to drink anymore. These thoughts that rarely appeared in her head, like a man and women being alone, or men and women maintaining their distances from one another, suddenly emerged, and her face flushed slightly from drinking. She feigned anger. “If you want to drink, then drink. What’re you saying so much for?”
Yet for some reason, she wanted him to continue, to see what other nonsense he could spout. She was a forgiving and tolerant person, so she would not rebuke him too much either.
Li Qingshan instead felt that Han Qiongzhi was very right. If he wanted to drink, then he was supposed to drink. What was he saying all of this for? Was he supposed to copy Chu Danqing and yell out that he wanted women too?
His gaze landed on the pile of paintings. Although he would still have to return them to him once he woke up, surely it would be fine if he used this opportunity to study them, right?
He picked up a smaller painting from the stack. It depicted a life-like oriole. Li Qingshan remembered the method of using the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, so he tried channeling true qi into it.
As if he had set off a profound mechanism, the oriole suddenly began to move. It flapped its wings and let out a clear cry, immediately breaking free from the painting. It flew around Li Qingshan a few times before vanishing into the bamboo forest.
“Um, it flew away.” Li Qingshan stared at the blank piece of paper in his hands in a daze. Suddenly, he vanished, and a few seconds later, he returned to where he was before, holding a struggling oriole in his hand. He contemplated on how he was supposed to shove it back into the painting.
Han Qiongzhi’s attention was drawn over by this strange sight too. She also used this opportunity to dismiss her random, awkward thoughts. She picked up a painting.
They had almost finished drinking, but Han Qiongzhi became more energetic the more she drank, giving Li Qingshan no opportunity to take advantage of her, which was a slight pity.
He had basically finished studying the paintings now. At the very least, he found out how to return the paintings to their previous state so that he could give them back to Chu Danqing. Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head and smiled strangely. “He’s fled!”
Chu Danqing jerked awake. When he thought of his behaviour when he was drunk, he felt troubled and uneasy. He was tempted to throw himself at a wall.
He had not just never really drank. Rather, this was the first time he had drunk in his entire life. During the days he had spent on the streets, he could only drool outside liquor stores, while in the mountains, his master never drank.
He regretted that his childhood had been brought up, which made him rather tempted to make up for everything he had missed out, only to humiliate himself so much. He regretted even more that he had forgotten about the vileness of human nature and the difficulties of life from just ten years in the mountains.
He heard Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi’s voices at the front of the courtyard. He directly left through the window, taking off and fleeing from Cloudwisp island.
He did not even want his paintings back. Fortunately, he still had a hint of sobriety about him, so he had only taken out unimportant practice pieces. It would not matter even if he gave them to that wretched Li Qingshan. Otherwise, it really would be too late for regret.
Then these paintings are mine! Li Qingshan stowed the stack of paintings away. He had already come up with a plan. He knew what he was going to write.
In the world, no one was more naive than children. When adults read novels, perhaps they could become enthralled for a moment, but at the end of the day, they knew it was all just fictitious. However, children could believe that it was true, believing in the existence of these unbelievable things.
In the past, the monster that the founding ancestor of the school of Novels had seen specially targeted children too.
Li Qingshan obviously could not harm children, but he knew there was something called fairy tales among the various types of novels that existed. From those tiny believers, the power of belief that their pure minds could provide could probably rival that of ten adults.
Fairy tales were terse and powerful. It would be much easier to propagate them than most other novels.
However, the number of fairy tales that existed was also as boundless as an ocean, which made it rather difficult for Li Qingshan to choose. Western fairy tales would probably struggle to take off due to the conflicting culture and customs, so which eastern fairy tale was he supposed to tell? The King of Fats? It was simple and interesting, which was beneficial for propagation. It was powerful and practical too, like how he could destroy an entire mountain from a fart…
However, if he were supposed to summon a character like that in the eye of the public, lifting up his bare bottom to… Even with how thick-skinned Li Qingshan was, he felt his face heat up.
Only when he encountered Chu Danqing and saw his paintings did he think of an extremely famous character. He stood alongside the Black Cat Detective and the Calabash Brothers4 as the three great childhood role models, and his ability just happened to be the same as the school of Painting.
And, these paintings would soon prove his existence.
PS: I want a monthly ticket! Ah, three people, give me three monthly tickets!
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1. Li Bai, or Li Taibai, is an ancient Chinese poet of great renown, known for his poems and his fondness of drinking. His poems are so great that they’re still studied to this day, and younger children of Chinese descent are often forced to memorise them (I too suffered this fate ;-;)
2. Goudan’er is an extremely unsophisticated name often given to children in the countryside. A literal translation would be dog balls or dog testicles. In ancient China, children were frequently given unsophisticated and vulgar names in hopes that they will live longer. They believed that the worse a child’s name was, the hardier they would be and the more likely they would survive to a greater age; this was due to the high infant mortality rate. This comes from local beliefs that when the judges of the dead come to collect souls (basically people die when their souls are collected), they don’t think it’s a name befitting of a human, so they skip the person.
3. Danqing can mean vermillion and black, or it can mean Chinese painting, as vermillion and black are frequently used in Chinese painting. I’ve attached an example:

4. The Black Cat Detective and the Calabash brothers are among the most popular earlyChinese animations. I too grew up with a picture book of the Black Cat Detective. You can read more about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_Detective
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash_Brothers
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Chapter 332- Fighting Paintings with Paintings
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Chapter 332 – Fighting Paintings with Paintings
Han Qiongzhi saw how Li Qingshan had been taken away by his thoughts, so she smiled. She waved her hand around in front of him. “What are you thinking about?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m thinking about how I’ll face li’l bro Chu.”
Han Qiongzhi furrowed her brows. “Do you really have an idea for that?”
“I might as well try it.” Li Qingshan smiled. His bronze face radiated with confidence that beamed like the sun.
Han Qiongzhi’s heart rippled as her cup halted in her hand.
“Senior sister Han, the commander’s requested you to return.”
Qian Rongzhi arrived near the bamboo loft and bowed. She seemed to ignore everything unfolding right before her.
“Thank you for your alcohol.” Han Qiongzhi placed down the cup and left in a hurry, as if she was fleeing.
Li Qingshan watched as she left. His gaze landed on Qian Rongzhi, and his smile immediately vanished. His expression became as bleak as the winter sun.
“Qian Rongzhi, I just happened to be looking for you. Why don’t you explain to me what happened in Ancient Wind city?”
Gu Yanying had restricted access to the information on what Qian Rongzhi had done as some form of protection for this “Nighthawk” who had performed a meritorious service. There were not a lot of people who knew the inside story. Li Qingshan had only managed to guess part of it because of his understanding of Qian Rongzhi.
Qian Rongzhi made her way over to the corridor and sat down. She picked up the cup that Han Qiongzhi had set down and began drinking by herself under Li Qingshan’s gaze. Then, she started explaining everything that had happened.
After he heard the entire story, even Li Qingshan could not help but sigh in amazement. Although her cultivation had not progressed much during the months he had spent in secluded cultivation, she had not been idling around. She was gaining favour with people using her own methods.
“You wouldn’t be in any danger, nor would Xiao An be in any danger. I don’t have the right to warn you of anything either.”
“Are you certain that there won’t be any danger?”
“I’m not, but that’s all because I’m too weak. From today onwards, I can no longer leave the academy anymore.” Qian Rongzhi downed the alcohol cup after cup.
Li Qingshan understood now. Regardless of how heavily injured the White Lotus Mother was, killing her would still be as easy as crushing a bug. As the greatest traitor of the White Lotus cult, she would have to live her days carefully from here on out. She tried benefitting from her betrayal, but she would have to pay the cost for it in the end.
“Commander Gu has promised me that if I can reach Foundation Establishment, she’ll take me to the Ruyi commandery.”
Li Qingshan said, “So she’s already helped you arrange a path of retreat.”
“A path of retreat? If I can’t leave the academy, just how long will it take for me to reach Foundation Establishment? A decade? Two decades? Five decades? The most likely scenario is that I won’t even reach Foundation Establishment. Even if I barely manage it, will I be able to find any peace in the Ruyi commandery?” Qian Rongzhi smiled painfully. Gu Yanying had indeed given her an abundant reward, but she was not Xiao An. She was not Chu Tian. She was not even Li Qingshan. With her talent, the heavens had basically already taken pity on her with how she had managed to reach the sixth layer.
She hated Gu Yanying uncontrollably inside. She hated her for using her like a chess piece. She hated her for clearly seeing through her hatred, yet still brushing it aside. Even more, she hated the fact that she lacked the ability to even fight back.
Li Qingshan fell silent. The world probably no longer had a place where she could shelter herself now that she was targeted by a Golden Core cultivator. This vicious woman who had made her way to the academy together with him seemed to be living in glory, but she had instead embarked on a road to ruin.
Qian Rongzhi suddenly stood up. She took out a pile of things from her hundred treasures pouch. There were large amounts of pills and spiritual stones, even a Virtue Accumulation pill among them, as well as many mid and high grade spiritual artifacts. There was even a supreme grade spiritual artifact. The Virtue Accumulation pill and the supreme grade spiritual artifact had come from Gu Yanying. They were basically precious treasures to a Qi Practitioner.
Li Qingshan wondered whether Qian Rongzhi was drunk too, and that she was even more drunk than Chu Danqing.
“I’m going to go carry out a mission, so hold onto these items for me. If I don’t return, give them to Xiao An.”
“Right now?” Li Qingshan was surprised too. He had heard about how all powerful cultivators would dabble a little in divination. If she went out right now, she would basically be throwing herself into the arms of the enemy. She would probably be tortured to death by the White Lotus Mother.
“I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to live like this.” Qian Rongzhi smiled charmingly and bunched her hair together. She had just conquered fate, giving her the freedom to plan and scheme as she wished, but now, because of the White Lotus cult, she had lost the ability to pivot around. All her plans were filled with the possibility of failure. Compared to death, she found this situation much more unbearable.
Now, she wanted to gamble against fate once again, just so that she could live without depending on it.
At this exact moment, the sky twisted, and dense mist sealed the islands of the academy once more. After several days and nights of urgent repair, the Formation of Dragons and Snakes was operating once more, protecting the disciples of the academy.
Many disciples in the academy stopped what they were doing and emerged from the buildings, looking up.
They all discussed with one another quietly, “We’re good now.”
“I used to find it pretty restricting, but now, I feel like going without the formation is like going without clothes.”
Countless uneasy souls settled down because of the return of the formation.
Qian Rongzhi smiled in a self-deprecating manner. She left Cloudwisp island and left the academy, setting off to face the ever-changing, unpredictable fate.
Li Qingshan stowed away the items she had passed him quietly. He neither prayed for her, nor did he curse her.
He glanced at the sky again before returning inside and beginning to write.
A scrunched up ball of paper fell onto the floor. Li Qingshan was troubled. Li Bai could string together a hundred poems after drinking, yet he, Li Qingshan, was not even able to write a fairy tale?
He had a flash of inspiration. Li Qingshan stood up. “This isn’t how you write this story!”
He arrived at the Cloudwisp association. Sun Fubai and Liu Chuanfeng were currently editing his novel urgently, but it really was quite the workload. It was a novel of a million characters, and they would have to change the entire story if they wanted to edit it. Moreover, they had to ensure continuity too. Even if they went without sleep or rest, it was not something they could complete in a few days.
Sun Fubai said, “Qingshan, time is just too tight.”
“All we can do is give it a try.” Li Qingshan then said to Liu Chuanfeng, “Help me draw some things.”
“I don’t have the time!” Liu Chuanfeng called out.
“Then I’ll go find another artist.” Li Qingshan remembered how the Cloudwisp association had quite a few artists too, who were hired to specially produce accompanying illustrations for novels.
Li Qingshan chose some young painters who were skilled in meticulous, realistic painting techniques, before telling them what he was thinking and getting them to paint it.
Ever since Li Qingshan had visited last time, everyone in the association knew that this was one of the three owners of the association, so they never dared to brush him aside. They immediately began to paint with everything they had.
Li Qingshan meditated in the meantime. A while later, a painter passed over the work he had completed. “Boss, do you think this’ll do?” The other painter began to speed up too.
Li Qingshan took a look. Sure enough, it was life-like and extraordinarily detailed. It depicted a boy of humble origins vividly, but Li Qingshan shook his head. “It won’t do. You’ve drawn him too well!”
Drawing it well was instead bad. The two painters exchanged glances.
“This is for children, so make it simpler, and don’t leave it black and white. I want full colour.” Li Qingshan affirmed his thoughts. The only way to express the wonders of this story was through pictures. Back then, he had read a picture book too.
And, he had to ensure that the pictures depicted everything. Little children had very limited vocabulary. With some further thought, he realised that what he was doing right now was no longer a so-called novel. Instead, it was a picture book or cartoon.
However, novelists in the beginning were based on rumors and gossip. They were not bound by words. Regardless of the methods he took, all that mattered were people understanding it and believing in it. He wanted to use the methods of the school of Painting to defeat the school of Painting.
He remained in the Cloudwisp association until night time. Finally, he decided on the painting style. However, no matter how he tried to simplify it, the works from the two painters were still much more detailed than the picture book in his memories.
Afterwards, he immediately gathered all the painters skilled in meticulous, realistic painting techniques and got them to copy the style. The story was extremely simple, less than a hundred pages in total.
In the end, Li Qingshan added naively simple narration at the bottom of the illustrations, and it was complete as a picture book.
Li Qingshan weighed it in his hand. This original draft was critical for summoning the characters in the book, as well as his trump card for defeating Chu Danqing.
Thirty kilometers away from Clear River city, in a small town.
Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump. A travelling pedlar swung a rattle-drum around with a carrying pole over his shoulders, walking along the small alleyway paved from stone.
A door opened within the alleyway, and a tiny head stuck out. “Pedlar uncle, is there candy?”
“There is. There’s sesame candy, barley candy, and crunchy candy. There’s each and every kind!” The pedlar cleared his throat and sang out a list of what he sold.
A group of children emerged like small monkeys, gathering around the pedlar. They all held a few copper coins.
“What’s this?” A child spotted a stack of colourful picture books on top of the goods. There were four words on there, but he only recognised the word “horse” or “Ma”.
The pedlar said, “Now you have some pretty sharp eyes. Take it.”
The children each received a book and flipped through it. Perhaps they still did not understand the contents too well, but the beautiful pictures alone had managed to enrapture them. They immediately began to hesitate. To buy candy or to buy the book?
“How much is the book? I’ll buy it!” said a little fatty. He was in possession of much more copper coins than his little friends.
“I’ll buy it too!” said the eldest child there. He had learned how to read from a private tutor, so he understood what the words were saying. He had been drawn in by the story immediately. Even if he had to go without candy, he would still buy it.
The pedlar said, “It’s free. It’s a gift. One for each person. Don’t take anymore than that!”
The children cheered.
“Can I take one too?” asked a child nervously. Compared to his companions’ cotton clothes, he wore patchy clothes, which made him seem particularly small. He did not have a single copper coin at all. He had only come to see what was going on.
“Take it!” The pedlar casually shoved two pieces of candy into the child’s mouth. The money he would make from giving out these books would be even more than clearing all the stock on him. He too was extremely happy over how he could have a prosperous year.
The pedlar travelled away, and the children gathered together.
“How pretty.” “What is this picture showing?”
The eldest child copied his tutor by clearing his throat. “Come, I’ll read it for you!”
Sun Shuping received a new draft from Sun Fubai. He planned on going back and familiarising himself with it first, thinking about how he would tell the story before teaching it to the other storytellers.
Although he felt like the novel had lost part of its charm after being edited, there were fortunately not any particularly major changes overall. As a matter of fact, if he could tell some of the turning points properly, it would be even more fascinating. Splitting open the Bright peak in a single stroke was much more interesting.
This youngest owner was not particularly old, but his writing ability was truly impressive. He was far better than that second owner, the Master of Wind and Moon.
PS: I’ve passed Singles day like it doesn’t exist. Yep, all I need to do is ignore it. Women and whatever are unimportant. Just monthly tickets are enough. Hehehehe, sobs.
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Chapter 333 – Renowned Throughout the Land
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Chapter 333 – Renowned Throughout the Land
Although time was rather tight, Sun Shuping still walked at an unhurried pace. He had a healthy glow about him, and he had switched his cloth robes for a fur coat. He was brimming with vigour, differing greatly from the impoverished old storyteller of the past.
His job right now was to train young storytellers for the Cloudwisp association. He made quite a pretty penny.
Although there was no longer any need for him to take the stage, he frequently could not help himself but to go up and tell a part, leading to rounds of applause. He did this to scratch his itch of demonstrating his ability, but it was also because the money he earned on stage would all be his. The Cloudwisp association would not touch it at all.
Sun Shuping often felt embarrassed because of this. He tried persuading his bosses to accept some silver taels in consideration of the long-term situation. He had already begun to treat the Cloudwisp association like half a home, so he obviously hoped the association could carry forward and prosper for a very long time so that humble actors and artists like him could hold their heads high.
Returning to his room, he discovered that his disciple, Li’l Rock, was lying on the ground, utterly absorbed by a picture book. He frowned. “Li’l Rock, why aren’t you familiarising yourself with the material and preparing to go on stage? Why are you reading this instead?” Sun Shuping was originally against his disciple continuing along this line of profession, but after joining the Cloudwisp association, he changed his mind. He wanted to give him some proper training.
Li’l Rock raised his head. “Master, I want to tell this story!”
In the past, Sun Shuping had looked through the picture book Li Qingshan had released too. It was interesting, but it was just a story for children. There were basically no words, and it was too short, making it unsuitable for storytelling or singing out. As a result, he did not take it too seriously.
But now that Li’l Rock had mentioned it, turning a story into a smaller, brief performance was quite a good idea too. It was perfect for Li’l Rock to go on stage and get some practice.
Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai knew about the picture book too. It was all thanks to Sun Fubai’s connections that it could disseminate and propagate so rapidly. However, they also felt like it was just an insignificant picture book that did not suit the standard of the school of Novels, unable to contend against the school of Painting’s Chu Danqing. Before they knew it, they had already forgotten about it, focusing most of their attention on editing Li Qingshan’s novel instead.
Once a chapter was completed, they would immediately spread it throughout the land using the storytellers. It was extremely effective too. Even the Cloudwisp association gained great renown, which filled the two of them with confidence. Over two weeks had already passed by now.
Li Qingshan meditated in his room. He peered inside his body, and the twinkling power of belief gathered in his Divine Talisman of Great Creation, making it shine.
His novel and picture book rapidly spread through two different audiences. Through every single teahouse and restaurant, through every conversation between children, his impressive name was being spread around, turning into specks of belief and gathering in the sea of power of belief.
At the same time, he had never stopped practising the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He had already consumed almost half of the pills he had purchased with spiritual stones. In probably half a month’s time, he would reach a whole new level.
As he watched the sky darken, Li Qingshan thought, It’s about time she comes back. He waited for another hour, and only then did Xiao An appear outside, throwing herself into Li Qingshan’s arms. Her tiny face was fuming.
“Who is it that has made our Xiao An so furious?” Li Qingshan caressed her long hair with a smile.
Recently, Xiao An had been extremely busy too. The eminent monks that the One Thought master had invited all converged here from various places, and Xiao An had to visit and greet every single one of them. Mentioning the buddhist dharma would be unavoidable every single time, throwing some sayings at her as a test.
If the eminent monk happened to bring a disciple or two with them, then it would be even more troublesome. They would insist on competing and seeing whose disciple was better. They just wanted to make it difficult for her.
With Xiao An’s understanding of buddhism, the One Thought master obviously achieved a complete victory, earning plenty of respect. He was overflowing with joy every single day, but Xiao An was particularly vexed. This had greatly diminished the time she spent with Li Qingshan.
Compared to bickering with these monks, she would much rather lean against his chest peacefully.
She shifted into a more comfortable posture. “The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty is completely right. All of these bald asses should be burnt to death! Today, the young nun brought by that old nun clearly couldn’t win against me, but she insisted that I had to undergo tonsure, or I’ll still be clinging onto my six sensory desires. I ended up losing.” She did not care about the outcome, but she did not want to waste time.
Li Qingshan burst out laughing. He pinched the tip of her nose. “Looks like your comprehension of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty has deepened yet again.”
“Exactly.” Xiao An held his hand and studied the grooves carefully. Her large eyes blinked a few times before suddenly saying impulsively, “Let’s enter seclusion!”
Ever since last time, monotonous secluded cultivation had become her favourite thing to do. They would be alone, without any disturbances at all.
Li Qingshan said, “The assembly of dharma is about to formally begin. If we enter secluded cultivation right now, the One Thought master will want to tear out my throat. As for you, just listen along. Your comprehension of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty will definitely deepen.”
All Xiao An did was feign a tantrum. Before him, she would always be a little more “normal”.
Li Qingshan said, “There’s only the two of us on the island right now, so let’s treat it as secluded cultivation. We’ll cultivate in seclusion for a few hours!”
Xiao An agreed. “Alright.”
The next morning, the fragrance of sandalwood curled away, and Xiao An had already left. Ever since the arrival of the first eminent monk, she was responsible for holding the morning chanting in Anāsravāṃ temple. This should have been a great honour, but it caused her quite a lot of distress.
The One Thought master knew that this disciple of his was difficult to coax. He was afraid that she would stubbornly decide to go her own way with a single will and be mocked by others, so he promised a lot of pills to her. In order to earn some pills for Li Qingshan, all she could do was accept the responsibilities of the primary disciple seriously. As long as she could help him, she could tolerate momentary separation.
Holding onto the pills from her, Li Qingshan felt quite strange aside from his joy and delight. He shook his head and tossed this thought out of his mind.
He did not tell Xiao An about the items Qian Rongzhi had left behind. As her guardian, he did not want Xiao An to have any relation with that woman.
Of course, if Qian Rongzhi really did die outside, he could tell Xiao An about it. It was not like a dead person could influence Xiao An in any way.
However, he never received this news.
All he learnt from Han Qiongzhi was that after returning in one piece from a mission, Qian Rongzhi immediately took on a second mission. The location of the mission was even further away from Clear River city, where the headquarters of the Hawkwolf Guard stood. She basically seemed like she was trying to commit suicide.
However, Li Qingshan had a feeling that she would not die outside so easily. If she did not have some confidence in this, she would have never approached the matter in such a manner.
Whatever. Her fate had nothing to do with him.
Li Qingshan stood up and made his way into the depths of the bamboo forest and began training. Even Xiao An was working hard for him, so how could he still laze around?
He heard the bamboo leaves tremble in an unnatural manner. Li Qingshan suddenly looked back and threw a punch.
With a thump, it landed within a vice-grip like hand.
Li Qingshan said, “Tieyi, what brings you here?”
“I’ve come to pay back the debt!” Han Tieyi was slightly surprised. The force in the punch actually made his hand ache slightly.
“I almost forgot. You still owe me two punches.” Li Qingshan lifted up his fist, and Han Tieyi retreated rapidly, vanishing into the bamboo forest.
“Come to the school of the Military’s Main Martial Arts stadium. Don’t forget, you have a debt to pay too.”
“It’s a pity that I only like collecting debts, and I hate paying debts!” Li Qingshan shot off like an arrow in pursuit.
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Chapter 334 – The Military Formation of the Coiled Snake
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Chapter 334 – The Military Formation of the Coiled Snake
The bamboo turned into messy, verdant shadows that receded around Li Qingshan.
The glistening Lake of Dragons and Snakes suddenly unfolded before him. All he saw was a series of splashes that extended quickly towards Great War island. Han Tieyi ran along at the end of the splashes like he was running across land.
Li Qingshan leapt up and stepped onto a cloud. He pursued on the cloud, leaving behind a long, cloudy trail behind him.
Huge platforms of various heights reached towards the sky. The Main Martial Arts stadium of the school of the Military was right before him.
Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly narrowed. The several hundred military disciples stood in neat formation in the stadium; they were like statues.
The military disciples that had shown up this time numbered one or two hundred less than last time at the very least. They had died to the White Lotus cult. Although every single one of them remained neutral in expression, grief lingered in the air.
Through this trial of life and death, their aura had become even more intense than last time. Aggrieved soldiers were unstoppable.
Han Tieyi passed through the formation before quickly turning around. His body continued to slide backwards due to the momentum as his legs dug out two faint trails on the ground. He raised his arm high into the air and pointed it straight at Li Qingshan like a long spear. “For redemption!”
“For redemption!” The voices thundered like an avalanche.
Li Qingshan leapt off the cloud and landed heavily on the ground in a half-crouching position. He straightened himself out and displayed his right hand like he was inviting them. “Come!”
This time, there were no spectators on the island. Apart from the military disciples, all other disciples were forbidden from entering the island. There were only two exceptions, Han Qiongzhi and Ru Xin.
Han Qiongzhi stood with the ten core disciples. She was brimming with interest and high morale. This time, Li Qingshan would definitely be defeated. He had yet to witness the true power of the school of the military. However, whenever she saw this man’s fearless bearing when he took on everyone else alone, she would find him utterly charming.
Ru Xin stood to the other side of the stadium on a platform over a dozen meters tall with the entire battlefield in sight. Her red lips parted slightly. Imbued with true qi, her voice reached Li Qingshan’s ears. “Be more heavy-handed.”
Li Qingshan ignored her. This time, he would not be able to hold back even if he wanted to.
He moved his legs, rushing forwards gently and swiftly. Within a single second, he had turned into a black tiger, diving into the military formation. A few military disciples were directly sent flying.
Suddenly, he glanced back; it was like the scarlet eyes of a tiger meeting the glimmering eyes of a wolf.
“Fall into formation!” A furious roar rang out.
The military disciples surrounding Li Qingshan held back their desire to attack. All of them retreated, revealing twelve of the most powerful people, who advanced slowly. In terms of combined attacks, there was not a single school that could surpass the school of the Military.
“Now that’s more like the school of the Military.” Li Qingshan grinned. Compared to putting on an act and standing to the sides from weakest to strongest, it would be better if they just used their full strength!
However, the military disciples all found this to be an insulting mockery. The humiliation from their crushing defeat last time and their grief from losing their fellow officers immediately turned into flaming fury.
They struck out at the same time. Their true qi turned into sabres, spears, fire, and ice! Last time, the combined attacks they had not used even until the very end were unleashed immediately! Determination flashed through their minds, This time, we’ll knock you down with just a single strike!
Li Qingshan, on the other hand, was completely calm and composed. He paid attention to everything unfolding around him with his senses. Sure enough, there was not the slightest opening at all. If that was the case, then let’s make an opening!
Li Qingshan raised both arms as blue true qi that rippled like water wrapped around them. He was not targeting any of the military disciples. Instead, he slammed his hands against the ground violently.
Bang. The ground shook, and it sank to form a deep pit. A circular shockwave spread out in all directions.
Every single military disciple could not help but stagger slightly. Perfection was without openings, but once perfection was destroyed, countless openings would appear.
Back to Li Qingshan, he had already used the force from slamming the ground to leap into the air. The attacks passed by below his feet, just half a beat too slow.
Li Qingshan overlooked the battlefield. He pushed his hands backwards, and his body stabbed towards a large group of weaker military disciples like a straight spear.
The world of cultivators had always been a world that pursued strength. The strong was in control of everything, not bound to the weak. It would never be so easy that they could achieve victory through an encirclement.
Just when it was going to be a repeat of last time, Han Qiongzhi shook her head instead. Meanwhile, Ru Xin squatted down on the edge of the platform, completely contrasting against her image. With her red lips and white teeth, she smiled very happily. As it seemed, she would not be receiving as much money as last time. However, seeing him suffer defeat would still be worth it.
A huge snake opened its huge mouth and lunged towards Li Qingshan.
The snake head seemed real, but the neck was illusionary, and by the time it had reached the body, it had already faded away and merged into the surrounding five hundred military disciples. Before he knew it, they had already shifted into a strange, revolving formation.
This was the strongest trump card of the school of the Military, military formations! Through rigorous training, they merged everyone’s spirit and will together, forming a single attack with everyone’s strength.
The Coiled Snake formation was specially created for tearing apart powerful cultivators.
True qi surged out, and Li Qingshan turned around and threw a punch.
With a thump, Li Qingshan was sent flying, colliding into a platform. He slid down as his body ached with pain. Probably only Foundation Establishment cultivators could rival the tremendous true qi within the snake head.
“Hey, you fine?”
Li Qingshan raised his head and met Ru Xin’s cheerful gaze. He said loudly with a smile, “Interesting!” Defeating the military disciples the first time had been interesting. If he did the exact same thing this time, even he would find it boring. Only strong opponents were worth challenging.
Han Qiongzhi had originally been clenching her fist, worried. However, when she saw how he laughed and joked along with that strange woman from the school of Medicine, she immediately became furious. She waved her fist. “For redemption!”
Han Tieyi glanced at her and waved his hand. Advance!
Li Qingshan stood up by pushing off his knees. He saw the army advance slowly as the snake in the air flicked its tongue. He smiled and went up to receive it.
Boom. The snake head bit down, creating a great pit on the ground.
Li Qingshan was already prepared. He dodged it and used his extraordinary speed to circle around the army. He tried attacking them several times, but he felt rather uncertain about where he was supposed to target. The weakest military disciples were at the snake’s tail, hidden in the centre of the formation, while the body of the snake outside was like a steel wall, able to block everything.
However, their disadvantage was very clear—they moved just too slowly. Even out of the twelve stronger military disciples, only one or two of them could keep up with Li Qingshan, and they were afraid to approach him, afraid they would be defeated individually. They could only let him run around freely.
Han Tieyi shook his head slightly. This kid’s reactions were simply too fast! At the moment just prior, regular people would definitely consider dodging if they were faced with such a terrifying attack, but if they dodged, they would definitely be forced into the formation and be torn apart. On the other hand, he had done the exact opposite, taking it on without any hesitation.
He also had the power to take it on. If regular seventh layer Qi Practitioners took on the snake head, they would be heavily injured even if they managed to survive, yet he just brushed himself off and stood up again; it was like he was completely fine.
Li Qingshan constantly moved around, leading the entire military formation around. He smiled suddenly. Finally, he had found the critical point. He leapt up and dove into the military formation.
A while later, the five hundred disciples of the school of the Military all laid on the ground in the stadium, but as long as they were still conscious, they all cheered. Many of them even shed tears of emotion.
They had won. The monster-like Li Qingshan had finally fallen. The gloominess and humiliation that had weighed on their hearts seemed to be released in that moment.
When Li Qingshan dove into the Coiled Snake formation, he pulled the army apart very quickly, but he also entered a difficult battle immediately. He was secretly injured from the strike earlier too, so when he finally ran out of true qi, his body gave way, and he collapsed.
He laid on the ground with his arms and legs spread out, gazing at the clear sky. Suddenly, a figure blocked the sunlight. Han Tieyi extended his hand.
Li Qingshan grabbed the hand and stood up.
The military disciples looked at Li Qingshan. When their fury and humiliation subsided, they all felt admiration towards him. This man had taken on all of them alone after all. He was defeated, but he could still stand proudly.
“Do you want to learn the battle skills of the school of the Military?” Han Tieyi’s handsome face that appeared to be sculpted from ice seemed to warm up slightly too.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Of course, but I need to rest up first!” He called out, “Ru Xin!”
“Coming. Thank you for your patronage. Three thousand spiritual stones.” Ru Xin arrived on a green leaf as she chuckled to herself.
“I don’t have a single spiritual stone on me right now.” Li Qingshan was telling the truth. He had spent all of his spiritual stones on pills, and he obviously could not spend what Qian Rongzhi had given him.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Spiritual artifacts and talismans work too. I’ll pick them myself later. You can go to sleep!” Ru Xin waved her hand, and the green leaves scattered, lifting up all the severely injured military disciples.
How can I fall asleep in your presence?! Li Qingshan said to Han Qiongzhi to the side, “Senior sister Han, help me keep an eye out on her. Don’t let this woman steal my things.” Exhausted, he tilted his head back and fell asleep immediately, snoring away.
“Why me? Oi, don’t fall asleep!”
Han Qiongzhi could see that Li Qingshan was heavily injured. Originally, she wanted to check up on him, but she could not bring herself to do so in front of all these military disciples. Everyone seemed to have seen through her thoughts already. Just as she was wavering, she heard that and beamed for some reason inside.
Han Tieyi said, “Go!”
“I’ll go take care of the military disciples and help you bargain a little. She rips you off every single time.” Han Qiongzhi found her excuse. Neither the school of the Military or her Han family lacked this tiny amount of money for the treatment fees. Although Ru Xin was quite punishing with her mouth, she was fair with prices.
On Benevolence island, the military disciples who were waiting to be checked on by their first young miss did not even see her shadow.
Han Qiongzhi sat by the bed, leaning on her hand and staring straight at Li Qingshan. Never had a man touched her heart like this. Since young, Han Tieyi would often be riddled in injuries and bed bound from the old man’s lessons, while all she would do was stand by the bed and laugh at him loudly.
“Knock, knock, knock. Have you stared enough?” Ru Xin knocked on the door and smiled.
“Since when did you…” Han Qiongzhi leapt up.
“I’ve stood here for two hours already. You didn’t see me?” Ru Xin said in surprise.
“What! Of course I saw you! I was just about to ask you whether you’ve watched me for long enough…”
“I’m kidding. I’ve only just come, hahaha.”
Han Qiongzhi was unable to put up with her gaze. Her face reddened and said, “Don’t touch his things. I’m going to go check on others.” before fleeing through the door.
Ru Xin arrived by Li Qingshan’s bed and glanced at the hundred treasures pouch on his waist. She extended her hand over before suddenly clenching it into a fist half way through. She struck Li Qingshan’s abdomen and smiled. “Wake up!”
Li Qingshan clutched his belly and sat up. “You’re crazy!”
Ru Xin said, “Who told you to break the promise? I told you to be more heavy-handed.”
“Victory and defeat are both frequent for the school of the Military. I’ve already done all that I can.”
“You really can’t call holding back doing everything you can.” Ru Xin suddenly pressed against Li Qingshan’s shoulder. Her gentle face was only inches away, wobbling slightly and reaching his face with her breath.
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Chapter 335 – Ocean Wielding
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Chapter 335 – Ocean Wielding
“I didn’t hold back.” Li Qingshan casually pushed her aside. Ever since he realised he had misunderstood that day, he no longer thought of Ru Xin in any special way. This woman was just too twisted. She was constantly ready for mischief. He did not want to be toyed around with for nothing.
Ru Xin said, “You clearly could have won, but you lost. Isn’t that holding back?”
Combining the effort of five hundred people was not an easy feat, requiring extremely great discipline. Maintaining the Coiled Snake formation took tremendous energy too.
As long as Li Qingshan dragged it out, the formation would collapse on itself before long, and he would be able to defeat them all in the same way as before. Defeating these military disciples who had lost many people and much might would probably be even easier than last time.
“Don’t you feel that winning like that is very boring?” Li Qingshan laid back down. It was not like it was a battle to the death, so there was no need for him to rack his brain. The outcome was less important. What mattered was learning from it, training his body, and practising skills through it so that he could prepare for a certain day in the future.
“If there are spiritual stones up for grabs, it obviously isn’t boring.”
“Women just love to be petty. Have you ever heard of thinking for the long-term?”
“Wow, looking down on women.” Ru Xin squeezed Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Your strength seems to have increased again.”
“One spiritual stone, two spiritual stones…”
“You-” Ru Xin was taken aback. Then, Li Qingshan grabbed her slender, white hand. “Now we’re on equal footing, so feel me however you want!” Although she was always so mischievous, he did feel that it was easier to get along with her.
“Keep dreaming!” Ru Xin smiled. Her face sank.
“Hahaha, Li Qingshan, to think that you would have a day like today. What are you doing? Ru Xin, tell me what’s going on?” Chu Tian rushed in like a whirlwind, pointing at Li Qingshan and laughing at him, but when he saw what they were doing, he immediately struggled to accept it.
“Li Qingshan, you- you- you-” Han Qiongzhi wanted to stop Chu Tian, but she just happened to see this too.
Even Ru Xin rolled her eyes. Just what have we done? You’re reacting like you’ve caught a cheating couple in bed.
Li Qingshan returned to Great War island and found Han Tieyi.
Han Anjun was currently giving a talk to the military disciples, while Han Tieyi stood to one side. Seeing Li Qingshan, Han Anjun made a gesture towards him with his lips.
Han Tieyi walked over and said to Li Qingshan, “Come with me.”
Li Qingshan followed Han Tieyi and arrived before a metal gate. Han Tieyi took out his waist tablet and opened the gate, entering the darkness. Gates opened and closed one after another as they rapidly travelled deeper underground.
Li Qingshan had never thought that Great War island would be hiding something underground too. He became even more curious about just what battle skill Han Tieyi would teach him.
Finally, he arrived at the very bottom. A formation glowed as a great streak of light shot up. As it turned out, the school of the Military’s formation was located here. All he could say was this truly was the school of the Military. With how strict the security was, the school of Novels could never rival it with how theirs was just located within a bamboo forest. However, he did not imagine that this was a library either, with battle skills everywhere.
Han Tieyi stopped and turned around. He said, “Thank you!”
Ru Xin could tell, so he obviously could tell too. His original reason for calling Li Qingshan over was to give the military disciples a sense of danger and an opportunity for actual battle, but ever since the chaos from the White Lotus cult, they could not afford to lose again.
Losing once or twice could motivate them, but if they kept losing, it would only damage the army’s morale. They were in desperate need of a victory so that they could rise up with force and spirit.
Li Qingshan said, “What’s there to thank me for? I said I already did all that I could.”
Defeating the military disciples did not offer any practical benefit to him. Instead, he would lose a great opportunity for actual battle. This battle had a much greater effect on his cultivation of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength than training alone in the bamboo forest.
Han Tieyi said, “You can throw your second punch now.”
Li Qingshan said, “If I want to hit you, I’ll do it fairly. I’ll never do it secretly like this. I don’t like to hit a punching bag either, so feel free to fight back in the future.”
“Then don’t even think about touching my face again.” In the darkness, Han Tieyi’s lips seemed to curl up, but the change faded away very quickly.
Li Qingshan said, “Normally, I mean what I say. Let’s cut to the chase. Where’s the battle skill?”
Han Tieyi took out over a dozen jade slips from his hundred treasures pouch. “Here are all the battle skills suited for Gui Water true qi.”
“Don’t tell me you called me to such a secretive place just to say those few words earlier!”
“So what if I did?”
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to respond. He lowered his head and browsed through them.
By battle skills, they were referring to skills in battle that combined both qi and the body. It was similar to techniques, yet different from techniques. From a certain perspective, it was a higher form of martial arts.
Not only did the people of the jianghu cultivate inner force arduously, but they also practised martial arts arduously. Only then could they unleash their battle prowess.
Cultivators were no different, except true qi was profound and flexible, even greater than inner force. This was a critical skill for Li Qingshan, who specialised in close combat. In a battle that could change with every instant, if he could be a moment faster at a crucial moment, it would be the moment of life and death.
And, just like martial arts, battle skills were divided into various levels. The battle skills Han Tieyi had taken out were all rare, high level battle skills. Even the disciples of the school of the Military could not learn them unless they performed outstandingly.
Although it was said that the hundred schools communicated and exchanged ideologies with one another, they would still keep the items that formed the very core to themselves. Not to mention that the collection included battle skills the Han family had gathered itself, which would only be taught to members of the Han family. Without Han Anjun’s permission, even Han Tieyi did not possess the authority to take them out. This was no longer just because Li Qingshan had provided training for the military disciples.
Back then in Ancient Wind city, Li Qingshan had made Han Qiongzhi leave first before personally carving out a path of retreat for her. Han Anjun had seen all of it. Although he never mentioned it, he had his own plans.
Li Qingshan could sense this too. His gaze suddenly locked onto a jade slip, and he let out a soft interjection of surprise.
The battle skill had an extremely grand name—Ocean Wielding. The introduction to the general information detailed. “The power of the converging rivers, with the vastness of the ocean, achieves the arts of the boundless.”
Five words immediately leapt out in Li Qingshan’s head, the Arts of the Boundless Ocean! And, this was not the first time Li Qingshan had heard this saying.
“You have quite the eyes. This is the strongest out of all the battle skills here, but it needs to be powered by a special cultivation method. Your true qi is pure, but it’ll still be rather difficult, so I’d advise you to choose another one!” In order to get Li Qingshan to make a correct decision, Han Tieyi spoke for once.
However, this only verified Li Qingshan’s thoughts. Ocean Wielding must have been a battle skill derived from the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. It was impossible for a sect to be built off a single cultivation method. With the collapse of the Ocean sect, their various cultivation methods and techniques became scattered throughout the world. Ocean Wielding had ended up in the hands of the Han family.
Li Qingshan asked in a hurry, “Do you know where I can find the cultivation method that powers this battle skill?”
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Chapter 336 – Choosing the Future
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Chapter 336 – Choosing the Future
However, Han Tieyi’s reply brought Li Qingshan disappointment. He did not know the whereabouts of this cultivation method either. Then he recommended the Bone-shattering Fist of Ice to Li Qingshan, which could convert Gui Water true qi into power of the extreme cold. It possessed great destructive power, and it could also clad the user in an armour of ice, offering both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Li Qingshan had already checked through all the jade slips. Gui Water true qi was not suited for destruction, so most of these battle skills focused on triumphing over force with gentleness. The Bone-shattering Fist of Ice could be considered as the strongest among them in terms of offensive power, but it was nothing compared to the Ocean Wielding’s sheer brutal force.
This battle skill from the Ocean sect had completely upheaved the saying that Gui Water true qi was not suited for attacks. With a single stroke, it could unleash tsunami-like waves that were never ending.
Li Qingshan considered it for a while. He opened his eyes. “I choose this one!”
As a result, he stored the Ocean Wielding jade slip away in his hundred treasures pouch. Li Qingshan was not planning on trying his luck with this. If he was unable to power this battle skill with true qi, then what about daemon qi?
His daemon qi was of the water element too, and its sheer brute force went without saying. He would have no issues in wielding this battle skill. The path of daemons was his true foundation, so he obviously made his decision after a moment of consideration.
And, it was not like it would be impossible for him to find the latter half of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean!
Han Tieyi did not try to convince him otherwise. He stowed the other jade slips away and brought Li Qingshan back to the surface.
Han Anjun had finished his talk with the military disciples. Suddenly, he pointed at Li Qingshan and said to them, “Before long, this person will become even stronger. By then, what are you going to do?”
“Defeat him!” said the military disciples with brimming vigour.
Li Qingshan smiled. Let’s see who improves faster!
His Gui Water true qi was extremely refined and pure. Although it was still a little difficult to power Ocean Wielding, it was not impossible. As long as he could unleash even a tenth of its force, his battle prowess would increase drastically.
The next morning, the red sun had emerged from the Lake of Dragons and Snakes when the sound of a bell rang through Anāsravāṃ temple.
The buddhist assembly of dharma that the One Thought master had prepared for so long had finally begun.
The entire island was shrouded in a thin milky-white mist; the faint smell of burning sandalwood incense permeated the air.
The sounds of the striking of wooden fish1 and chanting lingered above the island. The halls and pagoda all seemed more solemn than usual.
A total of nine Foundation Establishment monks had arrived. All of them were dignified. Although this was a matter of the school of Buddhism, it was so important that a few school leaders led by Zhang Lanqing had come to receive them, who then stayed behind to listen along. There were a lot of disciples from other schools present too.
Paths of cultivation were similar. They did not study buddhism, but it would still benefit their cultivation if they could become wiser.
Li Qingshan listened along for a while and soon felt giddy. A swathe of large, shiny, bald heads filled his vision, going on about some allegories or dharma or whatever. He understood none of it.
He only saw Xiao An sitting in the hall in bluish-white robes with her black, seaweed-like hair running down her back. Sometimes, she was thinking, sometimes nodding, and sometimes refuting. She answered them with composure.
Li Qingshan stopped worrying. He silently backed out, returning to Cloudwisp island to focus on cultivation.
As they explained the dharma, Xiao An rarely spoke, but she would often leave the monks speechless when she did. They would need a moment of thought before they could answer her.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was not just an ability or cultivation method. It also recorded a great buddhist monk’s entire life of wisdom and knowledge. Xiao An needed to comprehend the essence within it. Every single question they asked was centred around this supernatural ability, and they would all hit the mark.
She made all the monks rethink everything with a clear mind. Often, they would have to give it some thought before they answered her. These monks were all highly educated in the buddhist dharma, so they could give her an answer most of the time after some thought. However, these answers would differ from monk to monk, which would lead to a new round of disputes.
The monks no longer looked at Xiao An in the same way anymore either. They directly began to suspect whether she was a Reincarnated Celestial too, possibly the reincarnation a great grandmaster at that. If it were not for her innate knowledge, how could a child ask such profound questions? For some questions, even they felt like they were not clever enough, unable to answer them.
Naturally, they could not answer all of Xiao An’s questions, or they would not just be at Foundation Establishment. However, this process had allowed Xiao An to deepen her understanding of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty yet again.
After comprehending all this, she could relax her control over her cultivation as a Qi Practitioner. On the third day of the dharma assembly, her cultivation reached the ninth layer; she was close to the final step now.
It had directly dumbfounded the eminent monks there. They had never seen a person practise qi as easily as drinking water. If this continued, reaching Foundation Establishment would be a piece of cake for her.
It lightened the One Thought master’s burden slightly, but his original plan fell through. Now, it no longer seemed like the monks guiding Xiao An. Instead, it seemed like she was guiding the monks.
However, this led to another problem.
The monks who had all cast aside their worldly desires all started to grow greedy. They all felt like she had not actually taken the One Thought master on as her master as she was studying in the school of Buddhism. At most, it was like the relationship between a child and a teacher in a private institution. With Xiao An’s talent, she completely deserved a formal master who could support her more.
The school of thought of Buddhism circled around the word “buddhism”, but there were thousands of sects that fell under it. They constantly contended against one another. All of them wanted a disciple like this to continue their legacy and carry on their teachings.
It was too late for the One Thought master to feel regret. From the day the dharma assembly had begun, he did not allow Xiao An to take a single step away from him. At the same time, he secretly penned a letter.
Some people had already gotten to the bottom of Xiao An and Li Qingshan’s relationship. They sent their disciples to Cloudwisp island to discuss matters with him. They all secretly offered him extremely abundant conditions for Xiao An to switch over and take them as a master instead.
Under the gathering darkness of night, Li Qingshan sent away another visitor. He turned around and passed through the silent, weaving corridors, returning to his room.
A woman was currently in his room, laying down under the light as she read. She seemed like she had recently washed, as her hair was still wet; it was much shorter compared to other women, shoulder-length and rather messy. A few strands on her fringe stood up stubbornly, which gave her a hint of adorable laziness.
Her thin, navy robes hugged her enchanting figure, as if it were wordlessly communicating that she was already a grown woman.
The woman’s face reddened and closed the book like she did not care. She shot a glance at Li Qingshan. “What’re you looking at?”
“Senior sister Han?” Only then was Li Qingshan bold enough to draw a conclusion. Today, Han Qiongzhi differed greatly from her usual appearance of an “older sister”. She seemed more gentle as she read under the light.
“What’s wrong?” Han Qiongzhi was afraid to make direct eye contact with Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan smiled. “And I had thought the Han family had a second young miss. How come you have the time to come here today?”
Everyone had their own lives. Han Qiongzhi was no different. Now that Hua Chengzan had entered seclusion, his responsibilities as the primary disciple and Scarlet Wolf commander had fallen onto her shoulders. However, she would struggle to complete matters that took Hua Chengzan two hours to complete even if she had ten times as much time, so she faced a truly miserable predicament. Fortunately, she got along relatively well with everyone else, so she could still have some spare time to herself if she forcefully allocated work to others.
In the past, she would spend this time relaxing and having fun to her heart’s content, but she felt rather uneasy recently. A certain figure would frequently cross her mind. Not only had she washed up today, but she had even put on a set of clothes she never wore for some odd reason and came to visit involuntarily. She wanted to see what Li Qingshan was up to.
However, she could not bring herself to ask him that. She avoided it completely. “What brought the monk here?”
Li Qingshan told her the reason, and Han Qiongzhi said, “The Lone Mountain temple is a mid-sized sect, so you can consider it. The Lone Mountain Patriarch is a powerful cultivator who’s condensed a śarīra. He’s renowned even throughout the entire Ruyi commandery. I never thought a disciple of his would be participating in the dharma assembly this time. He does have the right to serve as Xiao An’s master.”
The Lone Mountain temple was not located within the Clear River prefecture. The Foundation Establishment monk who had come this time was the Lone Mountain Patriarch’s direct disciple, and one of the conditions he offered was accepting Xiao An as a disciple on his master’s behalf.
Li Qingshan said, “What’s wrong with staying in the Academy of the Hundred Schools?”
Han Qiongzhi said, “With Xiao An’s cultivation, reaching Foundation Establishment is only a matter of time, so how can she remain in the academy?”
Li Qingshan said, “Isn’t there an academy in the Ruyi commandery too?”
“So you don’t know. The academy in the commandery is just for show.”
Han Qiongzhi gave him a detailed explanation. Only then did Li Qingshan learn that the Academy of the Hundred Schools in the Ruyi commandery was not a larger version of the one in the Clear River prefecture, with hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators learning together under the guidance of over a dozen Golden Core cultivators.
Every single Foundation Establishment cultivator was an elite that could reign over an entire region, so why would they still receive the treatment of Qi Practitioners? It was even less likely for Golden Core cultivators to be all cooped up. Instead, they all had their places.
The academies on the level of commanderies existed basically only in name. Their primary function was for management. They did not even possess the function to communicate between the schools.
After all, they could exchange items that covered the basics with one another, but at their level, all cultivation methods and arts would be secrets that would not be passed on so easily among all schools.
Let alone disciples from other schools, but even disciples from their own schools would have to accept a master to learn these cultivation methods or arts. This master-disciple relationship would no longer be as flimsy as the student-teacher relationship in the academy. Instead, it would turn into a traditional familial relationship.
Reaching that step, finding a good master became a critical matter to consider.
“Do I also have to find a master?” Li Qingshan thought. No wonder the monk from earlier had hinted that he could check out the Lone Mountain temple too.
Han Qiongzhi said, “Of course. Who doesn’t want a master to guide them along? The only issue you’ll face is insufficient talent and being too old, making it so that no one wants to accept you.”
Li Qingshan was obviously no exception. It was possible to say that all those who could emerge as Foundation Establishment cultivators under this strange free-charging system of the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts were young talents. They would not be troubled over finding a master.
This was the academy’s special method of inheritance. It was different from cultivation sects, yet somewhat similar at the same time.
Li Qingshan laid out his hands. “Then are there Golden Core cultivators for novelists?” Or should he say “Golden Talisman cultivators”. The Divine Talisman of Great Creation that the school of Novels focused on would turn golden after the second heavenly tribulation.
Actually, apart from Foundation Establishment where cultivators would all be the same, they would all be given different names due to differing cultivation methods if they advanced any higher. For example, śarīra for buddhism, golden talisman for the school of novels, and sword embryo for sword cultivators. They were called Golden Core cultivators due to the habits passed down through history.
Han Qiongzhi lowered her head. “Although you’re a disciple of the school of Novels, you don’t have to find a master from the school of Novels. For example, I’m a disciple of legalism, but if I can establish a foundation, I’ll definitely take my father’s elder brother, my uncle, as my master.”
Han Qiongzhi’s uncle was naturally one of the three major pillars of the Ruyi commandery—great general Han Anguo!
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1. I might have mentioned this before, but a wooden fish is a percussive instrument used in Buddhist ceremonies. It’s frequently used to maintain the beat of the chanting. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_fish
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Chapter 337 – Each Other’s Futures
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Chapter 337 – Each Other’s Futures
Li Qingshan was surprised. Although he was a disciple of the school of Novels, his primary route was still the school of the Military’s simultaneous cultivation of qi and body. There was probably no better master for him within all of the Ruyi commandery than Han Anguo.
The effects of possessing a good master were as clear as day. For example, he might be able to obtain the second half of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean from a good master’s mere order. Cultivation could only be transformed into authority and influence over time after all.
From this perspective, Gu Yanying might have been even better. As the daughter of the Hawk God, she had a limitless future ahead of her, but Li Qingshan was not stupid enough to mention another woman in front of Han Qiongzhi.
And, no matter when, he would never be willing to lower his head before a woman. Others might have to grovel and compromise for a woman that they liked, but he insisted on holding his head up high for that woman to see.
While Han Qiongzhi’s words seemed nonchalant, she had her intentions. It seemed to hint that if he became the son-in-law of the Han family, he would basically be able to join the influential clan of the Han family and borrow their strength.
He could not help but admit that this was a little tempting! And, Li Qingshan was rather moved by this too. No matter what, when a woman considered for you, it was something worth being happy over.
“Thank you!”
“What’re you thanking me for? I’m just saying. I’m not going to introduce you to him. If you want to take this path, you’d better go plead with my father yourself!” Han Qiongzhi’s face became even redder under the lamp. I, Han Qiongzhi, still haven’t reached the point where I need to use my family to interest a man. Pah, why am I trying to interest him? What’s so impressive about him anyway?
Though, he did have a valiance of doing whatever he wanted that the people of the Han family lacked, and he was more determined and self-disciplined than those disciples of legalism. He did not take her stubbornness too seriously, and when it mattered, he had stood up for her, confronting death fearlessly…
For a moment, she was filled with mixed emotions, losing her usual casualness and nonchalant attitude. However, he remained quiet about all this, which made her tempted to grab him by the neck and get to the bottom of what he was thinking.
Li Qingshan was not a love sage of infatuation, but he still knew that a lone man and woman spending time together and talking to one another at night would not be that simple.
A beauty under the lamplight gave off quite the charm. He had never been someone who was overly cautious. If he was interested, he would do whatever he wanted to. He grabbed Han Qiongzhi’s hands and said gently, “Senior sister Han!”
Han Qiongzhi shuddered, but she did not pull her hand back. She asked while trying to act like everything was fine, “What’s up?”
Li Qingshan joked inside, I just think I’m getting a little ahead of myself when I haven’t even reached the ninth layer yet.
Both of them had only treated what they said back then as a joke, but they had never thought there would be a moment when it would come true.
Han Qiongzhi bit her lip and shot a glance at him, but she felt extremely happy inside. She had never been particularly good at concealing her thoughts, so this delight was naturally given away by her expression.
Li Qingshan went even further now. He conveniently wrapped his arm around her waist, and their shadows projected onto the wall by the lamplight merged together.
Their postures were similar to when Li Qingshan had forcefully pulled her in and uttered those brave words in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, but their mental state differed vastly now.
Just like last time, Han Qiongzhi broke free and called out, “If you have something to say, then say it! What’re you touching me for!?” However, she was not irritated at all. She was just completely flushed.
“I- I’ll be taking my leave first!” Han Qiongzhi rushed away in a hurry.
Li Qingshan laid on the bamboo floor with his hands cushioning his head. He smiled as he shook his head. “Interesting!” Perhaps before long, there would be someone to warm his blankets in this humble abode of his.
Snow fell outside the window. Looking at the pitch-black sky, he thought of the black ox again. He could never forget about his original benefactor. If it were not for the black ox’s assistance, how could he reach such a distant world and make a beauty like her fall in love with him?
Before he knew it, another year had almost passed again. In a few days, he would be eighteen. He would go from being a boy to a real man.
The future was something he had to consider. Did choosing a master mean there would always be a moment when he would have to separate from Xiao An? After all, it was impossible for him to become a monk, but he did not want to get in the way of Xiao An’s development either.
Oftentimes, the cause of separation was not overwhelming pressure or obstructions. Instead, it came with various different pursuits. He had his secret to hide and that half a dream that conflicted with the person before him. As a matter of fact, if his marriage fell apart, there might be the miserable fate of being hunted down by his brother-in-law, his father-in-law, and maybe even his future master awaiting him!
Every single thing, every single matter, was enough to bring a person to their wits end, which was why he had only thought about it slightly before deciding to not think about it. Everything would work out in the end. All he had to do was follow his heart and take large strides forward!
Was he supposed to say to Han Qiongzhi, “I think we should focus on studying, no, cultivation, right now, and we shouldn’t have these distractions!”? Unless there was something wrong with his head or he was impotent, he would never say something like that.
Deep into the night, the dharma assembly continued.
The monks knew no exhaustion. They were all serious as they spoke, and their gazes wandered around. They treated the others as their opponents. Right now, they were no longer just contending over the buddhist dharma, but a once-in-a-century genius too.
Without any doubts at all, they believed that Xiao An’s existence could determine the fate of an entire temple or even a sect.
Their discussion about the dharma continued, but it seemed rather half-hearted now.
At this moment, an old man appeared in front of the hall. His beard and hair were grey, draping down his head and face. His arms drooped down beside him, his eyes were dull, and his face was dazed. If it were not for his kasaya, no one would have imagined he was a monk too.
The One Thought master beamed. He lowered his head deeply. “Master!” His urgent message had not gone to waste. Despite being thousands of kilometers away, his master had rushed over so quickly.
The monks all cried out and bowed in a hurry. One Thought’s master? Wasn’t that the Annihilum Light Chan Master? It was rumored that he practised the Great Scripture of Annihilum arduously in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, and it had already been several decades since he left the temple. Why would he come here?
However, the old monk that the One Thought master called “master” turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all of it; it was as if he was an imbecile. He directly arrived before Xiao An.
Xiao An raised her head. Their eyes met, and the old monk’s eyes suddenly erupted with resplendent light, completely drowning out the light that the lamps in the hall flickered with. They were like two shrunken suns.
The old monk said in an extremely hoarse voice, “Are you willing to go to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with me to cultivate?”
The monks immediately gave up on their thoughts. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was the greatest buddhist sect renowned throughout the Green province. As head monk of the Bodhi courtyard, who could contend against the Annihilum Light Chan Master? And, just who could turn down his invitation?
They had never expected the One Thought monk to make such a decisive move when he struck.
As a matter of fact, even the One Thought master himself had never expected that his master would leave the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga because of this. He had no other choice either. Originally, he planned on taking her to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to see his master after she had reached Foundation Establishment.
He also never expected that his master would not ask Xiao An anything or give her any tests, directly granting her the highest recognition and inviting her to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to cultivate.
The hall, or even the entire island, had fallen completely silent as they awaited her reply.
There were no doubts over her reply. The chan monastery would gain another supreme genius, and before long, the influence and power of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would become even more consolidated, even more unshakeable.
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Chapter 338 – The Third Layer of the Ox Demon
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Chapter 338 – The Third Layer of the Ox Demon
“I refuse!” With a neutral expression, Xiao An replied with her clear but childish voice.
The entire hall seemed to fall even more silent.
Within the niche, the plump, smooth cheeks of the statue of buddha were dyed golden by the altar lamps, smiling in an unfathomable fashion. Its long, slender eyes seemed to take in all the religious believers, yet they also seemed to see nothing at all.
Everyone wondered if they had heard incorrectly. There happened to be a person who had turned down an irresistible invitation.
The One Thought master’s mouth even hung agape. Even his thoughts came to a screeching halt.
Back then, after he had successfully established a foundation, he emerged from the Academy of the Hundred Schools and turned down the invitations of several temples, travelling thousands of kilometers to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to find a master. He knelt outside the Bodhi hall for three days and three nights, and only then did the Annihilum Light Chan Master accept him into the Bodhi hall. He underwent another three years of testing before finally getting offered a position beneath him as a formal disciple.
He had never regretted this decision. Otherwise, he never would have been able to make it to higher realms of cultivation with his fortune and aptitude.
“Xiao An, you-”
The Annihilum Light Chan Master lifted his hand and silenced what the One Thought master was about to say next. He looked at Xiao An.
Xiao An remained calm, completely unperturbed.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master let out a sigh. “The path of cultivation is vast, and the buddhist dharma is boundless. Why must you stubbornly insist on going your own way with a single will?”
Xiao An bowed. “Thank you for bestowing me with my dharma name, master.” If stubbornly going her own way with a single will was being reluctant to part with him, then she would much rather take this as her dharma name forever.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master smiled first. He took delight in her quick wit, but he subsequently sighed, lamenting over her stubbornness to cling onto what was holding her back. Afterwards, he neither affirmed or denied what she said, drifting away.
The remaining monks all looked at one another speechlessly. The One Thought master walked over with a mixed expression and bowed. “Junior sister One Will.”
Xiao An returned the gesture, “Senior brother One Thought.”
There was no ceremony, but to a chan sect that focused on reflecting on one’s heart and achieving self-actualisation and buddhahood as a result, these mere gestures held no importance in the first place.
The buddha plucked a flower, Mahākāśyapa smiled, and thus both the master and the disciple achieved likemindedness1.
In just a few words, their status to one another had already been determined.
The monks all stood up and bid farewell, declaring the end of the assembly of dharma.
The greatest prodigy of the academy in the past century also happened to be the first to determine her direction for the future, which was the holy land for buddhists across the fifteen thousand kilometers that was the Green province, the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga.
Xiao An saw off all the monks before requesting permission to be dismissed from her senior brother One Thought.
The One Thought master obviously knew where she wanted to go. He waved his hand helplessly. “Go!” Even their master no longer cared, agreeing to her dharma name of One Will through silence, so why would he still have power over her?
On Cloudwisp island, Li Qingshan fell silent for a moment after hearing how everything had unfolded. He rubbed Xiao An’s head and smiled. “In the future, if you want to go and cultivate in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, I’ll go become a monk with you. Though, all I can become is a monk who drinks, eats meat, and sleeps around.”
Xiao An shook her head. “No, I’ll stay with you. I don’t want you to become a monk who drinks, eats meat, and sleeps around.”
Li Qingshan said, “How about this? When the time comes, I’ll pay a visit to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with you and ask for some benefits from that Annhilum Light Chan Master, and then I will leave by myself and go at it alone. I’ll also go find a master to learn from. After that, I’ll build a dwelling, and you can establish a temple right beside me. How’s that? It’ll be the best of two worlds!”
Xiao An answered, “Alright.”
This was their future. There was nothing worth worrying over.
It was already very late. The two of them laid on their backs, staring at the ceiling as they listened to the rustling of falling snow outside. They both felt like they were at great peace.
“Oh right, what do you think about that big sister Han?” Li Qingshan turned around, now lying on his side.
“Big sister Han?” Xiao An turned her head in surprise. Her large eyes shone in the darkness.
“You know, Han Qiongzhi.”
“She’s worth a hundred regular people,” Xiao An said indifferently.
“I don’t mean eating her. Forget it. You’re just a child. Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.” Li Qingshan fell silent, lying on his back once more.
Xiao An crawled onto his body. She stared at him long and hard.
“Alright, I’ll tell you.” Li Qingshan raised his hand and gave in. He told her about what had happened earlier in the night.
“You like her?” Xiao An blinked.
“A little.” Li Qingshan shrugged. Han Qiongzhi was obviously not a bad woman. Although he had yet to develop any particularly deep feelings for her, it would naturally happen as long as they spent time together. His parents from his past life and present life were all like this. It was not like this was some third-rate love story, where they would much rather die than live without one another.
“You want to marry her?” After she awakened a lot of her memories and read all those novels for Li Qingshan, Xiao An was no longer unfamiliar with matters like this. However, she never imagined something like this would happen with him, which left her extremely shocked.
“Not exactly, but there’s the possibility!” Li Qingshan rubbed his nose in embarrassment. He felt like a father who wanted to remarry after a divorce, asking for his little daughter’s permission. All of his usual boldness and nonchalance had evaporated.
He did not believe he was the same type as Hua Chengzan. He probably would never be able to understand that path of infatuation without regret. Perhaps he did think of this when he was young in his past life, but in this life, it had all been worn away by over a dozen years of hardships. All that remained were the most simple and straightforward things.
Xiao An suddenly became unhappy. She climbed down from Li Qingshan and turned away from him.
“Sigh, what’s wrong?”
“As long as you’re happy.” Xiao An thought that Li Qingshan would turn out like the people in the books, spending night and day together with that woman. He probably would not have the time to accompany her anymore, which only brought her greater pain.
Li Qingshan turned her around, but he discovered that the rims of her eyes had already reddened with tears trickling down. It was as if he had committed some heinous crime against both the heavens and humanity. He became rather flustered.
“I never said I would definitely marry her. If you don’t like it, then forget about it.”
The future was not so simple after all.
Over a dozen days later, in a seclusion dwelling beneath Contention island.
A droplet of sweat rolled down his cheek, dripping from his chin and falling onto the damp ground.
Li Qingshan knelt on the ground naked. His long hair draped down, covering his face.
His muscles turned and twisted like dragons and snakes as if they bore the heavy burden of thousands of tonnes. Scarlet blood flowed under his skin, which gave off a colour similar to black iron. He spread his lips and revealed his long, sharp canines. Two lumps protruded from his forehead, as if a pair of horns were ready to burst out at any time.
Li Qingshan suddenly straightened himself out and let out a furious roar. He spread his arms as far out as possible, as if he was breaking free from invisible shackles.
Whoosh… His heavy breathing was filled with delight.
Whoosh… His movements kicked up a violent gust of wind that swept through the dwelling, ruffling Xiao An’s clothes and hair.
Li Qingshan stood up, and the colour of his skin gradually returned to normal. His writhing muscles subsided too, but he did seem a little “bulkier”, like a statue carved from marble.
Though this period of arduous cultivation, he almost finished off all the pills he had used spiritual stones to exchange for. Finally, he reached the third layer of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength.
Every single step forward would require even more tremendous resources. Back then, just eating meat, drinking alcohol, and training his body was enough to reach the first layer. Of course, his body would benefit more and more with each breakthrough.
In particular, his strength had almost increased by several times. Although it was suppressed by the spirit turtle’s daemon core, he could still feel the churning power surge through his body, almost bursting out of him.
He put on a set of clothes and said to Xiao An, “It’s about time for me to go check on the school of the Military again. I need to test what I’ve achieved from cultivating.”
“I’ll help you!” Xiao An took out the Guardian King’s pearl. It shone brightly and conjured an avatar. It was even more consolidated than before; it was as if a golden person, not a golden statue, was standing there
She had comprehended and summarised everything she had gained from the assembly of dharma recently. As she had spent her entire time by the One Thought master’s side, she had only ingested two or three black lotus seeds back then, so using this opportunity, she could take it out and cultivate properly. She ingested another seven or eight seeds, which allowed her cultivation to progress drastically.
A golden banner waved in the air as the guardian king’s avatar arrived before Li Qingshan in the blink of an eye. It lifted its huge vajra sword and swung down swiftly.
“That works too!” Li Qingshan caught the huge sword between his palms.
Apart from worrying that his daemon qi would leak out over this short period of time, there was no need for him to enter secluded cultivation at all. He had only done it to make her happy, basically making up for the hardships she had gone through from being trapped in the assembly of dharma recently.
He could tell that she was still rather unwilling to leave, so he decided to stay a little longer. He could use this time to practise the Ocean Wielding battle skill that he never got the opportunity to study.
Both of them cultivated, stopping to fight against one another every once in a while, leading to some giggles. Time passed slowly.
Originally, Li Qingshan planned on remaining here for another ten days, or half a month at most, but once he began practising this battle skill, he could not help but become absorbed by it. The ingenious skills of utilising qi and the body together stunned him. It left him entranced.
It was quite strange now that he mentioned it. His ability to understand various cultivation methods had always been quite mediocre, but he felt a little like a genius when it came to battle skills.
Xiao An had benefited quite a lot too. She ingested the black lotus seeds in the seed pod one by one, turning them into flames and merging them into her bones. She managed to refine another Skull Prayer Bead.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed by. The door to the dwelling opened slowly.
Li Qingshan emerged and stretched his body before looking down.
This time, the dwelling they had chosen was not on the lowest level. That one had been occupied by Hua Chengzan. So much time had already passed since he entered seclusion, so who knew how he was going with cultivation.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan scooped up Xiao An and took a step towards the empty space above him.
This time, a cloud did not condense below him. Instead, blue light appeared under his feet like a wave. As if he had stepped on a spring, he rushed into the air.
Ocean Wielding—The Wave Treading Form.
By moulding water and using its flexibility, he could achieve speeds several times faster than riding a cloud while being much more nimble. He felt like he could walk through the air.
Emerging from underground, he saw the brilliant blue sky and the dazzling sunlight. The snow had all melted away as the brightly-coloured spring scenery unfolded before him.
Li Qingshan took another step backwards, shooting off to Cloudwisp island in the distance with a swish.
During this period, the power of belief within his Divine Talisman of Great Creation had reached an unprecedented peak. Although he had not witnessed it in person, the propagation of the novel and the picture book was clearly quite impressive. And, as expected, that thin picture book of his had surpassed the novel. He could easily conjure the characters in there.
However, this still was not enough. He needed to become even stronger. Only then would he have a chance. It was time for him to head out and gather some publicity with the paintings in his possession so that he could turn fiction into reality.
PS: Failed to get up. I almost lost sleep last night. I think I’d better just stick with writing in the morning!
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1. A reference to the Flower Sermon, which I believe is about the transmission of wisdom that transcends words. I definitely need to do some more research about the connotation behind this, but you can read a bit about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Sermon
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Chapter 339 – Decision
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Chapter 339 – Decision
Li Qingshan’s figure attracted quite a lot of attention as he whistled through the air.
A group of disciples of the school of Agriculture were currently tending to their crops in the fields. They raised their heads and pointed at the sky.
“Look, what’s that?”
‘Seems like Li Qingshan!”
The agriculture disciple all marveled at him. Indescribable envy filled their eyes. Before they knew it, Li Qingshan had already become a prominent figure of the academy. All the people that he normally got along with or did not get along with were all renowned figures too.
Recently, there were even rumors that the leader of the school of the Military, Han Anjun, was interested in taking him in as a son-in-law, betrothing the second senior sister of the school of Legalism to him. In just one short year, he had gone from being a disciple of the most humiliating school of Novels to this step. He basically seemed like a figure of legends to cultivators who originated from a similar background to him.
“Hey, Li Qingshan. Doesn’t he come from the same village as you?”
Li Long stood within a watery paddy with bare feet as he neatly arranged the tender rice seedlings. This was not Longevity island, but an island specially allocated to new disciples by the school of Agriculture for farming. He had obtained a plot of land too.
He raised his head and watched the faint blue trajectory vanish into the horizon. He could still remember how his master had once said that Li Qingshan would become an impressive figure in the future. But probably even his master had never imagined he would reach this step!
He lowered his head and smiled. “Exactly. He’s the great hero of our Crouching Ox village.”
During the testing last spring, his wood affinity was evaluated to be low yi. He passed the test for the school of Agriculture and became a disciple there.
Back then, village head Li had sent him off to the Iron Fist school to learn martial arts exactly because he did not want his son to tend to the fields, but he probably never expected he would still return to the fields in the end. The school of Agriculture really was appropriate for a backgroundless disciple of average talent like him.
The plants he grew were crops with a spiritual aspect. They could replace pills and gradually improve his constitution. He could eat whatever he grew, or he could exchange them with his seniors and juniors. If there was a surplus, he could even sell them for spiritual stones.
Compared to the other schools, a life in the school of Agriculture was monotonous and repetitive. They would weed the fields and use true qi to nurture the seedlings in a constant cycle. Many people found it boring, so they would frequently call a few friends and go have some fun in the Clear River city. The young master of the Iron Fist school had invited Li Long to come along several times too.
However, Li Long had turned down all his invitations. He still had to pay back his debt of a hundred spiritual stones to Li Qingshan, and he had to pay for the school fees next year. Additionally, he had to work hard on cultivation to avoid the compounding fees. He could not afford to sit back and relax.
Gradually, the young master of the Iron Fist school stopped visiting him. Apart from attending classes, he would spend every moment from dawn to dusk in the fields, covered in dirt. He would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, almost suffocating from the heavy pressure.
He remembered a year of severe drought when he was young. With his father, he would travel almost ten kilometers along a mountain path for water. When they poured the water they brought back into the fields, it would evaporate in an instant. It had truly been a despairing sight. After a single day, his hands had become covered in blisters.
His grandfather sighed that farming was contending over fate against the heavens. Yes, contending over fate against the heavens. This was not just a special characteristic of cultivators!
Perhaps it was because all his ancestors were farmers, so the blood of a farmer flowed through his veins too. Through this primitive labour, he gradually experienced unprecedented joy. As he watched the seedlings thrive and grow with each passing day as he nurtured them with true qi, they seemed to be nurturing him too.
Before he knew it, his cultivation had broken through the natural barrier for regular Qi Practitioners from the jianghu. He surpassed protector Yan and reached the third layer.
On that day, he laid down in the fields and cried out in joy. As his tears fell onto the fields, he thought back to when the severe drought had ended back then. As heavy rain fell from the sky, he had rolled around happily in the puddles. This kind of joy was well beyond anything sleeping with a woman in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain could offer.
From that day onwards, he made up his mind. Even if the school of Music was holding free, public concerts, he would not be attending them. As Li Qingshan challenged the military disciples, he did not go and watch either. Only today did he suddenly realise that he was no longer envious of Li Qingshan.
An agriculture disciple said, “The test is coming up. I heard he knows the Spiritual Rain technique. Why don’t you get him to water your fields?”
The school of Agriculture also had their way of competing against one another, which was seeing who had tended to their crops better. The victors would receive some rewards.
Li Long brushed off the dirt from his hands and smiled. “I’ll go ask him and see if he has the time.” In the past year, he had not even visited Li Qingshan once. He had found himself to be slightly inferior, and he did not want Li Qingshan to think that he was trying to get on his good side. Now that he no longer felt any envy, he obviously had no sense of inferiority either. And, he could finally return some of his kindness from back then.
When he saw this fellow villager again, Li Qngshan almost struggled to recognise him. His face was tanned, his hands were coarse, and he radiated with a rustic aura. He no longer bore any resemblance to the high-spirited talent of Crouching Ox village of the past anymore. His gentle and mild eyes revealed an aura that differed vastly from before.
When Li Long saw Li Qingshan again, he felt something similar. He was mature and confident, strutting around proudly. His name, Qingshan, had once been mocked for many years in the village, but Li Long could now understand what the name entailed.
Li Long took out a sack of spiritual rice. “I planted it myself. Try it! I’m still lacking a little in terms of spiritual stones, so if you’re not in a hurry, just another year should be enough.”
“There’s no hurry. It doesn’t matter even if I have to wait for another three or five years. It’s not like you can run away.” Li Qingshan opened the sack of rice and took a look. Every single shiny grain of rice was the size of a peanut, radiating with a faintly scented spiritual qi. He praised, “Nice rice. I think this rice is enough to make up for fifty spiritual stones. If you can bring me another three sacks, we’ll be in the clear.”
“Maybe next year. I still need to keep some for myself, whether it’s to eat or to sell!” Li Long nodded gratefully, not because of the spiritual stones, but because of the respect. He glanced past the bamboo forest that covered most of the island. “It really is quite a pity with this land and those bamboo shoots.”
The land allocated to each agriculture disciple would still be limited after all. The school of Novels definitely had the lowest population density in the academy right now.
As one of the main islands, Cloudwisp island was a first-class spiritual ground, obviously much better than the island where Li Long planted the rice. If he could plant here, there would be quite the harvest as long as he tended to them slightly, even without putting in much effort. And, the bamboo shoots that burst out from the ground were filled with spiritual qi as well.
Li Qingshan came to an even deeper understanding that Cloudwisp island really was a treasured place. He could not just let others take it away. “If you want to, then feel free to clear part of the land and plant on it. You can pick these bamboo shoots as you wish too. I don’t have the time to tend to them anyway.”
Although the spiritual bamboo shoots could replace pills, their effects were limited, so they were not particularly worth it to him. He would be much better off learning alchemy from Ru Xin.
Li Long began to slightly regret that he had not visited Cloudwisp island sooner, but he refused to take advantage of Li Qingshan’s generosity. In the end, they reached the agreement that half of all the crops Li Long planted and half of the bamboo shoots he harvested would go to Li Qingshan.
Not only could he help a fellow villager, but he would also receive many free things, so Li Qingshan happily agreed to it. Even if he did not eat these items himself, they were still quite a good choice to feed Milliped with so that he could recover.
Speaking of which, it was about time this guy woke up from hibernation!
Right as he thought that, he felt the bug pouch on his waist twitch. He happily agreed to Li Long’s request to water the fields.
“I still have some other matters to tend to, so you should go back first! I’ll be there in a second!”
After Li Long had left, Li Qingshan released Milliped and fed him the entire sack of spiritual rice. “There’s no hurry. There’ll be bamboo shoots to eat later too, so just bear with me a little more. I’ll take you back underground very soon.”
After satisfying Milliped and sending him back into the bug pouch, he went to Li Long and helped him out by using the Spiritual Rain technique a few times. He waited until Xiao An had come back from dealing with the school of Buddhism. After that, the two of them passed through the Formation of Dragons and Snakes, leaving the academy.
They went to Clear River city first. Li Qingshan wanted to travel around and use Chu Danqing’s paintings this time so that he could complete a few missions along the way. Earning some merit would obviously be for the best.
The black-clothed envoy in charge of the missions tended to his needs immediately. He took out the missions log and allowed Li Qingshan to browse through it.
Li Qingshan looked through it and chose missions carefully. Coincidentally, he saw a notice at the end of a mission that it was currently being undertaken. The person responsible for it was Qian Rongzhi. He asked, “Has Qian Rongzhi returned?”
“Ma’am Qian has returned twice before immediately taking on a new mission and leaving.”
All three missions had taken her to extremely remote regions far away from the prefectural city.
Li Qingshan thought, Not only is this woman vicious to others, but she basically treats herself no differently. She’s basically trying to commit suicide.
After choosing his missions, Li Qingshan was just about to leave when the envoy in black suddenly said, “Sir Li, ma’am Han is currently upstairs.”
Nothing spread faster in the world than gossip. The two directly involved in the matter were clueless, but it had already led to quite the hubbub within the Hawkwolf Guard. The Han family looking for a son-in-law was no small news.
Li Qingshan said, “Senior sister Han is here too? Then I need to pay her a visit.”
“Sir Li, do be careful. Ma’am Han has been in a very bad mood lately.”
Li Qingshan knew that it probably had something to do with him. He felt rather ashamed about this, so there was even more reason for him to go and explain himself.
The joyous spring sunlight poured into the room.
Han Qiongzhi currently furrowed her brows as she sat in Hua Chengzan’s original spot, dealing with official business. Her shoulder-length hair had been dyed a golden brown, but her face was as bleak as winter. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door, and she said coldly without even looking up, “Come in.”
Li Qingshan made Xiao An wait outside as he entered through the door alone. “Senior sister Han!”
As soon as Han Qiongzhi saw Li Qingshan, anger began to bubble in her. Ever since that night, she thought their relationship had undergone some development. She was just waiting for him to come find her. However, no matter how she waited, no one came. After a slight investigation, she learnt that he had gone into secluded cultivation again, but he did not even give her a notice beforehand.
Her face immediately became frosty as she yelled, “Get out!”
Li Qingshan sighed gently and backed out again.
“Come back!” Han Qiongzhi leapt to her feet. She never thought he would not even be willing to explain himself.
Li Qingshan said, “What else is there?”
“You- you drive me crazy!” Han Qiongzhi bit her lip as she felt both furious and irritated. She could still recall everything that had happened that night vividly. Never had she cast aside her pride to get close to a man, yet she was brushed aside without the slightest acknowledgement like this.
Li Qingshan was unwilling to see her like this. This was the first woman to like him in his current life, and she seemed much more realistic and adorable compared to Gu Yanying, who was currently beyond reach.
If it were possible, he did not want to let down her feelings either, but since fate opposed them, there was no need for him to trouble himself over this. All he could do was apologise. “Let’s go, Xiao An!”
Within the long corridor, Li Qingshan walked away with his brows furrowed. Xiao An followed behind him closely. Suddenly, she raised her hand and grabbed him by the sleeve.
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Chapter 340 – Setting up a Date
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Chapter 340 – Setting up a Date
Li Qingshan looked back. “What’s wrong?”
Xiao An turned around and looked towards the door that was still open. She said, “If you marry her, can we still be together like before?”
Li Qingshan was surprised. He smiled. “If you don’t like it, then forget about it.” Although he was extremely reluctant to accept this, it was easier for him to end this relationship before he had developed any proper feelings. It would be troublesome once he caught feelings. This was for her sake too!
“Just marry her!” Xiao An released his sleeve and suppressed the strange feeling in her heart. This was what he had always wanted, and this should have been the best choice for him too. He would be able to study under great general Han as well. Sigh, how could she become the thing that held him back?
“Do you mean it!”
“I do!”
“It’ll be too late if you start regretting it in the future.” Even if he ignored the consequences of just discarding her after using her, shilly-shallying around had never suited him in the first place.
“I won’t regret it.”
As she watched Li Qingshan vanish through the door, Han Qiongzhi finally could no longer hold her feelings back anymore. She cried as she lied on the table. Li Qingshan, you bastard! Han Qiongzhi, you’re so useless! It’s just a man!
Suddenly, she felt something on her head. She lifted up her head and met Li Qingshan’s eyes.
Even with Li Qingshan’s heart of steel, his feelings still could not help but grow tender. To think that this reckless, arrogant woman would also have a soft side like this, and it was all for him too. If he let her slip by, it would become something he would lament about his entire life. He extended his hand, wanting to wipe away her tears.
“What brought you back?” Han Qiongzhi pushed Li Qingshan’s hand away and wiped away her tears frantically.
“Sorry…”
As soon as Li Qingshan uttered that one word, Han Qiongzhi grabbed him by the wrist as if she was afraid that he would vanish all of a sudden again. “You!” Then she let him go again. She felt like she was pitifully vulnerable whenever they spent time together.
However, it also made her seem extremely worth protecting. Li Qingshan held her hand and promised softly, “Don’t worry, I won’t be leaving.”
“Who wants you anyway!” Han Qiongzhi tried to shake him off, but she failed. “You should go. Stop bothering me now.”
“Can you wait until I come back?”
“Why would I want to wait for you?”
“The bright and beautiful days of spring have the perfect weather for boating,” Li Qingshan smiled. He tossed aside the final layer of worries in his heart. He was in an excellent mood too, so he immediately took the initiative. Since he wanted to take her as his companion, they had to spend some proper time together!
Han Qiongzhi’s mind was thrown into utter chaos by him. She faltered constantly, unable to talk properly for a moment.
“Alright, I’ll just treat it as you’ve agreed to it.” Li Qingshan decided for her. Looking at her rosy lips, he wanted to kiss her goodbye, but he was afraid of scaring her, so he rubbed her head instead. He turned around and left.
“You- come back sooner.” Han Qiongzhi could not help but stand up.
Li Qingshan glanced back. He could still see the tear streaks on her face; her short hair was rather messy, but she was unable to hide the delight on her beautiful face. Although she was shy, she still stared right at him; there was undisguisable sincerity.
For a moment, she seemed absolutely adorable. Li Qingshan almost changed his mind and declared that they would go boating right now.
“Alright, Qiongzhi.” Li Qingshan smiled and closed the door.
Han Qiongzhi sat there in a daze for quite a while. She bit her lip, but she was unable to hold back her smile. She could not help but stand up and pace around. She stood by the window and stretched. It really was a bright and beautiful day of spring. She could not help but begin to look forward to it.
Knock, knock, knock. There were a few knocks on the door, and Han Qiongzhi wiped her face in a hurry, removing the tear streaks and recovering her frosty demeanour.
An envoy in black walked in, trembling. “Ma’am Han, I want to go on leave. My mother…”
“Alright, permitted.”
Fifteen minutes later, news that ma’am Han’s crankiness had finally passed over spread through the entire building. This sir Li sure had a wondrous effect on her. There really was a weakness for everything. The envoy responsible for the missions log was deemed to have rendered a meritorious service too.
In the sky, above the clouds, Xiao An looked at the smiling Li Qingshan and pouted. Hmph, does he really have to be so happy?
Li Qingshan seemed to read her mind. He pinched her cheeks. “You’ll understand once you grow older.”
Xiao An asked rather curiously and eagerly, “When I’m older, will you marry me too?”
Li Qingshan said, “Forget about it. I don’t want to be hunted down by those monks of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. That’s a place on par with the Sword Collection palace.” Just the thought of the fate awaiting him if he married their genius female disciple terrified him.
“I refuse to accept this!”
“It doesn’t matter even if you refuse to accept this. Just stick with your job of very impressive future prospects of being a nun!” Li Qingshan sniggered.
Under Xiao An’s attack of “If you don’t agree, I’ll cry.” all Li Qingshan could do was give in. “Alright, alright. I’ll marry you, I’ll marry you!”
Xiao An immediately cheered up, but she then became troubled again. “But what if they really come looking for trouble?”
Li Qingshan saw how she was contemplating this question seriously, so he showed her his sturdy arm and smiled. “Then I’ll smash all of their bald heads to pieces!”
“Then I’ll help you.” Xiao An found this to be quite a good idea. She had yet to even formally join the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, yet she had already begun to think about how she would abandon them in betrayal and turn against them.
A small city appeared within the fertile land beneath them. Li Qingshan took out a map and checked the location. They had already arrived at their first stop.
It was noon, but it was still rather chilly. The streets were mostly empty, with a few people here and there. Only a group of children laughed and played around energetically, but they ended up disturbing a few people’s naps, earning a scolding and being shooed to one side.
“Where be the damned bandits of the Green Wolf gang!”
Suddenly, an explosive yell woke up everyone from their dreams. They all emerged from their homes to see just what was going on. Just who was looking to die, coming and making trouble for the Green Wolf gang?
The leader of the Green Wolf gang was currently eating with a few friends who were also outlaws. He had already become rather tipsy. When he heard that, he shuddered and fell into a rage. “Someone’s come to make trouble. Brothers, let’s check him out and finish him off.”
Thirty or forty good men of the Green Wolf gang emerged and stood battle-ready at the entrance. The leader of the Green Wolf gang sat in an armed chair at the very centre.
Many people stuck their heads out from the sides of the streets. The children had even widened their eyes. They saw a figure that was not particularly tall cross through the dust, making his way over slowly on the perfectly straight streets.
The leader of the Green Wolf gang squinted his eyes and made out the person. It was a child around eleven or twelve years old. He wore a wide-brimmed straw hat in his hand and wore a shabby cotton garment covered in patches. He held a brush in one hand.
“So it’s a kid!”
“Has he lost his mind?”
However, the children just stared straight at him. Some of them pulled out a picture book from their clothes in a hurry. They looked at it carefully before looking up at the person again. They repeated this several times as their mouths gradually hung agape.
The leader of the Green Wolf gang’s furrowed eyebrows eased up. He had been expecting someone impressive, yet it was just a crazy kid. However, he did take special note of the yell from earlier.
“Who are you supposed to be, wanting to start something with our Green Wolf gang?”
The child declared clearly, “Green Wolf gang, you’ve been a scourge to the common people. You deserve a fate worse than death. Today, I will carry out justice and eliminate you for the common good!”
Everyone from the Green Wolf gang laughed aloud. The other outlaws said, “What are we blabbering with him for? Recently, what I’ve eaten has been so dull that my tongue’s almost dropped off! Let’s dig out his heart! It’ll go well with my alcohol!” As he said that, he even licked his bright red lips. Due to his tastes for human hearts, especially the hearts of children, the people of the jianghu called him the “Heart-feasting Ghost”. He was also an infamous first-rate master.
The leader of the Green Wolf gang waved his hand. “Get him!” Two people immediately approached him.
The child pulled off a painting scroll from his back. With a tremble, he unfurled it. It was a painting of a vicious tiger descending from the mountains!
With a roar, a huge tiger lunged out and pushed down the two people with its front claws. It ripped open their bellies with its razor-sharp claws before lunging towards the leader of the Green Wolf gang.
This huge tiger was ten times as vicious as regular tigers. When it lunged into the group of people, it was no different from lunging into a flock of sheep. A massacre unfolded.
The faces of every single person who saw this froze in fear. Only the eyes of children erupted with surprise.
“It’s him, it’s him! It’s him!”
The “Heart-feasting Ghost” broke out into a cold sweat the moment he saw the huge tiger lunge out of the painting. This had clearly surpassed what regular people could achieve. He must be a legendary cultivator. No matter how powerful people of the jianghu were, it was impossible for them to rival cultivators.
He used his movement technique and fled over the buildings swiftly. However, when he had just leapt over two roofs, he felt his heart become empty, as if something was missing. Looking down, a bloody hole had already appeared on his chest before he knew it. His heart had already vanished.
He turned his head swiftly and saw that his heart was in the hands of a man, dripping with blood. He had eaten quite a few hearts throughout his life, but this was the first time he had seen his own heart. Indescribable agony and despair filled his mind.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve done jobs like this. Though, it seems like I still haven’t lost my edge.” Li Qingshan casually tossed the heart to Xiao An. She unleashed the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration and turned that person into flames, bones and all.
At this moment, the battle between the huge tiger and the Green Wolf gang had ended too. The huge tiger from the painting was not particularly powerful, only at the level of third or fourth layer Qi Practitioners, but it was too easy for it when it came to dealing with a group of people from the jianghu.
This painting was obviously one that Chu Danqing had given him. Although the character he conjured already possessed similar abilities to this, he still used true qi to unleash these paintings in order to save his power of belief for the upcoming battle.
Li Qingshan fished out another painting from his hundred treasures pouch and tossed it into the air. It unfurled, but it was empty.
The empty painting flew around in the air and sucked away all the corpses before returning to Li Qingshan’s hands. Now, a few dozen corpses appeared in the painting.
The painting was equivalent to a hundred treasures pouch for the school of Painting. Not only could it store inanimate objects, but it could even seal living creatures in there. It was extremely interesting. He was saving up these corpses as food for Xiao An. He carried out both the killing and the disposal, offering a one package service.
The child with the straw hat rode the tiger and bounded away. Everyone emerged from their homes and saw how not even a trace of the Green Wolf gang who had once run amok here remained. If it were not for the bloody marks on the ground, they basically would have thought it was all a dream.
The children’s faces all reddened from excitement as they ran through the streets, cheering.
IThe adults were still clueless as to why they were so happy until someone suddenly recalled. “Hmm? Isn’t that child a character from the picture book that our little baby girl gets us to read to her?”
“Don’t tell me that the picture book is real?”
PS: New rope skipping record: 70.
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Chapter 341 – Return
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Chapter 341 – Return
In the sky, Li Qingshan sat on a cloud with his legs crossed. He could sense that the power of belief was gathering much faster in his Divine Talisman of Great Creation.
If belief was a power, then the people in the city below gradually began to believe in the existence of a fictitious being.
“Let’s go. To the next stop!”
Li Qingshan travelled around. He had carefully chosen all of these missions. He had accepted many, covering a large range, but they were extremely simple too. He basically only hunted down people of the jianghu.
This was not because he could not complete harder missions. There were probably no Qi Practitioners that he and Xiao An could not beat. However, the main reason for all this was for the character he had written to stand out. Various issues would arise once Qi Practitioners became involved, and it would no longer be within the domain of regular people either.
Even if he cut down the master of the Sword Collection palace right now, the common people would not know who he was! Beating up those local tyrants and aristocrats who ran amuck and abused the common people were what regular people loved to see.
Gradually, the image of a teenage hero was established in the extensive hearts of the common people.
Yes, a teenager. Li Qingshan had originally decided on a half-grown child, but the child would grow with the rumors. He would be different every time he conjured him, appearing in this world in a form that lived up to everyone’s expectations.
He was mentioned within every household, and the patches on the teenager’s clothes either multiplied or lessened as a result. The colour of his waistband would vary too. The brush in his right hand would always remain, but sometimes he would be holding a reed flute or a gourd in his left hand.
His final form was determined by thousands of thoughts of belief and faith.
At the same time, the power of belief within the Divine Talisman of Great Creation multiplied. The teenage hero became more realistic, more vivid, and stronger.
His eyes even twinkled with a light that was no different from a living person’s, which left Li Qingshan secretly amazed over the wonders of the art from the school of Novels.
Of course, he still lacked the ability of independent thought, so he was not a living person. All he could do was behave like a machine and utter some predetermined phrases. At times that mattered, Li Qingshan would have to secretly control him like a wooden puppet.
However, Li Qingshan could sense what limited him was no longer the quantity of power of belief, but the level of his Divine Talisman of Great Creation.
And, the level of the Divine Talisman of Great Creation was limited by his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner. Only when he underwent the heavenly tribulation and converted his true qi into spiritual qi could he reestablish the Divine Talisman of Great Creation, granting it even greater power. By then, perhaps he really could conjure something like a living child that could communicate with others.
On the top of the highest building in the city, Zhao Lingshu stood with his arms crossed, staring coldly at a figure that rode away on a tiger. He leapt down, and a pair of metal wings unfolded on his back, gliding through the air in pursuit.
With a whoosh, he kicked up a great gust of wind and descended from the sky, landing before the young man.
“Who are you? Why are you blocking my path?” said the teenager in an exaggerated manner; it was like he was acting out a show.
Zhao Lingshu said coldly, “Which painter do you study under, copying others by trying to uphold justice and eliminate the crooked? Your tricks can fool regular people, but they can’t fool me.”
“Who are you? Why are you blocking my path?” said the teenager in the same exaggerated manner like he was acting out a show.
“Do you know what the people you killed on Jade Altar mountain are to me?” Zhao Lingshu furrowed his brows. He was born in a bandit’s nest. His father and brothers were all bandits. Due to his talent of being able to practise qi, he was chosen by the leader of the Six Directions association, a renowned gang within the Clear River prefecture. He was taken in as a disciple. After many years of arduous cultivation, he had reached the seventh layer, but he never expected he would discover all his relatives dead, without a single trace left, when he returned home triumphantly.
“Who are you? Why are you blocking my path?” The teenager repeated his words once again in an exaggerated manner like he was acting out a show.
If Zhao Lingshu had played video games before, he would definitely find this sight extremely familiar. Unfortunately, while the teenager seemed no different from a real person, and he could unleash many powerful moves, he was still not a person at the end of the day.
It was exactly because he had never played them before that Zhao Lingshu lost his temper. “The people you killed were all my family! I want you to die!”
Shwing! He drew the sword on his back, and it swept over to the teenager’s neck like a bolt of lightning, like a dragon swimming through the air.
Zhao Lingshu could already see the moment when the young man was beheaded. He had not come for revenge out of hot-headedness. Instead, he had secretly undertaken quite a lot of investigation. The teenager possessed the abilities of the school of Painting, but the paintings he produced were at the third or fourth layer at most. There was no reason for him to fear.
Sure enough, the teenager remained in a daze as he watched the sword fly over. He did not react at all.
Just when he was about to exact his revenge. Zhao Lingshi instead felt a certain loneliness of being aloof from the world. As a cultivator, he was destined to walk a path of solitude. Farewell, father. Farewell, brothers. Please bless me in the afterlife!
However, the flying sword ended up stabbing nothing. The teenager had vanished into thin air, and the huge tiger was squashed into a thin piece of paper, flying into the air. Zhao Lingshu was taken aback.
“Oi, what’s wrong with you?”
A man in black descended from the sky on a white cloud with a child as he called out at Zhao Lingshu.
Li Qingshan had just been distracted for a moment as he conversed with Xiao An, yet as soon as he looked back, he saw a sword flying over. He immediately dispersed the power of belief and recalled the huge tiger.
Zhao Lingshu said coldly, “So you were secretly behind everything?”
Xiao An had always been alert, so she told Li Qingshan what had happened.
“I was wondering why the shitty bandits of Jade Altar mountain were so arrogant. As it turns out, you’re backing them.” Only now did Li Qingshan understand the full story, which made him furious. He had quite an impression of the place, as he saved over a dozen women from the bandit’s nest. All of them had been toyed with to a point where they almost bore no human resemblance. Some of them had even lost their minds.
He had yet to see any of those legendary heroic outlaws who upheld justice and fought for righteousness.
“Regular people are no different from ants. They can’t escape their fate of being toyed with and slaughtered. Since you’ve admitted to it, you can go die!” Zhao Lingshu controlled the sword with his fingers, and it shot over with lightning speed.
The aura Li Qingshan gave off was only at the seventh layer, and the child beside him was just a mortal. He had absolute confidence in slaughtering the two of them then and there. Although the entire matter had surprised him slightly, everything was still within his control. When he saw how Li Qingshan tried to catch his sword with his hand, he even sneered.
“Chop through it!”
Li Qingshan casually caught the flying sword. “I think you’re no different from an ant too!”
Zhao Lingshu urged the sword on, and the flying sword thrummed, but it did not even budge in Li Qingshan’s hand. He was shocked. He understood he had run into a powerful opponent now, and he was actually an uncommon Body Practitioner. With a flap of his metal wings, he took flight. Fortunately, he still had this pair of mohist Dual Metal wings that his master had bestowed to him. He could fly through the air freely, allowing him to remain invincible.
However, in the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had leapt into the air too. He moved even faster than the flying sword, which made Zhao Lingshu pale in fright.
As Zhao Lingshu pulled back in a hurry, he said, “Why must we go at each other’s throats over some regular people? I’ve already thought it through. Ever since I’ve embarked on a path of cultivation, I should cut off these feelings of attachment to the mundane world. I shouldn’t have any connection to them anymore. I have to thank you for helping me sever this tie. I’m Zhao Lingshu of the Six Directions society. May I ask for your esteemed name?”
“Die, ant!”
Li Qingshan used the Wave Treading Form and suddenly sped up. He arrived before Zhao Lingshu in the blink of an eye. He formed a tiger’s claw with his right hand and easily pierced his protective true qi, clawing through his skin and ribs and gripping his warm heart before conveniently plucking it out.
It was quite a sensation to use the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart on cultivators.
I’m actually going to die here! Zhao Lingshu’s eyes suddenly dilated. My path of cultivation has only just begun…
He used his final bit of strength to crush a talisman for requesting help.
He was given to Xiao An as a snack, and there were a few useful items in his hundred treasures pouch, with this pair of metal wings in particular. They were quite interesting.
As for Zhao Lingshu’s request for help, Li Qingshan was not bothered by it at all. During the year he spent in the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts, he gained an understanding of all the renowned sects in the Clear River prefecture.
The Six Directions society was a gang similar to the Iron Fist school in nature. He had even forgotten whether their leader was a ninth or tenth layer Qi Practitioner, but what mattered was he definitely was not a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In the eyes of people of the jianghu, they were a terrifying titan, but to Li Qingshan and Xiao An, they were just a group of self-propelled hundred treasures pouches and an express family meal delivery service. The only thing they would fear would be if they did not end up coming.
Li Qingshan even considered whether to watch over this place and wait for them to deliver themselves to him. However, who knew whether this would succeed or not and proper business took priority after all. He was still in a hurry to head back and go on a date with Han Qiongzhi!
He leapt up and rode off on a cloud.
Two hours later, an old man arrived in this region of wilderness and looked around. He was the leader of the Six Directions association. His cultivation had already reached the ninth layer, almost reaching the peak of Qi Practitioners.
If Li Qingshan had known he would come so quickly, he would probably regret not waiting here for a while.
Their hearts were connected as master and disciple. The old man could sense that Zhao Lingshu was probably already done for. He became furious. His most talented disciple had actually died here! All his years of nurturing had gone to waste.
As for revenge? He would be better off forgetting about it! There were no traces of fighting on the ground. A person who could silently kill Zhao Lingshu was not someone he could afford to provoke.
Gangs like his seemed glorious, able to obtain all the riches and women of the mundane world, but throughout the entire cultivation world, they were truly bottom dwellers. They could not afford to offend either disciples of sects or the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts without good reason. The slightest carelessness could lead to the destruction of their entire gang. He took pity on his disciple for possessing wild ambitions, but horrendous luck.
A month later, the Divine Talisman of Great Creation shone brilliantly. The light blurred the glyphs on there such that it seemed like a blue sun, illuminating his entire sea of qi.
Li Qingshan smiled in satisfaction, but just this was still not enough. However, he had already scattered his seeds in the ground, so he only needed to wait for it to bloom and fruit. He still had around three months, so it should be enough.
Li Qingshan stood before the bustling Hawkwolf Guard and raised his head to look at the vice commander’s room below the hawk. He smiled resplendently. “Qiongzhi, I’m here!”
He actually felt slightly excited. This was after all the first time he had gone on a date in the eighteen years after reincarnating. Xiao An had returned to Anāsravāṃ island with the painting of corpses, giving him plenty of time.
On the Lake of Dragons and Snakes rippling with blue waves, it was a bright and beautiful spring day. Li Qingshan laid back under a cabin leisurely with a beauty beside him. Her eyes were filled with tenderness, and her valiant demeanour was replaced with gentleness too. Her smooth, rosy lips seemed tender and almost juicy. They opened and closed a few times, letting out a gentle and melodious voice.
“If Gu Yanying and I were in danger at the same time, who would you save first?”
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Chapter 342 – Date
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Chapter 342 – Date
Li Qingshan suddenly sat up and shook his head, as if he had yet to wake up from his dream from earlier. He found her question to be startlingly familiar.
“Don’t play dumb! Tell me!” Han Qiongzhi’s face was red as she pinched Li Qingshan’s cheek with a fuming expression.
This question, compared to the original version, was obviously much easier to answer. Li Qingshan said, “I’d obviously save you. If there’s danger that even she can’t resolve, what am I supposed to be able to do?”
Originally, he thought his quip would displease Han Qiongzhi, but he never thought she would smile and say, “That’s more like it.”
Her slender finger stroked past his cheek, leading to a gentle itch. The small boat rocked gently, producing ripples that radiated away from them. The warm spring breeze filled the sail. Her sweet smile deeply infected him too. He felt fortunate that he could be here.
Under his smiling gaze, she suddenly felt this was rather improper of her. After all, this was the first time they had gone on a date together, yet she just found all of this so familiar, having been anticipating this for the longest time.
She had a fiery character. If she were uninterested, she could even ignore a handsome man like Hua Chengzan. However, if she were interested, then her feelings would erupt like a volcano and she would be completely hopeless, unable to remain particularly reserved. However, she still managed to melt away the firmness of Li Qingshan’s heart.
“If it’s just you, then you won’t even be able to get close to her even in your next ten lives, so don’t have those wild thoughts like little Hua!” Han Qiongzhi pinched her nose. She could look down on Qiu Haitang’s irresistible charm, but even she felt rather powerless before Gu Yanying.
Not only was Gu Yanying the main commander of the entire Hawkwolf Guard of the Ruyi commandery, but she was also something akin to an idol. It was not just Hua Chengzan. There were countless people who were enchanted by her. Even the Marquis of Ruyi was no different, let alone others.
Li Qingshan smiled confidently. “Hah, just you wait. I’ll marry her too and turn the two of you into sisters.”
“Don’t you even think about it! Who agreed to marry you anyway?!” Han Qiongzhi said in irritation. Her gentle touch immediately turned into a firm pinch.
Li Qingshan said, “You’d best hurry up then. If you’re a little slow, you’ll have to be the younger sister.”
Han Qiongzhi leaned on him heavily and grabbed him by the collar. The small boat rocked as a result. They were outside the Formation of Dragons and Snakes, on the Lake of Dragons and Snakes that seemed to stretch on endlessly. There were within a large patch of yellow reeds, which was sheltered and serene.
A clear and melodious voice alarmed a few water birds.
“Li Qingshan, let me tell you! You’ll have to listen to me in the future!”
“Why must I?” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. Surely there was no such thing where men had to cede to women in this world! Though, from this perspective, there sure were a few rising and falling peaks. He wondered what they felt like.
“Because I’m your senior sister and your senior!” Noticing Li Qingshan’s gaze, Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened slightly, but she held her chest high proudly.
“Then I need to work hard and get promoted soon so that I can try out the position of commander.” Li Qingshan conveniently placed his hand around her waist. Her thin, spring dress wrapped around her tightly, smooth to the touch.
Han Qiongzhi trembled slightly, but she let his hand remain there. She moved off him and threatened viciously, “From today onwards, I am the only person you’re allowed to touch. If you cheat on me, I’ll- I’ll…”
“What’ll you do?”
“I’ll cut it off.” Even Han Qiongzhi struggled to hold back her laughter.
“Sigh, but it’s still brand-new! Surely you have to use it first!” Li Qingshan’s hand conveniently slid down to her bottom.
Han Qiongzhi leapt up. She became bright red at first before suddenly laughing aloud. She rubbed Li Qingshan’s head and said, “So you’re still a… How pitiful. If you behave well, I’ll show you pity and let you try the taste of a woman.” She recovered her usual boldness. As she looked at Li Qingshan, she seemed to be looking at something that was hers, completely content with him.
Sometimes, she would suddenly remember that he was actually a few years younger than her. Of course, a difference of a few years was not the end of the world to cultivators who lived for centuries. However, she would often forget about this, as the feeling he gave off had always been mature and composed, so she felt like she was the younger one instead.
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll have to trouble the experienced big sister Han in guiding me.”
“What’re you saying? I’m obviously a…” Han Qiongzhi said furiously.
“A what?” Li Qingshan snickered.
Only then did Han Qiongzhi realise he was teasing her. She prodded his forehead firmly. “You’ll know in the future!”
Li Qingshan studied her up and down. His gaze seemed to have penetrated her clothes already, taking in all of her delicate, perfectly proportioned body and imagining matters of the future.
Han Qiongzhi readjusted her posture slightly unnaturally. If other men ever stared at her like this, she would roar at them, “I’ll dig out your eyes if you keep looking!” Many of the times, she was not saying this just for show. Neither the school of the Military or the school of Legalism taught their disciples to be soft-hearted.
Li Qingshan suddenly shook his head. He opened the cabin and made his way out from under it. He looked at the endless reeds and said, “I want many wives and consorts. I want all the beauties of the world to be my wives and consorts. How can I just stop here?”
“Why don’t you keep going?” Han Qiongzhi lunged over and wrapped her arm around his neck firmly.
However, it would be difficult for her to cause Li Qingshan any discomfort with her physical strength. Instead, she seemed like she was hanging off him, with her chest pressing firmly against his back. It was quite the sensation for Li Qingshan, who only smiled. “I’m just talking from the bottom of my heart.”
“You just love bullying me because I like you. You’re only spending time with me because you want to take advantage of me!” Han Qiongzhi suddenly released him and backed away to one side.
Li Qingshan turned around, but what he saw was that her eye rims had already reddened as she glared at him. It was true. Whenever he saw how brusque and simple-minded she was, he could not help but bully her. He went up and wrapped his arms around her waist, saying gently, “Qiongzhi.”
“What?” She spoke viciously, but her heart softened.
“Nothing. I just find you even more adorable than before.”
“Do you really think you can- you can…” Han Qiongzhi’s face was flushed, but her complaints had already vanished into thin air.
“Just you is enough.” This truly came from the bottom of Li Qingshan’s heart. Although he always said he wanted all the beauties in the world, she had already taken up all his attention whenever he spent time beside her. Yes, she possessed the charm.
And, a person’s time and energy would be limited at the end of the day. He had to spend time with Xiao An, he had to cultivate, and he had to learn alchemy too. Even if he could obtain everything, he would not have the time to enjoy them all! Was he supposed to waste away all of his time in the arms of women? There were still a lot of things he wanted to do!
Even Han Qiongzhi’s gaze became lost. She was filled with utter joy. So this was what reciprocation between two lovers felt. Just a single word from the significant other was enough to elate them.
She had once looked down on these feelings of love and attachment, but she deeply understood their wonders now. She raised her head. “That’s what you’re promising!”
“That’s what I’m promising. It’s quite late now. I need to go learn alchemy, and you still need to return to the school of Legalism to handle official business!” Li Qingshan let go of her waist at the cost of tremendous willpower and took a step back, separating from her warm, enchanting body.
“Are you going to go find Ru Xin?” Han Qiongzhi could not help but wonder whether Ru Xin and he got along like how they were just then. Combined with her reluctance to part with him, a strange feeling filled her heart.
“Yeah. I’m going to go learn alchemy. Trusting your man is a woman’s duty!” Li Qingshan caressed her hair. Although he was tempted to spend an entire day here with her, it would probably only worsen Han Anjun’s impression of him. Since he wanted to be with her, he had to consider what his future father-in-law thought about him.
Han Qiongzhi heard his explanation and felt warm and at peace inside. She bit her lip and agreed with his saying about men and women through silence. She had never been a fussy woman. This had just been her first encounter with love, so she had lost her usual composure.
“Alright, you should go back then. I’ll come find you on Cloudwisp island at night.”
“A lone man and woman spending the night together doesn’t sound like a particularly good idea!” Li Qingshan knew that the culture of this world was still quite conservative. If they were both from ordinary backgrounds, then no one could say anything if they decided between themselves to get married. However, Han Qiongzhi was the young lady of an aristocratic clan after all. Although she was quite casual most of the time, she still cared about her reputation at the end of the day.
“What’s so wrong about that? It’s decided then.” As Han Qiongzhi said that, she made her way over to the nose of the boat and took off ahead of Li Qingshan.
The small boat rocked for quite a while longer. Only then did Li Qingshan think it through. She was probably afraid he would spend a night alone with Ru Xin instead! It was quite rare of her to think of a tactic like this. Sure enough, those dramas about power struggles within the imperial harem were not for show. If he really did end up with multiple wives and consorts, it would probably drive him crazy.
What was this tactic supposed to be? Sating the tiger with your own body? Li Qingshan could not help but look forward to it. He stowed the exquisite boat into his hundred treasures pouch and leapt off as well.
On Benevolence island in Ru Xin’s alchemy room, a huge pill cauldron stood in the centre. It stood on three legs, surrounded by a design of cranes with unfurled wings. It was called the Three Cranes cauldron. It was completely snowy-white, standing elegantly and delicately, just like her.
Ru Xin sat before the cauldron in white clothes. Her hair levitated in the air; the few strands of hair that drooped down were simple and elegant, contrasting against the pill cauldron.
As soon as she saw Li Qingshan, she let out her usual, warm smile. “Your face is glowing, and your time for marriage is approaching. Qingshan, are you expecting?”
Li Qingshan sat down on the cushion beside her and said sternly, “Oh right. Ru Xin, from today onwards, don’t tease me anymore. It’s impossible for anything to happen between us. You’d better just stick to teaching me alchemy!”
She tried playing cute and let out a slight grumble, but it sounded like a cat’s meow. She turned her head away and glanced at Li Qingshan. Just her soft glance was enough to drive men crazy. She was basically purposely destroying the usual, elegant image she had cultivated, but she still gave off a different form of attractiveness.
“Quit it!” Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. He had gotten to know her from the time they spent together. This woman basically had no limits with how far she could go with her jokes, but he could not help but admit she was extremely enchanting.
Ru Xin frowned sadly. “My darling Li, you really would forget about the old when you have someone new.” She shivered. “Urgh, that’s sickening. I feel like I’m the one who’s suffering here. Alright, the joke ends here. Today, I’ll go through the gentle and fierce flames for alchemy.”
The effects of spiritual herbs, the manipulation of the pill cauldron, and the control over time were all explained through her crimson lips, allowing Li Qingshan to learn exactly how much detail alchemy involved. If he were off by just a short moment, the effects of the pills would be worlds apart.
There were plenty of snide comments and remarks during the process. The greatest benefit of learning from her was that it would never be boring.
However, they never made anymore bodily contact, and it was not because Li Qingshan had reformed himself and decided to be a good, faithful man.
Instead, it was Ru Xin who smiled. “If you lay another finger on me, I’ll tell first young miss Han.”
“How did you know it was her?” Li Qingshan was taken aback.
“Apart from her, who else would take a fancy to a man like you? You’re not graceful, charming, or honest. You’re only slightly stronger when it comes to fighting, which is barely a virtue.”
Li Qingshan raised his index finger and waggled it around gently. “Ru Xin, oh Ru Xin. That’s what you call sour grapes. That’s no good.”
“Huh?”
“And, fighting is where the souls of men lie. Aren’t you captivated too when you watch me fight?”
“Huh?”
“There’s no need to say anything more. I understand. Sorry, but I can’t reciprocate your feelings. Maybe in another lif-”
Ru Xin interrupted him with a roar, “Acting all sentimental! You’d better stop where you should!”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. Ru Xin was all stern in the beginning before beginning to laugh as well. Perhaps she did have other men who she could talk and joke around with, but he was the only one who treated her so nonchalantly without any ulterior motives. Just like the joke earlier, she could only say something like that to him. Intentionally or otherwise, was she trying to probe him out too?
The conclusion she reached was that he truly was stubborn. Once he had decided on something, he would do everything he could to achieve it. On the contrary, once he deemed something to be off-limits, he would cut himself off from it without the slightest hesitation. He was truly a person who could pick things up or drop them at a whim. When a man like that fell in love, his feelings would blaze like fire, but when he grew cold, he would be quite terrifying. This was his charm!
“You really are very special.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s refine pills, refine pills!”
Around dusk, Li Qingshan sensed something and pushed open the door to the alchemy room. He saw Han Qiongzhi pacing around on the shore nearby. “Qiongzhi, what brought you here?”
“Nothing. I’ve just come to see you,” Han Qiongzhi said in a hurry, but she became rather helpless before Li Qingshan’s smile that seemed to see through her.
Ru Xin walked out and smiled. “We’ll stop here for today!” She did not act up anymore, which brought Li Qingshan a breath of relief.
They returned to Cloudwisp island together and discovered that many places had been cleared out, with various crops planted in their place.
Liu Chuanfeng rushed out from inside. “Qingshan, how are you?” He had heard that Li Qingshan would be returning, so he purposefully waited here. However, he leapt in fright the moment he saw Han Qiongzhi. “H- Han Qiongzhi!”
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s wrong?”
As it turned out, Liu Chuanfeng had not just been looked down on by men for writing smut in the past. As a woman, Han Qiongzhi’s impression of the matter was self-explanatory. She had once cursed him publicly in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, and ever since then, Liu Chuanfeng would avoid her whenever he saw her. But now, it was unavoidable.
“School leader Liu, long time no see.” Han Qiongzhi bowed casually. She still had to show some respect for Li Qingshan’s sake.
“Yeah, yeah!” Liu Chuanfeng studied them up and down before quickly pulling Li Qingshan to one side. “The two of you?” He clenched his fists and wiggled his thumbs, hinting at their relationship.
Li Qingshan nodded. “Yep!”
Liu Chuanfeng patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder in great admiration. Originally, he had thought it was all a rumor, but he never expected it to be true. Whether it was her appearance, figure, cultivation, or background, she was perfect, but her personality was a little too over-the-top. Whenever she lost her temper, she would always act fearlessly and recklessly. It was not something regular people could put up with.
There had been quite a few people who had once thought it would not be an issue as long as they could establish ties with the Han family, but they all ended up suffering disastrous defeat, humiliating themselves. There had even been rumors on the streets that she preferred women (actually, they came from Liu Chuanfeng after he had been cursed in public). Never did he think she would actually fall in love with Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan asked, “What brought you back here?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “I’m worried for you. In another two or three months, you’ll have to fight Chu Danqing. To think you’re still in the mood to go out and complete missions. How’s your collection of power of belief going?”
“It’s going alright.” Li Qingshan glanced at the Divine Talisman of Great Creation again. In just a single day, it had grown by almost ten percent.
This was the benefit of divine talismans. He could sit at home, doing nothing, and it would still grow constantly. This was the effects of exponential growth, allowing it to grow by compounding upon itself. The seeds he had planted had already begun to sprout.
Of course, there was definitely a limit to this growth. It was restricted to the region of the Clear River prefecture, but the benefits would linger for a very long time. At the very least, they would not be going anywhere within the next century.
“Are you absolutely confident you’ll win?”
“I can’t say that I’m absolutely confident, but I never fight a battle unprepared.”
“I don’t have to worry if that’s how you’re putting it. We can’t let other people take Cloudwisp island. Oh right, did you tell that agriculture disciple Li Long to use our land?”
Li Qingshan replied, “Yeah I did. It’s fine, right? Don’t worry, you have a share in this too!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. If you can win your battle, it’s fine even if you cut down all the bamboo on the island!” Liu Chuanfeng had considered this idea in the past too, but back then, just who wanted to have anything to do with the school of Novels? There had been a few agriculture disciples who were interested too, but when they returned, earth elder Huang replied to their request indifferently, “You’d better tend to your own plot of land properly first!”
Ever since then, no more agriculture disciples were bold enough to mention this. Only a new disciple like Li Long would be unaware of this incident. Perhaps it was because of the reformed reputation of the school of Novels, or perhaps Li Long’s hard work had earned earth elder Huang’s recognition, so the elder deemed him to have already tended to his plot of land properly. Regardless, he did not encounter any obstructions at all. He asked for help from a few seniors and juniors he was familiar with, and they began planting very soon.
“Is there anything else?” Li Qingshan asked impatiently. Just what was a lovers’ world supposed to be when there was an obscene, middle-aged man in the mix?
Liu Chuanfeng glanced at Han Qiongzhi again and muttered, “You got a woman, so you’ve forgotten about your master now.”
After Liu Chuanfeng left, Han Qiongzhi asked, “You haven’t copied him, right?”
Li Qingshan asked, “Copied what?”
“I heard he uses his power of belief to conjure women from his novels before going at it with them. What a deviant,” Han Qiongzhi said in disgust.
“Of course not. The level of my Divine Talisman of Great Creation is far too low. The characters I conjure aren’t realistic. There’s nothing interesting about something like that either. I’ll think about it after I reach Foundation Establishment,” Li Qingshan said in contemplation, leading to a displeased gaze from Han Qiongzhi. He smiled. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”
Though, if they really were like real people, wouldn’t that mean he could make many of his wild wishes from his past life come true? It would be a portable harem. A temptation like that really would be difficult to resist. Surely that was not betrayal, right? Men would always have some little secrets of their own!
Han Qiongzhi said, “I’m not joking with you. If I find out you have, I’ll cut..”
“Stop!” Li Qingshan glanced at the depths of the bamboo forest. “What’re you standing there for? Why don’t you come over?”
Only now did Han Qiongzhi discover that Xiao An was standing silently in the forest nearby. Under the moonlight, she seemed perfect, but her expressionless face seemed slightly terrifying.
Xiao An walked over and asked curiously, “Cut what?”
Li Qingshan said, “Cut watermelon.”
Han Qiongzhi knew that this child was extremely important to Li Qingshan, and her talent and strength was not something she could ignore. She greeted her as amicably as she could.
Xiao An glanced at Li Qingshan. Under his suggestion, she called her big sister Han.
Their world of two became a world of three. Li Qingshan was not really affected by this. Out of the two of them, one was family, while the other would become his family. There was nothing wrong with having them familiarise with each other.
Han Qiongzhi, however, felt very uncomfortable. This child was just too strange. She had tried to get close to her, but the child’s gaze towards her remained cold, like a delicate doll. Only when she spoke to Li Qingshan did she suddenly seem to spring alive with a hint of liveliness. She found it strange that Li Qingshan did not find this weird at all.
As the sky gradually darkened, all Han Qiongzhi could do was bid farewell. She did not find tonight to be as great as she had imagined it to be in the afternoon.
Passing over the small, serene path through the bamboo forest, Li Qingshan accompanied her to the shore. He said, “Xiao An just isn’t particularly friendly with people she’s unfamiliar with. Please forgive her.”
Han Qiongzhi said in dejection, “I don’t care about what she thinks, but I just feel like I’m the outsider when you’re with her.” Every time they exchanged glances, it seemed to be hiding a message that was indecipherable to outsiders, as if they could read each other’s minds.
Li Qingshan smiled. “It’s not like we were like that from the first time we met. We went through many, many things together.” He embraced her gently, patting her back as if he was trying to comfort her. “We’ll start right now. In the future, we’ll be like that too.”
Han Qiongzhi agreed to that. She smiled. “It’s good that she’s here. You can’t just take advantage of me so easily anymore.”
“How can you call that taking advantage of when it’s with my own woman?” Just like what Ru Xin thought, he was indeed stubborn from a certain perspective. If he wanted to give up on them, he would let them go willingly, but if he wanted to possess them, he would grasp them firmly in his hand.
Han Qiongzhi could sense his resolve from his words, and her heart eased up as a result. She bit her lip and placed her hands on her chest. “I will do my best.”
With her hands behind her back, she walked backwards. Stepping onto the surface of the lake, she produced a series of ripples under her feet. She said gently, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned around gracefully and walked off into the distance. Her steps were as spry as a child’s.
As he watched her travel away, Li Qingshan said quietly, “I will do the same.” He truly wished there would be a day when he could tell her all his secrets.
Returning to the bamboo building, Li Qingshan said, “What do you think of her?”
Xiao An said, “She’s worth two hundred people.”
Li Qingshan smacked her head and joked in a furious manner, “Is doubling the number supposed to be a sign of respect? It’s too late if you want to regret it now.”
Xiao An rubbed her head and pouted. “I regret nothing!” How could that woman keep up with his steps and accompany him to beyond the Nine Heavens?
Spring rain fell endlessly. Within the Main Martial Arts stadium of the school of the Military.
Having been invited over once again, Li Qingshan said to the military disciples who stood in formation nearby, “This time, there’s no chance for you to win.”
Han Qiongzhi stood out behind him as she cheered him on. She waved her fist. “Qingshan, beat them up!”
The military disciples were absolutely devastated by this. They felt like their most important position had already collapsed before the battle had even begun. As the school with the strictest supervision, such that they did not even permit their disciples to leave the island without good reason, the school of Military never had any female cultivators who were bored enough to come and watch the military disciples abuse themselves.
Only Han Qiongzhi would visit here frequently, appreciating their hard work and being able to get along with them. She was the standard dream lover to the military disciples.
Now, their dream had shattered, and their love rival was standing right before them. With a furious roar, they poured their strength together in unison.
PS: Huge release of six thousand characters, asking for monthly tickets! Even if you call me shameless, I’ll still ask for themmmmmm! Thank you for your sect master donation, fellow Eye Mother! Don’t blame me for not erupting with releases in gratitude. This is all that I can do. As a diligent old ox for cultivating the land, you can’t expect me to move faster than a horse. Actually, this month’s releases have been alright, right?
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Chapter 343 – Alchemy Success
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Chapter 343 – Alchemy Success
“Fall into formation!” With an explosive bellow, a huge snake raised its head within the military formation. Compared to last time, it was even more consolidated. Clearly, their past few months of effort had not gone to waste.
Li Qingshan bent over slightly, like a huge bow being slowly drawn. The invisible bowstring was drawn to the limit, and at the same time, a wave formed below his feet.
Thrum! It was like the sound of a bow’s release.
Li Qingshan vanished from his location. He turned into a black shadow and passed through the densely-packed rain droplets, carving out a temporary gap. He arrived almost a hundred meters in the air before slowing down.
However, he immediately took a step backwards, stepping through the illusionary wave. With a bang, it turned into a gust of wind that blew away the rain, pulling him even higher up. As if there was an invisible flight of stairs below his feet, he quickly turned into a black speck in the grey sky.
What was he trying to do? The military disciples all thought of the same question, Is he running away?
No, they immediately dismissed this thought. Li Qingshan was wretched, but he was not a coward!
After calming down from their joy from their last victory last time, no one needed any explanation to understand that it should have been impossible for them to win. They developed even more respect towards Li Qingshan. This guy was truly a courageous one, an opponent worthy of respect. It was not a coincidence that he had managed to steal senior sister Han’s heart.
However, exactly because of this, they needed to defeat him fair and square. They could not embarrass the school of the Military. They could not embarrass the Han family. The huge snake raised its head and flicked its tongue.
Behind the formation, Han Tieyi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Han Qiongzhi from afar. He could see her clenching her fists and gazing at the sky, her face rosy and beaming. She seemed like a completely different person. She had gained a hint of feminine beauty.
He subsequently looked at the sky too and said quietly, “Well done.”
Ru Xin shielded her eyes and gazed into the distance. What a stupid idea!
The wind whistled fiercely. Li Qingshan had already arrived at an extremely high altitude, so high that he could even see all the islands of the academy below. The scattered islands were like huge vessels that floated on the deep blue lake.
Suddenly, he pivoted his body and up and down reversed instantly. The grey clouds became the vast ground below his feet, while above him, the green clouds drifted through the deep, blue sky. He began to climb once again.
“He’s coming!” someone called out. Everyone raised their heads, and all they saw was the tiny, black speck among the grey clouds rapidly growing larger and clearer. It was a blue ball of light.
A ball of water spinning rapidly wrapped around Li Qingshan firmly. Its surface was turbulent, forming a suction force. It drew in all the drizzle in the air, allowing it to rapidly expand.
Ocean Wielding—The Vortex Form.
This was the only move capable of defence within Ocean Wielding. The method of defence differed drastically from the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. It did not create an indestructible structure. Instead, it could deflect and nullify the attacks of enemies like a vortex.
Water had to move, whether it was for attacking or defending, and the faster, the better. This move was similar to the Wave Treading Form. It required an extremely high control over true qi, but it did not place a particularly great focus on true qi quantity, which was why Li Qingshan could use it.
With the Wave Treading Form, he accelerated again and again, like a blue comet falling towards the sky. Without skewing away at all, it fell towards the snake head.
Whistling and roars filled his ears. The ball of water had become extremely large now. As it fell from the sky, it was an utterly shocking sight.
All the military disciples were fearless. They circulated their true qi as hard as they could and produced a combined roar.
The snake head and the water ball collided instantly. The water ball collapsed and revealed Li Qingshan in the very centre, who was surrounded by blue eddies of true qi. The snake head was unscathed, only dimming slightly. The collision had missed by a millimeter.
The actual collision happened in the next moment. Like a drill, Li Qingshan bore deeply into the snake’s head, spinning and drilling down.
Boom!
The ground shook and shockwaves sent soil sweeping out in all directions. The huge snake that had been pierced slowly dispersed.
Li Qingshan had finally struck the ground as he had wished. However, he only felt like he had touched the greyish-yellow sky and that he was light-headed. If it were not for the protection of the true qi vortex, if it were not for reaching the third layer of the ox demon, which pushed the toughness of his body to a whole new level, he definitely would have ended up heavily injured from this.
Li Qingshan stood up as he tried to regain his footing. He discovered that he was standing in a huge pit, and his true qi had been depleted without a drop left once again. He would be forced to receive the enemy with his body alone again. He emerged from the pit.
He discovered the military disciples were all unconscious on the ground. None of them were still standing. As it turned out, the huge snake conjured by the military formation was an aggregation of their true qi and wills. Forceful dispersion would lead to a backlash. As the ground shook and the wave of earth rose, they had all fainted.
Ru Xin clapped her hands gently. Here comes business! Whether it was the backlash of true qi or the mental backlash, all of it could be easily treated with her school of Medicine around.
Li Qingshan stood beside the pit and laughed aloud. Now this is the satisfying way to defeat you all!
Han Qiongzhi flew over from the platform and directly hugged Li Qingshan. After over a month of spending time together, they had already become extremely close to one another. Li Qingshan was like dry timber to Han Qiongzhi’s blazing flames. He began raging with her before he knew it.
The nine core disciples who had stood aside under Han Tieyi’s orders were all furious. They were tempted to approach him right now and challenge him. However, none of them were confident they could achieve victory. He was just too strong, unreasonably strong. If Li Qingshan had ripped apart the military formation, it would have been easier for them to accept it, but destroying it head on like this was simply beyond imagination. Was he really still a seventh layer Qi Practitioner?
His unbelievably tough body and unbelievably pure true qi had been combined together by the immeasurably ingenious battle skill. Powered by his natural talent for battle, he had managed to achieve something so startling.
Under everyone’s gazes, Han Qiongzhi’s face still reddened despite how bold of a person she was. She had become utterly enchanted by Li Qingshan earlier. With no other choice, she released Li Qingshan in a hurry, but she never expected Li Qingshan to have wrapped his hand around her waist already, pulling her towards him as she became helpless once again. She wanted to resist, but when she was met with his resplendent smile, her heart melted away. She just let him be.
Li Qingshan looked around. Was he not completing the great oath he had swore in the past bit by bit?
Han Tieyi said to the core disciples around him, “Next time, prepare for battle!”
Time flew by, and it was already the height of summer.
Li Qingshan sat within an alchemy room. A bronze pill cauldron stood before him, with handles shaped like dragons and tigers. This was the most common Cauldron of Dragons and Tigers among pill cauldrons. It copied the design of the actual Cauldron of Dragons and Tigers, and they were all produced to a certain standard.
This was obviously one of the many items Li Qingshan had collected from underground. It was just a mid grade spiritual artifact, but it had already reached the highest possible level for mid grade artifacts. The most difficult artifacts to forge were alchemy cauldrons, followed by artifact forges.
If he were forging a flying sword, there was room for mistakes for its various properties. However, when it came to alchemy cauldrons, the slightest instability or inaccuracy could destroy a whole batch of pills. When it was severe, there might even be the danger of cauldron explosions. This was a great test of the artifact smith’s abilities.
A good cauldron or forge could drastically increase a cultivator’s success rate given they were skilled in this aspect in the first place. They were basically like cornucopias, so they held quite the significance. As a result, the price of cauldrons and forges would always be extremely high. The value of a mid grade spiritual artifact cauldron and forge could rival regular supreme grade spiritual artifacts.
Li Qingshan had already been very lucky to be able to find a mid grade spiritual artifact cauldron from over a thousand hundred treasures pouches.
A few days ago when he was about to formally begin refining pills, he saw a high grade spiritual artifact cauldron being sold in the school of Miscellany. It managed to reach a sum of five digits. All he could do was sigh as he looked at it.
That might have been fine in the past, but now, he had exchanged all his spiritual stones for pills already. Even if he exchanged all his merit in the Hawkwolf Guard for spiritual stones, he would be able to reach three digits at most. He would not even come close to four digits.
“Stop letting your mind wander. Focus on the pill cauldron!” Ru Xin barked.
Li Qingshan dismissed his thoughts. He had already refined the cauldron of pills before him for three days and nights now. If everything fell apart at the final moment, all of this would have been a waste.
And, he had collected the spiritual herbs for the pills from the academy. He had to hand in this batch of pills for the mission. If he messed it up, his three digits worth of spiritual stones would probably end up shrinking to two digits. If it were not for an alchemy expert like Ru Xin agreeing to watch over him, he would have never been bold enough to accept such a difficult alchemy mission.
Li Qingshan raised his head in some confusion. “Didn’t you say I’m basically all done now that I’ve reached this step, and all I have to do is wait to open the cauldron?”
Ru Xin smiled. “Yep. I just wanted to scold you a little.”
Li Qingshan was tempted to choke her again. He had always been a man who did what he wanted, so he spread his fingers and reached out viciously—towards her ankle. He couldn’t help it. He was sitting, while she was standing, and he had to watch over the cauldron too. There was no way he could go higher.
Ru Xin said, “How dare you!”
Li Qingshan reconsidered and pulled his hand back. If he really did grab her, this woman probably possessed the nerve to rat him out to Han Qiongzhi. She was a fantastic girlfriend, but once she became caught up in jealousy, she would be beyond reason.
A while back, they had visited the school of Miscellany, and there were female cultivators who received them warmly. He joked with them a little—okay fine, perhaps he had gone a little too far—and she almost blew it in the end. When they went back, it took him quite the effort to calm her down. If Ru Xin ratted him out now, the volcano would actually end up erupting.
“Actually, even if you do grab me, I won’t tell her anything. I’m not that evil. Come, you want to give it a try?” Ru Xin purposefully lifted her dress and exposed her slender ankle, taking a step towards Li Qingshan.
“I don’t want to.” Li Qingshan glanced at it, completely unfazed.
Ru Xin patted Li Qingshan’s head gently. “What a good boy!”
Li Qingshan curled his lip and just let the matter slide. They had already become very good friends, or why else would she watch him refine pills for three whole days?
Although she had struck him with an exorbitant price, demanding a thousand spiritual stones right off the bat, it ended up being a free service after joking around a little. If it were not for her timely warnings, he would have almost destroyed the batch many times.
They waited for another fifteen minutes. The pill cauldron flashed, and the lid slowly opened. White steam hissed out, enveloping the two of them and filling the entire room. It was filled with an intoxicating herbal fragrance.
Before the steam had even dispersed, Li Qingshan made his way over to the pill cauldron eagerly. He saw that all the herbs had merged to form a white paste, laying at the bottom of the cauldron. There was not the slightest impurity at all; it was as pure as the thick steam.
Success!
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Chapter 344 – Deep Feelings
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Chapter 344 – Deep Feelings
Li Qingshan brought his hand over the mixture. It shone with blue light, and the white paste began to twist and surge. In the end, they became round pills that followed the standard.
He did not know how to forge artifacts, but moulding the shape of objects was nothing difficult.
Ru Xin personally split the newly-refined pills into two portions, amounting to sixty in total. She smiled. “This is for the mission. Extend your hand.” Afterwards, she picked up a single Qi Condensing pill and placed it into Li Qingshan’s hand. “This is yours!”
Li Qingshan stared at the fruits of his labour from going three days and nights without a wink of sleep before raising his head and looking at the smiling Ru Xin. He felt deep spite. She just loved to see him in a bad mood.
There were no additional rewards to the alchemy mission. It purely depended on the person’s mastery over alchemy. As a new alchemist, the only reason he had managed to finish this without costing himself was all thanks to the mid grade spiritual artifact cauldron and Ru Xin.
Ru Xin appreciated Li Qingshan’s expression in satisfaction. She felt like her three days of labour had finally bore fruit.
Only afterwards did she say, “Your ability for splitting pills is absolutely horrid.” She brought her hand over the sixty Qi Condensing pills. White light surged out, and some of the white paste was pulled away, forming another three Qi Condensing pills, while the remaining pills were completely the same size, reaching the standard of the mission perfectly, no more, no less.
Li Qingshan casually thanked her before lowering his head and stowing the sixty Qi Condensing pills into an embroidered box. As for the four remaining Qi Condensing pills, he directly tossed them into his mouth.
Ru Xin had already grown accustomed to this. “Your battle with the school of Painting is coming up in a few days. The school of Miscellany has already begun taking bets. Tell me some of that insider information. Do you think I should bet on your defeat or your victory?”
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes at her. “Whatever you want.”
“Alright then. I’ll bet on your victory. Though, if I end up losing, you’ll have to compensate me for my losses!”
“Keep dreaming.” Li Qingshan left through the door. He saw the blazing clouds in the west that had been dyed red by the setting sun reflected in the lake. It was absolutely beautiful. Sure enough, Han Qiongzhi was standing right in front of the background of the setting sun. Looking over, she seemed like a beautiful silhouette. Seeing Li Qingshan, she smiled resplendently and rushed over.
Before Li Qingshan could even speak, Ru Xin smiled. “Junior sister Han, your man tried to touch my foot earlier. You’d better keep an eye on him.”
Han Qiongzhi stopped and glared at Li Qingshan. She said in exasperation, “Understood!”
Li Qingshan’s gaze landed on Ru Xin’s white, slender neck. He became very serious.
Ru Xin raised her hand to shield her neck, as if she was afraid, but she continued to smile.
A small boat floated across the lake freely. The water and sky merged as one as both waterfowl and the glow of the setting sun filled the air.
Han Qiongzhi sat diagonally to the nose of the boat, looking over quietly. The breeze of a midsummer’s night ruffled her clothes.
Li Qingshan broke the silence. “Don’t listen to her. You know that she loves spinning lies the most.”
Han Qiongzhi looked over. “How dare you say you haven’t?”
“I absolutely haven’t!” Li Qingshan said seriously.
Han Qiongzhi smiled. “It’s not like I’m angry. What’re you so nervous for?”
Li Qingshan frowned. “Who are you? What did you do to Qiongzhi?”
Han Qiongzhi was taken aback. She grabbed him by the ear and said in irritation, “Am I really that mean?”
Li Qingshan smiled. He conveniently pulled her into his arms. “Yep, our Qiongzhi is very forgiving.” His other hand had already landed on her proud chest. Through the thin summer dress, it seemed to tremble in his hand.
“Don’t move about!” Han Qiongzhi grabbed his hand, but she allowed it to remain there.
After a few months together, this level of closeness had already become normalised. As she would describe it, I’ll let you take some advantage of me seeing how pitiful you are.
“I’m just curious.” Li Qingshan was bewildered. Ru Xin was definitely much more charming than that female cultivator of the school of Miscellany from the other day!
Han Qiongzhi said, “Senior sister Ru Xin is a very proud person.” The female disciples of the school of Miscellany all possessed mediocre talent. Their heads were filled with material gain. All they wanted to find was a strong male to depend on. They were not worthy of being called cultivators. Ru Xin, however, was different. She was a true cultivator.
Li Qingshan said, “Proud? How come that’s not what I feel?”
“Because you’re even prouder!” Han Qiongzhi propped herself up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed deeply at this man she loved. The closer she was to him, the more she was drawn to him by his charm, and she began to wonder why she had actually failed to notice this the first time she had seen him. And, the aspect of him that enchanted her the most was the deep sense of pride hidden within his heart.
It was as if he possessed the determination to climb and traverse mountains no matter how precipitous they were, the courage to challenge enemies no matter how strong they were.
“I have even less of an impression of that!” Li Qingshan placed his hands on her waist. The curve of her body would suddenly pull in there, forming a thin, straight waist. He could not help but become glued to her plump, red lips. Even the pale gully that sometimes peeked out from her clothes were unable to make him shift his attention. He could not help but move his head towards them.
Han Qiongzhi tilted her head and avoided him. She hugged him firmly, kissing his ear firmly and apologising, “Not yet.” Although they had already grown so close that many places were no longer forbidden, she still refused to accept a relatively normal kiss like that.
The woman in Li Qingshan’s arms right now had already become his beloved, so he obviously had to respect and protect this peculiar tendency of hers.
“I want to wait- wait until we’re married. If I let you kiss me right now, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to hold back and end up giving you e- everything!” Han Qiongzhi stuttered shyly. Originally, she had never taken the business between man and woman so seriously. Wasn’t it just stripping themselves naked, embracing each other, and going at it?
When she carried out missions alone in the past, she had even secretly broken into houses and peeped on people out of curiosity. Apart from being slightly embarrassed in the beginning, she grew bored of it very quickly. What were those groans and moans all supposed to mean? As cultivators, it was impossible for them to be engrossed by carnal pleasures. It was impossible for their immovable wills to waver over something like this. Otherwise, she would have never been able to put up with the pain of being slowly torn apart in Altar Lord Black Lotus’ formation back then.
Only when it was actually time for her to go through with all of this did she realise it was not so simple. Every instance of contact was imbued with another meaning, enough to bring her joy or make her tremble, as her heart would be affected too.
What else could Li Qingshan say? He held her enchanting figure firmly. “I might as well just propose the marriage tomorrow. Your father has quite a good impression of me.”
It was not like this was some shitty story where a poor scholar was abducting a wealthy young miss. There obviously would not be too many obstacles. With the talent, strength, and desire to advance he had displayed, he believed no one could find any issues with him. This had always been his reason for maintaining a high profile. If he constantly tried acting modest and discreet, let alone any disapproval from father-in-law Han, even the entire academy would object. But right now, was there still anyone who could say that he was not worthy of her?
“Don’t be so hasty. Wait a little longer.” Han Qiongzhi suddenly changed the topic. “Little Hua hasn’t emerged yet, has he?”
Li Qingshan said, “He hasn’t. Why did you mention him all of a sudden?”
Han Qiongzhi smiled. “I just thought of something.”
Li Qingshan said, “Let me hear about it.” Han Qiongzhi originally refused to tell him, but under Li Qingshan’s “interrogation”, she gave in.
As it turned out, when Hua Chengzan was infatuated with Gu Yanying in the past, Han Qiongzhi was the one who found it most deplorable as a good friend of his. She scolded him fiercely, “She’s just a woman. Do you have to be like this?” Back then, she did not treat herself as a woman.
However, he said, “You just haven’t met someone who can steal your heart. Otherwise, you’d definitely marry yourself off eagerly.”
Li Qingshan held her chin. “Then are you eager right now?”
Han Qiongzhi said stubbornly, “Not at all. Though, I can understand him a little now.” Although they had still been very unfamiliar with one another a few months ago, she could no longer imagine how she would be without him.
Gazing at her eyes that were deeply in love, Li Qingshan felt like his heart had melted into water. Even Gu Yanying no longer seemed important. That was just half of an obscure dream, yet right now, there was a real lover in his arms.
“You’re much luckier than him. You met me early enough.”
Han Qiongzhi said, “How come I beg to differ? You should cultivate faster. We’ll see after your cultivation surpasses me. I wouldn’t want to marry a man who’s not even as great as me.”
However, the posture they were currently in made that seem utterly unconvincing. Back then, she had just said she would give him the opportunity to pursue her if his cultivation surpassed her, yet right now, she was in his arms. He was taking full advantage of her.
“Well I’m eager.” Li Qingshan bent over. He could not kiss her on the lips, but it was fine elsewhere. He kissed her slender neck firmly. The corner of his lips curled into a smile, and he licked her gently.
“Are you a dog?” Han Qiongzhi trembled as she said with gritted teeth. Once her mental defences were gone, her senses for everything were much finer and sharper than regular people.
“How dare you call your man a dog! You need to be punished!” Li Qingshan raised his hands and placed them on her breasts, kneading them.
In the past, she would probably cry out in surprise and stop him from going overboard. But this time, she kept her arms around his neck, without reacting at all.
Li Qingshan was surprised. His smile grew wider, and his hands moved slower. His fingers dug deeply into the two tender breasts, moulding them as he wished. Han Qiongzhi’s breathing became slightly ragged. Her eyes were as clear as water as she allowed him to continue.
Li Qingshan searched for two small nodules. He pinched them between his fingers gently and fiddled with them.
Han Qiongzhi suddenly embraced him firmly, and Li Qingshan stopped. He gently kissed her neck, caressing her back. Only a while later did she let go of him, allowing him to continue enjoying the wonders of her body that no one else had ever touched.
Only when Li Qingshan had completely imprinted their exact size in his head did he let go reluctantly.
Before they knew it, the sky had already darkened. Stars stretched across the sky.
Han Qiongzhi grumbled with a flushed face, “Satisfied now?” She already knew he was fixated on this part of her body, so she just gave him what he wanted for once today.
“I’m not.” As he said that, Li Qingshan had already extended his hand past her undergarment, making contact with her soft, tender skin.
Han Qiongzhi grabbed his hand in a hurry and prodded his forehead. She scolded, “Be patient.” At that moment, she seemed like the older one. Actually, it would not even matter if she gave it to him. Love between a man and woman was ordinary. She did not care about her so-called purity as much as those regular women. She was just afraid that she would give it away too easily, such that he would not treasure it. She had to make sure to keep this measly man around her.
“It’ll be mine anyway.” Li Qingshan was in no hurry.
“It’ll be yours right now, it’ll be yours forever.”
The next few days passed by in a blur. In the blink of an eye, the battle with Chu Danqing of the school of Painting had arrived.
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Chapter 345 – The Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms
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Chapter 345 – The Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms
In a dim painting studio, a streak of light poured in from the skylight. Dust floated through the air, and one could vaguely make out the floor to be covered in paintings.
The paintings depicted various forms and images of evil spirits and fiends. A single glance at it was enough to overwhelm a person with vileness.
However, none of these images were complete, as if the painter had lost interest in them after painting them half-way.
Chu Danqing lay on the paintings with his limbs spread out. His face was pale, and he seemed to have grown thinner. His eyes were wide open, still stricken with fear.
“Danqing, are you ready?” An old voice rang out. It came from Chu Shidao.
“Yes, master,” Chu Danqing said feebly and supported himself back to his feet, arriving before the painting; this was the only clean space of the entire room. All the painting strokes had been washed away, and all the colours were placed neatly.
The water he used to wash the brushes reeked of blood.
A painting was placed in the centre.
Chu Danqing shifted his gaze downwards, doing his best to avoid looking at the painting. He rolled up the mounted painting bit by bit, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
He behaved as if this was not a painting he had painted himself, but a vicious beast that could bite.
The door parted and dazzling sunlight poured in.
Chu Danqing used his hand to shield his eyes. He gradually made out a figure and bowed in a hurry. “Master.”
Chu Shidao also felt pained as he looked at his disciple’s shape. The Jade Blood of Vermillion and Black had granted him unbelievable talent, allowing him to produce works beyond his cultivation level, but it came at an extremely great cost. It truly took painstaking effort, or blood in other words.
“Let’s go.”
“To where?” Chu Danqing was rather lost. Submerged in the world of painting, he had almost forgotten about the battle.
“Cloudwisp island.”
Chu Danqiong suddenly jerked to his senses, and he remembered how Li Qingshan had gotten him drunk a few months ago. He could not help but redden slightly.
It was exactly after that day that he began to seclude himself from the world to paint. He had not left this studio for almost six months now.
His horrible behaviour after falling drunk must have been spread through the academy already. They were enemies after all, so this would be unavoidable. He just regretted that he had been too careless. As he gripped the painting firmly, he poured all of his humiliation and pent-up emotions into there. He had to teach Li Qingshan a vicious lesson.
Ah, how embarrassing! I hope everyone has already forgotten about this after so long. Li Qingshan, I’ll never spare you!
Uneasy, Chu Danqing followed Chu Shidao to Cloudwisp island. They discovered a large part of the bamboo forest had been cut down, transformed into fields or orchards. A few agriculture disciples were currently tending to them.
“What wasteful misuse.” Chu Danqiong snorted coldly. The serene, refined environment was originally very suited for painting. Unfortunately, it had fallen into the hands of a vulgar man like Liu Chuanfeng.
Passing through the bamboo forest on the path, they arrived before the bamboo loft. Liu Zhangqing sat on the porch, drinking tea. He raised his cup and nodded with a smile. Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai were currently seated beside him.
However, none of these people managed to capture Chu Danqing’s attention, as the wretched Li Qingshan had strode over. A sunny, confident smile was plastered across his face as he greeted them with composure, “Master Chu, fellow Chu, you’re finally here.”
Chu Shidao nodded. He said to Liu Zhangqing, “Fellow Liu, here isn’t a place to battle, so why did you call us here?” This was about to become his school of Painting’s island. He did not wish to see it destroyed.
Liu Zhangqing said, “You’ll be fighting in the school of the Military’s Main Martial Arts stadium. The school of Novels has some objections to this gamble, which is why I’ve invited you both here to discuss it.”
Chu Danqing shot a glance at Li Qingshan. “What, you want to run away now?”
“Of course not.” Li Qingshan smiled and glanced back at Liu Chuanfeng. Only after obtaining a nod from this school leader who was technically in charge of the school of Novels did he say, “I just feel that this battle is very unfair!”
Chu Danqing said, “You personally agreed to it back then. What’s unfair about it?”
Li Qingshan said fervently, “Cloudwisp island is the foundation of our school of Novels. If we lose, we’ll obviously be left with absolutely nothing, and even if we win, we’ll just be keeping something that’s ours anyway. Master Chu, do you find that fair?”
“We only agreed to this in the first place because we had no other choice. If the school of Painting cannot produce a wager of equivalent value, then please cancel this battle, school leader Liu.”
“You can’t just cancel it because you want to now. What wager do you want? Mind if you tell me?” Chu Shidao stared at Li Qingshan as his eyes flickered.
It was true. He had never thought about a wager at all. He believed there was no chance for the school of Novels to win. There was absolutely no need for him to wager anything.
Right now, the kid clearly knew he was going to lose, so he put on a bravado to get out of this gamble. If he insisted for this to go forward, Liu Zhangqing obviously would not cancel it for him. However, he was afraid that the kid would refuse to participate and label the school of Painting as ones who were abusing their greater strength.
Since you want a wager, I’ll give you a wager. So what?
Li Qingshan said, “I don’t know either if there’s anything that can rival the value of Cloudwisp island, so why don’t you tell me instead, master Chu?”
“I’m just a poor painter. I don’t have anything of value, just a few measly paintings. This painting was my final work before retirement. If you think it’s appropriate, then I’ll wager that. If you don’t, then just forfeit!” Chu Danqing casually pulled out a painting as he spoke proudly.
Liu Zhangqing blurted out, “Is it the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms!?”
Throughout Chu Shidao’s life, he was best at painting beauties. Not only were the beauties he painted absolutely life-like, but their expressions and emotions were no different from actual people, and they lacked the various flaws of actual people too. The beauty within his paintings had already surpassed the beauties the world could offer.
As a result, the saying of “Even three thousand beautiful women are unable to rival a painting from Shidao” appeared. Across all nine prefectures of the Ruyi commandery, he was renowned.
The Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms was his final work before retirement. It was rumored that before he had painted it, his hair was grizzled, but it all turned grey over a single night after completing it.
When the Marquis of Ruyi saw it, he became utterly attached to it. He was willing to pay a tremendous sum for it, but Chu Shidao said, “This is my disciple’s wife. I can’t just give it away to someone.”
If a bystander had heard that, they would have probably treated it as an excuse, but Chu Shidao had spent his entire life married to a painting. Even Chu Danqing had to call the beauty who emerged from the painting mistress whenever he saw her.
This Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms was a heavenly maiden of fate he had left for Chu Danqing.
When the Marquis of Ruyi heard that, he could only give up on it. He said he had to respect that.
The painting was unfurled, and all the men present became stunned. The painting was rolled up once more.
They could not even recall the face of the heavenly maiden. All they remembered were her drifting clothes, the falling flowers, and their beautiful fragrance. The small of the flowers still lingered clearly in their nose. The appearance of the heavenly maiden gradually consolidated, but it was the most beautiful appearance in their minds.
Liu Zhangqing’s thoughts returned to several decades ago all of a sudden. Back then, he was still studying, and it was the season for falling flowers. A young girl swung around on a swing, letting out laughter no different from silver chimes; she was the youngest daughter of his teacher.
Afterwards, they went their own ways. He had seen plenty of beauties before, even supporting countless beautiful consorts. Her appearance was not even beautiful, but the impression she left could not be replaced by any beauty, not even herself.
Time slipped by before he knew it, and the feeling from back then had already blurred. Now that he saw this painting, it suddenly cleared up once more; it was like it was yesterday, like it was this very moment. A glance back and a smile from her might not have been enough to lead kingdoms or cities to ruin, but it was enough to steal his heart. Even if it came at a price of thousands or tens of thousands of spiritual stones, it would be worth it.
Li Qingshan returned to his senses and checked on Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai. They were no different, thrown back into the past by a single glance of the painting.
Only Chu Danqing stood there in a stupid daze. His master had already said he would save this painting for him as a wife, but to shield him from distractions, he had never seen it in person. He held extremely great hopes for it originally. Now that he saw it, he did not even find it as enchanting as the beauties his master had painted in the past. Yet, everyone who saw the painting would all praise how great it was, which left him in a bewildered daze.
Chu Shidao was secretly complacent. This painting was the amalgamation of all his efforts throughout his life. It had completely defied his original painting style. In the past, he painted expectations. When cultivators offered him spiritual stones, he would paint the most beautiful woman to them.
This painting, however, was memories. It could easily breach the sturdy lines of defence in a cultivator’s mind and touch their softest spot, rousing their most beautiful memory. Expectations might have changed with varying identities and statuses, but memories would never fade away. They were like a jar of aged alcohol, growing more delicious the older it was.
What truly touched you would always be yourself.
Only when he noticed his disciple’s expression did Chu Shidao realise he had miscalculated.
Eleven years ago, Chu Danqing was just a little beggar. The only thing he thought about was eating steamed buns. Even eating meat seemed too extravagant to him. And right now, although he could understand the concept of love, this just seemed like a piece of blank paper to him. He had no memories whatsoever.
If Chu Shidao devoted the same amount of effort into painting a plate of hot, steaming huge buns instead, he definitely would have been able to rouse him to a point where he drooled.
“Alright, I agree,” said Li Qingshan, but he did not do this under the urgings of lust or memories. Instead, the aura the painting gave off had completely exceeded the level of spiritual artifacts, but it was not exactly an arcane artifact either. Perhaps it was not an artifact at all, but a powerful creature sealed within the painting.
If he were supposed to fight the heavenly maiden in the painting, there was no chance for him to win even if he personally got involved and did not rely on his abilities as a novelist. Anyhow, it was definitely something good.
And, all Li Qingshan wanted to do was maximise his benefits. If Chu Shidao really offered nothing at all, he still would not have given up on the battle. He was already satisfied with this result.
Liu Zhangqing said, “Alright, then let’s complete the deal. No one is allowed to change their minds anymore!”
The rising and falling platforms around the Main Martial Arts island on Great War island were already jostling with people. When they saw a group arrive, discussions immediately arose.
“Qingshan.” Han Qiongzhi rushed over to receive him, having waited for quite some time already. She wanted to hug him, but looking around, she bit her lip and was unable to bring herself to do so due to embarrassment.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Today, she was wearing a large, red, imperial dress. The corners of her dress were embroidered with magnificent peonies. If any other woman wore this, they would probably seem a little too gaudy. Only she could pull it off with her confident, loud personality and her enchanting elegance. She seemed like a ball of scorching fire, speechlessly beautiful.
Her elegant, noble demeanour originally hidden beneath her boldness gradually revealed itself. It was absolutely captivating. She seemed to have become better at dressing herself ever since the date. Her shoulder-length hair had already begun to flow down her back before they knew it.
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Chapter 346 – Come Out! Magic Brush Ma Liang!
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Chapter 346 – Come Out! Magic Brush Ma Liang1!
Liu Chuanfeng was taken aback. Is this still Han Qiongzhi? How come I don’t remember her ever being so beautiful? He became filled with even greater admiration towards Li Qingshan.
Sun Fubai tugged his sleeve, and Liu Chuanfeng returned to his senses, walking away in a hurry.
Chu Danqing glanced at her and was unable to look at her again. With his sharp eyes as a painter, he recognised her with a single glance. She was the woman who had said she would drink with Li Qingshan after he had fallen drunk. Chu Danqing had almost passed her by with his face covered, afraid she would recognise him.
However, there was no one else in Han Qiongzhi’s eyes right now.
Li Qingshan held Han Qiongzhi’s hand and smiled. “Once I win, we’ll travel across the Clear River prefecture together!” Although it was easier for him to take advantage of her when they went boating, bustling, noisy places suited her personality better!
Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened slightly. “If you win, I’ll give you a gift as a reward.”
Li Qingshan could not help but study her up and down. Her thin waist that was wrapped in a brocade waistband, her tall, firm breasts that almost burst out from her clothing, and her perky bottom that held up her dress swept him away in his fantasies. Don’t tell me the gift is…
Han Qiongzhi reprimanded him, “Don’t become lost in your fantasies. It’s just a gift.”
“Let’s just go boating instead then!” Li Qingshan whispered in her ear. If he did not pull her in and dote on her recklessly, it would have been a waste.
“Don’t you even think about it.” Han Qiongzhi shot a glance at him and pushed him away. Go!
All the disciples on the platforms saw this. The news that Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi had become a couple was no longer a secret, but they still could not help but gasp when they saw it in person.
“Second senior sister has basically become a whole different person recently. She’s even wearing clothes like that. Just what has Li Qingshan done to deserve all this?” A legalist disciple sighed. In the past, Han Qiongzhi had never cared about what she wore.
“Stop envying him. At least we can feast our eyes on her. Before, she really was fier-”
“What about before?”
The two people raised their heads. Before they knew it, Han Qiongzhi had already appeared before them, staring at them. Their hearts shuddered, and they bowed in a hurry. “Second senior sister.”
“Hmph, I’ll teach you a lesson after I get back!” Han Qiongzhi was not angry at all. She saw Wang Pushi wave at her and gently stepped onto the higher platform, arriving beside Wang Pushi.
The two legalist disciples exchanged glances and sighed in relief simultaneously. Their second senior sister had really been in a fantastic mood recently.
At this moment, Li Qingshan stepped into the arena, leading to a series of cheers. Li Qingshan, who had come from an ordinary background, seemed quite like a hero of the common people.
Two long tables were placed on the two sides of the Main Martial Arts stadium. Li Qingshan and Chu Danqing each stood behind a table, looking at one another from afar. Their eyes locked and sparks flew.
Liu Zhangqing announced the rules of the match and declared the agreed wagers from the two sides. “Primary disciples, please prepare yourselves!”
“The Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms!” Han Qiongzhi frowned.
“What’s that?” Wang Pushi was clueless. His cultivation was much higher than Han Qiongzhi’s, but his knowledge of amusing rumors and stories paled in comparison to these aristocratic descendants. Han Qiongzhi had even purposefully investigated Chu Shidao because of Li Qingshan, so she was obviously familiar with this renowned painting.
After hearing Han Qiongzhi’s explanation, Wang Pushi smiled. “Looks like the kid’s about to win a love rival. You better be careful, Qiongzhi.”
Han Qiongzhi said, “Even the commander is making fun of me. I refuse to believe that I’ll lose to a painting!”
Wang Pushi laughed. “You never know.”
“If you want to keep talking about that, I’m not standing here anymore.” Han Qiongzhi stamped her foot. She too had heard there had been many cultivators who offered tremendous sums for the painting of a beauty from Chu Shidao so that they could hang it in their dwellings. They would summon and send them off at will, without causing them any trouble they had to worry about.
“Alright, alright, alright. I’ll stop. Look, it’s begun.”
Everyone was curious about this match between novels and painting. Just how would the two of them determine the victor?
Chu Danqing had already placed his painting on the table. He said loudly, “Li Qingshan, this painting is called Hellscape Rhapsody. I spent three months conceiving it and another three months painting it. It’s extremely terrifying. Even I wouldn’t want to create a painting like this unless I had no choice. If you’re clever, then it’s still not too late for you to forfeit. Otherwise, even you might end up injured later!”
Chu Shidao stood on the platform behind Chu Danqing. When he spotted the painting, he shivered all over. He smiled as he stroked his beard in great relief. Not only had Chu Danqing inherited his skill, but he would definitely exceed him in the future.
The outcome was already decided for this battle!
Li Qingshan took out a thin picture book and placed it on the table. “I spent two hours conceiving this book, a day to complete it, and a month to spread it. I have no idea how effective it is, so you better try it yourself!”
“Qingshan, you’ve grabbed the wrong book!” Liu Chuanfeng also stood on the platform behind Li Qingshan. He was worried.
Li Qingshan waved his hand without even looking back. “Don’t worry, it’s the right one!”
“Since you just won’t give up, I’ll let you experience the terrors of hell!” Chu Danqing brought his fingers together and pointed away. The painting rose with a flutter.
A blazing colour filled the entire paper, but there was only one colour—red!
Scarlet red, fiery red, blood red. The scarlet-red mountains stood strange and jagged; the boundless sea of fire blazed; the blood-red rivers surged.
Everyone who directed their attention towards this painting shuddered. A terrifying will of madness gushed into their faces. Just what kind of hellscape painting was this? There seemed to be countless fiends and evil spirits writhing in endless agony.
Gradually, fantasy became reality. Fiends leapt off the tall mountains one by one, emerging from the sea of fire and floating out from the rivers of blood, rushing out of the painting.
Their tall bodies, their scarlet-red skin, their twisted limbs, their hissing growls, and their empty eyes were all filled with endless hatred and resentment. One, two, several dozen fiends crawled out from the painting, as if they were crawling out of hell to seek revenge on the living people.
In that instant, a nightmare seemed to become real!
Screams rose up from the platforms. Many female cultivators even paled.
However, Han Qiongzhi was not afraid. Compared to what Altar Lord Black Lotus had unleashed to kill people back then in Ancient Wind city, a hell like this lacked an element of realism. She was just worried for Li Qingshan.
Wang Pushi smiled. “That’s the aura from the Hell realm. This painting suits my school of Legalism very much. He really is something else for old man Chu to accept him as his final disciple and spend a decade nurturing him. Li Qingshan is in trouble.”
Chu Danqing recalled what had happened when he first entered seclusion to produce this painting. Often, he would suddenly begin rolling around on the ground in regret as he painted, banging his head against the wall heavily in shame.
He had spent a whole decade cultivating arduously, and the moment he emerged, he had become a public laughingstock. No female cultivator would like him anymore. He was about to go crazy. He felt like he was standing in hell, being scorched by the flames.
In the end, he poured this madness of his into the painting, conceiving this Hellscape Rhapsody. He painted countless fiends in the limited space of the painting.
Li Qingshan, you asked for it!
Li Qingshan’s smile remained. He said, “Oh right, I forgot to state the name of my book.” Suddenly, he grew serious and waved his hand, calling out, “Come out, Magic Brush Ma Liang!”
The Divine Talisman of Great Creation suddenly erupted with extremely resplendent light. As Li Qingshan waved his hand, the faith, the power of belief of millions of people, gathered and condensed.
A teenager with a wide-brimmed straw hat and a brush in his hand appeared in the Main Martial Arts stadium. He had a pair of thick eyebrows and large eyes, radiating with solemn righteousness. He stood before the fiends flawlessly.
Han Qiongzhi called out in surprise, “This is!”
The surroundings fell silent. Chu Tian laughed madly. “Li Qingshan, are you trying to achieve victory through a kid? Don’t tell me this kid was you from the past? I heard you came from a village.”
Ever since Chu Tian suffered a defeat at Li Qingshan’s hands, he had persevered and bided his time, undertaking self-imposed hardships and preparing for revenge at all times. The only reason why he decided to keep suffering in silence was out of consideration for how he could not reveal that item to the public. Now that he saw Li Qingshan failing, he was having the time of his life.
The other disciples would never mock Li Qingshan so openly, but they thought the same thing as Chu Tian. How could this regular teenager possess the strength to contend against fiends?
Compared to the terrors of Hellscape Rhapsody, what was Magic Brush Ma Liang supposed to be? It was truly a joke.
“Oh no, he’s in trouble now!” Liu Chuanfeng paced around out of worry.
Sun Fubai said with composure, “Junior brother, you shouldn’t worry. Qingshan knows what he’s doing. Though recently, I heard about a rumor.” A rumor regarding Magic Brush Ma Liang.
“Li Qingshan, you really are wretched!” Chu Danqing looked at the impoverished, half-grown Ma Liang and seemed to see his past self. He really was a little unwilling to get the fiends to slaughter him now.
“Wretched?” Li Qingshan was surprised, but he did not think about it too much.
With absolute focus, Ma Liang raised his magic brush and quickly drew in the air. The power of belief in the Divine Talisman of Great Creation was rapidly converted into his own power.
Under everyone’s astonished gazes, a golden shoe landed on the ground with a thump.
A deity clad in golden armour with a golden dagger-axe in his hand emerged from nowhere. He pointed his golden dagger-axe at the fiends.
The design of the armoured deity was simple and childish. He even had a pair of golden wings on his back, like some kind of divine soldier from heaven that a child had imagined. However, the aura he gave off was no less than the fiends. Chu Tian, who had been laughing aloud, suddenly shut his mouth.
Chu Danqing’s mouth hung agape instead. Wasn’t this the ability of their school of Painting? Why would a character conjured by a novelist possess this kind of ability?
Chu Shidao called out, “Danqing, what’re you waiting for?”
The armoured deity suddenly unfurled its wings and rushed into the sky, flying towards the sun that had just risen in the east. He dove back down as a golden streak of light and stabbed through a fiend with his golden dagger-axe. The fiend trembled as it dispersed.
Chu Danqing immediately returned to his senses. The fiends roared as they lunged towards the armoured deity, but the deity took off into the air once more. He circled around with the dagger-axe in his hand.
Liu Chuanfeng’s despair was immediately converted to joy. Han Qiongzhi called out, “Nice!”
On the other, Li Qingshan was rather pained over the power of belief he was depleting. This was not true qi. It was a consumable, where it would vanish with use. However, he could not care about that anymore. Before his girlfriend, he had to triumph in this match!
Ma Liang used the magic brush in his hand to draw a second armoured deity, who emerged from thin air.
“Chu Danqing, today I will use the ability of the school of Painting to defeat you. I’ll show you the power of our school of Novels!”
PS: Please gather your power of belief in my hands. Come out, monthly tickets!
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1. Magic Brush Ma Liang is derived from a Chinese stop-motion film from the 1950s, about a peasant boy who obtained a magic brush that can make anything he paints come true. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Brush
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Chapter 347 – A Clash Between Novels and Paintings
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Chapter 347 – A Clash Between Novels and Paintings
The second armoured deity was even larger and mightier than the first. He was clad in heavy armour and stood tall and sturdy.
Looking over, he seemed like a ball. He clutched a golden octagonal mace in his hand; the weapon was the size of a water tank. With foot steps that sounded like war drums, he charged towards the fiends like a war chariot, tearing everything before him to shreds.
Several dozen fiends opened their huge mouths and roared out together. Strings of saliva hung from their jagged teeth, dripping onto the ground. It hissed like acid, giving off clouds of white smoke.
The armoured deity whirled his hand around, and the golden mace thrummed as it reached top speed. He let go and it flew out like a golden comet, smashing into the twisted face of a fiend. Another one vanished. However, even more fiends surged passed the fallen mace, moving towards the weaponless deity.
The armoured deity suddenly leapt into the air with unbelievable grace, like a black cloud that had suddenly risen into the air. Lunging forward, he fell onto the fiends.
Thump! With a heavy sound, the ground shook, and a shockwave spread out in all directions.
The armoured deity had directly crushed a fiend to death, but he fell into the encirclement of the fiends as a result.
The armoured deity who had been circling around in the air this entire time descended. The golden dagger-axe in his hand slid along a curved trajectory, sweeping past heads, throats, claws, and chests. It left behind a splash of red, and five fiends vanished as they howled out.
He returned to the sky soon after, shaking off the claws reaching towards him and waiting for another optimal opportunity.
The attack from him this time ripped open a gap in the tight encirclement. The armoured deity on the ground rolled over and grabbed his mace, returning to his feet. He lifted up the mace with both hands and swung it towards the heads of the incoming fiends.
Bang! As their heads shattered, they turned into a wisp of red mist that dispersed.
At this moment, a fiend lunged over from behind. Its mouth stretched all the way to its ears, and its jaw unhinged to an unbelievable angle. It bit down viciously on the armoured deity’s neck guard with its razor-sharp teeth.
Several teeth shattered, but even more of them managed to penetrate the armour with a corrosive hiss.
The armoured deity spun around on the spot, wanting to shake off the assailant on his back. He swung his golden mace around, smashing away the fiends that lunged at him like mad dogs. A lot of gashes appeared on his armour, but he was unable to do anything to the fiend on his back.
The armoured deity who circled around in the air was only bold enough to kill fiends on the outskirts. He was not bold enough to charge into the encirclement and rescue his companion. Otherwise, he would immediately become trapped by countless claws, which would rip apart his thin, golden armour.
At this moment, a golden arrow the size of a spear spun and pierced the fiend’s eye.
It left behind a golden streak and a momentary circular gap in the air. At the end of the streak and gap was a third armoured deity. He stood tall with a quiver on his back. The string of the golden bow in his hand still vibrated.
All of the cheering and cries from the platforms vanished. They all stared blankly as these huge creatures tried to kill one another.
Never had they thought that the school of Novels they had once mocked, the school of Painting that was rumored to only draw beautiful women, would actually possess such terrifying power.
Every single fiend present had the power to kill an eighth or even ninth layer Qi Practitioner. Their mad attacks made even Han Tieyi frown slightly.
But to the other side, the three armoured deities were even stronger. Under Li Qingshan’s careful control, they killed the fiends without losing the upper hand.
This was no longer a match they were used to seeing, but a true battle to the death. The Main Martial Arts stadium had become the battlefield of a bloody slaughter.
Chu Tian was dumbfounded. Originally, he thought his cultivation had progressed tremendously after the recent period of arduous cultivation. He was prepared to challenge Li Qingshan again, but the sight before him caused him quite the shock. His chances at victory had not increased at all.
Han Qiongzhi clenched her fist and cheered out, breaking the silence. Now this was the man who had caught her eye!
Wang Pushi shook his head gently. He had never thought that even the arts of the school of Novels would become so powerful in his hands. He sure was worthy of the girl, Qiongzhi. Commander Gu’s insight sure was outstanding!
Han Anjun remained silent, but he found this satisfying too. Li Qingshan’s talent for battle had been perfectly unleashed through the small squad. He was almost in perfect control over the battlefield.
Liu Zhangqing sighed gently. This was probably the generation of the academy with the most geniuses! Even geniuses like Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi, who originally stood out from everyone else, no longer seemed special before them. Was it because the world was about to be thrown into chaos that prodigies like him had appeared?
Despite the image of a school leader that he was supposed to maintain, Liu Chuanfeng stretched out his arms and called out happily. The emotions he had repressed for all these years were released. Do you see this? This is the power of the school of Novels!
The One Thought master glanced at Xiao An, but he failed to see any excitement from her face at all, as if she was certain he would win. All she did was lean on her hand and gaze at him from the crowd. Li Qingshan would smile at her from time to time too, as if the intense battle unfolding right before him was unable to scatter his attention towards her.
Recently, she had gone to find him much less frequently compared to before. The One Thought master even eased up slightly, but as it seemed, nothing had changed at all. He had finally confirmed that an invisible string tied them together. It was so-called fate!
As her senior brother, he had absolutely no confidence in guiding this talented junior sister who called herself One Will. Probably even his master had seen this, which was why he had directly accepted her as a disciple. He would leave everything up to fate!
Li Qingshan and Chu Danqing’s gazes crossed through the battlefield and met.
Li Qingshan continued to smile like before. This battle was basically for him to bully Chu Danqing over his lack of experience with real time strategy games. Of course, the situation right now was inherently different from games, but he was no longer the same person from his past life, but Li Qingshan who had gone through countless battles.
Chu Danqing, on the other hand, was rather flustered. His overall strength was clearly much greater than Li Qingshan’s, but all he could do was watch as the fiends were slaughtered one by one. He was helpless.
“Danqing, you can only see the source of everything if you calm down!” Chu Shidao’s voice rang out in Chu Danqing’s mind.
“The source?” Chu Danqing immediately looked at the teenager with the straw hat, and he came to a realisation. All the armoured deities came from him. As long as he defeated the teenager, all his problems would be solved.
Chu Danqing swung his hand, and the remaining fiends abandoned the armoured deities, rushing towards Ma Liang as a frenzied wave.
The three armoured deities had managed to kill over twenty fiends under their ingenious teamwork, but they were unable to stop the charging army of fiends.
Li Qingshan stopped smiling. Have you finally discovered it? My greatest weakness!
The magic brush was impressive, but Ma Liang was just a regular teenager, and he was his most important medium too. Once he dispersed, the golden deities would immediately disperse as well.
By then, even if he could conjure him again, would Chu Danqing still give Ma Liang the opportunity to paint? He would probably be slain the moment he appeared, making it a waste of his power of belief.
At this moment, the real outcome of the match had been determined.
What was he supposed to do? Conjure a defensive armoured deity who used a shield? No, even if he managed to stop them, Ma Liang would be in no shape to paint anymore either. Moreover, the Hellscape Rhapsody had clearly yet to unleash its full strength. It would be a checkmate situation against him.
The only thing he could do right now was defend by attacking!
Ma Liang suddenly raised the brush and began swinging it around recklessly in the air!
Black strokes of ink hovered in the air as the power of belief in the Divine Talisman of Great Creation rapidly drained away.
A shadow engulfed Ma Liang. Countless claws and teeth were right before him. The scarlet red wave slammed down on Ma Liang viciously.
Compared to the fiends, his figure seemed pitifully small. Just like what all the children expected of him, he faced these fiends calmly and fearlessly. He poured his strength into finishing the final stroke.
The ink strokes in the air turned into strands of sword qi and shot off in all directions.
Compared to the sword qi, the fiends seemed to slow down. All they could do was watch as the sword qi pierced their bodies.
The scarlet wave came to a halt and immediately collapsed, disintegrating into countless pieces. They fell towards Ma Liang, but they dispersed in the air.
Cheers rang out. Li Qingshan said loudly, “Who’s the one who’s going to forfeit now?”
The three armoured deities stood in a battle formation right in front of Chu Danqing’s Hellscape Rhapsody. They slaughtered the fiends as they emerged. They wanted to see just how many fiends Chu Danqing could summon.
Chu Danqing clenched his fist firmly. Although the Hellscape Rhapsody depicted countless fiends within a limited space, he could not actually summon fiends forever. And, even if he could, they would probably all be slain one by one.
“It’s you!”
The Hellscape Rhapsody surged with scarlet light, almost lighting up the entire stadium. The rivers of blood in the painting suddenly began to flow slowly, and the endless sea of fire began to burn.
“Oh no!” Li Qingshan said.
The hellish sea of fire suddenly surged out of the painting. It was so fast that it swallowed the three armoured deities immediately. Their golden armour rapidly melted away in the flames, and in the blink of an eye, the three deities had been reduced to ash, following the footsteps of the fiends.
The air turned into waves of heat, twisting and distorting everything there. The rolling flames swept towards Li Qingshan, unstoppable and unavoidable.
On the brink of celebration, Liu Chuanfeng’s face immediately twisted, as if he was the one being scorched by the flames of hell; this had already exceeded the limits of Qi Practitioners.
Chu Shidao’s face was dyed red by the flames. Li Qingshan, take a look. This is the power of the Jade Blood of Vermillion and Black. You might be a genius, and it’s great luck that the school of Novels possesses a disciple like you, but you still pale slightly in comparison to Danqing.
Victory was already determined!
For the first time, Han Anjun was no longer certain that Li Qingshan could emerge victoriously. This was touching on a difference in cultivation realms. It could not be made up with battle tactics or strategy.
Li Qingshan’s face sank as his thoughts flitted. The flames had already arrived before him. Even if he tried getting Ma Liang to paint, it would be too late. Moreover, just what was he supposed to paint that could block the endless fire?
At this moment, Ma Liang suddenly collapsed. The fire did not touch him, but he was unable to endure the scorching heat of the flames.
Li Qingshan had been a cultivator for too long. He had overestimated what a regular teenager could withstand. It only made things worse.
Was this really it?
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Chapter 348 – Fighting Fire with Water
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Chapter 348 – Fighting Fire with Water
Li Qingshan suddenly pointed at the picture book on the table. The pages turned hurriedly in a flutter, and the story passed by in a rush before it stopped on the final page.
This is all I can try now!
He did not use Ma Liang as a medium. Instead, he directly used the power of belief to summon this picture!
This was the end of a fairy tale story…
Ma Liang was captured and sent to the imperial palace. The emperor wanted him to paint a money tree, so Ma Liang painted an ocean. The emperor was very displeased by this and cursed, “I want you to paint a money tree, not an ocean!” Ma Liang then drew a small island in the ocean and a very tall, expansive tree on it. “Isn’t this a money tree?”
The emperor immediately beamed. “Draw a ship quickly! I want to go and pick money from the tree in the ocean!” Ma Ling drew a very, very large wooden ship. The emperor boarded it with the empress, his princes, princesses, and many officials and generals. Ma Liang then drew some wind, and the ship set off.
The emperor felt that the ship was too slow, so he called out at the nose of the ship, “Make the wind bigger! Make it bigger!” Ma Liang added a few more strokes to the wind, and the wooden ship sped off into the ocean. Ma Liang added more strokes to the wind, and the ocean began to roar, swelling and surging with waves. The ship teetered about. The emperor became afraid and called out at Ma Liang, “The wind’s big enough! It’s big enough!” Ma Liang feigned ignorance and continued to add to the wind. The ocean unleashed its fury, and the waves surged towards the ship.
The ship slanted and everything onboard was thrown into a mess. The emperor clung onto the mast as he constantly called out, “The wind’s too big! The ship’s going to overturn! Stop painting!” Ma Liang ignored him and continued to add to the wind. The wind became even stronger, blowing over many thick, dark clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as torrential rain began to fall. The seawater stood like walls as they fell towards the ship…
Han Qiongzhi could not bear to watch on anymore. She was worried that Li Qingshan would be unable to endure the mental shock that came with defeat. She was thinking about how she would comfort him later without encroaching on his dignity. After all, he was such a proud man. He would definitely be happy if she gave him that. If that was not enough, she could just fulfil his wish from a few days ago at most.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of waves. The lake was very distant from here, so why was there the sound of waves? Subsequently, the smell of salt assaulted her nose. She raised her head abruptly.
A huge, wall-like wave stood before Li Qingshan.
“Boundlessness of the Ocean!”
Li Qingshan pushed his hand forward, and the huge wave fell. It swept towards the scorching fire and forcefully pushed it back from right before him.
The flickering tongues of fire and the splashing foam tried to collide, only to be reduced to steam. But at the same time, even more water and fire surged over.
An intense clash unfolded along the lengthy boundary. Steam surged into the air like smoke, forming a white wall before dispersing again due to the depletion of power of belief.
Within the hisses, water extinguished fire and fire vaporised water; this was a battle between water and fire.
But very soon, the huge wave ran out of force, completely evaporated away by the fire. The suppressed flames managed to surge over once more, only to encounter a second wave immediately.
Chu Danqing’s face had been dyed bright red by the fire. It was slightly twisted and even his eyes flickered with red light. He was close to becoming demented as he constantly powered the Hell Rhapsody so that even more flames of hell surged out. He carried the expectations of his master, the hope of the school of Painting, and his wife in-name in the painting. He could not afford to lose this battle. He could not!
Li Qingshan had stopped caring about the depletion of his power of belief a long time ago, conjuring wave after wave. Cloudwisp island was a good place, so how could he let someone else just take it from him? If he lost, all the power of belief he depleted right now would go to waste. He smiled. And, he could not afford to embarrass himself before his future wife and father-in-law.
The circular stadium was split into two, dyed with a scarlet-red and a clear blue; this was a hell of fire and an ocean of water. A twisted boundary constantly advanced and receded, surging about with great intensity.
The burning of fire and the roaring of water was deafening.
Everyone was stunned by the earth-shaking clash of techniques. Originally, they thought they could never be surprised by a battle between Qi Practitioners again after witnessing the battle between Li Qingshan and Chu Tian.
If Li Qingshan and Chu Tian had only demonstrated the ability of Foundation Establishment cultivators every now and then during their battle back then, then Li Qingshan and Chu Danqing had completely exceeded the standard of Qi Practitioners now. They seemed no different from Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If it were just the school of Painting, then so be it. However, Li Qingshan was demonstrating the power of the school of Novels they had mocked all this time. And, Li Qingshan’s cultivation was only at the seventh layer. Had they been underestimating the school of Novels the entire time?
Chu Shidao’s eyebrows scrunched up firmly. He gazed at Chu Danqing’s figure in worry as the latter gave it his all. Never did he think that Li Qingshan would actually possess such strength. He had some understanding regarding the powers of the school of Novels. It should have been limited by the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. This situation had clearly arisen from countless people firmly believing in his novel. Just how did he achieve this in merely half a year?
Liu Chuanfeng had stopped cheering. As he stood on the platform, his mouth hung agape as he raised both hands; he was like a frozen statue. His entire body was tense, as if he was pushing the waves along.
Sun Fubai took in all of this greedily. Both joy and sorrow filled his face. Yes, this was the power of the school of Novels their master had described to them, as well as the thing he had once doubted. Now, Li Qingshan was proving it to them, to everyone.
The school of Novels was not trash. The heavens had bestowed the school of Novels with this child.
Han Qiongzhi held her hands and gazed at Li Qingshan in fascination. She was tempted to tell everyone that this was her man. Of course, everyone actually already knew that.
Wang Pushi shook his head. This kid sure caused a lot of surprises! It had only been a year since he joined the academy. If he had the time to develop, just what level could he reach? The Han family had found a fantastic son-in-law. He would definitely be a capable person in the future.
But at this moment, Han Anjun felt slightly worried aside from his delight, which was soon followed by relief. She had to slowly experience this great life of hers by herself.
Juechenzi saw how the slovenly daoist priest directly poured alcohol into his mouth and smiled. “Master, you’ve become filled with regret again.”
The slovenly daoist priest growled. “Since when did I feel regret? Since when did I feel regret, huh?” He could not help but admit that he did feel a tinge of regret. Even the arts of the school of Novels could be unleashed to such a degree by him. If it were the arts of daoism instead, wouldn’t it be even more powerful? Sigh, if I had known earlier, I would’ve treated this kid a little more politely. There are plenty of disciples I’ve cursed before, but only a fucking kid like you was bold enough to lose your temper at me!
At this moment, the glow on the Hellscape Rhapsody gradually dimmed. No matter how much effort he put in as a painter, all paintings had a moment when they ran out of power.
The water that Li Qingshan had conjured was just regular water, slightly lacklustre compared to the fire, but with the mutual regulation of the five elements, it was extremely easy for water to put out fire, and it would take tremendous amounts of energy for fire to evaporate water.
Li Qingshan suddenly kicked up an even taller, even larger wave. I’ll give up on all the power of belief I’ve accumulated over the past half a year. I’d like to see just how much longer you can last!
Chu Dangqing was at his wits end. He continued to power the Hellscape Rhapsody, and a tiny crack appeared on the painting. He no longer cared. Even if he had to destroy this painting, he would continue.
“Danqing, that’s enough!” Chu Shidao’s voice rang out in Chu Danqing’s head.
“But master…”
“If you keep fighting, it won’t be a victory for either of you.” Chu Shidao was a person who appreciated paintings, so how could he just watch as Chu Danqing destroyed the Hellscape Rhapsody he had spent six months painting? And, Li Qingshan showed no signs of running out of power of belief. Chu Danqing’s chances of triumphing had already approached zero.
Chu Danqing could not disobey his master. He kicked over the table and stowed the Hellscape Rhapsody away reluctantly.
Li Qingshan immediately stopped using the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. It had not been easy for him to gather the power of belief. Every bit counted.
In a single instant, the water and fire subsided together.
Everyone found this incredibly surreal. If it were not for the clear traces left by the scorching fire and surging water in the stadium, they basically would have thought it was all a dream.
Silence descended. Everyone exchanged glances. Just who had won?
The school leaders, however, all saw it clearly. Liu Zhangqing shot a questioning glance towards Chu Shidao.
Chu Shidao raised his hand at him before making his way over to Chu Danqing’s side. He patted his shoulder in consolation and said to Li Qingshan, “You’ve won.”
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. “You’ve gone easy on me.”
However, he saw Chu Danqing’s eyes redden as his lips trembled, as if he was about to burst out crying. Why do I feel like I’ve become a great villain who bullies naive boys? It’s just a match. Do you have to be like this?
Before this, while Li Qingshan was radiating with confidence, he had already prepared himself for defeat. After all, nothing was absolute. Compared to the crushing defeats he had suffered in the past, a match that did not even threaten his life was absolutely nothing. The worst outcome would just be moving to another island and developing there. The school of Novels did not depend on its environment too much. As long as his thoughts remained with him, would development really be an issue?
As someone who had climbed up from the very bottom, there was no way Li Qingshan could understand Chu Danqing, who had never suffered any setbacks during his decade of learning paintings. He had lost his first battle right after emerging from the mountains, so it really was difficult for him to put up with this contrast. Li Qingshan only thought he had won a powerful painting, but never did he imagine it would be Chu Danqing’s wife.
Cheers rang out from the platforms. The school of Novels did not really have a good reputation, but compared to the school of Painting who were outsiders, they were still more attached to it. After all, they had spent all these years cursing it. Now, everyone recognised the power of the school of Novels.
They could actually conjure a character who could use the abilities of painters to defeat painters; this was simply unbelievable. Some of the new disciples even began to regret that they had not enrolled for the school of Novels instead.
With Liu Zhangqing presiding over the matter, Chu Shidao and Liu Chuanfeng arrived at the centre of the stadium. Their primary disciples followed behind them.
Chu Shidao offered the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms with both hands. “I’ve long heard that the school of Novels can conjure anything and everything in a miraculous manner. With what I’ve seen today, it really is true. You really do live up to your reputation as one of the ten standard schools designated by the founding emperor.
“Your dear disciple is even more so a talent among men. We’re sincerely convinced with our defeat this time. If I have offended you in any way in the past, please forgive me, school leader Liu. This painting is an amalgamation of all my efforts, so please accept it as an apology from me. Please treat her well too.”
PS: If you vote, it’ll be a sunny day.
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Chapter 349 – Seeing What I Love
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Chapter 349 – Seeing What I Love
With such an “important figure” speaking to him so politely, Liu Chuanfeng was rather flattered. He returned the gesture in a hurry. “You flatter us, master Chu. This disciple of mine only managed to triumph over your dear disciple out of sheer luck. There are many commonalities between the arts of the school of Novels and the school of Painting. We definitely need to exchange thoughts in the future. We’ll both benefit.”
Accepting the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms, he directly passed it to Li Qingshan. Although he was rather reluctant to give up the heavenly maiden in the painting, Li Qingshan did deserve it.
“Don’t worry, master Chu. I will definitely treasure this painting.” Li Qingshan received it politely with both hands. He had won this battle, but he had used up almost half of his power of belief. This was the natural limitation of the school of Novels. However, at least he had earned some impressive spoils from the battle, making up for this loss. This was the best outcome possible. He did not want enemies everywhere either.
Of course, he was still clueless about winning over a certain person’s wife.
Chu Shidao nodded. ‘Danqing, you should seek guidance from senior brother Li more frequently in the future.”
Even though Chu Danqing disagreed with this, all he could do was answer, “Yes.”
“I’m not worthy of the title of senior brother. In the past on Cloudwisp island, Danqing and I got along the moment we met. We even drank together. We treated each other as friends and referred to one another as brothers back then, but for some reason, he stopped visiting after that one time.” Li Qingshan’s impression of Chu Danqing was quite good. He felt like he possessed a sense of naivety that was rarely seen.
“You’re still bold enough to mention that? If you hadn’t made me drunk, why would I have said something like that?” Chu Danqing glared at him, but he also felt embarrassed.
“Something like that?” Li Qingshan was taken aback. He had absolutely no idea why Chu Danqing resented him. They might have been opponents, but it was not like there were any great grievances between them!
Only after giving it some thought did he understand what he was saying. All he could do was smile bitterly. Why was this guy as fragile as a boy going through puberty, no, a primary school student? They were both geniuses, but he was basically on the other end of the spectrum compared to Chu Tian, that idiot who constantly flirted with women without the slightest sense of shame. He was so naive that he was adorable.
Perhaps geniuses had always implied a special temperament different from regular people, which was why they were able to walk along their own path. Among all the geniuses he had seen, Hua Chengzan was a romantic, Han Tieyi was a frozen piece of metal, and Chu Tian was an arrogant idiot. As for Xiao An, who was publicly acknowledged as the greatest, she might have been the most special one out of them all.
“In other words, you didn’t tell anyone about it?” Chu Danqing suddenly grabbed Li Qingshan’s shoulder, as if he had seen a sliver of hope in endless darkness.
“Who still remembers what you say when you’re drunk?” Li Qingshan’s expression was strange. It was not like he was some gossiping woman who had the time to tell others about what someone said when they were drunk.
As if he had avoided a disaster, Chu Danqing let out a deep sigh. In other words, his reputation had not been destroyed. As it turned out, he had been overthinking the entire time. However, when he thought about how he had actually dwelled on this matter for so long, even painting the Hellscape Rhapsody because of this, he became filled with regret and humiliation once more, tempted to throw himself at a wall.
Chu Shidao became curious. “What did he say?”
Li Qingshan said casually, “Danqing said he wanted…”
Chu Danqing covered Li Qingshan’s mouth in a hurry. “Master, it was just some drunken nonsense. It’ll only tarnish your ears.”
Chu Shidao smiled and bid farewell with clasped hands. “School leader Liu, take us to the school of Painting!”
“Then come with me!” Liu Zhangqing waved his hand. Soon after the match had been confirmed, they began building, planting, and designing gardens on an empty island south-west of Contention island.
Originally, he planned to give it to the school of Novels as compensation for their loss, but he never expected the final outcome to be like this. He had obtained his benefits already, and the school of Painting was unable to criticize him anymore either. With a disciple like Li Qingshan, there was no reason for the school of Novels to decline any further.
After this battle, the school of Novels must have made a name for itself. A lot of people would probably fill in the three words “school of Novels” during the next entrance examination, right?
……
Chu Shidao and everyone else arrived on the island for the school of Painting that was currently under construction. The structures there were already close to completion. It was unable to rival Cloudwisp island’s spiritual qi, but it was still an extremely exquisite place. It had its own thriving atmosphere.
Liu Zhangqing had been unwilling to offend the school of Novels too much, so he had asked the leader of the school of Mohism to personally build the structures here. The buildings and their features here were all elegant and tasteful.
After seeing off Liu Zhangqing, Chu Shidao leaned on his cane and arrived at the front of the structure. He gently touched the column that still gave off the smell of pinewood and let out a smile in delight.
“Master, why did you treat that Liu Chuanfeng so politely?” Chu Danqing supported Chu Shidao carefully. Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Practitioners were people of two completely different worlds, not to mention that Chu Shidao was no regular Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“If being a little more polite can turn enemies into friends, why can’t I forsake my antiquated pride?”
“Master, it’s all my fault.” Chu Danqing blamed himself. “I even made master lose that painting, damn it.”
“No. If you won, I’d be even more polite. The school of Novels cannot be underestimated. Li Qingshan cannot be underestimated. Even if you can’t turn them into friends, you can’t turn them into enemies. As for that painting, it’s not like you like it anyway. She’s just a painting. I’ve really grown senile. I worry over you too much. I’m confident that you can paint a painting that’s ten, no, a hundred times better. You’ll be able to paint the woman you love inside.”
But master, I like living people!
This sentence dwelled in Chu Danqing’s mind. He was not brave enough to say it. All he said was, “That painting is master’s precious memory. I’ll definitely take it back!”
“I have so many memories that they’re almost about to leak out, which was why I painted that painting. I’m probably the last person in this world who needs her. How strange. Matters from two centuries ago have actually become so clear now.” Chu Shidao leaned against his cane. His smiling gaze seemed to see through Chu Danqing, through the academy, and through time, to a very, very distant past.
……
“Qingshan, I never thought you’d actually win using this book.” Liu Chuanfeng flipped through the thin picture book. He was still in some disbelief.
Li Qingshan explained his reason, and both Liu Chuanfeng and Sun Fubai came to a realisation. Cultivators never took regular people seriously, let alone the children among regular people. Only at this moment did they realise just how important of an aspect they had neglected. Sun Fubai immediately made up his mind. Whatever those private institutions of hope were, he would establish them right now.
Liu Chuanfeng suggested celebrating properly. Li Qingshan glanced at Han Qiongzhi, who stood nearby and patted Liu Chuanfeng’s shoulder. “We gotta be discreet. They’ve accepted their defeat in such an elegant manner, so we can’t make too much of a display either just because we’ve won.” He had no interest in celebrating with two men. He would much rather show off to his woman.
Sun Fubai also expressed his agreement. Chu Danqing would definitely become an impressive figure in the future. It would be for the best if they could resolve this grievance.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands to bid them farewell and arrived before Han Qiongzhi. “Qiongzhi, how was my performance?”
“You said you’ll definitely treasure the painting. How do you plan on treasuring it?” Han Qiongzhi mentioned that immediately. She seemed to be smiling and furious at the same time.
A cloud lifted up Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi, taking them off into the air. They arrived beside Xiao An.
Li Qingshan bowed towards the One Thought master and said to Xiao An, “Let’s go. We’ll go have some fun in Clear River city.”
Xiao An glanced at Han Qiongzhi. “I’m going to go cultivate.”
“That works too. Wait for me to bring back your present.” Li Qingshan rubbed her head with a smile. They spent every single night together anyway, so it was not like they were lacking time. If the three of them were together, the atmosphere would be rather strange.
Han Qiongzhi’s heart eased up slightly. She nodded towards Xiao An to express her gratitude.
The cloud flew out of the academy, heading directly towards the city. Han Qiongzhi suddenly said, “Hold on.”
Li Qingshan stopped the cloud. “What’s wrong?”
Han Qiongzhi said, “You still haven’t answered my question. Don’t you even think about avoiding it!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I’ll obviously treasure her like I treasure you. Surely you can’t grow jealous over a painting!”
“Don’t you dare! I’ll be jealous because I can! Hand over the painting!” When she heard that, Han Qiongzhi immediately refused to accept this and extended her hand.
Li Qingshan casually tossed the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms to her. “Here, take it!”
Originally, Han Qiongzhi only wanted to test him, but she had never expected him to be so straightforward. It was not just a simple painting. Its value had exceeded the imaginations of regular Qi Practitioners. Her heart felt warm.
Out of curiosity, she unfurled the painting and saw that the face of the heavenly maiden was a blur, as if it were covered by mist. The power hidden within had completely exceeded Chu Danqing’s Hellscape Rhapsody. It had completely exceeded the value of any spiritual artifact.
“Hmph, it doesn’t seem like anything special at all to me. I don’t want it.” Han Qiongzhi tossed the painting back to Li Qingshan. “Though, you have to tell me who you see in the painting.”
Li Qingshan accepted the painting and asked in surprise, “How did you know?”
So the rumors really were true. Han Qiongzhi smiled complacently. “Just what don’t I know? Stop trying to change the topic. Tell me.” She acted like she did not care, but she was rather nervous inside. Would it be her?
Li Qingshan said, “Can I not say it?”
Han Qiongzhi said with absolutely no confidence, “Of course not!” Did he see Gu Yanying? I- if that were the case, she could not blame him, but she plummeted into dejection.
Li Qingshan said, “Fine then! Since you want to know, there’s no reason for me to hide it from you. That’s right, the person I saw was… widow Li from my village.”
Han Qiongzhi’s heart had already sunk. When she heard Li Qingshan’s answer, it instead petrified her. She blinked her eyes. “What… did you just say?”
Li Qingshan said with embarrassment, “You know, I was young! Widow Li is who all the men in our village fantasized over.”
Han Qiongzhi’s mind was thrown into disarray. Widow Li obviously posed no threat to her, but when she thought about how she had been defeated by a “widow Li” who did not even have a name, she found it even more difficult to accept.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud and pulled the fiery Han Qiongzhi into his arms. He raised her chin. “You idiot, it’s you!”
Han Qiongzhi growled angrily, “Li Qingshan, you’re teasing me again!”
Li Qingshan gently shook her chin and smiled. “That’s not called teasing. That’s called being toyed with!”
“I- is it true?” Han Qiongzhi’s voice suddenly sunk as she bit her lip. If it were not her, she would much rather him lie to her.
Li Qingshan stopped smiling and gently kissed her forehead. “I swear!”
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Chapter 350 – Qian Rongzhi’s Disappearance
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Chapter 350 – Qian Rongzhi’s Disappearance
Li Qingshan’s love life was not a blank piece of paper, but it was not a lot better than Chu Danqing’s. Only that startling glimpse of Gu Yanying under the snowy pine tree outside Qingyang city had allowed him to experience what love at first sight was.
However, he was not Hua Chengzan. No matter how deep of an impression Gu Yanying had on him, no matter how great of an oath he had sworn because of her, she was nowhere near as important as the beloved woman in his arms right now.
As a result, when he saw the painting, the memory was just a pitifully short recollection. What appeared in his head was her posture sitting back against the nose of the boat, natural and graceful, making him admire her from the bottom of his heart.
“You’re in my arms, so why would I still be thinking about a painting?”
“Qingshan.” Han Qiongzhi felt like her heart had been melted. She felt as giddy as a cloud, about to fly off into the air.
The two of them leaned against one another above the blue waves. They were both filled with utter satisfaction.
Even Li Qingshan had never expected a single word from him to achieve something like this. The tip of his finger slid past her plump lips, and he smiled. “Are you satisfied now?”
“That’s more like it.” Han Qiongzhi shot a glance at him. Her limpid eyes rippled as a rosy glow filled her cheeks. She was extremely charming.
“Is there a reward for me?” Li Qingshan poked her supple chest.
“Here, the gift I promised.” Han Qiongzhi knocked his hand aside and pulled out an item from her hundred treasures pouch.
“This…” Li Qingshan was taken aback; this could not be wrong. It was the high grade spiritual artifact pill cauldron he had taken a liking to in the school of Miscellany. The alchemy cauldron was not forged from metal. Instead, it was a rare cauldron completely carved out of jade. There was a long dragon coiled around the mouth of the cauldron. Its full name was the Jade Sculpted Cauldron of the Coiled Dragon.
Weren’t men supposed to be the ones to buy things that women took a liking to? Their roles seemed to have reversed. Li Qingshan’s heart melted.
“How’s it? You like it?” Han Qiongzhi asked in concern. Although she originated from an aristocratic family, the last thing Han Anjun did to this daughter of his was spoil her. It took up all her past savings and her contribution in the Hawkwolf Guard converted into spiritual stones to gather enough money to make this purchase.
Li Qingshan said nothing. He placed down the alchemy cauldron and directly kissed her on her cherry lips.
“I’ve already said…” Han Qiongzhi struggled weakly, but this man embraced her almost forcefully, preventing her from putting up any resistance at all. He kissed her lips, and her mind immediately blanked out. She hugged him subconsciously.
The tip of Li Qingshan’s tongue pried open her lips and extended in, tasting her to his heart’s content. He forcefully pulled her body that almost seemed to melt away into his embrace. His heart had already been completely filled by her. Wasn’t a woman like her worth him doting on with everything that he had?
A while later, their lips parted, but they were still connected by a string of saliva.
Han Qiongzhi’s eyes were lost. Her lips were slightly agape, still remiscincing the first kiss of her life. The feeling lingered for a very long time.
Returning to her senses, she was met with Li Qingshan’s smiling gaze. “So you really are so afraid of being kissed, Qiongzhi!” He could feel earlier that the woman in his embrace seemed to have crumpled, completely collapsing in his arms, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.
“You’re not a man of your word. I gave you a gift with such kind intentions, and you instead used the opportunity to bully me. You were even so forceful with me. Your embrace was killing me.” Han Qiongzhi’s face was completely flushed as she grumbled flirtatiously. She did not blame him for his actions driven by passion at all.
“For you.” Li Qingshan stowed the alchemy cauldron into his hundred treasures pouch before taking out the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms. He felt like he had been completely substandard as a boyfriend. All he cared about was enjoying himself, and she ended up giving him a present first.
Han Qiongzhi refused it. “I’m not trying to exchange things with you. You won it, so just keep it!”
Li Qingshan shoved the painting into her hands. “This is a token of love, you understand?” Actually, even he himself did not understand this too well. Compared to those gestures of romance like tying a knot with a strand of hair, their tokens of love were much more pragmatic. However, this was the exact woman he liked, one who had no idea what romance was.
Only then did Han Qiongzhi understand the implication of the painting in her hands. She was utterly delighted, and she immediately began to admire it fondly. She looked at it again and again, as if the painting in her hand was no longer the same one from before.
A while later, she suddenly closed her eyes and raised her head, puckering her lips slightly.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’re you doing?”
“You idiot. I want to try it again. It’s quite a nice feeling.” Han Qiongzhi opened her eyes and grumbled happily. “Don’t use the opportunity to toy with me.”
Li Qingshan shook his head and sighed. Since when were there women who would demand for kisses when they had just kissed for the first time? If he treated her as a shy beauty, then he really would have misjudged her. “Thank you for reminding me.” He lowered his head and kissed her. His left hand wrapped around her slender waist, gently touching her as his right hand landed on her perky bottom, massaging it hard.
Han Qiongzhi moaned gently and writhed her body subconsciously. Her mind was completely taken away by the hot, sweet kiss with him. She only focused on dealing with the foreign object that had invaded her mouth, without any concern for anything else. She just let him do what he wanted.
After these few moments of intimate contact, Han Qiongzhi turned down Li Qingshan’s suggestion of going boating with a smile. Her red lips brushed past his cheeks, stopping by his ear and whispering, “You sex fiend. Stop thinking about this all the time.”
She curled back the middle finger on her right hand and flicked him below gently. She was not completely unfamiliar with a certain organ on a man’s body, except most of her contact came from dead people. Living and attached to her own man, she found the various phases it went through to be extremely fascinating.
With how she was like, she would never take his teasing lying down. If she had the opportunity, she would definitely return the favour and give him a taste of what she was capable of. She could not allow him to believe he could bully her whenever he wanted just because she had become his woman.
Li Qingshan suddenly widened his eyes before frowning. He shot a glance at her viciously. Once a tomboy gained a hint of femininity, it would be the end of the world. Her wild style of approaching things had almost driven him mad. Only when he secretly used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression did he manage to suppress his restless desire. He had already grasped her weakness anyway, so there was no need for him to be so worried. She would be stripped, washed, and eaten sooner or later.
They arrived in the long-awaited Clear River city and strolled around together while holding hands.
Willows stood along the banks of the Clear river. Boats stretched across the river like silk. It was a scorching summer day, but the interest for outings continued to soar.
In this day and age, society was quite liberal. Particularly within a prefectural city like Clear River city that was directly under the control of cultivators, even the legendary heyday of the Tang dynasty was unable to rival its liberty.
After all, one of the three rulers of the Ruyi commandery was female. Women could practise martial arts and cultivate. They were not dependent on men. The one beside Li Qingshan was a living example of this.
Although Han Qiongzhi simply stood out too much, forcing Li Qingshan to deal with a few rascals taken away by her beauty, this long-awaited secular lifestyle and the hubbub of the streets made Li Qingshan reminisce for quite a while.
As he strolled past the tall structures and held the hand of this woman who gave off a sense of modernness, he felt like he had returned to his past life. When no one was around, she would peck him with a kiss before scampering to one side with a smile, looking at his helpless expression of being teased.
Around dusk, Li Qingshan bid farewell to Han Qiongzhi—it was obviously a kiss as she had completely fallen in love with this act of intimacy—before returning to Cloudwisp island. Sure enough, Xiao An was waiting in his room, reading a buddhist scripture quietly. She smiled as soon as she saw him and tilted her head. “Where’s my gift?”
Li Qingshan sat down right in front of her. After a moment of consideration, he still decided to tell her this piece of news in the end. After all, this was the last bit of news that woman had left behind in this world.
“Qian Rongzhi’s gone missing. She told me to give you these things.”
Xiao An was stunned. She stared at the pile of pills and spiritual stones before her.
Completely in love with Han Qiongzhi, Li Qingshan had almost forgotten about this woman’s existence completely. It was Han Qiongzhi who had mentioned this during their idle talk. Qian Rongzhi had vanished for three months now, and the Hawkwolf Guard had already sent out a search mission for her. It was basically confirmed that she was already dead.
Han Qiongzhi had already grown accustomed to death, so she only let out a sigh back then, and she no longer thought about it anymore. Unless there were special circumstances, the relationships between cultivators had always been so flimsy.
Li Qingshan sighed gently. Had she finally reached the end with her mad pursuit?
Xiao An suddenly recalled the woman who laughed madly among the pile of corpses and pools of blood. Her heart trembled. Was she really dead?
“I want to divine a trigram for her.”
“Fair enough.” Li Qingshan held no expectations at all. Qian Rongzhi’s final mission sent her southward to investigate a man-eating daemonic beast. She had basically left the boundaries of the Clear River prefecture. Her destination was a vast forest with countless daemonic beasts of various sizes thriving. There were countless venomous insects, and it was connected to the underground caverns. Just entering the place came with extreme danger.
There were even rumors that it was very possible for the place to be the White Lotus Mother’s hiding spot after she had escaped. However, even Gu Yanying never bothered to check, so who was bold enough to verify this? Even if they managed to find her, all that awaited them was death. As a result, although the Hawkwolf Guard had issued a search mission after Qian Rongzhi’s disappearance, absolutely no one was bold enough to venture there.
Xiao An closed her eyes and sat with her legs crossed. Her right hand brushed past the various items.
As a divining art of the school of Yin-yang, she had never given up on understanding and practising the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots. However, this was the first time she had used it.
At the same moment, the light from the setting sun weakly penetrated a canopy woven from leaves in a forest over a thousand kilometers to the south. The forest had already descended into darkness.
A fly buzzed and searched around. Suddenly, it caught a heavy, sweet, ravishing scent; it was a mixture of blood and rot. It often represented a corpse that it could lay eggs on and allow its descendants to thrive.
It fluttered its wings and flew quickly in that direction. It avoided a spider’s web and arrived before a small hill. The smell came from here.
It circled around before entering the cave that was almost covered in vines. It had already become pitch-black like night in there, but that was unable to stop it. Very soon, it found its target, a humanoid corpse lying on the ground.
Yes, humanoid was all it was. Its beautiful clothes had already been ripped apart, reduced to pieces of blood-soaked rags. It bore absolutely no resemblance to its former shape. Injuries covered the body like blood-red mouths, leaking with blood or even pus. They seemed like crying eyes or wailing mouths, trying to explain its indescribable pain.
The “corpse” did not have a single inch of intact skin. Even the gaps between the injuries were riddled with uneven scars, as if they had been viciously ripped open again just when they had healed.
The face was no different from the body. It was not even possible to distinguish its gender. Only a pair of eyes remained wide open, so widely open that the corners had almost ripped apart. They stared into the darkness ahead and were covered in a layer of grey dust.
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Chapter 351 – Qian Rongzhi’s Melancholy
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Chapter 351 – Qian Rongzhi’s Melancholy
“This is already the sixth trigram. Are you going to continue?” Li Qingshan asked. Although Han Qiongzhi had never mentioned it, they had probably asked Ma Buyi to personally divine for her fate since she was a legalist disciple. If they could determine her fate, then it would not be a search mission, but a rescue mission.
Searching for a live person was searching. Searching for a dead person was also searching.
Xiao An gradually familiarised herself with the usage of the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, but for six consecutive trigrams, they were all the worst of the worst. She could not find a single chance for survival. However, she refused to give up because this was all very strange.
If Qian Rongzhi were dead, then she should have been able to predict a rough location of her corpse. However, the trigrams suggested that she seemed to be in hell. This was the most unlikely place possible.
Even if hell was where all souls would return to, even Ma Buyi’s arts of divination were unable to extend across worlds.
“I want to divine one last trigram.”
“Alright.” Li Qingshan nodded. Although spirit turtles possessed some prophetic powers, he was two-ninths of a spirit turtle at most. He could only sense life-threatening danger.
When he fell into Altar Lord Black Lotus’ formation in Ancient Wind city, there had been no warnings at all. He even had to rely on his instincts as a daemon to sense that something was amiss in the very end, and he had failed to escape. Of course, he believed it was because his senses were not sharp enough, but sure enough, he had just been shaken up in the end, without encountering any danger at all.
Xiao An closed her hands. Seven types of true qi, yin, yang, and the five elements, condensed according to a special method, as if they were parallelling the propagation and decay of everything in the world, resonating with a sliver of unseen fate.
In the end, it condensed into a round cup. Thousands of colours merged and swirled along a special pattern, like a kaleidoscope, like it was forming various diagrams, images, and words. However, just a single glance of it made Li Qingshan’s head spin.
A thin bamboo lot rose up from it slowly, and the cup disintegrated. Xiao An suddenly snatched up the lot, as if she had grasped the unseen fate.
The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots originated from the most ancient Divination of the Seven Stars. A lot decided a fate, giving her knowledge of good and bad luck, life and death, the past and the future.
Li Qingshan was unable to tell what was going on. He just wondered to himself. If he used turtle shells for divination, then Xiao An would use lots for divination. Of course, he had no idea that his dream lover Gu Yanying’s Six Trigrams Divination used bronze coins as a medium.
The lot obviously was not a real lot. There would not be lots of best of the best or worst of the worst. Instead, it would produce a piece of information from the ever-changing fate. Good or bad luck, or life or death, all seemed the same to fate. Only humans had a concept of the best of the best and the worst of the worst.
Xiao An closed her eyes and frowned. She released all of her imagination as she tried to read the information in the lot.
Fate would never tell you clearly, “Hey, John Doe, you’re going to be unlucky today.” Even just a simple piece of information like that was ten times more informative than all of wikipedia. It was a hundred times more difficult to understand than a piece of art from a drunken impressionist.
The main job of the diviner was to read the information and tell the person, “Hey, John Doe, you’re going to be unlucky today. It’s best if you don’t go out.”
Yet, there happened to be a time limit to this. The bamboo slip of light constantly flickered and twisted, dispersing in Xiao An’s hands very soon.
Li Qingshan asked, “How’s it?”
Xiao An opened her eyes and furrowed her brows firmly. The Cloud Bookcase of the Seven used the first six lots as a foundation, so the seventh lot would be the most accurate one. She finally found a sliver of survival in the hellish images. It was so frail that it was almost hopeless. It was like a lone lantern within a fierce storm, where it could be put out at any moment.
Li Qingshan heard Xiao An’s explanation and pondered for a while. “Are you thinking of finding her?”
The fly confirmed the source of the smell. It circled around a few times cautiously. It failed to discover any other flies, which made it slightly uneasy.
However, it was unable to resist the temptation of the smell. Driven by its instincts, it landed on a widened eye of the “corpse”.
At that moment, something seemed to swim past in the pupil of the “corpse”. The eye of the “corpse” suddenly turned.
It fell to the ground silently, its short life coming to an end. Together with many other creatures of the same kind, they laid on the ground, dead.
Using the momentary clear-mindedness, the eyes swiveled, observing the surroundings. Only through that could she learn how long she had remained here for. Her thoughts had been completely torn apart, while her senses became the greatest lies, making her believe she had already remained here for over a century.
Her rationality only played a measly role, as if she was searching through garbage within ruins, wanting to rebuild a city. It was ridiculous and pointless.
However, she managed to find her long-lost sense of time. Her memories returned to roughly three months ago.
The proud, noon sun barely managed to penetrate the green canopy, landing in this forest and making a wide, shallow stream sparkle.
She stepped into the stream and disturbed the silence there. She tried to focus on finding the whereabouts of the man-eating daemonic beast so that she could forget about her original reason for coming here, but she was unable to forget it.
The world was heading into late spring, but her heart remained in the chilly winter, unable to forget about turmoil. She had found nothing in the past few months, and she would be able to let out a sigh of relief every single day, but there seemed to be another power constantly pulling her towards the sludge.
She almost wanted to give up, to travel far away and start over in a place where no one knew her. However, the arts of divination existed in this world. Perhaps that person was helpless against Gu Yanying, but finding her and killing her could not be any easier.
She stopped at the centre of the stream. Once she crossed through this stream, she would reach the depths of the forest, which was filled with various dangers. She could declare an end to the mission once she reached that stage.
“Are you looking for someone?”
Just when she wanted to turn around, a gentle voice made her stop. The voice came from a man who possessed a face as gentle as his voice. The corner of his lips curled into a faint smile. His black ceremonial robes were dark like the night. The tattered bottom of his clothes moved with the stream.
She sighed gently, as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The real danger she had been waiting for the entire time had already come.
Only then did she slowly turn around. She bowed. “Greetings from subordinate Qian Rongzhi, Altar Lord Black Lotus.” Finally, she had met the greatest person within the White Lotus cult apart from the holy mother once more.
“Qian Rongzhi, how dare you come here!” Before Altar Lord Black Lotus could say anything, a little girl in white emerged from behind him. She seemed to be five or six years old at most, and her voice was childish, but the coldness in her pupils were enough to freeze the blood within her veins. Qian Rongzhi said nothing at all. That’s right, this was the White Lotus Mother, the source of her fear this whole time.
“You seem to have been searching for us the entire time?” Altar Lord Black Lotus asked curiously. They were aware of Qian Rongzhi’s arrival, but they were worried it was a trap. He had racked his brains to prevent White Lotus from stepping into this potential trap. Exposing their tracks for a mere Qian Rongzhi was very unnecessary.
However, today, he was no longer able to pacify her fury, which was why they had appeared. That ma’am Gu was not patient enough to do all this. She could not even be bothered with chasing them down, which meant she no longer took this past enemy of her seriously anymore. Yes, the game had already ended.
Qian Rongzhi immediately dropped to her knees and lowered her head into the water. “Yes, Qian Rongzhi was under Gu Yanying’s control and caused a huge mistake. I deserve a thousand deaths. I’ve specially come for punishment from the holy mother and the altar lord!”
“Don’t mention that name!” The little girl screamed.
“I’m no longer an Altar Lord. Just call me Black Lotus!”
“I’m still the White Lotus Mother!” The little girl screamed again.
“Alright, alright. You’re still the White Lotus Mother.” Black Lotus bent over and spoke to her like he was coaxing a child. Afterwards, he stood up straight again and rubbed his temples like he was troubled. “I really do want to spare you, but can’t you come up with a proper reason? Now that the White Lotus Mother has lost her temper, she’s very difficult to appease.”
Qian Rongzhi wanted to speak, but Black Lotus interrupted her by raising his hand. “I don’t want to hear your lies. Please treat us with sincerity, okay? In order for you to understand the severity of this matter, I’ll kill you if you utter another lie from now on.”
“I don’t want to listen to her. Black Lotus, kill her! Kill her!” The White Lotus Mother constantly stamped her foot, causing the water to splash everywhere.
Black Lotus grabbed the White Lotus Mother’s little hand. “You better speak soon! The White Lotus Mother is running out of patience. Stand up and look into my eyes. Tell me why you’ve come.”
Qian Rongzhi stood up and stared into Black Lotus’s clear, dark, and serene pupils. She could no longer utter a single word of everything she had prepared beforehand, as all of it were lies.
“I want a way out.”
“Don’t you even think about it!” The White Lotus Mother kicked the water fiercely.
Black Lotus smiled. “Very good. There’s something we both want then. Without a doubt, killing out of hatred is pointless. Of course, not everyone agrees with that.” For example, the tiny White Lotus Mother beside him. She was tempted to skin that traitor Qian Rongzhi alive.
“I’m very curious about why you weren’t influenced by the Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “That’s probably because I’ve practised the arts of charm…”
“The Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple is not an art of charm. Do you know its origins?”
Qian Rongzhi shook her head. She had not even managed to feel what the technique had done to her.
Black Lotus explained. There had once been an eminent monk who had witnessed all aspects of life. He saw how there were countless people who refused to come to their senses throughout the vast world. Out of lament, he created a technique where he could fill the mind of others with his own comprehension, allowing them to attain enlightenment in a single instant.
Even a fool, a simpleton, could comprehend the supreme essence of the buddhist dharma, no longer bound by the various afflictions of the world. It was called the Wisdom Imbuement technique. It was not a technique to control the minds of others from the demonic path.
The Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple originated from that. It could not be resisted, as the technique was beneficial to the person in the first place. Under the influence of the technique, it would seem like they had awakened their innate knowledge and comprehended the past, removing all bottlenecks of the mind from the path of cultivation until they reached the limit of the caster’s cultivation. If Hua Chengzan had been influenced by this technique, he would have successfully reached Foundation Establishment a few years ago.
Only then did Qian Rongzhi understand why all people within the White Lotus cult under the influence of the technique would smile from ear to ear, remaining positive even when the White Lotus cult was severely crippled, as if they were filled with endless satisfaction.
Black Lotus said, “Can you tell me exactly why?”
Qian Rongzhi lowered her head. “Actually, I want to be like them very much.” Growing up, she too had once enjoyed moments of utter delight, but she could no longer recall any of it. She frowned and shook her head powerlessly. “But, I just can’t be happy!”
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Chapter 352 – Qian Rongzhi’s Recollection
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Chapter 352 – Qian Rongzhi’s Recollection
“So… you can’t be happy… I see now.” Black Lotus sighed gently and took pity on her.
Originally, he had thought it was a deeper plan from Gu Yanying, using some kind of artifact to resist the Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple. However, the answer he received was surprisingly simple. Even the Heart Cleansing Technique of Clear Ripple was unable to wash away her pain that was like pitch-black sludge.
Actually, he had witnessed similar situations in the past, but most people who resisted the technique ended up killing themselves very soon. Even if they continued to live, they would be tortured endlessly by their own pain, becoming no different from zombies, dull and unable to focus. Since they were unable to break free from it, death became their best salvation.
“Then why do you still want to live?”
“Why? Why?” Qian Rongzhi lowered her head and murmured. Suddenly, she smiled and tidied up her hair. “Perhaps it’s just because I refuse to die.”
Having reached this stage, any hard work would be futile. Her fate was in the hands of others. However, she felt no fear at all. Just like what Black Lotus had said, death was not a particularly bad option for her.
Black Lotus said sincerely, “Rongzhi, I really do want you to live…”
“No, don’t even think about that!” The White Lotus Mother screamed.
“Then the issue right now is, what am I supposed to do to let you live? I might not be an Altar Lord anymore, but I can’t disobey the White Lotus Mother’s orders.”
“Black- Lotus- who’s- side- are- you- on?” The White Lotus Mother stressed every single word as she kicked Black Lotus’s calf furiously. Black Lotus laid his hands out helplessly.
Qian Rongzhi raised her head. Through the cracks between the green leaves, sunlight twinkled like stars. Her figure was reflected in the serene stream, standing aloof from the world, as if everything happening right now no longer had anything to do with her.
She had done what she could. The rest was up to fate.
Black Lotus pondered for a while before suddenly smiling. He raised a finger and said, “People always say there is no perfect outcome, but if you look closely, you’ll always be able to find a way.”
Afterwards, he crouched down and said to the White Lotus Mother, “Holy mother, will you be satisfied if you just kill her like this? It’ll basically be salvation for her instead.”
The White Lotus Mother said, “Do you really think I’ll kill her so easily? I will make her go through all the cruel tortures in the world, until she sobs and begs me, until her mind is broken. Then I’ll kill her.”
Qian Rongzhi’s lips curled into a sneer. Sobbing and begging? Mind broken? Do you want me to act it out for you right now?
Black Lotus seemed to grasp the crux of the matter. He smiled. “Yes, cruel torture. Do you still remember that?”
The White Lotus Mother’s face blanked out at the thought of something before smiling viciously. “Yes, we’ll go with that. You’re the clever one.” She took out something from the sumeru ring on her finger and handed it to Black Lotus.
Black Lotus opened his hand at Qian Rongzhi. A translucent piece of amber sat within the palm of his hand. A tiny snake, as thin as a strand of hair, was sealed with the amber. It was incredibly small, but its gorgeous colours were enchanting.
Qian Rongzhi asked, “This is?”
“This comes from the Mist province.”
“A Snake gu?” Qian Rongzhi frowned. The Mist province was also known as the Myriad Mountains. Although Great Xia had already reigned over it for all these years, it was still an uncivilized and undeveloped place. The path of cultivation of savages differed drastically from those practiced in the central lands. The arts of shamanistic gu were one of the strangest methods to kill people in the world. It had made a name for itself.
“That’s right.”
“You want to kill me with this?”
“I heard from a friend that real gu is not for killing people. Instead, it’s to make living people feel like they’d be better off dead.”
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes lit up. Since it was for making living people feel like they would be better off dead, that meant she could live.
“Though, this gu is called a gu of burden. For the past three hundred years, it was believed to be a gu of death, as no one had ever survived once afflicted by it. They would all die from the agonising pain. Even the most cold-hearted, toughest man would become as frail as a child once they were afflicted by this gu.”
The White Lotus Mother’s smile grew even wider. It was innocent yet cruel. Even Qian Rongzhi experienced chills from it.
Black Lotus continued, “Only afterwards did people discover that this gu did not cause death. It did not even cause any harm at all. All the people who died to the gu died by suicide. If you can endure the pain, you’ll benefit tremendously from it instead. There had even been a cult that had arisen from it, worshipping the snake as their holy snake.”
Qian Rongzhi stepped through the stream and made her way forward. She reached towards the Snake Burden gu without any hesitation at all. Pain? She had always been a very tolerant person.
Black Lotus closed his hand instead. His face sank. “Do you really plan on living like this? Once the gu is planted, it will never go away. It will be bound to you forever, which is why it’s called a burden.”
“I don’t think I have any other choice.” Qian Rongzhi sneered.
Black Lotus stared at her deeply. “I suddenly regret this slightly. If you choose death, I will give you a swift one. You won’t feel any pain at all.”
The White Lotus Mother said unhappily, “Black Lotus!”
Black Lotus bowed seriously. “No matter how unhappy you are with this, I can’t just let you do this. Slaughter and death have always been unavoidable, but humiliation and abuse are not things we should do. If you insist on this, then please kill me first!”
The White Lotus Mother was powerless against him. All she could do was turn around furiously.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Thank you for your kind intentions, but if I were in search of a swift death, why would I still come here?”
Black Lotus fell silent for a moment. He opened his hand. “Fine then. I respect your choice, but please listen to the last bit I have to say. According to my knowledge, this snake is not a creature of this world. Instead, it comes from the Hell realm. As a legalist disciple, you should know about this.”
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes narrowed. She obviously knew about this. The legendary Hell realm had a total of eighteen major hells and countless minor hells. It was where all dead souls returned to throughout the trichiliocosm. All their sins would receive a final judgement in the underworld. It was the ultimate representation of law. She also understood very well why the Snake Burden gu did not cause death. The tortures of hell had never been for slaughter, but for punishment.
It was to make even the toughest evildoers feel pain so that they could then repent.
“This snake comes from the Venomous Snake hell. The so-called cruel tortures of the living world is no different from a mere game before the punishments of hell. In other words, you will be living in hell every single day from today onwards.”
Before he had even finished talking, Qian Rongzhi had already snatched up the amber. She brought the amber to the sunlight and raised her beautiful face, looking at the gorgeous, tiny snake in there. She glanced at Black Lotus, and her lips curled up. “Thank you for your kind intentions.”
The amber slid down between her fingers. Under the illumination of sunlight, the snake inside seemed even more enchanting. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, and it fell straight into her mouth.
Within the darkness, cracks appeared on the amber before it shattered all of a sudden. She did not release it. Instead, it broke free from its restraints by itself.
Like a wild beast that had caught the scent of blood, like a gluttonous taotie1 that had seen delicious food, this shameless soul filled with hatred was like its favourite food and a warm bed. It dove in deeply and helplessly.
Qian Rongzhi trembled all over. She immediately dropped to her knees in the stream. The tiny snake that was even more gorgeous than a rainbow swum through her face like a tattoo. It swam under her skin, and it seemed to become slightly larger than when it was in the amber.
She suddenly widened her eyes, falling down limply and kicking up a splash.
An indescribable, even unimaginable, pain moved through her like a snake. She opened her mouth as widely as she could. If she could still let out any sounds, she would definitely be shrieking miserably right now. However, the pain had already seized her body and locked up her throat. All she could let out were pointless choking sounds.
However, every inch of her body moaned. The entirety of her soul wailed.
She had completely underestimated the tortures of hell. She was completely wrong. She was nowhere near as tough as she had imagined herself to be. In just a single moment, she began to feel regret. She was willing to do anything to rid herself of this pain.
Did those souls in hell repent for their past sins every single day and night too?
Although she had widened her eyes to the limit, her vision was a blur. Everything in the surroundings seemed to spin, turning into blurry colours. She could vaguely make out a black shadow that approached her, which said, “Since this is the path you’ve chosen, I wish you a safe journey.”
Black Lotus stood up and said to the White Lotus Mother, who relished Qian Rongzhi’s horrible shape with great interest, “Let’s go!”
The White Lotus Mother said, “Let me watch for a little longer.”
Black Lotus looked at her fiercely, and the White Lotus Mother grumbled, “How stingy!”
When the first wave of pain had passed, the venomous snake that came from hell seemed to have moved around enough. It settled down.
She supported her body and crawled back onto her knees. The sky had already darkened completely. She did her best to tidy her chaotic thoughts. Although her face was sheet-white, she was basically unscathed. The White Lotus Mother had not even touched a single hair on her. It was even better than the best-case scenario she had imagined before.
However, her mind was close to collapsing completely. It was very strange. If a person underwent pain they could not endure, they would fall unconscious or be driven crazy even if they survived. However, she managed to maintain a clear mind the entire time, carefully tasting every moment of pain. Perhaps this was the wonders of the punishments of hell!
Returning to her senses, the first thing she did was grab her own throat. All she needed to do was close her hand gently. Blood would seep out, and she would be free.
Her sharp nails dug through her sheet-white skin. Warm, bright-red blood oozed out. After hesitating for quite a while, she pulled her hand back again and stood up as she tried to stabilise herself. She found a small cave in the mountains and dove in before falling unconscious.
She dreamt of a large snake coloured even more gorgeously swallowing her in a single bite. She woke up again very soon, and the second wave of pain arrived.
Time slipped by with each passing day. When she could move around, she would replenish her food and water before awaiting the next round of pain in utter fear. Yes, fear, unprecedented fear, so much fear that she trembled. Even when she rested, the snake would torture her in a different way, which made her contemplate salvation through death at every single moment.
However, she refused to just go like this. Gradually, she could make some simple movements during the punishment, but it only made the situation even worse. Every single time, she would lose her mind, tempted to dig out the snake from her body. She would rip through every inch of her skin. Fortunately, the bodies of cultivators were powerful, so the wounds would always heal very quickly.
She even came up with a ridiculous idea. If she peeled off her own skin, could she break away from the snake? However, her remaining rationality stopped her. The snake had already merged with her, and if she did something like that, she would die very soon. She could not just die like this!
At this moment, the aura of danger interrupted her recollection.
A daemonic beast that seemed like a wild cat arrived in the cave by following the scent of blood. Its glowing eyes hovered about in the darkness.
It was a daemonic beast that had condensed a daemon core. Perhaps this was the man-eating daemonic beast she had been searching for, but none of that matter anymore. Even if she were in perfect shape, she would not be confident that she could defeat it, but she was extremely frail now. Even moving a single finger was a struggle.
PS: Bows and thanks to fellow “Alias Space” for his donation. Congratulations to the new sect master!
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1. A taotie is an evil creature of gluttony within Chinese mythology. It is one of the four perils, along with hundun, qiongqi, and taowu.
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Chapter 353 – To Never Repent, To Never Mend Her Ways
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Chapter 353 – To Never Repent, To Never Mend Her Ways
Xiao An did not answer Li Qingshan immediately. Instead, she began thinking in silence.
“Since you’re considering it, then let’s go look for her. It’s not like it’ll take a lot of time anyway.” It was rare for Xiao An to be interested in someone else. Li Qingshan felt like he should encourage something like this. And, with what Qian Rongzhi had left for Xiao An, they had to do what they could.
“It’s too dangerous.” Xiao An shook her head.
“Don’t worry. I might not know divination like you, but I can still sense real danger.” Li Qingshan pointed at his head before rubbing her hair. “Just treat it as me going out to have some fun with you.”
“Alright.”
They arrived at the Hawkwolf Guard. Li Qingshan accepted the mission and went upstairs to give Han Qiongzhi some notice.
After a series of intimate contact, Han Qiongzhi heard about the details of Li Qingshan’s mission. She said in surprise, “You want to accept this mission? Do you know her very well?”
“I obviously don’t know her as well as you. We’ve basically just worked together a few times. She’s probably dead already, but I should still bring her remains back!” Li Qingshan studied Han Qiongzhi as he said without the slightest concern.
The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed scorching sunlight to pour in. As she sat in the tall back chair in her Scarlet Wolf uniform, she seemed extremely valiant. Li Qingshan leaned against the table right in front of her, daydreaming away.
Han Qiongzhi stroked her chin in thought; this action was extremely masculine, which gave her a different kind of charm.
“Alright, you can go!”
Li Qingsha smiled. “What, are you worried that your man might run into the White Lotus Mother, and she might keep him around as a trophy husband?”
Han Qiongzhi leaned against the seat back and raised her legs, crossing them on the table. She looked down. “If it were little Hua, then there might have been some chance for that to happen. With your looks, you’ll probably just be cut up immediately. I received news a few days ago that the White Lotus Mother and Altar Lord Black Lotus have already returned to the Mist province to rebuild the White Lotus cult.”
Li Qingshan asked, “Is the information reliable? Aren’t they afraid of being caught there?”
“The Mist province is not the Green province. It’s truly a lawless place. Basically all the people who cannot deal with the Hawkwolf Guard in the Green province will flee there. If you really can’t find her, don’t forget to just bring some remains back.” Han Qiongzhi winked.
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea!” Li Qingshan said. The search mission for Qian Rongzhi came with quite a lot of contribution. After all, it had to do with the fate of a Scarlet Wolf guard.
“Who cares? I’m in charge right now anyway. It’s not like little Hua is here. Old Wang has gone cultivating too. I have to deal with all these matters alone. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Fine then. Wait for my return.” Li Qingshan leaned over and gave her a deep kiss before standing up and leaving.
Han Qiongzhi arrived beside the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched his cloud takeoff. She smiled with her lips closed.
The daemonic beast moved with startling speeds. Its two glowing eyes were like drifting shadows, producing two long trails of light. It circled around Qian Rongzhi again and again, rapidly drawing closer.
Qian Rongzhi widened her eyes as far as she could. In the beginning, they managed to follow the daemonic beast around, but afterwards, they stopped moving, as if she had completely grown numb to it all already.
The daemonic beast confirmed that this was not a trap. The two balls of circling green light suddenly moved towards the centre of the cave. The daemonic beast lunged over and bit Qian Rongzhi’s neck. That was the only place on her body with fewer wounds. Even when she was in extreme pain, she would constantly control herself so that she would not accidentally end her own life.
Was this going to be it after enduring all that pain for three months?
Four canines pierced her skin first, followed by the rest of the teeth. They just needed to close up a little more, and there would be no need to wait for her to suffocate. They would directly shatter her vertebrae.
Even at this moment, her gaze and expression remained the same as before. The pain that could agonise others was as lovely as the spring breeze to her, while the looming death might have only been salvation to her.
The daemonic beast stiffened. Tremendous pain permeated its entire body instantly like venom.
Qian Rongzhi finally revealed a smile, which seemed more demonic than anything else on her terrifying face. With her hands beside her body, she propped herself up slowly before biting into the daemonic beast’s neck.
At a closer glance, a tiny, gorgeously-coloured snake had already begun circling around Qian Rongzhi’s neck. A parasite would protect its host. Its method of protection was obviously to make the enemy have a taste of the same pain.
When the punishments of hell descended, the daemonic beast’s daemon qi completely dispersed. It could not even move a single muscle. Its tough hide was gradually pierced by her teeth, and the metallic, salty blood flowed into her mouth. She was like a vampire, sucking hard and using the blood of others to make up for her own blood loss.
She had already finished off the food she had prepared in her hundred treasures pouch a long time ago. Fortunately, the smell of blood she gave off lured many wild beasts over. This was the method she had used to eat them all and replenish her energy.
Filling herself with blood, she recovered quite a lot of strength. She ripped open the daemonic beast’s belly and took out a translucent daemon core the size of a rice grain. She consumed it immediately and did her best to meditate.
The daemon core happened to match her elemental affinity. It was basically luck bestowed upon her by heaven. The true qi she had not seen in a very long time finally appeared within her sea of qi once more. Powered by the true qi, her wounds gradually closed up.
Qian Rongzhi suddenly felt dizzy. Touching her forehead, she found that it was another fever. Remaining within the forest and having lost her true qi for an extended period of time, this was already the third time she had fallen sick.
She knew that she had to leave here. She required a better environment to recover, or she might end up dying here. If she drew over even stronger daemonic beasts, they would be able to crush her throat before becoming seized by the pain.
She saw the disemboweled carcass of the daemonic beast. Before she left, she had to finish it off so that she could build up enough strength.
The sun set and rose, but there was no concept of time at all in this gloomy cavern.
It had only taken Li Qingshan and Xiao An a few hours to reach the hamlet on the edge of the forest. Sure enough, the villagers had seen traces of her. The last few footprints from her led into the forest.
She had been so brazen, openly disclosing her tracks. Clearly, she did all of this on purpose.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An currently stood before the forest. The serenity made it seem like a different world. Looking for a single person in a forest that extended for thousands of kilometers really would not be easy.
However, it was not too difficult for Li Qingshan. He was very familiar with that woman’s smell and aura.
As he moved about swiftly and undertook a rapid search, a heavy smell of blood caught his attention. He lifted up the curtain formed from vines and saw a monster laying within a wild beast, eating its organs.
A hint of a familiar scent wafted over through the heavy smell of blood. He struggled to believe his eyes. “Qian Rongzhi?”
The “monster” suddenly raised her head and saw Li Qingshan. She was surprised. She smiled in an extremely vicious manner and said extremely powerlessly, “You’ve come.” She said it like she was sitting peacefully at home, welcoming the visit of a good friend she had not seen in a very long time; she did not act like she had just spotted a saviour from her despair.
Li Qingshan said nothing. All he did was take out a pill and walk over. Even he himself found this sight to be rather horrific. He never thought the White Lotus cult could actually be so cruel.
Qian Rongzhi spotted Xiao An behind him and suddenly felt a sense of shame. She curled up. The venomous snake in her body settled down slightly for some reason.
Li Qingshan wanted to force her mouth open and shove the pill in there.
“Don’t touch me!”
From that moment of distraction, Li Qingshan’s hand had already touched her face. Immediately, indescribable pain filled his body. Before he knew it, the tattoo of a coloured snake had appeared where the tip of his finger had touched her.
The parasite’s instincts of protecting the host would not change with the host’s will. From now onwards, anyone who wanted to touch her would have to face hellish pain too.
The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas! Li Qingshan jerked his hand back and stared at it in shock, but he discovered that it was unscathed. His body was perfectly fine too; it was as if the pain earlier was just a dream.
At this moment, a pair of small, tender hands grabbed her hand.
“Xiao An!” Li Qingshan and Qian Rongzhi said together.
Xiao An showed no expression of pain at all.
The snakes of hell could be delivered to this world to punish the living, while in the Venomous Snake hell, they punished the dead. However, Xiao An was neither dead nor living.
Warmth spread through her hand. Qian Rongzhi saw holy, golden light rise up from Xiao An. Then, the light spread through her body along her hands, enveloping her completely in the golden light.
Her wounds gradually healed, and subsequently, the vicious, uneven scars were erased bit by bit. This was not the effects of buddhist techniques. Instead, it originated from the power of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. Her appearance seemed to become even more charming than before.
Xiao An let go and receded to Li Qingshan’s side. Qian Rongzhi said gently, “Thank you.” She asked Li Qingshan, “Do you have water?”
With a snap of his fingers, a swirl of water wrapped around her body, washing away the filth and rags on her before vanishing as steam. It revealed her pale body and beautiful proportions, completely naked.
Li Qingshan had always been a person with very strong desires, but standing before this woman, his mind would always be as calm as water. It was no different right now. He could not even be bothered with shifting his gaze.
Qian Rongzhi was no different. She picked up her hundred treasures pouch and took out a dress, putting it on. She moved her arms and extended her legs in the process in a natural manner. She was neither trying to seduce him nor avoid him.
It was as if he did not treat her as a woman, and she did not treat him as a man.
Li Qingshan said, “Looks like you’ve suffered quite a lot.”
“Do you want to know?” Qian Rongzhi had already put on the dress. She was straightening out her hair before a mirror.
“Let’s hear it.” Li Qingshan was rather curious.
As a result, Qian Rongzhi told him what she went through casually. She said it so easily that it sounded like she was telling a story about someone else.
Even Li Qingshan shivered inside after hearing it all. He asked, “How do you plan on dealing with this gu?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “There’s nothing I can do about it, nor is there any need for me to do anything about it. As long as I let go of my shamelessness and hatred, it’ll naturally stop torturing me.”
The Venomous Snake hell had always been for punishing those who ran amok due to a lack of shame, those who sinned endlessly due to hatred. However, punishment was not its purpose. Instead, its compassionate purpose was to get the sinner to come to their senses and realise the sins they had committed so that they could attain redemption and salvation.
Li Qingshan mockingly asked, “Can you achieve that?”
Qian Rongzhi smiled in response. “Of course not. I won’t feel shame for anything. I hate everyone in the world!”
The venomous snake swam around happily, and she suddenly collapsed on her knees, digging her fingers deeply into the earth. Her smile became twisted due to the pain, but it also became more resplendent. Even if she sank into endless suffering within Avīci1, she would never repent or mend her ways.
PS: Shamelessly begging for monthly votes is like falling into the Venomous Snake hell, but even if I have to fall into the Venomous Snake hell, I’ll still beg to my heart’s content!
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1. Avīci is the lowest level of hell, where suffering is the greatest. It’s also what the late Swedish DJ Avicii named himself after.
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Chapter 354 – No Title
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Chapter 354 – No Title
Looking at her like this, killing intent surged within Li Qingshan for some reason. She had already recovered her wounds, turning back into that pretty Qian Rongzhi, but she felt even more inhumane than the “monster” he saw earlier. He asked nonchalantly, “Does that include me too?”
Qian Rongzhi asked, “Are you a person?”
Li Qingshan was slightly aback. He sneered disdainfully, “As long as I can live to my heart’s content, does it matter if I’m a person or not? I didn’t want to get my nose in your business, but Xiao An divined that there was a chance for you to survive, which was why I paid a visit here.”
Qian Rongzhi glanced at Xiao An deeply. Xiao An remained composed the entire time, just like she was usually. She was expressionless.
Qian Rongzhi smiled, “Keep the items I had you to hold onto. You can treat it as a gift of gratitude.”
Li Qingshan took off on a cloud, returning to Clear River city with his “mission item”.
When Qian Rongzhi appeared before Han Qiongzhi in one piece, even Han Qiongzhi became surprised. After learning about her encounter with the White Lotus Mother and spending all that time tending to her heavy injuries in the forest, Han Qiongzhi smiled. “You have quite the luck. So much for my worries for you.” Even Han Qiongzhi had no idea about the role Qian Rongzhi had played in the mission to trap the White Lotus cult last time.
“Thank you for your concern, second senior sister,” Qian Rongzhi replied politely. Though, did she really have good luck?
Maybe she did. After receiving treatment from Xiao An, the benefits of the venomous snake of hell gradually presented itself. After the pain, her thoughts would always become especially clear. Her body and soul seemed to go through a few changes too.
Qian Rongzhi’s return caused quite a disturbance within the Hawkwolf Guard. Despite her usual manner of taking advantage of everything within her reach, she turned down Han Qiongzhi’s banquet for welcoming her back.
During those three months, she seemed to have established a slight connection with the venomous snake that burdened her. She gained a slight control over the time of the “punishment”, but she needed even more time before she could merge with it properly. The path of the future was within her grasps once more.
Returning to her residence alone, a familiar figure stood at the entrance. Qian Rongzhi said in surprise, “Little Tian, what brings you here?”
Chu Tian said with great concern, “I heard you returned. Where have you been all this time? I was very worried for you. There were many times when I wanted to search for you.”
Unfortunately, he never tried searching for her, not even once. Qian Rongzhi was not surprised by this at all. It was not because he was insincere towards her. She still held great confidence in her ability to manipulate and influence people. It was just that to certain people, nothing was more precious than their own lives.
As Chu Tian extended his hand over, her eyes lit up. If she held the hand right now, he would probably end up dropping to his knees, begging her to spare him, no matter how much of a genius he was. She would be able to find out about anything he was hiding, including any trump cards he possessed.
However, she hesitated before pulling her hand back in the end. Chu Tian was a genius that many people kept an eye out for. If he died mysteriously, the entire academy would definitely be shaken up. At a time like this, it would be much better for her to avoid causing any incidents. He had already become hers anyway.
She suddenly felt delight inside. She was still a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, but she now possessed a pair of fatal, venomous fangs that could harm these so-called geniuses.
Chu Tian was disappointed, but he felt ashamed too, so he just remained silent. When he heard how it was Li Qingshan who brought her back, he felt even more depressed inside. Why was that guy everywhere?
When Qian Rongzhi “accidentally” mentioned she had lost her hundred treasures pouch during the mission and was worried about her future cultivation, Chu Tian immediately gave her many pills and spiritual pills with great generosity.
Qian Rongzhi tried to decline the offer before accepting it in the end. “Thank you, little Tian. I will return all of this to you.”
Chu Tian stared at her face in fascination. He felt like no one was more charming and enchanting than her.
With a gentle cough, Wu Gen emerged from the darkness. He too had once considered searching for her, but as the descendant of a clan, he obviously could not risk his life and go to that forest where the White Lotus Mother might have been hiding. Afterwards, he began to believe her death was certain, and he slowly stopped thinking about her. After hearing about her return, he hurried over to see her. He greeted her in an unnatural manner.
Qian Rongzhi shot a glance at Chu Tian and smiled. “Brother Wu, you’ve come.”
Seeing how she did not resent him at all, Wu Gen felt even more ashamed. Having heard she had lost her hundred treasures pouch, he too gave some spiritual stones and pills to her in a hurry. As a descendant of a clan, he was very well-off in this aspect, much wealthier than Han Qiongzhi.
After saying a few words dripping with jealousy to Chu Tian, the two of them parted unhappily.
Qian Rongzhi let out a heavy sigh. It really was quite a pity that she could not gulp down all the food laid out right before her. If only this world was a little more chaotic, chaotic enough for no one to care if a person or two died.
Qian Rongzhi was not exactly a prominent figure in the academy, but she was on very good terms with many people. She had visitors during the next few days. Not only were there legalist disciples, but there were many disciples from other schools too. None of them had come empty-handed, so her hundred treasures pouches began to swell up again.
All of them said junior sister Qian’s bearing had changed drastically after returning, becoming even more beautiful and enchanting than before. However, none of them knew she would tie up her entire body in the dead of night every single day and begin a routine journey to hell.
Under the nurturing of pain, the colourful, venomous snake slowly grew.
Summer went and autumn came. Li Qingshan roused in the small bamboo loft. His true qi had already gradually reached the peak of the seventh layer. Before long, he could break through once again.
He saw Xiao An staring at him with widened eyes. Li Qingshan smiled. “You can stop looking at me. You better go and conduct the morning chanting, or your master’s going to grumble about me again.”
Ever since the dharma assembly, she became responsible for holding the morning chanting in the Anāsravāṃ temple, and she would then handle the allocation of matters for the day. This was obviously the One Thought master’s arrangements, and this had always been the job of the primary disciple too. Even she was unable to shirk away from it. Though, it came with quite a lot of benefits. She had already helped Li Qingshan earn many pills from the One Thought master.
Li Qingshan was not treating her as a child labourer either. In order to practise a high level ability like the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, the major focus was on the cultivation of the mind. It was not something that could be resolved by reading a few buddhist scriptures and attending a dharma assembly. She also needed to build up her understanding through the various aspects of day-to-day life, whether big or small.
Having grown accustomed to her company, Li Qingshan was rather reluctant to see her go everyday, but after some thought, he realised it was akin to sending a child off to school. Coming into contact with a few more people and matters through her identity as a primary disciple would definitely bring great benefits to her future cultivation.
After Xiao An’s departure, Li Qingshan sat there for a little longer. He neither cultivated nor practised martial arts. Instead, he let his mind go blank, without thinking of anything at all. This was akin to his daily routine of getting up in the morning, brushing his teeth, and washing his face.
Only then did he leave the room. The sky had already brightened up completely. Two children played around as they swept and cleaned up the leaves on the path within the bamboo forest. They were both at the second layer. Channelling their true qi into the broom, they swung it casually and kicked up a fierce wind, causing the bamboo forest to sway gently.
The two of them began fighting against one another with their brooms, producing a loud crack every time they clashed. It actually seemed very choreographic. As they fought, they called out, “I’m the second senior brother! You’re the third senior brother!” Suddenly, they saw Li Qingshan, and they bowed in a hurry, greeting him politely, “First senior brother.”
Before the next entrance examination had even arrived, the school of Novels had already gained new disciples. These children chosen from various places were also given the opportunity to choose their schools after a period of nurturing.
These two boys chose the school of Novels. They both possessed an elemental affinity for water, except their talent was nothing special, though it still made Liu Chuanfeng grin from ear to ear for a few days straight. The school of Novels was finally prospering under his control.
Li Qingshan was finally no longer alone. He patted their heads. “Stop messing around. Go study!”
The large boy said, “We’re still sweeping this place!” The other boy chimed in, “If we don’t get this place clean, master will scold us.”
Li Qingshan knew that Liu Chuanfeng was having his moment as a master. In the past, he had never cared about the courtyard full of fallen leaves. Li Qingshan took a liking to the two of them. He smiled. “I’ll sweep it for you.”
A crystalline water dragon flew out from his hand. Winding about, it washed away all the fallen leaves, revealing the cobblestone path underneath.
The boys cheered. They were filled with admiration towards him. If only we could become as impressive as first senior brother one day.
“A’Jun, A’Sheng, you’re done with the sweeping, so why don’t you get over here?” Liu Chuanfeng’s dignified voice rang out from within the bamboo loft.
“Yes, master.”
Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile and watched them bound away. Ever since they arrived here, Liu Chuanfeng seemed to have become a completely different person. He was radiating with the dignity of a teacher and a master.
“Qingshan, you should go soon and come back early too,” Liu Chuanfeng added.
Li Qingshan also said, “Yes, master.”
Liu Chuanfeng stroked his beard in satisfaction. Peering within himself, his Divine Talisman of Great Creation flickered with light. He had never accumulated so much power of belief before. He had been stuck at the tenth layer for many years, and now, he finally had a shred of confidence in reaching the gates that led to Foundation Establishment.
What mattered the most to a clan or sect? That was the presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Otherwise, no matter how reputed they were, people would still look down on them. The school of Novels still depended on him, the school leader, at the end of the day!
In order to save some power of belief and prepare for Foundation Establishment, he was no longer willing to conjure women to go at it anymore. With his two young disciples here, he could not afford to tarnish his reputation either.
Li Qingshan arrived at the outskirts of the island and saw Li Long working there. It was all thanks to the various crops he had grown that Li Qingshan had managed to console Milliped, who remained in the bug pouch. He greeted him with a smile before taking off into the air.
Only when Li Qingshan turned into a tiny speck and landed on Great War island did Li Long lower his head, going back to tending his medicinal garden. Among the various crops, spiritual herbs were the hardest to grow. They had extremely strict requirements on the environment, but the process of growing them was most beneficial to agriculture disciples.
It was also because of the abundant spiritual qi on Cloudwisp island that Li Long had cleared away a small plot of land and tried planting a few hardier medicinal herbs. He had no idea how they would do, but his ability for planting and tending to crops and his cultivation experienced an obvious increase. He would be able to take another step forward very soon.
As long as the four crucial elements of cultivation—wealth, companionship, method, and environment—were all present, the first few layers were relatively easy to break through.
In a martial arts hall, Li Qingshan’s fist whistles through the air, flying towards Han Tieyi’s face. Han Tieyi’s body swiveled like a screw as the spear in his hand swept towards Li Qingshan’s legs like a black dragon that crawled along the ground.
Li Qingshan sniggered. Completely ignoring the attack from below, his fists moved about and conjured a series of blurs. To the military disciples on the side, it seemed like he had thrown several dozen punches at the same time, engulfing Han Tieyi’s face. Who said I couldn’t touch your face? He yelled, “Time to pay back your debt!”
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Chapter 355 – Refining True Spirit Pills
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Chapter 355 – Refining True Spirit Pills
Han Tieyi abandoned the spear without hesitation. He managed to catch Li Qingshan’s fists accurately among the blurs.
Both of their legs suddenly sank deeply into the ground, causing it to crack loudly.
After a few clashes, they parted. Both of them heaved gently.
Li Qingshan could not help but admit that the school of the Military was truly a school for actual combat, and Han Tieyi deserved his position as the primary disciple. Li Qingshan had already unleashed the battle skill of Ocean Brawling to the limit, but he still failed to touch Han Tieyi’s face. He was able to counter or nullify the attack every single time with ingenious moves.
And, in human form, even his abilities as a Body Practitioner paled in comparison to Han Tieyi, a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, and his abilities as a Qi Practitioner were even less worth mentioning. When they clashed, he would endure relatively more of a beating. His brother-in-law was quite the opponent.
Meanwhile, Han Tieyi felt even more shocked. Every single layer was a huge difference for Qi Practitioners. In particular, the tenth layer was worlds apart from the previous nine layers. His moves that should have been able to vanquish the enemy would only cause slight wounds to Li Qingshan. Moreover, his endurance was shocking. Although Han Tieyi had never suffered a defeat, he would be dragged into an arduous struggle every single time.
Li Qingshan rested up a little and caught his breath. Seeing the midday sun, he said, “Hey, it’s time to eat!” The military disciples all agreed with him. “It’s time to eat! It’s time to eat!”
After a free lunch in the school of the Military, Li Qingshan casually made conversation with Han Tieyi. Nowadays, Li Qingshan would come to the school of the Military every morning for training so that he could gain a better grasp over the usage of battle skills. The two of them admired one another, and combined with their connection through Han Qiongzhi, they had quickly become friends.
“It’s already quite late. I need to go to Benevolence island.” Li Qingshan checked the time and stood up. The afternoon was for learning alchemy. Arriving on Benevolence island, Ru Xin said she wanted to focus on cultivation for the next few days, so she told him to refine a cauldron of pills alone.
Ever since he received the Jade Sculpted Cauldron of the Coiled Dragon from Han Qiongzhi, Li Qingshan’s success rate for pills had increased drastically. His ability to refine pills improved with each passing day, but it would still take more than just a few days if he wanted to gain the ability to refine a high level pill like the True Spirit pill. Though, Li Qingshan was in no hurry. He went to Contention island and accepted a few alchemy missions before beginning to refine pills.
Around dusk, Han Qiongzhi finished her day’s worth of work and cultivation. She turned down the invitation from a few colleagues to go out with them and instead spent some time with Li Qingshan as he refined pills. She brought him some food, and they talked about love.
Alchemy was very time-consuming, but it was not like artifact forging, which required concentration at all times and not even the slightest distraction. Most of the time, they played the role of a stoker, which was why impressive alchemists would often recruit a few lads to help watch over the cauldron. Li Qingshan did not have that privilege, but he did not find it boring either with the company of a beauty.
At night, Han Qiongzhi left, and Xiao An returned. She mentioned that Qian Rongzhi had broken through to the seventh layer. She had come to find her today, speaking with her for a while.
The cold stars embellished the night sky, but very soon, they were expelled once more by the red sun rising up from the east. This continued on as an endless cycle. In the blink of an eye, winter snow fell once more.
Li Qingshan’s alchemy ability constantly increased, but he instead began to run out of patience.
The deeper his understanding of alchemy became, the more he understood its profundity. It was definitely not like what he had originally imagined, where he could casually learn it for a year or two and then refine True Spirit pills en masse, which he could then use to exchange for cultivation pills.
In reality, the process was riddled with difficulties.
Just the first step of gathering spiritual herbs was an obstacle. Even though the other spiritual herbs for refining True Spirit pills were nowhere near as uncommon as the Blue Butterfly flowers, they were still extremely rare, which would cost him a tremendous amount of spiritual stones at the start. If he wanted to turn all the Blue Butterfly flowers into True Spirit pills, its cost would be calculated in the tens of thousands at the very least.
One or two of them basically had no market either. They were basically all in the possession of master alchemists, used to refine other high level pills. If he wanted to purchase them, he would have to pay an astronomical sum of one or two times their regular price at the very least. And, if he created such a disturbance purchasing these materials, everyone would know what he was up to. He could never afford to underestimate the intelligence of other cultivators.
Afterwards would be the second step, refinement.
Alchemy was not that simple. Even though he was in possession of something as powerful as the Jade Sculpted Cauldron of the Coiled Dragon, it would take him several months at the very least to learn how to refine True Spirit pills. And, once he did learn how to refine them, he would just barely be able to refine them. The success rate would be pitifully low. In other words, he would have to waste large quantities of precious materials.
If he wanted to increase his success rate, it would be very simple—spend another two or three years learning! However, whether his success rate could even exceed fifty percent was a whole different story. If he could easily learn how to refine high level pills like True Spirit pills in just two or three years, such that he could pump them out cauldron after cauldron, the streets would be filled with alchemists.
The last step, sale.
Even if he ignored the other problems and managed to refine True Spirit pills en masse, how was he supposed to sell them and exchange them for pills used for cultivation? This was not a game; he could not sell them just by finding a store, dragging and dropping them in followed by a click of the mouse. He had to conceal his identity first, but that would definitely result in others trying to force the prices down; they might even try to rob him by force.
Wealth begets trouble. A batch of True Spirit pills that could nurture a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators meant that even many Foundation Establishment cultivators who normally seemed very friendly could possibly change all of a sudden.
“Can I trust you?” Li Qingshan asked casually.
In Ru Xin’s alchemy room, Ru Xin was teaching Li Qingshan how to refine a cauldron of Fragrance pills. It was a relatively high level pill, but it was not for cultivation. Instead, ingesting Fragrance pills would imbue the body with an exotic fragrance. It had become extremely popular among female cultivators recently.
This time, it was not a mission from the academy, but Ru Xin’s work.
During a boring pause, the two of them could not even be bothered with bantering with each other. Li Qingshan listened to the sound of snow falling onto the ceiling quietly. He was not looking at Ru Xin either, staring at the wall as if he was in thought.
“What’re you asking that for all of a sudden?” Ru Xin turned around.
Li Qingshan looked into Ru Xin’s eyes. “Answer me.”
Ru Xin’s eyes with contrasting irises swiveled around, as if she was considering why Li Qingshan had asked this question. She stared at the ceiling. “I’m not sure myself.”
“We’ve known each other for so long already, but there seems to be a mysterious veil over you, such that I can’t grasp you,” Li Qingshan said. Having known each other for so long, they bantered about anything and everything, but he had never heard her mention her origins. Even if it was mentioned, she would immediately change the topic.
“What a coincidence.” Ru Xin stared straight at Li Qingshan. To her, wasn’t Li Qingshan no different?
Their eyes met. After a moment of silence, Li Qingshan smiled, and afterwards, he saw his smile appear on her face like a reflection.
Indeed. They both had secrets that they could not tell anyone about. However, even if they were friends, there was no need for them to share all their secrets.
“Have you refined True Spirit pills before?”
“I haven’t, though I’d like to try if the opportunity arises,” Ru Xin said calmly. The most important spiritual herb for refining True Spirit pills, the Blue Butterfly flower, was almost extinct, so there really had not been a lot of people who had refined it before.
Li Qingshan opened his hand, and a blue butterfly that flickered with soft light fluttered gently, brushing past Ru Xin’s face.
“Then give it a try!”
Ru Xin extended her hand, allowing the blue butterfly to perch on the tip of her finger. She sighed in amazement. “It really is a Blue Butterfly flower. I’ve only seen them in books. I never thought you’d actually possess one. No wonder you’ve been working so hard to learn alchemy. So it was for refining a single True Spirit pill.”
Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile. “No, not just a single pill.”
Ru Xin’s mouth widened slightly as blue butterflies of light fluttered through the alchemy room. Dozens, hundreds, and even more dyed the room with a beautiful colour. However, what she wondered was whether she could fill this alchemy room if she exchanged them all for spiritual pills.
Only after a very long time did Ru Xin return to her senses. She stared at Li Qingshan deeply as her eyes flickered with a different emotion. “Thank you for your trust in me!”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s not like I have another choice. Once you refine them, I can let you take thirty percent.”
This figure managed to make even Ru Xin’s heart skip a beat. Let alone anything else, if she possessed so many True Spirit pills, she could immediately begin her push towards Foundation Establishment.
Li Qingshan’s next words made Ru Xin calm down. “You’ll be responsible for gathering the other materials, you’ll be responsible for refining the pills, and finally, you’ll be responsible for exchanging them for cultivation pills on my behalf, best if they’re Virtue Accumulation pills. The most important part of all of this is you’ll be responsible for keeping it a secret. I think you understand this even without me telling you!”
“Of course I do.” Ru Xin smiled. “If any news of this gets leaked, it might even end up costing us our lives.”
“Really?” Li Qingshan did not think it would be as severe as she imagined it to be. After all, this was still an orderly age of peace. He just did not want other people connecting this with the underground.
Ru Xin said, “The academy isn’t as safe as you imagine it to be. The school leaders might not be able to do anything to us, but what about pressure from even higher up? The reason why you decided against working with the Han family was not because they’re too powerful, but because I’m a loner, right?”
Li Qingshan could not help but admit to that. He could trust Han Qiongzhi, but he could not trust the entire Han family. As for Ru Xin, she did not come from a clan, and her background was blank too. Apparently, she did not even come from the Clear River prefecture. Even her current master, the leader of the school of Medicine, Hua Ci, was a strange, eccentric old man. This also meant that once this matter became exposed, even Ru Xin would not be able to keep the True Spirit pills.
“Sorry. As it’s very important, I can’t place complete trust in anybody.” If it were not for the few months they had spent together, Li Qingshan would have never vested this much trust in her.
“I can understand. If you really were a person who trusted others so easily, then I’d only look down on you. I’ll tell you a secret too then!” Ru Xin took out an alchemy cauldron from her hundred treasures pouch.
“A supreme grade spiritual artifact cauldron!” Li Qingshan blurted out. This was not a regular supreme grade spiritual artifact, but a rare alchemy cauldron. And, the design of the cauldron was extremely strange. At first glance, it seemed more like a furnace, and from the complicated patterns on it, he could immediately tell from everything he had learnt about alchemy recently that it was not a product of the Green province. Instead, it came from the Mist province further south.
However, Li Qingshan did not mention that. The people of the Mist province had always been denounced as savages by the people of the Green province. Although they were both under the rule of Great Xia, the skirmishes between the two vassal states had never stopped throughout history. The borders were stationed heavily with soldiers, and the Hawkwolf Guard always sustained its greatest losses there.
The vassal kings of the two provinces had feuded throughout history. If it were not for the empire’s restraint, they would have declared war against each other long ago. Was Ru Xin a spy from the Mist province?
As for Ru Xin, how was it possible for her to not guess that the Blue Butterfly flowers originated from underground? There were only a handful of organisations in possession of Blue Butterfly fields, which were protected by layers upon layers of formations. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would not be able to pluck a single flower. However, how did a mere Qi Practitioner like him manage to venture so deep underground?
Before they knew it, both of them had revealed a fraction of their secrets to one another. However, neither of them planned to probe any deeper, but they seemed to grow slightly closer to one another.
Then, Ru Xin said, “I’ve accumulated quite a lot of spiritual herbs. Some of them can be used for refining True Spirit pills, so there’s no need to specially gather them.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “What a coincidence.”
In the end, the two of them managed to produce seven types of spiritual herbs for refining True Spirit pills, two from Li Qingshan and five from Ru Xin, all amounting to extremely large quantities. It went without saying that they were obviously specialties of the underground and the Mist province respectively.
And, most of the spiritual herbs that originated from these two places were relatively more precious. As for the remaining spiritual herbs, Ru Xin was responsible for collecting them. As the primary disciple of the school of Medicine, she was in charge of the medicinal material store rooms, so she could easily fetch a few spiritual herbs under the name of refining other pills without much difficulty at all.
In the afternoon of the next day, Li Qingshan arrived in the alchemy room again. Ru Xin took out a formation scroll and set up the formation, ensuring that no one could peer into this place.
Li Qingshan asked, “How’s it?”
Ru Xin said with a sunken expression, “My master has already found out about this!”
“What!?” Li Qingshan was overwhelmed by surprise and fury. He strode over and grabbed her by the shoulder.
“I’m kidding! Hey, it hurts!” Ru Xin furrowed her brows slightly, like a saddened beauty. It was quite a melancholic and enchanting sight.
“You-” Li Qingshan became even more irritated. What an improper woman, but he did loosen his hand.
Their faces were inches apart. Ever since parting yesterday, they had wondered about each other’s identity very much. In the past few months, they had not had any more bodily contact, so it suddenly became rather awkward now.
Li Qingshan let go of her shoulder. “Now is not the time to be joking around.”
Ru Xin said, “I’m trying to get you to relax a little. Otherwise, we look like thieves!”
Li Qingshan said, “We’re not thieves. We’re adulterers!”
Ru Xin placed her hand on Li Qingshan’s shoulder with a smile. “That’s not completely impossible. I like rich men the most. How about you throw first young miss Han aside? Don’t forget to retrieve the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms from her too and give it to me instead. I’ll give you the cauldron I normally use in exchange.” She also normally used a high grade spiritual artifact cauldron.
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t even think about it. Show me the spiritual herbs. Why are there so few?”
Ru Xin said, “It’s enough for now. If I take too much at once, people will find it strange. We can take it easy.”
Li Qingshan expressed that he had understood.
Ru Xin said, “Then, let’s begin!”
“Oh right, what’s this cauldron of yours called?”
“The Crystal Resin cauldron.”
Ru Xin shrank the Crystal Resin cauldron to the size of her hand before placing in spiritual herbs one by one in a particular order. Finally, she placed in a single Blue Butterfly flower.
The only objective of her first attempt was to experiment around and gain experience. She was only aiming for a single True Spirit pill, and she was not expecting to succeed.
Ru Xin sat with her legs crossed in utter focus. She was no longer as relaxed as when she normally practised alchemy.
Li Qingshan sat to one side. He was afraid of disturbing her, so he meditated instead.
Over four hours later, the cauldron opened, and an exotic fragrance wafted out.
“Succeeded as a fluke. Here.” Ru Xin picked up a violet pill from within the cauldron. It was exactly the same as what he had seen before.
Li Qingshan closed her hand. “This is for you.” Then he rocked it gently. “For a smooth cooperation!”
However, the second pill ended in failure, wasting a Blue Butterfly flower. Ru Xin could not help but sigh gently.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan remained unfazed because he had obtained these Blue Butterfly flowers just too easily. He said, “Just continue.” He made Ru Xin lament inside. Wealthy people really are different.
“Though, you’d better go back and rest up so that I can tidy through my thoughts. We can continue tomorrow.” Ru Xin stowed the Crystal Resin cauldron away and revoked the formation. She suddenly smiled. “If you stay here, young miss Han might really think we’re adulterers.”
“I almost forgot. I’ll see you tomorrow then!” Li Qingshan made his way out of the alchemy room, but he admired the correctness of his choice. Even with Ru Xin’s many years of experience and a supreme grade spiritual artifact cauldron, the success rate so far was only around half. If Li Qingshan refined it instead with his half-assed alchemy, he probably could not even achieve a success rate of a half.
Han Qiongzhi was waiting by the lake. It was currently snowing gently, and the sky had dimmed a long time ago. She questioned, “Why were you so late today?”
Li Qingshan felt rather apologetic. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Alchemy took some time. You must have waited for quite some time now. Where do you want to go today?” Today, she wore a large, red hooded cloak, with the brim of the hood embellished with white fur. Standing among the snow, she seemed like a red ball of fire, warming his heart.
After a busy day, they would spend time together like only they existed in the world. It was their favourite moment of the day. Their tracks were no longer limited to just the academy and Clear River city. It had reached other places with beautiful scenery in the surrounding region too.
Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened slightly. “Let’s go boating!”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Going boating had already become a special signal between the two of them.
The white catkins stretched for kilometers, and the snowflakes in the air blanketed everything.
Within the remote reeds was a small boat, causing the water to ripple gently. The enchanting gasps of a woman rang out softly.
The cabin was layered with a thick, embroidered quilt, and the red cloak was casually tossed aside.
Li Qingshan laid atop Han Qiongzhi, deeply kissing his beloved woman. His left arm wrapped around her body, fondling her left breast through her clothes while his right hand stroked her body recklessly, moving from her perfectly round legs to her perky bottom.
The coldness in the air was unable to affect their scorching passion.
Refusing to be blocked by the barrier that the clothes formed, Li Qingshan stuck his hand into her clothes.
Han Qiongzhi immediately grabbed his hand. Her eyes seemed like she was about to melt away as she smiled at him. “Sex fiend!” Afterwards, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him again. She felt a large, warm hand slide into her clothes, clutching her full figure, which made her let out a moan.
The soft breasts felt like water in his hands, yet it was also surprisingly supple. Li Qingshan would mould their shape or play around with the two slightly hardened beans as he wished.
But very soon, he no longer felt satisfied. The narrow space prevented him from doing anything else. He wanted to see them with his own eyes. In the past, she would stop his greedy behaviour, but it seemed to be rather different today.
Under Li Qingshan’s astounded gaze, Han Qiongzhi propped herself up and took off her layers. Only when her red undergarment remained did she stop. She turned away with a reddened expression. “Do it yourself!”
A large portion of snow-white skin appeared before Li Qingshan. Sure enough, her figure was as thin as it had felt like, while the deep gully sucked his attention away.
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingshan did not behave like what Han Qiongzhi had been expecting him to. Instead, he held her face in concern, which made her heart warm slightly. She said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I originally planned on telling you this later, but I plan to enter secluded cultivation for a while.”
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Chapter 356 – Engagement
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Chapter 356 – Engagement
“You’re going to break through to the tenth layer?” Li Qingshan suddenly understood. She had remained at the ninth layer for a very long time now. Opening the twelve standard meridians was even more complicated than opening the eight extraordinary meridians. It required absolute focus. Qi Practitioners would usually choose to break through in secluded cultivation.
“Yep! So much for catching up to me.” Han Qiongzhi pouted with a smile.
“How long will you take?”
“It’ll be a few months at the very least!” Han Qiongzhi answered after some thought. That also meant they would not be able to see each other for a few months.
“I’ll let you take advantage of me today.” Han Qiongzhi propped up her back with both arms. Her delicate collar bone made her seem rather thin, but the pair of jade bunnies before her seemed even more plump, as if they wanted to burst out of her undergarment.
Li Qingshan stopped worrying. He smiled. “If you insist.” His hands reached behind her and undid the knot, and her fiery-red undergarment slid down, revealing a pair of snow-white breasts that stood proudly like they had been carved from jade. There were even a pair of bright red beans that had once taken Li Qingshan away in his fantasies.
Han Qiongzhi did not cover herself up in embarrassment like other women. She remained in the same posture, just turning her head away and leaving the shy, delicate side of her face to Li Qingshan. Her beautiful cheeks were slightly red, which made her seem extraordinarily elegant.
This instead dispersed Li Qingshan’s lust. He admired the top half of her body; she was like a goddess sculpted from marble. Every single curve was utter perfection, such that he became afraid to desecrate it.
Han Qiongzhi bit her lower lip. Compared to his warm, reckless hand, his gaze seemed to embarrass her more. She grumbled, “Have you stared enough?”
“I’ll never stare enough, even if I spend my whole life staring.” As he said that, Li Qingshan wrapped his hand around her and kissed her rosy lips gently. He licked and kissed her soft neck before gradually moving down. He kissed her delicate collar bone, leaving behind a faint mark. Then he proceeded to bury his face in the gully before finally reaching one of the beans, sucking on it gently.
Han Qiongzhi let out a heavy exhale and twisted his ear. As she heaved, she said, “Are you… a child?”
Li Qingshan raised his head and smiled. “I’m not, but I can give you one.” He fondled around with her breasts, moulding it as he wished. The tender breasts seemed to ooze between his fingers, but it would be able to recover its perfect shape the moment he let go.
“Never. I hate children,” Han Qiongzhi said stubbornly. However, if he really did want children, he would have to wait until she reached Foundation Establishment at the very least.
She suddenly felt rather amazed. A year ago, no, just half a year ago, she had never even considered bearing a child for a man, yet now, she was seriously considering the idea. She basically felt like she had been possessed. She patted Li Qingshan’s face. “You evil guy. You must have drugged me or used some kind of arts of charm against me, haven’t you?”
Li Qingshan said, “I’m the one having doubts, alright. To think that I, Li Qingshan, a great man with a steel heart who could get any woman I want, would just be enchanted by a girl like you, even holding myself back for you to maintain your chastity. How illogical.”
Han Qiongzhi found that both infuriating and funny. She had never seen someone so shameless before, who would take advantage of her while grumbling about being restricted to just her.
But after closer thought, she became rather touched by this. Men of the current age, even just regular people, would have multiple wives and consorts if they had a bit of money, while cultivators were even worse. They did whatever they wanted. There were plenty of male cultivators in the academy who had visited the Parlour of Clouds and Rain before, and it was commonplace for them to support multiple women outside.
This was something extremely worth boasting over among men. She disliked Qiu Haitang, but when the legalist disciples gathered, they would still end up going to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. All of them had slept with multiple women, and no one found any fault in that either. Even she was no different.
Only when she began taking a liking to him did she understand the jealousy of a woman. She was tempted to tie him to her and forbid any other women from looking at him, and he actually agreed to her request. As they met throughout the past few months, no matter how passionate they became, he would never try to insist on going any further as long as she refused. She just felt that he treated her very differently compared to how other men treated her.
In reality, Li Qingshan was just under the influence of the social norms from his previous life. No matter how tempted he was to take multiple women as his partners, he was still very accepting and tolerant when he met a woman he actually liked. Moreover, the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression could control lust, or he would have run out of patience a long time ago. In his past life, he had been labelled as beyond help with his masculinity, but now, he had instead become a good man. Sure enough, the environment determined how people thought.
“Forget it. I’ll just throw the rest of my life into the hands of a single woman like you.” Li Qingshan lowered his head to kiss her, but Han Qiongzhi blocked his lips.
“Hmm?”
Han Qiongzhi said, “Why must I be the only one to strip?”
“That’s not a problem at all.” Li Qingshan smiled. In a neat and quick fashion, he stripped himself naked. His robust body rippling with muscles radiated with pressure.
“I didn’t tell you to strip everything!” Han Qiongzhi called out, but she could not help but admire his body. She touched his chest in complete satisfaction. Glancing down, the chief culprit that had once pressed against her stared right back at her furiously. She casually prodded it and grumbled, “How ugly!”
Li Qingshan felt like all of his lust had been roused all of a sudden. He laid down on top of her and whispered in her ear, “You won’t be able to say that very soon. I’ve already stripped now, so it seems to be rather unfair.” He extended his hand to take off her skirt.
“Not right now.” Han Qiongzhi knew what he was trying to do, so she grabbed his hand in a hurry. “After I emerge from seclusion, you can go ask for my hand in marriage with my father! By then, I’ll give you everything.” Towards the end, she could not help but lower her head in embarrassment, all the way to her chest.
Li Qingshan beamed in surprise and joy. He propped her head back up by her cheeks. “Qiongzhi!”
Han Qiongzhi said, “Don’t celebrate too soon! My father still hasn’t agreed yet!”
Li Qingshan said, “Your father can only celebrate for having such a great son-in-law like me, so why would he turn me down? Even if he turns me down, can you turn me down too?”
“Who knows, I might not necessarily… Get back here!” As Han Qiongzhi said that, she suddenly felt Li Qingshan trying to take off her skirt again.
Li Qingshan said, “Just let me admire it in advance. Don’t tell me you’ll even deny your future husband of a request like this! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely wait until the night of marriage before I turn you into a woman.”
How could Han Qiongzhi deny the man who was about to become her husband? She poked his nose gently and said rather softly, “Now that’s what you said. Don’t go back on your word.”
Li Qingshan smiled and scooped her up. He grabbed the edge of her skirt and pulled off the entire thing, revealing her pale thighs. Han Qiongzhi did not even get the chance to maintain her final line of defence. She seemed to become a lamb to his slaughter in the blink of an eye.
Both of them felt their hearts tremble. Although they had already embraced one another countless times before, this time was utterly different. The colour of bronze and snow pressed together firmly, completely different from one another. One was tough like rock, while the other was as soft as cotton. They seemed like they were trying to merge together.
Han Qiongzhi hugged him tightly and firmly pressed her chest against his, listening to his powerful heartbeat. She could feel the stiffness pressing firmly against her buttock. His large, coarse hand gently slid along her back that was as soft and smooth as silk. Scorching passion suddenly rose up in her. If he really tried to take her in this moment, she would not be able to turn him down. She was at his whim.
Li Qingshan breathed in deeply and slowly let go of her. The entire process was so difficult that he felt like he was carving out a piece of flesh from his body. He placed her on the embroidered quilt and said, “Let me take a good look at you.”
Han Qiongzhi felt lost, almost rather reluctant to leave his embrace. She wanted him to continue holding her like that, doing whatever he wanted to her.
Li Qingshan almost gasped in admiration as he appreciated her body. She was perfectly proportioned. In particular, she was extremely plump where she should be plump. She was utterly charming.
No matter how liberal Han Qiongzhi was, she still struggled to hold back her embarrassment in this moment. She curled up her slender legs, no longer giving off the slightest sense of manliness at all. She was basically waiting for a man to take her.
That night, their date lasted for a very long time. As soon as they remembered they would be parting very soon, such that they would not be able to see each other again for several months, neither of them wanted to pay any attention to the time.
Only when the next morning arrived did they put on their clothes again reluctantly.
Li Qingshan personally accompanied her to the dwelling for secluded cultivation and watched the door close. He was almost tempted to enter secluded cultivation with her, but with a shake of his head, he dismissed that thought. If they entered secluded cultivation together, they would probably end up with a child, so how could they still cultivate in peace?
Last night, they remained entangled until she found him utterly pitiful from how hard he was holding himself back. In the end, she even dismissed her own embarrassment and boldly lended him a helping hand before sternly warning him to not go around her back while she was in secluded cultivation, or the thing in her hand would end up being hers.
Only then did Li Qingshan understand her scheme. He smiled. “Just this technique won’t be enough if you want to stop me from going around your back.” He stared at her delicate, red lips.
Han Qiongzhi immediately understood what he was saying. Why would she ever agree to that? She directly stated that only prostitutes in brothels would do something like that and cursed him as an ingrate for taking advantage of her kindness by going too far. In the end, Li Qingshan agreed to an alternative and went at it on her tender breasts, even sullying her face at the very end, which led to quite a lot of grumbling from her.
Li Qingshan could tell that after confirming their relationship, she was actually extremely bold in this aspect. She might have even known more than him from her frequent visits to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in the past. By then, he had to properly coax her into experimenting around and this second life of his would have been entirely worth it. He had already begun to look forward to his married life.
As for Han Qiongzhi’s warning, he did not pay any attention to it at all. Right now, his heart could no longer contain any other person. Even Gu Yanying would have to stand aside.
Returning to Cloudwisp island, Li Qingshan notified Xiao An before heading straight to Ru Xin’s alchemy room on Benevolence island. Now that Han Qiongzhi was no longer here, he could focus on alchemy. She would probably need True Spirit pills too if she wanted to break through to Foundation Establishment!
At that moment, he had failed to consider why she would ever require his pills as the first young miss of the Han family. All he wanted was the best for her.
Ru Xin smiled as soon as she saw Li Qingshan. “The stirrings of love are still plastered over your face. Looks like you’ve had quite the night last night. Don’t tell me you’ve already destroyed young miss Han’s body?”
“Of course not. It’s just that I’ll probably get married in a few month’s time.” Li Qingshan smiled from ear to ear. He had tried very hard, but he could not help himself in the end. He revealed it to Ru Xin, who kept another large secret of his.
Ru Xin’s heart stirred. She said sadly, “Then I really do have to congratulate you! It’s just a pity that I had to spend my entire night in front of an alchemy cauldron alone, thinking about alchemy. I don’t even have someone close who cares for me.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Senior sister, if you want a man, you could form a line so long that it reaches Clear River city.”
Ru Xin stepped over and placed her hands onto Li Qingshan’s shoulder gently. The light in her eyes rippled. “It’s just a pity that the person I want already has someone else.”
PS: Originally, I wanted to shorten and simplify this aspect, but by the time I returned to my senses, I had already written so much, so I stopped myself in a hurry, ending it carelessly in an anticlimax. You can say that a process like this, the developments of emotions between the two of them, is critical, right? If you like it, then treat it as getting lucky. If you don’t, then just skip over it.
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Chapter 357 – Bold Gambles
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Chapter 357 – Bold Gambles
Li Qingshan stared at her gentle face that differed dramatically from Han Qiongzhi’s and was left speechless for a moment. He felt rather proud of himself inside, yet also rather awkward. In the past, he could tease her a little over this, but it was not so easy now.
He thought to himself, Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan. Qiongzhi has just entered seclusion, so you can’t do anything that’ll let her down. As a result, he said a few things that could make Ru Xin give up on him.
“Don’t tell me you thought I was talking about you?!” The mischievous smile that Li Qingshan found familiar appeared on Ru Xin’s face.
“Of course not! Never!” Li Qingshan pried her hands away passive-aggressively. He eased up inside, yet he also felt slightly disappointed for some reason. He was unable to tell when she was telling the truth. Was it a joke earlier, or was she probing him?
Or, perhaps she really did have someone she liked, which was why she had never accepted confessions from any man in all these years. Was that man in the Mist province? Immediately, he imagined a savage man covered in tattoos and a blue piece of cloth, holding a child on the top of a mountain and gazing northward at the distant mother of his child…
He shuddered. Why did it seem rather familiar and rather comfortable to him too?
As he imagined that, Ru Xin had already moved away softly, closing the door and laying out the formation scroll, making all preparations for them to “commit adultery”. She moved around as lightly as a white ghost.
Looking at her graceful, gentle figure, she did not seem like she had given birth before at all. Li Qingshan nodded to that thought.
Ru Xin said, “Oi, what’s wrong with you? Did you end up shooting your brains out too last night? Give me the Blue Butterfly flowers!”
Li Qingshan felt like he had been struck by lightning. He was tongue-tied. Is this something you should say? Is this something you should say?
Ru Xin said in complete contempt, “It’s just some old business between a man and a woman, isn’t it? I know much more about it than you, little boy.”
Li Qingshan could not help but take a step back. He had heard how the female barbarians of the Mist province were extremely liberal in this aspect. He began to imagine a group of men covered in tattoos with white cloth on their heads standing on the top of a mountain, gazing northward.
As if she could read his mind, Ru Xin blushed slightly. She scolded, “What’re you thinking about? I’m a doctor!”
Li Qingshan made fun of her. “It’s not like I’ve said anything.”
Ru Xin’s expression stiffened. It was true. His thoughts had nothing to do with her. She directly took out the Crystal Resin cauldron. “Let’s stop messing around. I’ll show you the results of my research last night.”
Li Qingshan took out a Blue Butterfly flower, but Ru Xin raised three slender fingers instead. “Three.”
Li Qingshan expressed his doubts. “Are you confident about success?”
“Of course.”
Ten hours later, the alchemy cauldron let out a muffled bang. The refinement process had ended in failure.
Faced with Li Qingshan’s contemptible gaze, Ru Xin tidied the hair on the side of her head, unperturbed. “Accident.”
“Do you want to continue?” Li Qingshn asked. The success rate had already fallen to twenty percent now.
Ru Xin became motivated too. “Of course! Let’s go with… one.”
Li Qingshan took out three Blue Butterfly flowers and handed them to her again. “Since you’re confident, let’s continue!”
The light in Ru Xin’s eyes flickered. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll destroy them again?”
“Just keep going. It’s not like it’s just my loss,” Li Qingshan said. He did not doubt the person he chose, nor was there any need to doubt her. There was probably no better choice than her within the entire academy.
“Then let’s go with five!” Ru Xin propped herself up and brought her left foot forward, now half-kneeling on the cushion. She rolled up her right sleeve, revealing her beautiful forearm and pressing it against the Crystal Resin cauldron. Like a female dealer in a casino, she pressed down on the dice cup boldly and called out, “Finalise your bets!”
Li Qingshan muttered female barbarian inside before handing five Blue Butterfly flowers to her. Afterwards, he stared fixedly at the Crystal Resin cauldron like a gambler who had just placed down a large bet, but he ran out of interest very soon. Instead, he began looking at Ru Xin. After he stared at her for a while, she shot a vicious glance at him.
He shifted his gaze and became bored again, so he just started meditating.
A night passed, and the sky lit up. The cauldron opened and crystalline light poured out.
Ru Xin took out five True Spirit pills and smiled. “Success!”
Li Qingshan also smiled in relief. “Do you want to continue?”
Ru Xin said, “Let’s continue!”
This time, they went with seven.
Alchemy did not become easier when batches were smaller. It was like cooking in the kitchen. If the portion was too small, then it would be extremely difficult to control the heat and taste, and it would waste a lot of time and energy too.
Of course, more was not necessarily better either. Dishes made from a communal pot would never taste better than those made in a small pot. It was fine if dishes tasted bad, but if pills “tasted bad” that would mean a drastic reduction in their effects, preventing them from achieving their intended effects.
The degree of control, the skill of the alchemist, and even the quality of the cauldron were all relevant. With Ru Xin’s ability, refining twelve True Spirit pills each time was perfect.
Under Li Qingshan’s liberal support, she reached this very soon, but it also meant a loss of a hundred thousand spiritual stones with each failure.
Every time they opened the cauldron, it was like a bold gamble.
Throughout this process, Li Qingshan personally witnessed another side of Ru Xin, which was her gambling nature of advancing forward bravely.
And, she just happened to win her gambles. The success rate was elevated to over ninety percent very soon, exceeding Li Qingshan’s greatest expectations. It even surpassed Ru Xin’s own expectations.
A few days had passed now, and she had made several cauldrons of pills consecutively. Ru Xin had already become rather tired, but neither of them said they wanted to stop.
Under the intense pressure, Ru Xin was like a gambler who had suddenly begun to win after losing everything before becoming completely hopeless. She was in a state of excitement, completing unleashing her potential. Even her luck seemed to improve.
Li Qingshan had experienced this wondrous state in his past life. It was like Michael Jordan’s surekill dunk on the basketball court. Right now, every single cauldron of pills Ru Xin refined was a surekill. If she stopped right now, she would probably never be able to attain the same success rate again.
Time flew by and snow covered the path leading up to the alchemy room completely.
All the disciples of the school of Medicine could not help but sigh and shake their heads as they walked past the alchemy room. In the past, he would only remain inside for an afternoon, but now, it had already been half a month. Since when had their first senior sister spent so much time with a man before?
Discussions filled the entire academy. This Li Qingshan had just sent the second senior sister of the school of Legalism off to secluded cultivation, and now, he had locked himself up in the first senior sister of the school of Medicine’s alchemy room. Who knew what he was doing. What, was he supposed to be refining pills? You might believe it, but I don’t. What kind of pill took so long to refine, such that they could not even rest?
Some of them said that Ru Xin was taking advantage of this opportunity to steal Li Qingshan. This was what most of the female cultivators said. Li Qingshan had made quite a name for himself recently, so he did have some charm among the female cultivators.
Others said Li Qingshan knew a special technique that could bewitch the soul, or how else was he supposed to bewitch two famous beauties of the academy? After all, these two women had never gotten involved with matters of love in the past. They had turned down countless admirers before. They needed to drag Li Qingshan out before it was too late and bring him to justice.
It went without saying that this was the rumor among the male cultivators, which came with many jealous, envious gazes and grinding teeth whenever it was mentioned.
Li Qingshan and Ru Xin had never considered this either, but right now, every successful cauldron was equivalent to a profit of hundreds of thousand spiritual stones, so why would they still care about anything else? It was not like they were doing anything wrong anyway, so they could gossip for all they wanted!
On this day, two military disciples quietly discussed among themselves in the Main Martial Arts stadium, “They still haven’t emerged. It has already been twenty-three days.” “I pity senior sister Han. He really isn’t worth it. Li Qingshan is a bastard.” Among their sorrow and fury was indescribable envy too.
Before they had even finished speaking, a black figure arrived right before them. The Black Dragon whistled through the air and lifted them up, sending them flying and landing heavily far away on the edge of the stadium.
Han Tieyi pulled back the metal spear behind him and said coldly, “Haven’t I told you? Do not whisper to each other during training! Both of you, swim fifty laps around the island!”
The two disciples groaned inside. Swimming fifty laps around the island would almost cost them their lives. They knew that their first senior brother had been in a bad mood recently, so they would never object. They clasped their fists. “Yes, sir!”
Han Tieyi’s face was icy. After a while of thought, he suddenly strode away from the stadium.
“Tieyi, where are you going?” Han Anjun looked down from a platform and frowned slightly.
“I’m going to go find Li Qingshan.” Han Tieyi clasped his fist and lowered his head. Han Qiongzhi had told him to keep an eye out on Li Qingshan before she entered secluded cultivation. He had not thought too much about it originally, but he was forced to act now.
The military disciples who were currently training all slowed down slightly. They looked over. Li Qingshan was probably in trouble this time.
“Do you think he’s that kind of person? Do you think Ru Xin is that kind of person?” Han Anjun asked.
“I don’t,” Han Tieyi replied. He knew their personalities extremely well, and even if they wanted to commit some acts of adultery, there was no reason for them to do it so openly. Instead, he was unable to put up with other people discussing Han Qiongzhi. They made her sound like she was an idiot, even though she was not particularly clever sometimes.
“Fall back,” said Han Anjun.
“Yes, sir!” All Han Tieyi could do was return to the stadium and viciously drill the military disciples.
“Li Qingshan, get out here!”
On Benevolence island outside the alchemy room, Chu Tian was like an enraged bull as he bellowed out. Seeing how there was no response from inside, he went up to push on the door.
Immediately, a group of medical disciples surged over and stopped him. “Entry is forbidden to the alchemy rooms. Do not trespass.” “Senior sister Ru Xin is currently refining pills, so please return, fellow Chu!”
“There’s no need for you to stop me.” Chu Tian advanced boldly. Five-coloured true qi rose up from his body as he forced his way through them, slamming the door of the alchemy room with a palm strike.
The medical disciples were not actually trying to stop him either. They were extremely curious about just what Ru Xin and Li Qingshan were doing, but they were afraid of seeing something horrible too.
The door let out a flash, and he actually failed to smash through it. Now, it was not just Chu Tian. Everyone’s doubts erupted. Did they really have to cast down a formation when refining pills in the academy?
Right now, Ru Xin had her eyes closed as she focused on refining pills in the alchemy room. She furrowed her brows slightly.
Li Qingshan cursed inside. Without saying anything at all, he immediately stood up and made his way out.
They had just reached a critical juncture. If they were careless, they would end up destroying twelve True Spirit pills, and that would not be all. If someone managed to barge in here and sensed they were refining True Spirit pills or saw Ru Xin’s Crystal Resin cauldron, it would be even worse.
Unable to force open the door, Chu Tian became even more furious. Five-coloured true qi gathered in his hand as he struck out viciously.
The door suddenly swung open, and a water spout whistled out, slamming into Chu Tian heavily and directly sending him flying.
PS: Just noticed that I’ve gained another Alliance Head. I sure have noticed late. It’s not like I don’t understand that the world changes quickly. In celebration of Alliance Head “Alias Space”, I bow in utmost gratitude.
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Chapter 358 – Success with Alchemy, Awaiting Good News
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Chapter 358 – Success with Alchemy, Awaiting Good News
The water dispersed, and Li Qingshan appeared. His true qi surged, and surprisingly enough, he had already reached the eighth layer. He was just a millimeter away from the eighth layer in the first place, and he basically spent every day cultivating since he had nothing else to do, making rapid progress as a result. With his extremely pure true qi, he broke through naturally, almost without any obstacles.
“Chu Tian, have you lost your mind?” Li Qingshan was furious. The door to the alchemy room behind him closed once more. No one had managed to see what was going on inside.
Chu Tian was protected by his true qi of the five elements, so he was unscathed. He stabilised himself mid-air and barked, “You finally have the courage to come out! What were you doing inside? What did you do to senior sister Ru Xin?’ Seeing how Li Qingshan had reached the eighth layer, he was secretly surprised. How did Li Qingshan cultivate so quickly?
Li Qingshan said, “What’s it got to do with you?”
Chu Tian said, “How doesn’t it have to do with me? Senior sister Ru Xin likes me, so anything that has to do with her has to do with me. If you have some wits about you, move aside obediently. I don’t want to fight you here. I’ll teach you a proper lesson when the time of our match arrives.”
“She likes you? What kind of crazy are you suffering from? If you don’t piss off, I’ll show you what’s what right now!” Li Qingshan said with his hands crossed. He seemed like a door god, refusing to take a step back.
Cutting off a person from his wealth was akin to killing their parents. Li Qingshan was truly filled with killing intent now. However, his brows became firmly furrowed. It had been some time since he last saw him, but Chu Tian had actually reached the ninth layer already. The rate at which his cultivation improved was truly startling. His aura was more powerful than before too. Just defeating him would be difficult, let alone stopping him. The formation alone definitely could not stop Chu Tian’s Palm of the Five Elements. Even just the shockwaves of the battle would be enough to destroy the alchemy room.
He glanced at the two girls standing behind Chu Tian nearby and questioned, “You’re just going to watch as he comes looking for another woman?”
The two girls said together, “As long as we’re in brother Tian’s heart, we’ll support him no matter what he does!”
The surrounding people all gasped in admiration, while Chu Tian became even more complacent. “You hear that? I’m not like you, trapped firmly to a single woman.” Suddenly, he remembered it was very likely that Li Qingshan had not been trapped, having already touched his woman, so his face became even more twisted.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He had never considered that something like this was actually possible. He cursed, “No wonder you’ve come looking for her like you’ve gone mad. I wouldn’t want these spineless women either, even if you’re giving them to me!”
The expressions of the two girls changed drastically. Chu Tian’s face immediately sank. “You can insult me, but you can’t insult my women. Those who cross my bottom line must die!” True qi of the five elements completely erupted from his body. The Palm of the Five Elements erupted with blinding light and sailed through the air.
Li Qingshan extended his arms and roaring waves surged over from behind him like a tsunami.
The two of them had managed to completely piss each other off in just a few exchanges.
Chu Tian descended from above. His palm strike fell down like a mountain.
Li Qingshan raised his head. The Palm of the Five Elements had completely filled his vision, almost blanketing him; it was as unavoidable as the wrath of heaven. He stomped down and shot off. His aura surged like the ocean, but he was disadvantaged by the geography. He was just about to collide into the Palm of the Five Elements.
Suddenly, he unleashed the Wave Treading Form and shifted himself mid-air, dodging the attack.
“I knew you would be too afraid to take it on!” Chu Tian laughed madly. Ignoring Li Qingshan, he rushed straight towards the alchemy room. The more Li Qingshan tried to stop him from looking inside, the more he felt as if something was amiss.
The door was just inches away when Chu Tian suddenly felt his body tighten. Glancing down, a stream of water had wrapped around his waist firmly like a snake. He looked back quickly and saw the other end of the stream in Li Qingshan’s hand. Great waves had already arisen beneath his feet.
Everyone below heard three blasts of air. Li Qingshan had unleashed the Wave Treading Form three times consecutively while pulling Chu Tian along. He shot off like an arrow, travelling far away from Benevolence island. He managed to blow a great chasm within the still surface of the lake. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had turned into two tiny specks.
Everyone gasped inside, Both of them have become even stronger!
Chu Tian’s true qi of the five elements shuddered and shook off the water stream. He lunged towards Li Qingshan with the same, simple palm strike as before, but it was deadlier than any other technique.
Li Qingshan did not dodge. He just stood there with his arms crossed, sneering.
Chu Tian suddenly felt a great sensation of danger from behind. He quickly turned around, and a huge, vajra sword cleaved down as a golden streak of light.
Clang! With a lengthy sound, Chu Tian raised his hand up and managed to block the sword, but he was unable to block the sword qi and sword intent within the strike.
Boom! The lake water below was actually cleaved in half by the strike, churning violently with a slash that stretched for several dozen meters.
As it turned out, Li Qingshan had brought Chu Tian to somewhere near Anāsravāṃ island. Xiao An had already reached the tenth layer now. If there was a person in the academy whose true qi surpassed Chu Tian’s in terms of quantity, it would definitely be her.
Blood oozed out from the corner of Chu Tian’s lips, but he did not even get the chance to call them underhanded.
Li Qingshan’s fist whistled over from behind. It was not a punch, but a drill. Layers of water spun at high speeds such that it no longer seemed like water. It had become the most terrifying weapon for slaughter.
The Vortex Form!
The blood that had oozed out from the corner of Chu Tian’s lips turned into a spray as he was knocked away. He tried to stabilise himself, but golden light filled his vision.
A guardian king blocked his trajectory. Wielding its sword with both hands, it raised it once again before swinging down swiftly. The attack was even fiercer than before.
Their teamwork was flawless, as if they could read each other’s minds. They beat up Chu Tian to the point where he could not even catch his breath. All he could do was watch on helplessly as he was pushed towards dire straits step by step.
Finally, he felt danger for his life. He reached towards his hundred treasures pouch in a hurry. He wanted to use that, but how was he supposed to make it in time?
The sword changed direction mid-stroke, going from a slash to a smack. The wrathful avatar of the guardian king subsided.
With a bang, Chu Tian shot off like a broken kite, falling into the Lake of Dragons and Snakes with a huge splash.
Li Qingshan nodded towards Xiao An, and she expressed back at him, You have me here, so go deal with your matters!
Li Qingshan glanced down. An injured Chu Tian posed no threat, so he turned around swiftly. “What a fool!” He strode away by treading on waves.
If he had problems, he would look for Xiao An. Dealing with Chu Tian alone was rather difficult, so he just worked with her. This had always been a trump card of his, and it had never disappointed him before. The Palm of the Five Elements was a very powerful cultivation method, but it was not more powerful than the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. You might practise five kinds of true qi, but Xiao An practises seven!
At this moment, a few figures flew over from the neighbouring islands. The various school leaders had reacted to this. The One Thought master and Liu Zhangqing were obviously among them.
Li Qingshan rushed back to the alchemy room and said to everyone, “You better all disperse!” Then he entered the alchemy room again.
Everyone had yet to return to their senses. In such a neat and quick fashion, the super genius Chu Tian had just been taught a lesson like this?
“Sigh, Chu Tian only knows how to harass people like us. Out of the three who fought earlier, who wasn’t a genius? A genius has been taught a lesson by two other geniuses working together, so this outcome is expected.”
“I thought Chu Tian could have his revenge after reaching the ninth layer, but I never thought Li Qingshan cultivated so quickly too. He has reached the eighth layer in such a short amount of time. Looks like there’s no hope for Chu Tian to get his revenge.”
As they discussed, someone whispered, “Don’t tell me he’s reached the eighth layer so quickly because of dual cultivation!”
If Li Qingshan were outside right now, he would definitely consider choking this person to death. As a result, the suspicions and rumors became even more widespread.
Xiao An was scolded a little by the One Thought master, but what else could he do to this junior sister of his?
As for Chu Tian, he was brought back by Liu Zhangqing and locked up. After all, he was the one who started everything this time. He had broken the rules forbidding fighting in the academy. Moreover, even if he fought, so be it. He even lost in such an ugly manner, which completely embarrassed Liu Zhangqing as a school leader.
Chu Tian gritted his teeth in hatred, almost fainting out of anger. He was tempted to use that right now for revenge, but while he was arrogant, he was not a complete fool after all. If he brought that out, it would immediately be taken away from him.
Surprisingly enough, his cautiousness was rather similar to Li Qingshan’s.
Li Qingshan returned to the alchemy room and sat down beside Ru Xin quietly. An hour later, the cauldron opened.
Twelve perfectly round, shining True Spirit pills sat within the cauldron silently. Both of them smiled in relief.
Li Qingshan was just about to pass more Blue Butterfly flowers over to her, but Ru Xin waved her hand. “Let’s just stop here this time! Are you really trying to work me like a slave?”
As she said that, she felt like her body was deflating. Across all these days, she had used pills to replace food and used cultivation to maintain her mental condition. She had refined pills for days and nights on end, so she had truly become utterly exhausted.
“Then we’ll continue in the future!” Li Qingshan checked his hundred treasures pouch. There were still a lot of Blue Butterfly flowers remaining. He had basically gained a clear understanding of their value now. This startling amount of wealth would be enough for him to spend for a very long time.
“Let’s split the goods!” Ru Xin smiled. She was exhausted, but she was unable to hide her joy. She had made some startling returns this time, and she had improved her alchemy by quite a lot too.
Checking the number, Ru Xin had refined almost a hundred True Spirit pills across these twenty-three days. It was split into two piles in the end. Li Qingshan received over sixty of them, while Ru Xin received over twenty of them.
Like a money grubber, Ru Xin carefully inspected the True Spirit pills many times before finally stowing them away in her hundred treasures pouch. She explained why she had chosen to stop here.
“With these True Spirit pills, I’m certain that I’ll soon reach Foundation Establishment successfully. By then, the success rate will definitely be higher than right now if I power the Crystal Resin cauldron as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
“Then it’ll be my turn to congratulate you.” Li Qingshan extended his right hand.
Ru Xin held his hand and shook it gently. She beat him to it. “For a smooth cooperation.”
Li Qingshan smiled. He directly gave twenty True Spirit pills to her. “Help me exchange them into pills for cultivation. The more the better.”
“You’re not afraid I’ll rip you off?” Ru Xin smiled. If she fell out with him over twenty True Spirit pills, it would not be embarrassing even if news made it out.
Li Qingshan said, “Not really.”
“As long as you’re not afraid. Don’t worry, they won’t go for less than the market price whether they’re sold or exchanged.” Ru Xin accepted the True Spirit pills without asking why Li Qingshan needed so many pills for cultivation. What, was he supposed to gulp them down and his cultivation would grow like that? Unbeknownst to her, she had accidentally guessed the actual answer.
“Rest up properly. I’ll be awaiting the good news.” Li Qingshan waved his hand and left through the door.
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Chapter 359 – Coming up with a Scheme, Killing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator
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Chapter 359 – Coming up with a Scheme, Killing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator
Ru Xin let out a deep breath. He really was quite a good man!
Li Qingshan returned to Cloudwisp island and saw Xiao An sitting below the loft. He smiled. “What, you weren’t put under house arrest?”
Xiao An said, “I’m beyond his control. I can sense that he’s slightly afraid of me.”
Li Qingshan laughed and scooped her up. He whispered something into her ear, and Xiao An beamed in response. She felt happy for him. He had endured and waited for so long, and finally, there was a glimmer of hope.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan continued to go find Ru Xin every day to learn alchemy. Although he could just get her to refine whatever pills he needed right now, they would eventually part. He would not remain in the Clear River prefecture, the Ruyi commandery, the Green province, or the nine provinces forever.
One afternoon, before Li Qingshan could even visit Ru Xin, she came to visit him instead. She handed some pills to him before smiling. “I’m going to enter secluded cultivation.”
Li Qingshan said, “Good luck.”
“You too.”
After Ru Xin departed, Li Qingshan raised his head. Faint clouds floated through the blue sky. Currently, his heart was overflowing with joy. It was about time for him to set off as well.
Li Qingshan went to Anāsravāṃ island to call Xiao An along, but Qian Rongzhi actually happened to be there too. She crouched down beside Xiao An, telling her something. Seeing Li Qingshan walk over, she stood up and smiled. “Have you heard?”
Li Qingshan asked, “Heard what?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Vice sect master Wei of the Sect of Clouds and Rain has successfully established a foundation.”
Li Qingshan had almost forgotten about this person’s existence. Roughly two years had already passed since he last clashed with Wei Zhongyuan. After that, he spent most of his time in the academy. Combined with his rise to prominence, Wei Zhongyuan probably understood there was nothing he could do to Li Qingshan with just a cultivation at the tenth layer, so he had been very quiet too.
“He’s managed to reach Foundation Establishment despite how old he is?”
Qian Rongzhi said, “I don’t know. I heard he managed to get his hands on two True Spirit pills somehow and succeeded out of luck.”
Li Qingshan immediately understood that the two True Spirit pills probably came from the twenty True Spirit pills he had given to Ru Xin. He was at a loss as for how to react. The matters of the world truly were unpredictable.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “That old coot won’t spare either of us. Do you want to work together again? I can give you the opportunity to clash with him!”
Li Qingshan asked, “Just by you?”
Qian Rongzhi looked around and saw that no one else was present, so she extended her hand. A brightly-coloured little snake emerged from her sleeve, slithering into her palm and suddenly raising its head. Part of its body went from being a tattoo to an actual creature.
Li Qingshan understood now. If it was this, then probably even Foundation Establishment cultivators would suffer if they were not prepared. All they needed was a single moment and Li Qingshan and Xiao An could even kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator if they worked together.
“You can separate it from your body?”
“I can’t. It’s already merged with me, and why would I separate it from me anyway? Look at how beautiful it is!” Qian Rongzhi gently stroked the tiny snake’s head, like a mother soothing her child.
Li Qingshan contemplated the proposition before agreeing to it.
He just happened to be in search of a place to take his final step, to face the heavenly tribulation and become a Daemon General. If that old bastard ended up coming for him, wreaking havoc at a crucial moment, it would be troublesome.
He would strike first so that he was in control of the situation.
Under the vast night sky, Wei Zhongyuan stood atop a mountain. The wind buffeted his robes as he gazed down at the other mountains. He felt like he could do anything. The spiritual qi of the world constantly resonated with him. Never had he felt so happy before.
Many memories flashed through his head. Suddenly, it stopped on a young face. He ground his teeth. “Li Qingshan, I will return the pain and humiliation you’ve caused me by ten, no, a hundred fold!”
However, no matter how bold he was, he still would never venture into the academy to kill him. That was just seeking death. However, he had already ordered people to keep an eye on Li Qingshan at all times. He would capture him the moment he set foot out of the academy. If there was no evidence, no one could do anything to him.
However, his top priority right now was not this. Shooting off in the air, he arrived above Clear River city in the blink of an eye. He directly landed in front of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Under the gaze of thousands of people, he walked towards the parlour, like a king returning to his rightful place with insufferable arrogance.
The Parlour of Clouds and Rain blazed with light just like before, making it seem like daytime inside. Wei Zhongyuan gazed at the sky before striding in.
In the eyes of regular people, they found this man to be awe-inspiring, like a god. However, all the cultivators gasped in amazement. He was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator with the feeling he gave off.
The parlour full of disciples rushed over to congratulate him. Everyone tried to fawn over him, and the people who belonged to Wei Zhongyuan’s side in the first place were overjoyed.
Wei Zhongyuan swung his hand in a dramatic manner. “The Sect of Clouds and Rain has some internal affairs to settle today, so the parlour will be closing down for today. Everyone, please return!”
The disciples of the Sect of Clouds and Rain immediately began to clear everyone out. Every single word of his bore the weight of a mountain and had to be enforced. To Qi Practitioners, Foundation Establishment cultivators were unshakeable existences. Every single disciple understood that the Sect of Clouds and Rain would be going through some changes today.
Wei Zhongyuan led a group of disciples and directly made his way to the highest floor.
Qiu Haitang currently stood among the rooftop garden, gazing at the resplendent night scenery of the city with her arms in her sleeves in thought. She heard something from behind and suddenly turned around, meeting Wei Zhongyuan’s eyes. Both of them were slightly taken aback before undergoing a different series of reactions. One’s worries grew heavier, while the other’s lust and joy surged.
Wei Zhongyuan studied Qiu Haitang’s body greedily. He no longer had any scruples. He fantasized about the joys of pushing down this woman who had once ordered him about, now completely at his whim. He took a step forward and clasped his hands. “Sect master Qiu, I’ve already undergone the heavenly tribulation successfully and reached Foundation Establishment. According to the rules of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, I hope we can complete our marriage soon so that we can become cultivation partners and comprehend the wonders of yin and yang together!”
Qiu Haitang waved her hand in a rather tired manner. “You can all go.”
With her lingering influence, the disciples of the Sect of Clouds and Rain would never disobey her. They just looked at Wei Zhongyuan.
“You can all go wait outside.” Wei Zhongyuan waved his hand. He was not afraid of Qiu Haitang suddenly turning hostile against him. She might have reached Foundation Establishment many years ago, but she was still an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. The cultivation methods of the Sect of Clouds and Rain focused on harmony between yin and yang, or mutual promotion and regulation. If she were bold enough to turn him down, then she would immediately fall out with the sect. By then, he would be able to succeed her as sect master, and he could then capture her as a traitor who broke the rules of the sect, allowing him to do whatever he wanted with her.
Everyone dispersed, only leaving the two of them on the rooftop. Wei Zhongyuan frowned. “Who else is there?”
“Disciple Qian Rongzhi greets vice sect master Wei!” Qian Rongzhi emerged from behind a flowering shrub on the side.
Wei Zhongyuan said, “Weren’t you expelled from the Sect of Clouds and Rain already?”
“I accepted her as a disciple of mine again.” Qiu Haitang’s expression was cold and haughty.
Wei Zhongyuan’s expression changed, and his eyes narrowed. He stared at Qian Rongzhi to a point where she shivered, but now was not the time to fuss over something like this after all. He took another step forward and asked Qiu Haitang, “So what do you think, sect master?”
Qiu Haitang hesitated and looked back at the night sky, gazing in the direction of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. The person she was waiting for was currently cultivating arduously in seclusion.
Wei Zhongyuan strode forward and reached towards Qiu Haitang’s hand. “Today, you’ll have to agree to it whether you want to or not.”
Qiu Haitang’s expression changed, while Wei Zhongyuan sneered. Black and white spiritual qi collided viciously, but it caused no disturbance at all. Instead, they nullified each other.
With how yang could overcome yin, Wei Zhongyuan gained a slight upper hand. Just as he was about to grab Qiu Haitang’s wrist, Qian Rongzhi blocked him as a gesture of loyalty to protect her master. She called out, “Vice sect master Wei, please don’t be like this.”
Wei Zhongyuan immediately sent a slap towards Qian Rongzhi’s face, but suddenly, all of his strength vanished. It did not produce any sound at all.
The hell snake slithered onto Qian Rongzhi’s face and bit Wei Zhongyuan’s hand. Wei Zhongyuan’s mouth widened as his eyes bulged. This was agony from the depths of his soul.
At that instant, Li Qingshan’s figure appeared behind Wei Zhongyuan. He pressed his hand on his back, and over a hundred strands of sword qi surged out. Wielding the vajra sword, Xiao An swung down with it from above, while a pair of fingers extended from Qiu Haitang’s hand, stabbing towards Wei Zhongyuan’s eyes.
Under the pressing killing intent, Wei Zhongyuan forcefully suppressed the pain and mobilised his true qi. He wanted to put up a desperate counterattack, but it was already too late.
Sword qi rampaged through his body, tearing apart his organs that had lost the protection of spiritual qi. The vajra sword landed on the top of his head, and the sword qi and sword intent surged all the way to his feet. Not only had the two slender fingers pierced his eyes, but they had even penetrated his brain, stirring it up viciously.
In the end, all he heard was Qian Rongzhi say, “Vice master Wei, what’re you touching my face for?” Afterwards, he lost all consciousness within the pain and a refusal to accept this.
Wei Zhongyuan’s body collapsed loudly. A mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator had been reduced to a corpse in a single instant.
Li Qingshan immediately stowed the corpse away. The corpse of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was equivalent to an extra large pill to Xiao An. The benefits it could provide could not be compared to the corpses of regular people. Wei Zhongyuan’s hundred treasures pouch obviously ended up in his hands too.
Qiu Haitang was still in a slight daze. She struggled to believe that Wei Zhongyuan had just died like this, dying so easily. That day, Qian Rongzhi had visited her and told her she could help her kill the Foundation Establishment Wei Zhongyuan silently. She was still rather unconvinced. Even if three Foundation Establishment cultivators worked together in an attempt to kill a single Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would not be that easy, let alone with a mere Qi Practitioner.
However, the reality was presented right before her. Even if she had done nothing, the three of them probably still would have managed to kill Wei Zhongyuan. Three Qi Practitioners had killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“Master, I’ve done it.” Qian Rongzhi bowed towards Qiu Haitang, but there was not the slightest loyalty in her eyes. The matter of the White Lotus cult sure had ruined a lot of her plans.
Qian Rongzhi had been a double-crossing spy. It was not like Qiu Haitang was an idiot. She had discovered that Qian Rongzhi was not under her control at all. All the loyalty she showed in the past was an act, so much for her for teaching her the various cultivation methods of the Sect of Clouds and Rain without the slightest suspicion, treating her like an obedient puppet.
But by then, Qian Rongzhi had already established a connection with Gu Yanying. She had assisted Gu Yanying in completing the plan. Even if Qiu Haitang was utterly furious, she could not lay a single finger on Qian Rongzhi, or she would be treated as a member of the White Lotus cult, which was enough to destroy her entire sect. Trying to use mesmerisation to control a Hawkwolf Guard went even more without saying.
Afterwards, the two of them never met again until a few days ago. Qian Rongzhi suddenly visited her and told her that she could eliminate a disaster for her…
PS: It’s almost the end of the month. If you don’t vote, you’ll be wasting it. Hey, I’m not telling you to vote for someone else. This way, this way!
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Chapter 360 – As a Daemon General
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Chapter 360 – As a Daemon General
Qiu Haitang took out two True Spirit pills and placed them in Qian Rongzhi’s hand. This was the remuneration they had agreed on at the beginning. She glanced at Li Qingshan. All she could do was hold back the urge to silence him for good.
Li Qingshan gave everything useless to him in the hundred treasures pouch that had to do with the Sect of Clouds and Rain to Qian Rongzhi. He had never expected Qiu Haitang to be part of the plan.
However, Qian Rongzhi knew that including her was for the best. They were facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all. No one could guarantee that her hell snake could be effective. If they failed with the first strike, the consequences they faced would be extremely terrifying. She would never risk her life unless there was at least an eighty percent of success.
Moreover, Qiu Haitang would never divulge the secret that they had killed Wei Zhongyuan, or she would not be able to remain as the sect master for any longer. Killing a disciple from the same sect had always been forbidden regardless of the time or age. She might have been the sect master, but the sect still had the existence of a first elder.
Qian Rongzhi accepted everything from Qiu Haitang and Li Qingshan. Seeing how they both stared at her, she said, “You don’t have to look at me like that. Wei Zhongyuan is your mortal enemy, not mine. It’s not like he knows I killed his son. I’ve risked my life to help both of you, so I deserve these benefits.”
Li Qingshan said, “You were worried that one of us might give in to Wei Zhongyuan’s pressure and expose your secret!”
Qian Rongzhi said, “Fortunately, a future like that can’t happen anymore. I hope this remains as our secret together.” Suddenly, she frowned and grabbed her wrist. “It’s about time. Let’s just part here!” She smiled towards Xiao An before taking her leave first.
Li Qingshan was just about to leave too when Qiu Haitang said, “Hold on.”
Li Qingshan said without even turning back, “I remember you once said you never wanted to see me again.”
“Give me Wei Zhongyuan’s corpse.”
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t worry, it’s not going to appear in this world again.”
Qiu Haitang’s sunken gaze swept over from Li Qingshan to Xiao An before returning to Li Qingshan. An eighth layer Qi Practitioner and a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. Their futures were limitless, and their once opposition Wei Zhongyuan was now dead. Xiao An had already been accepted as a disciple of the Annihilum Light Chan Master, the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. Basically no one within the Ruyi commandery was still bold enough to think about her as a disciple.
All of their disputes no longer existed. Qiu Haitang’s face morphed into a smile. “Come often. You might even have to call me sister-in-law in the future.”
Li Qingshan broke into laughter. “You sure are confident.”
Qiu Haitang smiled. She was filled with confidence. She possessed an enchanting appearance, a perfect figure, and an impressive cultivation. Just what man wouldn’t be interested in her?
“I hope that does indeed happen one day!” Li Qingshan said. In his opinion, Hua Chengzan’s behaviour definitely did not arise from giving up on Gu Yanying, but from being deeply triggered by her instead. This sect master Qiu’s wishes would probably end up falling through.
Watching Li Qingshan sail off on a cloud, Qiu Haitang’s hips swayed from side to side as she made her way down the building. She told the disciples that she had managed to persuade vice sect master Wei into travelling and cultivating outside. Without any evidence, no one could deny it. No one dared to deny it.
Many of the customers had just been cleared out. Turning around, they saw the doors of the parlour open again. They sighed inside. Vice sect master Wei sure had come and gone quickly.
Where to cultivate? Where to prepare for the tribulation?
Li Qingshan thought about this question long and hard. In the end, he chose to revisit an old place.
A jade dragon gushed down from a cliff that stood over a hundred meters tall, plummeting into a deep pool. It was a period of winter drought, but the water continued to roar thunderously, splashing everywhere.
That’s right. This was the place the black ox had initially brought Li Qingshan to cultivate. It was where Xiao An began with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, as well as the place where they encountered Xuanyue by chance.
The various memories drifted through his head like clouds. Li Qingshan laughed aloud, diving head-first into the frosty pool.
This place belonged to the Boundless mountains, so there were no humans here. It was also close to human establishments, so no daemonic beasts wandered the area. It was extremely secluded too, which made it a perfect spot of cultivation.
He arrived within the cavern behind the waterfall with Xiao An. Seeing how everything remained the same as before, he experienced a sense of nostalgia.
“Looks like we’ll have to stay here for a while!” Li Qingshan said. Before he had left this time, he had accepted many random missions, just in case he raised any suspicion for not returning for a long time.
Xiao An nodded. “Alright!” She had made up her mind. She had to work hard to keep up with his footsteps.
Li Qingshan sat down and took out all the pills Ru Xin had given him. Just as he had requested, they were all high level pills. There were even three Virtue Accumulation pills among them.
Li Qingshan directly took a Virtue Accumulation pill and ingested it before closing his eyes to digest and absorb it.
Xiao An sat down near the entrance of the cavern, watching over him.
Days passed one after another. The flow of the waterfall increased; this was the sign of the winter snow melting.
Li Qingshan constantly ingested pills. He had already eaten the three Virtue Accumulation pills, but he was still some distance away from that final step. Although it was a step, sometimes it felt worlds away, beyond his reach.
However, he was in no hurry. He settled down and allowed time to pass by rapidly. The snow melted, and the plants sprouted.
One day at a certain moment, he suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils were hiding the light of joy. The ray of light he had been looking forward to all this time finally descended from the sky. He felt like he had crossed over some sort of boundary, stepping into a different world.
At the same time, he felt the arrival of tremendous danger. All he managed to tell Xiao An was, “Go away!” He was subsequently swallowed by scorching white lightning.
A spark as thick as a snake knocked Xiao An away. The cavern turned into a sea of lightning. Bolts of lightning wove together, crawling around like they were alive as they produced a fearsome roar like a tiger or dragon’s cry.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The tribulation of lightning did not descend from above as expected. Instead, it surged over from everything, passing through the thick rock and underground, enveloping Li Qingshan completely in a single instant. It arrived so quickly that he had absolutely no time to react.
In that instant, Li Qingshan even gained the impression that he had released the lightning, and the source of the lightning was the spirit turtle’s daemon core in his body. The lightning penetrated the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, it penetrated his Ox Demon Forges its Hide, and it penetrated his bones and flesh. It even pierced his very soul.
Li Qingshan had made a huge mistake. Regular daemons all spat out their daemon cores when they confronted the tribulation, moving far away from it.
It was exactly because the cultivation of the daemon core had crossed this invisible boundary of the world that lightning was summoned to kill them, so why would they keep the daemon core within them as they went through the tribulation?
Unfortunately, Li Qingshan was ignorant about this. There were no human books that detailed just how daemons went through their tribulations, nor had any Daemon General ever told him about this. He did have a Daemon General beside him, but Milliped had always been a dunce, so why would he tell him this?
The rocks in the cavern all crystallised from the scorching energy before shattering and melting together once more from the intense heat. They constantly shattered and melted together.
Intense pain! The agony of being ripped apart! He felt pain like he was being torn away inch by inch!
“The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!” Li Qingshan roared out. The daemon core emitted rings of blue light, suppressing his mind, soul, and body.
Li Qingshan roused himself. His body swelled rapidly. When he rushed out of the cavern, he had already reached a height of seventy or eighty feet. He had completely transformed into a daemon, and he was rapidly growing larger. His roar drowned out the lightning as he waved his arms and legs, like he was fighting against an invisible enemy.
The water in the pool and the waterfall had been reduced to mist in a split second, surging violently and landing on the ground like thick clouds. All that was left was a lofty figure and constantly flickering lightning.
It seemed to last for eons, but it was just a short moment in reality. The lightning vanished as swiftly and mysteriously as when it had arrived, without any prior signs at all.
“Qingshan!” Xiao An took a step forward and called out his name in worry.
He heard the call on the edge of unconsciousness and jerked awake.
The white mist that enveloped the entire place was like a wet towel that had been viciously rung out. Torrential rain poured down, dousing his long, scarlet hair. At the same time, the water level in the dry pool rapidly rose.
He glanced down. The surging surface of the water still managed to reflect a blurry figure.
When he saw himself in the water, he became surprised. Is that me?
Xiao An rushed into the white mist and spotted him too. She stopped and was taken aback.
“So noisy!” He casually reached towards the sky, and the mist turned into water immediately, returning to the pool.
He was not submerged by the water. Instead, he rose with it, standing on the surface of the water. Waving his hand, the surface flattened out completely, turning into a mirror. It clearly reflected the blue sky and white clouds, as well as his appearance.
Long, fiery hair ran down his back. His naked body was like a work of art that a master sculptor had poured his heart out over. Every single curve of his seemed to be carefully planned and chiseled, conforming to the golden ratio of utmost perfection. It was a balance between strength and beauty.
If even this was unable to surprise Li Qingshan, then he would become utterly stunned when he saw his own face in the reflection.
He had seen many handsome men before, like Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi, but this face of his was no less handsome than theirs, or even more so. If he could ignore the two curved horns that protruded from his head, he was enough to become the dream lover of every single woman.
Li Qingshan suddenly realised that this would be his appearance after transforming. He touched his face and smiled. “So heavenly tribulations even come with a facelift.” After all, those birds and beasts would gain a proper appearance after undergoing a heavenly tribulation. He already seemed like a human in the first place, so he had been directly struck into a handsome man by the lightning.
Xiao An smiled too. She asked, “How do you feel?”
“I obviously feel… fantastic!” Li Qingshan roared out, alarming a great flock of birds in the forest. He laughed aloud, revealing his sharp canines. He actually seemed rather fiendishly charming.
Power surged through his body endlessly, which tempted him to find a powerful enemy for a great battle. The elders of the three mountains and Fu Qingjin, these opponents originally out of his reach, had suddenly been pulled up close to him. He had bided his time for so long. Finally, the moment for him to resolve some past matters had arrived.
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Chapter 361 – Meeting Huang Binghu Again
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Chapter 361 – Meeting Huang Binghu Again
The surface of the water was so calm that it was like a mirror. Even the raging waterfall was unable to create a single ripple in it.
Li Qingshan lowered his head. The reflection in the mirror suddenly smiled at him, but it was much more flagrant than his own smile.
When he bent over, extended his hand, and touched the surface of the water with the tip of his finger, ripples spread out in all directions. They went from the very centre to the edge of the pool, with no signs of stopping.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core constantly flashed as daemon qi surged steadily, rapidly being drained away until it was almost depleted.
Xiao An was drawn away by this sight too. At the centre of the ripples, a real and a fake hand actually held one another.
A hand extended from the surface of the water, followed by a wrist, an arm, and an equally handsome face. Droplets of water rippled down like pearls.
Li Qingshan slowly pulled another Li Qingshan out from the reflection of the water. They seemed exactly the same, without the slightest difference at all.
Xiao An was amazed as well. Her eyes could see through falsehoods, but she was unable to spot anything wrong with him at all. He seemed like Li Qingshan’s twin brother.
Innate ability: Watermirror’s Image.
This was the name Li Qingshan had given it—an attempt to pluck the flower in the mirror, to scoop the moon in the water.
It was a so-called clone technique. Among the water element techniques, there were so-called water clones, but they were just condensed from a ball of water. They were made to seem like a real person through the use of some water transformations. However, when it came to actual battle, they were not particularly useful at all apart from drawing away the enemy’s attention and serving as a sandbag.
However, the Watermirror’s Image seemed fake, but it was real, and it was all under Li Qingshan’s control.
Li Qingshan felt like his mind had split into two, currently viewing the world from two perspectives. It was quite a strange feeling to be able to see himself, and he was rather unaccustomed to controlling two people at the same time.
Xiao An’s expression became even stranger as she watched on. The two Li Qingshans stood in front of one another and extended their hands at the same time, touching “their own” faces. It was like a mirror.
Li Qingshan raised his hand. Every bit of texture seemed so real. He could even feel a beating heart and flowing blood.
This was not a fake person moulded from water or earth, but an actual clone. Everyone said clones lacked power, but his clone truly possessed power. However, he was more willing to call it a mirror image.
However, separating the mirror image from his original body was difficult. He would always treat them as a single body and control them like that, moving forwards or backwards together.
Xiao An hid her smile as she snickered to herself. Where was the power and bearing of a Daemon General?
Li Qingshan ended up shooting a glance at her, so she raised her face and shot a glance back at him.
Li Qingshan was helpless against her. He closed his eyes and tried his best to comprehend the feeling of drawing a circle with his left hand while drawing a square with his right.
Stopping a while later, Li Qingshan circulated his daemon qi, bending his knee and stepping on the water, but only his clone shot off into the air.
He arrived in the sky, overlooking the many mountains and gazing at the clouds in the distance.
On the ground, ridges and peaks rose and fell furiously like waves, giving off a sense of boundlessness.
Suddenly, he saw an insignificantly small hump at the end of the boundlessness, like a crouching ox.
To the side of the crouching ox sat a peaceful little village. Many farmers worked near the village. It was so peaceful and quiet that it seemed like a tiny drawing. All of Li Qingshan’s memories suddenly awakened.
So his homeland was not far away at all!
For a moment, he forgot about the difficulties of depending on others. He forgot about the pain from the combination of hunger and cold. Perhaps his memories had beautified everything, or perhaps these matters no longer bothered him anymore. All that was left in his mind was a child playing a reed flute on a large, black ox, walking through the mountain path unhurriedly. Yes, this was his only piece of wealth.
Suddenly, he felt an intense urge to go back and take a look, to have a look at the place he had called home for all these years.
However, he immediately dismissed this thought.
Must you be buried in your place of home? Sufficient are the green mountains overgrown. This was the oath he had sworn to himself!
That place no longer had anything tying him to it.
If there were things he was unable to let go of, then one would be underground, one would be in the academy, and one would be in the heavens.
He gazed at the sky and smiled. A sensation of utmost freedom was imprinted deeply in his heart back on the ground.
On the ground, Li Qingshan walked out of the pool and arrived before Xiao An. He crouched down on one knee and firmly embraced the only person he shared happiness with, his eternal supporter. “Xiao An, do you see? I’ve become so powerful. From today onwards, no one can just harass us anymore. I’ll definitely make them all pay the price if they do.”
Xiao An could feel that the current Li Qingshan was slightly different. It was not due to the change in his appearance. Instead, his personality was slightly different too. Compared to when he was in human form, he would always give off a fearless sense of flagrance in daemon form.
She preferred him like this more, as he always seemed a little happier in that state. However, no matter who he was, he was always her Li Qingshan.
A Li Qingshan stood on the ground, embracing the most important person to him.
Another Li Qingshan flew into the blue sky, unfolding his arms at the sky.
I want freedom! Freedom to do anything! Limitless Freedom!
Nine provinces, I’m coming! The Nine Heavens, wait for me!
“Can you wait for me?” Xiao An turned her head and smiled.
Li Qingshan pecked her cheek viciously. “As long as you need!”
From that day onwards, Xiao An entered a state of meditation.
Li Qingshan left behind his mirror image in the pool to watch over her, without taking a single step away.
As for his main body, he travelled around everywhere. He even returned to his human form and completed a few missions, showing his face around just in case people suspected he had gone missing.
After experimenting around, he gained a more realistic understanding over the various abilities of his clone. The existence of the clone would not be affected just because his main body had returned to human form. However, its daemon qi would constantly disperse. It could be maintained through meditating and connecting with the spiritual qi of the world, but when it came to intense battles, it probably could not last too long.
And, creating a clone would deplete all of his daemon qi, and it possessed thirty percent of the battle prowess of the original body. However, this thirty percent could not be underestimated. Due to the three supernatural abilities brother ox had left to him, his strength, speed, and daemon qi had surpassed regular Daemon Generals. Combined into battle prowess, it was even more startling.
According to his estimations, it should not have been too great of a problem for his clone to deal with Foundation Establishment cultivators not suited for battle like Qiu Haitang. And, according to his past experience, the effects of his innate abilities should strengthen with his cultivation. If he could pull out even more clones from the water, just what effect could they achieve?
After completing another mission and obtaining a few more corpses, Li Qingshan used the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility to hide himself, returning to the edge of the Boundless mountains. Xiao An had yet to emerge from secluded cultivation.
With nothing else to do, he crossed his legs and sat down, pulling out the high grade spiritual artifact he had purchased below the Green Vine mountain, the Whale’s Ingestion of Water!
He currently lacked a suitable weapon. After becoming a Daemon General, he could refine human spiritual artifacts, which would become known as daemon armaments.
Ebbs of powerful daemon qi poured in. Perhaps because he had already refined this spiritual artifact in the past, but the entire process was surprisingly simple.
Gradually, the Whale’s Ingestion of Water changed in shape. It became more like a blade, but this came with a cost—it lost many of its original functions. It could not unleash Gui Water blasts and icicles anymore.
However, these two functions that had originally been very practical were completely useless to Li Qingshan in his current form. There was no need for him to keep them. He only had two requirements for his weapons—sufficient sharpness and toughness.
Li Qingshan’s artifact forging abilities might have only been on par with a beginner’s, but with his powerful control over water, he could force large quantities of water into the Whale’s Ingestion of Water, making the hilt spit out a blade inch by inch.
A few hours later, Li Qingshan raised the blade in his hand in satisfaction. The long, sharp and narrow blade reflected seven different colours under the sunlight. Standing before the pool, he swung it casually, and the waterfall was bisected. He could not help but laugh aloud.
If someone else was present here, they would have seen a naked man standing on the edge of a cliff with an extremely beautiful blade of ice on his shoulder, smiling flagrantly.
Yes, Li Qingshan was not wearing clothes. He was completely naked.
After becoming a Daemon General, he did not find wearing clothes to be particularly comfortable. He was born like this, so why did he have to wear clothes to obscure anything? As a result, he would strip every time he transformed, walking around naked.
At this moment, the smell of blood appeared. It was the smell of human blood, combined with extremely soft war cries.
He immediately looked over. His gaze passed through the forest. Although the many mountains in the distance prevented him from seeing what was going on exactly, it did manage to capture Li Qingshan’s curiosity. With a flash, he disappeared from his location, crossing over several mountains. He saw an extremely familiar hamlet, or more accurately, a village.
This was also a place he had visited in the past, the place where hunters resided, Drawn Reins village.
Only now did Li Qingshan remember that the place he cultivated was actually closer to the Drawn Reins village that resided deep within the Boundless Mountains. However, there had been many large mountains serving as obstructions back then with a difficult mountain path to cross, which was why he felt it was so far away.
Currently, Drawn Reins village was surrounded by a great group of soldiers. There were a few martial arts masters among them. If it were not for the protection of the tall walls and the dangers of bows and arrows, the village probably would have fallen already.
Hua Binghu stood on a watchtower with a great bow in his hands. The bow was rounded like the full moon as arrows shot out like comets. Every single arrow would always kill someone, heavily striking down on the enemy’s morale. However, he was closed to complete exhaustion. He frowned. Is my Drawn Reins village just going to be destroyed like this?
At this moment, a voice rang out from the sky. It was as relaxed as greeting a neighbour on a stroll after a meal. “Hunting chief Huang, long time no see!”
Huang Binghu just happened to be extremely on edge right now, so he shot an arrow over without any hesitation at all when he heard that. Only then did he find the voice to be somewhat familiar.
At this moment, the battlefield fell quiet. Everyone, both inside and outside the village, raised their heads in a daze. They saw a white cloud descend down.
Li Qingshan had returned to human form, and of course, he was dressed too. He pushed aside the incoming arrow easily and lowered the cloud to the same height as the watchtower. He smiled towards the dumbfounded Huang Binghu. “Is that how you welcome an old friend?”
This was a remote place, nothing like Clear River city where they saw cultivators frequently. Everyone here still found cultivators to be no different from immortals. Li Qingshan’s behaviour right now had only confirmed everyone’s thoughts even more.
“Y- you’re Qingshan!”
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Chapter 362 – Hand in Hand
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Chapter 362 – Hand in Hand
Li Qingshan smiled. “What, it’s only been a few years, yet you don’t even recognise me anymore?”
Huang Binghu truly struggled to connect this “immortal” who rode on clouds to that farmer boy of the past. He had seen a little more of this world than regular people, but never had he seen anyone fly like that!
It had just been two or three years since he last saw him. His tall stature had completely stretched out now. Wide-chested, his imposing body was brimming with might. As he sat on the cloud, he radiated with pressure. His face had not changed much, but his entire bearing definitely made him seem like a completely different person.
Outside the village, many soldiers had already tossed aside their weapons and lowered their heads to the ground. Although the hunters in the village basically all recognised Li Qingshan, none of them dared to believe their eyes.
Li Qingshan glanced at the dazed martial arts masters outside the village and asked, “What’s going on here?”
Huang Binghu smiled bitterly. He placed down his bow and told him the entire story.
As it turned out, soon after Ye Dachuan had left, a new district magistrate arrived. This time, it was not someone who had managed to get his position through nepotism like Ye Dachuan, but a scholar from an academy. In just a mere year or two, he managed to unite the Qingyang district into a monolith under his command, becoming the person who held absolute local power. A stubborn organisation of the “previous era” like the Drawn Reins village, combined with its name that provoked the authority of the government, had become a “holdout” that required heavy reforms.
“Qingshan, you have to help us out this time. You’re technically half a member of the Drawn Reins village too.” Huang Binghu saw how Li Qingshan did not give off the haughtiness of a cultivator and understood that he was still the same inside, so he pleaded.
Only with that did Li Qingshan recall this. He smiled. “When I joined the Drawn Reins village back then, it was like entering the belly of the beast. You’re a first-rate master now, so why have you chosen to remain in the village? I remember you once said that you still wanted to go out and wander around for a bit.”
While the current Huang Binghu was still known as the Sickly Tiger, his face shone with a healthy glow as he brimmed with energy. Clearly, the ginseng alcohol had played quite the role in this. With his arduous cultivation of inner force, he had already become a first-rate master.
Huang Binghu glanced at the village. “The new district magistrate has been so aggressive, so how can I just leave?”
Li Qingshan patted his shoulder. “Got any alcohol?”
Huang Binghu beamed. He turned around and yelled at the village, “Fetch the alcohol!”
Alcohol was delivered over jar after jar. The two of them just began drinking on the watchtower. Sure enough, the new district magistrate received the news before long and rushed over personally. He did not ride, nor did he take a carriage. Instead, he used movement techniques, basically drifting over. In this day and age, scholars were not synonymous with gentleness and fragility. Internal martial arts and swordsmanship were all obligatory subjects to learn.
The new district magistrate was not old either. As soon as he spotted Li Qingshan, his expression changed. Although he was also a first-rate master, his knowledge surpassed Huang Binghu’s. He shivered inside, A high level Qi Practitioner. He immediately humbled himself, and when he heard how he was a Hawkwolf Guard, he became countless times more careful too.
Li Qingshan did not favour Huang Binghu either. He invited the district magistrate up and served as a mediator for the two of them. He made the district magistrate withdraw the troops, and he made Huang Binghu change the troublesome name of the Drawn Reins village. He prevented a series of pointless slaughter.
Where would the two of them find the courage to refuse this? They immediately shook hands peacefully.
After drinking, Li Qingshan patted Huang Binghu’s shoulder. “How can you let an outsider run amok in your own territory? Brother Huang, I think you should take another path in life!” He shoved a pill into his hand.
Huang Binghu glanced at it and exclaimed, “An Innate pill!” Before he could even thank him, the cloud had already crossed over the mountains and vanished.
As spring arrived, Xiao An stood up in the cavern. She walked towards the daylight, allowing the rumbling lightning to rip apart her clothes and strip her of her flesh.
Her blood instantly began to boil. Most of her Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty body had been charred before turning into ash. In the end, all that remained was a set of white bones.
She walked very slowly, but she did not falter. The terrifying heavenly tribulation was unable to make her waver, as he was waiting outside for her! She could not fall behind him! She wanted to be with him forever!
Walking alone with this one will, she finally arrived outside the cavern. Li Qingshan was currently standing on the water, gazing and studying the shape of a cloud. He turned around and smiled. He placed a wild flower he had plucked from somewhere into her boney hand and said, “Let’s go!”
The flower withered, and a smile blossomed.
After over two years of development, the Green Vine mountain had finally recovered some of its past glory.
In a particularly gloomy hall on the top of the Green Vine mountain, the three elders sat together.
The Green Vine elder’s eyebrows and beard had mingled together in even more of a mess. However, his two sagacious eyes gave off a sense of worry.
The Lone Grave elder’s pale face was slightly blue. The Golden Pheasant elder was dressed just like before, in a set of expensive robes, but he lacked the high-spirited vigour of a rooster now.
The three of them had gathered together for once, as recently, they had all been feeling uneasy. Although they did not know divination, they could still connect with the spiritual qi of the world as Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, their insight had grown with their age, and they had weathered countless storms before. They believed this sense of uneasiness was no coincidence.
After quite a while of silence, the Green Vine elder said, “I’m just afraid it’s revenge from underground, so I’ve already contacted the Daemon Suppression alliance.”
The Golden Pheasant elder said, “What? We’re so old already, and yet we still have to seek reinforcements from the Daemon Suppression alliance just because we feel something is off? We’ll become laughing stocks if this makes it out!”
The Lone Grave elder said for once, “That works.” This time, even the Golden Pheasant elder shut up. After a while, he asked, “Have you really sensed something?”
The Lone Grave elder said, “Death.”
The hall became terrifyingly quiet. The Green Vine elder said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already covered the Green Vine mountain with formations. Even a fly won’t be able to make it in…” His expression changed suddenly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone has made contact with the formation, but they’ve been blocked.”
After a while of silence, the Green Vine elder let out a sigh of relief. “He seems to have left already.”
Before he had even finished speaking, the Golden Pheasant elder turned his ear and listened intently. “Is there some kind of sound?”
The Green Vine elder focused his mind, and sure enough, there was a gentle sound. It was not the cry of a bird, nor was it the buzz of an insect. The three of them sensed around, but they failed to sense the origins of the sound. However, the sound did become significantly louder.
The dust on the ground leapt around happily as the green tea in the cups rippled.
“It’s from below!”
The three of them suddenly leapt up and glanced below.
The Green Vine elder said, “That’s impossible. The formations have covered it even if it’s below. The rocks are as tough as metal. It’s impossible for anyone to burrow over from beneath us.” Under the doubtful, worried gazes of the two other elders, he added, “Not even daemons!”
The shaking became even more violent and even closer.
A hole suddenly appeared somewhere in the floor. Earth twisted in all directions, as if it was being forced apart by something invisible. A huge, pink millipede crawled out, rattling as it circled around the hole; it was as if it was waiting, yet also urging. When it sensed the auras of the three elders, it directly curled up into a ball.
Their past nightmare seemed to come alive all of a sudden. The Golden Pheasant elder exclaimed, “It’s still alive!”
The Green Vine elder’s expression was rather ugly too. It was true. While it did become much smaller, it was definitely still the same Daemon General they had trapped and encircled in the past.
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Chapter 363 – Fighting the Three Mountains (One)
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Chapter 363 – Fighting the Three Mountains (One)
“What’re you afraid of? It’s just a mere daemonic beast now,” said the Golden Pheasant Elder, but his voice was not particularly calm.
Not only did the Lone Grave Elder’s caution linger around, but it even grew heavier. It was impossible for a daemonic beast to burrow through the ground and arrive here.
A powerful daemon qi rushed out from the hole. The Golden Pheasant Elder’s expression changed. “A Daemon General!”
“What’re you running so fast for?” The hole spat out a clear voice. It was loud and resonant, echoing through the empty hall.
Milliped immediately loosened up, swaying his body around.
The Lone Grave Elder shut his mouth and corpse qi surged on his body. The Green Vine Elder said, “It’s an enemy. Prepare yourselves.”
A completely naked, handsome man emerged from the cave. His red hair flowed freely as his eyes shone, like charcoal fire burning within the darkness. His eyes swiveled around and looked at the three elders. “Your ground is so tough!”
There was nothing Li Qingshan could do about the many layers of formations either, so he forcefully paved a path through the mountain, making his way up to the very top.
However, this was not a new innate ability, but another use for his old ones. After becoming a Daemon General, his past three innate abilities had become much stronger. The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell had obviously become tougher, while the Ox Demon Tramples became more refined. He could control the direction and range of the shockwave more effectively now.
The three elders found this to be absurd. In the middle of the night, a naked man had appeared in the main hall of the Green Vine mountain from the most unlikely place possible.
The main hall was the foundation of all the formations, so a gap that could not be covered by formations existed below it. However, the earth below there was even tougher than refined steel!
Li Qingshan said clearly, “I’ve come for revenge today. Prepare to die, you three old coots!”
The Green Vine Elder asked, “Is it just you?”
“Are you blind? Doesn’t he count too? You still remember him, right?” Li Qingshan tapped Milliped with his foot.
Milliped crawled up Li Qingshan happily, draping over his shoulder like a large, pink scarf.
Li Qingshan slapped his forehead. “Sigh, just go. The bit of atmosphere I’ve built up has been completely destroyed by your lack of interest.” Milliped scuttled back into the hole.
The three elders exchanged glances before laughing together. So this was why they had felt uneasy? The daemon qi he gave off was extremely powerful, but that was only compared to regular daemons. They could tell with a single glance that he had only become a Daemon General recently.
What they feared the most was still an attack from the Daemon Commander below, or a large-scale attack for vengeance. One single, mere Daemon General was actually bold enough to come knocking on the door of the Green Vine mountains, trying to cause trouble? There was no reason at all for them to turn down a daemon core delivered right before them.
“Do you know who I am?” Li Qingshan said haughtily. He had never been one to blabber. Villains who blabbered never had a good fate. However, for something like revenge, he had to make it clear to the enemy who he was and where he came from. Otherwise, even if he killed his enemy, it would be tasteless even if he did not show off.
A green vine that rapidly extended over from below his feet was their answer, eagerly bursting out of the ground one after another.
Li Qingshan leapt up, but he heard the cry of a golden pheasant overhead. The Golden Pheasant Elder swung his wings and smashed him to the ground. Immediately, he became entangled by the vines.
“The name of a wretched daemon will only defile my ears.”
Li Qingshan unleashed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, blocking the vicious green vines. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a ball of vines, completely immobilised.
The three elders immediately recalled the black, humanoid daemon that had appeared during the Herb Gathering ceremony. It had given them an extremely deep impression.
Today, it was almost like a repeat of that day.
“So it’s you!” The Green Vine Elder laughed. Originally, he still felt slightly worried as victory seemed to have come just too easily, but now, the final shred of his worries had vanished. This daemon had gotten ahead of itself the moment it overcame the heavenly tribulation, feeling like it was capable of anything. It wanted revenge, but it had no idea about its differences compared to them.
Among the three of them, even the weakest had reached mid Foundation Establishment. There was not the slightest possibility for them to be defeated even if they fought alone.
The Lone Grave Elder did not even get the chance to do anything. He just watched on coldly.
Li Qingshan called out, “That’s impossible! How can I lose to you humans?! I’m going to blow up my daemon core and drag you down with me!”
The three elders immediately became nervous. They could still recall the power unleashed when Milliped blew up his daemon core like it had happened yesterday. The Golden Pheasant Elder retreated backwards involuntarily, while the Lone Grave Elder summoned the Ancient Bronze Corpse General to guard him.
Li Qingshan seemed to have turned into a bomb that could explode at any time.
“Wait! If you’re willing to hand over your daemon core, we’ll let you leave alive,” said the Green Vine Elder in a hurry.
“That’ll be impossible. You humans are all crafty tricksters. I will never believe you!” Li Qingshan gave off powerful daemon qi, like he was about to blow up his daemon core at any time.
The Green Vine Elder could hear how he had begun wavering, so he persuaded him patiently. “We won’t trick you. How about this? I’ll remove the green vines first to express my sincerity so that you can return to the hole!” At the same time, he exchanged glances with the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder. The moment this foolish daemon showed the slightest opening, they would move together and kill it. Once they reported this back to the Daemon Suppression alliance, they would be rewarded too.
The dense vines receded from the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. To the three elder’s surprise, Li Qingshan turned around and rushed out of the hall.
“Stop him!” The Green Vine Elder took out a staff of green vines and pointed it at Li Qingshan. Vines burst out of the ground, swaying about demonically.
Li Qingshan came to a screeching halt and leapt gently, brushing past a vine that had almost wrapped around his foot before turning quickly. He constantly changed directions without the slightest pattern at all, leaving behind a path of vines that twisted about.
Just when the door was right in front of him, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General descended from above as it surged with black corpse qi, landing in front of the door heavily. It spread its arms and lunged towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan wanted to pull back, but his surroundings had already become filled with green vines. Looking up, the sharp claws of a golden pheasant fell down towards his head.
“Still want to run?” The Lone Grave Elder extended a finger and emitted a streak of pitch-black light. It passed through the cracks between the vines and struck Li Qingshan accurately.
Li Qingshan’s body softened. He had already been enveloped by the claws of the golden pheasant. Resplendent golden light illuminated the gloomy hall. He squinted his eyes, and all he spotted was a sharp beak pecking over viciously.
Just when the Green Vine Elder revealed a smile of relief, the feeling of danger he had experienced over the past few days suddenly reached the maximum. Silently, a long, slender blade of ice pierced his body.
“Humans are all crafty tricksters.” Li Qingshan smiled as he gripped the hilt of the blade, revealing his sharp canine teeth.
Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit. With Li Qingshan’s personality, why would he become careless and begin to look down on three Foundation Establishment cultivators just because he had undergone the heavenly tribulation?
Right from the very beginning, he had been planning a surprise attack. Originally, he planned on killing the three elders one by one, but he had never expected them to be gathered together. Combined with the formation, he was unable to launch a surprise attack. However, if there was no opportunity, then he would make one. As a result, Li Qingshan used his mirror image to distract the enemies, which would allow him to suddenly strike and kill the most troublesome Green Vine Elder.
The Green Vine Elder lowered his head and looked at the blade before looking at Li Qingshan. Disbelief filled his eyes. Just when he tried to use his spiritual qi, the blade twisted and slashed out behind Li Qingshan. It left behind a streak of light in the air, which blinded the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder.
“Green Vine!”
The slender blade kicked up a fierce gale, which swept out in all directions. Everything covered by the thin streak, whether it was the huge pillars that held up the hall or the countless extending green vines, was cut apart.
The Green Vine Elder’s body had already been reduced to two pieces, falling to the ground.
“How dare you actually-” The Lone Grave Elder’s corpse-like expression moved. However, before he could even finish speaking, the fiendishly handsome face appeared right before him, interrupting him with a smile. “How dare I actually what?”
The Lone Grave Elder’s heart sunk completely. The smile came with the familiar scent of death. He seemed no different in appearance, but his strength was worlds apart from his clone. The existence before him was startlingly strong. It was not strength that Daemon Generals who had just emerged from a heavenly tribulation should have possessed.
The ice blade did not stop. With Li Qingshan’s right hand as the centre, it produced a beautiful semicircle.
Corpse qi erupted!
The Lone Grave Elder bellowed out and black corpse qi sprayed out from his sleeves as he retreated to the edge of the hall. He lowered his head in shock to look at the wound on his chest. The blade had cut through his protective corpse qi easily. If it were not for the blast of corpse qi, he would have followed in the Green Vine Elder’s footsteps already.
A ball of corpse qi, as black as mud, lingered around. It came in contact with a pillar, and a portion immediately vanished like it had been ripped away by an invisible beast.
With a series of loud creakings, the top half of the pillar collapsed with a portion of the ceiling. Before it had even reached the ground, the corpse qi had eaten it away. All inanimate objects would suffer this fate. If a living creature became contaminated with a bit of it, it would probably be reduced to a puddle of liquid in the blink of an eye.
With a cry, the golden pheasant unfurled its wings and unleashed several hundred feathers, shooting into the corpse qi as several hundred streaks of golden light.
There was a shining flash, and the corpse qi parted into two. Li Qingshan emerged with the ice blade. He smiled at the Lone Grave Elder. “Nice reactions.”
A ray of moonlight landed on him, adding a tint of silvery-blue to him. His handsome face and perfect body seemed even less alive now. Instead, he seemed like the statue of a god from legends.
From the beginning to the end, he had not given off a single sliver of daemon qi.
Lanterns lit up one by one on the Green Vine mountain. Many disciples of the Green Vine mountain emerged from their residences and looked at the main hall.
“What’s going on?” “Let’s go take a look!”
Yu Shukuang yawned. “It’s so late. What’s going on now?”
Several hundred streaks of golden light rained down towards Li Qingshan as the golden pheasant lunged forward.
“Lone Grave, let’s work together and kill this daemon swiftly!”
With a hurried clang, Li Qingshan swung the ice blade, producing an arc. It landed on every single feather with great precision such that they shot back with even greater speed than when they first came.
The accompanying gust of wind from the swing ripped through the main hall viciously like countless blades and axes, destroying all obstacles.
Li Qingshan raised his head at the pheasant’s claw. He did not dodge, nor did he block. All he did was throw a punch.
The disciples of the Green Vine elder saw hundreds of streaks of golden light shoot straight up. A golden pheasant burst through the roof, having been sent flying. Its golden glow had dimmed; it was now in horrible shape.
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Chapter 364 – Fighting the Three Mountains (Two)
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Chapter 364 – Fighting the Three Mountains (Two)
“It’s the Golden Pheasant Elder!”
“What is going on in the main hall?”
The golden light illuminated every single stunned and terrified face of the disciples.
Yu Shukuang felt all of his sleepiness evaporate. He could not help but stagger backwards. An enemy that could send the Golden Pheasant Elder flying was not someone a mere Qi Practitioner like him could deal with.
Looking around, the other disciples were no different from him. The Green Vine mountain surely was not more important than their own lives.
A moment earlier.
Moonlight seeped in from every gap within the holey main hall. The silvery-blue light criss-crossed, turning the dignified hall into a bizarre world. However, all of it was soon purged by golden light.
A golden pheasant descended from above like a golden sun, blinding and glorious.
Compared to it, Li Qingshan’s upright figure seemed so insignificant. Under the scorching light, he seemed like a mere silhouette, so let alone the hand he swung out. It was like a thin twig, about to burst into flames at any time.
In that instant, the punch collided with the sun!
The two forces collided. Streaks of light and waves of air flickered and surged.
Not a single complete pillar remained within the grand hall, which tottered about within the intense blades of wind. But at this moment, it had been forcefully propped up by the pressure, quickly swelling outwards.
Li Qingshan’s feet were planted deeply into the ground, but an endless power surged out from the lofty Green Vine mountain; it came from the vast earth, entering his body and then his fist before it was directed towards the golden pheasant.
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s confident smile vanished!
In the next moment, the punch sent the sun flying!
Li Qingshan drew back his fist and smiled. “It’s best if you don’t try to contest against my strength when I’m standing on the ground!”
Strength of the Earth!
This was the brand new innate ability that originated from the ox demon. As long as he stood on the ground, he would receive the support of endless strength. Li Qingshan originally thought it was rather useless, but looking at it now, it was quite effective.
His scarlet eyes swiveled, and his gaze landed on the Lone Grave Elder. His pale-white, corpse-like face revealed a clear expression of shock, but it was not because Li Qingshan had sent the Golden Pheasant Elder flying in an open confrontation.
When the Golden Pheasant Elder called for his assistance, he summoned the Ancient Bronze Corpse General to launch a pincer attack from below. However, no matter how he urged the bronze bangle on his hand, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General did not move at all. Suddenly, his connection with it had broken, and only then did he become frightened to death. Without regard for anything else, he rushed towards the Ancient Bronze Corpse General.
The Ancient Bronze Corpse General that stood there silently suddenly raised its head. In that instant, the Lone Grave Elder gained the impression that they were not eyes, but two balls of flames. When he realised this was not just an impression at all, the Ancient Bronze Corpse General had already lunged towards its former master, exposing the small skeleton behind that held a white bone sword.
Since Li Qingshan said he would use his full strength, he really did use it all. Xiao An was the most important component of his strength. She was countless times more powerful than any innate ability he possessed.
The Lone Grave Elder was alarmed. He immediately chose to flee. If he kept fighting, he would end up losing his life here.
Black corpse qi gathered below his feet, lifting him up into the sky like a rocket. He moved alarmingly fast, shaking off the rebelling Ancient Bronze Corpse General in a split second. Just when he was about to burst through the ceiling, four skulls the size of carriage wheels blocked his path, spitting out rolling Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration.
The darkness and moonlight that had just flooded the hall was purged once more by the firelight. The entire hall creaked and trembled, like an old man with a foot in the grave. Unable to bear its own weight anymore, it began to collapse.
At this moment, time seemed to slow down. Every single floating speck of dust seemed incredibly clear in Li Qingshan’s eyes. He did not go to assist Xiao An.
After undergoing the heavenly tribulation, her strength had evolved by no less than his. A supernatural ability like the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty made it such that she would become even more powerful than other cultivators with every step forward she took.
He directed his gaze towards the sky again. The Golden Pheasant Elder had been scared out of his wits by Li Qingshan’s punch. He was not even bold enough to circle around. He unfurled his wings and flew off into the clouds.
Li Qingshan casually let go of the hilt and shook his hand. He exhaled gently. He leaned backwards by dropping a shoulder as he extended his hand as hard as he could, like a lead ball being thrown into the air. However, his feet showed no intentions of leaving the ground. Instead, they became even more deeply rooted.
Compared to his movements, everything that unfolded in the surroundings seemed like a static frame.
Turbulent daemon qi surged into his arm. Something was released, and his slender hand suddenly turned into the colour of black iron, swelling and extending rapidly.
Three meters, fifteen meters, thirty meters. With his five fingers that were as thick as the hall’s pillars spread out, he reached towards the fleeing golden pheasant in the air.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The Golden Pheasant Elder was fear-stricken. He felt a terrifying force crush down on him, almost suffocating him. He fell back towards the hall again. In that instant, the comparison between the two of them seemed to turn back to normal. An arrogant rooster was trapped in the hands of a human, delivered to the kitchen. All that remained was fright.
All the disciples of the Green Vine mountain widened their eyes. All of this was something that would only appear in a nightmare. No one could imagine just what kind of monster was hiding within the hall as they stared at the huge, demonic claws.
The hall was extremely spacious, but it was probably extremely restrictive to the monster!
The golden pheasant was forcefully ripped apart by the huge hand. Li Qingshan’s hand had shrunken back to its normal size, gripping the Golden Pheasant Elder’s throat. The elder struck the ground heavily, and golden feathers floated around in the surroundings.
Boom! The shockwave expanded in all directions, speeding up the collapse of the hall. The debris and beams fell with a rumble.
The Golden Pheasant Elder called out, “You can’t kill me! That’ll defy the Treaty of Kings! It’ll lead to war! You’ll suffer a horrid death too! Release me! We have no particularly great grievances!”
Li Qingshan bent over and whispered into his ear with a smile, “I have another name, Niu Juxia!”
The Golden Pheasant Elder’s eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, but he lost that ability forever. Li Qingshan snapped off his neck. Not only had his spine been crushed, but he had been beheaded too. Blood spurted everywhere.
At the same time, Xiao An’s bone sword had already penetrated the Lone Grave Elder through the forehead. His deathy-white face was filled with fear, making him seem no different from the many corpses he had seen in the past.
Having lost the Ancient Bronze Corpse General, the Lone Grave Elder became the weakest among the three. He could not even block a single strike from Xiao An. Flames surged out, and he was incinerated instantly.
Rumble! The hall collapsed completely.
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain looked over. A man wielding a blade stood within the ruins atop the mountain. His scarlet hair surged wildly in the wind as the full moon hovered behind him, blurring his appearance and casting a black silhouette, which made him seem even loftier than the Green Vine mountain below his feet.
The only thing they could clearly make out were a scarlet pair of scorching yet cold eyes.
He raised the ice blade high into the air and moonlight poured over the blade. Murderousness filled the air, as if it wanted to dye the moon bright red too.
PS: Bows and thanks to the new Alliance Head “Just a Cripple”. Congratulations for the new Alliance Head! I can feel a power surge out from the computer, entering my body. Your encouragement and support, I’ve received it all.
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Chapter 365 – Returning Underground
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Chapter 365 – Returning Underground
The disciples of the Green Vine mountain staggered backwards. They all turned around and scattered at the same time.
Yu Shukuang was the first one to flee. The Green Vine mountain was already done for. He had no plans on going down with it, but he felt very despaired inside. Even the three elders could not stop him, so just how long could they flee for?
Standing up high, Li Qingshan looked down over them. No matter how quickly they fled, no matter how far they had fled, killing them would only take a single stroke.
His blade was raised, but he never swung down with it, as he saw a familiar person or two among them. He smiled and placed the blade down.
“He’s vanished.” Xiao An emerged from the ruins.
“Are you certain?” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow.
“Yep,” Xiao An nodded.
“Fucking hell. He can escape even when he’s bisected. That old bastard must have been playing dead earlier. I have to start defiling corpses in the future!” Li Qingshan cursed.
After the original battle, the Green Vine Elder, who should have been laying on the ground, had actually vanished. Needless to say, he must have used this opportunity to escape.
Now that he thought about it, even regular people would toss around for a bit after they had been bisected. The Green Vine Elder had collapsed like two pieces of wood; he was even better at playing dead than Milliped. Just who was the daemon in this case?
Li Qingshan had used his mirror image to distract the three elders, while the Green Vine Elder had used these two “old friends” of his to distract Li Qingshan.
“Let’s go! We’ll go hunt down that actor!” Li Qingshan sniffed the air and dove back into the hole. According to the smell of blood, the Green Vine Elder had fled through the hole he had created. It would be troublesome if he ran into that simpleton Milliped.
Xiao An tilted her head in thought. What’s an actor?
Within the pitch-black, narrow hole, the Green Vine Elder clutched his abdomen that had been split open completely as he lay on his enlarged vine staff, flying off. The shaking from above gradually grew further away, but he did not relax at all. The terror of the blade was firmly embedded in his heart; he remained shaken.
From the moment Li Qingshan had stabbed the Green Vine Elder with his blade, the Green Vine Elder could feel that it was impossible to emerge victorious from this battle.
This was because he understood something very well; it was not because he was completely unprepared, but because the blade had arrived far too swiftly and viciously. Unless he used a protective technique and called out his protective spiritual artifact beforehand, it would be impossible for him to block it. Dodging would be even less possible.
The unbelievable strength and speed, combined with the extraordinary destructive power, was the bane of cultivators. As a result, he chose to play dead without the slightest hesitation in that moment.
Green vines wrapped around his waist, joining the two parts of his body together. Subsequently, the vines emitted ebbs of green light in an attempt to heal the terrifying wound. However, the residual daemon qi prevented the green light from working. It did not heal after quite a while, but at least his life was no longer in danger anymore.
As the strongest out of the three elders, the Green Vine Elder was not exactly suited for battle, but his recovery ability was probably unmatched. His life force was endless, just like green vines.
Milliped was currently idling around in the hole. When he saw the Green Vine Elder rush over, he immediately lunged over threateningly, spitting out a pink gas.
The Green Vine Elder’s eyes coldened, and he waved the staff in his hand. A Daemon General might be beyond my capabilities, but what about a mere daemonic beast?
At this moment, his heart shuddered. The auras of the Golden Pheasant Elder and the Lone Grave Elder had vanished!
How did it happen so quickly?
Based on his belief, even if two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators could not defeat him, they could still escape, or at worst, they could last a little longer. The situation was much worse than he had imagined it to be. The red-haired Daemon General did not give off any daemon qi at all. He moved around without a trace, like an assassin hidden in the darkness, as if he could appear at any moment and cut him down.
The Green Vine Elder was stricken with fear. He raised his hand and knocked Milliped aside before flying away quickly.
Actually, Li Qingshan had yet to realise he had gone missing back then.
Li Qingshan followed the scent in pursuit. He saw Milliped, who had curled into a ball, and smiled. “You sure are lucky!”
Arriving at the exit at the foot of the mountain, a beautiful scenery of the wilderness unfolded before him with a gentle breeze and a bright moon in the sky.
The enchanting fragrance of flowers filled the air. Spring was the time when mountain flowers bloomed.
Li Qingshan sniffed. The scent had become very faint, and it was not only because of the smell of flowers. The Green Vine Elder must have stabilised his injuries and then used some sort of method to hide his smell.
However, Li Qingshan did manage to find a distinctive scent, the scent of humans. Like a thin stream, its trace led off into the depths of the Boundless mountains.
Li Qingshan leapt up and arrived on a hill before him. However, the scent vanished there. He could not help but frown.
If his gaze could pierce through obstacles, then he would have spotted a nervous, old face hidden within an ancient cypress a hundred paces away.
The Green Vine Elder had used a wood technique to merge into the bark. Although he temporarily managed to avoid Li Qingshan’s senses, his nervousness and fear did not lessen at all. Instead, it spread. At the same time, he experienced an indescribable sense of sorrow. He, the mighty sect master of the Green Vine mountain, had actually been forced into such a state by a pursuing Daemon General.
Li Qingshan circled around a few times in the dim forest. Suddenly, he sneered. “I can see you!”
He had learnt this trick from Han Qiongzhi, and sure enough, it utterly frightened the Green Vine Elder. He had to hold back the urge to flee.
Li Qingshan casually swung his ice blade, kicking up sharp, violent winds that swept past the towering trees and cut them down. They rolled down the side of the mountain with a rumble. From above, a large swathe of trees had collapsed in a single moment.
However, he failed to find the Green Vine Elder.
Li Qingshan called out, “Green Vine, no matter where you flee to, there will be a day when I kill you!”
Kill you… kill you… kill you…
His voice that sounded like thrumming metal echoed through the mountains.
This made the Green Vine Elder’s heart tighten. Pulling his body together tightly, he rolled down in the cut-down trees, only stopping after colliding against a huge boulder in the end. He felt like his back was close to breaking.
The forest fell silent once more, but he did not dare to move. Who knew whether Li Qingshan was hiding in the darkness or not, waiting for him to appear so that he could kill him.
Even when the sun rose, he remained exactly where he was. It was said that people became more afraid of death with age, and he truly verified this with his actions. As long as the slightest possibility of danger continued to exist, he would remain in hiding.
Three days later, he finally emerged from the bark slowly and gradually, only letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that Li Qingshan was indeed gone. Gazing at the mist-shrouded Green Vine mountain in the distance, tears suddenly began to run down his face. If it were not for this wood technique, he almost would have died. He was obviously too afraid to return to the Green Vine mountain now. All he could do was seek assistance from the Daemon Suppression alliance if he wanted a chance for revenge.
Actually, Li Qingshan had directly left after saying that. If he could not kill him today, then he would just kill him in the future. He did not have the patience or motivation to waste time crouching around in the forest.
After this battle, he could feel signs of breaking through to the third layer of the tiger demon. He was looking for some people to cause trouble with so that he could have another battle.
Li Qingshan, Xiao An, and Milliped, the three daemons, moved through the dark underground. The familiar environment made Milliped extremely excited. He scurried away eagerly, heading towards that “huge bed” of his.
Li Qingshan sat on a huge skull that a Skull Prayer Bead had transformed into. He had a set of scarlet robes draped over him and a scarlet band around his waist, covering his crotch conveniently. The ice blade hung from his waist too. He seemed to be in high spirits, brimming with vigour.
He had transformed the cloak from his hair. This was a simple trick for Daemon Generals, and wearing it brought no discomfort either. Finally, he had avoided the predicament of walking around naked.
The hundred treasures pouches of the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder had been shoved into his chest. He still had not looked through them yet. If he wanted to look through his spoils, he obviously had to take them out and admire them one by one at home in peace. Only then would it be particularly delightful.
After travelling for a few hours, they had already ventured deep underground.
Home was near!
Xiao An sat in Li Qingshan’s arms, refining the corpses of the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder. The bodies of Foundation Establishment cultivators were just a few dozen kilograms of flesh, but the life force hidden within even surpassed ten thousand regular people. This was akin to the difference between Qi Gathering pills and Virtue Accumulation pills. It was a difference in quality.
The reason why Xiao An could undergo the heavenly tribulation so soon was closely linked to Wei Zhongyuan’s corpse. Very soon, she had refined the two corpses, and she could feel that her cultivation had taken another step forward.
Li Qingshan rubbed her skull. “This time, there’s no need for you to fight.”
The cavern was right before them. Suddenly, there was a tremor, and a tremendous object burst out of the earth, opening its gaping mouth and lunging towards Milliped. The two pairs of fangs were even longer than swords.
Li Qingshan was completely unfazed. With how obvious the daemon qi was, even if it was hidden within the earth, how could it fool him?
Flying over, he pressed down on the daemon’s head. However, the part he touched was as hard as a boulder.
Li Qingshan smiled. I knew this daemon qi seemed familiar. So it’s it!
As it turned out, the tremendous object was the huge head of a snake, except it was a rocky grey, which seemed like a stone sculpture no matter how he looked at it. The boulder viper had been an extremely powerful daemon soldier under Li Qingshan’s command in the past. It had only yielded when he mentioned Milliped, but it had never truly accepted Li Qingshan as the leader of the daemon soldiers.
But right now, the last thing Li Qingshan was afraid of was rock. He casually emitted a vibration through his hand.
The boulder viper felt a vibration spread from the top of his head to the end of his tail. Its impenetrable rock armour immediately cracked. It felt the world spin as its body grew numb. It was pulled out from the earth helplessly, completely in shock.
Li Qingshan said, “Boulder viper, do you still recognise me?”
The boulder viper shook its head and recovered from its dizziness. It raised its head and met a familiar pair of scarlet pupils before seeing the horns and the scarlet hair. “You’re… leader!”
Li Qingshan smiled as he patted its head. “Daemons are still the ones with better insight!”
“Vice leader.” The boulder viper then saw Xiao An and finally Milliped. “Great king Milliped!” He had burst out of the earth because of this daemon qi, launching a sneak attack. It had failed to sense Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s existence at all.
“Y- you’ve returned!”
After two years, they had returned underground once more, to take back everything that belonged to them!
Li Qingshan asked in confusion, “Why did you attack us?”
PS: New volume, new look. I beg thee for various votes!
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Chapter 366 – Great King Ye Liusu
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Chapter 366 – Great King Ye Liusu
The boulder viper looked at Li Qingshan fearfully. Even though it had already become the strongest among the daemons, quite a large difference still existed between it and Daemon General. Li Qingshan’s action from earlier had completely dismissed any of its thoughts to resist. As such, it obediently answered his question.
“I’m responsible for looking over the dwelling for great king Ye Liusu, to prevent anyone from disturbing the king’s rest, or I’ll be punished.” The boulder python curled up its colossal body powerlessly. It missed the time when Milliped reigned on top. Back then, he was not restrained by anything. He did not have to listen to anyone’s command either.
“Great king Ye Liusu? This daemon has got quite a good naming sense,” Li Qingshan muttered to himself, “Then do you know what kind of daemon it is? And what abilities it knows?”
Knowing yourself and the enemy would result in triumph in battle. Li Qingshan never underestimated his opponents.
“This… I don’t know. And, king Ye Liusu isn’t a daemon.”
“Not a daemon?” Li Qingshan’s voice rose higher. “Humans are allowed to get a piece of territory underground too?”
“No, no, not a human either.”
“Neither a human nor a daemon. Then what?”
The boulder viper gave a description, Unfortunately, the powerful daemons that lived in the dark underground were rather limited in their descriptive vocabulary, which confused Li Qingshan even more. All he knew was that this king Ye Liusu was not a Daemon General from the surroundings, originating from much deeper underground instead.
If he had no idea, then he would personally go and take a look. Li Qingshan was cautious, but he was not afraid of trouble. He made the boulder viper move aside, and he swaggered towards the cavern.
“Leader, king Ye Liusu comes and goes without a trace in an utterly incredible fashion.” The boulder viper warned from behind. It did not feel particularly optimistic for Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan had clearly become a Daemon General recently. He probably was not king Ye Liusu’s opponent.
He dove into the ground in a hurry. If king Ye Liusu found out it had let them in, then it would be in trouble.
A speck of light suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead. A Blue Butterfly flower gave off dim, blue light within the darkness, and its butterfly wings moved slightly. However, it clearly had not reached maturity yet, unable to break free from the bounds of the stalk and fly through the air.
Milliped scurried over, but Li Qingshan grabbed him by a leg and made him hide somewhere first, just in case this king Ye Liusu sensed him.
Li Qingshan made Xiao An wait at the entrance too and he ventured over alone. Finally, he saw the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers once more. The Blue Butterfly flowers glowed silently, but only a measly one or two of them fluttered about. There would be a long wait before each Blue Butterfly flower would bloom. Li Qingshan had taken away everything accumulated over countless years last time.
But apart from the sea of flowers, Li Qingshan actually found nothing to be familiar anymore.
The coarse, rock walls had been carefully sculpted. Inscriptions and patterns covered them all. The ceiling sparkled with light, having been embedded with countless luminous pearls of various sizes such that it seemed like the night sky. It was majestic, like a black palace filled with illusionary colours and a foreign charm.
At the centre of the palace, Milliped’s original bed of spiritual stone had been replaced with a delicate, charming bed of sculpted wood. The drapes around it prevented him from seeing anything inside.
From the decor alone, Li Qingshan could confirm that this king Ye Liusu was indeed not a daemon. Since when would daemons waste time on something like this? Moreover, the aura from within the drapes seemed to confirm this too.
It was not daemon qi, but it was not like spiritual qi either. It seemed to be something between daemon qi and spiritual qi, with similarities and differences. He could already vaguely guess what it was.
However, when he walked over and lifted the heavy drapes, he still could not help but become surprised.
The pair of pointed ears clearly stated the fact that it was not human, and the smooth skin seemed to be dyed by the night sky. It was the colour of the night sky in the middle of summer, a mixture of black and blue, which proved this fact once more.
Not a human, nor a daemon, but otherfolk.
Li Qingshan even managed to recognise the race immediately—the Night Roaming folk.
This was all thanks to the countless dates he had gone on with Han Qiongzhi. As they spoke about everything—even though Li Qingshan was the one listening most of the time—Han Qiongzhi had once told him about the existence of this race.
Their dark blue skin was their most prominent feature. They were completely different from the diurnal humans, being nocturnal instead. They could see through the deepest darkness, but they were blind during daytime.
After the rise of humanity, they had been expelled to remote wildernesses just like the other races of the otherfolk, becoming a mere legend. Li Qingshan never expected to run into them underground.
If this was not enough to surprise Li Qingshan, then the fact that the king Ye Liusu seated within the heavy drapes was a woman would have been enough.
Dark, blue hair draped down from a perfectly oval face strand by strand. Her eyes were firmly shut; she had long eyelashes and a high nose bridge. Her facial features were delicate.
She wore a simple set of black armour that only covered her most important parts. Beautiful patterns like flower branches extended along the large parts of her uncovered skin; the style was similar to the sculptings on the surrounding walls. It seemed to be more natural than a tattoo. It was also the only thing that adorned her body.
If he could ignore her skin tone, she would definitely be a great beauty. Or perhaps, it was exactly her skin tone like the night sky that gave her a mysterious, foreign charm.
Li Qingshan could see her frown. Clearly, she had sensed his existence, but she still did not move. She had probably reached a critical point in her cultivation.
Li Qingshan was rather disappointed, so he just climbed onto the stone bed and sat down in front of her. As he studied her alluring body, he waited for her to awaken.
It was not because he did not want to take advantage of her situation, nor was it because he had lost the will to fight after seeing that she was a woman. It was the exact opposite, as a matter of fact. A certain part of his body stiffed silently. He began to reminisce about the wonderful times he spent with Han Qiongzhi, and he wondered whether she had emerged from seclusion yet. By then, all he had to do was propose, and he would be able to…
The purpose of this trip had never been to kill. Daemons would never slaughter one another; this could be regarded as the first law of the world of daemons. This Ye Liusu might have been otherfolk, but since she could reign over this piece of territory, she must have received the recognition of the Daemon Commander. She could be regarded as a member of the Daemon race.
Killing her was easy, but if he did, there would be no point in him remaining underground anymore. He wanted to use a daemon’s method of defeating her in an open confrontation so that he could take back the territory that originally belonged to Milliped.
A droplet of sweat gathered on the tip of Ye Liusu’s nose. She was as nervous as she could be. She had just reached a critical point in the Night Demon scripture, which was why she had passed the command to seal off all paths leading to here. Since he could bypass the obstacles and arrive here, it only proved his extraordinary strength.
Yet, she could not move at all right now. If she did, not only would all her efforts go to waste, but she would even suffer a backlash and become heavily injured.
At this moment, she suddenly felt his hand extend towards her. Her body immediately stiffened, but the hand only waved around in front of her face.
Li Qingshan grew bored from the waiting. He yawned and laid down on his side. Suddenly, he saw a sheathed dagger on her waist, curved like the crescent moon. He reached over to grab it.
Ye Liusu suddenly snapped her eyes open. They were as glorious as the stars in the night sky.
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A Heavy Author’s Note for a Million Characters
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A Heavy Author’s Note for a Million Characters
What should I say? If I speak my mind too much, the readers will find it boring. I’ll try to make it simple then!
Six months, a million characters, a chair and a computer upheld the passage of time. In the eyes of others, this should seem like a very lonesome life, right?
Lonesome? It is. Sometimes, I feel utterly flustered from loneliness, with no idea what to do.
Just admit it! There are no paths that will be smooth sailing all the way.
Sometimes, you just can’t avoid staggering along.
Sometimes, all you can do is look up.
Not looking up to others, but up to the you you wish to be.
“I want to become someone like that! I want to write novels like that!”
And then? You’ll achieve happiness?
I can never avoid asking myself this question, as I understand that life is not novels. There are no paths that definitely lead to happiness.
You don’t have to answer it—you’ll only know if you try!
Constant attempts, constant pursuits to see just how that future tastes. I want to write a decent novel, to show myself.
Alright, that’s the end of my boring thoughts. Now let’s get to the real stuff.
Look, give me votes!
Heh! I call this revealing real intentions at the end.
Why did I drag it out until now to write my author’s note for a million characters? That’s so I can write one less author’s note!
I have far too many boring thoughts, which readers will find annoying too. I hope my novel isn’t this boring.
Alright, I admit that this is a little heavy for an author’s note asking for votes. It’s neither enthusiastic, nor is it touching!
Then, let me add some things.
After a period of arduous cultivation, fellow Li Qingshan has finally become a Daemon General, taking a critical step forward in his life. It’s also a critical step for Legend of the Great Sage and a critical step for me.
After the baptism of a million characters, I’ve become even stronger in all aspects. Everything is about to unfold. I will do my best to write even more fascinating content!
There might be undulations in the plot, fluctuations in emotion. If I’m happy, then I’ll make you all happy with me. If I’m unhappy, then I’ll still make you happy. If you just can’t be happy, just give me a smile!
Notice for those who are waiting for more chapters. It’s already a million characters, so stop waiting! You can get butchering now! Notice for those who are currently up to date with the releases. If you have a subscription, you can give me an evaluation ticket for free. Read my lips. It’s free! You haven’t heard incorrectly. This is Qidian of Shanda. Come make an initial judgement for these one million characters!
Finally, taking in a deep breath and roaring out loudly.
Give me votes!!!
C’mon, Dream Teller, get it together!
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Chapter 367 – The Battle for Territory
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Chapter 367 – The Battle for Territory
The other thing that lit up with it was the flash of a blade, shaped like a crescent moon, which swept towards Li Qingshan’s throat.
Xiao An guarded the entrance to the cavern. She saw Li Qingshan enter the drapes, but there was neither sounds nor fighting. She had no idea what had happened, and she happened to be bored.
Suddenly, there was a screech. A gust of wind swept up the drapes in the surroundings, and the sharp sound reverberated through the cavern, becoming even resonant.
Ye Liusu now knelt on one knee, leaning forward and placing all her strength into the curved dagger in her hand. The edge was less than an inch away from Li Qingshan’s throat, but it was unable to advance any further. It had been blocked by a slender, ice blade.
Li Qingshan remained in the same posture, leaning on his side. He wielded the ice blade in a reverse grip with his left hand, easily receiving all her strength with a single hand. He studied her up and down, appreciating her delicate face now with a pair of star-like eyes. They seemed to complete her, allowing her to spring alive. He smiled. You might have overcome the first heavenly tribulation too, but it’s impossible for you to win against me in terms of strength.
Xiao An sat down. They had finally begun fighting, but then she heard movements from deep within the caves.
“What are you doing?” Ye Liusu said coldly. Her voice was as clear as the flash of her dagger. The appearance of the intruder left her slightly amazed. What a handsome man, no, daemon!
Although the Night Roaming folk were known for their beauty, such that both men and women were extremely pretty, there was probably no one who surpassed the person right before her in terms of appearance.
The smile made him seem even more enchanting, but it was not gentle at all. Instead, it seemed more like a reckless provocation. Combined with what his right hand did, it made her killing intent become even colder.
“I wanted to take a look at your dagger,” Li Qingshan said. Only then did he discover that her dagger was already in her hands, while his hand was on her buttock. This isn’t my fault. Who told you to move around? He pulled his hand back like he had done nothing wrong at all.
“Did you see it?” Ye Liusu said coldly.
“I saw it.” Li Qingshan glanced down. The curved dagger shone with the brightest white light, like a crescent moon. He suddenly understood why. Just like how human assassins would paint their weapons black, only light could blind the opponent in this underground world.
Afterwards, his gaze shifted over to the gully on her chest uncontrollably. In this world, there really were far too few women who dressed so boldly.
“Then die!” Ye Liusu called out. With a twist of her dagger, it brushed past the ice blade and swung down. The dagger cut through the darkness, moving even faster and more viciously than the stroke from earlier.
She thought, As a strength type Daemon General, his reaction and speed must be a little slower. Getting so close to me is your greatest miscalculation today! Though, I don’t think I’ve heard of a Daemon General like him under the Spider Queen’s command. Don’t tell me another Daemon Commander sent him over? If I kill him and get caught, it’ll be troublesome. He doesn’t seem to have any killing intent either, so I’d better hold back instead!
But very soon, Ye Liusu discovered that her worries were unnecessary. Li Qingshan flew up without even changing his posture, like he was still lying on the stone platform. He rotated and brushed past the blade. He was surprisingly nimble.
Ye Liusu’s eyes twinkled. The dagger was like a swooping sparrow, going from a downwards slash to an upwards stroke in an unbelievably beautiful manner. In the narrow space above, it turned into a series of blurs, enveloping every vital point on Li Qingshan’s body.
Li Qingshan extended his hand with a smile, grabbing her dagger-wielding right hand with great precision among the flashes and blurs.
Ye Liusu immediately let go of her weapon, turning her hand around and grabbing his arm too, pulling him down. At the same time, she caught the curved dagger with her left hand and went for the throat. It left behind absolutely no trace, a completely unfathomable attack. The killing intent was concealed, dense but hidden.
Even Li Qingshan felt a hint of danger. He tilted his head slightly, and a cold sensation swept past his throat, leaving behind a thin cut. A smile remained on his face. Taking advantage of the overextended attack, he grabbed her left hand too and pushed her down heavily onto the stone platform.
Ye Liusu tried to put up a struggle, but under Li Qingshan’s strength, it was obviously useless. She lifted a long leg of hers that wore black shoes and kicked the back of his head.
Li Qingshan lowered himself conveniently, dodging the kick. “Before you attack someone, it’s best if you hear why they’ve come in the first place.”
Two pairs of eyes met, and the tips of their noses were almost touching. They could clearly feel each other’s breathing, which was rather intimate contact.
Ye Liusu stared into Li Qingshan’s eyes without backing down. Her eyes had dimmed slightly, making her dark blue eyes seem like ice in the night.
“Who are you?”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He was actually unable to come up with an answer immediately. He raised an eyebrow. “Good question!”
He did not have a proper name right now. Xuanyue had once called him Big Blacko, but it was clearly a very horrible name. He had once called himself the Old Daemon of Black Mountain too, but that was even less appropriate, just in case someone connected it with Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan immediately sank into a dilemma. He had never been good at coming up with names. He had almost forgotten he was lying on top of an absolute beauty.
Ye Liusu took advantage of this opportunity to take note of everything about the enemy. Suddenly, she noticed that something seemed to be carved on the two sharp, protruding horns on his head. She muttered, “North moon.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes immediately lit up. “Yes, that!”
His memories returned to a few years ago. In the depths of the Boundless mountain, that cute, mischievous cat daemon had forcefully carved this promise into his horns, depositing it deep within his memories. Even the heavenly tribulation was unable to erase it.
On the Ice Sword cliff, he had used his loudest voice to bellow at the heavens, swearing he would obtain the power to send her to the Dragon province. He wondered how she was doing right now.
Ye Liusu squinted slightly and suddenly raised her head, slamming it against his. She sneered inside. Hasn’t anyone told you to not become distracted in battle?
With a thunk, Ye Liusu fell back onto the stone bed. It hurt so much that she gasped. So hard!
Li Qingshan returned to his senses. He smiled. “Just call me Northmoon! Hmm? What’s wrong with your head?” A lump had appeared on Ye Liusu’s smooth forehead.
Xiao An crouched at the entrance as her teeth chattered about. She let out a clattering laughter.
“I’m going to kill you!” Ye Liusu squeezed out a threat from between her teeth.
Li Qingshan said, “You’ll have that opportunity later, but let me finish speaking first. Where do I start? Oh right. You know the previous Daemon General in charge of this territory, right?”
“He was a fool called Milliped I think. He was lured away by the humans to be slaughtered. Don’t tell me that’s you!” Ye Liusu mocked.
“Of course not. He might be a little foolish, but you’re not allowed to talk about my friend like that. Anyway, this territory used to belong to him, as well as me. In other words, you’re currently living in my home, lying on my bed. I want you to… piss off.”
Li Qingshan found this way of wording it to be extremely interesting. He felt like he was talking to his ex-wife after a divorce. He tilted his head slightly. “Are you going to agree or disagree?”
“So what if I agree? And so what if I disagree?” Only now did Ye Liusu understand. As it turned out, this guy was a daemon soldier under Milliped’s command. He wanted to take back the territory after going through the heavenly tribulation. However, it led her to an even greater question. How could a daemon that had just emerged from a heavenly tribulation be so powerful? He had completely surpassed her physically!
“It’ll be for the best if you agree. If you don’t agree, I’ll beat you until you agree.” Li Qingshan smiled very sincerely. Giving a beauty like her a thorough beating should be quite the sensation!
“Then try it!” Ye Liusu said frostily. The curved dagger began to spin, turning into a round disc that shot towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan raised his body to avoid it and secretly muttered, “Oh no.” He felt a gust of wind from behind his head. He reached back and grabbed her round, powerful leg, and Ye Liusu pushed herself up, gripping the hilt of the dagger and stabbing viciously into Li Qingshan’s right eye.
Li Qingshan wanted to repeat the same trick and grab her hand, but he grabbed nothing. It was a feint.
On the narrow stone platform, Ye Liusu turned into a shadow, circling around Li Qingshan rapidly. Li Qingshan remained exactly where he was, only swinging his ice blade around, parrying every one of her assassination attempts. Just inches apart, flashes of the weapons filled every gap between the two of them, but there were no sounds of collisions.
Ye Liusu pushed her nimble, mysterious dagger style to the limit, targeting Li Qingshan’s vital points with every attack.
Suddenly, the curved dagger spat out a crescent light. It looped around the ice blade along a strange trajectory, arriving behind him and swinging towards his back like a hook.
“Soul Stealer!” Just as the name suggested, who knew how many lives she had stolen with this battle skill. Even those almost as strong as her would die to this attack.
With an elongated clang, the ice blade slanted behind Li Qingshan’s back, blocking the tip of the curved dagger; this demonstrated that their strength was not even close.
Ye Liusu slid to the edge of the bed like a ghost, heaving slightly as she stared at Li Qingshan. He was just too powerful. Not only was his strength completely one-sided, but his reactions actually surpassed her too. Was he really a Daemon General who had just undergone a heavenly tribulation?
“So close!” Li Qingshan checked the ice blade and found a tiny nick. He stroked it with his hand, and the blade recovered.
This battle was not for slaughter or for revenge, so there was no reason for him to kill with a single stroke. Ye Liusu’s abilities were extraordinary. She could assist him in breaking through to the third layer of the tiger demon through battle.
The curved dagger in Ye Liusu’s hand suddenly lit up, and she swung it violently. “Moon Breaker!”
Li Qingshan suddenly looked back. A cold half-moon brushed past his face just a hair’s breadth away, but he spotted a Blue Butterfly flower fluttering around in the trajectory of the half-moon. It was just about to be cut apart.
He immediately leapt up, catching up to the half-moon he had just dodged and destroying it with a swing of his blade.
“That’s my flower. You’d best be careful.”
Li Qingshan stood within the sea of flowers. The Blue Butterfly flower had no idea about the danger it was just in, fluttering over his head.
It was a flower, yet not a flower, a butterfly, yet not a butterfly. It was a flying True Spirit pill.
“That’s mine! Moon Breaker!” Ye Liusu produced an even larger half-moon, which Li Qingshan dodged by moving to the side.
With a boom, the half-moon landed on the rock face behind him, leaving a huge mark on the delicate sculptings.
Li Qingshan glanced backwards and said relaxedly, “Fortunately, the sculptings aren’t mine.”
Ye Liusu was furious, but she became afraid of just swinging her dagger carelessly again. Every single sculpting there had taken her painstaking effort. They would be extremely difficult to repair. Moreover, this guy clearly could not be dealt with using a move like that.
At this moment, daemon qi and the special, gloomy aura of night roamers surged over from everywhere.
PS: Thank you for your encouragement. Never have the monthly votes been so great, actually reaching twelfth place. Of course, I know this is all because the god-level authors haven’t done anything yet, waiting for the double monthly votes, but I still feel very happy. Momentary happiness is still happiness. I don’t have an impressive rate of pumping out words, and to be honest, that’s not what I’m going after either. Coming up with novel, interesting content and then carving it out bit by bit is where my interests of writing novels lie.
How do I say this? Although there’s just me at home right now, I was in the gloomy underground, watching the battle between Li Qingshan and Ye Liusu with interest just earlier. Chasing after constant joy is just a little too greedy. If reading this part made your loneliness a little easier to bear with, making you anticipate tomorrow just a little more, then it would be my greatest honour.
Oh right. It snowed today. It was very beautiful.
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Chapter 368 – Otherfolk and Other Abilities
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Chapter 368 – Otherfolk and Other Abilities
Li Qingshan found Ye Liusu to be rather admirable. With how reinforcements came flooding over to support her, it only demonstrated her control over this territory. That dimwit Milliped would have never been able to match her.
Daemons that Li Qingshan found extremely familiar appeared at the entrances one by one, shuffling in the shadows. There was also a group of Night Roaming folk guards, composed of both males and females. Their facial features were all delicate. They wore simple armour, wielding bows and arrows and spears.
“Leader?” The daemons all gasped in surprise. Although Li Qingshan’s appearance had changed drastically, they could still recognise him with a single glance through his special characteristics.
“King Ye Liusu!” The guards glared at Li Qingshan; they fully drew their bows and raised their spears high. They awaited Ye Liusu’s orders.
Ye Liusu did not ease up at all. If he were a regular Daemon General, then she might have been able to control and weaken him with an advantage in numbers, but the one before her right now was clearly not a regular Daemon General. If they interfered, it would only lead to unnecessary losses instead.
She waved her dagger and ordered loudly, “Don’t interfere! This is our battle!”
The daemons immediately let out a sigh of relief. Who wanted to fight a Daemon General? Daemons were forbidden from killing one another, but it would be bad if he really became carried away.
“King!” The captain of the guards, Ye Liubo, was confused by this. Why did she have to fight the enemy alone?
She had already fully drawn her bow; the three nocked arrows shone with a dim light, directed right at Li Qingshan’s back. Clearly, they had been smeared with poison. From such a close range, even Daemon Generals would struggle to dodge a volley of arrows.
However, the “enemy” ended up turning around at this moment, ignoring her drawn bow and smiling at her. His handsome appearance and dazzling smile made her heart skip a beat, but she kept the bow drawn firmly. If it were the past, he could serve as outstanding company in bed, but they stood as enemies right now.
Li Qingshan studied the night roamers curiously. He felt slightly excited. This was not a sight he could just happen upon. It was just like the legends, where the majority of night roamers were beautiful in appearance. If one of these night roamer guards were brought outside, any one of them, they could be regarded as handsome or beautiful.
In particular, the “girl” in the lead had an exquisite face that seemed slightly similar to Ye Liusu. Her appearance stood out, only slightly worse than Ye Liusu’s. Especially when she drew her bow, the waves on her chest surged.
“Lower your weapons! This is an order!” Ye Liusu said coldly.
Only then did Ye Liubo lower her bow reluctantly. She thought, Has big sister Liusu taken a fancy to this Daemon General? But she’s never shown any lust? Looks like she has come to a realisation after seeing this rare, attractive man among daemons. If that’s really the case, that’s good news. I wonder if she’ll let me borrow him for a few days.
“Hmm? What’s this?” Ye Liubo suddenly saw Xiao An crouched in a corner. Because she gave off no aura at all, Ye Liubo had mistaken her to be something dead, except she clearly saw the skeleton move earlier. The skull turned towards her; roaring flames burned in the eye sockets.
“Vice leader!” The daemons were all taken aback again.
Ye Liubo pointed at Xiao An. “That’s a comrade of the enemy. We’ll deal with it. We’ll just let the king deal with the other one. Once we’re victorious, be sure to let our sisters have some fun too.” She glanced at Ye Liusu to check her reaction. The red-haired Daemon General was complete eye candy to her. Seeing how Ye Liusu had no objections, she beamed inside.
The guards of the Night Roaming folk answered loudly. In particular, the female guards all looked at Li Qingshan with shining eyes. Their gazes were like how bandits usually stared at a noble beauty they rarely came across, easily penetrating his robes.
It made Li Qingshan feel slightly unnatural. Suddenly, he remembered that Han Qiongzhi had once told him, “The Night Roaming folk have earned quite a bad name for themselves. They’re known to be promiscuous. Men and women sleep around freely. They have no concept of purity, unlike humans. In the past, there was a person who came across villages of Night Roaming folk after becoming lost. Because of his handsome appearance, many female night roamers fought over him, wanting him to stay in their homes overnight. When he returned eventually, he took great delight in talking about it.”
Li Qingshan even sighed back then. “Why did a place as great as that just vanish?” He ended up being viciously strangled by Han Qiongzhi, who continued, “It’s all just a misunderstanding of regular people, as night roamers practise matriarchy. Their women are not bound to any form of ethics at all. They toy around with men just like how human men toy around with women, as if it’s their natural right. If you like it, I’ll go find some toy boys for you to befriend too!”
Li Qingshan immediately became excited from this thought. Heaven does exist! He called out, “Even if you’re not victorious, I’ll still let you sisters have some fun!”
Ye Liubo broke into laughter. “This guy is pretty interesting. I just wonder how he does in bed. King, don’t hurt him, particularly below!” It led to a roar of laughter.
Li Qingshan turned back around and said to Ye Liusu, “Looks like your clansmen place great confidence in you!”
Ye Liusu said, “Aren’t you worried for your companion at all? Oh wait, I’ve forgotten. Since when did a concept like that exist among daemons?”
Li Qingshan said without even looking back, “Li’l South, don’t harm them.”
Xiao An gazed harmlessly at the night roamers who lunged over. Hearing “Li’l South”, she was taken aback, but she immediately understood what it meant. The two words “north moon” had come from the scholar wood tablet carved with “south An” in Xiao An’s possession. She obviously could not use her original name in a world of daemons.
Ye Liubo did not use any weapons. She directly tried to grab Xiao An. She did not take this tiny skeleton seriously at all. It did not seem like anything powerful no matter how she looked at it. At most, it was probably just a servant or puppet. She could not harm it either, or she would displease this “red-haired hunk”, and he would not end up trying in bed later.
Xiao An did not move at all. She did not attack her, she did not dodge, nor did she flee. She just let Ye Liubo grab her.
Before Ye Liubo had even understood what had happened, she had already hit the ground. Her mind was extremely clear. She did not feel any injuries at all, but she could not even raise a single finger. She felt like her body had become possessed.
Since the very beginning of practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, Xiao An already possessed the ability to control flesh and blood. She even opened Li Qingshan’s Fengchi acupoint at a critical moment.
After that, she rarely ever used this ability again. After undergoing the heavenly tribulation, this ability had become several times stronger. She was already showing mercy by sparing those who touched her with their bodies from death.
The night roamer guards immediately fell into chaos. Ye Liubo was the strongest among them, and she was close to the heavenly tribulation, yet she had actually collapsed before she could even launch an attack.
“Captain! Captain!” Has she been afflicted with corpse poison?” “Don’t touch the skeleton!”
“Liubo!” Ye Liusu called out loudly, but she received no reply. She also became surprised. She stared at Li Qingshan. “What did you do?”
Li Qingshan shrugged as if he was saying, “What’d I say?”
“Don’t worry, she won’t die. You’d better get your people to just watch the battle obediently instead! What, are you reconsidering my suggestion?”
Ye Liusu said, “If you win, I’ll return the territory to you.”
Li Qingshan added, “If I lose, then I’ll let your sister have some fun. Oh right, you should be in the mix too, right?”
“Don’t even think about it! I’ll show you the true power of the Night Roaming folk right now!” With her dagger in hand, Ye Liusu walked towards Li Qingshan slowly, but her figure gradually vanished, like a piece of paper placed in ink. At first, the dense ink dyed the edges, and then it became completely pitch-black in the end. She had merged with the omnipresent darkness.
Even with Li Qingshan’s extraordinary senses, he had completely lost all trace of her. He was amazed inside. So this is the real power of the Night Roaming folk.
Han Qiongzhi had once explained to the confused Li Qingshan, “Do you know why night roamers practise matriarchy? That’s because their women are much more powerful than their men. Only with power do they receive respect. They’re actually no different from us.”
“This power is not referring to physical strength, but “other abilities”. Just like how Giant Lumberfolk can plant their feet underground to absorb energy and their bodies can constantly grow like trees, Night Roaming folk have their own innate abilities. They can draw energy from the darkness and merge their bodies with the darkness.”
“By otherfolk, it’s not referring to “other races”. Instead, it means “those who possess other talents”. It’s said that a very, very long time ago, the world was under their reign. Regular people worshipped them as gods.”
In the sea of flowers, only Li Qingshan was left. He observed even the slightest movements in the surroundings. Suddenly, he took a step back, but it was already too late. A shiny flash swept past his face, leaving behind a small wound before vanishing into the darkness again. A few strands of red hair floated through the air.
Just what was the dagger made of? Even the Ox Demon Forges its Hide failed to block it.
Ye Liusu was completely taken aback. Her “Hook dagger” was extremely sharp. Combined with the Night Demon’s Blade Style of Disaster from the Night Demon scripture, it could cut through anything. However, when it landed on his face, she actually felt like it could not penetrate any deeper.
The female guards all sighed, like they had just watched a perfect creation being destroyed, which made Ye Liusu utterly furious. Just whose side were these people who lost their minds the moment they saw a man on?
The main reason for all this was because the guards placed complete confidence in Ye Liusu’s strength, but she just happened to lack this confidence herself.
This Daemon General called Northmoon was simply too powerful. So far, he only seemed like he was toying around with her. He had not unleashed his true strength at all. And, the skeleton called “Li’l South” had managed to subdue Ye Liubo without moving at all. It had probably undergone the heavenly tribulation already too.
This was an unprecedented danger she faced since becoming king. However, she needed to conquer this danger. Only then could the Night Roaming folk prosper.
There was another stroke, this time sweeping towards Li Qingshan’s frail throat. He raised his hand in an attempt to catch the dagger, but he only grabbed some scattered light. A gash appeared on his palm this time.
In the blink of an eye, many more wounds appeared on Li Qingshan.
Ye Liubo had been dragged out of Xiao An’s range of control by her companions, finally recovering control over her body. Before she could even glare at Xiao An, she pushed herself off the ground and pointed in Li Qingshan’s direction, calling out hurriedly,
“King, don’t harm his nethers!”
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Chapter 369 – The True Form of the Ox Demon Tramples
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Chapter 369 – The True Form of the Ox Demon Tramples
“It’s fine, captain. Daemons can regrow it.”
“What would you know? If you end up leaving behind any side effects and it can’t stiffen anymore, it won’t be pretty.”
Ye Liusu was utterly disgusted. She could not be bothered about dealing with them anymore.
She swam around in the darkness like a fish. The world had become completely different in her eyes. Li Qingshan’s existence stood out like a white speck on a black curtain. She approached him silently and swung her dagger.
Xiao An grew nervous. She possessed her own perspective, which allowed her to “see” the existence of living beings. Even within the darkness, Ye Liusu struggled to hide her powerful aura of life. Xiao An could see every movement she made.
The swift flash of the dagger rapidly approached the back of Li Qingshan’s neck.
He smiled, turned around, and swung out who knew how many times in a single instant. The ice blade was like a flower in full bloom. Blade aura filled every inch of space behind him. As long as Ye Liusu was there, she would definitely become trapped in the interwoven net of swings.
The temperature in the cavern seemed to fall by a few degrees all of a sudden. The incoming chilly wind forced the night roamer guards to stagger back. Ye Liubo shivered, and the cockiness vanished from her face. Now solemn, she grabbed her bow once more. Only then did she feel slightly safer. She could not even block a single stroke of his.
“What a terrifying blade technique. He definitely isn’t a regular Daemon General, but it’s impossible for the great king to lose. It’s impossible if he wants to defeat the king like this!”
The curved blade came and went as a flash, no different from a comet. It was impossible to grasp its movements.
The thousands of blurs overlapped once more into an ice blade and fell down, reflecting a lock of scarlet red hair. The scarlet pupils moved. “Looks like it’s not just invisibility, but actually merging into the darkness!”
He could even cut through water with his blade, but he was unable to cut through shadows.
“Admit defeat. You can’t see me, nor can you harm me.” Ye Liusu’s voice rang out from all directions, from every inch of darkness. Combined with the echoing effect, it seemed like hundreds of voices speaking at the same time.
“You can see me, but you can’t harm me either!” Li Qingshan placed the ice blade on his shoulder and said lazily. The tiny nicks on his body had all healed instantly.
“I’m just reluctant to use my killing move. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’s pointless even if you keep dragging it out like this.”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Li Qingshan suddenly raised his blade high into the air, which gave off a blue light. Since he could not cut her with his blade, he would cut her with light. However, he failed to discover Ye Liusu’s traces.
“You really think that any old light will work?” Ye Liusu mocked him. “Do you really think you can just light a fire and you’ll be able to get through my Night Roaming?”
“I see. Since you’re night roamers, then you need sunlight for it to work.” Li Qingshan withdrew his daemon qi and rubbed his chin in thought.
“You’re welcome to try it!” Ye Liusu said.
Ye Liubo smiled. “We’re underground. No matter how capable you are, you won’t get any sunlight here.”
“Not necessarily!” Li Qingshan shook his head. He raised his hand, and suddenly, a golden speck of light appeared above him. The speck of light swelled, turning into a golden ball of fire.
“What is that!? It’s blinding!” Ye Liubo shielded her eyes instinctively.
The dazzling light purged the darkness, revealing a black figure in front of the wall to Li Qingshan’s left.
The golden light did not possess any terrifying power to kill, but the dense darkness did end up receding bit by bit, revealing Ye Liusu’s figure. She stared at the golden ball of fire in a daze. “Is that… the sun?”
“That’s right, it’s the sun!” Li Qingshan held the miniature sun he had conjured from his Divine Talisman of Great Creation in his right hand, bringing it before him. He gently touched its golden rays that seemed more like hair; it was scorching but not too hot. As a result, he poured some more power of belief into it so that it could shine even brighter. It was as easy as controlling a large lightbulb.
Of course, even if Li Qingshan poured in all of his power of belief, he would not be able to conjure even a billionth of the real sun. However, it was not fake. It gave off real sunlight.
The tiny, golden ball of fluff had become the bane of the Night Roaming folk’s other ability. They might have been kings of the night, but he had turned this place into daytime.
Ye Liubo tried her best to open her eyes, but Li Qingshan’s figure had been completely swallowed by the light from the sun, blurring him. The weaker guards even began to tear up, turning around and closing their eyes.
Actually, sunlight posed no harm to the Night Roaming folk at all. It was like darkness to regular people, which could only affect their senses. In particular, night roamers who had cultivated before should not have been affected by sunlight, let alone this miniature sun that Li Qingshan had conjured.
However, they had lived underground for far, far too long. Every single night roamer basically spent their entire life completely submerged in darkness from birth to death, which strengthened their other ability but weakened their resistance to sunlight to an unprecedented level.
Ye Liusu did her best to cloak herself in darkness again. Darkness constantly surged around her, but just the slightest interference would prevent her from merging with the darkness perfectly, preventing her from using the ability of Night Roaming.
This was the first time she had experienced this interference in her life. Who would have thought that someone would actually be able to bring the sun underground? Li Qingshan appeared even more unfathomable in her eyes. If this were a part of his abilities, then he would be the bane of all night roamers.
“I just thought of a pretty good move, so let me try it!”
Li Qingshan tossed aside the ice blade and arrived before Ye Liusu with a flash, throwing a punch.
“Sunlight might be able to affect the ability of us night roamers, but you’re dreaming if you think you can hit me with such a direct attack.”
The fist rushed over like a fierce gale, producing booms in the air. Ye Liusu’s shadow hovered about, unable to withstand it. She might not have been as powerful as him, but she was no slower. Giving up on the attack, she dodged as hard as she could. She was like a dark fairy dancing in the wind.
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s fist suddenly unfurled, turning into a palm. It was only an inch away from Ye Liusu now.
Ye Liusu did not take it seriously at all, mocking Li Qingshan for his futile efforts. In that instant, an invisible, terrifying power struck her abdomen viciously before spreading through her body.
All Ye Liubo saw was Li Qingshan launching a palm strike before Ye Liusu was sent flying. She went over the sea of flowers and collided into a wall heavily. The residual power of the attack dispersed through Ye Liusu’s body, immediately covering the wall with web-like cracks. Then, the wall shattered and crumbled.
The noise from the strike was completely drowned out by a sound as loud as thunder. It completely deafened the guards. The sound originated from Li Qingshan’s palm strike.
Waves of air spread out in all directions, lifting up the drapes and pushing down the sea of flowers.
The disturbance his palm strike had caused stunned everyone. They were thrown into a daze before finally responding, “Great king!”
Ye Liubo rubbed her eyes. Just what did he do?
Li Qingshan looked at his hand in surprise and joy. The effects of this attack were even better than he had expected. That’s right, it was his innate ability, the Ox Demon Tramples.
In the past, he had always found the Ox Demon Tramples to be at a completely different level compared to the defensive ability of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. It was useless, especially towards the end. Just how many cultivators would remain on the ground obediently as they fought against him?
After becoming a Daemon General, he managed to put it to some use by burrowing through the ground, basically salvaging the ability. Only now did he discover that the so-called Ox Demon Tramples was just his misunderstanding about the innate ability. Its true ability was to produce “tremors”.
In the past, because his daemon qi was too weak and his cultivation was too low, he could only stamp his feet to strengthen the power of the shockwaves. Otherwise, the tiny shockwave would not possess sufficient destructive power at all, which misled him.
In battles following that, he had never thought about using shockwaves elsewhere either, as there was no need for him to.
If he came across any enemies, all he had to do was tear through their protective true qi at a close range, and they would basically be dead already, so there was no need for him to use any tremors at all. Either that, or he came across enemies he had no chance of defeating like the three elders, so it would be useless even if he did use it.
After becoming a Daemon General, his innate abilities had strengthened drastically, finally exhibiting the powers that they should have possessed.
Earlier, Li Qingshan had used air to transmit a shockwave. Although the effect was nowhere close to using it through earth, it still demonstrated startling power.
Ye Liusu was overcome by both surprise and anger, as well as a hint of fear. The opponent was unimaginably terrifying, and the powers he used were strong and mysterious. The armour she wore basically offered no protection at all before this power. Just how many more trump cards was he still hiding?
However, she could not give up. She had obtained this piece of territory from the Spider Queen after countless hardships. It was the only passageway for the Night Roaming folk to return to the surface. She could not let anyone take it from her.
Returning to her senses, she discovered that she had let out a hysteric roar, and her curved dagger ebbed with light, turning into a huge crescent that illuminated the entire cavern.
She had changed the flexible battle skill, merging with the dagger and charging over to kill with a bearing that could cut through all obstacles!
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback. He was surprised that such a beautiful female assassin could actually give off such a bearing. His blood began to flow vigorously for the first time in this battle.
“Come!” Li Qingshan threw a punch, and cracks permeated the air.
Ye Liusu shivered inside, but she no longer hesitated. Her dark, blue eyes twinkled like starlight as she stabbed out with the dagger, completely forgetting about death. She struck like the swoop of an eagle.
Ye Liubo seemed to forget to breathe. She looked at Ye Liusu in admiration. Now this was the king they trusted. Her strength definitely could cut through all obstacles, including this wretched Daemon General.
A thunderous boom rang through the cavern, but all Ye Liusu met was a gust of wind, buffeting her long, dark blue hair. She eased up slightly. Looks like the power is limited by distance. I’ll show you what’s what with this strike!
Li Qingshan looked at his fist helplessly. The shockwave reached a few inches away before weakening and dispersing. With that pause, the flash of the dagger arrived like a bolt of lightning. His forehead pricked slightly.
Ye Liusu had poured all of her strength into this strike. Even the Ox Demon Forges its Hide could not block it.
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Chapter 370 – The Journey to Even Greater Depths
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Chapter 370 – The Journey to Even Greater Depths
Li Qingshan raised his foot in an attempt to dodge, but the darkness below his feet surged like it had come alive. Black hands reached out, grabbing his feet and legs before constantly extending upwards. It was like a thick, intangible pitch.
Before he knew it, Ye Liusu’s high-spirited bellow had turned into soft chanting.
The streak-like blade aura stared right at his face. The tip of the dagger was only three inches away from his forehead now.
Li Qingshan caught the blade aura between his hands. Ye Liusu’s dark blue pupils crossed over the long blade aura, staring murderously at Li Qingshan. She used all the strength that she had, but she was unable to push her blade another inch forward.
“Tremor!”
Li Qingshan smiled. Immediately, cracks covered the blade aura like lightning, spreading to Ye Liusu’s body.
The blade aura shattered, and Ye Liusu felt like every single bone in her body had been violently shaken up, which came with numbing pain. She immediately felt like her body was no longer hers. She saw Li Qingshan pull away rapidly until her back struck the wall behind her heavily.
“Great king!” Ye Liusu cried out.
Li Qingshan grabbed Ye Liusu’s slender neck and pressed down slightly. Ye Liusu raised her head with her brows furrowed. She was filled with regret and despair.
“I’ve already been holding back, but you still couldn’t threaten me!” Li Qingshan was rather disappointed. Originally, he wanted to use this battle to break through to the third layer of the tiger demon, but it just turned out to be lacking slightly. Maybe a battle of life or death would have been slightly better!
At this moment, a series of sharp whistles rang out from behind. Seven poisonous arrows shot towards Li Qingshan’s back in a V-shape, but they were blocked by a flash of many faint blue hexagons.
Li Qingshan was not even interested in looking back. Instead, he let go of her. “If you want to keep fighting, then feel free to. However, I won’t hold back anymore. I’ll defeat you in a single strike.”
Ye Liusu was astounded. If he had used this defensive technique right from the beginning, all of her attacks would have been useless. Failure was not necessarily unacceptable, but failure where she could not even make her opponent take her seriously was quite despairing.
In the past two years, she had waged war everywhere, not only taking back the territory that she should have possessed, but even expanding it slightly too. Apart from the few who stood beside the Spider Queen, she no longer took Daemon Generals seriously anymore. Only now did she understand that with how vast the world was, there were plenty of powerful beings out there that could not be underestimated.
“Alright, I’ll agree to your demands.”
“Great king!” Ye Liubo’s expression changed. It had taken them quite the effort to obtain this territory.
“Shut up!” Ye Liusu said coldly. Learning to respect the strong was the only way to survive underground.
“I can still let your sisters have some fun,” Li Qingshan smiled. However, all he received were glares of hatred. He shrugged it off.
“However, that’s not something I can decide!” Ye Liusu’s eyes swiveled. Who knew what she was thinking.
“Then who can decide?” Li Qingshan wrapped his arm around Ye Liusu’s. You just said you would give me the territory if you lost, and now you’re saying it’s not up for you to decide. Are you doubting how decisive I can be?
“Ma’am Spider Queen Lolth.” Ye Liusu coldened. Afraid of infuriating him, she added in a hurry, “Ma’am Lolth never interferes when Daemon Generals under her command fight over territory, but if a Daemon General appears out of nowhere and wants a piece of the territory, you’ll have to get her opinion on the matter.”
“That does sound rather reasonable. Then what are you suggesting?”
“I can take you to see ma’am Lolth and pass the territory to you in front of her.”
Li Qingshan was unfazed. “You mean to say that you want to take me deeper underground to the main base of the Night Roaming folk. There, we will see the Daemon Commander who you’re very familiar with but I’m not familiar with at all so that she can decide who the territory belongs to?”
Ye Liusu felt hot breaths of air near her ear and neck, but it did not make her heart throb at all. Instead, she felt like she was trapped within the mouth of a monster that could fly into a rage at any time. She gritted her teeth and said with great difficulty, “Yes.”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
Ye Liusu was stunned. She found this handsome and powerful Daemon General to be even more difficult to read. Was he really so confident in his strength that he was bold enough to enter this land of danger under the lead of the enemy? He was rash and arrogant, yet also filled with reckless charm. Compared to those gloomy, constantly uneasy male night roamers, he was basically on the other end of the spectrum.
“But before this, I need to find a suitable place for my friend to settle down. I think this place will do.” Li Qingshan looked around at the cavern .He found the wall sculptings to be quite beautiful. The decoration was highly suitable for a home.
Ye Liusu agreed through gritted teeth.
Li Qingshan stood on the stone platform and gave a speech to the daemons, earning their absolute submission.
Milliped scurried over, returning to his familiar “bed” before curling up comfortably. Xiao An sat on his back.
After going through numerous tests and trials, they had finally returned to their origin, taking back what belonged to them.
Why? Because Li Qingshan had said to Ye Liusu, “You can go first. I’ll follow you along later.” All Ye Liusu could do was take her guards and set off first.
No one said anything along the way. The atmosphere was very oppressive. They gradually left the cavern, arriving at the edge of Milliped’s territory, but they did not even see a single trace of Li Qingshan.
Ye Liubo ventured over. “Great king, is that guy really going to come? Don’t tell me he’s tricking us?”
Ye Liusu contemplated that quietly. All she could do was go home and seek reinforcements, but would that really be enough against him? Maybe there would only be a possibility if Lolth and the ones who stood beside her took action, but how was she supposed to sweet talk her way into getting daemons to kill one another, slaughtering a powerful genius of their own race? Daemons had always held prejudice and been fearful of the Night Roaming folk.
“It’s wrong to doubt someone’s promise.” Li Qingshan appeared alone in the darkness. The group stopped with his appearance. He strode over to the front. “Let’s go. I’ve wanted to take a look underground a long time ago!”
Ye Liusu discovered that his face actually gave off a childish naivety. He was teeming with interest like he was off to watch a show.
Even though Ye Liubo hated him, she still could not help but become interested when she saw his handsome face that was in high spirits.
Li Qingshan stared straight ahead, as if he could see through the layers of earth. His dream of travelling through all corners of the world was slowly coming true.
What would a city of Night Roaming folk be like? Just how would this ma’am Spider Queen Lolth treat him?
Speaking of which, this was rather similar to the human world. If he wanted a territory in the world of daemons, he would have to pay a visit to the top brass first. However, according to the few words that Milliped had exchanged with him, she did not seem to be particularly easy to deal with.
But that was fine. The worst situation would just be falling out and fighting before being finished off by them.
Right now, Li Qingshan and Xiao An sat together on the bed of spiritual stone at the centre of the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers. Li Qingshan took out the hundred treasures pouches from the Golden Pheasant Elder and the Lone Grave Elder, looking through the spoils of his battle relaxedly.
An adventure would definitely be extremely interesting, but if he could go adventuring from the safety of his own home, it would be even more interesting. And, it would not get in the way of his cultivation either.
As he channeled true qi into the Golden Pheasant Elder’s hundred treasures pouch, a vast space opened up.
Li Qingshan became stunned before laughing aloud and scooping up Xiao An. “We’ve struck gold this time!”
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Chapter 371 – Kicking up a Wave
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Chapter 371 – Kicking up a Wave
Ye Liusu, who was hurrying along silently, discovered that a mysterious smile had suddenly appeared on Li Qingshan’s face. She immediately thought of a thousand possible reasons for his behaviour, but she could never guess why Li Qingshan was happy.
The hundred treasures pouch was so plentiful that it completely exceeded Li Qingshan’s expectations. Let alone the various high level pills, just the sum of spiritual stones that numbered at over ten thousand made him overjoyed.
As the sect master of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain, the Golden Pheasant Elder’s hundred treasures pouch contained the resources of an entire sect. These resources were not just for him, but for developing the sect as a whole. It had been built up over countless generations, but it had all ended up in Li Qingshan’s hands now.
Apart from the spiritual stones and pills, there were a large quantity of spiritual herbs such as Dragontongue grass over three centuries old, five-centuries-old Snowheart orchids, and so on. Every single one of them was worth several thousand spiritual stones at the very least.
If it were not for the sect and its deep heritage, regular Foundation Establishment cultivators would have never been in possession of such items. Even if they could afford them, they would be refined into pills immediately. They would not be stored in hundred treasures pouches.
Because the Pheasant’s Grace mountain used Golden Pheasant’s plumes as their weapons, there were not a lot of spiritual artifacts. Though, there were three supreme grade spiritual artifacts.
There was a sword with cloud patterns, a piece of bright yellow embroidery, and a small celadon bottle.
Li Qingshan had no idea what their names were, but when he saw the glow they gave off, he took a liking to them. In particular, he found the small bottle to be rather familiar. Suddenly, he remembered where he had seen it. Wasn’t this the supreme grade spiritual artifact that had almost fetched ten thousand spiritual stones in the auction below the Green Vine mountain?
The usage of the bottle had once been explained in detail during the auction. It could be filled up with regular water, which would then be converted into spiritual water. It would bring great about benefits whether the spiritual water was used for alchemy, artifact forging, or for watering spiritual herbs.
Only this item out of the three spiritual artifacts had signs of being refined. The sword and embroidery were completely untouched.
When the Golden Pheasant Elder transformed into a golden pheasant in battle, he could not afford to split his focus and control a spiritual artifact at the same time, so he never bothered to refine these two spiritual artifacts. His Golden Pheasant’s plume was already his strongest spiritual artifact. However, before Li Qingshan’s absolute strength, even an additional supreme grade spiritual artifact would not have been able to change anything.
But aside from those, he failed to find any legendary arcane artifacts. That was not surprising. The world was not overflowing with arcane artifacts like spiritual artifacts. Every single arcane artifact possessed startling power, which also meant it was extremely difficult to refine. Normally, only large clans or sects possessed them, and they were rarely ever sold. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators just used supreme grade spiritual artifacts.
Even if an arcane artifact appeared on the market, the Golden Pheasant Elder would have never spent an astronomical sum to buy it. The world was at peace, lacking much conflict at all. In particular, cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above often went decades without fighting, so what was the point of buying it? If the small bottle had not been a spiritual artifact that complimented cultivation, the three elders never would have contended for it.
Li Qingshan was already completely satisfied with these three supreme grade spiritual artifacts, particularly with the small, celadon bottle. He could build up a supply of spiritual water in his spare time, which would be quite nice for bathing.
There were also some shiny, metallic ores. Li Qingshan guessed that these were materials for forging artifacts. He had never learnt how to forge artifacts, so he could not recognise them either. Though, just from the glow that they gave off, he knew they were worth quite a lot. They must have been for forging Golden Pheasant’s plumes.
Oh right. Speaking of which, he obtained quite a few handfuls of Golden Pheasant’s plumes too. They should have been in the range of supreme grade spiritual artifacts, and they even came in a set, which made them the best of the best. Unfortunately, they could only be controlled with the cultivation method of the Pheasant’s Grace mountain. He did find the complete Golden Pheasant’s Method of the Rising Sun, but Li Qingshan would never practise it.
Afterwards, he opened the Lone Grave Elder’s hundred treasures pouch. The contents left Li Qingshan surprised.
All he saw was a tremendous number of corpses. There were all kinds of corpses, male, female, old, and young. Some had been refined, while some remained in their original state. It was such a vicious, horrific sight that it seemed like a living hell.
The Burial Mound mountain was based on refining corpses, so corpses were their most important resource. It was both a consumable and a necessity. In order to find these corpses, who knew how many graves the disciples of the Burial Mound mountain had robbed.
Li Qingshan took out the spiritual stones and pills and moved them to the Golden Pheasant Elder’s hundred treasures pouch before passing the Lone Grave Elder’s hundred treasures pouch to Xiao An. “This is for you.” Among the items he passed over were the two supreme grade spiritual artifacts in the Lone Grave Elder’s possession, the bone sceptre and the bronze bangle. They both radiated with yin qi and were related to refining and controlling corpses, so he had no use for them.
After splitting the spoils, Li Qingshan stood up and stretched himself lazily. He grinned. “Let’s enter secluded cultivation again!”
This time, his objective was reaching the third layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. That way, he would be able to suppress the daemon qi from the ox demon and tiger demon perfectly, just in case he would give himself away after reaching the third layer of the tiger demon.
The flames in Xiao An’s eyes flickered. She was actually thinking of something else. After undergoing the heavenly tribulation, her cultivation had increased drastically, but at the same time, she had reached a new bottleneck. Without sufficient comprehension, the essence of flesh and blood would not be enough to increase her cultivation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
However, it would be perfect for her to continue forging Skull Prayer Beads. If nothing went wrong, she would be able to assemble twelve beads into a string and forge her first white bone spiritual artifact, no, arcane artifact.
Just as the two of them became motivated by their lofty aspirations, Milliped, on the other hand, had already fallen asleep. He curled up on the stone platform as his segments all loosened. He seemed to be very pleased. He would never know what ambition was. All he knew was he could finally lay here and sleep again.
Li Qingshan sat down, took out a pill, and shoved it into his mouth. His mind gradually settled down, entering a state of thoughtlessness.
However, little did he know that his stunt on the Green Vine mountain had already led to a great uproar in the cultivation world.
At the centre of where all these waves came from, Yu Shukuang and the disciples of the Green Vine mountain fled in all directions.
Only when Yu Shukuang looked back at the mist-shrouded Green Vine mountain and saw no one in pursuit did he relax. He collapsed on his bottom and heaved for air. He had experienced a bloody career in the jianghu, where his life was constantly at risk. Originally, he thought there was nothing that could scare him anymore, but just a glance from the scarlet-red eyes had almost been enough for him to roll down the mountain in fright. He was absolutely certain that he would be a dead man already if a slash went his way.
Just like how monkeys would disperse when the tree collapsed, the disciples of the Green Vine mountain fled for their lives under Li Qingshan’s pressure. They were afraid Li Qingshan would catch them and finish them off too.
Yu Shukuang looked around. All that was left beside him was Yu Lian.
“Foster father, where do we go now?” Yu Lian was still mellow like before, just much more mature. He was originally Yu Shukuang’s trusted disciple. After gaining a stable footing in the Green Vine mountain, Yu Shukuang had brought him over. They were no longer master and disciple, so Yu Lian took Yu Shukuang as his foster father.
Yu Shukuang said, “We definitely can’t go back to the Green Vine mountain. That’s not a safe place. Who knows when the daemon might attack again. With our cultivation, we’re like lambs to the slaughter. Why don’t we just go back to the Proud Sword manor?”
After two years of arduous cultivation, coupled with the tremendous resources from the Green Vine mountain, he had reached the fourth layer, while Yu Lian had reached the second layer. Although they had both undergone important breakthroughs in their lives, they were still at the very bottom of the cultivation world. They could not even withstand a single slash from the daemon.
“If the daemons launch a large-scale attack, the Proud Sword manor probably won’t be safe either. There’s a tunnel leading underground just outside the city. Why don’t we go to Clear River city and seek shelter under junior sister?” Yu Lian came up with an idea and stated it.
“This…” Yu Shukuang found it rather embarrassing to seek shelter under his daughter as a father.
“Junior brother Yu is right. Brother Yu, you should stop hesitating. I plan to go to Clear River city too.” Diao Fei emerged from behind a large tree. His cultivation had already reached an impressive sixth layer, having split open his sea of qi. Once he reported this matter to commander Wang, it should be enough to earn him a position as a Scarlet Wolf guard.
“First senior brother, you’re here too!” Yu Shukuang beamed. Although an additional Diao Fei would still not be enough to withstand a single slash from the daemon, at least he felt slightly safer.
The two of them had become acquainted two years ago. They were not close friends, but they did know each other at the very least.
Yu Shukuang respected Diao Fei for his powerful cultivation, while Diao Fei knew Yu Shukuang had a daughter called Yu Zijian cultivating in the Academy of the Hundred Schools. With her Pure Yang constitution, she earned the favour of the leader of the school of Daoism, so he would never try to disrespect Yu Shukuang either.
“How terrifying!” Diao Fei sighed. After reaching the sixth layer, he had become the first senior brother of the Green Vine mountain. He felt rather proud and content with himself, holding his head high. However, only after witnessing that unstoppable power tonight did he understand that he was just a slightly larger shrimp in the cultivation world with his measly cultivation.
Yu Shukuang agreed with that statement from the bottom of his heart. He sighed along with him.
“So what do you think, brother Yu? If we travel together, we can look after one another once we reach Clear River city.” Diao Fei had heard that Yu Zijian was familiar with the Hua family. If anything happened, he could get her to mediate any potential problems.
Seeing Diao Fei, Yu Shukuang suddenly thought of a certain person. Back then, they had only managed to strike a conversation because of him.
I might not be able to seek shelter under Zijian, but I can seek shelter under him!
That’s right, the person Yu Shukuang was thinking about was Li Qingshan. It was all thanks to Li Qingshan’s assistance that he had managed to reach where he was today. He could be regarded as half a subordinate of Li Qingshan. If he sought shetler under Li Qingshan, it would not be embarrassing. Yu Shukuang had heard that he had made quite a name for himself in the academy.
If he knew that the exact person who had scared him away was Li Qingshan, who knew how he would react.
“Alright, let’s go then!”
“Is that true?”
After hearing the report from Diao Fei, Wang Pushi’s eyebrows scrunched up into a mess. A Daemon General had actually killed the elders of the three mountains. It sounded unbelievable no matter how he heard it. With how crafty those three old men were, couldn’t they just escape if they could not win?
Then he checked Diao Fei and saw that he was unscathed. If the Daemon General was so arrogant and powerful, why did he let them go alive? That was why he asked for confirmation.
“Absolutely. If you don’t believe me, commander, I’ve brought two of my junior brothers with me. The other senior and junior brothers have all seen it too. The news should spread before long. I hope this is sufficient time for the commander to make a decision.”
“Come with me!” Wang Pushi leapt up from his seat. Recently, the conflict between humans and daemons had grown more and more violent. It was not restricted to the Clear River prefecture or the Ruyi commandery. Instead, the entire Green province was smoking with the signs of war.
However, something like a Daemon General killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator was still unheard of, let alone killing three at the same time. If it really were true, then it would be a colossal case. He would have to report this to commander Gu immediately so that she could make a decision on the matter.
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Chapter 372 – Gu Yanying’s Mission
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Chapter 372 – Gu Yanying’s Mission
Diao Fei arrived in a square room in the corner of the building, but the room was empty. The snow-white walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with inscriptions containing many grooves.
Wang Pushi filled the grooves with spiritual stones and activated the formation. With a flash of light, a figure appeared in the room, only stabilising after flickering a bit. It was an envoy in black, who bowed. “Sir, you’ve activated the Projection formation. What’s the matter?”
“Commander Wang Pushi of the Clear River prefecture has urgent matters to report. Please let me see ma’am Gu!” Wang Pushi clasped his hands and stressed the word “see”.
“Please wait, sir.”
Gu Yanying could not help but become rather curious when she heard that Wang Pushi was looking for her urgently, even activating the Projection formation. She arrived in the room with the Projection formation and saw Wang Pushi’s figure. She smiled. “Old Wang, what’s made you so frantic?”
Wang Pushi bowed before pulling Diao Fei to his side. “Tell her what you just told me.”
“Subordinate Diao Fei g- greets ma’am Gu!” Diao Fei lowered his head, afraid to look at the hovering figure in white. He went through everything again, from beginning to end.
Gu Yanying remained as relaxed as before, but her smile did become slightly less wide. She felt rather powerless in the end. Everywhere is smoking with signs of war, so just why must the flames have to end up being lit where I am?
“Do you know where the daemon came from?” He killed no bystanders, only targeting the elders of the three mountains. Not only did this confound Wang Pushi, but it made Gu Yanying sink into her thoughts as well. The pitch-black hand that extended out from the hall and the scarlet-red eyes did make her think of a few things.
However, she dismissed the thought immediately. How was that possible? Daemon and Daemon General were worlds apart. Even if it took him over a century, it would still be rather fast.
“I’m not sure?”
“Do you remember what the daemon looked like?”
“I don’t.” Diao Fei was afraid his gaze would attract the daemon’s attention, so he never dared to look at it properly. He clearly remembered many special characteristics back then, but now, all that was left in his mind were the scarlet eyes that shone like fire.
“Isn’t Chu Shidao in Clear River? Get him to paint him!”
Wang Pushi hurried off to the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
“Father, what brings you here?” In the Academy of the Hundred Schools, Yu Zijian grabbed Yu Shukuang’s hands in surprise and joy.
Yu Shukuang knew that the matter held great importance, so he was afraid of blabbering about it. As a result, all he said was, “I miss you, so I wanted to see you. What’s wrong with that? Sigh, you really have grown up. You’re just like your mother back then, no, you’re even more beautiful than your mother.”
Yu Zijian wore a set of azure robes for daoist priests. Her black hair was tied up into a bun, and she carried the Nine Yang sword on her back. It was a simple appearance, but it only made her seem brighter and more beautiful, completely pure.
It had only been two years, and she had already reached the fifth layer. Moreover, this was because the slovenly daoist priest wanted her to build a proper foundation. Otherwise, if she just pursued cultivation speed, she would have been even faster. She was like a rough jade that was having its outer layer of rock being slowly chipped away. Just the slightest glimmer seemed to be magnificent. Her figure had become beautiful before she knew it.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. In the past, you wouldn’t even come when I wanted you to come. Did something happen at home?” Yu Zijian asked in doubt.
Yu Shukuang knew his daughter was not as easy to coax as before, so he whispered, “I can’t tell you right now. I’ll tell you later.”
“Acting all mysterious, huh? Oh, have you heard anything about Niu Juxia lately?” Yu Zijian’s bright face immediately became dyed with a hint of worry.
This question again!
Yu Shukuang and Yu Lian exchanged glances. Yu Shukuang smiled bitterly. “Don’t worry. He’s doing much better than you!”
“How do you know this? You have news about him, don’t you?” Yu Zijian grabbed Yu Shukuang’s arm firmly and asked urgently.
You’re the one who told me! The only reason Yu Shukuang had received news about Li Qingshan was because Yu Zijian had mentioned the interesting matters happening in the academy at the time. However, he obviously could not just tell her something like, Your father has sworn an oath on his own moral character about this, alright? I do have news about him, but I can’t tell you about it. This is what he wanted.
“Is he really fine?”
“He really is fine.”
“Then why hasn’t he come to find me? So much for worrying for him.” Yu Zijian felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She began to smile, wandering off in her thoughts again.
Yu Shukuang, on the other hand, was worried. Don’t tell me this girl has actually taken a liking to Li Qingshan? She’s still so attached to him even after two years. She has already grown into a proper lady now. Sigh, when men grow up, they get married. When women grow up, they get married off.
Green Vine had rambled about something like severing his ties and devoting himself to cultivation, but he never believed that. He understood the pain of loneliness the best. How could you go without a companion in this world?
He had to properly keep an eye over this aspect for her. The kid is a little stubborn, but aside from that, he’s not a bad choice. Should I tell her his identity? I’ll need to bring it up with him the next time I see him.
Yu Zijian brought Yu Shukuang and Yu Lian around on Wuwei island happily, and as a result, Yu Shukuang began to ask about Li Qingshan like it was an accident.
“Oh, you’re talking about senior brother Li, right? He’s already reached the eighth layer, and he even clashed with the senior brother Chu I mentioned before a while ago. In the end, he defeated him instantly. He’s so powerful!”
Yu Shukuang nodded in satisfaction. Now that’s the cultivation suitable for my daughter. Once he becomes my son-in-law, he won’t bear to scold me anymore, right?
“He spent so much time in the alchemy room with senior sister Ru Xin. When senior sister Han comes out, she’ll probably never spare him. Hehe, that’s what Chenglu said.”
“What’s senior sister Ru Xin and senior sister Han about?”
Yu Zijian told Yu Shukuang the gossip enthusiastically and noticed that Yu Shukuang’s expression had changed. She asked in surprise, “Father, what’s wrong?”
“Oh nothing. Ah, what’s this mountain called?” Yu Shukuang laughed dryly. So Li Qingshan is actually the romantic type. Thank god I didn’t tell her Niu Juxia’s real identity on a whim. I can’t let my daughter become involved with someone like him.
Gu Yanying waited for a while, and Wang Pushi returned with a young man. He reported, “Master Chu has already set aside his brush in retirement. He no longer paints. This is his final disciple, Chu Danqing. He can carry out this responsibility too.”
Chu Danqing became stunned the moment he saw Gu Yanying. He had seen Chu Shidao paint hundreds of beauties, but none of them could even rival one ten thousandth of her. He sketched an outline of her instinctively inside, but he was immediately left at a loss as to where he should start. Even if he forced himself to paint her, it would completely lack her bearing and charm. It would just be a regular beauty.
“So you’re Chu Danqing. Your master has hidden you away quite well. If you want to stare, you can keep staring later. Get painting!”
Chu Danqing returned to his senses, and he reddened from embarrassment. He turned to Diao Fei and said, “Please close your eyes and try your best to recall the scene back then before relaxing your mind.”
Diao Fei closed his eyes, and Chu Danqing placed a finger on Diao Fei’s forehead. His other hand flew into a flurry, painting on the paper. He recovered his composure.
A weasel-hair brush produced a multitude of colours. Sometimes it furled together, painting with thin strokes; sometimes it unfurled, dabbing heavily with colour. Before long, a colourful painting emerged vividly on the paper.
Chu Danqing exhaled gently and showed Diao Fei the painting first. “Is this what you saw?”
Those nightmarish scarlet eyes filled his vision once more. Diao Fei leapt up in surprise, taking half a step back before finally seeing the entire painting. Above the ruins was a black silhouette, a dark-red, full moon, a raised blade of ice and flying, long hair. The various details lost in his memories had all been retrieved. It was even more detailed and vivid than when he saw it initially.
“Y- yes.”
Wang Pushi could not help but take a look at the painting too. He wanted to see just what figure could kill the elders of the three mountains and frighten Diao Fei so much.
All he saw was a vivid figure in the painting, as if he was about to leap out of the paper and cut him down. He was slightly astounded inside, What a good painting! What killing intent! Would I be this daemon’s opponent?
Then, Chu Danqing lowered his head and presented it before Gu Yanying. Gu Yanying only took a single glance at it before recognising the identity of the person in the painting with her half-daemon bloodline. Just like how humans were unable to distinguish between two magpies, special characteristics were basically as obvious as direct markers in the eyes of the same kind.
Wasn’t that the kid?
For once, Wang Pushi found a sliver of surprise on Gu Yanying’s face.
Gu Yanying waved her jade folding fan gently. How strange. How strange!
Back then on the Ice Sword cliff, when she thought he had embarked on a path of daemons, he ended up returning as a Hawkwolf guard. When she thought he had chosen a human path of cultivation, he transformed into a daemon again, risking his life to fight for a Daemon General.
In the blink of an eye, he had already become a Daemon General, crossing the barrier that would take many daemons centuries or even a millennia to cross and taking the lives of three Foundation Establishment cultivators the moment he struck.
She had never met such an unpredictable guy. Interesting, interesting!
If that were the case, everything made sense. The reason why he had gone to find the three elders was still for revenge! Because he had originally been a human, he still possessed some benevolence, so he did not cause a massacre.
The rooms several thousand kilometers apart fell silent at the same time as they awaited her orders.
Gu Yanying closed her fan and struck her palm gently. “Hold on. I might pay a visit to the Clear River prefecture. Just send someone over to investigate for now!”
Wang Pushi was rather troubled. “Little Hua and Qiongzhi are both in seclusion. Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit myself!”
“You don’t have to go. Isn’t there a Li Qingshan? I heard he has risen into prominence lately, and he’s very strong. Just get him to investigate. When he gets back, get him to write a report for me. I’d like to hear his opinion on this case.” Gu Yanying’s eyes flickered as she seemed to smile.
Little bro Qingshan, are you really that eager to throw those words back at me?
“Yes. I’ll summon him back right now. Is there anything else I can do?” Wang Pushi asked. As it seemed, commander Gu really did pay special regard to Li Qingshan. She had actually handed such an important case to him, even praising his strength. It was unimaginable. However, he struggled to connect this flagrant, reckless daemon in the painting to the primary disciple of the school of Novels, Li Qingshan.
“Old Wang, the things that will happen will happen sooner or later!” Gu Yanying drew out her voice. Then her eyes swiveled. “You’ve painted very well. You’ll definitely surpass your master in the future.”
Chu Danqing was slightly taken aback before realising she was speaking to him. When he raised his head, her figure had already vanished. He felt lost inside, yet he also came to a certain understanding. If he looked at the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms again, he would definitely see her!
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Chapter 373 – The Aura of a King
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Chapter 373 – The Aura of a King
Li Qingshan moved underground with the group. The twisting and turning path seemed endless. They sometimes moved east and sometimes west. The only constant direction was downwards as they entered even greater depths.
After dealing with the issue of cultivation, he no longer had to think too much about it anymore, so he moved all of his attention back to his mirror image.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo led the group at the very front. When they came across any forks in the road, they would make a choice without the slightest hesitation. The caves were quiet. No one in the group spoke. There was not even the sound of footsteps. They all seemed to have become illusionary shadows.
Night roamers are basically natural-born assassins. I wonder just what environment made them like this. Li Qingshan praised secretly. In particular, Ye Liusu was basically floating. Combined with her terrifying other ability, it was very possible for him to die by her blade even though he was much stronger than her if he was caught off-guard.
They turned into a new cavern. Ye Liubo gazed at the emotionless Ye Liusu, who only cared about advancing forward, and frowned slightly. She lowered her head, and her expression became conflicted as if she was facing a dilemma. Suddenly, she slowed down and arrived at the back of the group. She grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand.
“There’s something I want to speak to you about.”
Just as Li Qingshan became puzzled by her actions, Ye Liubo told him that through the pulses of her aura. She also knew a little about the method that daemons used to communicate with one another.
“Ah!” Ye Liubo cried out. She was pulled into Li Qingshan’s arms, and the two of them stopped.
Ye Liusu looked back with a frown. The group stopped. The expressions of the night roamers differed. The men were obviously furious, while the women were rather envious.
“You go first. We have some matters to attend to.” Li Qingshan lowered his head and gently sniffed Ye Liubo’s neck. Her face blushed slightly.
“Be sure to catch up.” Ye Liusu’s gaze swept past their faces before she continued forwards with the group.
“They’re gone now. What do you want to tell me?”
Before he had even finished speaking, Ye Liubo wrapped herself around him like a snake. She kissed his lips and stuck out her tongue. Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, but he refused to back down, so they actually began kissing in a place like this.
A while later, Ye Liubo still showed no intentions of stopping. Li Qingshan’s lust was roused, so he forcefully pushed her away and pursed his lips. “You can tell me now.”
“Can I trust you?” Ye Liubo’s face was filled with mixed emotion, but it was not the bashfulness of a girl in love.
“Looks like all you can trust is me now.” Li Qingshan obviously did not believe that Ye Liubo had just become infatuated over him. From how she behaved, she clearly had something important to say.
“I can tell you something of great importance to you, so important that it can save your life. However, you need to promise me two things.”
“That doesn’t sound very fair.”
“The first thing is please don’t harm my elder sister!”
“Why do you think I’ll harm her?”
“You’ll harm her once I tell you this.”
“And why are you telling me that?”
“If I don’t tell you, she’ll harm herself.”
“I refuse,” Li Qingshan laid out his hands and shrugged.
“Why?”
“What you’re trying to say is that she has come up with a lousy idea in an attempt to harm me. But to be honest, I’m not afraid at all.” To quite a large extent, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone was for scouting ahead. It would be fine even if a clone or two was killed. Once he understood the situation underground, what would be stopping him from avenging his clones?
“There’s something else. You have no right to make a deal with me.” Li Qingshan’s face coldened.
“Then I’ll beg you, alright? I can become your servant. I’ll serve you. I can even tell you about the situation underground.” Ye Liubo felt very powerless. She knew he was right. Even Ye Liusu was completely helpless against him, so just what could she do with her strength?
If it were not for the fact that his personality was not as violent as regular daemons, probably even great king Ye Liusu would not be able to maintain her sense of pride right now. Many of the times, the feeling he gave her was more human than anything else. It was exactly because of this that she was bold enough to negotiate with him. And, from the probing earlier, she had confirmed he was interested in women. With that being the case, she felt like her chances at success had increased by quite a lot.
This was not a joke. Rarely did Daemon Generals underground suddenly change their sense of beauty after transforming, taking a liking to creatures that walked on two legs. They would still treat them as food that could walk around.
“You’ve finally said what I want to hear.” Li Qingshan smiled. What he wanted to know about the most right now was the situation of the night roamers and the situation of Spider Queen Lolth. As long as he could gain a grasp over the bigger picture, just what significance would Ye Liusu’s measly scheme towards his mirror image hold?
“Then you’re agreeing?” Ye Liubo beamed.
“Can a servant place demands on her master?” Li Qingshan said sternly.
“You!”
“Though, the master can consider the servant’s feelings.” Li Qingshan rubbed her face with a smile. “Tell me, or I’ll consider turning down your allegiance.”
“My sister wants to kill you…”
Ye Liubo was helpless. In the end, she still chose to believe him. He could have used more violent methods to interrogate her, or he could have insulted Ye Liusu viciously, but he did not.
“That’s not surprising. It’s almost written across her face.” Li Qingshan curled his lip.
“…by drawing you into the territory of the enemy.” However, Ye Liubo’s next words finally surprised Li Qingshan.
“Wait, you said the enemy? Who can still be her enemy in the underground world?” As someone who had been awarded her own territory by the Spider Queen, even other daemons could not just kill her.
“Night roamers from other clans, obviously.”
As it turned out, the night roamers underground were not united. Instead, they were split into a few major clans. Spider Queen Lolth forbade open conflict, but she did advocate for chaos and hidden conflict. Coupled with them contending for their interests and resources, the conflicts between the clans were extremely intense.
They could do anything to one another, including assassination, poisoning, or laying traps. As long as no direct evidence was left behind, they could do whatever they wanted. And, these useless failures who left behind evidence would all become sacrifices to the Spider Queen after being judged.
It was possible to imagine just what kind of “welcome” Ye Liusu would receive when she returned underground, entering the territory of other clans. And, in order to silence them, Li Qingshan would definitely be hunted down for being a witness.
“This idea is as stupid as it can get.” Li Qingshan shook his head. This Ye Liusu sure was vicious. She was actually willing to drag herself down with him. Did she really think this would be enough to deal with him?
“My sister has no other choice either. In order to obtain this piece of territory, our Spider Shadow clan has already become the target for attack for many large clans. We’ve sustained very large losses. If she then draws in an enemy like you, it’ll probably be enough to destroy the entire clan. With this idea, even if it’s useless against you, it can still heavily injure those clans.”
If Li Qingshan managed to escape, then the clans would definitely be guilty of killing a leader of a territory and attacking a Daemon General. If he did die, he would definitely drag a lot of people down with him, and the Spider Shadow clan could send someone else to manage this piece of territory.
After thinking through all of this, Li Qingshan really began to admire Ye Liusu. “What an impressive spirit of sacrifice. Liubo, you’re much worse compared to her.”
“I’m only too anxious to see the Spider Shadow clan destroyed and all the night roamers killed. What’s it got to do with us anyway?” Ye Liubo sneered. She was actually filled with hatred towards her own clan. Only then did she look at Li Qingshan eagerly, grabbing his hand and calling out, “Master!”
Li Qingshan’s heart numbed from that. It was impossible for regular people to replicate this seductive feeling. If it were not in consideration for Han Qiongzhi, he probably would have been tempted to do something.
“In consideration for your feelings and loyalty, I’m not going to kill your sister, given that she doesn’t end up killing herself. Actually, she has some use for me.”
Ye Liubo was delighted, but she felt rather strange inside. Originally, she wanted her sister to capture him so that she could toy around with him, but now, she had become his servant instead.
Though, he seemed even more charming now. What attracted her was no longer just that perfect face. With his strength, he would definitely become an important figure who could move around underground freely. Serving him would be much better than being ordered around by the clan. Thinking about it in such a manner, she found that she had made quite a good choice.
In the underground world, the strong preyed on the weak. A handsome or pretty appearance would only turn someone into a toy. Only with great strength could you win everyone over, ruling over all. Strength itself was a form of charm.
“Though, I am curious about the other thing.”
“I want you to protect me.”
“Who wants to harm you?”
“There will definitely be very severe punishments awaiting us after losing the territory. There are just too many people waiting to add insult to injury in the Spider Shadow clan,” Ye Liubo said in resentment but also rather proudly. Now that she was under the protection of a powerful Daemon General, there was nothing the matriarch could do to her!
“Don’t worry. Your master will protect his servant.”
“Thank you, master.” Ye Liubo’s hearted warmed up, and she smiled sweetly.
Ye Liusu was currently leading the group of night roamers. They had stopped in the cavern to rest, but she felt slightly uneasy.
At this moment, the two of them returned. Ye Liubo clung onto Li Qingshan’s arm intimately as she smiled gently.
“That’ll do.” Li Qingshan shook off Ye Liubo.
Ye Liubo glanced at him in discontent and said to Ye Liusu, “Big sister, I’ve already told your plan to sir Northmoon.”
Ye Liusu’s heart shuddered. What she worried about the most had happened. She roared, “Liubo!” However, Li Qingshan grabbed her hand as she tried to draw her dagger.
Ye Liubo glanced back without backing down. “Big sister, even if you want to make a sacrifice, you need to ask us first.” As soon as she stated Ye Liusu’s plan, the guards were immediately thrown into an uproar.
“I was saying there was something wrong with the path.” “Ma’am Liusu, is that true?”
They were not ready to sacrifice themselves for the clan, unlike her. It was not like they would be punished for losing the territory anyway. At most, they would just be dragged into the matter slightly.
Ye Liusu said nothing, as if she was admitting to it with her silence.
“From today onwards, I will be leaving the Spider Shadow clan to be sir Northmoon’s servant!”
At this moment, Ye Liubo’s statement caused quite a ripple. This was equivalent to betraying the clan and completely placing her life in Li Qingshan’s hands. If Li Qingshan refused to protect her, there was no way for her to continue living underground.
Li Qingshan smiled. This was probably the legendary aura of a king. If he really did possess the power of a king, was he supposed to be worried about a lack of followers? As long as he possessed sufficient “power”, there was no need for him to worry about a lot of matters.
PS: One chapter down, now doing the second for tomorrow’s power outage. Oof, feeling a little tired. Please give me votes for encouragement!
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Chapter 374 – The City of Night Roamers
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Chapter 374 – The City of Night Roamers
“Liubo, you’ve actually betrayed the Spider Shadow clan. Do you know the consequences? Do you really trust this daemon so much?” Ye Liusu pointed at Li Qingshan and questioned loudly.
“He’s more trustworthy than the group of old coots! I’d rather die than go back and suffer the insult from those bastards.” Ye Liubo raised her head stubbornly. “I won’t let you die for them either. Sister, why don’t you follow sir Northmoon with me? That way, we won’t have to put up with those old women anymore.”
“Shut up, you traitor! So much for all these years of care from me. You’re an ingrate!”
“I’ll be nice to whoever treats me nicely, which is why I can’t let you die. You’re thick in the skull!”
Both of their chests heaved with intense emotion. Li Qingshan, who had caused all of this, stood to one side with his arms across like he was an outsider. He spoke to break the stalemate,
“Ye Liusu, do you know what Liubo said before she told me the plan?”
When Ye Liusu heard how Ye Liubo had prioritised her safety even at the risk of her own life, her heart trembled, and her anger subsided. She became helpless.
“I only spared you in consideration for Liubo’s feelings. Stop being so stubborn. Actually, it’s perfectly fine even if I slaughter you all here!”
Murderousness surged, and the atmosphere in the cavern immediately froze. Only Ye Liubo smiled.
Through Ye Liubo’s introduction, Li Qingshan had already grasped some of the principles underground. Otherfolk were still not daemons after all. In Spider Queen Lolth’s eyes, a Ye Liusu was nowhere near as important as a strong Daemon General. Even if there was no direct evidence, she would never permit a night roamer to kill him.
In his eyes, the Spider Queen was clearly making use of her authority to scheme, to divide the night roamers so that they turned against one another, wasting away their own strength on one another and preventing them from developing or strengthening.
“I will never betray the clan. This will all be up to the matriarch to decide. I hope you can protect her well.” Before absolute strength, all Ye Liusu could do was bow her head. She was not afraid of sacrificing herself, but she was reluctant to make a pointless sacrifice.
After correcting their path, the group set off once more. Soon after they had left, two black shadows appeared where they had just stopped, whispering among themselves.
“They seem like Ye Liusu and her sister. The voices can’t be wrong.”
“Why would they appear here?”
“Don’t know. Let’s go back and report this to the matriarch. We must make them remain here forever.”
“Yes!”
The loud, emotional dispute between the sisters was like gongs in the quiet night. It had reached an extremely distant place through the web-like caves. The group had already approached the territory of other clans, so they immediately drew over patrolling guards.
A black figure returned in the direction it had come from, while the other merged into the darkness and pursued the group.
Li Qingshan was striding ahead when he suddenly felt that something was amiss. He stopped, and his eyes lit up.
Clang! He drew the ice blade and swung it towards a wall.
Before the blade had even struck anything, it lit up with blinding, golden light. The darkness receded like the tide, and the black figure by the wall stood out clearly.
With a howl, blood spurted across the wall, and a male night roamer fell to the ground. He cried out, “Who are you?” Subsequently, there was another howl.
“Oh no, it’s the Bat Shadow clan!” Ye Liubo lunged over and finished him off.
“Don’t tell me you can’t sense it?” Li Qingshan looked at Ye Liusu. The cultivation of this male night roamer had only reached Ye Liubo’s level.
“Liubo, lead the way and go. I don’t want to be used by someone else.” If his main body was present, he would not mind killing a few people and then comprehending the tiger demon, but this mirror clone only possessed thirty percent of Li Qingshan’s strength. If he fought, he would end up making a fool of himself.
“Alright!” Ye Liubo took off first, and the group immediately hurried off behind her, immediately displaying who was slower or faster with the tailing members in the group. Li Qingshan and Ye Liubo were obviously at the very front.
“My sister hasn’t come.” “Forget about her.”
As soon as Ye Liubo had stopped, Li Qingshan scooped her up and took off with even greater speed.
“But…”
“No buts. She’s asking for it.”
“Sister, come!” Under Li Qingshan’s solemn gaze, Ye Liubo did not dare to act up. All she could do was call out towards her.
Ye Liusu stared at the darkness ahead. She could sense a series of auras hidden extremely well, rapidly approaching her. Her eyes were already filled with determination, but she suddenly heard Ye Liubo’s calls at this moment. She let out a sigh before turning around and drifting off.
“Find a different path! Hide!” Ye Liusu brushed past the guards. The quick-witted ones searched for other caves immediately.
The guard who had fallen to the very back had slower reactions. Just as he was panicking, he suddenly stopped and was reduced to several pieces silently.
In the end, only the three of them kept pace with one another. The caves were deep and gloomy, twisting and turning like the guts of a monster as it rapidly receded around them.
Most of the time, Li Qingshan ran on the walls. He could constantly adjust his position to how the cave extended, but the tailing shadow still grew closer and closer.
Ye Liusu was puzzled. Why was he much slower compared to when she fought him earlier?
Suddenly, the familiar sound of water appeared. The rumbling indicated a waterfall!
The cave was cut off by a roaring, underground river. The river was wide and turbulent, rather similar to the Clear river. If he had not seen it in person, he would have never believed such a vast river could exist underground.
The river was cut off by a huge cavern, falling several hundred meters in a sheer drop. It rumbled deafeningly before continuing onwards. If he had not seen it in person, he would have never believed a waterfall with such a sheer drop could exist underground.
Ye Liubo beamed. “We’re here! Once we cross the waterfall, we’ll be in the territory of the Spider Shadow clan.”
Clang!
When she finished talking, Li Qingshan swung his blade again, clashing with a dagger in the darkness. Sparks flew.
“What strength! What is this light? Why can it neutralise my Night Roaming?”
The black shadow drifted backwards as the crook of his right thumb shattered. He was stunned. The blinding sunlight filled him with suspicion too.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan leapt into the lake. From the flash of sunlight earlier, he saw two other shadows approaching him. Going with the flow, he had been taken far away from the cave in the blink of an eye, tossed out by the river and falling into the endless darkness with the waterfall.
Li Qingshan extended his right hand. Daemon qi pulsed, and the great waterfall that had surged for thousands of years was immediately severed. Like a roaring dragon, it suddenly poured back into the cave.
The black shadows were just about to pursue when the flood arrived. They halted and used their Night Roaming, disappearing into the darkness. However, the light arrived before the water, causing their disappearing figures to twist. They were pushed back by the water.
This was not a regular flow. Instead, it had been imbued with Li Qingshan’s daemon qi, so it possessed startling power.
Ye Liusu widened her eyes. In the underground world, a clash between night roamers was primarily about lurking danger. It was a battle between assassins. She had never seen such a grand attack.
Ye Liubo became even more shocked when she saw this in Li Qingshan’s arms. It seemed like she was the one who had launched this attack. Looking at his perfect, handsome face again, she became completely engrossed.
“Here!”
They reached the bottom of the waterfall very soon. Ye Liusu turned into a cave on the side, while in the underground river, a flow lifted up Li Qingshan. He followed her from closely behind.
Boom! Thousands of litres of water slammed down viciously like a clap of thunder. The entire cavern shook slightly. The raging waterfall had never flowed so violently before, but before long, it all turned back to normal.
A few black figures appeared at the top of the waterfall, watching them vanish into the cave. They turned around and left.
“Was that a Daemon General?”
“That’s strange. Why didn’t he give off any aura?”
“Report this to the matriarch immediately. Ye Liusu has returned. We can’t let her return to her territory!”
After moving through the darkness for a while, a few dim specks of light suddenly appeared in Li Qingshan’s vision.
A few extremely well-hidden auras circled around, but when they sensed Ye Liubo, they receded silently.
“Welcome to Blacklustre city!” Ye Liubo kissed Li Qingshan’s face and climbed out of his arms. As she extended her right arm, a black city appeared before Li Qingshan.
This was a huge cavern of quite a rare size. It was almost the size of Qingyang city, but it was probably a hundred times more prosperous.
Black stone buildings and towers reached towards the dark ceiling at various heights, filling the entire cavern in an unbroken chain, extending to and merging as one with the sloped walls. As a matter of fact, even the walls had been excavated and sculpted, forming structures similar to caves.
There were even signs of excavation on the huge stalactites on the ceiling. Every single structure had a smooth, distinct outline, covered in patterns and inscriptions like black pieces of art.
Specks of light rained down from the dark ceiling, forming a majestic map of stars. It could not rival the actual night sky, but it did give off the glory of the creations of civilisation.
After travelling for so long in the deserted, dark caves, Li Qingshan even felt a hint of intimacy after suddenly seeing so many structures that indicated civilisation. He was rather surprised by how cultured the night roamers were.
At the centre of the city was a black castle. It differed from the style of structures humans built. It was solemn and dignified, noble and refined. It displayed the ingenuity of Night Roaming folk craftsmen.
“Let’s go get some rest there and wait for the matriarch to summon us. Someone has already gone to report this to her.” Ye Liubo slowed down and made her way towards the castle.
“Why don’t we go straight to Spiderweb city instead?” Ye Liubo’s suggestion earned another sharp glance from Ye Liusu.
“Isn’t your matriarch here?” Li Qingshan was puzzled.
“The matriarch is in Spiderweb city,” Ye Liubo grabbed Li Qingshan’s arm and said gently.
Every clan had a main city, but all the matriarchs would stay in Spiderweb city, which was also the Spider Queen’s headquarters.
Figures flickered on the streets, bustling around just like humans. However, it was strangely quiet. Even the steps of the children were silent, and their faces were filled with a certain coldness and calmness that contrasted against their age.
“Your highness.” Seeing the sisters, they all bowed in great respect.
Among the night roamers, a hierarchy was clearly defined. The siblings were the “daughters” of the matriarch, so if regular night roamers disrespected them, they would face extremely severe punishment.
Only when they walked past did the people whisper among themselves,
“Why have high princess Liusu and princess Liubo returned?” “Has something happened to their territory?” “That Daemon General is so handsome. If he could spend a night with me, I’d even be willing to cut my life by a decade short.”
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Chapter 375 – Seduction and Trap
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Chapter 375 – Seduction and Trap
“I didn’t think you’d be a princess.” Li Qingshan smiled at Ye Liubo beside him.
“I’m no longer one. I’m your servant now, master.” Ye Liubo tightened her embrace around Li Qingshan’s arm with rippling eyes, causing it to sink into her extraordinarily full chest as she attempted to hide her fear.
“Is the matriarch really so scary?”
“She’s very scary!” Ye Liubo seemed to recall something and shuddered.
“Don’t be scared!” Li Qingshan wrapped his hand around her shoulder.
“Okay.” Ye Liubo gradually settled down, leaning against his chest. Even Ye Liusu would only give her assistance when she was in danger. Never did she completely depend on a person like this.
Along the way, Ye Liusu had constantly paid attention to Li Qingshan’s expressions, but she discovered he was like a sightseeing tourist, studying the structures in the surroundings in great interest.
As for Ye Liubo, she played the role of a tour guide, introducing the history of Blacklusture city to him. Under the influence of his easygoing attitude, she relaxed too, even teasing him from time to time. She did not seem like a defeated enemy who had just lost an important piece of territory at all.
Ye Liusu glanced back and let out an undiscoverable sigh. She was rather envious of her. This piece of territory held extremely great significance to the Spider Shadow clan, or even the entire race of Night Roaming folk.
Without him, it would be a territory where she could see the bright stars and the moon. She could still remember the shock she had experienced when she saw the night sky for the first time. She had personally destroyed the hope of the night roamers returning to the surface.
She clenched her fists such that her nails stabbed into her palms. She was unable to resent Li Qingshan, but she was unable to bring herself to serve a daemon either.
“Ye Liubo, why have you returned? You’ve even brought an outsider to Blacklustre city!”
A sharp, cold voice rang out. Li Qingshan followed the voice and saw a female night roamer standing on a spire of the castle, staring coldly at him.
The thin, upright bridge of her nose demonstrated her coldness and determination. Compared to such a prominent nose, her other features seemed a little obscure, like a sketch. However, once assembled, it completely matched her cold expression. She possessed her own kind of charm, enough for Li Qingshan’s eyes to light up despite having seen the various beauties the night roamers could offer already.
Her dark, blue hair was tied up in a thick, short braid. It was extremely efficient. She wore black leather clothes and pants, with black boots that reached her knees, which outlined her enchanting figure. She carried a dagger on her waist. She was actually no less beautiful than Ye Liusu, and her cultivation was actually greater.
“Big sister Liuxing. We have matters that we want to report to the matriarch. This Daemon General Northmoon is… is an esteemed guest of our clan, so please open the doors.” Ye Liusu bowed politely. She was reluctant to announce the loss of the territory in public.
Ye Liuxing studied Li Qingshan with a dagger-like gaze. Even his handsome appearance failed to faze her cold expression. He could clearly feel her indifference to others.
“Your sisters sure come in different shapes and sizes,” Li Qingshan smiled back at her as he whispered to Ye Liubo.
“It’s not like we’re sisters by blood.” Ye Liubo pouted.
As it turned out, they did not come from the same family. Instead, they became the daughters of the matriarch through their exceptional talent, crowned as regular princesses and high princesses and thus referring to each other as sisters. There was no connection by blood. As for who was older or younger, it was not based on age, but cultivation.
“Welcome back, your highness Liusu. Welcome back, your highness Liubo.”
The door opened loudly and guards stood to both sides, raising their spears and chanting together.
“Sir, please give your weapon to me.” A skinny caretaker in black robes arrived before Li Qingshan.
“Have I brought a weapon?” Li Qingshan waved his hand with a smile, and the ice blade vanished.
The caretaker was taken aback, and Li Qingshan had already walked in with his arm around Ye Liubo. The caretaker was too afraid to stop him. Daemon Generals held extraordinary status in the underground world. Daemons outclassing night roamers was an unspoken rule.
Entering the black hall, there was a water foundation in the centre, depicting a naked woman. The floor was covered in thick, patterned carpet, and the walls were draped with tapestry too, depicting the image of a brightly-coloured spider.
Two flights of stairs merged on the second floor like outspread arms. Ye Liuxing stood there, gazing over coldly.
“Liusu, come with me. Liubo, receive the esteemed guest.”
“What’s happened?”
Cold wind whistled around the pointy spire. Looking out the window, Blacklustre city seemed to stand below their feet. Ye Liuxing’s icy voice was even colder than the wind.
Ye Liusu told her everything that had happened.
Smack! There was a resonant slap, and Ye Liusu gained a handprint on her face. Blood oozed from the corner of her lips, but she remained exactly where she was.
“Do you know just what this piece of territory means to us? Do you know the price, the number of lives, the clan has given up for it?”
“I do.”
“He must die! And before the matriarch returns.” Ye Liuxing raised her hand again, but she never ended up swinging down. She swung it away viciously.
“I disagree!” Ye Liusu raised her head. Determination flooded her eyes.
“Do you want to undergo the punishment of the snake cavern?”
“I’ll try to convince her otherwise when the matriarch returns.”
“Have you taken a liking to that guy? You want to protect him?” Ye Liuxing grabbed Ye Liusu’s neck. Her cold voice was like a knife placed against Ye Liusu’s throat.
“He’s too powerful, and he has the ability to suppress night roamers. Once you fight him, it’ll be a heavy loss for us regardless of the outcome.” Ye Liusu was unfazed. She remained determined.
“We’re assassins. We’re supposed to defeat the strong as the weak.” Ye Liuxing pushed her against the wall viciously before embracing her again. However, under her clear, cold and indifferent gaze, she let go and went downstairs.
“Where’s this?”
Li Qingshan stood in a wonderful room with a fragrance permeating the air. The oval mirror reflected Ye Liubo’s magnificent figure.
“It’s my room, of course.” Ye Liubo used the mirror to comb out a few messy strands of hair before throwing herself into Li Qingshan’s arms. She raised her head and said, “How did you do it just then?”
“I used a hundred treasures pouch obviously, “Li Qingshan said, acting like it was common sense. Before he had set off, he had filled the hundred treasures pouch he had brought with him with a few items that might be useful. That included over a dozen supreme grade talismans he had obtained as the spoils of his battles. If they actually began fighting, he could guarantee that he still possessed the power to kill.
After going through the heavenly tribulation, the nature of his daemon qi had changed. Not only could it refine spiritual artifacts, but it could activate talismans too. However, it was still unable to open the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring, leaving him still at a loss about what the black ox had left him.
“A hundred treasures pouch!” Ye Liubo was rather surprised.
“Are hundred treasures pouches very rare?” Only then did Li Qingshan notice that Liubo was not carrying any essential items like the cultivators above ground.
“Of course. You can only obtain one from the clan once you’ve undergone the heavenly tribulation.”
Night roamers could forge artifacts, but they could not forge hundred treasures pouch. All the hundred treasures pouches underground had come from exploring cultivators who had gotten themselves killed. As a result, there were very few of them.
“I even guarded a few caves for a very long time, but there were no cultivators who came down to explore. How strange.” Ye Liubo pouted, while Li Qingshan knew he had completely annihilated the cultivators last time, so why would any of them still venture underground to come die?
“I’ll give you one once we return to my territory.” What Li Qingshan lacked the least right now were hundred treasures pouches. He had piles of them and no way to dispose of them.
“Really? Thank you, master.” Ye Liusu kissed Li Qingshan in surprise and joy before gently pushing him onto the bed at the centre of the room. Afterwards, she writhed around, taking off her black armour, only leaving her silken undergarments that covered her bare vitals on and throwing herself onto Li Qingshan.
“What are you trying to do?” Li Qingshan held Ye Liubo by the shoulder, but he saw a “ripple” on her chest that really did live up to her name.
TL: If you haven’t realised, the three sisters introduced so far differ only by a single character in their names: Ye Liusu, Ye Liubo and Ye Liuxing. In this case, bo means ripple.
“It’ll be a while before the matriarch returns, so allow me to properly service master.” Ye Liubo undid Li Qingshan’s waistband eagerly.
This lustfulness immediately reminded Li Qingshan of himself. The enchanting, almost naked body constantly rubbed against him. Li Qingshan also felt lust rise up in his crotch. He let out a sigh before pushing Ye Liubo away.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Liubo was stunned.
“I’ve made a promise with someone that I belong to her.” Li Qingshan laid out his hand helplessly.
“A woman?” Ye Liubo gasped.
“Of course,” Li Qingshan said in exasperation.
“Then I don’t have to worry. It’s not like she’s here anyway.” Ye Liubo smiled again, bending over and kissing Li Qingshan.
“Now’s that the exact reason why a promise was made.” Li Qingshan grabbed her forcefully by the shoulder, but the pair before her jiggled slightly. It was quite the eye candy.
“My great master, I beg you. Liubo wants it.” Ye Liubo’s eyes rippled as she bit her knuckle and moved her slender legs around, with a hand pressing down in between.
“If you want it, just go find another man.” Li Qingshan’s breathing sped up. If it were not for the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he really had no idea what he would end up doing.
“How can I lust for another man once I’ve seen you? You can just treat it as doing something good by accompanying me, alright? I’ll definitely be completely devoted to master in the future,” Ye Liubo “grumbled”.
“A master has no duty to fulfill his servant.” Li Qingshan patted her face with a smile and stood up.
“If you won’t do it with me, I’ll deal with it myself.”
“You’re more than welcome to.” Li Qingshan saw a bookshelf in a corner of the room. He went over and pulled out a book. The characters inside were exactly the same as what humans used, except the writing was very beautiful. He heard a clear moan from behind, which made him grin.
Seeing Li Qingshan look over, Ye Liusu became even more complacent and let out even louder sounds. Li Qingshan just moved a chair over and sat down before the bed, admiring what was going on. Watching it was not letting down Qiongzhi, right? Even though it was in person.
No matter how Ye Liubo tried, Li Qingshan had no intentions of climbing into bed, which left her defeated.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Ye Liuxing walked in after knocking the door and saw Ye Liusu on the bed. She actually let out a smile, like the ice had cracked open, allowing water to spill out.
“Sir Northmoon, would you like us to accompany you together?”
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Chapter 376 – Who Dares to Kill Me?
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Chapter 376 – Who Dares to Kill Me?
Even an idiot can tell that you’re up to no good. If you’re thinking of seduction, you’d better learn from the one on the bed!
If Ye Liusu was slightly chilly, then Ye Liuxing was basically ice-cold. Regular men would all lose interest from just a single glance of her.
“Alright!”
Li Qingshan had to admit that he was very curious about how she would seduce him. Her icy-cold attitude roused the desire to conquer within men more easily. Was this all a part of her plan?
Ye Liuxing took a few steps forward and sat down in Li Qingshan’s arms stiffly before wrapping her arms around his neck. Clear disgust filled her face.
“Master, don’t!” Ye Liubo objected loudly, but she received a sharp glance from Ye Liuxing. With her lingering fear of her, Ye Liubo immediately shut her mouth.
Li Qingshan gave Ye Liubo a glance, telling her not to worry. He smiled as he wanted to see what else Ye Liuxing wanted to do. If he could get an erotic show for free, it would be worth it.
Her cold lips pressed against his own, while her tongue entered his mouth like a slippery snake.
“Be careful! There’s poison!” Ye Liubo warned loudly despite the consequences, but it was already too late.
Ye Liuxing pulled back the tip of her tongue, and a poisonous pill shot into Li Qingshan’s throat. A sickly sweetness immediately filled his mouth as his stomach began to burn.
“Hmph, you foolish man. Even if you’re a Daemon General, it makes no difference at all!” Ye Liuxing sneered inside. She had refined this poisonous pill from the venom of Underground Mottled spiders. Just a single, tiny pill could easily poison a hundred people to death.
Just when Ye Liuxing wanted to break out of Li Qingshan’s embrace, draw her dagger, and give Li Qingshan a fatal strike, his steel-like arms tightened around her. All the air was immediately squeezed out of Ye Liuxing as her body crackled.
Right now, the two of them were still stuck in an intense kiss. Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and sprayed out all the digested poison.
Hmph, why don’t you investigate what kind of daemon you’re targeting before you use this move? Can’t you see the huge pair of ox horns on my head? This isn’t a supernatural ability, but a mere habit. Cows regurgitate and chew cud.
“Hmmph!” Ye Liuxin wanted to turn away, but a huge hand pressed against her from behind, forcing them to continue kissing. Although the mirror image only possessed thirty percent of his strength, this was still enough to overwhelm night roamers who did not pride themselves in physical strength.
In the blink of an eye, the poison entered Ye Liuxing’s body, and only then did Li Qingshan stop. The residual poison did have some effect on him, but with how tough his body was, he would only experience a stomach ache at most even if he digested the entire poisonous pill.
Without any hesitation, Ye Liuxing used Night Roaming and broke away from him. She drew her dagger and stabbed it at Li Qingshan’s heart. She moved with lightning speed, completing all of that in a single stroke.
“Master!” Ye Liubo cried out.
Li Qingshan sniggered. Sunlight destroyed her Night Roaming, and the tremors injured her body.
Clang! The dagger slid out of her hand, falling onto the ground, and her hand that wielded it drooped powerlessly. She could not even raise a finger now.
Honestly, Li Qingshan stood no chance at all against Ye Liuxing with thirty percent of his strength, but she tried scheming against him instead, engaging him in close combat. She really had been asking for this.
No longer suppressed by spiritual qi, the poison spread to her face immediately. The colour of her skin changed, and her entire body fell into numbness and pain. The shade of death immediately enveloped her. Her fate was completely within his hands now. She felt rather regretful for not listening to Ye Liusu.
Li Qingshan stood up, opened the door, and casually tossed her out into the corridor.
Returning to the room, he straightened his chair and said to the dumbfounded Ye Liubo, “Continue!”
If it were not for some other considerations, he would have killed Ye Liuxing then and there. Though, she was poisoned now and half her bones had been crushed by Li Qingshan, so she was unable to cause him any trouble in the near future.
“I refuse! Master refuses to satisfy his servant, so why must his servant satisfy him?” Ye Liubo pouted and put on her armour again, but the obscene atmosphere in the room did not disperse so quickly.
“Then show me around instead!” Li Qingshan smiled. It was rare for him to venture underground, so how could he go without properly sightseeing?
When he opened the door again, Ye Lixuing had already vanished.
Just when he reached the end of the corridor, the caretaker in black arrived and reported, “Sir Northmoon, the matriarch has returned. She’s invited you to dine with her.”
“How quick!” Li Qingshan saw Ye Liubo shiver, so he grabbed her hand. It was rather slippery from sweat.
Li Qingshan followed the caretaker and arrived in a hall within the depths of the castle. The seats were already arranged and filled.
A total of fourteen people sat there. The seat at the very centre was occupied by a woman in a wonderful, long dress. She wore a spider-shaped ornament in her hair, a spider-shaped necklace around her neck, and a spider-shaped ring on her finger.
She was the night roamer with the most accessories Li Qingshan had seen so far. She actually seemed rather similar to Ye Liusu. If it were not for the mature sense of charm she gave off, he almost would have mistaken her to be Ye Liusu’s elder sister.
Her aura was completely hidden away, but Li Qingshan could estimate from his instincts that she was probably no weaker than the slovenly daoist priest from the academy. She was close to the second heavenly tribulation and could not be underestimated.
To the left of the matriarch sat Ye Liuxing. Her gaze towards Li Qingshan was bone-chillingly cold, but her complexion was quite bad. It must have taken her everything to prop herself up like that. The second person was a woman Li Qingshan had never seen before; her appearance was so ordinary that it was almost unbefitting of a night roamer. The third was Ye Liusu, who stared straight ahead, without even glancing at Li Qingshan.
The fourth seat was empty. Ye Liubo let go of Li Qingshan’s hand and made her way over, sitting down with extreme caution. The next three all possessed cultivations that paled slightly in comparison to Ye Liubo’s, but they were all very young.
Li Qingshan understood now. These were all the so-called princesses and high princesses, the daughters of the matriarch.
The people who sat on the other side were much older. They consisted of both middle-aged women and old women; there were even two men among them. They had a total of six people, all at Foundation Establishment and all giving off a heavy, powerful aura. Ye Liubo had mentioned them to Li Qingshan before. They were the elders of the Spider Shadow clan.
In other words, a total of ten powerful night roamers who had all undergone the first heavenly tribulation sat there. Every single one of them were terrifying assassins who could defeat those much more powerful than themselves. Calling this place the belly of the beast would be no exaggeration at all.
If Li Qingshan were just a little less bold, he probably would have turned around and fled in fright already. However, he only smiled as he walked over.
“What a warm welcome.”
This was how powerful a single clan of night roamers were. If all the clans banded together, it would be a dominating force. It was no wonder that the Spider Queen wanted to impinge upon their development.
The door closed loudly behind Li Qingshan, trapping him together with ten powerful night roamer assassins. The place felt like a jar of gu for them to fight each other to death.
“I’ve heard about your great name, sir Northmoon. I’m Ye Mingzhu. Please be seated.”
Sitting in the main seat, the matriarch of the Spider Shadow clan, Ye Mingzhu, said with a smile, as if she had no idea Li Qingshan had taken her clan’s territory at all. When she received the news, she had immediately rushed back with the force of the entire clan to “resolve” this issue.
She extended her arm elegantly to the side of the elders, pointing towards the empty seat at the end. She gave off an aura of dominance. When she spoke, she was polite, but it left no room for objection either.
Everyone sat there silently, watching Li Qingshan intently. They used their silence to strengthen Ye Mingzhu’s authority. They were assassins. They lived in silence. In this silent moment of death, they would not erupt with curses or make a ruckus. All they would do was use the deadly points of their daggers to speak.
“I can’t see my seat?” The atmosphere in the room immediately became much more tense with that. All the elders placed their hands on the weapons on their waist. In this underground world, this was an insult to the matriarch. There were very few people and daemons who were bold enough to do something like that, and the consequences were often bloodshed and death.
“So you’ve all brought weapons!” Li Qingshan swung his hand, and the ice blade appeared. The girls seated at the very end had almost drawn their daggers.
Ye Mingzhu remained in the same posture. Even her smile remained the same, which made her face seem like a strange yet beautiful mask. The surrounding darkness seemed to grow heavier.
“Oh, here it is!” Li Qingshan finally made his way towards the seat at the end of the table.
Ye Mingzhu pulled her hand back and smiled scornfully. That was all he was. A series of sneers rang out in the surroundings.
Ye Liubo’s tense heart eased up slightly, but when she heard the sneers, it tensed up again. She was filled with various emotions. She was reluctant for him to fall out with the matriarch, but she was reluctant for him to yield to her too.
Suddenly, the sneering stopped, like someone had grabbed them by their throats. Li Qingshan lifted up the heavy, obsidian table and placed it in the centre of the hall. It just happened to line up with Ye Mingzhu’s seat. He checked the orientation of the table once more before finally crossing his legs and sitting down.
“It’s better here. I’ve travelled quite the distance to be your guest. I hope the matriarch doesn’t mind.” He did not care whether she minded or not. He just urged loudly, “Bring the dishes. I just happen to be hungry!”
Ye Mingzhu glanced at the caretaker, and he immediately rang the bell in his hand.
Dishes were served up one by one. There were dishes with meats and without meats, both hot and cold; they were all perfect in scent, colour, and taste. It was no worse than the food above ground.
However, none of them had the appetite. None of them were in the mood to pay attention to these delicious dishes, as their most important territory had just been taken away from them.
That was apart from a daemon, the daemon who had taken their territory. He began feasting by himself, wolfing down the food.
Tasting all of the delicacies and drinking all of the finest alcohol the world had to offer was a part of his original oath, so why would he miss such a great opportunity? Regardless of what they wanted, whether it be battle or peace, they could discuss it after the meal. The food of the night roamers had quite the taste. In the blink of an eye, he had polished off the entire table of food. He licked his lips and said, “Not bad. You got any more?”
All the caretaker could do was ring the bell again.
As a result, a group of people simply watched as Li Qingshan feasted alone. The atmosphere became even stranger.
Ye Liubo smiled. Now that’s my master.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Li Qingshan polished off the entire table once more before raising his head.
“If you’re not going to eat, then I’ll take it instead!” With a wave of his hand, over a dozen ripples of water dispersed, moving right towards the food in front of them.
Swish! Swish! Swish! A series of weapons flashed as they were drawn, cutting through the ripples of water. For a moment, everyone brandished their weapons, radiating with murderousness.
“Keep eating. At least you can be a ghost with a full stomach on the road to the afterlife.” An old woman stood up with her hunched back and delivered her food to Li Qingshan while speaking sinisterly.
Li Qingshan laughed out loud, causing the entire room to shake. The plates and cups trembled constantly.
He stopped laughing, leaned forward, and scanned them with his eyes.
“Who dares to kill me!”
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Chapter 377 – Arms Dealer
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Chapter 377 – Arms Dealer
“Such arrogance!”
The old woman took off with speed that contrasted starkly with her age. She drew her dagger and swung out with it at his throat. She struck as quickly as lightning and as viciously as a venomous snake.
The elders all vanished from their seats at the same time, appearing around Li Qingshan silently. Six deadly weapons stabbed towards six vital points, weaving into a net of death.
Just who could survive an attack like that?
Li Qingshan lifted his cup and took a sip. His clear gaze passed over the thicket of weapons. Ye Mingzhu sat exactly where she was with a slight frown.
The weapons stopped. The tip of the old woman’s dagger was only an inch away from his neck. As he took a gulp of alcohol, his Adam’s apple surged, almost running into the dagger.
“Back down. Did I tell you to attack?” Ye Mingzhu waved her hand, and the elders immediately returned to their seats, as if nothing had happened at all.
After hearing Ye Liusu’s report, the first thing Ye Mingzhu thought of was, Kill!
But subsequently, various doubts arose. He clearly knew there was great danger, so why did he still come? If they cornered him, just what losses would the clan suffer?
That was why the banquet had occurred today. As long as he showed even just a single hint of weakness, they would tear him apart.
However, he showed none of it with his behaviour. If he was not a madman, then it meant he had something he could rely on. This nonchalant attitude definitely was not an act.
In the blink of an eye, Ye Mingzhu made a decision. She stood up and made her way to his side as she swung her hips around, personally filling his cup for him. “Sir Nothmoon, just what do you want?”
“Respect.” Li Qingshan shook the cup with a smile, causing the alcohol to ripple.
His answer left everyone stunned. He had taken such great risk to join the banquet of the night roamers. Whether he demanded for territory, treasure, or women, none of it would have been strange. However, he was demanding a concept that was very foreign to regular daemons.
“Just that?” Ye Mingzhu furrowed her brows.
“Respect comes before anything else. Let me just ask you a question. Do you want to become the strongest clan of night roamers?”
“What if I answer I do?”
“Then I can assist you.”
This time, it was Ye Mingzhu’s turn to laugh. The Spider Demon clan was currently in a precarious situation and losing the territory only made matters worse. He was their greatest enemy, yet he actually said he could assist her in making them the strongest clan of night roamers.
Everyone present found this unimaginable, and their gazes towards Li Qingshan became even more hostile.
However, this only continued until Li Qingshan pulled out a stack of talismans and spread them out on the table.
“You’re going to make our clan become the strongest just with these?” Ye Mingzhu sneered, but she was secretly surprised inside. Night roamers lacked the ability to create talismans, but she understood the power of talismans very well. In battles of great danger, a single talisman was enough to turn the tides.
Fortunately, they had not fallen out, or these dozen or so supreme grade talismans would have been enough to drag a few of them down with him.
“I have a few thousand talismans like these. Of course, there are fewer at the supreme and high grades and more at the mid and low grades.” Then, Li Qingshan planted his ice blade into the table. “I have over a thousand spiritual artifacts like this too. Of course, they’re like the talismans. Oh right, I didn’t bring any of them with me.”
This time, Ye Mingzhu was unable to laugh any further. Her perky chest heaved. The elders were all shocked. They knew exactly what this sum of resources meant to the clan.
Mid and low grade talismans could not be dismissed as useless. After all, night roamers with mediocre cultivation happened to be the majority. Among the many battles outside, these talismans and spiritual artifacts could give them the upper hand and strengthen the foundations of the Spider Shadow clan.
This would completely change the situation underground!
If it were not for what Li Qingshan had added at the end, they would even be tempted to just slaughter and rob him regardless of the consequences.
Through his observations and communication with Ye Liubo, he had discovered that the night roamers were extremely behind in aspects like forging artifacts and talismans. They were nowhere close to the humans above ground, but that made sense too. They had spent thousands of years underground beneath the powerful reign of daemons. There was little to no exchange between the races. It would truly be unbelievable if their civilisation was more advanced than above ground.
Afterwards, he immediately remembered the huge piles of things he had accumulated in his hundred treasures pouch. It was pointless for him to keep them, but he was afraid of selling them too. Even if he sold them through some special avenues, the prices they would fetch for would be pitifully low. Peace had lasted for too long. These standard items for battle had fallen out of demand.
As a result, he realised that the night roamers before him just happened to be his best buyer.
“Oh right, I have over a thousand hundred treasures pouches too.”
An elder immediately crushed the cup in her hand.
“What do you want?” Ye Mingzhu truly lived up to her name as the influential matriarch. She calmed down very soon and asked the most important question.
“Spiritual herbs, as long as they’re old enough.” Li Qingshan had considered this beforehand. The underground world had plenty of spiritual herbs centuries or even millennia old. Daemons did not know alchemy, and while the night roamers did know a little, they mostly used the toxicity of certain spiritual herbs, extracting it to spike food and drinks or smearing it on their weapons. It was extremely wasteful.
But in the human world, any spiritual herb that was old enough could definitely be used in multiple pill formulas. Once they surpassed a millennium in age, their worth would skyrocket.
“If sir Northmoon had mentioned it earlier, would any of these misunderstandings have happened at all?” Ye Mingzhu smiled like a blossoming flower.
During times of war, people were willing to exchange their food for a gun so that they could kill their enemies. Moreover, these spiritual herbs were not even a crucial resource to the night roamers. Their cultivation methods were essentially all based on accumulation over time and comprehension. If they could exchange spiritual herbs for weapons, it would be for the best.
Li Qingshan thought, If I had tried to negotiate right from the start, demanding these conditions, this mirror clone probably would have been finished off already. Neither of us are honest, good people. The weak are not worthy of cooperating with the strong.
With that, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically. Ye Mingzhu saw how Li Qingshan had finished his food, so she said, “Get the kitchen to serve more. Sir Northmoon, if you’re hungry, then please make do with my serving for now! Where are the performances and shows?”
The caretaker went off in a hurry to arrange these matters. A while later, a group of male night roamers actually appeared to perform. Every single one of them was extremely handsome, and they were all bare-chested in shorts. They performed a fierce sword dance.
The elders proposed toasts to after another as they all smiled from ear to ear.
Li Qingshan felt like an international arms dealer doing business with a group of African warlords.
Ye Liuxing’s face was still frosty, but she had no choice but to toast him too. Ye Liusu seemed slightly lost. She had no idea whether meeting him was a good or a bad thing.
Master is so powerful! Ye Liubo calmed down. She was overjoyed, and her eyes became completely fixed on Li Qingshan.
After both the host and guest had all dined to their heart’s content, Ye Mingzhu smiled charmingly with a slight blush. “You’ve finished eating, haven’t you, sir Northmoon? We can talk about the details of the deal in my room later. I need to tend to some matters of the clan first.”
Her face immediately coldened. “Ye Liusu, Ye Liubo, kneel!”
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Chapter 378 – Cobweb City
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Chapter 378 – Cobweb City
Ye Liusu had been expecting this, but Ye Liubo’s expression changed. She was afraid of defying the matriarch’s orders, so she glanced at Li Qingshan before kneeling down in the hall.
“Do you understand your crimes?”
“I understand my crimes.” Ye Liusu bent over. All Ye Liubo could do was lower her head too.
“Elder Mingjing, how should they be punished for their crimes?”
“They’ve lost the territory. They should be punished in the snake cavern,” the old woman said coldly.
“Yes.” Ye Liusu did not object at all.
Ye Liubo trembled as fear filled her face. She felt a hand land on her head, and Li Qingshan said, “Liubo has already accepted me as her master. She’s no longer bound to your rules.” Only then did she ease up.
“Traitors of the clan should be put to death by slow slicing!”
“Matriarch Ye.”
Ye Liubo looked at Li Qingshan, like a person in despair desperately reaching for her last ray of hope. Li Qingshan looked at Ye Mingzhu. Do you really still want to put on your airs as a matriarch at a time like this?
“Sir Northmoon, you’re making this difficult for me. The rules of the clan cannot be defied. There is no room for discussion here! However, in consideration of our friendship, I’m willing to compensate you. Liushui, Liuyun.”
“What are your orders, matriarch?” Two girls who originally sat further down from Ye Liubo walked over. They were both rare beauties too.
“From today onwards, you are sir Northmoon’s servants. You’ll do whatever sir Northmoon wants you to do.”
“Yes!” The two of them answered together.
“One for two. That’s not a bad deal.” Li Qingshan smiled.
“Master!” Ye Liubo turned ashen as she wailed out.
“However, that won’t work.”
“Are you dissatisfied with this compensation, sir Northmoon? If that’s the case, let me know what you want. The Night Roaming folk might be lacking in various aspects, but the number of beauties we have is not one of them. If there’s any of my daughters who’ve caught your eyes, just let me know.”
“Really?” Li Qingshan looked at Ye Liusu on the ground before glancing at Ye Liuxing, which made her heart tighten.
Throughout this process, Ye Liubo felt like her heart had sunken into a cavern of ice, filled with coldness. In the underground world, betrayal was commonplace. This was not the first place she had tasted betrayal. However, it was the first time she felt so despaired and furious. She could not help but mock herself. Did she really just believe him? Believe that he would protect her?
Li Qingshan scanned past Ye Mingzhu’s daughters before returning his gaze to Ye Mingzhu. He said slowly, “Respect, respect.”
“What do you mean?”
“As my servant, there’s nothing wrong even if she has to die for me. However, she’s a servant, not goods. Even if I’m the master, I must respect that. I can’t just betray her like this. So, even if you offer me a higher price, I still won’t accept.”
“Master.” Ye Liubo raised her head in disbelief, gazing at his face. She felt like her heart had risen from hell to heaven. She actually could not help but tear up slightly.
Ye Liusu was touched too. She stopped worrying. As it seems, Liubo hasn’t chosen the wrong person this time.
Ye Mingzhu frowned. “I find this to be quite a pity. For the sake of an insignificant bitch, you’re damaging the long-term relationship between us. Don’t you find it to be quite unworthwhile?”
“To be honest, none of your daughters are worth more than her. Liubo, I never told you to kneel.”
“Yes, master.” Ye Liubo glanced at Ye Mingzhi before standing up slowly, holding her chest high. She felt extremely proud to be able to look down on someone who had once made her bow and scrape.
“If you find this unacceptable, I can go make deals with the other matriarchs. I think they’ll be very willing too.” With that, the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense once more.
“Since you’re so persistent, fine!” Ye Mingzhu let out a sigh. All she could do was hold back her fury. Her face coldened. “Ye Liusu, since you know your crimes already, then you can be punished immediately. Take her away!”
“Sister!” Ye Liubo could not help but call out. The punishment of the snake cavern involved sealing all their strength and being bitten at by thousands of snakes. The venom of the snakes might not be fatal, but it was extremely painful.
“Hold on.”
“Sir Northmoon, what else do you have to say?” Ye Mingzhu squinted her eyes, searching for an opportunity she could make use of.
“I’m not your servant.” Ye Liusu’s eyes flickered, remaining cold.
“You will be very soon. Matriarch, I have another question. Do you still want to make use of this piece of territory?”
“Of course.” Ye Mingzhu’s eyes immediately lit up. The importance of the territory went without saying, but she had never been bold enough to mention something like sharing the territory to Li Qingshan. Daemons were extremely territorial, so something like that was no different from a naked insult. It was like asking a man to lend his wife. A request like that could make short-tempered Daemon Generals immediately turn hostile.
“I’ve always had a great dislike for trivial matters, so I want a servant to take care of them for me.” Li Qingshan actually had no interest in the territory. All he wanted were the underground resources. He had no plans to remain underground, guarding his territory. He still had someone waiting for him in the human world.
Under these circumstances, Milliped could not even make the daemons below submit out of fear with his current strength, and the territory could easily be annexed by other Daemon Generals. He required a suitable person to take charge. Unfortunately, Ye Liubo had yet to undergo the heavenly tribulation, so by taking a step back, Ye Liusu became the most optimal choice. Of course, he would never accept something like sharing the territory. He would only accept a master-servant relationship for this territory.
“Ye Liusu, from today onwards, you are sir Northmoon’s servant. You will obey all of his orders. You are no longer bound to the Spider Shadow clan,” Ye Mingzhu said immediately, as if she was afraid Li Qingshan would change his mind. She might become a servant, but this was just decided on a whim. There was no one more loyal to the Spider Shadow clan than Ye Liusu.
“Matriarch!” Ye Liusu, who had always accepted everything, finally could not help but object. Under Ye Mingzhu’s gaze, all she could do was grit her teeth and lower her head. “Yes, mother!”
Li Qingshan suddenly connected the dots. So they really were a mother and daughter pair, but he did not dwell on the matter for too long either. So what if the night roamers wanted to make use of this territory? He did not care at all. Moreover, loyalty could change with time.
“This servant, Ye Liusu, greets her master.” Ye Liusu arrived before Li Qingshan and bowed. She was hugged by Ye Liubo, who smiled. “Sister, we’re both master’s servants from now on.”
Ye Liusu smiled bitterly inside. Never had she seen someone accept her position as a servant so happily. However, a night roamer, her own mother for god’s sake, actually paled in comparison to a daemon in terms of the respect she could show?
In the end, Ye Mingzhu realised she had lost nothing at all and gained a powerful ally instead. If she returned this piece of territory to the daemons, the Spider Shadow clan could ease up. They would no longer be a target of the other clans, which would instead be good news. Once they had built up sufficient strength, it would be time for them to claim their debts of blood. She was extremely satisfied with this result, and she felt glad she had not chosen mutual annihilation.
“This Northmoon really is different, and he’s extremely handsome too. She actually doesn’t have anyone who can rival him within her harem.” Ye Mingzhu curled her lips and let out a charming smile.
Afterwards, the atmosphere became harmonious once more. Ye Liubo sat down beside Li Qingshan, pouring him alcohol and feeding him while making a lot of intimate contact. Ye Liusu was helpless, so she just stood beside him with her hand on her dagger like a guard.
Ye Mingzhu even invited him enthusiastically to a deeper conversation in her room. Li Qingshan glanced at the pale Ye Liusu before glancing at the mature, charming Ye Mingzhu. In the end, he turned her down reluctantly.
Being in arms reach but unable to eat them was tantalizing. However, he believed everything he went through for her would be worth it. He wondered if she had emerged from secluded cultivation yet.
After the banquet, Li Qingshan returned to the raging underground river under Ye Mingzhu’s personal lead. They travelled along the flow, heading to Cobweb city to see Spider Queen Lolth.
Li Qingshan demonstrated his ability to control water again, which left Ye Mingzhu secretly amazed. Even water element Daemon Generals could not achieve that unless they possessed the bloodline of a spiritual or exotic beast!
Everything made sense now. There was a reason why a Daemon General who had just emerged from a heavenly tribulation recently could defeat Ye Liusu so easily. She valued Li Qingshan even more now. Daemons with special bloodlines could all become impressive figures as long as they could keep cultivating.
One day, perhaps he would be able to keep pace with the three beside ma’am Lolth.
Li Qingshan controlled the flow and shot off like a flying horse. They reached Cobweb city within fifteen minutes.
The river turned and fell again, but the sound of the waterfall was extremely soft. It originated from very far below.
Li Qingshan was stunned. An unbelievably large space unfurled before him. The raging river twisted and flowed through the vast space, splitting into countless streams.
An imposing, majestic, black castle rose up from the ground, standing several hundred meters tall.
It had actually been sculpted from an entire mountain. The innumerable turrets and spires stood straight and sharp, like countless huge swords of different lengths. They gathered together, pointing towards the sky.
Li Qingshan had never imagined that there would be such a grand structure underground. For a moment, he was actually unable to think of a single structure from his past life that could compare to it.
This was Cobweb city. The Spider Queen reigned over the web-like underground world from here.
It was raining. Only now did Li Qingshan notice that the air was very moist, and it was filled with the smell of sulphur. To the other side of the city, a red-hot river of lava flowed vigorously, also splitting into multiple streams.
Water and fire wove a bizarre web, producing great clouds of steam that rose to the ceiling as dark clouds that never dispersed. They enveloped Cobweb city and constantly drizzled with rain. It made the city seem even more imposing. It actually gave Li Qingshan a false impression that he was unable to tell how tall it stood, even though he could clearly see that the city was connected to the ceiling, supporting this unbelievably large cavern.
“This is the perfect work of art we night roamers have created for the Spider Queen over several centuries!” Ye Mingzhu said proudly.
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Chapter 379 – Meeting the Spider Queen
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Chapter 379 – Meeting the Spider Queen
Li Qingshan sighed emotionally. Without the civil engineering of the school of Mohism, only otherfolk had the ability to build such structures, and only daemons had the patience for it.
On the outskirts of Cobweb city, the relatively flatter surface below the mountain formed an extremely complicated urban area. The structures of night roamers rose and fell endlessly.
There actually were no streets designed. Li Qingshan felt like he was crossing through a series of buildings. The space was completely sealed up there.
Black rain pitter-pattered against the roofs. That was the only sound here. There were not even whispering conversations like in Blacklustre city. The only thing they exchanged were gestures and aura or the points of their daggers.
The night roamers here were clearly much more powerful than those in Blacklustre city. Shadows flickered passed him silently, and they would even pass by a matriarch like Ye Mingzhu without any acknowledgement.
“Isn’t this the territory of the Shadow Spider clan?” Li Qingshan’s voice disturbed a huge region. Pairs of eyes gazed over in the darkness, as if he had done something unprecedented, but they were slightly hostile too. Only when they spotted the pair of horns on his head did they look away.
“This is a mixed region of the outskirts. You can find people of every single clan here.” Ye Mingzhu still chose to communicate through her aura.
Apart from their usual business, the main priority of the night roamers who resided here was to find opportunities to assassinate night roamers of other clans. This was a battlefield of assassins. Every night roamer only had the right to enter the inner city and become a middle level member of their clan once they had gone through the test of this place. “They sure don’t have a lot to do.” They clearly hated each other to the core, yet they just had to choose to reside together. He could imagine a scene that came right out of a book occur here—Among the stall owners, the craftsmen, the pedlars, and the children, they all suddenly draw their weapons and try to kill you.
They sure were pitiful to be born as night roamers, but it was rather funny too. Spider Queen Lolth’s scheming was probably not everything. The inherent, dark nature of night roamers was at work as well!
Only after entering the inner city did the situation take a turn for the better. The clans were divided into a few major regions. Of course, every corridor and hall was still filled with killing intent and unease.
Walking around inside Cobweb city, Li Qingshan marvelled at the grandeur and detail of the structures. Every rock seemed to have been carefully polished by a craftsman before undergoing long periods of wear and use, allowing them to become even smoother and more stately.
The markings of spiders were littered everywhere, like some primitive form of worship. He even saw the existence of sacrifices that were almost religious. The power of Daemon Commanders was close to gods in the eyes of regular people.
Li Qingshan was very curious about what the Spider Queen would be like as someone who reigned over this region. Could she see through his mirror clone? Should he tell her about what had happened to the three elders?
His various questions were all waiting to be answered.
The only thing that brought him relief was that daemons were unable to replicate the complicated administrative formalities of humans. Ye Mingzhu’s request to see the Spider Queen was passed along very quickly.
Climbing up the spiral staircase, they arrived at a higher level in Cobweb city before passing through a long, twisted pathway. A stone door opened silently, and a huge, trapezoid terrace unfurled before Li Qingshan. It stood like a cliff, or more accurately, it had always been a cliff.
A woman with a long, red dress that dragged along the ground stood by the edge of the cliff with her back towards them. Only when Li Qingshan approached her did she turn around, revealing her magnificent appearance.
However, the first thing that Li Qingshan felt was not magnificence, but undisguised, venomous cruelty. Her lips were scarlet red, like she had just drunk human blood, and her eyes seemed to ripple with venom.
Humans, no matter how wicked they were, would still try desperately to mask this. They would find various excuses to complain about the degeneration of human nature in the darkness of society, or mention opinions that sounded very philosophical to justify their actions. The thought processes of both geniuses and madmen would always be bound to the stigmas of the society. There were no exceptions.
She was not. She had no sense of morality, no humanity. She did whatever she wanted. Apart from power, she was not shackled by anything, forming true, undisguisable wickedness.
Even in human form, living in human-sized structures, she was still a huge, brightly-coloured spider. She was just smarter, stronger, and even more vicious, dwelling at the centre of her web and quietly awaiting the arrival of prey.
However, none of this damaged her bearing that was as noble as a queen. Instead, it gave her a strange charm that humans did not possess.
Li Qingshan felt like he had experienced this before. The figure he thought of was actually Gu Yanying. Yes, that was acting without restraint, absolute freedom. Had he fallen in love at first sight back then exactly because of being drawn to this bearing, desiring to break free from all shackles?
“Are you the new Daemon General? What’s your name?”
The person who asked this was not the Spider Queen. Only then did Li Qingshan notice the existence of three Daemon Generals by her side.
One of them was a pale, handsome man with a cloak. He had short, messy hair and sunken eyes, which immediately made Li Qingshan think about vampires that appeared in legends.
One of them was a bald man swollen with muscles. He stood as tall as two men and his body seemed to flow with endless strength. A mighty battle intent flowed from his eyes constantly.
The last one was an old man with a hunched back. He was extremely thin and small. As he sat there, he bent over like he was giving way to a huge burden. The hunch that bulged through his clothes became his most prominent feature. Every single movement from him was very slow, and even his voice was extremely slow. Li Qingshan had already taken three breaths in the time it took for him to finish asking the questions.
Every single one of them was a unique, distinct existence, but Li Qingshan had almost missed them as they stood behind the Spider Queen. From the moment he stepped onto the terrace and spotted her, before he had even seen her appearance, his heart had already become entranced by the bright-red smear in the darkness.
Of course, he was no longer the same kid from the mountains anymore. He immediately composed himself. He just wondered whether he would have fallen in love at first sight too if she was the one he saw instead.
“Sir Dragonsnail, I’m Northmoon. I’ve undergone the heavenly tribulation recently, and I’ve come to see the Spider Queen.” Li Qingshan bowed. “Greetings to sir Strongboulder and sir Bloodshadow too.”
Before they came here, Ye Mingzhu gave Li Qingshan an introduction to the basic situation underground. There were several dozen Daemon Generals under the Spider Queen’s command, and some were stronger than others. The stronger ones among them were known as mighty Daemon Generals, who were equivalent to mid and late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for the strongest among the strong, they were the three right before him. Not only had they reached the peak of Daemon General, but they also possessed powerful bloodlines that differed from regular beasts. They possessed the power to completely surpass regular Daemon Generals.
It was said that every single one of them possessed the terrifying strength to hold off multiple regular Daemon Generals. In other words, if they worked together, they could dominate all the Daemon Generals in this region. They were a force to be reckoned with.
Even if Li Qingshan’s original body was here in person, he would not be confident about taking on any one of them. Of course, it would not be so easy for them to defeat him either.
“Why did you mention my name last?”
Spider Queen Lolth still showed no intentions to speak, studying Li Qingshan quietly. Instead, the pale-faced Bloodshadow questioned him first, and his face became even more sunken.
“Sir Bloodshadow, who do you think your name should come before? I can change it.” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. I just said something off the top of my head and that’s already enough for you to start trouble. You’re a fucking lunatic.
This was called setting a precedence in human language, and among humans, this was a method to demonstrate his authority. The monkey king did not necessarily steal food from regular monkeys to eat, but to show them who was boss. However, Li Qingshan would never back down.
“I think the order is perfect!” Strongboulder droned.
“You have quite the nerve.” Bloodshadow stared at Li Qingshan. In this territory, there were very few daemons, or people rather, who dared to speak to him like that.
Li Qingshan thought to himself, It’s just like what Ye Mingzhu said. The three Daemon Generals aren’t on good terms. Of course, that goes without saying. It’ll be strange if Daemon Generals with the same strength got along with each other.
“Why have you sought an audience with us this time?” Dragonsnail did not seem to hear the bickering. Among the three of them, they had already gone through four exchanges in the conversation, but this was only his first one.
“I’m the leader of the daemon soldiers under Milliped. I’ve specially come to ask for this piece of territory back.” Li Qingshan only replied to Bloodshadow after answering Dragonsnail’s question, “I’ve always had the nerve.”
“How’s your strength?” Strongboulder grinned.
“I obviously have the strength too!” Li Qingshan did not back down at all. Only the weak would back down, yielding to the strong so that they could avoid trouble. The modesty among humans was not prevalent among daemons. Displaying their strength, even if it were just a bravado, was critical.
“Oh, then I would like to try it,” Bloodshadow said coldly.
“I really want to know where you have been during this period of time.” Dragonsnail finally asked another question.
“I was cultivating arduously in the Boundless mountains.”
“I’ve never heard your name. You’re not an underground daemon at all, so how can you claim territory underground? Milliped has lost his identity as a Daemon General, so he’s no longer worthy of ruling over a territory. The territory has already been bequeathed to the night roamers.”
“The night roamers have already agreed to transfer the territory to me. I don’t think you’re the one to decide whether I can possess territory underground, right Bloodshadow?” Li Qingshan directly referred to him by his name.
“Very impressive.” Bloodshadow vanished and appeared behind Li Qingshan. His pale-white fingertips turned into sharp claws, sweeping over with lightning speed. He actually struck the moment he wanted to, without any hesitation at all. He moved with startling speed.
In that instant, even Li Qingshan had failed to grasp his movements or react. He felt five points on his back throb.
All Strongboulder did was grin viciously. If he wanted to provoke the strong, he would have to bear the consequences that came with it. If he could endure the consequences, then he would earn respect. If he could not, then he was an idiot. He would deserve to be viciously punished.
Dragonsnail was still constructing his sentence slowly, completely ignoring everything unfolding before him.
The Spider Queen finally showed interest.
Clang! The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell rose up. It was a deep blue and slightly transparent. Countless hexagons formed a perfect, rigid structure that blocked the claws.
Bloodshadow’s face became even colder. His cloak ruffled as he turned into a black shadow and circled around Li Qingshan. In that moment, who knew how many attacks the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell had received.
A black tornado spun and howled, linking the ground to the ceiling and scattering the thick clouds. It was not some kind of ability or technique. It had just arisen from Bloodshadow’s movements.
Li Qingshan stood in the eye of the storm with his arms crossed, completely unfazed. He stood at complete ease, standing firm even after hundreds of attacks, allowing Bloodshadow to do whatever he wanted to.
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Chapter 380 – A Deal No Different from Daylight Robbery
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Chapter 380 – A Deal No Different from Daylight Robbery
He’s actually able to remain at such ease under sir Bloodshadow’s attacks. This Northmoon really isn’t a regular Daemon General. His existence will change the situation underground.
Ye Mingzhu backed over to one side and watched from afar. Surprise filled her eyes; then she sank into her thoughts.
Within the darkness, countless pairs of eyes saw this startling sight too. They all thought of different things.
When Li Qingshan was still a daemon, even the combined efforts of the three elders could not get through his Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, let alone the fact that he was a Daemon General now. Feel free to try to get through my Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell at thirty percent strength.
“Bloodshadow, haven’t you eaten today? Why else would you be so powerless? Do you want me to try instead?” Strongboulder’s laughter drowned out the wind. He was raring to go. He wanted to see who was stronger and tougher.
Li Qingshan was at no ease. His daemon qi was being rapidly depleted. Once he had depleted it to a certain degree, he would not even be able to maintain his clone, let alone fight. And, he could tell that Bloodshadow had concentrated his attacks to a very small range. He had not unleashed his full strength, as this was inside Cobweb city.
“Oh right. There’s something I forgot to mention, but I’m afraid that if I do mention it, even ma’am Spider Queen won’t want to keep me around underground!”
“Oh? Bloodshadow, return.” Spider Queen Lolth finally spoke. “I’d like to hear just what will deter me from doing whatever I want.”
Bloodshadow immediately returned to his original position, as if nothing had happened at all. However, his face became even more sunken.
“It’s nothing. I just paid a convenient visit to Green Vine mountain after my heavenly tribulation and settled a small grievance.”
Li Qingshan’s deeds on Green Vine mountain definitely would not simply die down like this. It would probably reach the ears of the daemons very soon. Since he could not keep it a secret, then he might as well use it as a bargaining chip! He refused to believe that Spider Queen Lolth had not even experienced a hint of fury after losing Milliped, a Daemon General, and he did not believe the daemons would just offer him up to take the blame.
“You killed the Green Vine Elder!?” Spider Queen Lolth became stunned.
“I didn’t. He managed to escape.”
“Are you toying with us?” Bloodshadow said coldly, and the Spider Queen’s face coldened.
“I never thought that the Green Vine old man could still escape after being cut in half. Fortunately, the three of them happened to be gathered together, so I killed the other two.”
“The Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder?” Dragonsnail said slowly, but there was surprise in his eyes.
“Correct.”
“What evidence do you have?” Bloodshadow asked.
“Evidence? The humans are going to come for me very soon. I better get going, just in case I get you into trouble too.” Li Qingshan turned around to leave.
“Stop!”
Li Qingshan stopped with that, but he saw Spider Queen Lolth’s pupils constrict. “If you dare to trick me…”
“Punish me as you wish, ma’am Spider Queen!”
“You’ve done very well.” Lolth stared at him for quite a long time before curling her lips into a bloody smile.
“Ma’am, this has to do with the Treaty of Kings. He’s a bringer of disaster. We can’t keep him around!” Bloodshadow tried to persuade her.
“Bloodshadow. Are you afraid?” The Spider Queen turned around. Her cool voice made Bloodshadow shudder. He knew he could not attempt to interfere with this matter anymore.
“Coward!” Strongboulder mocked loudly. The Spider Queen had always wanted to wage war. Northmoon’s actions suited her tastes perfectly, and it suited his tastes too. Bloodshadow was just asking to be rebuffed. Though, this kid had killed human Foundation Establishment cultivators, while he never had the opportunity to, so he probably would be looked down upon by the Spider Queen.
“It’s the humans who invaded the underground world first, killing daemons. The disciple of the Sword Collection palace, Fu Qingjin, even infiltrated below ground and used an incense to lure out Milliped. That was why this happened in the first place. The humans were the first ones to break the treaty.” Li Qingshan brought this matter up. With this as a basis, his chances of being sold out should become even smaller.
“From today onwards, that territory belongs to you.” The Spider Queen did not quibble. Since the humans were looking for trouble, that would be for the best. Even the dragon king could say nothing about this.
“Thank you for your great kindness, ma’am Spider Queen.”
“There’s just one thing that dissatisfies me.”
“What is it?”
“Why is the Green Vine Elder still alive?”
“I will definitely leave you satisfied, ma’am Spider Queen.”
Spider Queen Lolth began to laugh. She found Li Qingshan to be very pleasing to the eye. If she had such a capable subordinate, she would be more confident when she faced against the other Daemon Commanders.
“How did you do it?”
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to take his leave, Dragonsnail asked a question slowly. None of the three elders were people who could be trifled with. With Li Qingshan’s earlier performance, he might have been able to protect himself, but it would basically be impossible for him to achieve something like that.
“Did you just say you killed them together?” Strongboulder frowned.
“Yeah. I have my ways.” Li Qingshan smiled, turning around and leaving.
Dragonsnail sank into his thoughts. Was this all of his true strength? He already possessed such strength after emerging from the heavenly tribulation recently. If he had the time to develop, just what level could he reach? Dragonsnail could vaguely see the rise of a new star among the daemons.
The Spider Queen’s eyes flickered, as if she saw something. Her smile became even brighter and more venomous.
After settling the matter of the territory, Li Qingshan relaxed. On the way back, Ye Mingzhu even treated him with much more respect, and she silently dismissed her vicious thoughts.
Clearly, he had already earned the Spider Queen’s favour. Anyone who killed him would definitely suffer the Spider Queen’s wrath. There was not a single night roamer who could bear the consequences of that. As a result, the only choice left for her was to work with him.
Returning to Blacklustre city, Ye Mingzhu immediately went off to prepare the spiritual herbs for a first transaction to exchange for the spiritual talismans currently in Li Qingshan’s possession.
Ye Liubo played a critical role at this moment. Li Qingshan had no idea about the exact value of these spiritual herbs and talismans underground, but Ye Liubo did.
That was not all. She completely understood the importance of these resources to the clan and what the clan could afford to pay. With no mercy, she would go for the Spider Shadow clan’s top price every single time or even demand a little more than that.
The negotiating elders all glared at her furiously. They were almost tempted to draw their daggers and stab this traitor to death.
Ye Liubo was calm and fearless because Li Qingshan sat close behind her. She was filled with confidence as she demonstrated her worth as a servant desperately. Moreover, she treated this as a chance for revenge.
She would even whip out her lethal weapon of “If you don’t like it, I’ll go work with the other clans instead”, which made all the elders turn purple. The huge sum of talismans and spiritual artifacts had already surpassed their original value. They now possessed tactical value as well.
If Ye Mingzhu had not told them that Li Qingshan had already gained the Spider Queen’s favour after returning from Cobweb city, they definitely would have considered turning against him.
In the end, even Li Qingshan was unable to watch this any longer. They were just about to exchange a high grade talisman for a millennium-old Snake Gallbladder flower. Even daylight robbery was not so vicious. He coughed gently. “Liubo, respect, respect.”
He did not care too much about whether it was a high grade talisman or two. He had other uses for the Spider Shadow clan in the future, so going too far with them was not necessarily good.
Ye Liubo glanced at Li Qingshan in an unhappy manner before finally loosening up on the price. Only then did the elders let out a sigh of relief. In the end, they reached an agreement. They would purchase everything with their top price.
Li Qingshan obtained a total of eleven spiritual herbs, and none of them were below five hundred years in age. Above ground, even a hundred talismans would not have been enough to exchange for any one of them!
Now this was profit!
After becoming a Daemon General, even his demand for the quality and quantity of pills had increased. He was still overflowing with pills like Qi Gathering pills and Qi Condensing pills, but they were not even as efficient as directly absorbing spiritual qi of the world to the current him.
To go from Daemon General to Daemon Commander, the amount of time it would usually take him would be a millennium. Just relying on the pills he had robbed from others would be utterly inadequate. Now, he had finally found a new path, so he was filled with indescribable joy.
I can live for a millennium?
Li Qingshan suddenly realised this. Before he knew it, he already possessed the lifespan of a thousand years; this was a very strange feeling.
The song went “Borrowing another five centuries from heaven”, but he had already reached double that number, surpassing even the wildest wishes of regular people. What did he want to do with this millennium? As soon as he began to contemplate this question, he became rather lost, but his mind cleared up very soon. He would obviously do whatever he wanted.
TL: The song is referring to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7oRSryAlnE
He had read many books in his past life about how painful a long life was. He only had a single sentence in response to this, You’re making a fuss about something that doesn’t even exist. With the things I want to do, even a millennium won’t be enough!
“My dear daughter, there’s no need to feel unhappy. This is just a temporary arrangement. You know I’ve always doted on you the most. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have handed the territory to you in the first place. Do your best to please him. If he falls in love with you, it would be all the better. I can tell he’s someone who likes women.”
“This will bring great benefits to our entire Shadow Spider clan. Within this region, he’ll definitely become a powerful figure on par with the three sirs.” Taking advantage of the negotiations, Ye Mingzhu called Ye Liusu over and said a few words to her from the bottom of her heart.
“I’ve never been good at pleasing anyone. Is relying on daemons all that we can do? Can’t we achieve anything with our own cultivations?”
“As long as we still live in this region, the status of otherfolk will never surpass daemons. You need to understand this. The only reason why the Bat Shadow clan is bold enough to act so arrogantly is because they managed to get sir Bloodshadow on their side. As long as you do this well, I’ll give you the position of matriarch in the future.”
“What right does a servant have to inherit the position of matriarch? None of my hard work in the past was to become the matriarch either. Instead, it was so that all the night roamers could see the moon and stars again.” Ye Liusu’s gaze was determined, filled with an unwaverable will. It had not been affected just because she became a servant.
“You want to go above ground? You might get the chance very soon. The war between the humans and daemons is near, but don’t you think of it as a good thing. When war truly arrives, we’ll definitely be fighting on the front line.”
“We can join the humans…” “Shut up!”
Before Ye Liusu had even finished talking, Ye Mingzhu had grabbed her by the throat.
“Why do you think we were forced underground in the first place? It’s all because of the humans. In the eyes of daemons, we’re just a special race that requires restraining and limiting, but in the eyes of humans, we’re something completely different, an existence that they must either kill down to the very last member or enslave, do you understand? If you mention that again, I’ll kill you personally!”
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Chapter 381 – The Third Layer of the Spirit Turtle
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Chapter 381 – The Third Layer of the Spirit Turtle
“Yes, matriarch.” Ye Liusu closed her eyes, but she still refused to accept it.
“My good daughter. I’m doing all of this for your sake. You will understand in the future.” Ye Mingzhu let go of her and rubbed Ye Liusu’s face gently.
After completing the deal, Li Qingshan immediately set off. After being circled a few hundred times by Bloodshadow, most of his daemon qi had already been depleted. If he wasted too much time, he might not be able to maintain his mirror clone.
Blacklustre city completely vanished into the darkness behind him, and the sound of the waterfall grew closer and closer. The three of them travelled upstream. Li Qingshan suddenly halted an hour later.
“What’s wrong, master?” Ye Liubo asked. Ye Liusu frowned, as if she had sensed something too.
“Hmph, he sure likes to haunt people. Let’s go!” Li Qingshan picked up Ye Liubo and sped up.
Bloodshadow unfurled his cloak and whistled up the waterfall like a huge, black bat. His teeth protruded from his mouth, which made his handsome face seem very vicious. “Northmoon, are you bold enough to fight me? Show me what you’re capable of. Show me how you killed the three elders.”
He did not speak loudly, but it was like an invisible sword, piercing through the cavern and reaching Li Qingshan’s ears, which made them buzz.
“How dare you tail me? Aren’t you afraid of being punished by ma’am Spider Queen?” Li Qingshan said loudly. Wild gusts of wind and wind blades shot over with his voice.
“I won’t kill you. I’ll just suck you dry so that you understand the consequences of offending me.” Bloodshadow swept his cloak and smashed apart the wind blades. He did not slow down at all.
“I don’t have the time to play these games with you.”
As this conversation unfolded, the distance between them had halved. Their movement speed was far too slow compared to Bloodshadow.
“You go first! I’ll take him for a spin!”
Li Qingshan stopped and turned around. He passed his hundred treasures pouch and blade to Ye Liubo before tossing Ye Liubo to Ye Liusu.
“Master!” “I can assist you.” Ye Liusu gripped her curved dagger.
“It’s rare of you to be so devoted. However, his target is me. Keep Liubo and yourself safe. This is an order!”
Ye Liusu said nothing more. She immediately took off, while Li Qingshan turned around and flew into a cave to the side. Bloodshadow also turned and entered the cave with a flash. He basically moved with no hesitation at all, chasing after Li Qingshan. However, Li Qingshan’s aura suddenly vanished at this moment.
“Puny tricks!” Bloodshadow sneered. A sound wave expanded like a dense filter, covering every inch of space there. Li Qingshan’s figure immediately appeared in his senses.
As Li Qingshan fled, Bloodshadow closed the distance between them rapidly.
The wind whistled as their figures drifted off swiftly. The gloomy caves made Li Qingshan feel like he was on a rollercoaster, rising and falling constantly. They also seemed like the writhing guts of a beast.
Suddenly, he stopped. The cave ended in front of him. It was actually a dead end.
Li Qingshan exhaled. This should do! He placed his hand on the wall.
Bloodshadow had already found out about the dead end from his echolocation, so the corner of his lips curled up into a smile. He turned into the cave and saw Li Qingshan a few hundred meters away. He could cover this distance in a single breath.
Rumble! Tremoring booms filled the caves as cracks immediately riddled the wall. Thousands of tonnes of rock and soil collapsed down.
Li Qingshan’s sneer was blocked by a huge stalactite. Dust filled the air, and the echolocation probing was immediately disrupted.
“Don’t even think about escaping!” Bloodshadow advanced instead of retreating. He revolved rapidly, turning into a drill of red and black that pierced the layers of rock and soil. The huge boulders disintegrated into dust-like loam.
However, by the time he arrived in the depths of the cave, Li Qingshan had already disappeared; it was like he had vanished into thin air.
Unleashing the shockwaves had already depleted his final bit of daemon qi. He was unable to maintain his mirror clone anymore, so it automatically dispersed.
“Very impressive. I’ve already remembered your name and your smell. Northmoon, I will taste your blood sooner or later!” Fury flashed through his eyes. Bloodshadow raised his head and took a gentle sniff, revealing his sharp teeth as he smiled viciously. With a sweep of his cloak, he turned around and left.
“Is master going to be fine?” Ye Liubo asked in worry.
Ye Liusu remained silent. He had lured away the enemy while getting his servants to escape. She had never seen a daemon, no, person, like this.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes in the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers. The sneer lingered on his face. If he had been there in person, he definitely would have wanted to fight Bloodshadow.
Li Qingshan glanced at Xiao An, who was concentrating on forging artifacts, before closing his eyes again. All the pills in the hundred treasures pouches of the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder had already entered his belly. He had polished off everything the two sects had accumulated over the years.
After becoming a Daemon General, his ability to digest pills had grown. The pills turned into pulses of spiritual qi, pushing him towards the third layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression.
Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes. He extended his hand into his clothes. The Scarlet Wolf tablet was flashing urgently.
This was an emergency summoning from the Hawkwolf Guard!
Li Qingshan touched it gently with his finger, and the tablet stopped flashing. If he did not answer it, he would be presumed dead, which was why Li Qingshan had always carried it on him. Of course, it was unable to track his location.
“Just what is going on? Has it got to do with the three elders? Whatever, I’ll worry about it once I break through with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. I need to wait for them to return too.”
He settled down once more. After who knew how long, all the pills were completely digested and converted. Pulses of spiritual qi rampaged through Li Qingshan’s body. If his body had not been tough enough, just this power alone would have been enough to blast him to pieces.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core revolved rapidly. It turned into a huge vortex above his sea of qi, sweeping up the spiritual qi and absorbing it strand by strand into the vortex.
The spiritual qi decreased while the spirit turtle’s daemon core became brighter and brighter. When it absorbed the final strand of spiritual qi, the daemon core had already become so bright that it was like a blue sun, shining with unprecedented luminance.
The light was powerful but not dazzling. It was filled with an aura of peace, as if it could remain without moving for millennia on end.
Li Qingshan shuddered in the cave. His red hair danced like fire as blue light that was like water ripples filled the entire cavern. Tremendous daemon qi rose up.
Xiao An stowed away the prayer bead she had finished forging and turned around. The slumbering Milliped had woken up too.
According to human standards, the tiger demon and ox demon were cultivation methods for the body, while the spirit turtle was for qi. It was the true basis of Li Qingshan’s cultivation as a daemon.
The daemon core bobbed up and down in the sea of qi. Suddenly, a series of fractures appeared on the surface as a cracking sound rang out. Then, it burst apart loudly, kicking up huge waves and making the sea of qi toss and turn.
Li Qingshan peered into his body, and he discovered the perfectly-round daemon core had actually turned into the shape of a turtle’s shell. The top swelled towards the heavens, while the bottom was flat like the ground. The back of the spiritual turtle rose and fell like hills; it was layered in profound inscriptions of all kinds of colour, constantly at work.
There seemed to be something trying to break through the shell.
Suddenly, he understood. They were the spirit turtle’s head, tail, and limbs. However, due to his insufficient cultivation, it was still a blur within the shell. It had yet to condense into its actual form.
However, even with that being the case, his daemon qi had reached an unprecedented peak.
His senses became several times stronger. The world was now vastly different in his eyes.
Tremendous amounts of disorderly, unorganised information rushed into his head. He did not know what it meant, but they seemed to give an indication for the variations in omens and the fluctuations of fate.
Xiao An had once described what she felt when she performed divination. He understood he was currently in that state.
Another world seemed to exist within the everchanging kaleidoscope, a profound world that regular cultivators struggled to come in contact with.
Spirit turtles foretold the good and bad and understood the omens with utmost confidence.
Emerging from this state, Li Qingshan suddenly became convinced that Wang Pushi was calling him back so urgently exactly because of the three elders.
His certainty was completely groundless, but it was unwavering.
Li Qingshan smiled. Finally, he had taken another step forward!
“It’s master’s daemon qi.” Ye Liubo beamed.
Ye Liusu found it slightly strange. Why had he returned before them instead? However, she did not think too much about it with everything he was capable of. She eased up for some reason and sped up.
“Master!” Ye Liubo flew into Li Qingshan’s arms. Li Qingshan patted her back. “You’ve returned.”
Originally, Ye Liubo wanted to give him a deep kiss, but when she was met with his clear, unwavering eyes, she became afraid to do anything for some reason. She just remained in his arms obediently.
Ye Liusu was much more sensitive. She could feel that some of Li Qingshan’s violence and restlessness had vanished, now replaced by maturity and wisdom. She seemed to feel much less pressured by him too. However, he only seemed even more unreadable and powerful. Afraid to come off as rude, she also said,
“Master… Bloodshadow…”
“I’ve shaken him off. I don’t have any time to waste on him. Oh right, I need to go out and complete the mission the Spider Queen gave me. You’ll still be in charge of this territory, great king Ye Liusu. Don’t let anyone disturb Milliped’s cultivation, uhh, rest.”
“What? No! It’s too dangerous above ground!” Ye Liubo paled in fright. Above ground was a world filled with human cultivators. It was a place filled with murderousness in her eyes, extremely dangerous. She treated it just like how the cultivators above ground treated the underground world.
“I have my plans. Alright, here’s your hundred treasures pouch that I promised.” Li Qingshan took out a hundred treasures pouch, not too big or small, and passed it to Ye Liubo.
“Thank you, master, but…”
“No buts!”
“Yes,” Ye Liubo replied pitifully.
“You’re welcome to try out this pill. It might allow you to undergo the heavenly tribulation.” Li Qingshan took out a True Spirit pill from his hundred treasures pouch and placed it in Ye Liubo’s palm. Although he had no idea just how effective pills refined by humans would be on Night Roaming folk, they were still technically “people” after all, so it should have some effect.
Apart from increasing his cultivation, he could not go without a few capable subordinates either. The mirror clone was nice, but it could not cover every aspect he required. If Ye Liubo could undergo the heavenly tribulation, then she could take care of the trade underground. He would not have to worry about it himself.
Ye Liusu’s gaze was drawn away by the True Spirit pill’s lustre. She was amazed. There’s actually such a wondrous pill in the world!
Ye Liubo had already become touched to the bottom of her heart. She could understand the value of the pill even if no one told her.
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingshan saw the rims of Ye Liubo’s eyes redden. He was rather surprised.
“No one has ever treated me so nicely in my entire life. I won’t let you down, master!”
Li Qingshan became rather embarrassed. Most of the time, the main thing he considered were still his own interests and benefits. Though, there were no relationships in the world that completely neglected personal interest after all. Even if they did exist, they were fragile.
People would be bound to one another because of each other’s needs, and they would abandon this tie when there was no need to maintain it anymore. This had always been how the world worked.
He did not want to be a master who only considered for his servants, but a master trusted and required by his servants. As a result, he accepted her loyalty calmly.
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Chapter 382 – Meeting Niu Juxia Again?
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Chapter 382 – Meeting Niu Juxia Again?
Taken away by her emotions, Ye Liubo tried to kiss him again, but Li Qingshan blocked her with his hand. He smiled. “It’ll be up to your performance then.”
Xiao An was currently staring at them in great interest. He could not lead children astray after all.
Returning to the surface, the sunlight was blinding.
“Xiao An, how did your forging go?”
“I only forged a single prayer bead.” Xiao An counted the five prayer beads in the centre of her hand.
“That’s fine. Take it slowly.”
Li Qingshan rubbed her long, seaweed-like hair. Xiao An raised her head, and her dark pupils reflected his ordinary appearance.
Li Qingshan rubbed his cheek. Ah, the life of a handsome man is no different from dreaming!
“Where have you been during this time? What were you doing?”
On the highest floor in the Hawkwolf Guard of Clear River city, the floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the entire room with sunlight, but Wang Pushi, who sat in the high-back chair, remained as cold-faced and stern as ever. He studied Li Qingshan before him. He was unable to imagine what extraordinary aspect of him could earn him such a special appraisal from Gu Yanying.
Because he was a genius? She had seen even more geniuses like this than stray mutts on the streets. This might have been possible with Xiao An, but not him. Though, he did indeed grow by quite a lot in just two years. Just by standing there, he actually possessed an indescribable sense of level-headedness and calmness.
“Completing missions obviously,” Li Qingshan said it like it was as clear as day.
“And these are all the missions you completed?” Wang Pushi patted the thin stack of mission documents on his desk.
Li Qingshan originally planned on finishing off all the missions he had accepted after dealing with the matters underground, but he had been summoned back in such a hurry, so he had obviously completed very few missions.
“I was collecting material too.” Li Qingshan had a moment of inspiration.
“Collecting material?”
“I’m a novelist after all.” Li Qingshan stared straight ahead sternly.
“Fuck your novels! You’re a Hawkwolf guard!”
“Commander, even you can’t look down on the school of Novels! Heh!” Li Qingshan had remembered the shoddy excuse Liu Chuanfeng had used the first time he met him.
“What’re you laughing about? Right now, I don’t care which school you’re from. Go complete this mission for me.” Wang Pushi took out the documents for a mission from his drawer and tossed it onto the table before Li Qingshan.
“The Green Vine mountain under attack”, “Two sect masters slain” and “Revenge from an underground daemon” leapt out at him immediately, catching Li Qingshan’s attention.
Just as he had expected!
He flipped through it page by page; the document contained an extremely detailed introduction to everything that had to do with the incident. When he reached the last page, it was the painting that Chu Danqing had drawn, and it sucked away all his attention immediately.
“That’s right. The one behind this case is this daemon. It’s a Daemon General, and it should have undergone the heavenly tribulation recently. According to the analysis, it might not have transformed from a regular beast. It’s very likely to be a hybrid offspring of powerful daemons.” Wang Pushi noticed Li Qingshan’s unnatural expression, but he misunderstood Li Qingshan’s thoughts.
Heh, I sure am fucking handsome!
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips twitched as he held back his smile. He said sternly, “I can’t handle such a powerful daemon with my cultivation. Why do you say it’s a hybrid offspring?”
“Just from some investigations. Little Hua had once seen his true form, and he put it in the records. His true form possesses the horns of an ox and the tail of a tiger, and it’s basically humanoid as well. It’s very likely to be the offspring of an ox and tiger daemon.”
What an exceptional analysis! Li Qingshan clapped inside. Afterwards, he shoved the documents into his hundred treasures pouch. He was investigating his own murderer case. It felt like a detective show. Would the police be revealed as the actual murderer in the end?
“Yes, sir. I’ll go immediately.”
“Hold on!” Wang Pushi leaned back in his chair, but he suddenly remembered what Gu Yanying had asked him for, so he stopped Li Qingshan. “Don’t forget to write a report.”
“A report? Why do I have to write a report?” Li Qingshan looked back in surprise.
“It’s an investigation mission, not a holiday, so of course you have to write a report.”
“Alright, understood.” Li Qingshan had no other choice but to accept that. He could just write something half-assed and pass it off as completed when the time came.
“Include your own thoughts. Make sure it’s no less than ten thousand characters!” Wang Pushi added. Since Gu Yanying had asked for this, it had to be completed with one hundred percent effort even if he had no idea what she was getting at.
It was not like he had to complete the mission anyway.
Bang! Li Qingshan turned around with a flash and slammed the desk. “Commander Wang, you’re not joking with me, are you? What kind of report needs to be so long?!”
“You’re a novelist, aren’t you?”
“Uhh… so what if I am?”
“If you are, then piss off and get writing! I won’t spare you even if you’re off by a single character!” Wang Pushi surged with coldness.
Bang! Li Qingshan slammed into the wall in the corridor, and the door closed in front of him.
Li Qingshan exhaled. Novelists are still people. Are you trying to kill me by getting me to write ten thousand characters?
At this moment, two familiar figures appeared in front of Li Qingshan, staring at him in surprise.
“You’re… Diao Fei, and great hero Yu!” Li Qingshan blinked his eyes and saw them clearly. They were actually two acquaintances he had not seen in quite some time.
“Q- Qingshan, I was ordered to go on the investigation with you.” As the first senior brother of Green Vine mountain, Diao Fei would obviously be involved in this case.
“Really? You’ve already become a Scarlet Wolf guard. Congratulations, congratulations.” Li Qingshan noticed Diao Fei’s uniform.
“I’m the one who should be congratulating you. You’re at the eighth layer. How the hell did you cultivate?” Diao Fei was filled with disbelief. Back then on the ship, Li Qingshan was just at the first layer, an insignificant little Qi Practitioner, yet he had undergone such great changes in just a few years.
“I just cultivated every now and then. Oh right, I’ll leave the report up to you then.” Li Qingshan smiled resplendently and wrapped his hand around Diao Fei’s neck, behaving like they knew each other very well.
“Apologies. I really do want to help you, but commander Wang specially said that only you can write this report. No one else is allowed to lend a hand,” Diao Fei said unnaturally. Although he felt that Li Qingshan was much more mellow compared to the past, his impression of the past was just too deep. He could not afford to be associated with a vicious tiger!
“Fine then!” The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips twitched, and he released Diao Fei. “Great hero Yu, what brought you here too? Oh right, you weren’t injured on Green Vine mountain, right?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. It has been two years, and you’ve already become an adult. I’ve come to seek shelter under… Zijian. You still remember that girl, right?” Yu Shukuang glanced at Diao Fei from the corner of his eyes.
“Of course I do. She’s a genius of our academy. It’s just a pity that you’re too old, so you can’t join the academy. But that’s fine. You can still cultivate in Clear River city. If you need my help, just let me know.”
“Thank you, but I need to return to Green Vine mountain now.” Yu Shukuang beamed. He really had not forgotten about his past acquaintances. However, Yu Shukuang then became helpless.
“It’ll be dangerous!”
“The sect master has already sent out an order, summoning all of us disciples back. If we don’t go back, we’ll be labeled as deserters!”
“You mean the Green Vine Elder has returned to Green Vine mountain?” Li Qingshan’s eyes flickered slightly as he asked slowly.
“Yeah,” Yu Shukuang lowered his head and let out a sigh.
Diao Fei suddenly shuddered. In that instant, he felt like he was beneath the claws of a tiger, making him shiver.
However, the feeling only lasted for an instant. He returned to his senses and heard Li Qingshan laugh. “Looks like I have plenty to write for my report.”
Was it a false impression?
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan yawned and stretched. This old man really isn’t taking me seriously!
But that works too!
In the hall below, Xiao An sat on the resting bench provided and waited for Li Qingshan while leaning against her hands and swinging her feet around. Suddenly, her ear twitched, and she heard a voice. She found it to be slightly familiar before immediately recalling the person’s name and appearance.
“Zijian, it’s best if you stay here. Green Vine mountain is just too dangerous. The daemon might end up returning. You haven’t seen them before, so you don’t know the terrors of daemons.” Yu Lian did his best to convince her.
“How wouldn’t I know about the terrors of daemons? It’s actually because it’s dangerous that I have to go with you and take a look. I’ve already made up my mind. You can’t change it.” Yu Zijian frowned slightly as she stood firm.
It had been two years. She also wanted to go back and take a look.
Unable to stop her, all Yu Lian could do was let out a sigh. His gaze drifted through the hall aimlessly, brushing past a tiny figure quickly.
Hmm?
Yu Lian pulled his gaze back, landing on Xiao An’s face in the end. He did not possess the same, powerful memory as Xiao An, but Xiao An had given him an impression deep enough for him to remember her. He could not help but walk over. “You’re… that…”
“First senior sister, you’re here too! Senior brother, you know each other?” Although she never had any contact with Xiao An, she was not entirely unfamiliar with her. As the greatest genius of the academy, Xiao An’s name had rung constantly through Yu Zijian’s ears. She was the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, so she obviously deserved to be referred to as first senior sister.
“First senior sister? The tenth layer!?” Yu Lian was stunned at first before becoming stunned again. The aura she gave off had clearly reached the peak of Qi Practitioners, the tenth layer. If it were not for how special she was, he probably would have suspected he had mistaken her for someone else.
Yu Lian crouched down. “Do you still remember me? I’m Yu Lian! Where’s Niu Juxia? He’s not with you?”
“I do know him. You delivered food.”
“You can speak now! That’s fantastic! Ouch, what are you doing, Zijian?”
Yu Lian was overcome with excitement, but he felt his wrist tighten. Turning around, he saw that Yu Zijian’s expression had changed. She became extremely serious.
“Senior brother, you said Niu Juxia?”
“She’s that child who accompanied Niu Juxia that I told you about. She was very pretty, but unable to speak. She can speak now though. Oh right, why are you here? Have you really reached the tenth layer?”
Yu Zijian let go of Yu Lian’s hand. Her head immediately sunk into a mess as various thoughts flashed past. There seemed to be something extremely important drifting around, but it was just outside of her grasp.
“Xiao An, time to go!”
At this moment, the three of them climbed down the stairs. Li Qingshan called for Xiao An from afar, and she leapt off the bench, running over and grabbingLi Qingshan’s hand.
Li Qingshan glanced at Yu Zijian before waving his hand and summoning a cloud. After becoming a Daemon General and reaching the third layer of the spirit turtle, he could use techniques of the water element as easily as blinking. The cloud he had summoned was both large and perfect, such that he even needed to hold himself back a little.
Yu Shukuang spotted Yu Zijian standing still right there. He thought Yu Lian had already managed to convince her otherwise, so he signaled to Yu Lian. Yu Lian was at quite a loss, but he did not have the time to think too deeply about it.
They boarded the cloud and were just about to take off.
A flash filled her head, connecting all the dots. Yu Zijian suddenly turned around and yelled loudly at Li Qingshan’s back,
“Niu Juxia!”
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Chapter 383 – Climbing up the Green Vine Mountain Again
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Chapter 383 – Climbing up the Green Vine Mountain Again
Yu Shukuang was alarmed and stared at Li Qingshan. Yu Lian happened to be wondering why Xiao An was with Li Qingshan, and he seemed to come to a realisation at this moment. Only Diao Fei was left at a loss.
“What’re you calling out for? You want to come along?” Li Qingshan turned around slowly. He spoke calmly, and his expression was natural. Having undergone the baptism of dual identities, he had become quite the actor. He would not give himself away just because a girl had called him out like this.
“You…” Yu Zijian stared at Li Qingshan as she walked over. She became uncertain once again.
“If you’re not coming, then we’re leaving.” Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief inside. As it seemed, she was not particularly certain.
“I’ll come.” Yu Zijian leapt onto the cloud. She refused to let this matter go. She sat down beside Li Qingshan and continued staring at him closely, like a swordsman constantly searching for openings in their opponent.
Yu Shukuang shot Yu Lian a furious glance, and Yu Lian lowered his head.
The cloud shot off, and both hair and clothes ruffled in the wind. The Clear River city became a tiny speck in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the horizon.
“Great hero Yu, has your daughter taken a liking to me?” Li Qingshan became unnatural from how Yu Zijian stared at him.
“Zijian, don’t be rude!” Yu Shukuang scolded.
“Father, tell me…” Yu Zijian pointed at Li Qingshan.
“Tell you what?” Yu Shukuang furrowed his brows in a very serious manner.
The main hall towered on the top of the Green Vine mountain. It had actually been repaired completely through some unknown method, now exactly the same as before.
“Fellow Fu, the Sword Collection palace truly lives up to its name with its infinite power and miraculous abilities.” The Green Vine Elder’s eyes shone brightly through the tangled beard on his face. He seemed very much like a hermit of great influence and renown, but his eyes were filled with reverence as he stared at the young man in front of him. As a matter of fact, he even seemed a little like he was trying to flatter him.
“All structures, no matter how magnificent, cannot avoid the fate of being reduced to ruins.” Fu Qingjin paced around the hall, as if he had not heard the Green Vine Elder at all. He was filled with melancholy as he said that to himself.
His condescending behaviour and pessimistic view made the Green Vine Elder frown. He ended up asking politely, “Will that daemon really come again?”
“He will. All daemons are creatures of arrogance, while he is the arrogant among the arrogant.”
A light flashed through Fu Qingjin’s eyes. The momentary sharpness gave the Green Vine Elder chills, but he also eased up slightly at the same time.
“You have a guest.” Becoming melancholic and exhausted again, Fu Qingjin’s figure gradually vanished, stepping into the sky.
“Sect master, senior brother Diao and senior brother Yu have returned. A Hawkwolf guard has come with them too. He says he has come to investigate the deaths of the two elders.” At this moment, a disciple rushed in and reported in a hurry.
The Green Vine Elder beamed at first before frowning again. The Hawkwolf Guard?
When Li Qingshan stepped onto the terrace and gazed at the majestic hall he had destroyed with his two hands, he became slightly astounded. He found this to be interesting before continuing forwards.
“I am a Scarlet Wolf guard of the Clear River prefecture, Li Qingshan. I’ve come to investigate under commander Wang Pushi’s orders. I hope sect master Green Vine can cooperate with me.” Li Qingshan bowed politely after entering the hall before studying this old enemy of his again.
“Where’s your commander Hua?”
The Green Vine Elder saw that Li Qingshan was just an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, so he became rather unwilling to put up with him. He felt like the Hawkwolf Guard’s negligence of this matter was as clear as day simply by looking at who they had sent. He could only rely on the Daemon Suppression alliance now if he wanted revenge. After all, even Gu Yanying was half a daemon.
“Our commander Hua is currently in secluded cultivation.”
“Then you can go. You can go back and tell your commander Wang that our Daemon Suppression alliance will never spare this daemon.” The Green Vine Elder waved his hand around like he was shooing away a fly. He would be stooping to a lower level all for nothing if he spoke with someone as insignificant as him.
“I’ve only come to investigate. Something like that is beyond my responsibilities. Please cooperate with me, sect master. The Hawkwolf Guard will do its best to get to the bottom of this,” Li Qingshan said proudly, completely ignoring the glances from Diao Fei and Yu Shukuang from beside him.
“Please see him off!” The Green Vine Elder swung his hand. A Qi Practitioner who had no idea how to respect his seniors like him was even more annoying than a fly. Did he really think he could stand on equal footing to Foundation Establishment cultivators just because he was a Hawkwolf guard?
Yu Shukuang stood up and accompanied Li Qingshan to the foot of the mountain. He grumbled, “Qingshan, you should have been more polite with the sect master. He might have been willing to tell you something.”
“I’ve come as a representative of the Hawkwolf Guard. Your sect master finds my cultivation to be low, so he belittles me, but I’m not going to belittle myself. None of this is too important anyway. Tell me, what’s going on with Zijian?”
Yu Zijian was currently strolling around the mountain in boredom. She was neither a disciple of the Green Vine mountain, nor was she a Hawkwolf guard, so she had no right to seek an audience with the Green Vine Elder. All she could think about what was going on with Niu Juxia. She held a flower in her hand, plucking off the petals one by one.
“He is. He isn’t. He is. He isn’t…”
Clang!
The thrum of a sword interrupted her thoughts.
Yu Zijian suddenly looked back. She followed the path and entered the forest.
In a series of ruins, Fu Qingjin fished with his sword. He looked back and smiled. “You’re here.”
“It’s you. Why have you come again?”
“I feel like I’m not very welcome.” Sunlight filled the pavilion as Fu Qingjin smiled slightly, radiating with grace and ease.
“I’m going.” Yu Zijian glanced at the Green Ruins sword.
“Hmm?”
“It’s not very appropriate for a man and woman to be alone.” Yu Zijian turned around and swung her hands, leaving quickly. She knew he would try to convince her to go to the Sword Collection palace or something along those lines if she remained.
“Master has been very good to me. He said he would accept me as a formal disciple once I go through the heavenly tribulation. I’m never going to the Sword Collection palace.” All of her ties were here, her father, her master, her senior brother, her fellow disciples of the school of Daoism, and Niu Juxia. Before she had gotten to the bottom of all this, how could she leave?
Fu Qingjin was taken aback for quite a while. He was almost tempted to trap her there so he could speak to her a little more. He let out a long sigh. “Is the time still not right?”
Emerging from the Green Ruins illusion, Yu Zijian lifted up her flower again and was just about to continue plucking petals. “Oh no, what was I up to just then?”
“If that’s the case, I don’t have to worry.”
Yu Shukuang patted his chest, guaranteeing that he would take care of everything and that Li Qingshan had nothing to worry about.
“Oh right, you’re acting like you don’t want Zijian to know. Are you looking down on me?” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow.
“How can you say that…” Yu Shukuang immediately behaved like he had been wrongly accused of a tremendous crime, but he wiped his brow inside. Li Qingshan seemed like a very reasonable person, but he definitely was not a good or honest person. He was someone who could be truly cruel.
“Alright, alright. I’m just kidding with you. You don’t have to be so nervous. I’m going to go. Oh right, if things aren’t going well on the Green Vine mountain, feel free to come to Clear River city to seek shelter under me.” Li Qingshan patted Yu Shukuang’s shoulder with a smile and signalled at Xiao An, who was waiting at the bottom of the mountain. He took off on a cloud.
“Is it a trap?” Xiao An asked.
“Most likely. The old bastard is far too composed.”
“Are you still going to go?”
“Of course. I need to see what kind of trap it is at the very least.” Li Qingshan smiled. If the trap was too simple, it might end up being ripped to shreds by the wild beast.
The cloud turned towards a lake. Deep within the mountains and forests, there was no one around at all. Li Qingshan flattened all the ripples from the lake such that its surface became like a mirror, a perfect reflection of the sky.
Li Qingshan stood in the centre of the lake as his red hair danced.
“Watermirror’s Image!”
Ripples appeared, and the water became agitated, remaining like that for quite a while.
A hand extended out from the centre of the ripples, pushing off the surface of the water and leaping up. Scarlet eyes shone like fire, and the red hair danced around. He was even stronger and more nimble than the past.
After reaching the third layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, his daemon core had turned into a turtle shell, and Li Qingshan’s daemon qi had become even more powerful. Following this, the power of his Watermirror’s Image had become greater. It was almost twice as strong as the mirror clone from before.
Otherwise, with his original mirror clone, it probably would not even have been enough to deal with the Green Vine Elder, so there would be no point in investigating at all.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, surrounded by many stars.
The security on the Green Vine mountain was lax. Only a single protective formation operated constantly, such that even Hua Chengzan had managed to infiltrate this place in the past, let alone a Daemon General. All of this basically pointed to something being amiss.
Two patrolling disciples discussed quietly,
“Senior brother, has third senior brother and the others returned?”
“They haven’t. They’re probably going to be labelled as deserters. The daemon is far too scary.”
“If you’re so afraid, why’d you return? Are you afraid of being hunted down by the sect? Don’t tell me you’re taking the master-disciple relationship seriously!”
“What would you know? I’m not afraid of being hunted down by the sect at all. It’s just far too difficult being an independent cultivator. Even master is brave enough to return, so why wouldn’t I be too?”
At this moment, a figure emerged from behind a tree and appeared on the mountain path.
“Who is it!?” “Senior brother, I- I think that’s daemon qi!” “Oh no, it’s a daemon!”
They finally made out the person using the moonlight. They did not see a pair of sharp horns on his head, nor did they see an ice blade in his hand. They did not take note of any special features. They only saw a pair of scarlet eyes flickering in the darkness, giving them an impression even deeper than the moon and stars.
Li Qingshan did not disguise himself at all, whether it was his daemon qi or figure. He just walked up the mountain like that.
The two disciples stood on the path and stared at him as he walked over towards them. Even their courage to flee or to seek help had collapsed. They felt like they were watching a mountain collapse on them.
“Excuse me,” Li Qingshan said softly after arriving in front of them.
Only then did the two of them return to their senses. They scampered out of the way, just watching helplessly as Li Qingshan continued his way up. They glanced at each other before rushing down the mountain together.
The Green Vine mountain was just too dangerous. They would never return, even if their lives depended on it!
In the main hall, the Green Vine Elder snapped open his eyes, which shined in the darkness and flickered with unease. He only settled down after looking around.
Li Qingshan had only just reached the mountainside when all the disciples had already become alarmed.
Diao Fei was covered in cold sweat as he forcefully composed himself, barely able to rile together all the disciples. Since the sect master had not fled, he could not flee. However, all he was bold enough to do was watch from afar as Li Qingshan made his way to the mountain top.
“Green Vine you old bastard, today is the day you die!”
Li Qingshan’s lips curled into a smile, revealing his long teeth as he called out. It boomed through the clouds as daemon qi surged into the air, making the entire mountain shake.
“How dare you, wretched daemon! You’ve killed my fellow cultivators, and you’ve insulted my sect. Today, I will make you witness my power!” The Green Vine Elder responded in a similarly loud manner. “All disciples of the Green Vine mountain, disperse into the distance. There is no need for you to interfere. Watch as I slay a daemon!”
In the hall, two voices conversed.
“Is it his real body?”
“From the daemon qi, I think so?”
With a swing of the ice blade, Li Qingshan pointed it at the ground and climbed up several hundred stairs with a single step, causing three long, red and blue streaks to tail behind him. He arrived on the peak in a flash and shattered the ground. His blade rose up, pointing towards the sky.
A blade of light whistled through the air, illuminating the gloomy hall and the Green Vine Elder’s sunken face.
PS: Mental illness taking a turn for the better…
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Chapter 384 – Seeing Fu Qingjin Again
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Chapter 384 – Seeing Fu Qingjin Again
“Wretched daemon, today is actually the day you die!”
The Green Vine staff pointed down, shattering the attack.
“Greenwood as a Dragon, the Dragon Battles in the Wilderness!”
The Green Vine Elder slammed his hand and stood up. He erupted with green light that extended and swelled around him, turning him into a green dragon complete with horns and scales. The dragon’s roars boomed as it soared out of the main hall.
A bolt of lightning shot across the sky, and a great, black curtain had already pulled over the starry night sky at a certain moment. Rain crashed down as the wild gales swept through the surroundings.
A dragon moved through the world, accompanied with rain and wind.
The green dragon stared down from above, shining with green light. It brandished its claws and fangs, scattering Li Qingshan’s daemon qi. It was imposing, just like a real god.
“An arcane artifact!”
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. Only arcane artifacts possessed such power. The essence of greenwood lay in the east. Upon being condensed to the limit, it could transform into a dragon. This was not just the power of an arcane artifact, but the materialisation of the Green Vine Elder’s entire life of cultivation.
TL: 青 is primarily used as a colour, ranging from green to blue, but it can also represent east and wood, as seen in the example here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_direction#Examples
Li Qingshan’s vision darkened. Under the roaring surge of the dragon, it seemed like rolling, green waves, sweeping up the clouds and rain in an unstoppable manner.
“Die, wretched daemon!”
Boom!
Millions of rain droplets shot off in all directions, piercing countless trees and branches.
Li Qingshan gave up on his blade and directly used his fist, smashing it against the top of the green dragon’s head! Power surged through his entire body through his feet, but even with that, he still struggled against the dragon slightly. He was pushed down the mountain, leaving behind two deep trails with his feet.
Li Qingshan stopped looking down on him. He really was the leader of the three elders, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had cultivated for centuries. When he used his ultimate technique, its power really was something else. Li Qingshan grinned through his teeth,
“If you hadn’t played dead that day, it actually wouldn’t have been so easy for me to kill them if the three of your worked together!”
“Shut up, wretched daemon! The Green Dragon Slays the Daemon!” The Green Vine Elder was driven mad from anger. He had completely lost his composure. He unfurled his arms and green light flowed out of them like a flood.
The green dragon shone brightly. It coiled over, entangling with Li Qingshan while digging its four dragon claws deeply into the ground. Thousands of vines sprouted from its body, anchoring deeply into the mountain. Even with Li Qingshan’s startling physical strength, he struggled to unleash it. The dragon wanted to rip Li Qingshan apart then and there.
Boom! There was another clap of thunder in the air, but it was unable to drown out Li Qingshan bellow, “Tremor!”
The shockwaves expanded, kicking up visible ripples on the green dragon and making it growl.
The disciples who watched on from afar all felt themselves shake. Looking over, the Green Vine mountain was actually shaking slightly, as if it was trembling before the great power of the daemon.
Li Qingshan shook off the dragon before rushing into the air.
But just a few seconds later, another dragon’s roar rang out, rising up from below his feet. The green dragon coiled up and pursued him once more, completely unscathed. It opened its mouth and unleashed a great blast.
Li Qingshan frowned and used the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. The green light suddenly turned into thousands of vines after arriving near him, entangling him and pulling him down; it was like a frog preying on an insect, extending its tongue.
With a flash of his blade, Li Qingshan cut through the tongue, but even more vines immediately extended over, like an endless, green tidal wave.
He swung the ice blade madly like a sharp wheel that spun at high speeds, tearing through wave after wave, but it was endless.
He wants to waste away my strength! I need to get the person behind all of this! Li Qingshan guessed the Green Vine Elder’s plan. Taking in a deep breath, he shot towards the green dragon and let out a great roar.
The Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar!
Wild winds surged as the thunder became negligible.
A black pillar of wind spun rapidly, rushing into the green dragon’s mouth and immediately expanding to twice its size. Thousands of wind blades cut through the green dragon, tearing its body to pieces.
At the same time, a pair of half-transparent wings of wind unfurled on Li Qingshan’s back. With a flap, he vanished from the sky.
In the next moment, he appeared in the main hall, wielding his blade with both hands above the Green Vine Elder’s head and swinging down!
The second innate ability of the tiger demon—Like Giving Wings to a Tiger!
Using the wild wind as wings, he reined in the fierce gales and soared through the sky.
Li Qingshan’s scarlet hair danced like fire as his pupils had constricted to the size of needles. Murderousness surged out, which he channeled into his blade. I don’t care what your trap is. As long as I cut you down, all of it is futile!
“Die!”
“Talisman Formation of Protection!”
The Green Vine Elder was surprised, but not flustered. With a great swing of his hand, seven talismans lined up in a single row, shining brightly and turning into seven layers of light.
One layer, two layers, three layers! The ice blade cut through three layers of light easily before slowing down drastically. The swing rang out of power.
“You wretched daemon!” The Green Vine Elder stared at Li Qingshan in hatred and fear. His hands formed several seals consecutively, and the green dragon that had been ripped apart outside the hall actually reassembled, flying towards the hall.
“You just keep pulling tricks from your sleeves, don’t you?” Li Qingshan made up his mind. Ignoring the threatening green dragon from behind, he released the power of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and the wings of wind. He roared out as he channelled all of his daemon qi, power, and killing intent into the blade.
Four layers, five layers, six layers! The layers of light were cut through one by one, such that only one thin layer remained.
The Green Vine Elder immediately recalled the cold feeling of being cut through by the blade last time. He did not want to experience it a second time. He summoned the green dragon desperately, which rammed into Li Qingshan’s back heavily.
Bang! There was a grunt, followed by the faint cracking of bones.
“Thank you!” Li Qingshan spurted with blood. Completely ignoring his wounds, he used the force to swing down harder.
The last layer of light shattered!
“Save me, sir!” The Green Vine Elder cried out. If he lost his head, even he could not recover.
The main hall that stood still even within the storm twisted, changed, and vanished. It was actually just an illusion.
A green sword appeared out of nowhere. Green light flowed through its edge, slowly drawing an arc before returning to its sheathe, like it was all just a dream.
The shattered blade spiraled into the air and planted into the ground.
A thin, red mark appeared on Li Qingshan’s throat. He remained calm, glancing at the broken blade in his hand before glancing at Fu Qingjin beside him. Only then did he radiate with chilling anger.
So this was the true form of the trap—Fu Qingjin!
“You wretched daemon! You’ll suffer a horrible death now!” The Green Vine Elder was overjoyed, like a great burden had just been lifted from his shoulders, but he still felt slightly uneasy for some reason. He had a feeling that Li Qingshan was not as powerful or terrifying as last time. Looking at Li Qingshan’s calm expression, his unease intensified.
No, impossible!
“I hope you can keep protecting him. There will be a day when I personally cut him down, when I personally cut you down. Oh right, my name’s Northmoon.” Li Qingshan straightened himself out, and he gradually faded away.
“He’s just a clone?” Luminescence flowed through Fu Qingjin’s eyes. If just a clone possessed so much strength, it truly would be startling. He could vaguely sense that failing to kill him last time might have been a very great mistake.
On the distant lake, Li Qingshan opened his eyes as he sat on the surface of the water. He rubbed his neck subconsciously.
“How’d it go?” Xiao An asked.
“I almost killed that old bastard, but someone interfered in the end, and the clone died. He’s also an old friend, by the name of Fu Qingjin.” Li Qingshan’s eyes shone with cold light. He was the one who had lured out Milliped and forced Milliped into blowing up his daemon core. His grievances with him ran even deeper than his grievances with the three elders.
If he worked with Xiao An and climbed up the Green Vine mountain again, could they kill him?
“Do you want to do it?” Xiao An’s eyes flashed with firelight.
“No. The sword is just too sharp. Probably even the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell can’t block a few strokes from it. He probably didn’t fight seriously last time.”
Li Qingshan was interested, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head in the end. From their clash this time, he had gained a deeper understanding of Fu Qingjin’s strength instead. He was powerful as a person, and his sword was even more powerful. If they merged as one, he could unleash extraordinarily terrifying power.
The sword might have already surpassed the level of arcane artifacts and reached the level of arcane treasures. He had to properly investigate the Ten Renowned Swords of the Sword Collection palace once he got back.
When he was struck by the sword, Li Qingshan felt like not even a tenth of the sword’s power had been unleashed.
Originally, it should have been completely impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to wield an arcane treasure. However, this impossibility became a possibility with the Sword Collection palace’s cultivation methods and legacies.
During those two years, Li Qingshan was not the only one improving. Fu Qingjin, a great genius who wielded a renowned sword, was improving too, at a similarly startling rate. The more he coalesced with the Green Ruins sword, the more powerful he would become.
“Fair enough. We can take him on once I refine a string of Skull Prayer Beads.”
Xiao An expressed her agreement. Li Qingshan was still a slight bit away from reaching the third layer of the tiger demon. By then, both of them would take a step forward with their strength.
“It’s best if you refine your bone sword too. Regular weapons won’t be enough when you clash with him. I also need to get my hands on a suitable weapon.”
The ice blade forged from the Whale’s Ingestion of Water was just barely satisfactory. Neither its toughness nor sharpness was even close to what Li Qingshan required. It was fine against weaker opponents, but against an opponent like Fu Qingjin, who was already extremely strong even without a weapon, he would suffer far too great of an disadvantage.
However, Li Qingshan was still in a good mood. Through this process, he had verified that he was not a lamb to the slaughter like before at the very least. Even if there was nothing he could do about Fu Qingjin right now, there was nothing Fu Qingjin could do about him either.
“Fuck it. It’s not like I have anything better to do. I’ll send my clone every day to try to assassinate him. I’d like to see just how many times you’ll be able to protect that old bastard!”
Xiao An smiled.
“Fellow Fu, how is this going to work out? If that wretched daemon sends his clone over daily to assassinate me, what am I supposed to do?” The Green Vine Elder was filled with worry. He truly lived up to his title as the wisest among the three elders. He immediately thought of this.
“I’ll help you set up a Duality Formation of Disintegration on your Green Vine mountain. If a Daemon General becomes trapped in it, all that’ll await it is death. You don’t have to worry.”
“Sigh, looks like that’s all we can do then. Though, if I, a mighty sect master. become so frightened by a Daemon General that I’m afraid to even go out, will I still have any dignity left? Will the Daemon Suppression alliance have any dignity left?”
“The master of the palace has already begun negotiating with the Dragon King of Ink Sea. This matter won’t just end like this. If the Daemon race refuses to explain themselves, then war is all there’ll be.”
The Green Vine Elder thought to himself, Now that’s what you really want. If that really happens, it’ll probably become even more impossible for me to stroll around freely outside the sect.
“Sect master.” Diao Fei presented himself before the Green Vine Elder with the disciples. He did his best to suppress his fear and ignore the mess on top of the Green Vine mountain.
Yu Shukuang was at the very back. He made up his mind. No, I need to find an excuse to leave the Green Vine mountain and seek shelter under Li Qingshan.
“… I feel like that, yep, is very wrong. We should follow the Treaty of Kings. Humans and daemons should cohabit in peace…” Wang Pushi clutched the report in his hand as his brows crumpled into a mess. In the end, he erupted with rage and flung the report of just a few measly pages in front of Li Qingshan.
“What the hell did you write? Why don’t you open your shitty eyes and count for me? Is that ten thousand characters?”
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Chapter 385 – Identity and Suspicion
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Chapter 385 – Identity and Suspicion
Every single character on the report was the size of a cup, and the handwriting was horrid. It all seemed distorted, like homework that a young child had completed mindlessly. The content only seemed to reinforce this.
“It’s very wrong for daemons to kill humans… it’s not like the Green Vine mountain is completely right either. Why do they have to hold that Herb Gathering ceremony or whatever it’s called… Of course, it’s still wrong for daemons to kill humans. They need to be punished…” It was the same few sentences written in different ways, making no clear sense and swaying both ways.
“Commander, it’s not that I don’t want to write it. Sect master Green Vine just won’t cooperate, so I don’t know what to write either. Surely I can’t just make things up!” Li Qingshan laid out his hands and said helplessly.
“I don’t care. You’ll write it even if you have to make it up! Are you the commander or am I the commander?” Wang Pushi brought out his authority as the commander and forced Li Qingshan to yield.
“That’s far too unreasonable of you!”
“Hmph, where’s your arrogance now, kid? Now you understand what more authority means, don’t you?” Wang Pushi sneered.
Li Qingshan was angered too. He slammed the desk. “There was no point in the mission in the first place! What the hell do their deaths have to do with me? It’s not like I know them. The Green Vine Elder doesn’t take me, a puny Qi Practitioner, seriously at all. Where am I supposed to find so many of my own thoughts?!”
Right as the two of them glared at each other angrily, a gentle breeze ruffled their hair. They looked back at the same time. Before they knew it, Gu Yanying was already sitting on the long bench in the corner of the room with one leg on top of the other.
“Commander Gu.” Both of them started explaining at the same time. Wang Pushi hurried over from behind the desk and bowed towards Gu Yanying.
“More authority!” Li Qingshan sighed gently and received a vicious glance from Wang Pushi.
“Little bro Qingshan, do you have any problems with the mission from me?” Gu Yanying arrived in front of the desk in a flash and picked up the thin report.
“Your m- I don’t. I just feel that ten thousand characters is too much.” Li Qingshan was unable to grasp her movements at all. Compared to her, Bloodshadow seemed like he was crawling along the ground. Even if Li Qingshan transformed, he would not be her opponent. And, faced with her mysterious speed, he probably could not even escape.
“Ten thousand characters?” Gu Yanying smiled widely. “Old Wang, you’re abusing your position to resolve personal grievances, aren’t you?”
“I would never. Your mission should have been completed with one hundred percent effort. He has let you and the kindness you’ve shown him down with this half-assed report.” Wang Pushi completely ignored Li Qingshan’s furious glare.
“You returned right after you met the Green Vine Elder?” Gu Yanying asked suddenly. Her gaze became as sharp as a hawk’s, as if she could see through the very minds of people.
“Yes.” Li Qingshan lowered his head, afraid to make eye contact with her just in case he gave himself away.
“Then you missed out on quite the show. The daemon visited the Green Vine mountain again. He almost killed the Green Vine Elder again, but Fu Qingjin interfered.” Gu Yanying leaned against the side of the table and crossed her arms.
“Commander, was the daemon slain?” Wang Pushi asked.
“He wasn’t. All he sent was a clone.”
“Just a clone possesses so much strength!”
“If his original body launched an attack, he might even end up eating Fu Qingjin too!” Gu Yanying glanced at Li Qingshan with a smile.
Li Qingshan listened quietly, but he had a feeling that Gu Yanying’s gaze had been fixed on him. Once upon a time, this had been the attention he could only hope for, but now, he felt very pressured.
Gu Yanying changed the topic. “Little bro Qingshan, tell me, just what is the daemon thinking?”
Li Qingshan said, “He wants to die.”
“Really?”
“He’s basically digging his own grave like this, defying the Treaty of Kings and disturbing the peace right now. Even daemons won’t spare him.” Li Qingshan raised his head and stared into Gu Yanying’s eyes. He could feel that Gu Yanying already knew something, as she had specially demanded for a report—a clear attempt to stir him up.
As a result, he composed himself a little. If it were a blessing, then he would not have to worry about it being a curse. But if it were a curse, it would be inevitable anyway.
Wang Pushi butted in and said, “How can it be that simple, kid? If the Dragon King of Ink Sea would hand over his clansmen so easily, he wouldn’t be one of the Ten Daemon Kings! If this is handled badly, it’ll probably lead to war.”
“The exact reason why I’m here is to handle this. No matter what the daemon is thinking, I hope he can settle down a little,” Gu Yanying said as she made her way out. Li Qingshan’s heart tensed up before he let out a sigh of relief.
However, she ended up stopping and looking back. “Oh right, be sure to rewrite it. Ten thousand characters, without a single character missing.”
Wang Pushi smiled and patted the stunned Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
What does Gu Yanying know? How much does she know? Should I run off and avoid this altogether? Though, it looks like she has no intentions of getting to the bottom of this, so if I just leave like this, that’ll be far too cowardly. It’ll make her laugh at me.
Speaking of which, she’s half a daemon too! Although she’s a little different from a half-daemon like me, she still might find me to be more relatable, right? Not only won’t she harm me, but she’ll even treat me very kindly and generously instead. If it weren’t for the fact that I already have a woman right now, this might have been a good opportunity to get close to her.
Stop dreaming. That woman isn’t some kind of goddess from your dreams. She has absolutely no issue with including the deaths of several tens of thousand of people in her plans. Who do you think you are to her anyway?
On Cloudwisp island, Li Qingshan stared at the verdant bamboo outside the window as his thoughts ran wild. Afterwards, he lowered his head and stared at the white paper on the table. He racked his brains and sighed painfully. “Ten thousand characters!”
Li Qingshan did not end up choosing to leave the academy. No matter what Gu Yanying was thinking, she did not seem to hold any bad intentions. He had a feeling that if she really did decide on dealing with him, he would be doomed even if he fled to the world of daemons.
His human identity brought him far too many benefits. If he abandoned it, his cultivation speed would drop drastically. That would be unforgivable. Even if it came with some risk, he would still maintain his identity without hesitation.
“My dear disciple, are you writing a novel?” Liu Chuanfeng shuffled over and poured him some tea, showing great enthusiasm.
“I’m not.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“This is a report for the Hawkwolf Guard.” Li Qingshan told him the whole story.
“How difficult can that be? I’ll help you out. I’m best at something like this.” Liu Chuanfeng patted his chest.
“Alright then.” Li Qingshan was taken aback.
Liu Chuanfeng immediately sat down. With a splash of ink, the brush took off in his hand. Within two hours, a report of ten thousand characters emerged fresh off the press.
“Here. You just have to copy it out, and you’ll be good.”
“Thank you.” Li Qingshan accepted it and had a read. The content covered a great extent, and the personal arguments went into great detail. With flowery language, it ventured deeply into the meaning behind the Treaty of King’s existence and the conflicting relationship between humans and daemons. Li Qingshan found it to be very inspirational, and he began to admire Liu Chuanfeng a little more too.
“Then, my dear disciple, I want to discuss something with you,” Liu Chuanfeng rubbed his hands and said with embarrassment.
“What’s the matter?”
“Can you lend me some spiritual stones?” Liu Chuanfeng filled up Li Qingshan’s cup again.
“What do you need spiritual stones for? Don’t tell me you’re going to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain again?”
“I’m not. I want to buy a True Spirit pill so that I can establish a foundation.” Liu Chuanfeng had constantly tried to establish a foundation in the past few months, but it never ended in success. The main issue was he was very poor and unable to afford a True Spirit pill. Although he had already restored some of his dignity as the leader of the school of Novels, novels could not turn into spiritual stones unfortunately, which was why he was still very poor and unable to afford True Spirit pills.
The power of belief he had gathered could be used for cultivation, but it was useless for breakthroughs. Just when he was distressed, he saw Li Qingshan return and immediately remembered that this disciple of his seemed to be quite wealthy.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. To think that a mighty school leader would be reduced to such a state one day. He sure was pitiful.
“If you can’t, then just forget about it.” Liu Chuanfeng reddened. Since when did school leaders borrow spiritual stones from their disciples? He had no idea when he would be able to return it either.
“I can’t lend you spiritual stones, but I can lend you two True Spirit pills!” Li Qingshan said after some thought.
“R- really?” Liu Chuanfeng sank into dejection when he heard the first half, but after hearing the whole thing, he actually struggled to believe his ears. Since when did Qi Practitioners who were willing to lend out True Spirit pills exist?
“Of course.” As he said that, Li Qingshan had already taken out two embroidered boxes and placed them on the table.
“A- are you really giving them to me?” Liu Chuanfeng gulped. He opened a box, and sure enough, a True Spirit pill he had been dreaming of for a very long time laid inside, glistening with light in an extremely tempting manner.
“I’m not giving them away. You’ll have to return them in the future.” Li Qingshan reiterated.
“Alright, alright. I’ll definitely return it. I’ll return it before you need them!” Liu Chuanfeng was deeply touched. Although Li Qingshan had never mentioned it, he could imagine just how much effort it had taken for Li Qingshan to obtain these two True Spirit pills to prepare for his breakthrough in the future. Now, he was lending them to him for free without the slightest hesitation, without even writing up a deed. What level of trust was that?
He felt a lump in his throat. He placed his hand on Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Qingshan, to be able to have a disciple like you under me, I truly am the most fortunate master in the world!”
“You don’t have to be like this. If you successfully establish a foundation, the entire school of Novels will benefit. I’ll benefit from your glory too.”
Li Qingshan still had around forty True Spirit pills on him, so lending out two was perfectly fine.
As for Liu Chuanfeng potentially reneging on the debt, he had not even considered it. However, it was not because of his trust in Liu Chuanfeng’s moral character, but because of his trust in his own strength. If he refused to pay it back, he could pay it back with his life instead—You bastard, I helped you out of kindness, yet you actually screwed me over instead! Die!
“Oh right, don’t let anyone else know that they’re from me, or you’ll have to return four pills.” It would be better if fewer people knew he possessed True Spirit pills.
“Alright, I won’t tell anyone!” Liu Chuanfeng’s eye rims had already reddened from emotion as he said with a trembling voice. His dear disciple was clearly trying to keep this a secret so that he, a school leader, would not have to embarrass himself! What care! What consideration!
“Qingshan, I’m going to go!” Liu Chuanfeng said nothing else. He stood up and made his way out. A translucent tear even slid down from the corner of his eyes.
“Do you really have to be so extra?” Li Qingshan muttered to himself as he scratched his head.
“What’s so extra?” A familiar voice rang out from outside the window.
“Qiongzhi!” Li Qingshan looked over, and a familiar face grinned at him from the window. Who else could it be apart from Han Qiongzhi?
“Oi, kid, you haven’t done anything unspeakable behind my back recently, have you? You better come clean. I’ve heard about it all already!” Han Qiongzhi held back her excitement and said with fake seriousness.
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Chapter 386 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (One)
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Chapter 386 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (One)
Li Qingshan directly arrived before the window and wrapped his hand around her waist, lifting her into the room.
“What are you- Hmmph!”
Before Han Qiongzhi had even finished speaking, her mouth was sealed up by his lips. She no longer held herself back either, embracing his wide back and returning the gesture passionately. They collapsed on the ground together and rolled around a few times.
“I missed you so much. Why did it take you so long to emerge? It’s just the tenth layer. You’re so slow!” Li Qingshan leaned on her body and smiled from ear to ear. He kissed her again after that.
“How dare you say that to me? If it weren’t for you, why would I have taken so long in the first place? What’re you stripping for?” Han Qiongzhi rolled over on top of him and pinched his waist viciously.
“It’s all my fault. I’m offering a humble apology by punishing myself right now!” As he said that, Li Qingshan had already taken off his upper garment, revealing his sturdy body. Then he began to undo her waist band.
“Then what’re you stripping me for?” Han Qiongzhi grabbed his hand and shot a glance at him.
“You’ve made me guard an empty nest for so long, so shouldn’t you offer a humble apology too?” Li Qingshan rolled over, now on top of her. He grabbed her hands and pressed them down beside her.
“Don’t you even think you can get away with this! Tell me exactly, what were you doing during this period? And what’s going on between you and Ru Xin? If you don’t tell me, don’t even think about touching a hair on me!” Han Qiongzhi put up a struggle, but she was actually unable to break free. What strength! He was still as rude and unreasonable as ever!
“Do you believe me or not?” Li Qingshan bent over and stared into her eyes. He had gone through many tests and resisted many urges, but as long as he could embrace her with a clear conscience, it was all worth it.
Han Qiongzhi also gazed into his bright, passionate eyes. She already believed him, but she still shook her head gently with a smile. “I don’t.”
“Alright you, Han Qiongzhi. How dare you doubt your husband? I need to punish you properly!” Li Qingshan feigned anger, tickling her while peeking at her sensitive regions. His eyes and hands worked together.
“Alright, alright. I believe you.” Han Qiongzhi put up a struggle, but she was no match for his strength. She giggled as she breathed heavily.
“As long as you believe me. I’ve maintained my purity for your sake. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to see for yourself.” Li Qingshan raised his hand, and all the windows shut themselves. Then he waved his hand, and a barrier of faint, blue light enveloped the room.
“How would you like me to see for myself? Hey, stop!” Han Qiongzhi struggled powerlessly. Clothes flew off her body as she blushed more and more, but all she felt was joy, as well as a hint of eagerness.
Before long, the ground was covered in clothes. A beautiful person lay on the ground. Two scorching hot bodies entangled together, rousing each others’ passion. They touched and embraced each other tenderly, as if they wanted to become one.
After a while of intimate contact, the two of them laid together in a close embrace and told each other their feelings.
Han Qiongzhi laid on Li Qingshan’s chest and blinked. “What did you call yourself earlier?”
“What?” All Li Qingshan focused on was caressing her slender, beautiful legs that were no different from a piece of art, so he immediately received a punch to the gut. He shifted his gaze back to her. “What’re you doing?”
“Doesn’t it hurt?” Han Qiongzhi was surprised. In order to get him out of the state of just thinking with his crotch, she had used true qi, but it was completely ineffective.
“Of course it hurts! Ahh, it hurts so much!” Li Qingshan said without the slightest sincerity before lowering his head and kissing her elegant neck.
“Don’t brush me off!” Han Qiongzhi pretended to be furious. She straightened herself out and threw another punch. This time, she was a little more vicious and used half her strength.
However, all she saw was Li Qingshan’s eyes landing on her breasts that jiggled with her action. She was vexed. “If you keep this up, I’m going to put my clothes back on.” She looked at her fist, basically doubting whether she had actually reached the tenth layer or not.
“Alright, alright. I’ll listen! And, it’s not like you can blame me.” He had a naked beauty in his arms, yet he could not do anything to her. There was not a single man who could remain focused in such a predicament!
“You mentioned “husband” earlier. Have I married you?” Han Qiongzhi said furiously, but she was very shy too.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He gently moved Han Qiongzhi to the side before putting on his clothes.
“Where are you going?” Han Qiongzhi was surprised.
“To see your father. Just wait here. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. You don’t have to put your clothes back on!” Li Qingshan smiled confidently.
He had once sworn he would propose marriage once she emerged. Then, he would be able to do whatever he wanted.
“Stop right there! Are you marrying me just for that?” Han Qiongzhi found this both infuriating and funny.
“I’m just kidding. Though, I am quite eager, not just for that.” Li Qingshan grabbed her hands and smiled. She was not the most beautiful woman he had seen, nor was she the gentlest or strongest, but she was the woman who treated him the best.
If he simply wanted to fulfill his desires, it would be far too easy. Both the Parlour of Clouds and Rain on the surface or the night roamers below could allow him to do whatever he wanted.
However, there was not a single woman who could replace her position in his heart, not even Gu Yanying. He was not someone insatiable. He was willing to spend his entire life with a single person. Right now, he wanted her as his wife, so he did not hesitate at all.
Han Qiongzhi was enchanted by him. She embraced him gently. “Tonight, my father will be in the estate, celebrating for me.”
“Just who’s the one in a hurry now?” Li Qingshan smiled and received another punch from her. This time, Li Qingshan refused to back down, so he landed a slap on her plump, snow-white buttock with a smack, immediately leaving behind a red mark. He wanted to show her what’s what.
Han Qiongzhi yelped in pain and wanted revenge, but Li Qingshan pulled her in, and they became entangled together again.
Thirty-five kilometers away from Clear River city was a mountain called Tiger Hill.
Tiger Hill mountain was not particularly tall, only standing at an altitude of a few hundred meters, but it covered a great expanse, several thousand square kilometers at that. The gentle slope was like a tiger’s back, holding up countless buildings. This was where the Han estate stood.
Walls that stood thirty meters tall split the place into the inner estate and outer estate. Turrets stood plentifully with strict security, which made it seem more like a fortress. Even within the dark of night, it was lit with lanterns.
A towering arch stood on top of the several hundred steps. A plaque hung high above, detailing two words—General’s Estate. There were no stone lions at the entrance; instead, they had a pair of tigers sculpted from white jade. They laid on the stone platform vividly like living creatures, glaring at the strangers nearby.
The tiger was a representation of the school of the Military. Many tablets for controlling armies were created in the form of a tiger, so they were called tiger tablets. And, the white tiger represented the metal element, which made it even more so a god of war, a god of slaughter.
TL: A reference to the four symbols of Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon, the Vermillion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise. The Azure Dragon represents wood, the Vermillion Bird represents fire, the White Tiger represents metal, and the Black Tortoise represents water.
“This is your home?” Li Qingshan raised his head and sighed over the size and prosperity of the Han family.
“What about it? You’ve made quite the gain by following me.”
“Just gaining you is enough. I don’t care about the others.”
“Hmph, what a boast. Those who are ignorant would even think you’ve established a foundation already.” Han Qiongzhi glanced at him, but she liked his confidence and arrogance the most. Compared to those suitors who wanted to climb on board with the Han family, she much preferred a valiant man like him.
“I suddenly feel a little nervous.” Li Qingshan took out his gift from his hundred treasures pouch and breathed out.
Han Qiongzhi had prepared the gift. It suited old father-in-law Han’s tastes. It was neither too little or too much, just perfect. It led to some more teasing from Li Qingshan about how eager she was, but he was truly grateful for this.
“You’re a person who gets nervous?” Han Qiongzhi became rather curious.
“It’s all your fault. Qiongzhi, what if your father refuses?” This was not a random thought of his. Instead, Li Qingshan had a premonition. The complicated information in the turtle shell had indicated some kind of omen that this would not go as smoothly as he imagined.
“He won’t refuse you.” Han Qiongzhi was filled with confidence. There was no reason for Han Anjun to be dissatisfied with him. Over all these years, she had never seen her father be so satisfied with anyone. Even if he was considering for the Han family, he would still agree to it!
“What if he actually refuses?” Li Qingshan teased.
“If he actually refuses, we’ll elope.” Han Qiongzhi looked at Li Qingshan with a burning gaze. This passion scorched like fire. It was unstoppable.
“You better be careful about being used and then abandoned.” Li Qingshan’s heart had melted. Just who could abandon a girl like her?
“Then make sure you perish with me!” Han Qiongzhi shot a glare at him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
At this moment, the alarm bell went off and gongs filled the air. The entire Han family was alarmed and mobilised.
Li Qingshan was surprised. “What’s going on?”
“There’s an invading enemy!” Han Qiongzhi was not surprised at all, just vexed and powerless.
In the Han family, these drills happened often. The members of the Han family would be on the defence, while the army of the Han family under Han Anjun would attack. She was familiar with this, except she never expected it to happen tonight.
“Don’t tell me I’m the enemy!” Li Qingshan pointed at himself. He already knew that his future father-in-law, Han Anjun, was a standard battle freak. Was he testing his future son-in-law with this?
Within the inner estate of the Han family, Han Anjun was clad in armour as he held his sword, seated in the main hall; it was like he was about to confront an enemy.
Today was different from the standard drill. Valiant guards stood sternly to the two sides. All of their faces were hidden within their helmets as they stared straight ahead. They were not regular members of the Han family. Instead, they were known as the real army of the Han family. They had once suppressed daemons and otherfolk and subdued heretic cultivation sects under Han Anjun’s lead. Every single one of them was battle-worn. Just by standing there, a feeling of bleakness rushed into the air.
This time, Han Anjun had actually mobilised both the members of the Han family and the army of the Han family for Li Qingshan.
Han Tieyi wielded a spear as he stood in shining, silver armour, which accentuated his handsomeness and soldierly bearing.
“Under my orders, even if you have to die, stop him.” Han Anjun said sternly, as if the thing about to rush in was not his son-in-law, but an actual army.
“Yes, sir!” Han Tieyi accepted the orders and led the soldiers away.
The clacking of boots against the ground and the jingling of armour rang out together. In a uniform formation, they turned into a river of steel and surged out.
“No, it’s us.” Han Qiongzhi held his hand.
Li Qingshan realised it too and held her hand firmly. From today onwards, there would be someone else who would be fighting beside him.
The doors swung open loudly. Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi exchanged glances before advancing forward together.
In the turrets, groups of archers drew their bows to the maximum.
Inside the doors, a group of soldiers wielded spears and dagger-axes, standing in formation.
A total of four specks of light lit up in the eyes of the two white, jade tigers. They moved their bodies and stood up from stone platforms. Standing at six meters tall, they were extremely imposing. They let out a roar at the sky and lunged over.
“Can I throw the gift away?” Li Qingshan gazed at the lunging tigers and turned his head slightly, asking Han Qiongzhi softly. A damned father-in-law like him was not worthy of a gift from him.
“No.”
“Fine then!”
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Chapter 387 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (Two)
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Chapter 387 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (Two)
Li Qingshan passed by the two white tigers with a clash.
The white tigers did not slow down, now targeting Han Qiongzhi. There were not living creatures, so they had no concept of enemies. Once they were activated, they would rip apart everything in front of them.
Han Qiongzhi prepared a technique. She did not even look at the incoming tigers. Just as the fierce gale had ruffled her hair and the claws had arrived before her, they came to a screeching halt.
Li Qingshan extended both hands, grabbing the two tigers by the tail. The white tigers growled and swung their claws around, but they were unable to advance another inch forward. They turned around and lunged at Li Qingshan instead.
With an explosive bellow, Li Qingshan began to spin like a spinning top, pulling the tails until they were taut. He actually tossed the two white jade tigers that weighed as much as a thousand tonnes into the air, over a hundred meters away. With a rumble, they formed two deep craters.
“What strength!” “No wonder he’s bold enough to propose marriage to the Han family!”
This move of his startled all the members of the Han family above the archway. They all took action in a hurry, unleashing a flurry of arrows.
Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! Thrum! The sound of released bows were enough to pierce rock.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! The arrows formed a dark cloud.
“Bird of Flames!” Han Qiongzhi called out.
Li Qingshan’s vision dimmed before lighting up again. A bird of fire took off into the air, unfurling its thirty-meter-long wings of flames and smashing through the dark cloud. It rushed up the archway and erupted with fire with a great boom, forcing back the archers and throwing the army into disarray.
“That’s your home, for heaven’s sake.” Li Qingshan glanced back.
“Hmph, I’d rather go without a home like this!”
Under the gloomy archway, almost a hundred armoured soldiers stood in formation with dagger-axes, radiating with murderousness.
“They’re here! On guard!”
An eighth layer Qi Practitioner, an old man with a downwards slanting mustache, bellowed out thunderously. The dagger-axes drooped down, pointing straight ahead.
Two figures, Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi, walked in slowly, just like lovers on a stroll. They even muttered among themselves.
“Is he really just the gatekeeper?” Li Qingshan gazed at the battle formation in slight amazement. By gatekeeper, it referred to the person who watched the entrance of the estate. He had never seen such a mighty gatekeeper before with such a high cultivation.
“We normally call it the gatekeeping army. There are a total of eight divisions, guarding the eight gates. The commander is the hundred-man commander of the gate.” Han Qiongzhi explained with a smile.
“Young miss, this has nothing to do with you, so please back away, just in case you become injured. Kid, if you have the balls, come at us alone. What kind of man are you supposed to be, relying on a woman? I’ll teach you what delusional dreaming means!”
The hundred-man commander called out and waved his dagger-axe around, cutting through the air swiftly. His mustache danced around on top of his lip as he radiated with vigour. He did not seem senile at all.
“Hundred-man commander, this has always been a matter that involves both of us. What would be the point if I got in alone?” Normally, Han Qiongzhi would have to refer to him as grandfather, but now that they confronted each other today like enemies, there was no room for personal feelings. She only referred to him by his military rank.
“What’s wrong?” Han Qiongzhi suddenly discovered that Li Qingshan was staring at her with shining eyes, even touching her face.
“Nothing. I just find you extremely pretty today!”
“You’re still talking nonsense at a time like this.” Han Qiongzhi reddened slightly. She was just about to go up to receive the enemy, but Li Qingshan grabbed her shoulder.
“Leave here to me. Recover some strength instead. I’d like to show this hundred-man commander what a visiting son-in-law is unstoppable means!”
Han Qiongzhi burst out laughing. This guy still joked around at a time like this. “Go easy on him.”
“Alright!” “No!” Li Qingshan and the hundred-man commander answered at the same time. They exchanged glances, one smiling and one furious.
“Kill!” The hundred-man commander pointed with his dagger-axe, and the army of one hundred behind him erupted with a bellow at the same time. “Kill!” Their feet jingled against the ground as their weapons stood as densely as a forest, shining threateningly. All one hundred of them charged forward with the bearing of an army of thousands towards Li Qingshan.
The hundred-man commander thought, You’re just at the eighth layer, and you come from the school of Novels or whatever that is. How are you worthy of the young miss. You must have sweet-talked your way to her side and fooled the young miss. Now, you’re even boasting that you’ll go easy on me? You have no idea at all, do you? Are you really treating these experienced soldiers as regular Qi Practitioners? No matter how you look at it, you’re outnumbered one hundred to one, and there’s also another eighth layer Qi Practitioner, me. There’s no way you can win!
Boom!
The sound interrupted the hundred-man commander’s thoughts. In the archway up ahead, soldiers were launched into the air as they cried out, all slamming into the walls of the archway. These flying soldiers drew closer and closer, as if a monster was charging through them towards him.
The Wave Treading Form!
Waves surged under Li Qingshan’s feet, and he charged forward like a loose arrow, slamming through the army.
The Vortex Form!
The water ripples in Li Qingshan’s right hand spun rapidly. He seemed to become a huge drill, driving his way forward.
Whenever he came in contact with soldiers, they would be directly sent flying. The dagger-axes sucked into the vortex would be torn to pieces. Wherever he passed by, everyone would suffer a crushing defeat. He passed through the enemy in an instant and arrived before the hundred-man commander.
“Eat this, uncle!”
The hundred-man commander was stunned. Never did he imagine that his gatekeeping army would be so fragile before him. However, how could he back down? With a bellow, his dagger-axe erupted with light, and the tiles beneath his feet shattered. With his full strength and both hands on the dagger-axe, he stabbed it towards Li Qingshan.
The dagger-axe and the drill head clashed violently. It sounded like an electric saw cutting through metal, but it only lasted for an instant. The dagger-axe was sent flying.
The hundred-man commander retreated in surprise. The flap between his thumb and index finger on both his hands had shattered, and the vortex drill drove into his body with the “unstoppable” might of a visiting son-in-law. His protective true qi crumbled like paper, while his shiny armour was torn to pieces.
I’m done for!
The hundred-man commander sighed deeply inside. He never thought he would actually die here after an entire life spent on the battlefield. He had completely comprehended the terrifying might of this battle skill the moment they clashed. He could not endure it with his body alone.
However, he felt no pain. He lowered his head and discovered that he was already completely naked, but completely unscathed. He raised his head, and all he saw was Li Qingshan standing before him with a grin across his face. He could not help but become stunned.
The entire process seemed quite slow, but it had taken him less than three seconds to go from unleashing the Vortex Form to defeating the hundred-man commander.
Han Qiongzhi was rather surprised too. She had been expecting Li Qingshan’s abilities to be impressive. After all, even Chu Tian, who had a higher cultivation than him as a Qi Practitioner, was not his opponent. He could not be stopped by this gatekeeping army, which was why she had told him to go easy, just in case he injured this old man who had basically watched her grow up.
However, she never expected him to win in such a straightforward fashion, and sure enough, he did not lay a single finger on the hundred-man commander. She was filled with pride. This was the man she had chosen, someone who could always cause surprises. If anyone underestimated him, then they really would be blind.
“I’ve lost. I’ll admit that you’re a little capable, but what comes next won’t be so easy. I’d advise you to back out sooner rather than later. You might end up losing your life accidentally!”
The hundred-man commander said sternly. He did not take Li Qingshan lightly at all anymore. It was not too impressive that Li Qingshan had charged through this Flying Swan formation. After all, he could manage that too if he tried hard enough. However, ripping off his clothes without harming him proved that he was still holding back a lot. His battle skill had reached a state of great meticulous control. If it came to an actual battle to the death, he could probably kill this division of a hundred with a single hand relaxedly. Just where had the young miss found a monster like him? She sure had quite the insight.
“Sir, you better cover yourself!” Han Qiongzhi arrived beside Li Qingshan and pointed below at the hundred-man commander.
“I deserve to die for defiling the young miss’s eyes!” The hundred-man commander reddened and covered himself below in a hurry.
My eyes have already been defiled plenty of times recently anyway. There’s nothing surprising anymore. Han Qiongzhi thought. She linked arms with Li Qingshan and said, “Let’s go!”
“How’s your recovery gone?” Li Qingshan asked.
“You were so quick, so how was I supposed to recover?”
“Yeah, how can I be so quick as a man? Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll try to slow myself down in the future.” Li Qingshan sniggered, earning him a kick from Han Qiongzhi. “I understand what you’re saying! This is my home!”
“I’ve yet to see a home with barbicans!”
With that, the two of them passed under the archway, and Li Qingshan stopped. He saw a large, empty space before him with tall walls standing in the surroundings, with watch towers and battlements rising and falling. It was actually a barbican.
The only path leading out of the barbican was the huge gate cast from black iron.
The sound of a zither lingered about. A learned man with a long beard and a tall hat stroked his zither on a watch tower.
“The zither just sounds so great when uncle Cao plays it.” Han Qiongzhi said as she introduced him to Li Qingshan softly, “This ‘uncle Cao’ is my father’s military advisor. His full name is Cao Gan. Not only is his cultivation at the tenth layer, but he’s also known for his resourcefulness. He’s not one to be trifled with. Looks like my dad really wants to stop you in the barbican.”
Li Qingshan grinned. Men married and women were married off. Was that not how the world worked? Why was this old man Han acting like he was fending off bandits? Surely he was not a deviant of a father who had a daughter complex?
“Qiongzhi, it ends here. Looks like your father doesn’t like the kid beside you, so even if you meet him, it’s pointless. It’s still not too late for you to back off right now,” Cao Gan said as he played the zither.
“I don’t care whether he likes him or not. All that matters is I like him? Is he the one getting married, or am I the one getting married?” Han Qiongzhi became agitated, so she spoke rudely.
“Nicely said!” Li Qingshan rose up on a cloud, charging straight towards Cao Gan. The key to defeating the army was to defeat its leader. So what if he was a tenth layer Qi Practitioner?
The walls could stop regular people, but how were they supposed to stop cultivators? The so-called barbican was just a joke.
Clang! The strings of the zither vibrated.
“Now!” A cold light flashed through the man’s eyes. Many archers appeared on the battlements, all wielding powerful bows and crossbows. The bows were released, and the triggers were pressed.
With a thrum, arrows filled the sky, blotting out the sun.
At the same time, the sounds of mechanisms rang out from the twelve watch towers. They did not possess a single archer at all. Instead, they were each loaded with a black ballista. The ballistae were designed to be like dragons with flashing gems as their eyes. They automatically adjusted their aim and locked onto Li Qingshan in the air with great precision. Their mouths opened up, and they spat out huge, spear-like bolts.
Huge bolts shot out of the magazines and were launched endlessly; it was like a dragon’s breath.
The Mechanical ballistae of the school of Mohism could kill enemies from a thousand meters away. Every single one of them were worth more than high grade spiritual artifacts. The specially-designed Cloud-piercing bolts could penetrate protective techniques and true qi. They were priceless.
Even if regular people could afford one, they could not afford to use one. With the ballistae and bolts combined, they could take down Qi Practitioners like taking lambs to the slaughter.
“Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi drew her blade and went up to assist him. A volley of arrows rained down on her, and she swung her blade around, cutting through it all. The ground beside her had already become covered in arrows, but all she could do was watch helplessly as Li Qingshan was swallowed by the rain of arrows.
“This isn’t a test. This is murder!”
Li Qingshan muttered to himself and dodged to one side. He caught a Cloud-piercing bolt that brushed past him conveniently and swung it around, sweeping a few arrows out of the air with a clatter. He left no opening at all with that, rushing straight into the sky.
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Chapter 388 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (Three)
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Chapter 388 – Paying Respects to the Father-in-law (Three)
Li Qingshan saw the barbican below his feet rapidly shrink and grow further away. Within the blink of an eye, it was shrouded by the dark cloud of arrows, which soon collapsed and dispersed. Li Qingshan was secretly startled. If he had been a step slower, it would have been quite painful even if he emerged in one piece.
Cao Gan’s smile lingered, as if he had been expecting this.
“Be careful!” Han Qiongzhi felt no joy. Instead, she became worried.
In that instant, scorching, white light filled the night sky, dazzling Li Qingshan’s eyes. Only then did he hear a great rumble. Li Qingshan had been struck by a bolt of lightning, falling out of the sky.
Flying in the general’s estate was forbidden for members of the Han family, so the entire estate was enveloped by formations. Once they were formally activated, even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not come and go as they pleased. Neither Li Qingshan nor Han Qiongzhi had expected something like this.
Cao Gan raised his hand, and the rain of arrows stopped. “You’ll be bed bound for ten to fifteen days at the very least once you’re struck by that lightning. The general’s mobilised so many troops. He’s taking this kid too seriously.”
“Qingshan! Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan landed in Han Qiongzhi’s arms. Seeing her concern and irritation, he said, “I’m fine. Looks like I really do need to get a little more serious.”
He leapt back onto his feet. Compared to the tribulation of lightning, this lightning strike felt more like a tickle.
“Do you still refuse to come to your senses? It’s impossible for you to pass through the barbican. You don’t even have a one percent chance. If you keep going, you’ll only injure yourself more for nothing.” Cao Gan frowned. He never expected the kid’s body to be so tough, such that he could even endure the lightning summoned by the formation.
“We’ll go right now. I don’t need my father deciding matters between us!”
“I’m a man. I don’t need a woman to teach me what to do!” Li Qingshan said proudly, casting a wide, dependable figure to Han Qiongzhi. He glanced back and smiled. “This isn’t for you, but for us!”
He smiled as resplendently as the sunlight, which left Han Qiongzhi speechless for a moment. She stood up and gritted her teeth. “What’re you boasting for? I’ll accompany you to wherever you want to go.”
Li Qingshan smiled and pointed at the battlements. “Cao, I was careless just then, so I’ll let you feel proud of yourself for now. I’ll give you a painful thrashing now!”
“Kid, those are some pretty big boasts! Release the arrows!”
“Leave here to me! You smelly man, I’ll show you the power of women!”
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to advance, Han Qiongzhi brushed past him, so he stopped with a smile.
Twelve Mechanical ballistae locked onto Han Qiongzhi, but five of them soon lost track of her. As it turned out, she did not go straight for Cao Gan. Instead, she flew towards the walls along the blind spots of the ballistae.
Swish! Swish! Swish! The giant bolts shot over, but Han Qiongzhi did not even look at them. She turned and leapt around on the walls like it was flat ground. The huge bolts brushed past her and deeply embedded themselves into the walls. As the first young miss of the Han family, she was extremely familiar with the target designation and method of attack of these ballistae.
She leapt up the wall and charged into a watch tower. Right in front of her lay a ballista with its gem eyes twinkling. Like a willow leaf in the wind, she leaned backwards with the flow, and the huge bolt brushed past the tip of her nose. She turned around and arrived behind the ballista. With a casual slam, the eyes immediately dimmed, and it was disabled.
From the two sides of the watchtower, soldiers charged up with all of their might. They flung the door open, and waves of heat rolled over. All of Han Qiongzhi’s true qi had turned into flames, dyeing the entire place red. She called out, “Move!”
Like a leaping ball of fire, she whistled towards another watch tower with a long tail of flames, leaving behind a trace of fire on the battlements.
In the blink of an eye, she invaded like fire and circled around the entire barbican, disabling all the ballista and landing before Cao Gan. She heaved slightly, and the fire on her weakened. Although Bing Fire true qi possessed great destructive power, it was exhausted very rapidly.
“Young miss, you’ve grown up.” Cao Gan let out a sigh as his fingers plucked the strings rapidly, producing confusing noises with the zither. The waves of sound turned into sharp blades.
Within the noise, Han Qiongzhi took a step back and swung her blade around, parrying the sound waves. However, a tiny cut still appeared on her face. She understood that Cao Gan’s cultivation was above hers, and she was exhausted. Meanwhile, he had been prepared the whole time, waiting for them here. If they dragged the battle out, there was no way for them to emerge victorious. As a result, she made up her mind and fire erupted from her body. Just when she was about to advance with her blade, a figure blocked her.
Cao Gan was slightly surprised. He saw how Li Qingshan was enveloped by a thin veil of water, and he felt scornful. How can a mere Water Curtain technique block my zither? He plucked the zither even more rapidly, which sounded like pearls falling into jade bowls.
However, Li Qingshan’s curtain of water was surprisingly tough. The sound waves kicked up countless ripples, but it failed to pierce it. After reaching the third layer of the spirit turtle, Li Qingshan’s water element technique had become extremely powerful. He strode over through the sound waves.
“Dance of the Heavenly Sound!” Cao Gan pressed down and tugged, pulling seven strings all the way to their limit. With a great clang, it erupted with an extremely fierce wave of sound and pierced the curtain.
“You-”
Before Cao Gan could even celebrate, a black shadow enveloped him. Li Qingshan looked down from above as his eyes shone as two red specks of light.
Bang!
Without any hesitation at all, Li Qingshan grabbed the zither, lifting it up and smacked Cao Gan with it.
“Have you played enough?”
Cao Gan was sent spinning into a group of soldiers who had come to assist him, knocking them all over. Disbelief filled his eyes. How could a mere eighth layer Qi Practitioner block his Dance of the Heavenly Sound from such a close range?
Li Qingshan’s clothes had been reduced to rags, so he ripped it off, revealing his unscathed, bronze skin. The zither in Cao Gan’s hand trembled, as if it was trying to return to its master’s side, but how could it rival Li Qingshan’s strength? He frowned and tried crushing it with both hands. Although this was a rare high grade spiritual artifact zither, it was much more fragile compared to other weapons, so it was no opponent for Li Qingshan’s strength. It immediately produced a painful moan.
“My zither!” Cao Gan cried out.
“Qingshan.” Han Qiongzhi pressed down on Li Qingshan’s hand and studied his expression. “Are you mad? Didn’t I tell you to go easy?”
“I can’t just watch him harm you though!”
Han Qiongzhi touched her face. She had grown accustomed to scratches like that growing up in this household, such that even she did not take it seriously, but this made her smile. Being cared for really was quite nice.
“Uncle Cao, we’ve won this time, right?”
“You’ve won, you’ve won. Give me back my zither!” Cao Gan said in a hurry.
“Alright, here.”
Han Qiongzhi elbowed Li Qingshan gently. Li Qingshan leaned back and raised his arm, making the perfect throwing posture. The zither turned into a black speck immediately, flying off the mountain.
“Kid, you!” Cao Gan rushed off in pursuit.
“You’re far too evil. That’s uncle Cao’s lifeblood,” Han Qiongzhi smiled.
“You’re my lifeblood,” Li Qingshan stroked her face, and the scratch vanished.
“How disgusting.” Han Qiongzhi reddened, and her heart sweetened slightly.
“I really don’t mean it like that this time!” Li Qingshan said like he had just been wrongly accused.
The two of them passed through the barbican, and after that, it was actually smooth sailing. They did not run into any more obstructions. Just a lot of people from the Han family whispered among themselves in the houses.
“Look, that’s Li Qingshan!” “I heard he’s very strong. It’s said that the gatekeeping army and the advisor have both been defeated by him.” “What? He’s just at the eighth layer though. The young miss must have helped him. You really can’t keep a grown girl around!”
With the same method of managing an army, Han Anjun managed the entire general’s estate into something like a military base. There was even a drilling field in front of the gates separating the inner and outer estates. Normally, it was used for drilling the people of the Han family. But right now, there were a total of three hundred soldiers there, either sitting or standing. Some of them even discussed among themselves quietly. There was no sense of discipline at all.
Only Han Tieyi stood dead straight with a spear in his hand, like a statue. Only when he saw Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi appear did he suddenly say,
“Prepare for battle.”
The soldiers only stood up and looked over. They still seemed like a messy group, without any sense for formation per se. However, something indescribable was connecting them, actually merging three hundred completely different people into one.
“This is my father’s personal army, the elites among the elites. You can’t be careless here!” Han Qiongzhi felt troubled inside.
“In other words, I can see your father once I defeat them!” Even without Han Qiongzhi’s warning, Li Qingshan would not be careless. These soldiers gave off a concealed sense of terrifying murderousness such that even he felt a hint of danger.
“We can’t win. We have to find a way to pass through here and reach the inner estate!”
Li Qingshan strode over and laughed aloud. “Brother-in-law, shouldn’t you greet the future husband of your elder sister when you meet him?”
“I don’t think the two of you will turn around no matter what I say, so let’s do it! Receive the enemy!” Han Tieyi sent out an order, and the three hundred soldiers silently surged forth like a flood.
At this moment, Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi worked together to launch the first strike.
Han Qiongzhi erupted with flames the moment she attacked, radiating with waves of heat, while Li Qingshan treaded on waves, spinning and agitating the streams of water.
Water and fire raced against one another charging forward together and merging as one. They sent all the soldiers in their way flying, but the other soldiers in the surroundings were unaffected. They brushed past them.
In just a few seconds, the two of them had penetrated the formation.
With a boom, Han Tieyi struck out with his spear like a dragon, colliding with a blade and a fist. The light from agitated true qi illuminated the dark night.
A tremendous force erupted from the fist. Han Tieyi actually found it rather difficult to bear with. He was secretly surprised. Just how long had it been, but Li Qingshan’s strength and speed had increased yet again. The bearing he vaguely gave off was chilling. If they were fighting against each other alone, he probably was not his opponent anymore. With his rate of improvement, it truly was strange that his father insisted on stopping them.
However, this thought only flashed through his head. Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi roared out together, pouring all their true qi and strength into the attack.
Han Tieyi was forced into staggering back. He reached the gates of the wall, with no room left for retreat. Suddenly, he abandoned his spear and punched both of them in the chest. At the same time, he called out, “Trap them!”
Li Qingshan blocked the punch with his arm, so he only shuddered slightly, but Han Qiongzhi was sent flying. Looking back, the three hundred soldiers had already fallen into the Military Formation of the Coiled snake before he knew it. A huge snake sat with its body coiled, pulling Han Qiongzhi into the formation. She called out, “Don’t worry about me! Just go! Go find my father and explain it to him!”
However, Li Qingshan killed his way back into the formation without the slightest hesitation at all, arriving beside Han Qiongzhi.
The two of them stood with their backs against one another with enemies everywhere.
Han Qiongzhi said, “You idiot, why’d you return?”
“What would be the point if I got in alone?”
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Chapter 389 – Partners of Cultivation, Partners of Love
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Chapter 389 – Partners of Cultivation, Partners of Love
The bitter battle and the battle formations constantly changed about—the Coiled Snake formation, the Tiger Trapping formation, the Dragon Ensnaring formation, and so on. There was not the slightest opening as they moved from formation to formation. They used the same formations, but the military disciples of the Hundred School of Thought were no match for them at all.
Three hundred people swung their weapons quietly. Even when Li Qingshan charged around violently, he was unable to break out of the encirclement, especially since Han Tieyi commanded the formation and even took part in the battle constantly. If he were alone, he might have had a chance, but with the two of them, they could not take a single step forward.
In the blink of an eye, Han Qiongzhi ran out of true qi. She was dripping with sweat. Holding off the formation alone had never been something a regular Qi Practitioner could achieve. As she faced the incoming row of dagger-axes, she was actually powerless to stop them. Her waist tightened, and she was pulled back by Li Qingshan.
“Hang tight!”
Li Qingshan carried her on his back. The situation became even more dangerous.
Han Qiongzhi laid on his back. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind from behind, and as he rapidly turned around, three dagger-axes stabbed towards him swiftly.
“Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan snapped the dagger-axes or pulled them out of the hands of the opponent, but their tips had become dyed with red. They had been infused with the power of the entire formation, such that even the Ox Demon Forges its Hide was unable to block it. He was already fortunate it did not penetrate him all the way through.
Seeing this, the soldiers actually all launched their attacks at Han Qiongzhi, which made Li Qingshan curse inside.
“Let me down!” Han Qiongzhi’s heart ached. This was her father’s personal army. With just a single order, they would not even show a shred of mercy no matter who the opponent was.
“Stop moving around!”
Han Qiongzhi struggled around on his back, but Li Qingshan reached back and pulled her in. These people really were out to kill. They did not treat Han Qiongzhi as their young miss at all.
Han Qiongzhi immediately stopped moving, as whenever she moved, a few more wounds would appear on Li Qingshan. She lay on his back firmly, and the rims of her eyes reddened helplessly. She murmured, “Qingshan.”
Li Qingshan held a broken dagger-axe to prop himself up. His true qi was almost completely depleted, and his body was riddled with wounds. However, Han Qiongzhi remained completely unscathed on his back.
Out of the personal army, a hundred was heavily injured, while the remaining two hundred maintained the formation rigorously, without easing up at all. They were taken aback with surprise and shock. Never had they seen such a tenacious opponent before, and he was using this momentary stalemate to recover his strength despite the huge disadvantage he was facing.
At this moment, a figure rose up, immediately rousing the killing intent of the formation. Dagger-axes and spears shot over from everywhere. Only then did they make out the person to be Han Qiongzhi. As it turned out, after she had recovered sufficient true qi on Li Qingshan’s back, she had immediately flown off to receive the incoming wave of weapons.
“Qiongzhi!” Li Qingshan flew up with her, but it was already too late. Just when Han Qiongzhi was about to be pierced by the weapons, Han Tieyi shot over. His spear darted out like a dragon below Han Qiongzhi. With a jerk and a flick, he grabbed her by the shoulder and took her out of the formation.
“Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi extended her hand, but all she saw was a smile of relief on Li Qingshan’s face.
“Withdraw.”
With Han Tieyi’s order, the army immediately withdrew. In the blink of an eye, only Li Qingshan stood there, alone. He saw the gates leading to the inner estate open loudly behind Han Tieyi, so he asked loudly, “So have I passed the test?”
“You’ve passed my test.” Han Tieyi released Han Qiongzhi and made his way to the side of the gate.
Li Qingshan strode over. The soldiers stood in two rows, allowing him to pass by. Someone called out, “Nice strength, lad!” A companion who supported an injured soldier added, “Yeah, he’s got some skill!”
Li Qingshan held Han Qiongzhi’s hand. The two of them made their way into the inner estate together.
“Where’s the gift?”
“Can I keep it for myself?”
“You can’t!”
“General, Qiongzhi and I love each other from the bottom of our hearts. I’d like to take her as my wife.”
Han Anjun sat extremely straight in front of the main room of the estate. Li Qingshan made his way over and bowed before he proudly spoke.
Han Qiongzhi’s face became flushed with joy and embarrassment.
“No!” Han Anjun said firmly, filled with unwaverable determination.
“Why?” Li Qingshan was surprised. They had already done all this, but it was still no?
“Why? Old man, you better explain yourself!” Even Han Qiongzhi could not help herself anymore, going up and pointing at Han Anjun.
“No reason. No is no. It’s quite late now, so if there’s nothing else, you can go!” Han Anjun stood up, turned around, and made his way into the room.
“Stop right there! We haven’t travelled all the way here to hear your opinion!”
Han Qiongzhi snatched the gift from Li Qingshan’s hand and smashed it viciously before Han Anjun. Aggrieved, tears covered her face. Never had she seen such an unreasonable father. She grabbed Li Qingshan hand and rushed out the door, brushing past Han Tieyi.
Han Tiyi was slightly surprised. Making his way in, all he saw was Han Anjun bending down, picking up the scattered pastries. He asked without even looking up, “Why are you here?”
“I ordered the troops to withdraw, defying your orders. I’ve specially come for punishment!”
“Even you’re disobeying me.” Han Anjun straightened himself out and placed a pastry in his mouth, chewing it slightly before swallowing it. “It’s quite nice. To think that this girl would just throw it away on a whim.”
“Father, why did you refuse them?” Han Tieyi lowered his head deeply. He was completely perplexed.
“So you find me completely unreasonable too? I’m not always right about everything.”
Han Tieyi raised his head in surprise. He struggled to believe that those words had come from his father’s mouth, but all he saw was the corner of Han Anjun’s lips curling into a rare smile.
“I wholeheartedly want to raise the two of you into capable people. I don’t want to become what holds you back instead. Even with that girl, she seems like she does whatever she wants, but when she’s found herself a man, she still comes earnestly for my approval. Why must she need my approval? Teiyi, you have to understand that before general and soldier, before father and son, we are cultivators.”
Han Tieyi left in thought, while Han Anjun returned to the main room. Cao Gan currently held his zither very gently in there, carefully tuning the strings.
“General, your son-in-law is far too heavy-handed. He almost broke my zither. Though, his strength really is quite impressive, so why didn’t you recruit him into the Han family? He’ll definitely be of great assistance in the future. Surely your adamant refusal wasn’t just to punish the young miss, right?”
“I can’t hide anything from you. The kid is anything but mediocre, but he will never yield himself to another. On the path of cultivation, there are only partners of cultivation, not partners of love. Unless they possess the same goal, the same mindset, how can they stand the test of time? Today, they marry because of love. One day, they’ll separate because of love. Their status as husband and wife will only become shackles to one another.”
“Heh, fair enough. When you put two balls of fire together, they seem to blaze fiercely, but it won’t last. In my opinion, it’ll be surprising if they can last another three or five years. The young miss will definitely understand this perspective of yours in the future.”
The two of them left the general’s estate, but they did not return to the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Instead, they arrived in Han Qiongzhi’s courtyard in Clear River city.
Han Qiongzhi remained silent the entire time. Li Qingshan had no idea on how he should comfort her either. “I think it’s still because my cultivation is insufficient. Let me cultivate a little longer. Once I destroy your father’s personal army, he won’t have anything more to say.”
“Are your wounds fine?” Han Qiongzhi finally spoke.
“They’re nothing!” Li Qingshan’s body had always been tough. Combined with a few Water Healing techniques, he made a complete recovery.
“Then let’s get married right now!”
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Chapter 390 – Entanglement
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Chapter 390 – Entanglement
The lotuses bloomed in the pool outside the window. Under the night breeze, the smell of flowers permeated the place.
Li Qingshan was rather surprised. With how determined she was, Han Qiongzhi seemed a little like Han Anjun. She opened her lips and repeated, “Qingshan, let’s get married!”
“You’ve made up your mind?” Li Qingshan pulled her into his arms.
“Yep!” Han Qiongzhi nodded and leaned against his chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat. This was the sound she wanted to listen to for the rest of her life.
“Why don’t we just wait a little more? As long as we persevere and your younger brother puts in a few good words, your father will definitely agree to it.” Li Qingshan was tempted to take off with her right now, but eloping like this would probably make her fall out with her family completely. This was not what he wished to see.
“No, you don’t understand my father. Once he has decided on something, nothing can change his mind. Nothing. With what I said to him earlier, he must be furious. He has probably disowned me already, let alone approving of our marriage.”
“It’s all my fault.” Li Qingshan rubbed her head as he sighed slightly. He never thought something as reasonable as a marriage between a man and a woman would lead to so much trouble.
“From today onwards, all I can depend on is you. You mustn’t let me down.” Han Qiongzhi hugged Li Qingshan firmly. She seemed very delicate. Having left the Han family and defied her father, she had lost everything she once possessed in a single night. A loss like this was unimaginable to a regular person, but she did not regret it. From today onwards, the man in her arms would be her everything.
“What, young miss Han? Without the support of the Han family, you’ve become a soft little kitty? I really need to give you a proper teasing then.” Li Qingshan buried his face in her neck and took in a deep breath of her fragrance.
“Don’t you even think about it. Your cultivation is lower than mine right now.”
“Cultivation is nothing. You gotta look at strength. If you just look at cultivation, I don’t even have the right to pursue you right now. How would I have been able to coax young miss Han into eloping with me?”
“Hmph, just you wait until I reach Foundation Establishment. How the hell do you cultivate?”
Their whisperings became drowned out by heavy rain. Dark clouds shrouded the moon and stars, throwing the courtyard into darkness.
Their voices vanished, and a few red candles lit up, dyeing her bashful face red. “I’m going to go wash up.” She broke free from his embrace and turned around lithely. Her hips swayed from side to side as she made her way behind the curtain.
“I’ll come with you.” Li Qingshan could not help himself but follow her, but Han Qiongzhi raised her hand and stopped him. “No, not today. I beg you.”
All Li Qingshan could do was wait outside. Looking at the shimmering candles and listening to the rain falling into the pool, his heart became like the pool water, rippling with waves and unable to settle down.
After a wait that felt especially long, a hand lifted up the bead curtain, revealing a bright face. Her skin seemed so moisturised, like it had been filled with water. She had changed into a large, red dress. Her long, black hair had not been combed, draping down her shoulders moistly.
“You made me wait.” Li Qingshan lifted her up.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“There seems to be a lot of steps to marriage.”
“I only remember one.”
“Which one?”
“To the bridal chamber!” Li Qingshan sang loudly, directly taking her to her room.
TL: If you’ve read other Chinese novels with traditional marriages, there are usually three other steps that come before this—bowing to the heavens and earth, bowing to the parents, exchanging bows between bride and groom, and then finally to the bridal chamber.
“You sex fiend!” Han Qiongzhi grumbled in a flirtish manner.
The sound of rain gradually grew heavier. Through the heavy curtains, soft gasps rang out. Her beautiful body lay on the bed, allowing him to touch her as he wished. She offered up her lips enthusiastically.
“Qiongzhi.” Li Qingshan suddenly stopped and said gently. His eyes shone.
Han Qiongzhi propped herself up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. She said gently, “Make love to me!”
Li Qingshan grabbed her hips and lowered himself. All he heard was a soft moan, like a long sigh, filled with joy and pain.
There was silence. Only the sound of rain could be heard in the room, growing louder and louder. A few claps of thunder could be vaguely heard in the distance.
The lotus flowers swayed in the wind and rain. Translucent droplets of water filled their centres. Enchanting moans vaguely passed through the rain.
After a stormy night, the droplets of rain rolled around on the lotus pads. They were almost crystalline under the rising sun in the east, shining with seven colours as they fell into the pool.
Li Qingshan opened the window, stretched, and yawned. Looking back, he saw Han Qiongzhi sleeping heavily. She seemed to sense the sunlight, so she turned onto her side, revealing her beautiful back. There were a few traces of bruises on her snowy buttocks. When Li Qingshan thought of the wildness last night, he smiled. “What great weather!”
Li Qingshan closed the window and returned to bed.
Han Qiongzhi opened her eyes slightly, and the first thing she saw was Li Qingshan’s face. Her heart was filled with indescribable tenderness and sweetness. She placed her face on his chest lazily. “What time is it?”
“It’s already been a while since the sun has risen.” Li Qingshan kissed her forehead gently.
“Oh no, I still have business to handle in the Hawkwolf Guard today.” Han Qiongzhi propped herself up, but she felt powerless all over.
“Just leave it to someone else. You’re in no shape to go out right now.”
“It’s all your fault.” Han Qiongzhi felt like her face had been set ablaze. She punched his chest. She was too embarrassed to think of last night. Never did she think there would be a moment when she would be so wild.
“Alright, alright. It’s all my fault. Please wait, my wife. I’ll go prepare some food. You should rest up some more!”
This rest lasted for three days. The two of them stuck to each other like glue, refusing to spend even a moment apart. All they could see was each other. They completely forgot about everything else.
In the Academy of the Hundred Thoughts, the professor had yet to arrive, so there was quite a hubbub in the classroom. A group of young disciples of both genders gathered together, discussing among themselves.
“Really? I think that’s very impressive of him. What about now?”
“As for now, who knows? It’s already been a few days since anyone has seen the two of them. I heard they eloped.”
“Woah!” There were gasps. In particular, the female disciples’ eyes lit up.
“Look, Zijian. It’s that Li Qingshan again. Hmm? You don’t look so good.” Hua Chenglu elbowed Yu Zijian.
Over two years had passed now. Hua Chenglu’s body had developed, going from a blooming girl to an adolescent maiden in the prime of her beauty. Her eyebrows were curved like the crescent moon, her lips were naturally red, and her skin was snow-white. Her youthful beauty was unmatched.
Her face that was quite similar to Hua Chengzan’s seemed to demonstrate just how beautiful it would be if Hua Chengzan’s face belonged to a woman. In the academy, she had already gained the title of the greatest beauty. She had countless pursuers. Just by sitting together with Yu Zijian, she attracted everyone’s attention.
Hua Chenglu was not unfamiliar with Li Qingshan’s name, but after two years of no contact, any special impression of him, even if she had one, had already faded with her colourful life. All she could vaguely remember was that he still owed her something, but perhaps he had already forgotten about it!
“Oh, nothing. The professor is here.” Yu Zijian snapped back to her senses and pointed at the podium.
The classroom immediately quietened down. Hua Chenglu turned around too, paying attention to class.
Yu Zijian frowned slightly. He shouldn’t be Niu Juxia, right?
After returning from the Green Vine mountain, Yu Shukuang had stated repeatedly that Li Qingshan had absolutely nothing to do with Niu Juxia, but only now was she willing to believe that. She let out a sigh of relief.
If Li Qingshan was not Niu Juxia, then this had nothing to do with her. She even felt rather sorry for him. They were clearly in love with one another, yet he could not gain the approval of her family. He sure was pitiful.
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Chapter 391 – Emerging from Secluded Cultivation
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Chapter 391 – Emerging from Secluded Cultivation
In the depths of the bamboo forest, Xiao An sat on the step, leaning on her cheek as she waited.
The sky was covered by an array of stars. He still did not return tonight.
Because Liu Chuanfeng was in secluded cultivation, and Li Qingshan was regularly out, the two little disciples were with Sun Fubai. Cloudwisp island was truly empty now. All she could hear was the wind rustling through the bamboo forest. Fallen leaves covered the path once more.
Just as she felt rather depressed, she suddenly heard the sound of steps, trudging through the fallen leaves.
Xiao An raised her head and saw Li Qingshan’s smiling face as he strode over.
“Xiao An, why are you… Oh what did I do? I actually forgot to tell you! You’ve waited for quite some time now, haven’t you?” Li Qingshan smacked his head and blamed himself.
Xiao An shook her head. “Not too long.”
Li Qingshan picked her up and placed her on his knee. “How have you been going with forging prayer beads lately? Has One Thought been troubling you? Oh right, I came across something good recently.” Before Xiao An could answer him, he took off on a ramble.
Originally, Xiao An wanted to persuade him to reconsider something, but seeing this, she gave up on it. As long as he was happy.
At this moment, Han Qiongzhi had returned to the school of Legalism, asking for Wang Pushi to punish her.
Wang Pushi saw how she was brimming with joy, giving off a sense of femininity. He was unable to blame her. He just said, “That kid has had it easy. Don’t forget to visit the office tomorrow.”
“Yes, commander!”
Han Qiongzhi returned to her residence on the island, but she saw a figure pacing around outside. She exclaimed in surprise, “Tieyi!” She immediately grew stern. “Did father tell you to come?”
“Yes.” Han Tieyi said nothing more, handing a pile of spiritual stones and pills to her.
“Why’s there so much?”
“Because you’ve reached the tenth layer.” Han Tieyi was expressionless, but when he saw the happiness and joy in the corner of her eyes, he felt happy for her. In order to open the twelve ordinary meridians, her demand for pills would obviously increase.
“Father, he doesn’t… blame me?” Han Qiongzhi widened her eyes in some disbelief.
Then Han Tieyi repeated Han Anjun’s words to her.
“What kind of reason is that? Just because of this random reason, he’s preventing his daughter from getting married? That’s far too irresponsible of him! He even has the nerve to call himself what holds me back? That old man is completely overestimating himself! It’s not like I’m you!”
Han Qiongzhi said loudly, but she was rather touched inside. No matter what, everything that man had done was for her sake. It also brought her relief and indescribable happiness. No matter how unhappy she said she was with him, her father still bore a hefty weight in her heart.
The two of them spoke a little more. Han Tieyi had quite a fatherly bearing. He remained silent most of the time and did not say much before bidding her farewell.
Right before he left, Han Tieyi stopped and looked back. He added, “You’re still a person of the Han family. I hope you can place your focus on your cultivation in the future!”
“I don’t need you to lecture your elder sister. You better just keep an eye on yourself first. You should go!” Han Qiongzhi was eager to share this good news with Li Qingshan.
Han Tieyi could tell from a single glance that she was not listening, so he shook his head slightly. Once love became involved, people seemed to become stupid, just like that friend of his. Normally, he was so clever, but he was obsessed with an unattainable woman, wasting away his time and future.
After Han Tieyi left, Han Qiongzhi rushed straight to Cloudwisp island. Following a short parting, they immediately saw each other again. Xiao An took her leave on her own accord, and another night of entanglement followed.
The next day, Wang Pushi’s face was sunken. He had waited in the Hawkwolf Guard for quite a while, but Han Qiongzhi still did not come. He was absolutely furious. He decided to place this debt under Li Qingshan’s name. He completely deserved it.
In the end, he let out a long sigh. “Women are just unreliable. Little Hua, hurry up and emerge!”
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, spring was gone and autumn was already here. The endless autumn rain began.
There was a rumble of thunder in the seclusion dwellings below Contention island. Lightning criss-crossed and flashed, passing through the stone walls and formation that were originally impenetrable, like ghosts of another world.
Quite a while longer, the door that had remained shut for a very long time opened once more. Hua Chengzan emerged, and there was an additional hint of exceptional confidence on his handsome face. A figure appeared in his brain. At least I have the right to serve as your chess piece now, right?
“Did I really trouble miss Hua into delivering this in person?”
Li Qingshan accepted an invitation from Hua Chenglu and studied the woman in front of him. Women really did change quickly in physical appearance. When he first saw her, she was just an unpresentable little girl, but she had become a great beauty now.
“Both of you are good friends of my elder brother. I really must apologise over the fact that my elder brother couldn’t invite you in person,” Hua Chenglu replied courteously, giving off the air of a young miss of an influential family.
“Chenglu, why do I feel like you don’t speak as freely as before?” Han Qiongzhi grabbed her hands with a smile and pulled her in, pinching her tender cheeks.
Han Qiongzhi had always treated Hua Chenglu as her younger sister. The two of them had played together since young. They were on extremely good terms.
“Stop messing around, elder sister. I’m afraid if I act with too much familiarity, I’ll make you jealous,” Hua Chenglu blushed slightly. She glanced at Li Qingshan and giggled.
Now, everyone in the academy knew about their relationship, but the development in the end took everyone by surprise. They did not end up seeing the elopement from the Han family that they had wanted to see.
Han Qiongzhi still returned home when she was supposed to. Li Qingshan even continued to visit Great War island for training. He did not seem to have any disagreements with Han Anjun either, this pseudo-father-in-law of his.
As a result, the rumors and gossip vanished. For cultivators, settling down for life and becoming partners of cultivation had always been commonplace. There was not as much etiquette and courtesy to follow like regular people.
“You’re nowhere close to being your elder sister’s opponent.”
Li Qingshan stowed the invitation away. “Alright, I’ll definitely go when the time comes. He’s finally succeeded with Foundation Establishment!”
“My elder brother will definitely become an exceptional cultivator.” Hua Chenglu said proudly.
“Tell me, you were ogling Chenglu earlier, weren’t you?” After Hua Chenglu left, Han Qiongzhi wrapped her arm around Li Qingshan’s neck and climbed on top of him, curling her lips and asking loudly.
“Everyone has an appreciation for beauty. You might be my only woman, but you can’t take my right to admire other women away from me. Heh, weren’t you pretty confident earlier?” Li Qingshan shifted his gaze.
“That’s your problem!” Han Qiongzhi’s face grew closer.
“My wife, don’t worry. The little girl has none of your perks. You better deal with my problem first!” Li Qingshan picked up Han Qiongzhi with a chuckle and made his way into the house.
The estate of the Hua family that stood like a city was decorated with lanterns and streamers. A jubilant atmosphere filled the whole place.
It did not seem like a banquet and was more like a grand ceremony instead.
To cultivators, nothing was more important or worth celebrating than breaking through, even when compared to marriage, having children, or the four joys of life.
As a result, the Hua family invited guests from everywhere. It was the time for guests to arrive. Flying avians and soaring ships arrived one after another with cultivators. There were plenty of Foundation Establishment cultivators too.
Among all of that, a cloud passed through the rain and landed at the entrance.
The main entrance was open with people flowing in and out. Li Qingshan stepped into the city, and the rain stopped.
The formation above the city was activated. The rain landed on the invisible, spherical barrier and slid down. Under the illumination of the entire city’s lanterns, it was beautiful.
Han Qiongzhi pushed aside the servant who had come to lead the way. The servant clearly recognised Han Qiongzhi, so he backed away without even asking to see the invitation.
With great familiarity, Han Qiongzhi moved through the meandering corridors and arrived before a huge building that stood like a tower in the centre of the city. It was like a glorious, burning tree that reached towards the sky.
Under the tree of fire, the siblings, Hua Chengzan and Hua Chenglu, personally received guests at the entrance. They were dressed splendidly. Standing under the lustrous lantern light, they seemed like a match made in heaven. All of the guests saw them and gasped in admiration.
In particular, Hua Chengzan was already quite a rare, handsome man in the world. After establishing a foundation, he only seemed more romantic. The gazes of the female cultivators passing by were almost sucked over to him.
“Qingshan, Qiongzhi, you’ve come.” Hua Chengzan spotted the pair and went up to receive them with a smile. He did not grow arrogant with his increase in cultivation. He was just as gentle and refined as before, which made him seem as pleasant as the spring breeze. His smile had even grown more sincere than before.
Although it had been quite some time since they had seen him, they did not find him to be foreign at all. Instead, they found him more familiar than ever.
“That’s right. You were in there for so long that I even thought you had died in there!” Li Qingshan patted his shoulder with a smile, but Han Qiongzhi smacked him instead. “You better stop with the unlucky words on such a joyous occasion.”
Hua Chengzan’s smiling gaze moved between the two of them. “You really have… When I first heard about it, I leapt in fright. Who was the one who told me there was no point in having a man?”
“I just found him pitiful, that’s all,” Han Qiongzhi reddened and tried rebuking him.
“And who was the one who told me he didn’t know what being deeply in love was?”
Li Qingshan coughed dryly. “I was just playing along back then.”
“So you were always playing along with me?” “You’ve misheard. I said I was just ignorant because of my age, ignorant because of my age.”
Hua Chengzan laughed aloud and patted Li Qingshan’s shoulder. “Then do you understand me a little now?”
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. “You still haven’t forgotten.”
Hua Chengzan asked, “Have you forgotten?”
“Forgotten what?” Hua Chenglu and Han Qiongzhi butted in at the same time. With their sharp instincts as women, they could sense that something was amiss.
“Difficult to say,” Li Qingshan chuckled and exchanged glances with Hua Chengzan. They understood each other. Who would have thought that their friendship originally blossomed because they fancied the same woman?
“You should go in first. I’ll come and find you later.”
At this moment, more guests arrived, so Hua Chengzan said that before going off to receive them.
“You better explain yourself. What is it?”
As the two of them entered the building, Han Qiongzhi pestered him. All Li Qingshan could do was change the topic constantly. When he became tired of her questioning, he said, “This is a secret among men. Why’re you trying to get involved as a woman?”
Li Qingshan stopped and looked back. Hua Chengzan’s face shone with happiness as he received and saw off guests. His picturesque appearance was dashing, even enough for the hearts of men to skip a beat. The heavens had endowed him with the beautiful appearance of a matchless romantic, but they just happened to make him fall in love with an unattainable woman at the same time. Were the heavens toying with him?
Forget? He obviously could not forget. After all, the memory from back then had left such a deep impression, but there was no need for it to linger on his mind constantly. Cherishing the person in front of him was most important, right?
He smiled as he tried to coax the unhappy Han Qiongzhi. He simply could not understand the thoughts of someone infatuated!
At this moment, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance. His face was bleak as his green clothes drifted about.
Fu Qingjin!
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Chapter 392 – Conflict Arises
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Chapter 392 – Conflict Arises
Fu Qingjin arrived alone in his old, shabby green clothes. He seemed like a depressed swordsman, but he attracted everyone’s gazes. Even tonight’s main star, Hua Chengzan, was unable to steal his glory.
Compared to the Sword Collection palace, the Hua family was more like a local landlord. Although they were known as the greatest clan in the Clear River prefecture, there were a total of eighty-one prefectures in the Green province, but only a single Sword Collection palace.
“That’s Fu Qingjin of the Sword Collection palace. The sword he wields is one of the Ten Renowned Swords of the Sword Collection palace, the Green Ruins sword. He’s a very powerful figure!” Han Qiongzhi introduced softly.
“Really? He just seems like an early Foundation Establishment cultivator to me, just like little Hua.”
“Don’t underestimate him. His Green Ruins sword is an extremely powerful arcane treasure. It’s said to possess the wills of past masters of the Sword Collection palace. Not only does he possess startling power, but his cultivation advances with amazing speed too. He’ll definitely become a prominent figure who can move freely through the Green province.” Han Qiongzhi introduced him seriously to Li Qingshan so that he would be on guard without looking down on him.
However, all she saw was a confident smile unfurling on Li Qingshan’s face. “Don’t worry, your man definitely won’t be any worse than him in the future.”
“How shameless.”
“I think you’re just ignorant. He’s the liaison of the Daemon Suppression alliance. Several dozen sects of various sizes in the Green province have already joined the Daemon Suppression alliance, all following his arrangements. With your cultivation, you don’t even have the right to carry his shoes for him!”
Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice. Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi turned around in surprise and saw Wang Pushi standing there.
“Commander, aren’t you going a little too far by saying something like that? Hey, you’re dressed pretty sharply today!” Li Qingshan saw Wang Pushi in a set of brand new clothes, having cleaned himself up meticulously. He was flashy.
“I’ve said you’ll have quite the accomplishment before.” Fu Qingjin studied Hua Chengzan.
“Then thank you for your auspicious words.” Hua Chengzan was polite but distant. Both of them might have been Foundation Establishment cultivators, but a huge difference still existed between both their strength and future accomplishments.
“Fellow Fu, you’ve come in person! It really is an honour for my humble abode!”
Hua Chengzan could no longer get a word in now. Hua Chengzan’s father, the patriarch of the Hua family, had personally come to receive him. He smiled from ear to ear. Behind him were a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, both female and male, both young and old, who had come down from upstairs. They came from various sects in the Clear River prefecture, all important figures like elders or sect masters. They all greeted Fu Qingjin like they were verifying Wang Pushi’s previous words.
Even though they were not members of the Daemon Suppression alliance, they still had to greet him. In this region, Fu Qingjin had already become a person of great influence. He could determine the fate of a sect with a flick of his hand.
“Ah, isn’t that sect master Xiao of the Vermillion Clothes sect?” “And the Rose Cloud elders of Rose Cloud valley.”
The Qi Practitioners all cried out with the sudden appearance of so many Foundation Establishment cultivators and began discussing among themselves. Fu Qingjin seemed to be surrounded by a dazzling halo, while Hua Chengzan had instead become someone less important.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Commander, if he’s so powerful, why aren’t you welcoming him?”
“Welcome your head. The Daemon Suppression alliance is the Daemon Suppression alliance. The Hawkwolf Guard is the Hawkwolf Guard!” Wang Pushi shot a furious glance at him before turning around and storming off. He stood out very much among the group of onlookers. They all parted to form a path for him.
“What’s wrong with old Wang today? Why’s he so irritable?” Li Qingshan asked in confusion.
“You never pay any attention to matters of the Hawkwolf Guard, which is why you don’t know. There’s been a case recently that has to do with the Vermillion Clothes sect.”
The first time the disciples of the Vermillion Clothes sect left their sect, they would have to complete a trial mission known as “Dyeing their Clothes Vermillion with Blood”. They had to kill a hundred people with their own hands.
It sounded like a bloody mission, but there was nothing wrong with it, as it was about upholding justice. Across the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture, there were countless bandits and thugs. They would basically never be in the wrong if they found any random sect of the jianghu and slaughtered the whole place.
But recently, there was a disciple of the Vermillion Clothes sect who had once served as a horsekeeper in a wealthy family during his childhood and suffered much abuse. As a result, he used this mission to return and slaughter the entire clan, but even when he included the women, the children, and the servants, they only amounted to seventy-one. Carried away by his killing, he slaughtered another thirty or so neighbours in the region, filling his quota of a hundred people.
He alarmed the Hawkwolf Guard in the city, which sent Black Wolf guards to arrest him. However, never did they expect the disciple to possess an extremely powerful cultivation. He killed another two Black Wolf guards before fleeing back to the sect.
He had basically committed the greatest taboo possible to the Hawkwolf Guard. Wang Pushi personally visited the Vermillion Clothes sect to ask them to hand him over. In the past, there was not a single sect bold enough to oppose the Hawkwolf Guard. As a result, handing over the suspect had always been their only option.
However, the Vermillion Clothes sect had joined the Daemon Suppression alliance. They had several dozen sects watching their backs. Coupled with support from the Sword Collection sect from behind, they no longer took a Scarlet Hawk commander like Wang Pushi seriously. The sect master denied he was a member of the Vermillion Clothes sect and told Wang Pushi to look elsewhere.
From Fu Qingjin’s side, the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect stared at Wang Pushi’s figure in the distance, and his lips curled into a sneer. The Hawkwolf Guard thought they were still riding around on a high horse like before, but they had misunderstood the situation. The other sect masters and elders were all complacent too.
Cultivators would always want to follow their hearts and do whatever they wanted, but they were constantly shackled down by the Hawkwolf Guard. It had been far too dissatisfying. Now, they could finally hold their heads high.
Everyone returned upstairs while remaining clustered around Fu Qingjin. Han Qiongzhi said, “It’s not just that. All the cases have been rather difficult lately. As long as they have to do with sects, none of them have come to a definite end. You really can’t blame the commander for being so irritable.” She looked around before communicating to Li Qingshan secretly, “Now that little Hua has emerged from secluded cultivation, there might be a large operation soon.”
Li Qingshan shivered inside. The war between daemons and humans had yet to erupt, but the battle on the surface had already begun. The surface probably would not be peaceful anymore.
The water surface that had remained still for thousands of years began to ripple. The conflict between humans and daemons was just the largest vortex among them, but it had produced countless more vortices as a byproduct, all with hidden undercurrents. Any single vortex could swallow up many lives.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you as your elder sister.” Han Qiongzhi could sense Li Qingshan grow nervous, so she rubbed his head with a smile.
The two of them teased each other, but Han Qiongzhi was wrong about one thing. Li Qingshan was not nervous because he was afraid, but because he was excited.
He did not dislike a life of peace, but he would much rather treat the world as a wonderland of adventures.
“Have all the guests arrived?” Hua Chengzan asked his sister.
“There are still a few missing, but they’re probably not coming. It’s about time too, so let’s go in!” Hua Chenglu checked the guest list.
Hua Chengzan raised his head and saw a huge ship cut through the clouds, descending from the sky. When he made out the symbol on the ship, his eyes lit up, and he ordered in a hurry, “Activate the formations!”
“Qiongzhi, look who’s come.” Hua Chengzan brought over a short, unattractive young man. He was dressed like a scholar, but he gave off no sense of grace at all. As he stood beside Hua Chengzan, he immediately made Li Qingshan think about Wu Dalang and Ximen Qing.
TL: If you remember from Chapter 2, there was a reference to a character called Pan Jinlin from Water Margin. She’s the treacherous wife of Wu Dalang, and she commits adultery against him with Ximen Qing. Wu Dalang is known for his short stature and unimpressive appearance, while Ximen Qing is a merchant with a pretty face. You should be able to see the comparison here.
However, no one dared to look down on this “Wu Dalang”, as he had already reached Foundation Establishment.
“Shancheng, you’ve come back from the Pine Sough academy.” Han Qiongzhi beamed; she was also surprised.
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Chapter 393 – Before the Storm
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Chapter 393 – Before the Storm
Jiang Shancheng chuckled, but he was unable to hide his haughtiness. Among his friends, his background had been the worst. His talent had not been spectacular either, but he happened to make it into the Pine Sough academy and reach Foundation Establishment first. He had specially borrowed this Soaring Dragon ship from his master for his return this time. Now that he saw his old friends again, it was time for him to show off.
Just Hua Chenglu’s stunned expression at the entrance had brought him great joy. This little girl had actually become so beautiful since he saw her a few years ago. When he saw Han Qiongzhi again, his eyes even lit up. No different from before, she stood gracefully and confidently, except her slight masculinity of the past had been replaced by the charm of a mature woman.
“Little Hua has established a foundation, so of course I have to come back and take a look. Where’s Tieyi?” Jiang Shancheng’s thoughts returned to the past. Back then, he would often be looked down upon when he played around with his friends. Only the three of them never despised him. She had even shown him great encouragement.
Hua Chengzan said, “You know, Tieyi hates something like this the most.”
“Who’s this?” Jiang Shancheng shifted his gaze and saw Li Qingshan standing together with Han Qiongzhi. He seemed very close with her, so he frowned.
“This is Li Qingshan, the primary disciple of the school of Novels and Qiongzhi’s man.” Hua Chengzan introduced him with a smile.
“What?” Jiang Shancheng saw Han Qiongzhi redden slightly, but she did not object. His heart sank. “Qiongzhi, y- you’re already married? Why didn’t you let me know?”
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s not just you. She didn’t let any of us know.”
“What’s this all about?”
“Big brother Mountain Boar, you don’t know, but…” Hua Chenglu giggled as she told him the whole story. Where’s your haughtiness now, you big mountain boar? You’re just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that’s all. You’re nowhere close to stealing big sister Han’s heart.
“Mountain Boar” was Jiang Shancheng’s nickname in the past. Hua Chenglu had always despised Jiang Shancheng in the past. She found him to be jittery and constantly sunken-faced, and now, he acted haughtily like this. Hua Chengzan might have been able to ignore it, but she was unable to accept it. If it weren’t for you filling the spot in my brother’s place, would you still have been able to join the Pine Sough academy?
“Y- you’ve already!”
Even with Jiang Shancheng’s cultivation that had reached a point where he could control his vitality, his face still became flushed in an instant. It was like he had been struck by a bolt from the blue, feeling complete disbelief. Originally, he wanted to return home with his successes and fulfill his dream of strutting around proudly, but his past dream lover had already become someone else’s woman.
“You log, why aren’t you speaking? This is my friend, Jiang Shancheng!” Han Qiongzhi’s face reddened slightly, making her seem even more charming as she bumped Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan remained silent with a smile. He could tell with a single glance what Jiang Shancheng was thinking. Kid, you’re too late. I might not be a Ximen Qing, but with my stature, I’m a Wu Erlang at the very least. I’m way better than you. He clasped his hands.
TL: Wu Dalang’s younger brother is Wu Erlang, or more commonly known as Wu Song. He’s known for killing a tiger with his bare hands, so in other words, he is known for his strength. You should be able to see the comparison to Li Qingshan here.
“Greetings to fellow Jiang. I’ll definitely have uncle Han approve of this marriage and hold a grand wedding with Qiongzhi. I’ll definitely let everyone know by then. I do hope you can attend when it happens.”
“Qiongzhi, isn’t your judgement lacking a little? This guy’s cultivation is so low. It’s no surprise that uncle Han wouldn’t approve of the marriage. What school is he the primary disciple of again? The school of Novels? I’ve never heard of it! It sounds like any random person could join them and become their primary disciple!”
Jiang Shancheng’s expression became even uglier. He was just a measly eighth layer Qi Practitioner, and he was speaking to him in such a manner. Do you really think you’re on equal footing with me just because you’re on good terms with Qiongzhi? In particular, Jiang Shancheng found his aura like he had defeated him or something to be even more irritable. I could kill ten people like you with a flick of my hand.
“Jiang Shancheng, what’re you blabbering about?” Before Li Qingshan could say anything, Han Qiongzhi’s face changed, and she barked, “I don’t need you commenting about who I like! Qingshan, let’s go!” She pulled Li Qingshan with her and travelled away, but Li Qingshan refused to budge. She became worried. He was not a man who would let others make fun of him.
Li Qingshan snickered as he said, “Any random person could, just not a mountain boar. You better go back and check yourself in the mirror. You’ve destroyed my appetite just by standing there!”
Jiang Shancheng was furious. Li Qingshan’s face merged with the countless mocking faces in his head. He was about to attack him, but Hua Chengzan stopped him and pulled him upstairs.
“Chengzan, let go of me!” “Today is my celebration, so just do it for my sake. If you hurt him, Qiongzhi really will resent you.”
Jiang Shancheng shot Li Qingshan a vicious glance as his killing intent bubbled. If he had the chance, he would definitely make this kid suffer a horrible death. Li Qingshan seemed to recover his silent smile too. There’s no need for me to stoop to the level of a person with one foot in the grave.
Han Qiongzhi was irritated. “Will you die if you held that in?”
“I will.”
“Can you be a little more mature?”
“I can’t.” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. I’m an eighteen year old boy. I’m in the prime of my youth and immaturity.
“Were you jealous?” Han Qiongzhi rebutted and studied his expression in interest.
“Hah, just from that mountain boar?” Li Qingshan said disdainfully.
“He’s still my friend. Can’t you be a little more polite to him? He hates it when others call him that.”
“It’s not like I called him that first. Nobody would want to be friends with him!”
“So you’re calling me a nobody? You really are jealous. Whatever, I can understand, you stingy man.”
“If I found another woman to call you ugly and to label you as unworthy of me, you wouldn’t be happy either!”
“Can you find one?” Han Qiongzhi said disdainfully.
“Chenglu, it’ll all be up to you now.”
Hua Chenglu had been following the two of them. She happened to be amused by their bickering when she was caught off-guard by Li Qingshan turning around and giving her a glance that seemed to say, “I’ll leave this heavy responsibility to you”.
“I would never.” Hua Chenglu stuck out her tongue. She was simply adorable.
“I watched you grow up for heaven’s sake, and you can’t even help me out with this. I think you still owe me something.”
“Huh? Who did you watch grow up? You clearly owe me!”
“Sigh, look at how confused I’ve become with how your big sister Han has angered me. So what do you want, little sister? Just mention it to your elder brother!”
“What elder brother? Don’t you feel any shame at all? Oh right, were you serious with what you said earlier?”
“What?”
“The wedding.”
Happiness flowed through Han Qiongzhi’s eyes. As it turned out, he had been constantly thinking about this.
“I’ve become confused from anger. I can’t remember it anymore.”
“Don’t you dare!” Han Qiongzhi shot a glance at him.
Li Qingshan chuckled. “I’ve remembered it again, thanks to your reminder. A true man is a man of his word!”
As he said that, the banquet began. Delicacies and delicious food flowed out like water as songs and performances began. There were too many things for him to admire.
A cultivators’ banquet was actually less restrictive compared to those of regular people. It was more like a gathering than a banquet. The people acquainted with one another huddled together, talking and laughing with each other.
Han Qiongzhi happened to be talking with a group of disciples from the school of Legalism, and Li Qingshan was bored. Suddenly, he noticed a lot of people gathered in a corner, but they were silent, so he went over to take a look. Chu Danqing was painting portraits of people. Just when he finished a painting, he felt someone pat him on the shoulder, so he turned around. “It’s you!”
“Come. Let’s go drink!”
Chu Danqing actually accepted his offer. He apologised to everyone around him before arriving beside Li Qingshan. Only then did he let out a sigh. “Thanks.”
He was accidentally recognised by someone, so they asked him to paint a portrait of them. As a result, portrait after portrait followed in an unceasing fashion. With those female cultivators in particular, he had no idea how to turn down their soft-voiced pleadings.
“There’s no need to thank me. Let’s drink!” Li Qingshan shoved a cup of alcohol into his hands.
“Spare me!” Chu Danqing was pained. If he acted up out of drunkenness in front of so many people and embarrassed himself, he would even consider suicide.
“Don’t worry. If you act up, I’ll knock you out.” Li Qingshan laughed aloud.
“Count me in too.” Juechenzi walked over with a smile. Beside him was a beautiful woman with quite the bearing, also at the tenth layer. She was the primary disciple of the school of Music, Qin Yin. She smiled. “Junior sister Xiao An is not here?”
Afterwards, the primary disciples of the schools of Mohism and Agriculture made their way over. Before long, all the primary disciples were present apart from the ones not attending the banquet. They got along as they toasted to one another constantly. No matter how distant they were with one another usually, they still referred to each other as juniors or seniors right now, which made them seem very close with each other.
Juechenzi proposed a toast. “A toast to everyone! We, the hundred schools, are of the same breath and branch! We really should spend more time together!”
Li Qingshan smiled. As it seemed, everyone could sense it already. They had begun to move.
If the Academy of the Hundred Schools was treated as a sect, then it would be the largest, most influential sect with the most resources in the entire Clear River prefecture, while they, the primary disciples, would be the elite disciples of the sect.
With the various sects banding together, the Hawkwolf Guard was not the only one being provoked. The Academy of the Hundred School’s dominant status was being provoked too, as well as everyone’s interests. Before they knew it, the scattered people of the academy had begun to rally together.
“How lively. What’re you talking about?” Han Qiongzhi arrived behind Li Qingshan and placed her hand on his shoulder with a smile.
Now that Hua Chengzan had reached Foundation Establishment, she would be the next primary disciple of the school of Legalism if nothing went wrong, so she obviously had the right to stand among them. The other disciples of legalism knew they had no right to approach this group.
Wu Gen gazed at Li Qingshan from afar. His feelings were very mixed. No one had ever imagined that this unlucky disciple of the school of Novels would be able to sit there peacefully. He possessed the lowest cultivation among them, only at the eighth layer, but he had proven his talent and strength countless times already. No one dared to look down on him.
Hua Chenglu secretly made up her mind that even if she did not possess her elder brother’s talent, she would definitely be able to stand among them as long as she worked hard on cultivation.
Qian Rongzhi puckered her lips. Opportunities seemed to be multiplying!
Similar to that, the first senior brothers and sister of a few sects gathered together before they even knew it in another corner of the hall. They all talked and laughed together while glancing over coldly.
People seemed to move around in a disorderly manner in the hall, but there was a distinct separation between disciples of the academy and disciples of sects.
It was much more quiet upstairs. Foundation Establishment cultivators conversed among themselves softly. After their gestures of courtesy at the very beginning, they too had split into three factions unknowingly. One belonged to the various sects, while another belonged to the various school leaders.
The last faction was composed of sects that had yet to join the Daemon Suppression alliance and clans currently waiting and observing. The Hua family happened to stand out among them. Although Hua Chengzan was a member of the Hawkwolf Guard, the Hua family had numerous connections with various sects. However, the patriarch of the Hua family did not simply stand around. Instead, he moved his way through the groups, remaining on friendly terms with both sides.
“Sect master Qiu.” Hua Chengzan continued to greet people until a person arrived before him and lowered her head slightly.
Standing before him was the master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Qiu Haitang. Tonight, she wore a faint, pink palace dress with a golden tulle on top, outlining her exaggeratingly enchanting figure. She had styled up most of her hair in a simple manner with the rest draping down her neck. There was a tiny ruby near her forehead, which complemented her perfectly.
There was a golden phoenix hairpin on her head. As she walked over gently, it jingled softly, which added to her charm. It made her seem as natural, graceful, and poised as a peony that had just bloomed.
Ever since Hua Chengzan had come upstairs, Qiu Haitang had not shifted her gaze from him, not even once. This situation now was exactly what she had been waiting for all this time, but how he referred to her displeased her.
“Big sister Qiu.”
Qiu Haitang beamed, but she saw a short, young man huddle over. His eyes contained undisguised lust and greed, which was all too common to her. She was slightly taken aback, and then she said indifferently, “Oh, isn’t this Shancheng?”
“It’s me. I’ve just returned from the Pine Sough academy,” Jiang Shancheng said in a hurry. Han Qiongzhi did treat him well, but the person who interested him the most was still the mature and charming Qiu Haitang.
“There’s something I want to talk to little Hua about.” Qiu Haitang withdrew her gaze and stared at Hua Chengzan fixedly.
Jiang Shancheng felt like he had just been snubbed. He came up with another idea and returned downstairs, arriving before Han Qiongzhi. “Qiongzhi, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Han Qiongzhi. Han Qiongzhi glanced at Li Qingshan helplessly, who nodded with a smile.
“If you want to speak ill of him, then save it. If you want to keep going, you can forget that we’re friends,” Han Qiongzhi cut right to the chase.
“How many years have we been friends? You’re treating me like this just because of an outsider? If this continues, you’ll suffer. I can propose marriage to uncle Han. He’ll definitely approve of it.”
“You better just stick with being a friend!” Only now did Han Qiongzhi understand what he wanted. She shook her head with a smile and patted his shoulder before returning to Li Qingshan’s side.
“Qiongzhi!”
Jiang Chengshan felt extremely vexed. He felt like he had completely failed to achieve his purpose after returning. He utterly resented Li Qingshan. He was a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he had actually been humiliated like this by a Qi Practitioner. He swore on his humanity to get revenge.
Returning upstairs, he ran into Qiu Haitang. She was gloomy, and the rims of her eyes were red.
“Shancheng, I want to go back. Accompany me!”
“Ahh- okay!” Jiang Shancheng was overjoyed. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, why would she need anyone to accompany her? This was clearly some kind of signal.
Hua Chengzan extended his hand, but his lips faltered. He did not say anything in the end.
Qiu Haitang waited for a while before smiling miserably and taking off first.
Jiang Shancheng wriggled his eyebrows at Hua Chengzan. Chengzan, if you don’t want her, then don’t blame me for swooping in.
Li Qingshan gazed outside through a window and saw the Soaring Dragon ship rising up into the air. The cup of alcohol in his hand shuddered.
As the water rippled, something seemed to surge within the dark waters of the boundless Lake of Snakes and Dragons. A figure burst out of the water, passing through the rain and unfurling a pair of wings of wind. Then, it took off into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, it pierced the clouds. The many stars twinkled before him, while the moon was curved like a sickle. After flying for a while, he spotted a huge, dragon-like ship several hundred meters long sailing through the sea of clouds. It was just like the dragons and whales of legends that drifted through the ocean.
Li Qingshan pulled back his wings and erupted with a wave of air. He shot off right towards the Soaring Dragon ship. He landed on the large, empty deck and pushed open the cabin door.
You mountain boar, you wanna try to take my woman? I’ll send you off on your way right now!
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Chapter 394 – Reduced to a Pulp
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Chapter 394 – Reduced to a Pulp
Li Qingshan stood on the soft carpet and raised an eyebrow. All he heard were the sounds of turning gears behind the walls on the two sides of the corridor.
Delicate patterns on the luxurious carpet lit up and climbed out from the floor like vines, wrapping around Li Qingshan.
The walls to his side flipped open. Countless specks of cold light twinkled behind them as densely-packed spears stabbed out suddenly.
With a series of clicks, mechanical crossbows dropped down from above. Volleys of crossbow bolts engulfed him like a lotus swarm.
The quiet corridor immediately became filled with deadly traps, enough to kill anyone who set foot in there.
“Looks like the assassination has failed.” Li Qingshan let out a long sigh. He knew the ship would not be so simple.
“Haitang, have some alcohol and calm down. Chengzan just knows no better.”
Jiang Shancheng passed a cup of alcohol to Qiu Haitang. They were in an extremely extravagant cabin. He had studied her charming body countless times already from the corner of his eye, and he stared straight at Qiu Haitang’s face that was as beautiful as a flower.
Qiu Haitang found his fake pity and undisguised desires absolutely disgusting, but she still accepted the alcohol and drank it all.
Jiang Shancheng was overjoyed. He passed alcohol to her cup after cup, and Qiu Haitang drank it all, without the slightest hesitation. For the entire time, only he was talking. Qiu Haitang remained silent.
Before long, Qiu Haitang was completely flushed. Her eyes were as limpid as water as her gaze drifted about. She was breathtakingly gorgeous. There might have been sorrow in her eyes, but with the arts of charm she had cultivated arduously over all these years, every single smile or action from her was filled with unparalleled charm. Jiang Shancheng almost became dazed as a result.
Qiu Haitang’s smile blossomed like a flower, and a voice emerged from the centre of the petals, “Am I pretty?”
“Y- you are! You’re extremely pretty!”
Qiu Haitang smiled wildly.
“Haiting, you’re drunk. I’ll take you to go rest.” Jiang Shancheng was unable to help himself anymore. He grabbed Qiu Haitang’s fair hand, and she did not reject him. He was enchanted. “Sigh, there are plenty of good men in the world, so why must you become so hung up over a single man, Haitang? Actually, I…”
When he reached there, Jiang Shancheng’s expression changed, and he fished out an item, a delicate ship’s wheel the size of a hand. It was flashing with light.
“Someone has broken in. I’d like to see just who has the audacity. I’ll definitely make him suffer.”
Having been interrupted, Jiang Shancheng was furious. This was his only opportunity. Qiu Haitang was depressed right now, or why would she ever take him seriously?
Is it him? An intense hope rose up in Qiu Haitang’s heart, and her face lit up slightly.
Jiang Shancheng became even more uneasy. He too was afraid Hua Chengzan had come in pursuit. Oh Chengzan, we’re friends, so why must you get in my way?
Strands of light emerged from the ship’s wheel, knitting into a screen in the air. He could see the situation in every compartment of the cabin.
In the end, his gaze locked onto the entrance of the cabin, on the scarlet-red figure.
Qiu Haitang was very disappointed, while Jiang Shancheng eased up. Everyone could be dealt with easily as long as it was not Hua Chengzan.
The Soaring Dragon ship did possess defensive formations, but flying through the air already consumed tremendous amounts of energy, so activating the formations would only waste even more. There were two Foundation Establishment cultivators present, so just who were they supposed to be afraid of? The enemy would probably piss their pants at the sight of their Pine Sough academy’s insignia!
Jiang Shancheng activated the defensive mechanism in the cabin and did not worry too much about the intruder. As he watched the scarlet figure being enveloped by crossbow bolts, he smiled proudly. The mechanical traps inside the Soaring Dragon ship were all the handiwork of mohist masters. They possessed startling power. Even if the intruder was made of steel, he would still become peppered with holes.
Within the deathly silence, sounds of distortion like creaks and cracks rang out.
Boom!
The spears snapped, and the bolts were sent flying. Li Qingshan was completely unscathed. With the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell around him, he tried to advance, but he discovered the patterns on the carpet still trapped him. He frowned, and the carpet was ripped to pieces.
His hands landed on the side of his legs, and he discovered that they were bare. He was naked. As a result, he plucked off a strand of red hair and transformed it into a pair of pants, shoving his hands into the pockets in satisfaction as he ventured deeper into the cabin.
“W- what’s going on?” Jiang Shancheng’s expression changed drastically. A terrifying sense of danger filled his mind. The figure was somewhat familiar.
“You still haven’t recognised him?” Qiu Haitang let out a drunken sneer. Following her disappointment, her heart became even colder.
Jiang Shancheng suddenly recalled a huge matter from a while ago that had caused a disturbance so large that it still lingered about. He had once seen a painting, which depicted the terrifying daemon who killed the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder while frightening the Green Vine Elder to the point where he was afraid of leaving his sect.
He shifted his gaze to the screens projected from the ship’s wheel. It was him! Jiang Shancheng paled in fright as the wheel in his hand shone brightly. He gave an order to the Soaring Dragon ship,
“Activate all mechanisms and send out all puppets!”
The Soaring Dragon ship shuddered slightly, and the noise from the activation of countless mechanisms merged together like thunder. It was like a roar of dragons.
Li Qingshan arrived in a larger compartment. An army of puppets waited there as specks of light shone in their eyes. They turned around and looked at Li Qingshan.
Crossbow bolts erupted like a barrage of black rain. Li Qingshan flapped his wings of wind and scattered the storm.
He wrinkled his nose, and the corner of his mouth curled up. Mountain boar, I’ve found you!
The Soaring Dragon ship was made of some unknown timber. Not only was it extremely tough, but it limited the sensing of aura very much. However, his sense of smell was unaffected. He had already grasped the trail of the scent.
It was an exotic fragrance that lingered about. Li Qingshan took off with a flash, charging along the scent.
“This mountain boar Jiang sure is a deviant. He even uses perfume!”
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The doors in the cabin slammed shut before him. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Li Qingshan smashed through all of them.
Behind him, groups of puppets tailed him relentlessly. Ahead, various traps erupted constantly.
Sometimes, the flooring would suddenly cave in and spit fire; sometimes, the walls would suddenly close together and spray acid like the writhing guts of a monster. It was all a desperate attempt to kill this intruder.
However, Li Qingshan happened to be a foreign entity it could not digest.
“What do we do?! Sister Qiu, what do we do?!”
The ship’s wheel depicted everything. Jiang Shancheng saw Li Qingshan rush over with lightning speed, and he began to sweat bullets. Surprisingly, he still knew a bit about his own weaknesses. He was only an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had already gotten lucky to be able to establish a foundation at all, yet his opponent was a great, renowned daemon who had killed two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators and almost taken the late Foundation Establishment Green Vine Elder’s life in a one-against-three battle.
“I don’t know.” Qiu Haitang knew she was probably done for tonight, but she remained calm instead. If I die here, I’ll have that fickle man regret for the rest of his life.
“Oh right, use your arts of charm! They might be effective!” Jiang Shancheng pulled out a stack of talismans in a hurry and stuck them on the door.
“I’m supposed to use my arts of charm to draw his attention so that you can use the opening and escape, right?”
Qiu Haitang spoke his mind in a single comment, which made Jiang Shancheng feel rather awkward. He was just about to try and convince her otherwise.
Boom! The heavy cabin door suddenly caved in, and wooden shrapnel sprayed everywhere. The inscriptions on the door twisted, yielding before the terrifying strength.
“Is anyone home?” Li Qingshan asked before throwing another punch. The cabin door became riddled with cracks.
“If someone is home, can you open up please?”
Boom! The door was closed to shattering and giving in.
The voice from behind the door was ghastly and demented, which made Jiang Shancheng’s heart turn cold. Without the slightest hesitation, he left behind Qiu Haitang behind and fled using the secret tunnel in the corner of the room.
Boom! The door shattered, and fragments of it sailed across the room.
An insolent daemon with scarlet hair up to his waist appeared at the door. When Qiu Haitang saw him, her pupils constricted from the powerful pressure despite already accepting death.
Why’s Qiu Haitang on this ship? Li Qingshan finally understood the origin of the exotic fragrance, but he moved without the slightest hesitation. With a flash, he arrived before Qiu Haitang and grabbed her slender, pale neck.
“Is it just you?”
Qiu Haitang stared at his face silently.
“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?” Li Qingshan was rather curious over the fact that Qiu Haitang put up no resistance at all. She did not even use the arts of charm she was best at.
Qiu Haitang sneered miserably.
Her expression gave Li Qingshan the unfortunate feeling that she was not just depressed. Instead, she had already lost the will to live, so he immediately guessed the reason for it. As long as Hua Chengzan remained infatuated, it would remain completely one-sided. Even Qiu Haitang’s greatest efforts would be rebuffed heartlessly.
Li Qingshan tossed her aside, and she collided against the wall heavily. He wrinkled his nose again and kicked open a trapdoor, jumping into it in pursuit.
The trapdoor closed behind him. Seeing how Qiu Haitang had no intentions of pursuing him, Jiang Shancheng let out a sigh of relief. As long as she kept him busy for long enough, he would be able to make it out of the cabin. He glanced at the tiny ship’s wheel in his hand. Perhaps, there was even the chance for him to turn the situation around.
The Soaring Dragon ship sailed ahead over the sea of clouds under the moon.
To a corner on the ship’s stern, a tiny door was suddenly flung open. Jiang Shancheng extended his head out from there and saw the sea of clouds recede around him. With a clang, a supreme grade spiritual sword flew out. He stepped on it and took off.
Glancing at the ship’s wheel in his hand, he hesitated. There was a chance for him to turn the situation around, but it was simply too dangerous. So be it. The consequences of losing a Soaring Dragon ship were severe, but as long as he remained alive, there would be plenty of opportunities for him to redeem himself. If he could survive this, his future prospects would remain as bright as ever. There was no need for him to risk his life over a wretched daemon. He was just about to take off.
Jiang Shancheng sensed something and suddenly looked back. Two bloody specks of light lit up in the gloomy door. That was bad news!
“A Strike of Righteousness!”
Li Qingshan lunged over, and Jiang Shancheng formed a seal with his hand. The supreme grade spiritual sword turned into a streak of snow-white light.
Human cultivators did not possess bodies as tough as those of daemons, but they could control swords from afar to kill their opponents; these swords were startlingly fast and deadly. In a real battle, not even regular Daemon Generals could necessarily triumph over him.
But was Li Qingshan a regular Daemon General?
With a flap of his wings, he suddenly turned, and the edge of the streak of light brushed past the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, erupting with light and illuminating Li Qingshan’s smile. Avoiding the sword qi, he shot over without slowing down at all, extending his right hand towards Jiang Shancheng.
Jiang Shancheng retreated in a hurry and took out a scarlet talisman. This was the life-saving talisman the Pine Sough academy would give to their Foundation Establishment disciples, and it possessed alarming power. However, before he could use it, darkness enveloped him and shrouded the moon and stars.
Li Qingshan’s right hand turned into a huge, pitch-black claw, grabbing Jiang Shancheng. He quickly closed his hand and heard the joyful sounds of cracking bones, which made him snicker. After learning his lesson with the Green Vine Elder, he knew it was very important for him to reduce his enemies to pulp.
And, this guy was human scum in the first place. He would not even spare his good friend’s woman, even abandoning the woman and taking off first. I’ll make you live up to your name a little better.
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Chapter 395 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (One)
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Chapter 395 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (One)
The sky loomed overhead, and the sea of clouds surged. Both of them extended as far as the eye could see. All was silent. Even the Soaring Dragon ship had stopped, as if it was quietly spectating the outcome of their battle.
There was a flash of fire, followed by a great rumble.
Li Qingshan felt scorching heat in the centre of his hand. Fire erupted between his fingers.
Jiang Shancheng knew he would die, so he actually activated the scarlet talisman regardless of the consequences.
The peaceful air was blown apart viciously, whistling and surging violently. The sea of clouds were pushed apart, creating a large hole.
Li Qingshan collided against the Soaring Dragon ship as he felt intense pain. His right hand had already become charred, while the huge Soaring Dragon ship shook.
Jiang Shancheng turned into white light and took off into the distance.
Li Qingshan shook his right hand, shaking off the ash and exposing his skin. With his recovery ability, a wound like this was nothing, but it did deplete a lot of daemon qi.
He thought, I really can’t underestimate any Foundation Establishment cultivator. If I’m too careless, I might end up screwing up such a simple task. If that scarlet talisman had been a little closer, he probably would lose his clone from exhausting too much daemon qi even with the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
Li Qingshan flapped his wings in pursuit. In just a few seconds, he arrived behind Jiang Shancheng.
Jiang Shancheng was charred. Although he was the one who had activated the talisman, it was not his own power, so he too was heavily injured due to the close proximity. He was unable to put up any resistance anymore, but he roared viciously, “You wretched daemon, I’ll drag you down with me!”
“Just by you?” Li Qingshan sneered, but he suddenly detected a hint of danger. He looked back.
Tiny doors opened on the side of the Soaring Dragon ship and countless black cannons protruded out. Specks of light began to gather towards them as their mouths shone brighter and brighter.
On this dark night, a drunken man walked on a small path running through a village. Suddenly, he heard a clap of thunder. The path was slippery from the night rain, so he leapt in fright and fell over.
“Fucking hell. Why’s it so slippery when it’s autumn…”
He raised his head, and his mouth dropped, forgetting to close it. All he saw was a hole in the sky. The stars twinkled in the hole as a silver streak of moonlight seemed to connect the ground with the sky.
He gulped, having been dumbfounded by this sight. Before he had even returned to his senses, several dozen streaks of light pierced the layer of clouds, weaving together. From afar, they initially seemed as thin as threads before turning into pillars of light in the blink of an eye. One of them landed near him, immediately creating a bottomless hole.
“Dear heavens, spare me, spare me! I’ll never drink or beat my wife again!” He had completely sobered up. He knelt on the ground in fright and banged his head against the ground.
“Die!” Jiang Shancheng was very surprised by the power of the Soaring Dragon ship. He ravished with joy as he wielded the ship’s wheel, firing it again and again.
The Soaring Dragon ship had never been for transporting cargo, nor was it for showing off. Instead, it was the crystallisation of mohist craftsmanship, an unrivalled machine of war.
Li Qingshan flapped his wings and did his best to fly between the light, suddenly flying straight ahead, suddenly turning, and suddenly dropping by a few dozen meters, submerging deeply into the sea of clouds. The streaks of light pursued him relentlessly, completely unaffected by the clouds and giving him no opportunity to catch his breath.
Jiang Shancheng gazed at the clouds vigilantly. He flew towards the Soaring Dragon ship on his sword. As long as he returned to the ship and activated the defensive formations, there was nothing this daemon could do to him.
Li Qingshan’s figure turned violently like a hurricane. He was afraid to rest for even a second, but his eyes were fixed on Jiang Shancheng. He fished out something from his hundred treasures pouch, weighed it in his hand, and then threw it as hard as he could.
Just when Jiang Shancheng was about to return to the ship, he felt like his body was being ripped apart, like it could collapse at any time. He was overcome by both joy and urgency. He urged his sword to fly faster, but his body halted. Lowering his head in disbelief, a bloody ‘spear’ had pierced his chest.
Behind him, a great flag drifted in the wind. As it turned out, Li Qingshan had thrown a huge flag at a critical moment. What pierced Jiang Shancheng was the flagpole.
His life rapidly bled away. Jiang Shancheng’s eyes were wide open. I’m someone even more powerful than those handsome geniuses with fantastic backgrounds like Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi. I’m actually going to die here, at the hands of a wretched daemon. I refuse to accept this!
Li Qingshan rose up in the sea of clouds, moving horizontally. A streak of light shot past him in a slight curve and vanished into the sea of clouds.
This was also the Soaring Dragon ship’s last attack.
Under the stars, Li Qingshan leapt on board and squatted slightly. His red hair danced in the wind, holding a ship’s wheel in one hand and a great flag in the other. Jiang Shancheng was skewered on the flagpole.
With a swing of the flag, Jiang Shancheng landed on the deck. He was on his last breath. He said with a feeble voice, “Please, I beg you, d- don’t kill me. Pine Sough academy will never spare you. The Daemon Suppression alliance will never spare you!”
“I’ll let you die knowing. I’m Li Qingshan,” Li Qingshan whispered quietly into Jiang Shancheng’s ears. His eyes widened, as if he wanted to say something.
Li Qingshan grabbed him by the head and twisted it three times before tossing him into his hundred treasures pouch to take back as a snack for Xiao An.
“Is this the control device?” Li Qingshan fiddled around with the ship’s wheel in his hand. The power of the Soaring Dragon ship tempted him very much, but in the end, he discovered he was actually unable to use it. The wheel did not respond to daemon qi at all, and he was unable to mobilise his true qi in his current state.
If I can’t use it, then I won’t use it! Li Qingshan stowed the wheel away and made his way into the cabin with the flag on his shoulder.
In this time, that woman should have fled already!
Li Qingshan held back his murderousness. Although he had once sworn he would make the Sect of Clouds and Rain bleed, that was a few years ago. He had already achieved the revenge he deserved, and he had no direct grievances with Qiu Haitang. He had to be lenient whenever possible, right? She was technically Hua Chengzan’s childhood friend after all. If he killed her, how was he supposed to face him in the future?
However, if he wanted to spare her, he could not make it too obvious, or it would rouse suspicion, which was why Li Qingshan had purposefully thrown her against the wall, making her suffer a little before he pursued Jiang Shancheng. He could pass it off as negligence.
Don’t tell me!
Just as Li Qingshan was touched by his own generosity, gentleness, and respect for friendship, he returned to the cabin only to find Qiu Haitang still there.
Qiu Haitang seemed to be completely oblivious to his departure and return. She just drank alone, not even asking about Jiang Shancheng’s fate, as if nothing in the world had anything to do with her.
“You didn’t escape?” Li Qingshan said in disbelief.
“Could I escape?” Qiu Haitang answered him with a question. Actually, she had considered escaping after Li Qingshan had left, but she immediately dismissed that thought. Even if she could escape, just how far could she go? With his speed, he would probably catch up to her in an instant.
“Obvious not!” Li Qingshan was taken aback. If he hunted her down, it was indeed very difficult for Qiu Haitang to escape. He had no idea how to react. So much for my wonderful plan to spare you; you’re not even going to cherish it.
“Then why would I escape? If you want to kill me, then kill me!”
“Don’t you find it to be very disrespectful if I kill you because you want me to kill you!” Li Qingshan roared. He snatched over the flask of alcohol and drank it all. His eyes shone, as if he was undressing Qiu Haitang’s body. He grabbed her by the chin and smiled obscenely. “You better have some fun with me first!”
This was Li Qingshan’s second wonderful plan. She was still a woman at the end of the day. She could overcome death, but she would still be afraid of something like that. She would definitely say something along the lines of, “If you take another step closer, I’ll kill myself.” With that, he would be able to go with the flow and spare her temporarily. Afterwards, he could purposefully give her an opportunity, and she would definitely flee for her life.
Li Qingshan could not help but feel proud of himself for coming up with another fantastic plan in such a short amount of time.
“At least you’re much more straightforward than the one before and much more pleasant to the eye.” Sorrow flashed through Qiu Haitang’s eyes. She still refused to budge.
Li Qingshan almost burst out cursing. Isn’t it just a man? Do you have to be like this? The mighty sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, actually suffers from infatuation too! Though, she sure matches that romantic blinded by love.
Originally, I wanted to undertake this discreetly and finish off Jiang Shancheng silently, but it’s all because of a woman like you that my plan is ruined. Once you get back and mention it, they’ll probably all suspect Li Qingshan. One is no different from two. Since you don’t want to live, then I’ll give you what you want. I’ll go all the way then and silence you for good!
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows, and his murderousness surged. He revealed his long, protruding teeth. An urge to bite through her pale neck blossomed inside him.
Qiu Haitang simply closed her eyes, ready to receive the incoming humiliation. Suddenly, she thought of Hua Chengzan again and felt pained. I’ve already been misfortunate enough, so why must I cause him unnecessary pain? I’ll just go with my purity!
A clear tear slid down from the corner of her eye. She was about to mobilise her spiritual qi and end it all for herself.
Li Qingshan’s heart shuddered. What’s wrong with me? Why is my killing intent so heavy? The power of the spirit turtle has completely surpassed the ox demon and tiger demon, so I shouldn’t be like this. It feels like some kind of restraint deep within me has vanished.
He looked around and suddenly understood what he was missing—Xiao An!
Xiao An was not around him, so there was no need for him to be a model example. Like a horse free from its reins, he had almost broken out of his final shackle of ‘humanity’, becoming a daemon through and through, doing whatever he liked without any second thought!
He was even tempted to strip Qiu Haitang naked and humiliate her recklessly. So-called morality was so feeble before absolute strength. With no one else around him, it only nourished the growth of dark desires.
“This is boring!”
Qiu Haitang was taken aback. She opened her eyes and discovered that Li Qingshan had already retreated to the other side of the table, drinking by himself right from the jar.
“A woman who doesn’t put up any resistance is even more boring than an opponent who doesn’t put up any resistance!” Li Qingshan said.
If I become like this, what right do I have to guide Xiao An? What freedom does a person controlled by their desires have? Do I even pale in comparison to that mad woman Qian Rongzhi?
“Come with me!” Li Qingshan made his way out of the compartment.
Qiu Haitang followed behind him with no other choice. Just what was this daemon trying to do?
“Take it!”
Arriving on the deck, Li Qingshan tossed an item over, and Qiu Haitang caught it. She studied it. It was a tiny ship’s wheel.
Li Qingshan crossed his arms. “If you assist me, then I’ll spare you. I won’t touch a single hair on you.”
“Where do you want to go?” With her hopes of many years fallen through, Qiu Haitang had become very disoriented and irrational. However, she was still someone who had cultivated for many years, so she possessed some willpower. In particular, ever since what happened earlier, having escaped death despite wanting to die, her desire for survival had surged. She recovered some of her usual composure.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Green Vine mountain.”
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Chapter 396 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Two)
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Chapter 396 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Two)
Li Qingshan gazed over the stretch of clouds in the direction of the Green Vine mountain.
I’ve made a mess already, so let’s make a larger one to cover it all up. Fu Qingjin, let’s see whether I have the right to carry your shoes or not.
“You want to kill the Green Vine Elder!” Qiu Haitang was stunned. He had already killed the disciple of Pine Sough academy, Jiang Shancheng, and he still was not satisfied. No, perhaps this was his original intention, to steal the Soaring Dragon ship to destroy the protective formations of the Green Vine mountain.
“That’s right.” Li Qingshan had originally decided this on a whim, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He had heard that the Daemon Suppression alliance had cast down a Duality Formation of Disintegration or whatever it was called around the Green Vine mountain. He could use this Soaring Dragon ship to destroy the formation.
Fu Qingjin, since you’re bold enough to attend the banquet, I’ll kill the Green Vine Elder for you to see!
“If I assist you, wouldn’t I become an accomplice?”
“That’s still better than dying!”
“I don’t even know whether you’re going to uphold your word.” Qiu Haitang studied him.
“Doesn’t seem like you have much of a choice.” Li Qingshan grinned, revealing his teeth.
“Fine!” Qiu Haitang no longer hesitated. Just like what he said, she had no choice at all. The other important reason was because her gut told her he had no ill intentions towards her. This feeling was completely groundless. Was it because of his exceptionally handsome appearance, even on par with Hua Chengzan’s? She shook her head. It was not like she was an actual infatuated romantic!
Under Qiu Haitang’s control, the Soaring Dragon ship slowly turned around and dispersed the clouds, flying in the direction of the Green Vine mountain.
Li Qingshan sat on the top of the dragon figurehead at the front. The breeze ruffled his scarlet hair, as well as Qiu Haitang’s dress close behind him. She gazed at his back and found her encounter tonight to be unimaginably strange.
Never did she think Hua Chengzan would turn her down, and never did she think she would almost be disgraced by a despicable man. And now, she was actually assisting a daemon in attacking the Green Vine mountain.
“Qingshan, Qingshan, what’re you smiling for?”
Li Qingshan returned to his senses. In the lantern-lit hall, Han Qiongzhi sat beside him and asked in confusion.
Han Qiongzhi asked, “What are you thinking about? You were in a daze the entire time.”
Juechenzi and the others gazed over curiously as well.
“Don’t tell me you were thinking of another woman?” Qin Yin joked. As the primary disciple of the school of Music, her voice seemed to possess some kind of strange tone, which made it indescribably pleasant.
“With a beauty like senior sister Qin here, how can I think of another woman?” Li Qingshan chuckled.
At this moment, two different scenes played before Li Qingshan’s eyes. One was located above the sea of clouds, under the moon and stars, while the other was the banquet of the Hua family, surrounded by guests and friends. It was difficult to explain just how interesting of a sight it was.
“You’re too kind, junior brother.” Qin Yin smiled slightly. With her charming appearance and twinkling eyes, she seemed both indifferent and tender.
She had originally been an extremely withdrawn and aloof person, focusing purely on music with a dislike for contact with other people. But at a time like this, she was forced to make use of her advantage as a female cultivator and befriend some of the more powerful figures in the academy.
Once chaos truly erupted, the school of Music would definitely become involved as one of the hundred schools. Even if she could forsake herself, she still had to consider for her junior sisters in the school of Music.
Li Qingshan even wanted to joke a little more, but Han Qiongzhi grabbed him by the ear and smiled. “If I weren’t here, do you plan on pursuing senior sister Qin too?”
“Hmm? How did you k- If you keep twisting, it’s really going to fall off.”
Everyone erupted with a roar of laughter, but the sounds of dispute appeared in another corner of the hall.
“Beauty, come drink with us! Just one cup and we’ll let you go.”
Hua Chenglu was greeting and receiving the guests in Hua Chengzan’s place. When she arrived on the table of the disciples of the Vermillion Clothes sect, a man with a full beard grabbed her wrist. He was completely drunk, while the others on the table were all tipsy too. They began to kick up a fuss.
“Please behave yourself. My elder brother is Hua Chengzan.” Hua Chenglu tried to break free, but she failed. She was only at the fifth layer, while the man had already reached the ninth layer.
“Second senior brother, let’s just forget about it. This is the Hua family after all.” Some sober disciples tried to convince him otherwise.
“What Hua Chengzan? Isn’t he just a piece of trash from the Hawkwolf Guard? Is he bold enough to offend our Daemon Suppression alliance?” The man was taken aback and sobered up slightly. He muttered a few insults under his breath and released her awkwardly.
Every single person in the hall had sharp eyes and ears. The legalist disciples all became furious, but Han Qiongzhi frowned and did nothing. Ever since Hua Chengzan entered secluded cultivation, it had always been her who handled the affairs of the Hawkwolf Guard. She had basically become the primary disciple of the school of Legalism already, and before she knew it, she had developed much better self-control. In particular, they were about to carry out a large operation, so acting rashly and alerting the enemy would not be a good idea.
“Damned crook, eat my palm strike!” Bang!
Five-coloured light appeared, and Chu Tian burst out from somewhere, unleashing the Palm of the Five Elements and slamming the ‘second senior brother’ with it. The second senior brother was also at the ninth layer, but he was no match for Chu Tian, who cultivated all five elements. With a clatter, he shot over the table and collided heavily against a wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“Junior sister, are you fine?” Chu Tian spun around and grabbed Hua Chenglu’s hand, looking at her in complete concern.
The noisy hall fell silent immediately, while Hua Chenglu was stunned. Why the hell would I need you playing the hero? If it were not for the bigger picture, the fact that this was Hua Chengzan’s celebratory banquet, was she supposed to worry about a lack of powerful people in the Hua family at her beck and call?
If this second senior brother continued, even those first senior brothers would not sit aside and watch as he offended the Hua family.
“You pieces of trash! Why don’t you check where you are?!” Chu Tian cursed loudly.
Looks like this idiot’s behaviour isn’t all just directed towards me! Li Qingshan lit up inside and felt slightly better. This guy’s ability for taunting really isn’t a joke!
The disciples of the sects all changed in expression and stood up. The atmosphere immediately became tense. The tiny incident instantly developed into a major matter.
The second senior brother shook his head and sobered up completely. He was utterly furious. His face became bright red as he drew his blade and swung it at Chu Tian.
Chu Tian sneered. Trash will always be trash. It was a perfect opportunity for him to show off. Five-coloured light appeared, and he did not forget to smile at Hua Chenglu. “Don’t worry, junior sister. Your senior brother is here for you!”
“Lu Dun, back away!”
“Stop, Chu Tian!”
Two voices rang out; two figures, one red and one white, almost arrived at the same time as the voices. One grabbed the spine of Lu Dun’s blade, while the other grabbed Chu Tian’s shoulder.
Lu Dun and Chu Tian were both haughty people, but when they saw these two people, they could only stop and call them senior brother.
The two senior brothers glanced at one another and stated their origins. “Jin Feipeng of the Vermillion Clothes sect.”
“Wei Yangsheng of the school of Confucianism.”
“Why did a confucian disciple injure a member of my sect?”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. It seems like the disciple of your esteemed sect possesses quite a powerful cultivation, so he’s fine. Let’s just end it here!”
“A misunderstanding? Then you better let us return that palm strike so that we can clear up this misunderstanding. What do you think?”
“Of course not. I said it was a misunderstanding, but I was just trying to respect your esteemed sect. Actually, you can call that a lesson.”
Both of them were reluctant to make a mess, but as they clashed verbally, neither of them wanted to back down either.
Li Qingshan watched on in interest from a corner of the hall. Suddenly, he heard a voice, “The Pine Sough academy must have received a distress signal already. They’ll definitely arrive very soon. Their head scholar is a Golden Core cultivator. Aren’t you afraid of being killed if you still go to the Green Vine mountain?”
Li Qingshan turned around. Under the bright moon, Qiu Haitang stood with her arms in her sleeves on the deck as her clothes drifted about in the wind.
“They aren’t enough to kill me.”
“This is your clone?” Qiu Haitang never planned on convincing him to leave either. She simply wanted to break the silence. This Daemon General enveloped in danger and mystery made her curious, and his almost-human behaviour made her rather surprised. She spontaneously recalled a piece of information she had heard, so she tried probing him with it.
“How did you know?”
With that, Qiu Haitang completely gave up on the thought of fighting back. Even if she managed to kill this clone out of pure luck, she would still become a target for vicious revenge. His clone was already so powerful, so how strong was his main body supposed to be?
“That’s not exactly a secret. I’m very curious about where your original body is.” Qiu Haitang immediately grasped the crux of the matter.
“I think it’s your turn to fulfill my curiosity now. Why were you so emotional?” Li Qingshan avoided the question.
“You’re welcome to guess.” Qiu Haitang stopped asking. She simply crossed her legs and sat down.
“I’m guessing you were dumped by a man.”
“How did you know?” Qiu Haitang was surprised at first, but then she laughed in a self-deprecating manner. “Has my behaviour become so obvious that even a daemon can tell?”
“Let’s hear it. What kind of man is he?” Li Qingshan admitted he was rather intrigued by gossip. However, investigating the private matters of people he knew under an unknown identity was extremely interesting.
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“You better be careful, as I just might kill you.”
“I’m still not going to talk about this.”
“Then forget about it.”
After a while of silence, Qiu Haitang frowned. Now that the person she had purposefully tried to forget was mentioned, he began to haunt her mind. She was unable to stop thinking about him anymore.
Finally, she said, “He’s called Hua Chengzan…”
With that, she was like a collapsed dam. Words flowed out of her mouth endlessly, going from how her heart skipped a beat when they initially met expectedly to her later infatuation. Her gaze passed by Li Qingshan to an extremely distant and obscure place. Perhaps she no longer cared about who was standing in front of her right now, and she just wanted to tell someone about it.
“Daemons can’t understand something like that. I’ve actually said so much to you.”
Qiu Haitang smiled in a self-deprecating manner. Jiang Shancheng only wanted to take advantage of her vulnerable state. In the end, it was actually a daemon who had almost killed her who listened to her. Fate sure was unpredictable. Of course, if he were a human instead, if it were actually her friends who wanted to listen to her, she would not be able to bring herself to say so much.
“Even if you’re venting to a treehole, you’ll feel better.” Li Qingshan smiled. Originally, he looked down on her behaviour, but towards the end, he could not help but sigh slightly.
Qiu Haitang was taken aback. As expected, she felt much more liberated, but to her surprise, a daemon actually cared about how she felt?
“And, why can’t daemons understand something like that?” Han Qiongzhi’s figure appeared in Li Qingshan’s head, and he smiled.
“Qingshan, go!” Han Qiongzhi pushed Li Qingshan.
“What? Me? Oh, I understand.” Li Qingshan was in a daze, and he returned to his senses. Although he had been focusing on Qiu Haitang’s story, he still paid some attention to this side.
As Jin Feipeng and Wei Yangsheng bickered, they gradually became angered. Neither of them relented.
At this moment, Hua Chengzan and the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect had come down from upstairs to mediate the dispute. They decided to set several aspects for them to compete in, as not only would that maintain harmony, it could liven up the banquet too. The losing side would only have to apologise.
On the Soaring Dragon ship, Qiu Haitang stared silently at Li Qingshan as he smiled and recalled the past. She was very taken aback. Do even daemons possess emotions that they’ll never forget? The heavens have been far too unfair with me.
“Oi, we’ve arrived at the Green Vine mountain!”
PS: Recently, I’ve had quite a lot of discomfort in my right hand, so the releases have been rather slow. I’ve stuck a Yunnan Baiyao plaster over it, so I should get better very soon! Anyway, please forgive me.
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Chapter 397 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Three)
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Chapter 397 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Three)
The group of people parted to two sides, and Li Qingshan arrived in the centre. He asked, “What are we competing over?”
“Physical strength. You can’t use any attacks. All you can do is wrestle. The person who leaves the ring loses. Don’t tell me you’re the person competing?” Jin Feipeng extended a finger and drew with it, and a ring the size of a table appeared on the ground. Afterwards, he raised an eyebrow as he looked at Li Qingshan, rather interested.
The sect disciples could all see that Li Qingshan was just at the eighth layer, so they all scorned him. With physical strength, strength was only a part of it. Qi was the critical component. A huge difference existed between every single layer among Qi Practitioners, and it determined the level of body tempering. Without the nourishment of qi, forcefully tempering the body would only be detrimental. This was common knowledge in the world of cultivation.
TL: In Chinese, physical strength is written as 力气 or lìqi. The 力 or lì character corresponds to strength, while the 气 or qi character corresponds to, y’know, qi. The author is basically dissecting the phrase here.
“And I had thought the Academy of the Hundred Schools was supposed to be rather impressive. Looks like this is all they are. They couldn’t find a proper Body Practitioner, so they sent in this guy instead for the humiliation.”
“Exactly. Let’s just watch the show. After all, we have this senior brother on our side.”
The disciples of the academy had all witnessed Li Qingshan’s strength, so they rebuked loudly. Some of them even chanted, “Senior brother Li will be victorious!”
For a moment, it became extremely rowdy. Suddenly, a huge figure loomed over everyone as he straightened himself out. He was actually a huge man who stood nine feet tall. He had remained seated the entire time, so he seemed no taller than the other people beside him.
The huge man made his way through the crowd, arriving before Li Qingshan and casting a huge shadow over him. His cultivation had reached an impressive tenth layer, making him someone akin to a first senior brother. His eyes were the size of bells, and he had a long, thin nose like a lion’s and a huge gaping mouth like a tiger’s. He was covered in muscle and was absolutely enormous. He gave off a bearing of pure force and weight. In particular, there was a bulge on his forehead, which made him seem even more hideous. As he loomed over Li Qingshan, he smiled condescendingly.
“I heard you’re the one who’s supposed to compete with me in terms of physical strength?”
The ruckus stopped. All the sect disciples erupted with laughter. Li Qingshan was not a small man, but he seemed so thin and frail when standing before him. The disciples of the academy all quietened down. They glanced at one another, no longer possessing the same confidence as before.
Jin Feipeng smiled. He was the one who had proposed this aspect. Victory was basically guaranteed for him. The Horned Rhinoceros mountain’s Horned Rhinoceros’ Arts of Mountain Splitting was said to possess the power to split mountains once it was cultivated to the limit. Although it was rather sluggish in battle, defeat was not a concept he had to consider in a competition like this.
Li Qingshan saw Hua Chengzan in the crowd. He grinned at him. Brother, I’ve learnt quite a lot about you.
Hua Chengzan was completely left in the dark about his smile. All he did was nod to tell him to be careful, but he was clearly distracted. He was thinking about Qiu Haitang.
“I’m speaking to you!” The huge man glared at Li Qingshan with his enormous eyes.
“This one is the primary disciple of the school of Novels, Li Qingshan. Let’s begin!” Li Qingshan looked back and clasped his hands casually. Although he called himself this one, he did not even ask for his opponent’s name or sect. He was even more distracted than Hua Chengzan.
He could not help it. Doing two things at the same time was very difficult. After he said that, he caused another roar of laughter from the opposing side. “What? The school of Novels? What school’s that?” “Is that basically forfeiting?”
Li Qingshan was just about to hit him with a few words even more scalding than what Chu Tian had said when Qiu Haitang’s voice clearly rang out in his ears. As a result, he simply closed his eyes and entered the ring carelessly.
“Come at me!” With that, he closed his eyes. He truly turned a blind eye to everyone, acting as haughty as ever.
The huge man was furious. Originally, he wanted to use this match to improve Horned Rhinoceros mountain’s reputation within the Daemon Suppression alliances and earn even more benefits, but his opponent did not give him this opportunity at all.
His huge hands, the size of fans, grabbed Li Qingshan’s shoulders. He was in no hurry to push Li Qingshan out of the ring. The huge man had already made up his mind as he smiled. He wanted to break a few dozen bones in Li Qingshan’s body first.
“Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi became alarmed. Although she was completely confident in Li Qingshan, he was completely biting off more than he could chew.
The huge man channeled his strength that was enough to crush steel into Li Qingshan’s body, but his vicious smile gradually vanished. No matter how he tried, it was completely ineffective. “This kid’s body is actually a hundred times tougher than metal. He really does have some skill, seeing how he’s bold enough to face me.”
“Stop wasting time. Just end it!” The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect was rather impatient.
“I’ll throw him out while he’s careless and make him take a massive tumble. That’ll appease my anger a little.” The huge man stopped looking down on Li Qingshan. With a great roar, the ground seemed to shake. The muscles on his arms twisted and coiled as he pushed as hard as he could.
Nothing happened!
Li Qingshan simply smiled with his eyes shut. He was so peaceful that he seemed like he was sleeping.
However, the huge man’s expression changed drastically. He used everything in him to push, pull, and slam Li Qingshan, but it was completely useless. Cold sweat covered his forehead.
Just by standing there, Li Qingshan seemed like he had been nailed into the ground. This was obviously not due to his strength alone. After reaching the third layer of the ox daemon and undergoing the heavenly tribulation, he had developed a profound connection with the earth. In particular, as he stood on the ground, he felt like he had merged with it.
This was where his innate talent, Strength of the Earth, came from. No matter how powerful the man was, how was he supposed to shake up the boundless earth?
As a result, Li Qingshan did not try, nor did he have to try, for this match. His mind had already returned to the Soaring Dragon ship.
“Do you feel love too?” Qiu Haitang’s eyes twinkled like stars.
“What did you say before? We’ve arrived at the Green Vine mountain?” Li Qingshan gazed down, but all he saw was a sea of clouds. The thick clouds had covered everything.
Qiu Haitang raised the ship’s wheel in her hand and beams of light shot out from the centre, constructing a three-dimensional map. There was a speck of light that represented the Soaring Dragon ship, while the mountain below was the Green Vine mountain.
“Descend immediately.” Li Qingshan beamed instead. He leapt to his feet and swung his hand in an exaggerated manner.
However, the Soaring Dragon ship did not descend. He looked back with a frown. “I said descend!”
“I was asking you, do you feel love too?” Qiu Haitang was extremely curious. If she had not witnessed it herself, she struggled to believe an expression like that could appear on a daemon’s face, so she became extremely curious about the details. Compared to it, attacking the Green Vine mountain did not even seem important anymore.
“Of course. Descend now!” Li Qingshan stamped his foot.
“Then tell me, do you love her? Does she love you? Are you together?” Qiu Haitang was relentless.
“Yes, yes, yes. We even plan on spending the rest of our lives together. Have you had enough? You better make this thing descend now!”
“How lucky. You’re luckier than me.” Qiu Haitang let out a gentle sigh. The ship’s wheel spun, and the Soaring Dragon ship descended slowly.
“Hmph, that’s because I’m not all hung up over a single person like you.” Li Qingshan was already prepared to admire the Green Vine Elder’s stunned expression.
“What do you mean? Isn’t she the one you love the most?”
Li Qingshan’s body swayed, and the Soaring Dragon ship came to a halt. Qiu Haitang’s gaze was rather earnest and rather lost at the same time. All she wanted was an answer.
“What are you doing? I want to attack the Green Vine mountain!”
PS: Hah, sure enough, it got better. I’ve smashed out another chapter tonight. Thank you for your concern. Out of gratitude, I’ll return to the same release schedule of eight in the morning and six in the evening.
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Chapter 398 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Four)
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Chapter 398 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Four)
“Tell me, am I wrong?” Qiu Haitang completely ignored Li Qingshan’s reasonable request and grabbed him by the arm.
“If you’re not going to listen to me, I’ll choke you to death!” Li Qingshan wrapped his hand around her neck, but he failed to see any fear on her face at all.
Alas, just women in love would lose all reason, let alone those who had their hearts broken. All Li Qingshan could do was let go of her and be patient with her. “Please, you’re a cultivator. It’s not like you’ll die if you don’t have a man.”
“The assimilation of yin and yang is a natural principle of the world, while love between a man and a woman is human nature. If there is no love, what’s the point of living in this world?” Qiu Haitang said firmly.
“A three-legged toad is difficult to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. Can’t you just open your mind a little?” Li Qingshan pressed his arms down on Qiu Haitang’s shoulders. I couldn’t tell, but you’re still a little girl caught up in your ideals. You better just stick with your job of a procuress with fantastic future prospects!
“There might be a lot of men in the world, but I only love him!”
“That’s because you won’t give others an opportunity. Let me tell you, I was originally in love with someone too…”
With no other choice, Li Qingshan crouched down on the front of the ship and did his best to recall the various books on love he had read in his past life so that he could play the role of a close advisor. He rambled on about how love was blind and how love was up to choice…
Qiu Haitang crouched down too, listening carefully and even nodding from time to time. In a different world, the various newspapers, magazines, and materials available on the internet had already mentioned these topics to a point where they had lost their meaning, but it was all extremely novel to her. She listened with great interest.
Most importantly, these random topics had no practical use at all, but they sounded very reasonable, enlightening Qiu Haitang again and again. She was filled with deep respect. A daemon actually knows so much! She no longer looked at him in the same way either, feeling much closer to him now. Li Qingshan’s current image in her heart had already gained the title of “a friend of women”!
“Do you understand now?” Li Qingshan said all of that in a single breath. He had been forced to watch his heroic journey of revenge be encumbered to such a point. He really felt sorrow well up from the bottom of his heart.
“I think I do a little, but also not that much,” Qiu Haitang said in thought. She immediately felt the daemon before her erupt with murderousness, so she smiled gently and drifted backwards, activating the ship’s wheel. The Soaring Dragon ship finally began to descend once more.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief and leapt onto the dragon figurehead. The sea of clouds was everywhere, preventing him from seeing anything at all. The daemon qi in his body surged, refining the flag. With a swing, it expanded to ten times its size and rippled violently, kicking up a violent gust of wind and blowing away the thick cloud layer.
“Thank you.” Qiu Haitang gazed at his upright figure from behind.
“What?”
“We’re here.” Qiu Haitang pointed below.
The last layer of clouds ripped apart, and the mountains rose and fell like waves. Green Vine mountain was right beneath them.
“Fire the cannons!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud.
“Yes!” Qiu Haitang said. It was clearly so dangerous, yet he treated it like a child’s game. Her heart loosened up with his behaviour for some reason, no longer shackled down by her mental burden. Instead, she felt slightly eager. According to his words, she had to vent her emotions after her heart was broken.
Her slender finger landed on the ship’s wheel gently and countless black cannons protruded out from the ship.
I’ve been coerced by a daemon! You can’t blame me!
“Qingshan! Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi’s voice rang out from an extremely distant location.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes in the hall of the Hua family, but everything was dark.
“It’s so dark! What’s happened? And why’s it so stinky?”
The nine-feet-tall, tenth layer first senior brother of Horned Rhinoceros mountain was currently engaged with Li Qingshan in a death struggle. He grabbed Li Qingshan firmly. His face had become bright-red, riddled with veins as he sweat profusely. His feet were embedded in the ground as he used up everything he had in him to push Li Qingshan. His enormous muscles were almost strangling Li Qingshan.
Everyone could tell who was winning. The disciples of the Daemon Suppression alliance were stunned as the disciples of the academy gradually began to laugh.
Jin Feipeng’s face was overcome with disbelief. The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect frowned. “Is this really the primary disciple of the school of Novels?”
“He’s a member of my Hawkwolf Guard too. I’ll be surprised if he lost.” Hua Chengzan smiled.
Han Qiongzhi stopped worrying. She called out, “Qingshan, stop playing around.”
Li Qingshan returned to his senses and began to move. He wrapped his arms around the huge man’s waist, and it immediately became thinner. He lifted him up like pulling a carrot out of the ground and leaned backwards, throwing him against the ground heavily through a German suplex.
The huge man had been using a hundred ten percent of his power, so he was in no shape to respond. In the blink of an eye, all he saw was the ground flying rapidly into his face. He heard a rumble and darkness descended.
Boom! All the tables trembled. The top half of the huge man had already become buried in the ground, while his large, thick, pillar-like legs still hung in the air.
“Victory to the Academy of the Hundred Schools.” Hua Chengzan smiled.
“Divine be senior brother Li’s strength!” “Mighty be senior brother Li!” The disciples of the academy erupted with cheers.
“First senior brother!” A group of disciples from the Horned Rhinoceros mountain rushed over and pulled the huge man out of the ground. His face was covered in dust as he looked at Li Qingshan viciously.
“Who else?” Li Qingshan curled his hand at the sect disciples leisurely. He did not even take a second glance at the huge man.
“The first senior sister of the Rose Cloud sect, Man Rou, seeks guidance. I wish to compete over true qi with you.” Immediately, a petite, delicate girl walked over. She was also at the tenth layer.
“Hold on, we want to change our person. Junior brother, you can go up,” Wei Yangsheng said in a hurry. The most important aspect in competing over true qi was the level of cultivation unless it came to someone like Chu Tian, who practised five kinds of true qi simultaneously. According to his knowledge, Li Qingshan only practised the regular Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi.
He had heard that the aspect that the Rose Clouds manual of the Rose Cloud sect focused on was true qi. In the very beginning, the true qi would be faintly discernible; it was as soft as clouds but extremely tough. Towards the end, it would be enough to flood entire regions in an unstoppable fashion. Even he was not confident about emerging victorious. It was just a pity that junior sister Xiao An was not present, so he was forced to go with junior brother Chu Tian for the greatest chances at victory.
Li Qingshan was just about to leave the ring when Man Rou said, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you asking who else earlier? Don’t tell me the primary disciple of the school of Novels doesn’t even hold as much authority as the primary disciple of your school of Confucianism?”
Man Rou seemed delicate, but she spoke with power as if she was unstoppable. She wanted to use Li Qingshan’s words against him. She wanted to force him, an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, into a contest of true qi with her, a tenth layer Qi Practitioner, which would guarantee their victory and avenge the huge man.
Wei Yangsheng knew it was a provocation, but he was unable to say anything more. The primary disciples all technically stood on equal footing, so all of them had the authority to decide. And, he really did not have the confidence he could defeat this unfathomable junior brother Li of his when it came to actual combat.
“True qi? Then come!” Li Qingshan said casually.
“Qingshan.” Han Qiongzhi became worried. Rarely did Qi Practitioners ever compete with true qi alone, but it was even more dangerous than regular battles. Once foreign true qi invaded the body, just the lighter consequences would be destroying their meridians and losing their cultivation. The more severe consequences involved exploding dantians and dying on the spot.
Man Rou beamed inside. You’re asking for it. Men all like to suffer just to uphold their pride. She raised her dainty hands and said, “Please!”
Li Qingshan raised his hands too.
“Let go of my hands!” Man Rou turned bright red.
“Isn’t this it?” As it turned out, Li Qingshan had directly seized Man Rou by her tiny, tender hands with his huge hands. Man Rou tried to tug them out, but she clearly failed. She was vexed and embarrassed. This was no true qi competition. This was intimate contact between lovers.
Han Qiongzhi ground her teeth. This guy actually agreed to it just to take advantage of her! So much for worrying about him. You better just die instead!
“It’s the palms!” Man Rou said furiously and with embarrassment. The Rose Clouds sect was a sect of female cultivators. A man had never touched her like this in her life, let alone in the eyes of the public.
“Is there a difference?” Li Qingshan curled his lip. I’ve already had enough with beauty Qiu, who gets whatever she wants. Why would I tease you?
After adjusting his grip, the competition finally began.
How dare you grope me! I’ll show you what’s what! Man Rou glared at Li Qingshan. Rose Clouds true qi flowed out endlessly. Before she had even unleashed her true strength, Li Qingshan’s Gui Water true qi had already begun to collapse.
Unfortunately, the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi focused on the ease of cultivation, making it suitable for all, so it was not particularly powerful.
Rose Cloud true qi rushed into Li Qingshan’s body in an unstoppable manner.
And then… there was no and then.
Man Rou’s tiny mouth dropped slightly. She could sense she had completely lost connection with her true qi the moment it entered Li Qingshan’s body. Raising her head, she only saw that he had closed his eyes again.
The daemon core shaped like a turtle’s shell bobbed up and down in the sea of qi in Li Qingshan’s body. The multicoloured Rose Clouds true qi immediately yielded the moment it entered its domain, becoming as docile as possible. It just happened to be of the water element as well, so it was absorbed into the daemon core.
This time, Li Qingshan did not focus either. The spirit turtle’s daemon core could easily suppress the true qi of a measly Qi Practitioner like it was playing around. You have absolutely no idea challenging me to a competition of true qi. Let alone her, even if the Rose Cloud elders were present, they would suffer in the same way.
Man Rou was too afraid to withdraw her hand, as that would allow Li Qingshan’s true qi to invade her body, which would be horrible. She completely refused to accept this, desperately mobilising her Rose Clouds true qi.
On the Green Vine mountain, a hubbub suddenly appeared. The Green Vine Elder roused from his cultivation and arrived outside. He saw many disciples staring at the sky and pointing, discussing among themselves.
“What’s that?” “Is that a ship?”
The Green Vine Elder gazed over. Hmm? Isn’t that the Soaring Dragon ship of Pine Sough academy? What’s it doing here?
“May I ask who it is on the ship? Is it senior Wen?” The Green Vine Elder said loudly. His voice reached the sky with his spiritual qi. The head scholar of Pine Sough academy, Wen Zhengming, was a powerful cultivator who had been through two heavenly tribulations. He was afraid of disrespecting him in the slightest.
“Old man Green Vine, time to die!” Li Qingshan called out. With a wave of his flag, it stitched six words in the sky, also “Old man Green Vine, time to die!”
“Oh no!” The Green Vine Elder spotted the scarlet figure and leapt in fright. He saw hundreds of stars light up at the same time, growing brighter and brighter.
In that instant, they turned into hundreds of beams of light, flying towards the Green Vine mountain.
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Chapter 399 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Five)
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Chapter 399 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Five)
The flash of light and power made all the disciples of the Green Vine mountain close their eyes subconsciously. They groaned painfully inside. Just how many more times until he was satisfied? The first two times, he came alone, but this time, he directly brought a battleship with him.
This can’t continue. I can’t continue as a disciple of the Green Vine mountain anymore, but do I still have a chance?
Li Qingshan was extremely satisfied with the Soaring Dragon ship’s power. He gave Qiu Haitang a thumbs up. “Good girl!”
Qiu Haitang turned away without making eye contact with him. She fiddled around with the ship’s wheel a little more, and even more beams of light shot out.
At this moment, a screen of light, half black and half white, rose up from the Green Vine. It was hazy like mist. The two colours constantly merged together and fluctuated, producing countless profound diagrams.
As the beams of light struck the barrier, they distorted and disintegrated into particles as fine as dust, drifting around the Green Vine mountain like a blizzard, yet also like the dazzling starry night.
The Duality Formation of Disintegration had been specially brought over by Fu Qingjin from the Sword Collection palace. Anyone who tried to force their way through the powerful formation around the Green Vine mountain would be reduced to dust. It was cast down specially for Li Qingshan.
“Do you see? Wretched daemon, you can’t get in here!” The Green Vine Elder spread his arms and laughed at the sky. His facial hair danced around, which made him seem a little crazy.
Yu Shukuang closed his eyes, in no mood to appreciate the beautiful, rare scenery before him. The other disciples of the Green Vine mountain were no different. They all fled to the bottom of the mountain again—wait, why again?
The peak of the mountain and the prow of the ship were both distant and close to one another. Li Qingshan’s scarlet eyes clashed with the Green Vine Elder’s green eyes.
“Keep blasting! I’d like to see how long he can last for!” Li Qingshan rested the large flag on his right shoulder as he pointed out with his left hand.
Without waiting for his orders, the Soaring Dragon ship blasted away at full power. Light flashed constantly in a dazzling array.
The moon shone through the hole in the clouds, projecting a huge beam of moonlight that added a hint of silver to the Soaring Dragon ship. In the darkness of night, it seemed like an unbelievably large stagelight. The Soaring Dragon ship was the main show of the night, roaring to its heart’s content on the stage.
At the centre of the ship, the central furnace hummed and flashed, delivering whatever spiritual qi it had to the cannons. It was like a huge heart thumping rapidly and delivering blood throughout its body. All of it turned into roaring dragons of light, flying through the night sky.
The Duality Formation of Disintegration was completely unaffected, allowing the blasts that were enough to wipe the Green Vine mountain off the surface of the earth to rain down on it constantly. It all disintegrated in the haze, like fireworks.
“It’s useless. All your attacks will only become a part of the Duality Formation of Disintegration’s power! It’s impossible for you to get through it!” The Green Vine Elder silently contacted Fu Qingjin as he mocked Li Qingshan loudly.
“Not necessarily!” Li Qingshan had also noticed that. Even until now, the Duality Formation of Disintegration had shown no signs of weakness. The hazy mist only grew denser. He knew the Green Vine Elder was right.
However, the rate at which the formation disintegrated the beams of light had slowed down as well. In the beginning, the beams of light would be reduced to mist the moment it landed on the formation, but now, it dispersed as specks in a fireworks-like fashion. He believed no matter what formation it was, it still had a limit!
One was a powerful defensive formation from a supreme sect of the Green province, the Sword Collection palace, while the other was a crystallisation of mohist wisdom and efforts, an ultimate machine of war. When a “spear” that could pierce and destroy everything met a “shield” that could block all attacks, no one knew who the final victor would be.
The two people involved, Li Qingshan and the Green Vine Elder, could only wait and watch with eager and hope as onlookers, admiring the grand fireworks.
“Bring me alcohol!” Li Qingshan crossed his legs and sat down, yelling out loudly.
In the estate of the Hua family, Li Qingshan’s second match became extremely dreary and uninteresting, unsurprisingly.
None of the spectators said anything. They just exchanged glances silently. They could not even tell who had the upper hand right now.
Man Rou’s expression became more and more warped. No matter how limitless her Rose Clouds true qi was, there was still a limit. Before her, Li Qingshan seemed like a bottomless pit. No matter how much true qi she channeled into him, she was unable to fill him.
And, as long as her true qi weakened, Li Qingshan’s Gui Water true qi would flood over immediately, so she was unable to stop either. The dangers of a clash of true qi gradually presented themselves, baring its fangs at her.
She refused to forfeit. Both the quality and quantity of Li Qingshan’s true qi was clearly beneath hers. He had just used some kind of method to control the foreign true qi that entered his body. She believed that as long as she lasted a little longer, Li Qingshan would give in.
Only when she was completely depleted did she finally feel regret, but she was already unable to speak and forfeit now. Once she lost the tension, Li Qingshan’s true qi would invade her body and destroy her.
In the blink of an eye, ebbs of Gui Water true qi gushed into her body through her palm as a cold wave, reaching the dantian in her lower abdomen. As long as Li Qingshan wanted to, he could easily rip apart her frail meridians even if Gui Water true qi was not particularly renowned for its destructive power.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect could tell that something was amiss. He wanted to interfere, but he was stopped by Hua Chengzan, who said sternly, “Before you can even expel the true qi from her body, the true qi that has lost control will explode in her body.” He communicated to Li Qingshan, “Qingshan, that’s enough.”
That pulled Li Qingshan’s mind all the way back here. He opened his eyes and noticed that Man Rou was completely pale, without a shred of blood in her lips. She even seemed to be pleading him from the depths of her eyes, making her seem especially pitiful.
Li Qingshan smiled and slowly withdrew his true qi.
“I’ve lost.” Man Rou’s body loosened, and she took a step back, biting her lips as she softly conceded. She was seeing stars, and she no longer gave off any sense of power anymore. Her voice was very feeble too. As she gazed at Li Qingshan, her eyes were filled with fury and resentment, as well as a shred of sadness.
Cheers erupted loudly from behind Li Qingshan. The disciples of the academy all looked at him enviously and with admiration. He extended his hand, and with a gesture, he drank an entire jar of alcohol. At the same time, Qiu Haitang brought him a few jars of alcohol on the Soaring Dragon ship.
The feeling of alcohol reaching his two different stomachs was extremely strange and particularly satisfying. He was pleased with himself. Nothing was better than drinking fine alcohol and fighting powerful opponents. Multiplying this feeling by two only made it even more satisfying.
“Who else?”
Upstairs, the school leaders all conversed and smiled happily, while the sect masters were all stern. They too had been spectating the matches downstairs. The power of stronger Qi Practitioners could demonstrate the prospects and future of a school or sect. A competition like this was definitely not a mere game.
Wang Pushi drank heartily. Although the kid’s mouth was particularly good at pissing people off, he still knew how to win over glory when he handled matters.
Fu Qingjin drank alone, away from everyone else. His face was gloomy, as if nothing could faze him. The atmosphere around him clearly did not suit him at all.
He frowned, and a jade ornament fell into his hand. The Green Vine Elder’s flustered voice rang out.
“Sir, the wretched daemon has come! He’s attacking the Green Vine mountain right now!”
“What are you panicking for? It’s not like he can get through the Duality Formation of Disintegration,” Fu Qingjin said slowly. He had probably sent his clone again to probe the formation. There was no need for him to interfere.
“H- he’s brought a Soaring Dragon ship!”
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Chapter 400 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Six)
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Chapter 400 – Sailing Through the Wind to Destroy Green Vine (Six)
Fu Qingjin’s expression changed. He was unable to drink anymore.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivators took note of this and immediately connected the dots. Is the Soaring Dragon ship the one that Jiang Shancheng brought with him? Qiu Haitang left with him earlier! Why are they going to Green Vine mountain? Don’t tell me the daemon has already got to them?
The Green Ruins sword exited its scabbard, and Fu Qingjin merged with it, turning into a streak of green light and vanishing into the horizon. The other members of the Daemon Suppression alliance became restless too, all taking off right behind him.
The news from upstairs reached downstairs very quickly, leading to an uproar.
“Haitang!” Hua Chengzan exclaimed, no longer as graceful and composed as before. He immediately took off. If this woman who he had let down died to the hands of a daemon because of him, how was he supposed to forgive himself?
“Are we continuing?” Li Qingshan looked around. The disciples of the Daemon Suppression alliance were filled with indignation, as well as a hint of fear. The strength and arrogance of daemons had deeply shocked them. As for the disciples of the academy, they felt sympathy aside from the joy from their victories. After all, they were all humans.
“It ends here as a tie. We’ll obviously clash again in the future.” Jin Feipeng glanced at Li Qingshan deeply.
Li Qingshan did not mind. He returned to his original seat, and the various primary disciples all congratulated him for his victory, but they were rather distracted. After all, the competition during the banquet was only a side dish that went with the alcohol compared to something so significant that it determined the fate of a few Foundation Establishment cultivators and the war between humans and daemons.
Li Qingshan was helpless. He felt like he had completely stolen his own thunder. However, in his eyes, the matches here had always been a boring game that kept him distracted. Now, he could finally focus on the Soaring Dragon ship.
Wind whistled past his ears.
The Duality Formation of Disintegration shone with dazzling light after absorbing and decomposing countless attacks, and the Green Vine mountain even became blurry inside it. The light illuminated a radius of fifty kilometers, making the area as bright as day.
“How much longer do you think until the formation is destroyed?”
Li Qingshan held the flag as he stood on the prow, staring at the light and asking without looking back.
Although he had only managed to catch a glimpse of Fu Qingjin, his speed had completely exceeded his expectations. According to his estimates, even the wings of wind would have been nowhere close to matching him. Was this the power of an arcane artifact? In other words, he would arrive here before long, and by then, the outcome would be determined. His plan to kill the Green Vine Elder would fail once more.
“I don’t know, but there isn’t a lot of spiritual energy left.” Qiu Haitang touched the ship’s wheel, and an indicator for the supply of spiritual energy appeared. Only twenty percent remained.
The spear was already running out of power before it could pierce the shield.
“How’s that, wretched daemon? There’s nothing you can do!” The Green Vine Elder stood on the top of the mountain and called out loudly.
“But, we still have a final move!” Qiu Haitang said suddenly.
“What move?” Li Qingshan turned around suddenly.
“It’s below your feet.”
“Isn’t this just decoration?” Li Qingshan lowered his head and studied the dragon figurehead.
“Of course not. This is the Soaring Dragon ship’s largest main cannon, the Dragon’s Roar! A single attack from it takes up a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, and it requires a long time for preparation too. It’s basically designed for destroying structure and formations.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“We’re too close. The ship can’t withstand the recoil.”
“Then why are you telling me now?”
“Because I want to.” Qiu Haitang smiled, recovering some of her natural grace as the master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain.
“Then let’s see the Dragon’s Roar’s power!”
All of the attacks stopped, but the roaring still lingered in his head. Having fled to the bottom of the mountain but blocked in by the formation, Yu Shukuang gazed at the sky in surprise. He saw the Soaring Dragon ship slowly rise, disappearing into the clouds before long.
“Did we make it?”
Before he had even finished asking that question, a beam of light descended from the sky, piercing the clouds and directly landing on the Duality Formation of Disintegration. The beam was so large that it even made them think of the legendary pillars that held up the sky.
It dispersed the clouds, exposing the Soaring Dragon ship above the cloud layer. The dragon figurehead’s mouth was wide open, letting out a furious roar!
The beam of light did not vanish with a flash this time. Instead, it persisted, channeling all of its power into the formation. The Duality Formation of Disintegration began to tremble, unable to completely nullify this power. It had reached a state of saturation such that rings of light spread outwards like ripples.
On the other end of the beam of light, the Soaring Dragon ship shook and creaked.
The spear pressed against the shield. Either the shield broke or the spear snapped.
“Can we get through?” Li Qingshan asked loudly.
“Difficult to say.” Qiu Haitang furrowed her brows and watched as the spiritual energy was rapidly drained away.
Glancing around, her eyes narrowed. A speck of green light appeared in the sea of clouds.
At the same time, Fu Qingjin spotted a dazzling streak of white light. He frowned and urged the Green Ruins sword to move faster.
“I need to trouble you with one last matter.” Li Qingshan’s voice rang out in Qiu Haitang’s ears clearly.
“Are you planning to run? The ship can’t move very quickly!”
“Please help me collect all the puppets and cannons. I want to take them with me!” Li Qingshan had already learnt that the Soaring Dragon ship could not change in size, and it could not be stored in hundred treasures pouches either. However, the tremendous number of puppets and powerful cannons on the ship would still serve as quite a nice spoil.
Qiu Haitang had no idea on how to react. Was this guy still a daemon? She controlled the puppets to take apart the cannons before gathering on the deck and storing them into a hundred treasures pouch.
“Let’s go down.” Cold light flashed through Li Qingshan’s eyes.
“What did you say?”
“I said let’s fly down!”
“Are you crazy? Do you know how much this ship is worth?” Qiu Haitang finally understood what he was saying. She was taken aback.
“I don’t care how much it’s worth! It’s not like it’s my ship!” Li Qingshan smiled brilliantly.
“Fine then!” Qiu Haitang was helpless. What could she do about the fact that her life was in his hands right now? However, she became excited for some reason. Before long, all the levitation formations on the Soaring Dragon ship vanished. The ship fell back into the hands of gravity. All of its movements changed in direction, falling towards the ground as quickly as it could.
The Soaring Dragon ship fell faster and faster. Li Qingshan stood on the nose of the ship in the whistling wind, waving his flag. The wind became even more violent, making the Soaring Dragon ship fall even faster.
Under the recoil of the Dragon’s Roar cannon, the indestructible Soaring Dragon ship began to fall apart. The central furnace groaned painfully.
“Oh no!” All Fu Qingjin could do was watch as this unfolded. He paled in fright.
The Green Vine Elder squinted, trying his best to see through the scorching light. He gazed at the sky, but the surging spiritual energy and light made his soul sense useless while greatly limiting his vision. He could only see a black speck constantly grow larger.
Fu Qingjin’s voice rang out from the jade tablet in his hand. “Run!”
At that instant, the Soaring Dragon ship several hundred meters in length collided with the Duality Formation of Disintegration like a small mountain.
Time seemed to slow down. The Soaring Dragon ship that was close to falling apart began to collapse and disintegrate upon making contact with the barrier of light. Soon, it reached the centre of the ship, and the central furnace exploded. The residual energy was completely released, but the Duality Formation of Disintegration swallowed it all before it could even demonstrate its power.
The Duality Formation of Disintegration dimmed, twisting and shrinking towards the mountain like a ball of light. Then, it swelled slightly again before releasing a flash in the very end, turning the surroundings white.
It was like a stomach that had been pushed beyond its limits, violently contracting before exploding suddenly. The undigested energy turned into thousands of streaks of light, erupting completely and rising up from the ground like a hundred suns.
The Green Vine Elder’s terrified face was dyed snow-white. Like a mortal, he raised his hands instinctively, as if that would be enough to block out the danger. He was swallowed by the swollen ball of light.
Boom!
Only after a very long time did the explosion occur, blasting away the clouds and revealing the resplendent sea of stars.
Fu Qingjin halted momentarily, staring at the sight before him dazedly. Everything had vanished, the Soaring Dragon ship, the Green Vine Elder, and… Green Vine mountain.
The Green Vine mountain had vanished, replaced by a huge, spherical crater. Only the foot of the mountain remained as residual evidence of its existence.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived behind him. They were all dumbfounded by this, and the same emotions appeared on the faces of them and their disciples—indignation and fear!
“Shancheng! Haitang! Haitang!” Hua Chengzan brushed past Fu Qingjin and called out in a panic.
In the area that was originally the foot of the Green Vine mountain, the earth shifted slightly.
“Haitang, is it you?” Hua Chengzan rushed over, but a green light had already brushed past him. Fu Qingjin stood with his sword in hand.
The earth erupted, and Yu Shukuang stuck his head out. Seeing the tip of the sword right before his eyes, he leapt in fright.
Afterwards, the disciples of the Green Vine mountain climbed out of the ground one after another. They were unable to leave the mountain, so they dug out a hole together, hiding underground. They thought even if the daemon got through the formation, he would not be able to see them and probably would not bother digging them out. In the end, they were buried underground, but they managed to survive.
“Hmm? Where’s Green Vine mountain?” Yu Shukuang looked around. He spotted the crater and entered a daze before realising what had happened. He was dumbfounded, still shaken up. If the crater had been a little larger, it would have reached where they were hiding.
Fu Qingjin sheathed his sword, while Hua Chengzan was greatly disappointed.
“Chengzan, I’m here.” Qiu Haitang made her way out from behind a mountain.
“Haitang, that’s fantastic. I thought you already… Are you fine?” Hua Chengzan flew over, completely overjoyed.
Qiu Haitang’s heart warmed slightly. They had spent all these years together, so she still meant something to him. It was just a pity that fate was against them.
“Where’s Shancheng?”
Their eyes met. Hua Chengzan sighed. It was not that he actually felt nothing towards her. He would simply never change his mind. Accepting her feelings when he was in love with someone else was disrespecting her. She would only end up with an even greater heartbreak.
“Where’s the daemon?” Fu Qingjin interrupted them.
“Shancheng died to protect me.” Qiu Haitang’s gaze became desolate once more as she began to speak tirelessly.
In her story, the daemon used her to threaten Jiang Shancheng, forcing him to control the Soaring Dragon ship to attack the Green Vine mountain. In the end, when the daemon wanted to silence them both, Jiang Shancheng stood forward and kept the daemon busy, allowing her to live.
Women were natural actors, while Qiu Haitang was the best among the best. She wove this lie intricately, completely distancing herself from any blame.
The Daemon General called Northmoon had vanished, but he did leave behind a few things in her hands.
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Chapter 401 – The Legend is About to Begin
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Chapter 401 – The Legend is About to Begin
Qiu Haitang was pale-white, still shaken from the recent events. She truly seemed pitiful. Everyone around her probably became deeply convinced by her story immediately.
However, both Fu Qingjin and Hua Chengzan were among the sharpest people out there. Both of their eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, but they did not ask any further questions.
Qiu Haitang and Hua Chengzan bade farewell and left first. The remaining disciples of the Green Vine mountain were all Qi Practitioners towards the lower end of the spectrum, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators were in no mood to pay any attention to them either. The disciples were afraid of bothering them, so they all left by themselves.
Diao Fei and Yu Shukuang exchanged glances. Alright, let’s just go to Clear River city together!
After that, there was no such thing as the Green Vine mountain anymore, or so-called disciples of the Green Vine mountain. As the first senior brother, Diao Fei was slightly saddened, but Yu Shukuang was very positive. Now, the sky was open for him to fly freely. Perhaps this was good news. He had stepped onto the path of cultivation after so much difficulty, yet he did not even feel as liberated as when he was the lord of the Proud Sword manor.
Without any eyesores around, the Foundation Establishment cultivators all voiced their fury. “The wretched daemon has been so conceited. Fellow Fu, we can’t just let this matter be.” “Yeah, the Daemon Suppression alliance is of the same breath and branch. We should be working together against our common enemy.”
“But even the Duality Formation of Disintegration couldn’t stop him. If he comes knocking…”
Within the noisy discussion, someone murmured that, and all of them shut up. They could not help but look into the deep crater beside them. It was a shocking sight.
“I will report this to the Sword Collection palace. Don’t worry, everyone. Fellow Green Vine’s debt of blood definitely won’t just end here. There will be a day when I personally cut down this daemon with my sword.”
Fu Qingjin waved his hand, and all the sect masters bid farewell, only leaving him alone, standing with his arms behind his back and gazing at the crater. The moonlight was like liquid silver, while his long hair was like ink. His fringe covered his face, and his expression was gloomy, but the corner of his lips gradually curled up.
“No glory can avoid the fate of being reduced to ruins. Northmoon. I’ve remembered this name.”
Above the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Qiu Haitang and Hua Chengzan passed through the rain, landing softly. They were like a pair of immortals.
“Rest up well. I still need to go back. There’s a lot I need to do tonight.” Before Hua Chengzan had even finished talking, fragrance filled his nose. Qiu Haitang had embraced him firmly. He hesitated for a moment before gently patting her back. His smile was rather powerless.
After who knew how long, Qiu Haitang let go of him and stared into his eyes.
Hua Chengzan’s heart skipped a beat. Through the rain, her face became slightly blurred, startlingly beautiful. However, it soon returned to normal.
“Just as I thought. No reaction.” Qiu Haitang smiled. Hua Chengzan opened his mouth, but he faltered. Qiu Haitang suddenly grew stern. “Tell me seriously. Are you using Gu Yanying to hide the truth that you like men?”
“Of course not. Who did you hear that from?” Hua Chengzan had no idea on how to respond.
“A person that’s not a person. It makes sense. How’s that even possible?” Qiu Haitang smiled. When that guy told her about it, he was so serious that he actually convinced her slightly.
“You mean?” Hua Chengzan immediately responded.
“We’re still good friends, right?”
“Of course.”
“That’s good then. Go handle what you need to handle!” With that, Qiu Haitang turned around without the slightest hesitance.
“Haitang…” Hua Chengzan extended his hand. Wasn’t this what he had been wishing for the entire time? So, why did he feel melancholic now?
Finally, Hua Chengzan vanished into the rainy night, while Qiu Haitang remained there. She took in a deep breath and raised her head. Tears had already strewn across her face, mixing with the rain and flowing down her cheeks.
She thought about back then, how her master had once said, “Throughout the ages, most of those who possess the Aspect of Peach Blossom Beauty were women who suffered from love-sickness, but they’re also fated to never have their love reciprocated, dying in melancholy.” Back then, she was still a young girl, so she did not believe it at all. Afterwards, she became convinced, but she refused to accept her fate. She had persevered with her struggle until now, but it was all for nothing.
She wiped away her tears and revealed a smile. She could not decide how others felt, but did that mean she was unable to control how she felt herself? Dying in melancholy? I’ll live happily and show you.
Chengzan, I hope one day you also meet a person or daemon who can make you let go.
Removing her makeup and changing into a night dress, she sat in front of the window, listening to the rain quietly.
She lost track of time. A familiar, scarlet figure descended from the sky.
Qiu Haitang beamed inside. She was just about to tell him about what she had done, wanting to hear his opinion.
“Tell me what the hell goes on in the minds of women!” Li Qingshan was gloomy and spoke first.
Qiu Haitang was speechless.
Hua Chengzan returned to the Hua estate. The sect masters and elders skilled with flight had already returned before him.
The disciples of the Daemon Suppression alliance were all uneasy as they exchanged glances, while the disciples of the academy were perplexed, having absolutely no idea about what had happened to the Green Vine mountain.
“Chengzan, was the daemon caught or not? And, what about the Green Vine Elder?”
As soon as Hua Chengzan returned, he was surrounded. Wang Pushi asked him a barrage of questions too.
“Here’s not a place to speak. Please come with me, school leaders.” Hua Chengzan clasped his hands. Then, he noticed the concerned Juechenzi and everyone else, so he added, “And the primary disciples!”
In a quiet room, Hua Chengzan told them everything he had seen, as well as heard from Qiu Haitang. The atmosphere was heavy. Even though the Daemon Suppression alliance was their opponent, they were still human cultivators after all. The Green Vine Elder’s fate had unsettled everyone.
In particular, the primary disciples were all entranced. The daemon had flattened the Green Vine mountain along with the Green Vine Elder. Just how terrifying was that? Let alone them, mere Qi Practitioners, even if they reached Foundation Establishment successfully, all they could do was flee for their lives if they ran into the daemon.
Li Qingshan was “heavy-hearted” too, quietly observing their expressions. He was completely fascinated by it all. Only when he saw Han Qiongzhi’s sorrow did he frown. She had only lost a friend of the past. Did she have to be like this?
“In other words, both Jiang Shancheng and the Green Vine Elder died at his hands.” Wang Pushi disturbed the silence.
“Yes. The Sword Collection palace and the Daemon Suppression alliance definitely won’t remain silent any longer. They’ll ask the daemons to hand over the culprit.”
“Will the daemons hand him over?” asked the leader of the school of Music in worry.
“Definitely not,” Han Anjun said firmly.
“The Daemon Suppression alliance will definitely be out for revenge. Negotiations and diplomacy are useless now. We need to prepare ourselves.”
Li Qingshan shivered inside, no longer in the state to care about Han Qiongzhi’s feelings. Hua Chengzan was right. Once the Daemon Suppression alliance decided to pursue revenge, Milliped’s territory would definitely bear the brunt of it all. He had to return underground and make preparations. He could run amok above ground like no one was around, but if Fu Qingjin ventured underground with just his sword, who could stop him?
This was the principle of the world of cultivation. The strong played decisive roles. As long as they were slightly stronger, it would be a one-sided massacre. This principle would completely manifest in war. The strong would shine with the glory that belonged to them in the first place.
If night never descended, how could the stars shine?
Tonight, the brightest star was called “Northmoon”.
The legend was about to begin.
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Chapter 402 – Secret
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Chapter 402 – Secret
The school leaders remained behind to discuss, while the disciples all left the Hua estate.
Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi traveled together on a cloud. Han Qiongzhi’s brows were firmly furrowed, while Li Qingshan seemed to be in thought, but he maintained a faint smile the entire time.
“Qiongzhi, cheer up. This isn’t worth it for a person as shitty as him.” Li Qingshan could not help but try and comfort her.
“What would you know?”
“I know he takes advantage of people and abandons his friends.”
“Shancheng just wanted to comfort her. Even if he was planning that, what’s wrong with it? It’s not like they’re children, so how can you call that taking advantage of her? You’re just angry that he looked down on you.” Han Qiongzhi had never liked how gorgeously dressed Qiu Haitang was and how she always got what she wanted. And, after hearing Qiu Haitang’s “story”, she even found that while Jiang Shancheng was quite a bad presence, his behaviour still made him a man in the very end. He did not deserve to be spoken ill of like this.
“So you’re saying that I should be happy he looks down on me? Then it looks like your wish has come true. I am indeed rather happy right now.”
“I’m not joking around with you. No matter what the two of you had going on between each other, he’s already dead. I hope you can respect him a little. Do you know how ugly you are right now?”
“I’m not kidding with you either. I only respect those who respect me. I’ve never been someone who goes out of my way to please others.” Li Qingshan smiled with ease.
“Y- you’re beyond reason!” Han Qiongzhi leapt off the cloud in anger and flew away, disappearing into the rain and leaving Li Qingshan alone, sighing gently to himself. “I’m not exactly beyond reason.”
It was not like he was actually eighteen years old. He knew what he should have done earlier, brushing past the matter without caring. Throughout all the time they spent together, they did not actually go without the slightest conflict at all. However, he was a man, so he obviously would not bicker and argue with a woman.
However, Li Qingshan had been constantly considering something seriously, which was telling her everything. Tonight, the humans and daemons were on the brink of war, so this urge of his became very intense. At the same time, he understood it would not be that simple. When the time really arrived, he required her absolute acceptance. If he handled it badly, the consequences would be unthinkable. It was even possible for his lover to become his enemy.
As a result, he said what he said just then, but the end result was not positive. If she could not even accept his flaws, how could she accept the fact that he was a daemon? If she could not even accept his criticism of Jiang Shancheng, how was she supposed to accept the fact that he had personally killed Jiang Shancheng?
Li Qingshan smiled in a self-deprecating manner. Perhaps he was asking for too much in the first place!
He had already considered this possibility. Han Qiongzhi had her own standpoint and principles. They would not change so easily over a single word of “love”. If it were Han Qiongzhi, it might have been slightly more possible. Whatever, even his friends and lover probably had their own small “secrets”. He could not ask for too much!
On the Lake of Dragons and Snakes, the autumn rain kicked up countless ripples. Li Qingshan sat with his legs crossed, slowly absorbing the spiritual qi of the world and recovering his daemon qi. After quite a while, he stood up, and all of his daemon qi was drained once again.
His original body returned to Cloudwisp island, while his clone flew towards the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. He still had a lot of items in Qiu Haitang’s possession. However, no matter what, he still felt rather depressed. As a result, he could not help himself but vent the moment he saw Qiu Haitang.
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Haitang was very surprised and even slightly happy.
“It’s got nothing to do with you. Where are my things?” Li Qingshan entered her room and looked around before returning his gaze to Qiu Haitang. The silken, silver-white sleep dress was as thin as cicada’s wings, flowing down her body like water and making her seem graceful.
Qiu Haitang’s eyes rippled, and she opened her mouth slightly, but she could not even say anything before Li Qingshan interrupted her.
“Let me tell you, I’m in quite a bad mood right now. If you threaten me again, I’ll strip you naked and hang you outside.” Li Qingshan pushed her aside and sat down on the deck chair by himself.
Qiu Haitang hesitated before taking out two hundred treasures pouches. She was no longer a girl who had lost her will to live anymore. Just stripping her naked was something she could never accept. The guy before her really was capable of something like that.
Li Qingshan accepted the two hundred treasures pouches and inspected them before shoving them into his clothes. Out of the two hundred treasures pouches, one was in perfect shape, obviously from Jiang Shancheng, while the other was slightly damaged, having come from the Green Vine Elder.
The moment the Duality Formation of Disintegration vanished, Li Qingshan flew down as quickly as he could, snatching the Green Vine Elder’s hundred treasures pouch from his waist. He used the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell to protect himself for a split second before vanishing in the explosion.
However, that was already enough to throw the hundred treasures pouch out. Hundred treasures pouches had always been rather light items, and they were extremely tough. As long as they were not directly targeted, they could not be destroyed so easily. However, if it had not been his mirror clone, Li Qingshan would probably have never been bold enough to take such a risk. It was exactly because he possessed a clone that he was bold enough to ask for it back from Qiu Haitang.
“For a smooth cooperation.” Li Qingshan cheered up drastically, patting Qiu Haitang before preparing to leave.
“There’s something I want to tell you. I used the method you told me to test him again…” Qiu Haitang grabbed him by the wrist and began speaking by herself.
“That’s very good!” After listening to it all, Li Qingshan sighed slightly. Little Hua is really stubborn, isn’t he? So much for helping him so much. But since destiny forbids it, ending it soon is not necessarily a bad thing.
“Thank you for listening to me so much. I’d like to pay you back, so if there’s something that perplexes you, I might be able to resolve it for you.” Qiu Haitang placed her hand on her chest and smiled slightly, both noble and reserved.
“Hah, don’t worry about it.”
“If it’s understanding the thoughts of a woman, I believe there are few who surpass me.”
Li Qingshan stopped in front of the window and turned around. “Fine!” He hid all of the details, only telling her that he had a great secret he wanted to share with his lover, but after testing her, he found it unlikely for her to accept it. “What do you think I should do? Oi, I’m asking you a question!” He waved his hand around in front of her.
“You don’t need to do anything at all.”
Only then did Qiu Haitang return to her senses. She never thought he would have such delicate thoughts despite how unruly he was. His feelings for that woman had even touched her slightly, and his distressed behaviour actually made her pity him. If you can obtain someone’s heart, what kind of secret can’t you accept?
“Can you even call that a recommendation? At least tell me how I should repair my relationship with her!”
“If I’ve guessed correctly, she’ll come looking for you very soon.”
“What?”
“Her standpoint isn’t as firm as you believe it to be. Unlike stubborn men, women will always take a step back, again and again, for who they love. I hope you can treat her well, without letting her down.”
Qiu Haitang was extremely serious, suddenly seeming extremely mature, almost melancholic. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, was she really lacking in perseverance? However, only she understood that no matter how many steps she took back, all she would be left with was a wall against her back, unable to take any steps anymore back.
On the Cloudwisp island, within the shimmering bamboo forest, Li Qingshan sat below the porch. Suddenly, he felt a familiar aura pass through the rainy night.
“If this secret will damage your relationship, it will only cause her pain. You have the responsibility to protect this secret forever. That’s also a form of love,” said Qiu Haitang in a distant manner. She had once hoped he would accept her, even if he feigned his love for her.
Li Qingshan raised his head and saw a familiar figure passing through the forest, throwing herself into his arms. Her voice was hoarse as she said, “You bastard. Why didn’t you chase after me? Do you know how sad I was?”
“Qiongzhi?”
She was soaking, and her cheeks were moist, perhaps from the rain or from tears. She was so delicate that Li Qingshan basically doubted whether he had mistaken her for someone else. Qiu Haitang had been right. She was not as firm or adamant as he thought. Just like how she could easily influence his mood, he could hurt her heart just as easily. This was the cost of being in love.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and kissed her.
“I understand. Thank you for your suggestion. I will cherish my relationship with her.” Li Qingshan stepped on the window sill and looked back at Qiu Haitang with a smile before leaping off and unfurling his wings, vanishing into the rainy night.
The night rain pattered against the bamboo forest. It was a particularly dreary sound.
The two of them embraced each other firmly, each finding the other like a scorching fire. Li Qingshan touched her body fearlessly. Unable to put up with the obstruction of her clothes, he directly tore apart her dress with a rip, exposing her perfectly-round, snow-white legs.
“Ah!” Han Qiongzhi cried out before stifling her voice. “Let’s go inside.”
“Here will do!” Li Qinshan pressed his forehead against hers, his gaze gentle yet ruthless. It was not like there was anyone else on the island. It was just them.
Han Qiongzhi was powerless to resist. In the blink of an eye, she had been stripped naked like a shorn sheep, no longer clad in anything. The autumn wind was slightly chilly, and she shivered. Cold and heat had ceased to affect her a long time ago, but she was still embarrassed as she was below the porch, despite knowing there was no one else on the island. However, she was unable to think too much about it before long, as she was soon taken away by pleasure.
After who knew how long, the rain stopped, and the clouds dispersed. Han Qiongzhi had almost forgotten how she had ended up in the room. All she saw was Li Qingshan staring at the dark ceiling in a daze. She shifted to her side and placed her hand on his chest. “Are you still angry?”
“I’m not.” Li Qingshan looked over and gave her a toothy grin.
“Actually, I wasn’t angry because of Shancheng, but for your sake. You aren’t so stingy normally.” Han Qiongzhi drew circles on his chest with her finger.
“I understand. I understand it all. However, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been so stingy.” Li Qingshan grabbed her hand.
The two of them smiled at each other. Han Qiongzhi rested her head on his chest. “You’re not allowed to make me so angry again, okay?”
“That’s not something I can promise.”
“I’ve already given you so much freedom, yet you can’t even agree to something so small!” Han Qiongzhi dug her chin into his chest in irritation.
“I’m clearly the one who’s working my ass off. You just lie on your back comfortably and enjoy yourself.” Li Qingshan sniggered, but when he saw how she was about to become irritated again, he added, “Fine, fine, fine. I promise you. If I make you run off from anger again, I’ll definitely chase after you.”
“What kind of promise is that?! Sigh, that’s just my luck. I’ve fallen in love with a man like you. If you don’t chase after me, all I can do is return by myself obediently. I really am making myself suffer!”
“That doesn’t sound like something first young miss Han would say.” Li Qingshan’s heart softened, and he stroked her hair gently.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Qiu Haitang pondered for a moment before smiling and standing up, closing the window. There was a flash of green on a distant building, but when she looked over properly, there was nothing there.
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Chapter 403: Ambitious
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Chapter 403: Ambitious
The wind whistled, and the drizzle assaulted his face.
Li Qingshan flapped his wings, flying through the dark sky. The half-transparent wings loosened and tightened. He was like a red fish, sometimes leaping into the sea of clouds and sometimes falling into the rain. Through his process, he rapidly familiarised himself with the usage of the wings.
At this moment, the spirit turtle’s daemon core flashed and gave him an omen of warning.
Li Qingshan turned around, hovering in the air. All he could see was a sky filled with rain and clouds, unable to sense anything wrong at all, but the feeling of being spied on only became clearer.
A green light shot through the clouds. Fu Qingjin’s expression was bleak as his gaze was like a bolt of lightning. The moment Li Qingshan stopped, he stopped too, carefully hiding in the clouds.
The rain continued to fall. All was silent.
Li Qingshan basically identified him immediately. As it turned out, he had still given himself away with this visit to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. He was tempted to use his clone to probe his strength, but upon considering the three hundred treasures pouches on him, he turned around and flew downwards, entering underground through a cave.
“What vigilant prey.” Fu Qingjin appeared. If he had prey like this, then his mission as a liaison would not be too boring. However, now was not the time for him to reel in his net.
Moving underground, Li Qingshan took out his underground mental map and found his way, returning to his territory. The sight earlier truly made him understand what being stared right in the face meant. He was forced to respond immediately.
Returning to the cavern, he found Milliped cultivating silently by lying on the stone bed, recovering his strength bit by bit.
A shadow appeared behind him, consolidating and lunging towards him. Li Qingshan had already been prepared. He suddenly turned around and extended his right hand before placing it down again. A soft body threw herself into his embrace.
“Master, you’re back!” Ye Liubo was filled with surprise and delight.
“You’ve already undergone the heavenly tribulation.” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah! It’s all thanks to the pill master bestowed upon me!” Ye Liubo said gratefully. After ingesting the True Spirit pill, she immediately felt the energy in her body change qualitatively, finally breaking through and going through the heavenly tribulation. This was not due to the True Spirit pill alone, but also because of the lengthy time she had spent at the bottleneck.
“Liubo is willing to do anything to repay master’s kindness.” Ye Liubo licked her lips.
“That’s fantastic. Keep managing the trade. I need even more spiritual herbs.”
“That’s not what I mean. Master, look at what this is.” Ye Liubo grumbled before taking out many spiritual herbs from her hundred treasures pouch.
Before Li Qingshan left, he gave her many of the spiritual artifacts and talismans he had no use for. After undergoing the heavenly tribulation, she went back to show off and successfully completed a few transactions, earning Li Qingshan a lot of spiritual herbs yet again. None of them were less than a century old.
“Nicely done.” Li Qingshan accepted the spiritual herbs and smiled.
Right now, he had two choices. One was abandoning this place to avoid any potential attacks from Fu Qingjin, venturing deeper underground and temporarily taking up residence in Blacklustre city. The other option was to fortify this place and turn it into a fortress that opposed the Daemon Suppression alliance.
In the past, he would have leaned towards the former. After all, his subordinates were limited, and it was not like he cultivated for the sake of the Daemon race’s prosperity. There was no need for him to throw himself at the Daemon Suppression alliance. But now, he had another idea in mind. He needed to see the Spider Queen before that.
“Let’s go and visit Ye Mingzhu first.”
“Please allow me to come with you… master!” Ye Liusu emerged silently from the darkness.
“Alright. Bring Milliped with us.”
“Sir Northmoon, it really has been quite a while. Have you brought more good news back for me?”
In Blacklustre city, Ye Mingzhu immediately rushed back after hearing about Northmoon’s arrival, showing great respect towards him. Having received the support of his weapons, the Spider Shadow clan was gradually turning the tides of the war underground.
“Matriarch Ye is riding the crest of success!” Li Qingshan sat on a high-back chair with his legs crossed while Ye Liubo and Ye Liusu stood beside him.
“How can you call me matriarch, sir Northmoon? You can just refer to me as Mingzhu. This is all thanks to sir Northmoon’s efforts. Please accept this measly gift as a small tribute.” Ye Mingzhu offered up a brocade box with both hands.
“Nothing comes for free! You must have a request in mind, don’t you, Mingzhu?” Li Qingshan opened the box. Inside lay a thousand-year Dark Blood Ginseng. It was completely pitch-black, oozing with spiritual qi. It had already become slightly humanoid. Unlike other spiritual herbs, it was one that could be directly consumed. Even underground, the value of Dark Blood Ginsengs was extremely high.
“May I ask if sir Northmoon has any more of the pill that Liubo consumed? If you do, I am willing to exchange for them with even more and even better spiritual herbs.” Ye Mingzhi’s eyes shone. There were many night roamers in the clan who had reached the bottleneck but were unable to break through. If she could obtain a few of these pills, they would gain several powerful members who had undergone the heavenly tribulation in the blink of an eye, forming a crushing force.
“Mingzhu, you really are ambitious, aren’t you?” Li Qingshan fiddled around with the Dark Blood Ginseng with a smile.
“I don’t have any other choice either. If sir Northmoon is willing to assist me, I swear that any future requests from sir Northmoon will be completely fulfilled as long as it is within this territory, which can include me too.” Ye Mingzhu smiled charmingly.
“I do have a few requests, but before that, I need to see the Spider Queen first! Normally, I’ll always personally fetch what I want.”
Li Qingshan smiled. If he wanted to protect the territory and fend off Fu Qingjin, the night roamers would be an extremely important component in his plan. However, he had never planned on maintaining such a fragile relationship of treating them as equals and dealing with them through trade. He wanted to grasp this power in his very own hands, consolidating his cornerstone of authority in the underground world.
It’s just a few dozen subordinates, that’s all. I’ll definitely possess what Fu Qingjin has too.
In Cobweb city, the bright, red carpet extended from the throne. Spider Queen Lolth leaned on her hand with her scarlet dress, studying Li Qingshan.
“Northmoon, you’ve finally bothered to come see me.”
“Ma’am Spider Queen has summoned you multiple times, but you never came, not even once. What are you planning?” Bloodshadow’s pale face was filled with undisguised animosity.
“I’ve been constantly thinking about ma’am Spider Queen too, but for the ma’am’s request, I’ve been busying myself outside the entire time. I’m not like certain people who just idle around in their own territories all day.” Li Qingshan chuckled and glanced at Bloodshadow.
“So you’re saying you’ve brought me the Green Vine Elder’s head?” The Spider Queen’s expression changed, becoming interested.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t.” Li Qingshan laid out his hands.
“Are you toying around with ma’am Spider Queen? Ma’am, I’ll venture to the surface right now and bring you the head of the Green Vine Elder.” Bloodshadow rebuked loudly before volunteering himself. The Spider Queen’s expression coldened slightly too.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. His laughter echoed through the huge chamber.
“What are you laughing about?”
“From today onwards, no one will be able to bring back even a hair of his, as he has already vanished with the Green Vine mountain.”
“Vanished?” Spider Queen Lolth was doubtful.
“What are you blabbering about?” Bloodshadow frowned.
“I couldn’t help it. I went a little too hard,” Li Qingshan said with his hands laid out.
The Spider Queen curled her finger, and an oval mirror in the corner of the room glowed brightly.
That’s an arcane artifact! Li Qingshan was surprised inside. An image appeared on the surface of the mirror, passing through the rock and soil until it arrived above ground, reflecting the Green Vine mountain that had already been reduced to a crater.
In that moment, even Bloodshadow was unable to say anything more. Only now did he understand what Li Qingshan meant by “vanished”. His first response was that this was impossible. Even if he used his full strength, it was impossible for him to reduce an entire mountain to something like that unless he blew up his daemon core!
The Spider Queen’s smile slowly widened, gorgeous yet cruel. Laughter that could make people shudder rang out in their heads like threads of spider silk. Waiting outside, Ye Mingzhu’s heart lurched, and she lowered her head. She gained a deeper understanding of Li Qingshan’s strength yet again.
At this moment, Dragonsnail and Strongboulder rushed over too. They heard the Spider Queens’ laughter and were both shocked.
“What is this crater?’
After paying his respects to the Spider Queen, Strongboulder saw the image in the mirror and asked with furrowed brows.
“Green Vine mountain,” Dragonsnail said slowly. His voice was even slower than before, also doubting the conclusion he had reached. He gazed at Li Qingshan deeply.
“Did you do this?” Strongboulder’s voice boomed like thunder, filled with surprise.
“You’ve done very well. From today onwards, you are permitted to see me directly. You do not have to notify me.” Spider Queen Lolth’s voice became much more friendly. No one would dislike a powerful subordinate that conformed to their tastes.
Ye Mingzhu’s expression changed. This was a special right only Dragonsnail, Strongboulder, and Bloodshadow possessed. Did this mean the three great Daemon Generals under the Spider Queen’s command would increase today?
“Let’s fight!” Strongboulder licked his lips as scorching battle intent rose from his body, but he did not object. If he were truly responsible for this, he was indeed worthy of this right.
Bloodshadown said, “Ma’am, he’s lying! Northmoon, I don’t believe this is something you can do. Are you bold enough to clash with me? This time, I won’t spare you so easily.”
Bloodshadow was confident he was strong enough to expose Northmoon’s true power as long as the Spider Queen permitted him to fight. He wanted to prove to the Spider Queen that Northmoon was completely unworthy of standing with them.
“You better stop!” Spider Queen Lolth shut them up. “So you want to fight against a clone?”
A clone!?
Aside from Dragonsnail, everyone was surprised.
Ye Mingzhu suddenly understood why he was so composed and fearless when he faced the entire Spider Shadow clan the other day. She became even more glad about her decision.
“You’ve been using a clone to face us this entire time?” Bloodshadow’s expression became even more sunken. He remembered how he had vanished from the cave in an unbelievable fashion during the pursuit that had ended inconclusively last time. As it turned out, it was just his clone. He had been led around like a fool.
“Safety comes first. I think ma’am Spider Queen can understand my worries, right? If you hear me out, maybe even brother Dragonsnail and brother Strongboulder can understand. Actually, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all if ma’am Spider Queen placed the blame on me and handed me over.”
“Tell me, what you’ve done that needs me to place the blame on you. I’m very curious too. Just how did you do it?” Spider Queen Lolth was intrigued as she asked in interest.
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Chapter 404: King
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Chapter 404: King
“After I met with the Spider Queen, I immediately ventured to Green Vine mountain to kill that old man. However, I ended up falling into Fu Qingjin of the Sword Collection palace’s trap, costing me my clone. After that, the Green Vine mountain became enveloped by the Duality Formation of Disintegration, preventing me from setting foot in there again.”
“The Duality Formation of Disintegration! You got through the Duality Formation of Disintegration?” Dragonsnail’s calm expression finally became slightly perturbed, and his speech sped up by quite a lot.
“You know about it, brother Dragonsnail? Honestly, I couldn’t get through the formation. I don’t think anyone present can get through it apart from ma’am Spider Queen. As a result, I bided my time and spent it scheming. I waited until last night when the members of the Daemon Suppression alliance gathered in an estate outside Clear River city.”
“Daemon Suppression alliance?” Strongboulder’s eyebrows became firmly furrowed. This name was nothing but a mockery of daemons.
“That’s right. The Daemon Suppression alliance is the same Daemon Suppression alliance composed of a combination of sects, led by the Sword Collection palace in the Clear River prefecture. Fu Qingjin seemed to be the one in charge.”
“Continue.” Spider Queen Lolth mulled over it.
“I followed them there and discovered a Foundation Establishment cultivator descending from the sky with a huge ship before leaving in front of everyone else. Afterwards, I learnt the ship was called the Soaring Dragon ship, a powerful mechanism created by humans. I followed it secretly. There were two Foundation Establishment cultivators on there…”
Li Qingshan told the entire story in a single breath, and the room fell silent. Alone, he hijacked a powerful warship of the humans, destroyed the formation around the Green Vine mountain, and killed the Green Vine Elder. Just how soul-stirring was this entire process? He had to possess both intelligence and courage to be able to achieve something like this.
“You’ve got something in you! What I admire the most are the powerful. You’re powerful enough and vicious enough!” Strongboulder laughed aloud, violently smacking Li Qingshan’s shoulder. Daemon qi suddenly surged out from his hand, slamming down with a weight of several thousand tonnes.
Boom! A huge pit appeared where Li Qingshan stood.
“I want to fight you even more now.” Strongboulder raised his head and laughed violently as his eyes shone.
“You’ll have the chance.” Li Qingshan dodged to one side, exercising his arm.
“You’re afraid that I’ll sell you out?” Spider Queen Lolth stood up and stared at Li Qingshan.
“Isn’t that exactly what you like?” Li Qingshan smiled. Betrayal, envy, chaos, pain. The Spider Queen had already unleashed everything in her nature, exhibiting it without any restraint. She showed off her wickedness just like how regular people showed off their kindness. The conflict between the night roamers would be better explained as a delight for her rather than for balance.
“Do you have any objections to that?”
“No. That’s exactly what makes you charming.”
“You’re very charming too, such that I almost want to have some fun with you, and then eat you mouthful by mouthful.” The Spider Queen made her way down from her throne slowly, touching Li Qingshan’s cheek. She licked her bright-red lips and said those words in a husky voice. She was terrifyingly enchanting.
A sliver of shock flashed across Ye Mingzhu’s eyes.
Li Qingshan shivered inside. He had heard about some common practices underground from Ye Liubo. One of them included every clan offering male night roamers to the Spider Queen every year. The Spider Queen would eat every single partner she slept with. There were no exceptions.
If someone was bold enough to become interested in her, then she would be the deadliest lover. However, the principle that daemons could not kill one another fortunately existed, so she would not touch daemons.
Li Qingshan raised his head slightly, inches away from hers. “You might have that chance in the future!”
“Oh? When?”
“When you can’t eat me.”
“You’re very daring!”
“This is just a clone after all. If my main body were here, I might have pissed myself already.” Li Qingshan shrugged.
“What reward do you want? State it!” The Spider Queen returned to her throne with a flash.
“I want to be the king of the night roamers!” Li Qingshan answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Aren’t you a little too bold?” The Spider Queen’s face suddenly changed, radiating with murderousness and sweetness. The night roamers were the toys most important to her, yet there was actually someone bold enough to ask for them from her.
Ye Mingzhu’s expression changed too, suddenly understanding what Li Qingshan meant when he said, “I’ll always personally fetch what I want.” She was teeming with ambition, but all she wanted was the Spider Shadow clan to become the strongest clan among the night roamers. Compared to his ambitions, it only seemed insignificant.
“If you won’t agree to it, then all I can do is abandon the territory and flee elsewhere.”
“Are you threatening me?” Spider Queen Lolth’s eyes squinted dangerously.
“Of course not. Since you’re reluctant to hand me over, the Daemon Suppression alliance will arrive very soon for revenge. My territory will definitely bear the brunt of the blow. The Daemon Suppression alliance is filled with powerful people, so only by gathering sufficient strength can I take them on in a battle to the death. Or should I say you’re satisfied with everything on a smaller scale?”
“We are on the brink of war. The night roamers are an extremely important force under your command, but right now, they’re still in a state of disunity. They will be of no use in times of crisis, defeated one by one in the end. I will unite them into a true sword within your grasp to fight the Daemon Suppression alliance. Isn’t this more interesting than just killing one another?”
Li Qingshan took a step forward, and his voice rang out clearly. This was his intention. As long as he could combine the power of the night roamers, they would become a powerful force no weaker than the Daemon Suppression alliance of the Clear River prefecture. He would also possess something he could rely on when he confronted Fu Qingjin. There would be no need for him to carry out any trade at all. The night roamers would have to offer various spiritual herbs to him.
The Spider Queen sank into her thoughts, as Li Qingshan’s words were reasonable. On the brink of war, gathering and consolidating strength was very important.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, you mustn’t!” Bloodshadow said in a hurry. If he ended up succeeding with this, his influence underground would completely surpass the three of them, becoming the most powerful Daemon General under the Spider Queen’s command.
“The three of them are all your seniors. They surpass you in both age and wisdom. If two of them support you, then I’ll agree to it. Right now, you already have someone objecting.” Spider Queen Lolth smiled.
“I’ll support him! I’ll support whatever you oppose!” Strongboulder said immediately, glancing at Bloodshadow scornfully.
“Strongboulder!” Bloodshadow’s voice became as cold as ice.
“However, I do have a condition. You must fight me with your main body. If you lose, then this position will go to me. How’s that?” Strongboulder pointed at Li Qingshan.
“No problem!” Li Qingshan smiled confidently. Daemons always spoke with one another using strength.
Now, only Dragonsnail remained. His back was hunched, and his head was lowered. He seemed like he was asleep. He was the wisest and the most mysterious Daemon General under the Spider Queen’s command. No one could guess his decision.
“Strongboulder, you may be powerful, but you lack the ability to lead,” Dragonsnail said slowly.
“If you want the position, then you can have it,” Strongboulder droned.
“I don’t have that energy. Bloodshadow, what do you think?”
“I support this motion, but my condition will be the same as Strongboulder’s.” Bloodshadow immediately changed his mind. If Dragonsnail supported him too, then the situation would be extremely disadvantageous to him. Perhaps this might have been a heaven-sent opportunity instead.
“I object,” said Dragonsnail slowly as he took a step back with his eyes shining.
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Chapter 405 – A Soldier or a General?
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Chapter 405 – A Soldier or a General?
What a crafty old bag of bones! Li Qingshan cursed inside. With that, he would have to defeat two powerful Daemon Generals consecutively if he wanted the position, while Dragonsnail could remain uninvolved. Bloodshadown and Strongboulder were clearly rivals, so their strength were probably equal. By then, perhaps Dragonsnail would end up being the one in charge.
“Alright, then that’s decided. Northmoon, when do you plan on going ahead with this?” Spider Queen Lolth curled her lips. When it came to conflict, she would always be brimming with interest.
“I will definitely come and see ma’am Spider Queen again in three days time and battle it out with these two ‘seniors’!” Li Qingshan clasped his hands. After an initial probing, he had basically confirmed that Spider Queen Lolth was towards the warlike end of the spectrum within the daemons. She would never hand him over due to some Treaty of Kings.
Of course, the person who had the final say over this was still the Dragon King of Ink Sea who reigned over the world of daemons in the Green province. However, basically everyone could tell that war was unavoidable. The probability of the Dragon King of Ink Sea killing one of his subordinates on the spot was so low that it was basically zero.
Strongboulder was excited, Bloodshadow’s gaze was vicious, and Li Qingshan’s lips were slightly curled. The gazes of the three Daemon Generals clashed before they all turned around and took their leave.
Leaving the chamber of the throne and returning to the region of the Spider Shadow clan, Li Qingshan gazed over the entire city from a terrace.
“Sir Northmoon, how much of a chance do you think you have?” Ye Mingzhu probed him.
“Fifty percent.” Li Qingshan was neither conceited, nor did he underestimate himself. He only showed off extraordinary confidence. “If you’re willing to assist me, perhaps that might increase by ten or twenty percent.”
“I’ll definitely leave you satisfied, sir Northmoon!” Ye Mingzhu lowered her head. His chances at success were already startlingly high.
“If my ambition can come true, then how difficult can your ambition be?”
“Uncle, that little brother of mine really is very troublesome! There’s nothing I can do this time.” In the commandery city of Ruyi, Gu Yanying clutched the Ink Dragon talisman and said helplessly.
After receiving the news from the Green Vine mountain, she was tempted to capture Li Qingshan immediately and choke him until he told her just what was going on. Was he really going to ignore her previous words?
The ink dragon coiled around a few times before spitting out a sentence, “Then let them fight!”
Gu Yanying shuddered. A single word from the Dragon King of Ink Sea could overrule ten thousand from regular people. He would decide the general situation of the entire Green province with a single word, or he could even change the direction that the entire world moved towards.
“Will the peace of several millennia finally be broken?”
“Limited to the Clear River prefecture, those whose cultivation is below two heavenly tribulations.”
“What! Why?” In Cobweb city, a similar small, black dragon danced and coiled about like a black wisp, passing on the Dragon King of Ink Sea’s order. The Spider Queen beamed at first before becoming furious. The war she had thirsted for all this time was finally about to begin, but she could not be directly involved.
“Learn to use your subordinates!” said the tiny dragon before dispersing completely.
At the same time, Fu Qingjin received orders from the Sword Collection palace. From this point on, he would be completely in charge of the Daemon Suppression alliance in the Clear River prefecture. He would be able to do whatever he wanted within the Clear River prefecture. As long as he did not venture too deeply underground and reached that place called Cobweb city, the Spider Queen would not touch him. But at the same time, he would not receive the assistance of any Golden Core cultivators either.
Both of them sighed as they experienced the same thought, Are you planning on turning the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture into a chessboard?
The Clear River prefecture was like a miniature version of the Green province, where the complications between the three organisations were almost identical.
No one knew how alike the thoughts of those above ground were. Had they allowed this to happen as training for the war in the future? Or, was it to use the brutal reality of war to warn those who liked fighting? Or, perhaps this was just a game within their lengthy lives! A mere gamble!
Gu Yanying stowed the Ink Dragon talisman away. Is my job just to prevent others from interrupting this game? Most of them are easy to deal with, except that the old man from Pine Sough academy. He’s very stubborn. There’s only one person who can stop him.
The heavy gales of wind whistled through the air, making the pine trees sough and ripple.
Together with the wind came the misty rain, rolling over the soughing pine trees like fog. It drifted through the mountains before colliding with a large mountain and scattering over it. Lofty structures peppered the mountain, and the doors were labeled with three powerful and charming words. It was the renowned Pine Sough academy.
The sounds of studying rang out everywhere, piercing through the autumn rain and rising into the sky.
A streak of light descended from above, arriving outside a thatched hut on the back of the mountain. A dark-skinned scholar sheathed his sword; he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had already gone through a heavenly tribulation. The thatched hut before him was so simple that even regular people would have found it to be overly run-down.
However, the dark-skinned scholar became cautious. He tidied his clothes and gave a great bow. “Master.”
The wooden door opened, revealing the back of someone currently bent over a table, writing. His small, skinny body held up his large robes, which seemed especially big on him. Many bottles and containers were scattered around the ground behind him. They were actually for catching the rain that ran down the hut.
“Junior brother Jiang is dead.” The dark-skinned scholar was furious. He went off to help him the moment he received Jiang Shancheng’s distress signal, but he never thought it would turn out like this. Not only was he dead, but they had even lost an extremely important Soaring Dragon ship.
When the old man finished listening to everything, he just happened to have finished writing a word. With a sweep of his arm, the sword hanging on the wall flew into his hand. The sheathe was very old, but it was simple and uncomplicated, just like him.
He strode towards the door as his aura grew, lifting up his large robes, lifting up the simple room, and lifting up the Pine Sough academy, filling the entire world.
His wrinkled face was so solemn that it was almost rigid, and his wispy, white beard drifted about gently. In the eyes of regular people, he was just a small, skinny old man, but he gave off a bearing that no regular person could imagine. It was boundless and dauntless.
He was the head scholar of Pine Sough academy, Wen Zhengming.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Please hold on, brother Wen.”
At this moment, a man emerged from the rain. He only seemed to be in his twenties, but he gave off the same, somber feeling that came from a hundred-year-old man. He wore a fancy hat and was dressed in violet. His delicate face seemed rather chilly, as if he was forcing a smile.
Sure enough, Wen Zhengming stopped. He furrowed his brows. “What has brought sir governor to my thatched hut in the mountains?”
“Originally, I had no interest in coming to your thatched hut in the mountains to speak to an old coot like you.” He was the governor of the Ruyi commandery, the Marquis of Ruyi.
“Did ma’am Gu send you to persuade me?”
“If you want revenge for your disciple, you’ll get your opportunity some day, but not right now. This is not an attempt at persuasion, but an order!”
Confucians were firm and unyielding, unfazed by poverty, incorruptible by wealth. Even if Gu Yanying had personally come, she would struggle to stop Wen Zhengming from avenging his disciple. However, the Marquis of Ruyi was the legitimate lord of the Ruyi commandery. No confucian could defy his decrees unless they decided to commit treason against confucianism; it was not because they could not, but because they were reluctant to.
In just a few words, Wen Zhengming returned to his hut and wrote away once again, but the sword continued to hang on his waist. He refused to take it off.
In the sky, Gu Yanying said to the Marquis of Ruyi, “Thank you.”
“I’ve done everything I can to fulfil your request.” The Marquis of Ruyi was no longer as chilly as before. He smiled gently, staring at her face.
Gu Yanying ignored this familiar sight. She thought with a smile,
The board has been assembled. Where be the pieces?
Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan. Are you going to be a soldier who won’t emerge alive, or a general who leads the army?
On the slow, rippling lake, Li Qingshan only infiltrated the Lake of Dragons and Snakes after confirming and checking multiple times that the spirit turtle’s daemon core gave off no warning, handing the Green Vine Elder and Jiang Shancheng’s hundred treasures pouches to his real body.
Passing through the Formation of Dragons and Snakes and returning to Cloudwisp island, Han Qiongzhi had already left, leaving a message behind for him.
“Old Wang wants me to return and formally become the primary disciple of the school of Legalism.”
Li Qingshan placed the message down and turned around. All he saw was a petite figure in black monk robes, leaning against the bamboo and staring at him from afar.
Li Qingshan beamed in joy. “Xiao An, get over here. I have something good to show you.”
However, Xiao An did not lunge over like before. Li Qingshan’s heart softened as a result, making his way over and squatting down. He rubbed her head. “What, are you angry?”
“Yep.” Xiao An nodded obediently.
“It’s all my fault. Please forgive me, great ma’am Xiao An!” Li Qingshan scooped her up with a smile, both apologetic and lovingly.
“You don’t want me anymore, do you?” Xiao An wrapped her arms around his neck and said gently.
“What’re you saying? I can give up on anyone, just not you!” Her tender voice made Li Qingshan’s heart ache.
“Then why didn’t you come find me at all? I was afraid of disturbing you too.” Xiao An furrowed her brows as her eyes rippled slightly like limpid water.
“I swear that it won’t happen again!” Li Qingshan stared at Xiao An’s clear, dark eyes. Whenever he spent time with her, there might not have been the entangling passion he felt with Han Qiongzhi, but he would be filled with indescribable peace and quiet, a sense of belonging.
He had once said home would be wherever he was, but that was not actually true. Only where she was was home. Perhaps he could not think about it constantly, but he would never forget it.
“Come, let me give you a kiss!”
Xiao An pecked his face heavily, and Li Qingshan smiled so resplendently that even the rainy weather was unable to hide it. Xiao An was infected by it too, revealing a shy smile of happiness.
“Let me tell you, I did something huge recently…” Li Qingshan made his way towards the loft as he showed off. He was not blazing with an imposing bearing, and he was without a sense of valiance or dauntlessness. Sometimes, he would even seem extremely petty, greedy, and lustful, riddled with problems. However, as long as it was her, he would hide nothing at all.
Their conversation after being separated for all this time actually came with an indescribable feeling of satisfaction and liberation, no less than when he piloted the ship and destroyed the Green Vine mountain. Although Xiao An only smiled and listened, just how many people in the world were such good listeners?
Qiu Haitang had said that if he loved her, then he had to protect the secret forever. She was not wrong, but she missed the most important point, which was what Li Qingshan felt. This had nothing to do with a lack of understanding. She had been imagining the perfect lover, but she never imagined a daemon would have a concept of home.
When he decided to properly cherish this relationship, to relieve Han Qiongzhi of the pain that came with his secret, even Li Qingshan himself had failed to notice the change in his mental state. He just felt like he had been neglecting Xiao An lately, which was completely wrong of him.
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Chapter 406 – Seizing Every Moment
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Chapter 406 – Seizing Every Moment
As for Xiao An, she showed Li Qingshan the Skull Prayer Beads she had refined. A string of fourteen prayer beads hung from her slender wrist, pure-white like they were brand new.
“So does anything special happen when you assemble fourteen beads?” Li Qingshan asked curiously.
Xiao An smiled. With a wave of her hand, the prayer beads scattered and fell onto the ground. They bounced around a few times before standing up.
Yes, standing up. Every single prayer bead turned into a complete skeleton. They were only the size of a thumb, but their bones were bulky, their claws were sharp, and their teeth were protruding. They seemed both vicious and powerful.
“What’s this?” Li Qingshan bent down and studied them carefully. Suddenly, he became shocked. He could sense that every single skeleton possessed the strength of a regular Daemon General. It was just withdrawn right now. They had not released their true strength.
“Skeleton Demons.” Xiao An opened her right hand, and the fourteen skeleton monsters leapt into her palm, baring their fangs at Li Qingshan. Xiao An flicked their heads, and only then did they settle down.
But in that instant, Li Qingshan truly experienced a sense of danger. If they actually began fighting, the Skeleton Demons would definitely pose a huge issue.
The fourteen prayer beads symbolised the fourteen dauntlessnesses of buddhism. They were the first complete artifact from the artifact forging section of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, the weakest version of the Skull Prayer Beads.
TL: The fourteen dauntlessnesses of buddhism refer to… to be added
Li Qingshan could not help but sigh over the power of the supernatural ability. Even when ignoring personal cultivation, they would possess the might of fourteen regular cultivators by undergoing a heavenly tribulation. Just how powerful was that?
This was not exactly unique. For example, the Lone Grave Elder among the three elders could achieve this through refining Corpse Generals, and mohist masters could achieve this with powerful puppets and mechanisms. However, the difficulty of the refinement and the demand in the quality of the materials would well surpass Skull Prayer Beads.
Most importantly, the Skull Prayer Beads were connected with Xiao An, basically akin to her clones. She could wield them like an extra limb, and when it mattered, she could even merge them with her body, repairing her white bones and healing her wounds.
This was a supernatural ability that originated from beyond the Nine Heavens and was rumored that it could be practised to the realm of bodhisattvas. The further she progressed with it, the more it would manifest with its power.
With a white bone sword and a string of Skull Prayer Beads, Xiao An was basically undefeatable among the Foundation Establishment realm unless she went up against someone like Fu Qingjin, who wielded a powerful arcane treasure. Perhaps she would only encounter some difficulty when she was pitted against cultivators at peak Foundation Establishment.
“Are you trying to pressure me?” Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head forcefully. He had felt unstoppable after reaching Daemon General, riding on the crest of success and feeling like he could look down on everyone else. Only now did he jerk to his senses all of a sudden—he could not be so careless.
“Do you want to enter secluded cultivation?” Xiao An smiled bashfully as her eyes shone eagerly.
“Alright, alright, alright. Once we get through this, we’ll cultivate in seclusion for a while. I need to properly raise my cultivation as a Qi Practitioner and reach Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible. That will allow me to find out what brother ox left behind. I’ll be able to obtain the wealth of a Golden Core cultivator at the very least. I can’t let you get too far ahead. Let’s check out my spoils first!”
Opening Jiang Shancheng and the Green Vine Elder’s hundred treasures pouches, Li Qingshan was disappointed at first before becoming overcome by joy.
Jiang Shancheng had only established a foundation recently, and he was just a disciple, so his wealth was extremely limited. Only the supreme grade spiritual artifact sword he wielded had some worth. He did not have much else, such as pills or spiritual stones.
However, the Green Vine Elder’s hundred treasures pouch was so plentiful that it surpassed Li Qingshan’s expectations. Even if the possessions of the two other elders were combined, it probably would still not be enough to rival his. The tremendous amounts of pills and spiritual herbs completely filled his eyes, and a few supreme grade spiritual artifacts glowed brightly.
Among the various pills, pills as rare as True Spirit pills and Virtue Accumulation pills amounted to over a dozen, but what interested Li Qingshan the most were not them. Instead, it was a dark-golden pill sealed within a bottle.
“This is… an Origin Spirit pill!” Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. Having spent so much time with Ru Xin, he had basically gained a general grasp over the common knowledge regarding various pills. Among them included this renowned Origin Spirit pill.
It had a similar use to True Spirit pills, also for breaking through, but the realm it broke through to was Golden Core. It was a hundred times rarer than True Spirit pills, not something that regular Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed. Just what kind of luck did the Green Vine Elder possess to obtain one? Perhaps it had been bestowed upon him by the Sword Collection palace.
After inspecting it, Li Qingshan stowed it away carefully before drawing a long blade from the many spiritual artifacts. The edge of the blade was a purply-green, varying in tone. Combined with the distinct, layered pattern of feathers, it stood out very much. As he held it in his hand, it was light, as if he was holding nothing at all.
Its overall design resembled a strange bird. The hilt was curved and pointy, like the sharp beak of a bird, while the blade was large and wide like wings. The edge was circular, resembling a strange bird’s head. Its two eyes were rounded, giving off a sense of twisted strangeness and a sense of mysterious magnificence.
Li Qingshan felt like he had seen something similar before. Suddenly, he remembered Ru Xin’s Crystal Resin cauldron. Although their patterns and designs were completely different, their overall style definitely came from the same origins. Did this supreme grade spiritual artifact come from the Mist province too?
It was the only weapon that suited him out of the many supreme grade spiritual artifacts—he could easily give himself away if he used a sword—but the blade did not seem to be suited for killing. The edge was very blunt. When he brushed past the edge with the tips of his fingers, he suddenly felt a hint of numbness spread up through his fingers, leaving behind a streak of bright green as distinct as a verdant, venomous snake.
This is a blade of poison!
Li Qingshan was alarmed. He used the spirit turtle’s daemon core to suppress it in a hurry before forcing the poison out with his daemon qi. The poison was so potent that even he could not underestimate it.
Li Qingshan had guessed correctly. The Green Vine Elder’s blade did indeed come from the Mist province. As the hilt could absorb poison, and the blade could unleash poison, it was called the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather.
Poisonfeather birds were strange birds among legends because they were fond of ingesting poison. Their feathers were known for their poison, and dipping the feathers into alcohol could poison people to death. This was also where the saying of “quenching thirst with poison” originated from. The design of the blade originated from there.
TL: You can read more about the Zhen bird, or the Poisonfeather bird, here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenniao
After the Green Vine Elder obtained it, he had refined it with various poisons, which was why it had achieved its current toxicity. However, he never had the opportunity to use it, and he eventually obtained a more suitable weapon, the Green Vine staff. After that, it just sat in his hundred treasures pouch, gathering dust.
The Ox Demon Forges its Hide could block direct blows, but it could not stop poison. However, basically all other people or daemons suffered from this problem. If it were not for a cultivation method like the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he would have been forced to resist the poison with his full strength. Otherwise, the damage the poison would cause would grow even more severe as it invaded his body.
However, who would give their opponent this kind of opportunity in actual battle?
Li Qingshan lifted up the blade and smiled resplendently. He had finally found a weapon that could increase his chances at victory.
Aside from that, the most important spoils he had obtained were a few formation banners and discs for setting up formations. After being replaced by the Duality Formation of Disintegration, the original formation around the Green Vine mountain had been stowed away by the Green Vine Elder.
Li Qingshan had obtained quite a lot of formation scrolls and discs in the past, but they were all on the level of Qi Practitioners and not worth a lot. These formations were truly formations that guarded an entire sect.
From a certain perspective, they were even more important than spiritual artifacts or pills. Formations were crucial for establishing a stable base. Otherwise, no matter how many powerful cultivators you could gather, as long as the enemy was slightly stronger in cultivation and knew a concealment technique, they would be able to come and go as they pleased. Even if formations could not stop the enemy, they could still serve as an alert for danger.
Li Qingshan thanked the late Green Vine Elder. With these items, he could begin his plan.
“Xiao An, get ready to accompany me on an expedition to crush the enemy!”
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Word of the battle between the three great Daemon Generals had already spread throughout the underground world.
Basically everyone sat on the edge of their seats in Cobweb city. This was a battle that controlled the fate of the entire race of night roamers.
“Is he still not here?” Ye Mingzhu leaned on a window sill and gazed at the tall terrace. The Spider Queen seemed like a god with her bright-red figure, also waiting.
“Don’t tell me he’s afraid!” Ye Liuxing said coldly.
“He’s going to be challenging the two of them consecutively. It only makes sense if he’s afraid.” “He actually said he wants to become the king of the night roamers. His boasts are simply absurd!” The elders discussed softly, sneering at him in disdain.
“Master is omnipotent. Why would he be afraid of them?” Ye Liubo rebuked loudly as her gaze shone fervently. To her, this person was no longer her master in name only. Instead, he had become her pillar of support that upheld all of her hopes and feelings.
The elders glanced at this traitor furiously, but Ye Liubo refused to back down. Ye Mingzhu and Ye Liusu managed to calm her down.
As for the other clans, their sneers of disdain and displeasure only rang out louder. A Daemon General who had appeared out of nowhere wanted to challenge the order of the underground and rule over them. He was over his head!
“He’s here!” Ye Mingzhu’s eyes flashed.
A scarlet-red figure pierced through the air, arriving on the terrace in the blink of an eye. Just his startling speed only made the mouths of many night roamers drop!
Li Qingshan was bare-chested, exposing his body that was so perfect that it seemed like a sculpture. He had his hands in his pockets, and the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather was thickly bundled, stretching over his back. He was extremely relaxed.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, I’ve made you wait.”
“So this is your main body.” Spider Queen Lolth studied him up and down, licking her lips that were a dazzling red.
“You can say so!” Li Qingshan scanned the cavern from the corner of his eye. He could not sense any aura at all, but he knew Xiao An was watching over there quietly, preparing for the worst-case scenario. However, he could tell that the Spider Queen had no plan on turning against him, at least for now.
“Let’s begin!”
Strongboulder and Bloodshadow unleashed their daemon qi simultaneously. Li Qingshan smiled and no longer held back anymore. His daemon qi rushed into the air too.
The three daemon qi scattered the black clouds that constantly lingered over the city. Among them, Strongboulder was the strongest, Bloodshadow was slightly weaker, and Li Qingshan was much weaker. Although it was already extremely rare of him to possess such strength as a Daemon General who had broken through recently, just the quantity of daemon qi was enough to decide the outcome of the battle.
“And I had been wondering just how impressive your main body would be. Looks like this is all you have.” Bloodshadow mocked.
“You better cultivate for ten more millennia before you fight me!” Strongboulder was rather disappointed. It was impossible for Li Qingshan to stand against him with such measly daemon qi.
Li Qingshan raised boths of his hands, pointing at the two of them and smiling.
“Ten millennia is too long. All I can do is seize every moment!”
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Chapter 407 – Strongboulder’s Power
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Chapter 407 – Strongboulder’s Power
“He’s clearly so weak, yet he still provokes them without a second thought. Is there something wrong with this daemon’s head?” The night roamers either discussed quietly or mocked loudly. They believed the outcome of the battle was already predetermined.
“Is it really just arrogance?” Ye Liusu suddenly thought of everything that had happened after meeting him. His figure of roaring at the entire Spider Shadow cFlan recklessly still lingered before her.
No, it definitely isn’t!
All of his arrogance was built off his confidence. He was bold enough to bellow out, “Who dares to kill me!” because he was just a clone. If they really ended up fighting, only the Spider Shadow clan would suffer losses in the end.
Looking back, all she saw were Ye Liubo’s eyes shining, without the slightest doubt. Ye Liusu opened her mouth before closing it again, smiling bitterly and silently. Was this still the crafty and resourceful Ye Liubo she once knew? She had found someone she could depend on, and she chose to place complete faith in him. Was this not a form of happiness?
What about herself? And the fate of the entire Night Roaming folk? Where were they supposed to go? Suddenly, she began to hope from the bottom of her heart that Northmoon could emerge victorious, as he was a daemon unlike those daemons. If he led the night roamers, he could definitely bring about something completely new!
Dragonsnail said slowly, “I’ve arranged a suitable battlefield for you!”
The space suddenly opened up upstream from the rivers of lava on the other side of Cobweb city. Li Qingshan raised his head and gazed over.
A huge rift pierced the underground terrain, several hundred meters deep. Looking down from above, he could see a thin river of fire flowing at the bottom, like a long, winding snake. In comparison, Li Qingshan seemed tiny.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and focused on the surging lava. The scorching light made his eyes shine.
To the other side of the river of fire, Strongboulder rubbed his fist menacingly and snickered.
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. All I’ll do is crush every single bone in your body and make you understand the cost that comes with challenging the strong!”
“Then try it!” Li Qingshan strode forward. His iron hooves landed heavily in the lava, kicking up a few splashes and sparks. Among a series of gasps, he rapidly changed in shape. His scarlet hair blazed like fire as his horns curved like hooks. He radiated with valiance and viciousness, like the brutal aura of a primordial daemon.
But at the same time, blue inscriptions flashed on his skin that was as dark as ink. He had obtained this after reaching the third layer of the spirit turtle. They were no different from the inscriptions of the turtle’s shell, giving off a profound aura that could see through the truths of the world. It was filled with a sense of intelligence and divinity.
Doing whatever they wanted, those who defied the heavens were demons. Abiding to the heavens, those who shared their lives with the world were gods. These two opposing, conflicting concepts appeared on his body at the same time. Even he himself failed to sense the strangeness of this.
However, Spider Queen Lolth was slightly fazed. So this was his original form!
Ye Mingzhu thought to herself, Oh no. So he was not going to heed her advice.
Two days ago, Ye Mingzhu delivered all the information she had summarised to Li Qingshan, and she discussed the tactics for the two battles with him.
“Strongboulder is transformed from a strange rock. He’s a stone daemon that you rarely ever see, almost indestructible and filled with endless physical might. Against him, all you can do is make use of your advantage in speed and search for openings.”
“That’s reasonable!” Li Qingshan smiled.
“As for Bloodshadow, his original form is a bat, but there are no regular bats as powerful as him even if they reach Daemon General. He should be some kind of exotic beast, but very few know about his actual origins. It’s rumored that he’s not a creature of this realm and comes from the Hell of Blood Pools instead. If he pushes his speed to his limit, probably the only one who can catch him would be Spider Queen Lolth. As a result, if you want to defeat him, all you can do is bide your time and block all of his attacks. You can deal a killing blow once he tires out.”
“Is this how Strongboulder and Bloodshadow try to defeat one another? What’s the outcome of it?”
“A tie. However, according to this plan, you’ll be undefeatable at the very least.”
“What’s the point of being undefeatable? I want to win!”
Win? Although Li Qingshan had personally claimed he had a fifty percent chance at victory, Ye Mingzhu had heavy doubts about that. As long as he could achieve a tie in these two matches, he would be able to consolidate his status underground and stand beside them at equal footing. He could slowly work on defeating them in the future.
However, Li Qingshan’s earlier words seemed to be his answer to her—Ten millennia is too long. All I can do is seize every moment!
“Interesting, interesting. Let’s see how many punches you can take!” Strongboulder laughed aloud. He admired and mocked Li Qingshan for being bold enough to take him on in a direct confrontation. His body also swelled up, becoming a huge rock giant. He strode over and threw a punch at Li Qingshan’s chest.
It was simple, carrying the weight of a mountain, just like his body. However, in his eyes on his vicious face—no, in what remained of his eyes after being squeezed together by the vicious rock—a mysterious, cunning light flickered.
Scorching battle intent suddenly rose up in Li Qingshan’s heart. Without any hesitation, or should you say, without any thought, his body reacted naturally, also throwing a punch at Strongboulder’s chest. He completely abandoned defence, acting as if he had just met the murderer of his entire family. It was like he was tempted to reduce Strongboulder to a pulp on the spot, even willing to go as far as to drag Strongboulder down with him.
With a great boom, wind whistled through the air violently, sweeping up pebbles. Everyone felt the ground beneath them shake violently. Despite being so far away, they could still clearly sense the direct confrontation between the terrifying forces.
The great river of fire halted momentarily!
Strongboulder only swayed slightly, while Li Qingshan was sent flying. He collided heavily against the rock face and became deeply embedded, covered in a messy pile of rubble. In that moment earlier, he felt like he had been struck by a mountain. Not only was it tough, but it was even heavy too!
“Master!” Ye Liubo cried out.
Bloodshadow hung upside down from a stalactite like a bat. A sunken smile was plastered over his pale-white face. This guy doesn’t understand Strongboulder’s true ability at all. No matter how much strength he possessed, no matter how tough his body was, it was useless if he could not land a strike. Yet, Strongboulder was able to force him into an open confrontation, a battle to the death whenever they fought.
“Is this your innate ability? Now that’s interesting.” Strongboulder glanced at his fist before looking at the pile of rubble.
With a bang, the rubble exploded, and Li Qingshan stood up. The faint blue Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell flickered before him, but it was cracked and slightly dented.
That’s just a punch! Li Qingshan was shocked. This was the power of the three great Daemon Generals. With their bizarre original forms and thousands of years of cultivation, they had become truly powerful and terrifying existences. If it were not for the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, he would have been injured from that punch.
The cracks on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell repaired themselves in an instant, but the situation did not improve at all, as he had still depleted a large amount of daemon qi. Li Qingshan’s daemon qi was nowhere close to Strongboulder’s. Defeat would be certain if this became a battle of endurance.
Li Qingshan was rather puzzled. Why had he been so rash earlier? He was a genius in actual combat. Whenever he struck, it might seem crude and conceited in the eyes of others, but it would always be the best decision he could make. He would have never engaged in a direct confrontation like a ruffian.
“Again!” Strongboulder advanced with a smile. His heavy footsteps boomed like war drums.
The battle and killing intent within Li Qingshan surged uncontrollably again. His eyes reddened. All he saw was a punch fly over, filling his vision.
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Chapter 408 – The Third Layer of the Tiger Demon
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Chapter 408 – The Third Layer of the Tiger Demon
“You!”
The stone punch pierced through the air, producing a thunderous roar and kicking up a violent gust of wind. Strongboulder was taken aback. The punch he was completely confident in had actually missed.
“Is this your innate ability? It can actually influence my mind!” Li Qingshan grabbed Strongboulder’s wrist firmly with a tiger’s claw. His eyes were calm and clear as his gruff voice hummed like metal. He raised his hand and caught the other punch that Strongboulder threw.
With a clang, there was a metallic screech, and the two pairs of eyes met. As the two surging forces clashed, neither of them roared or shouted. Only the ground beneath them groaned painfully, constantly cracking and collapsing.
“What might! He can actually rival Strongboulder’s physical strength!’ “He might actually be able to win!” “He can’t win. Storngboulder hasn’t even used his full strength yet.”
“You’re actually unaffected? But it’s already too late. Watch as I crush you to pieces!” Strongboulder gritted his teeth and smiled viciously. His muscles swelled rapidly. Huge boulders suddenly rose up from his shoulders and covered his entire body. Jagged rock enveloped his face as well. He seemed like he had equipped some kind of strange, rugged armour, only leaving his shining eyes exposed.
Li Qingshan felt an unstoppable force rise up. It was incredibly heavy, like an immovable mountain crushing down on him. Even with the Strength of the Earth, he was unable to do anything about it. He could only watch as Strongboulder broke free from his grip bit by bit.
“Shatter!” Strongboulder lifted his arms and broke free from Li Qingshan’s grasp. With tremendous weight, he reached towards Li Qingshan’s shoulders.
Li Qingshan’s shoulders slumped down. He leaned forward and lowered his head, making Strongboulder miss.
“Are you admitting defeat by lowering your head?” Strongboulder laughed madly. Suddenly, he felt his body tighten, having been lifted up by Li Qingshan. A pair of sharp ox horns glistened menacingly, targeting Strongboulder’s abdomen. With a deep, furious roar, Li Qingshan swung his iron hooves about and ran violently.
Boom! Li Qingshan’s horns pushed Strongboulder against a wall. Countless cracks covered the wall instantly as huge pieces of rock fell down with a rumble, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Interesting. Interesting. It’s been a very long time since someone’s made me feel pain. Let’s have some proper fun!” Mad laughter rang out from the rubble. Strongboulder pushed aside the rock casually. Li Qingshan’s sharp horns had only left behind two dents in his abdomen, which vanished in the blink of an eye.
“Hold on!” Just when Strongboulder was about to strike, Li Qingshan raised his hand.
“Is he going to admit defeat?” “Now that’s the correct decision to make.” The night roamers discussed quietly. Anyone facing a situation like this would become despaired and doubt whether they had a chance at victory at all.
“I don’t accept forfeits!” Strongboulder roared. Meanwhile, the Spider Queen’s gaze became icy. This was not the level of battle she had wanted to witness.
“Forfeit? That was just a warm up. Let’s play a game!” Li Qingshan returned to the severed flow of lava and turned around, standing still.
“Oh? What game?” Strongboulder asked in interest.
“Whoever leaves this river loses!” Li Qingshan pointed at the two shores, designating them as the boundaries.
“What?” Ye Mingzhu cried out. The river was very wide, but it seemed extremely narrow compared to their figures. If that were the case, they would reach the shores from taking a single step back. He would have absolutely no room to pivot around in. Was he trying to put his life on the line against Strongboulder?
This was no game. This was clearly suicide!
“I just knew you wouldn’t disappoint me!” The Spider Queen licked her lips in excitement.
“Alright, alright, alright!” Strongboulder was taken aback before agreeing to it happily. He had never seen such an interesting opponent before! He arrived before Li Qingshan and stopped.
“Why aren’t you using your power from before?” Li Qingshan asked.
“Rock of Slaughter!” Strongboulder was slightly surprised before smiling viciously.
“What?”
“That was my original name! When I was still a rock, I already possessed this power. Whether it’s man or beast, as long as they approach me, they will be infected by battle and killing intent. If they have any companions, they will try to kill one another, and if they don’t, they’ll throw themselves against the rock until they’re dead. That’s why I was called a Rock of Slaughter! It’s all thanks to them that I could develop a spirit and become a daemon.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Li Qingshan came to an understanding. This had already surpassed innate abilities. Instead, it was a power he was born with. If it were not for the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, even he would not have been able to resist this hysterical battle intent of madness!
“Because I’m about to cover myself in your blood soon!” Strongboulder roared at the sky. He unleashed his terrifying power, causing even the spectating night roamers to become red-eyed. When they looked at the people around them again, they found them despicable, tempted to kill them on the spot. They used their final bit of clarity to back off. They only let out a sigh of relief after they moved extremely far away.
“Then come!” Li Qingshan no longer controlled himself with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. His blood blazed like fire as his battle intent roared. Producing layers of blurs, he threw a hundred punches in a single instant, overwhelming Strongboulder like a tremendous wave.
Strongboulder ignored the attacks. He raised his right fist and twisted his body. Only when he pulled his fist back to the limit did he throw it at Li Qingshan.
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell sank in deeply the moment they collided, covered in cracks and closed to shattering. At the same time, Li Qingshan’s punches landed on Strongboulder. Countless collisions merged together in a single boom.
“What have you done?” Strongboulder’s vicious smile suddenly stiffened. He gazed at his body in disbelief. It was riddled with cracks, like the fissured ground during a drought. Shockwaves penetrated his skin and filled his entire body.
“Beat you up, obviously!” Li Qingshan sneered. “My innate ability is most effective against a rock like you. But as it seems, you won’t shatter so easily, but that’s perfect. If there’s no danger at all, what’s the point of fighting?”
“That’s reasonable! Nice! Come, come, come!” Strongboulder threw a punch as he roared out, and the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell shattered. The punch landed heavily on Li Qingshan’s face. “Let’s see who falls first!”
Li Qingshan leaned backwards, but he immediately straightened himself again. His iron hooves had already sunken into the ground, pinning him to the spot. He fought back without the slightest hesitation.
Booms roared thunderously as the ground rumbled. The spectators were all dumbfounded. Blurs filled the narrow space between the two of them. They had completely abandoned their defences to strengthen their attacks as much as possible, unleashing all of it on their opponent in an attempt to crush them.
The fists kicked up a whirlwind, which turned into a tornado and swept out in all directions. The entire underground shook and trembled. Only the two of them remained still. Both of their legs sank into the river bed, reaching up to their knees and locking them in place. It had devolved into a battle of immobility.
There was no room for tricks. It was just a clash of power in the most primitive and barbarous way possible.
Rock chips sprayed everywhere as blood danced about.
Strongboulder was like a jagged rock in the ocean, exposed to the billows and the erosion of storms but remaining unshakeable. Cracks covered his body as rock chips shattered and scattered. The strange power constantly invaded his body, but he ignored all of it. He was as excited as he could get. This strange rock that created conflict had always liked killing and fighting more than any other creature!
Even Li Qingshan himself had no idea just how many heavy punches he had received. Even the Ox Demon Forges its Hide was unable to nullify the terrifying force. He became covered in fist prints as his bones twisted and groaned, cracking and fracturing. However, all of the pain turned into indescribable delight.
Within his surging heart and his blood-red eyes, anger, killing intent, and hatred all merged together into battle intent as violent as the turbulent sea. He no longer cared about his fate. Only a single word remained, constantly repeating and echoing, Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill…
The Rock of Slaughter infecting him was not all of it. This process released something in his very nature. That was a bloodthirsty, belligerent tiger, roaring furiously as it broke out of the cage!
The third layer of the tiger demon!
Hmm? Spider Queen Lolth was slightly surprised. She could clearly sense Li Qingshan undergoing an overwhelming, startling change.
Li Qingshan’s eyes were blood-red as his canines protruded. His surging daemon qi became even more valiant and violent, while his colossal body seemed to become “slender”. In reality, his piled muscles had become better allocated. His great tendons twisted like steel wire, gathering the disorderly power. Within his flesh and blood, his fractured bones recovered, becoming even tougher than before.
Roar! Li Qingshan suddenly raised his head and let out a tiger’s roar, shaking up the entire rift. His wings of wind unfolded on his back, and with a stomp of his feet, he pulled himself up from the ground, smashing Strongboulder’s head violently with a headbutt. The rock armor shattered, exposing his original appearance. His face was plastered with surprise.
Li Qingshan did not become very powerful all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, he was still disadvantaged in terms of daemon qi, but his bearing had overwhelmed Strongboulder’s, making him slightly frantic.
“How is this possible!? How can his battle intent and killing intent surpass mine!?” Strongboulder roared furiously as he landed a punch on Li Qingshan’s abdomen. Li Qingshan only keeled over slightly before recovering.
Through this fierce battle, Strongboulder had sustained rather heavy injuries too from the destructive shockwaves. Now that his bearing weakened, it became even more difficult for him to unleash his full strength.
“Cover yourself in my blood? Then I’ll skin you alive!” Li Qingshan growled. With a hook and flick of his curved tiger claws, he ripped off the cracked rock armour within a series of sparks.
Strongboulder grabbed Li Qingshan’s shoulder and flung him hard in an attempt to throw him out. As long as Li Qingshan left the river bed, then he would have lost. However, did Strongboulder even care about the outcome of the battle a moment before?
Li Qingshan unfurled his arms, and with a flap of his wings, he stabilised himself, arriving above the river bed. Afterwards, he swooped down as hard as he could.
Boom! Like a black meteor, he struck the ground.
The iron hooves landed heavily on Strongboulder’s head, pushing him deep into the river bed. The circular shockwaves spread out in all directions, kicking up waves in the soil that reached several meters in height. Before it had even settled down, Li Qingshan rose up into the air once again.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! No one knew just how many consecutive attacks he had launched.
The river bed was reduced to a huge crater, while Strongboulder had already vanished from sight a long time ago. Li Qingshan landed in the crater and reached down, grabbing Strongboulder by the head and plucking him out. He raised his arm and threw him far away. With a boom, Strongboulder crashed into the wall, becoming embedded in there.
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Chapter 409 – Master Tactician
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Chapter 409 – Master Tactician
This twist had stunned everyone. They were dumbstruck, almost forgetting to breath.
If Li Qingshan had used some kind of trick to defeat Strongboulder, everyone would have found it much easier to accept. However, he had taken Strongboulder on in his greatest aspect, defeating him with sheer strength and force. Not only had he endured the terrifying attacks, but he had even forcefully destroyed Strongboulder’s so-called indestructible defence.
All of the night roamers shut their mouths firmly, no longer uttering a single word of nonsense anymore. Suddenly, they realised that this daemon might actually become their ruler in the future. If they wanted to continue living underground, they had to be modest and courteous to the powerful.
Ye Mingzhu’s eyes glowed. If she swore loyalty to him, could he really make her ambition come true?
“Hehehehe!”
The Spider Queen’s laughter broke the silence. This brutal battle at close quarters suited her tastes perfectly. Ever since he had come underground, it had been a lot more delightful. And, he would definitely be one of the most important Daemon Generals under her command in the upcoming conflict.
Bloodshadow became more and more uneasy. If he allowed him to continue developing like this, he would definitely become a huge issue, stealing the Spider Queen’s favour away from him. He could not allow this to happen!
“Master’s invincible!” Ye Liubo was crazed, and her face had become pink. Her impressive chest heaved up and down as she felt utmost glory.
Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath and transformed back into humanoid form. He twisted his neck and produced a series of cracks. It was not obvious, but his body was close to collapsing. If it were not for the constant support of the Strength of the Earth, he would have given way a long time ago. And, if it were not for the power of shockwaves, he had no chance at defeating Strongboulder.
However, all of this was within his plans. He was not a ruffian who would put his life on the line once he became carried away. Instead, he was a true warrior, a natural warrior. With just a single thought, all of his movements would be imbued with all the battle tactics and strategies available.
“You- you- you!”
With a great rumble, Strongboulder descended from above, landing in front of Li Qingshan. He radiated with a furious aura, becoming even larger than before. He was like a volcano on the brink of eruption. Li Qingshan happened to be standing before the volcano, such that he could be swallowed by it at any time. However, as the violent wind swept up his scarlet long hair, he remained unfazed.
“You’ve lost,” Li Qingshan said. He glanced at Strongboulder with his scarlet eyes. “Are you discontent?”
As if he had just been punched, Strongboulder took a step back and rapidly shrank until he returned to humanoid form. He collapsed on his bottom, “Yep, I’ve lost. I’ve lost fair and square.”
Li Qingshan did not use any despicable tricks or crafty schemes. He used strength to defeat him and aura to overwhelm him. Only when he said that did he feel the shattering pain of his body, which had also culminated.
“How satisfying! It’s been a very long while since I’ve been so satisfied! I have lost this time. I recognise your strength, but I’ll definitely defeat you in the future!”
“You won’t have that opportunity.” Li Qingshan raised his head with a smile, staring straight at Bloodshadow, who perched upside down from a stalactite. Then he said, “Ma’am Spider Queen, please give me a moment to rest and recover daemon qi. I’ll fight Bloodshadow after that.”
“Be quick!” Spider Queen Lolth urged. With a flick of her finger, an item landed in Li Qingshan’s hand.
“What’s this?” Li Qingshan stared at the item in his hand. It was only palm-sized, and it was crystalline, like a mushroom sculpted from white jade. The mushroom was small, but it was filled with spiritual qi greater than any spiritual herb Li Qingshan had seen before. He had no idea just how old it was.
“That’s a Spiritual Jade mushroom. It can heal your wounds and recover your daemon qi.”
Bloodshadow’s face became even more warped. His plan to take advantage of him while he was weakened fell through, but he was unable to resent anyone at all.
Clearly, the Spider Queen did not want to see a suspenseless battle. It was basically a bestowment to Li Qingshan for all the delight he had brought her.
“Thank you for bestowing me with this, ma’am Spider Queen.”
Li Qingshan immediately crossed his legs and sat down, ingesting the Spiritual Jade mushroom. Immediately, a clear, cool aura pervaded his body. He was refreshed wherever it passed by, such that even his body felt slightly lighter.
In just a while, Li Qingshan leapt to his feet, brimming with energy. He felt like he had slept for three days and three nights. His mind was clear, and not only had all of his daemon qi recovered, but there was even more than before.
“Bloodshadow, are you bold enough to face me in the air?” Li Qingshan flapped his wings of wind and rose up, pointing straight at Bloodshadow.
Everyone was surprised by that. Just earlier, he had used strength alone to defeat Strongboulder on the ground, and now, he wanted to challenge Bloodshadow—someone as swift as lightning—to a battle in the air?
The Spider Queen became even more interested. She felt like her Spiritual Jade mushroom had not gone to waste.
“This guy!” Strongboulder was taken aback before grinning and laughing aloud.
Dragonsnail, who had watched on silently the entire time, frowned. What was he trying to prove?
Li Qingshan was not trying to prove anything. He just wanted to win!
Defending tenaciously on the ground would make him undefeatable, but he would be unable to defeat Bloodshadow either. It would definitely be his loss when it came to a prolonged battle, as he would probably be the one to run out first due to their difference in daemon qi.
Once he depleted his daemon qi, he would not be able to use his innate abilities either, so being so-called “undefeatable” would turn into a joke. It would only become “unwinnable”.
Li Qingshan’s body was tough, but he was unable to rival Strongboulder. Strongboulder had transformed from a strange rock in the first place, so “toughness” was his very nature. He lacked the power to incite battle intent like the Rock of Slaughter, so Bloodshadow could treat him cautiously and avoid becoming entangled with him. If he replicated Strongboulder’s tactic blindly, he would be reduced to a plaything of the opponent.
By then, he would be getting ahead of himself even if he wanted a tie. Many of the times, tactics that seemed clever were actually dangerous traps. This was not a lack of understanding on Ye Mingzhu’s part either. Normally speaking, this was already the battle tactic that could make him last the longest.
There was a saying from his past life, “Among all the martial arts in the world, only speed is indomitable.” This was no different in the cultivation world. Even without his innate abilities, Bloodshadow’s speed was already a huge problem. Combined with his reactions, this problem became completely irresolvable. Weak mongooses were able to toy with or even prey on venomous cobras because their reactions and speed were slightly faster.
In actual battle, being just slightly faster could make all the difference in the world. To Li Qingshan, this battle was destined to be much more difficult.
In order to overcome this obstacle, Li Qingshan had chosen to take on Strongboulder in a direct confrontation. Originally, victory should have come much more easily if he used his advantages of speed and being able to ignore the Rock of Slaugther’s influence.
It was exactly with this difficult battle that he roused his fighting spirit and made the tiger demon break through to the third layer. He did this to increase his speed and reactions and make his two abilities even stronger. Only then did he have a chance at winning.
From this perspective, Strongboulder’s power from the Rock of Slaughter had instead assisted him. That was why Li Qingshan had specially reminded Strongboulder to activate this power before the “game” began.
Everything was going according to plan.
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Chapter 410 – Fighting Bloodshadow
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Chapter 410 – Fighting Bloodshadow
However, there was another saying in the world, “Man proposes, God disposes.” Li Qingshan was not absolutely confident he would emerge victorious. Once the situation took a turn for the worst, he would still have to rely a little on luck.
The wings of wind suddenly expanded to thirty meters across. Li Qingshan whistled through the air as a confident smile appeared on his face. As a man, he would fight even if he only had thirty percent confidence, let alone when he had a seventy percent chance at victory.
Bloodshadow sneered. With a flap of his cloak, he turned into a streak of red and shot off rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had become tiny, almost merging with the darkness.
Li Qingshan felt like he had become a part of the wind. The scenery around him rapidly changed. If it were not for his faster reflexes, he would feel like he was close to losing control. Sure enough, his innate abilities had become much stronger after reaching the third layer of the tiger demon. He reached a gorge in the blink of an eye.
However, before he could even appreciate his changes, a bloody daemon qi wafted over. Li Qingshan turned around suddenly. Bloodshadow’s pale-white, sunken face lunged over, his pale-white claws arriving first.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up, and with a flap of his wings, he sped up towards Bloodshadow with the might of the Tiger Demon Descends from the Mountain. At the same time, he formed a claw with his right hand, unleashing the Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart. As for his left hand, it constantly varied in different ways to try and capture Bloodshadow. As long as he caught Bloodshadow and pulled him into close combat, the outcome would be determined.
When he struck, it was like he was dealing a final blow against the opponent.
Bloodshadow sneered scornfully. His figure flashed like a ghost. The Tiger Demon Digs out the Heart landed on his chest, but only a blur remained behind. Li Qingshan had already lost all trace of him before his left hand could even reach over.
With a clang, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell flashed and four, deep scratch marks appeared.
Two figures, one red and one blue, brushed past one another. The blue figure struck the wall loudly, while the red figure made a turn gracefully, landing on a piece of rock that traversed the gorge.
From this clash, their disparity was evident. Although Li Qingshan possessed the innate ability of Like Giving Wings to a Tiger, he was still not an exotic beast that was born to fly like Bloodshadow. The air was not his primary battlefield.
Li Qingshan did not seem defeated at all. Turning around and pushing off the wall, he flapped his wings and lunged towards Bloodshadow like a flying tiger.
With a flash, Bloodshadow brushed past Li Qingshan.
There was a boom, and before the dust even settled, Li Qingshan had already pushed off the wall and lunged towards Bloodshadow again.
Booms constantly rang out above. Ye Mingzhu raised her head and gazed over. Li Qingshan was like a humanoid tiger, leaping about between the gorge like it was no different from flat ground.
However, Bloodshadow was better than him. He paced around the rock like he was on an idle stroll, except he was actually extremely fast. There seemed to be several Bloodshadows walking around, dodging the attack each time with great ease. He even had the time to say,
“And I had thought you were hiding something. Looks like this is all you can do.”
“But can you even touch a hair on me?” Li Qingshan stopped his useless attacks, resting on a wall and huffing slightly. He used the Strength of the Earth to recover. The string of rapid attacks had exhausted him by quite a lot.
Before Li Qingshan had even finished speaking, Bloodshadow vanished from his sight. Suddenly, he raised his head and saw Bloodshadow only inches away, hanging upside down and saying sinisterly, “Really?”
His pale-white hand pressed against the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell gently.
Thump! Thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Li Qingshan felt his heart thump like a drum. A mysterious power pierced through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and directly grabbed his heart—no, more accurately, his blood. All of his blood flowed backwards into his heart, as if it could explode at any time.
Daemons at their level already possessed extremely tenacious life force, such that even if their hearts were ripped apart, their daemon cores could replace its function, and it would be fine as long as they circulated their daemon qi and repaired it. Many fatal weaknesses were no longer fatal weaknesses. However, as a vital component to life, if it were heavily damaged, it would be akin to a heavy wound. You would never have the opportunity to recover in the midst of battle.
“What? Don’t you feel feeble? Do you really think I earned my current position through speed alone? Do you really think I’m afraid of close combat? I’m only helpless against a piece of rock like Strongboulder. Your vitality is very powerful. I can’t wait to see what it tastes like!” Bloodshadow extended his bright-red tongue and licked his lips. The opponent he had treated like an archenemy the moment he appeared was now powerless within his grasp. He was filled with indescribable delight.
“How does this taste?” Li Qingshan threw a punch at Bloodshadow’s chest.
“That’s a very special power. No wonder even Strongboulder couldn’t withstand it.” As the shockwave wreaked havoc, Bloodshadow began to vibrate, but nothing changed once the shockwave passed. Even the scornful sneer on his face lingered. The attack that even Strongboulder was unable to resist was actually completely useless against him.
Strongboulder stood with his arms crossed and his brows firmly furrowed. No one had a better understanding of just how troublesome Bloodshadow was than him. Bloodshadow’s greatest advantage was not speed, but his strange ability to recover, except very few people had witnessed it. Strongboulder had managed to corner Bloodshadow in the countless battles they had, but even when he smashed him to a pulp, he would make a full recovery in the blink of an eye. This was not an innate ability. Instead, it was the same as Strongboulder’s “toughness”, something that they were simply born with.
The blood in Li Qingshan’s body surged even more violently, as if the entire world was thrown into disorder. It flowed rapidly at times and halted at others. As a matter of fact, it would even transform into sharp blades. If it were not for the toughness of his body, he probably would have been reduced to a mess by his own blood already.
Although the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression could suppress the sea of qi and sea of consciousness, it was unable to suppress tangible things like flesh and blood. Moreover, it was not like his body had been invaded by something foreign. Instead, Bloodshadow was making use of his strange inborn ability to turn Li Qingshan’s own body against him.
Forced into dire straits, Li Qingshan was not flustered at all. Instead, he reached behind his waist, and the sharp, curved hilt of the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather emitted a purply-green flash, which vanished into Bloodshadow’s waist.
Bloodshadow had absolutely no intentions to dodge. Even the shockwaves that could shake him to pieces were unable to harm him, so what was a measly cut supposed to do? He just needed a while longer, and he would be able to rip Li Qingshan’s heart to pieces and subsequently taste his blood. Just as he thought like that, Bloodshadow’s expression changed, and his pale-white face became enveloped with a layer of purply-green.
Li Qingshan powered the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather, pouring the toxins and poisons that the blade had accumulated over many years into Bloodshadow’s body, eating him away, contaminating his body, and wreaking havoc. He had been taken away by his viciousness. Even if you crush my heart, I’ll kill you with poison first.
The stalemate lasted for only an instant before Bloodshadow gave in. Slapping the weapon aside, he broke free.
Li Qingshan settled down his blood in a hurry and urged his daemon qi to repair his damaged blood vessels and his heart that was close to exploding. Although the information Ye Mingzhu had provided him had mentioned this, he only gained a proper understanding for himself after clashing with him. This power was so terrifying that it could basically ignore all defences and launch an attack from within. If he had been a human cultivator, he probably would have been ripped apart in a single moment.
Li Qingshan recovered slightly and immediately swung the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather, lunging after Bloodshadow.
Bloodshadow swung his cloak, and a few foul-smelling arrows of blood shot over.
Li Qingshan danced with the wings, twisting his body and brushing past the arrows of blood. They landed on the rock behind him, producing a hiss and a cloud of white smoke. They produced a few large holes in the blink of an eye.
As for Bloodshadow, the purply-green had already dispersed from his face. He actually used blood to surround and force out the toxins, making his face even paler and more sunken. As he gazed at the incoming Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather, fear flashed across his eyes. He was now afraid it would reach him.
Li Qingshan pursued relentlessly. He grasped the usage of the wings bit by bit through the battle, becoming even more agile. He beamed slightly inside and felt like Bloodshadow had slowed down by a lot. Although Bloodshadow had managed to purge the poison, he had lost so much blood as a result, which was quite a wound to him. His confidence in his strength had ended up as his greatest downfall.
The scales of victory slowly tipped in Li Qingshan’s direction.
Only a handful of spectators on the ground could see this. Ye Mingzhu happened to be one of them. “Is this a weapon created by human cultivators? It can actually suppress Bloodshadow using potent poison. He’s clearly much weaker in terms of daemon qi, yet he can match him evenly. This Northmoon really is something else.”
However, the others only felt a fierce gust of wind sweep down from above. They saw two figures constantly flickering in the air, sometimes clashing and sometimes parting. Their eyes were glued to them, and after staring for such a long time, they actually felt dizzy.
The booms from moving through the air rapidly were like claps of thunder, kicking up violent winds that evolved into a black storm, filling the gorge. The sound of the wind grew more and more intense.
At this moment, a sharp, tapered sound pierced through the wind and reached everyone’s ears clearly.
Ye Mingzhu’s expression changed. “Block your ears!”
In the sky, Li Qingshan swung down with his blade, but Bloodshadow’s head pivoted around all of a sudden, facing Li Qingshan. His mouth had widened to an unbelievable angle, which made his handsome appearance twisted and vicious. Terrifying sound waves emerged from his nose and mouth.
Li Qingshan felt his mind ring. His wings of wind shattered, and an invisible force pushed him into the rocks.
Bloodshadow rapidly drew closer as the sound waves constantly rang out. The rocks around Li Qingshan all trembled and shattered, sinking into a large crater. Li Qingshan was constantly pressed into the rock.
His head seemed to be reduced to a pulp, but Li Qingshan smiled viciously and let out a deafening tiger’s roar.
The two sound waves met in the gorge, confronting and overlapping one another. They surged about, passing through the rocks that traversed the gorge, making them slowly collapse and fall down.
The daemon qi in Li Qingshan’s body was rapidly depleted. He could not even maintain the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. Bloodshadow saw this and made a sharp turn, transforming into a blood-red tornado and flying over through the air with the tips of his claws. The battle had gone on for so long already. Although he still had sufficient daemon qi, he was running out of physical strength. He wanted to take Li Qingshan’s life in a single move.
Faced with an attack like that, all Li Qingshan did was sink down and wield the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather in a reverse grip, leaping up.
The blade landed on the tornado and was actually deflected, while Bloodshadow’s revolving claws pierced Li Qingshan’s skin.
“Die!” Bloodshadow’s shrill roar rang out from the blood-red tornado.
“Poisonfeather Dance.” The Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather suddenly lit up in Li Qingshan’s hand, like a Poisonfeather bird unfurling its wings, dancing in the darkness. Its purply-green feathers were splendid.
There was a splash of blood!
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Chapter 411 – Conquering the Discontent
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Chapter 411 – Conquering the Discontent
A great hole appeared in Li Qingshan’s chest, and he fell out of the sky. After that moment of glory, the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather returned to normal and became completely dull in colour.
“Master!” Ye Liubo cried out and tried to go up, but Ye Mingzhu stopped her. “The battle hasn’t ended yet!”
Li Qingshan rapidly fell down. As he watched Bloodshadow’s figure grow further and further away, his lips gradually curled into a smile.
Bloodshadow lowered his head and stared at his pale-white hand in disbelief. It was covered in bloody marks. Normally, he could eliminate such wounds instantly. Even if he were ripped to pieces, it would just be a very ordinary wound.
But right now, the marks rapidly expanded. Purply-green poison inhibited his body’s recovery, and it rapidly spread, turning his pale face into the same colour.
At that moment, who knew how many times Li Qingshan had swung the blade. He had not achieved it through his strength alone. Instead, he had relied on the power of the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather. Like most spiritual artifacts, the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather also came with a killing move, which was known as “Poisonfeather Dance”. It was like the bloom of flowers, the dance of the Poisonfeather bird, completely unleashing all the poison stored within the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather. It was a fatal strike of either winning or dying.
With Bloodshadow’s speed and reaction, landing the attack was difficult, so he could only wait until the last moment when neither of them could retreat. Finally, the blade played a critical role and injected all the poison into Bloodshadow’s body perfectly.
In the air, Bloodshadow shattered and fell down like toy bricks. A blood-red daemon core flickered within, barely holding all of the pieces of flesh together.
Xiao An, who hid in the darkness silently, stared at the daemon core. The firelight in her eyes flickered!
Li Qingshan flipped and landed on one knee, pressing a hand against his chest. The moment he landed on the ground, the Strength of the Earth flowed out endlessly, nourishing his body.
Nearby, Bloodshadow turned into an assembling pile of flesh, constantly wriggling and spraying with poison, doing his best to recover.
The battle was so brutal that everyone became dumbfounded. Wounds like that would be absolutely fatal if a night roamer received them, yet they managed to hold on and recover with their terrifying life force.
But even at a time like this, the Spider Queen did not plan to make them stop. Her eyes flashed as a smile stretched over her face. She seemed glamorous as she radiated with joy.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, they’re both powerful generals under your command. War is near, so it won’t be good if we suffer any losses. Please end this as a draw!” Dragonsnail said slowly. Northmoon’s strength had completely exceeded his expectations. If he were allowed to triumph over two Daemon Generals consecutively, his status would probably even surpass Dragonsnail’s.
“A draw? Don’t even think about it!” Before Dragonsnail could even finish speaking, Li Qingshan interrupted him with his hoarse voice. He had put up with so much, so how could an outcome like this satisfy him?
“What, you want to keep fighting?” Dragonsnail raised his head and asked. Basically all of Li Qingshan’s organs had been destroyed, and his spine had vanished too. The upper and lower half of his body could rip apart at any time. He was clearly in no state to keep fighting.
“I can obviously keep fighting!” The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up, and suddenly, he tossed the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather high into the air. A scarlet figure leapt out from the darkness, catching the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather and landing in front of Bloodshadow. His red hair danced around in the air. He was Li Qingshan’s mirror clone.
His mirror clone probably could not even withstand a single strike from Strongboulder or Bloodshadow before dispersing, and he would have to split his focus to control it. As a result, Li Qingshan had kept it lurking in the darkness for a surprise attack. Sure enough, it was extremely effective now.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, t- this isn’t fair!” Bloodshadow assembled his head with difficulty and was so frightened that it almost split apart again. He objected weakly.
“This is one of my innate abilities. It’s always been a part of my powers, so how is it unfair?”
The Spider Queen remained silent, agreeing to Li Qingshan’s words.
Li Qingshan raised the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather with a vicious smile.
“I admit defeat!” Bloodshadow cried out. If he let even more poison invade his body, it would lead to permanent, severe damage to his cultivation. Yet, he had no idea that the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather had run out of poison a long time ago, having been reduced to an ordinary blade.
Those three words silenced the entire gorge. No one thought Li Qingshan would actually win, and he would win so beautifully. He had defeated both Daemon Generals in the area they were strongest in.
“Master, you’ve won!” Ye Liubo cheered and rushed over, embracing Li Qingshan firmly.
Li Qingshan grinned painfully. He pushed Ye Liubo aside and propped up himself, climbing back onto his feet. He clasped his hands at Spider Queen Lolth from afar.
“Alright, from today onwards, you are the commander of all the night roamers. I await your next performance!” Spider Queen Lolth announced loudly and smiled charmingly at Li Qingshan. Lifting up and dragging her red dress, she vanished into the darkness. Dragonsnail followed close behind.
“Once you recover, I’ll challenge you again, Northmoon!” Strongboulder leapt up and flew to the top of the gorge with a rumble. He was actually startling fast, nowhere near as sluggish as Li Qingshan imagined him to be. His wild laughter rang out from afar when he had already vanished.
Bloodshadow finally purged all the poison from his body. He transformed into a red blood bat and glanced at Li Qingshan in pure resentment before flapping his wings and flying to the other end of the gorge.
The night roamers all looked at one another. There was surprise, worry, fear, and hostility, but regardless of what they were feeling, they all knew that this daemon called Northmoon had become a figure of great importance in this region, and he possessed power over the fates of countless night roamers. The situation underground had completely changed.
“The Spider Shadow clan is willing to offer its full support for sir Northmoon to become the commander of night roamers. Sir Northmoon, please return to Blacklustre city with me to rest.” Ye Mingzhu approached him before anyone else, becoming the first matriarch to swear loyalty to Li Qingshan.
Apart from the Spider Shadow clan, the other night roamers all remained silent, vanishing into the darkness. They returned to their cities to discuss what they would do next. Not only had Ye Mingzhu’s behaviour failed to set a model for them all, but it even made the other clans more suspicious instead.
These crafty, doubtful, and unruly night roamers would never yield to a daemon so easily. Making them give up on the open and hidden conflict that had occured over all these years was even more difficult.
The Spider Queen had only granted him the status. If Li Qingshan wanted to convert this status into actual benefits, he would have to keep working hard by himself. However, he had already grown accustomed to this a long time ago. He would obviously personally fetch what he wanted.
In Blacklustre city, Li Qingshan laid comfortably on the soft, leather chair. Ye Liubo massaged his shoulders, letting his head rest on her plump chest, while Ye Liusu stood to the side, personally feeding the hazelnuts specially produced underground into his mouth. However, she was clearly very unaccustomed to such a job.
“Sir, the other clans still haven’t made any responses. They seem to be contacting one another secretly,” Ye Mingzhi reported.
“Mingzhu, prepare to conquer the discontent for me!”
Li Qingshan pulled out a ship’s wheel from his hundred treasures pouch. The Soaring Dragon ship was already gone, but the wheel was still the control for all the puppets.
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Chapter 412 – Value of Use
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Chapter 412 – Value of Use
“As you wish, sir.” Ye Mingzhu lowered her head, and her lips curled into a smile. As long as she borrowed his power, the Spider Shadow clan could easily surpass the other clans. Everything was even simpler than she had imagined it to be.
“Just so you know, I won’t do anything.”
Li Qingshan destroyed Ye Mingzhu’s plan in a single sentence. She raised her head in surprise. “But, with our Spider Shadow clan alone, how are we supposed to contend with the other clans?”
“Do you really think that I’ll just say something, and the Spider Shadow clan will automatically be in charge of the other clans? If I were to fight, what difference is there between the Spider Shadow clan and the other clans?”
Li Qingshan’s metallic voice brought up a grim reality. He was not hoping to earn the so-called “loyalty” of Ye Mingzhi or other night roamers. If they offered no value for use at all, and he had to busy himself for everything, what was the point in becoming the commander of night roamers after all this effort? Was it supposed to be for democratic liberty so that they could live better lives?
“I’m not too sure what to do.” Ye Mingzhu’s heart trembled. She understood that Li Qingshan was definitely not an easy target to control and use. Ye Liusu opened her mouth, but she was silenced by a glance from Ye Liubo, letting out a silent sigh.
“Don’t worry. I will provide you with necessary support.” Li Qingshan placed the ship’s wheel in Ye Mingzhu’s hand.
“Thank you for your bestowment, sir!”
Ye Mingzhu’s eyes lit up slightly after hearing Li Qingshan’s explanation. Her mind got to work. With the status granted by the Spider Queen and a force under her command, she had a great chance at conquering the weaker clans. If she united them, then…
“Now is the time for you to demonstrate yourself. I’ll give you a month. Go make your ambition come true!” Li Qingshan patted Ye Mingzhu’s shoulder with a smile.
Ye Mingzhu took her leave. Ye Liubo wrapped her arms around Li Qingshan’s neck. “Master, if she defies your orders after obtaining power, what will you do?” This was probably the problem that worried all rulers in the world. Those who achieved great merit were harder to control. As a matter of fact, it was even possible for their roles to reverse.
Li Qingshan’s reply was very simple. “Then I’ll switch her out with someone who does obey me.”
This was the principle of governance among cultivators. Tricks and tactics were nothing before absolute power. Li Qingshan would be an idiot if he wasted his energy on this. He had to do all he could to free up more energy and obtain more resources. Becoming even stronger was the correct path to take.
The objective behind this all and all of the hard work was for climbing even higher. By then, he would have completely shaken off these people already.
The objective he had temporarily forgotten became clear once more. Li Qingshan raised his head and looked at the gloomy ceiling. His gaze pierced through the thick rock and soil, seeing the azure sky with a different pair of eyes that led to beyond the Nine Heavens.
“Let’s go, Xiao An. Let’s return to the academy.”
Leaving behind his clone to watch over the situation underground, Li Qingshan’s main body returned to human form. Holding Xiao An’s hand, a cloud rose up beneath their feet, lifting them up and flying them off in the direction of the academy.
His hundred treasures pouch contained a tremendous amount of spiritual herbs offered up by Ye Mingzhu, or should he say the Spider Shadow clan. Once they subdued the other clans, this quantity would multiply. Right now, he just lacked a person to refine them into pills—Ru Xin.
“Ru Xin is still in secluded cultivation!?”
On Cloudwisp island within the shimmering bamboo, Li Qingshan let out a long sigh, which made Han Qiongzhi frown. “Why do you care about her so much?”
“What’s wrong with caring about friends? Congratulations, you primary disciple of the school of Legalism.” Li Qingshan pulled Han Qiongzhi into his embrace with a smile, pressing his forehead against hers intimately. He stared at her bright, beautiful face in complete affection.
“There’s something I want to discuss with you.” Han Qiongzhi pinched him and retracted her delicate body into his embrace.
“What’s up?”
“I want to enter seclusion for a while.” Having reached the tenth layer, Han Qiongzhi should have devoted a lot of time to merging and achieving mastery over the twelve standard meridians and eight extraordinary meridians. Now that something big was looming over the horizon, she had to redirect her focus to cultivation again.
“What a coincidence. I plan to too.” Li Qingshan raised his brows. He just happened to be planning to tell her about this. He needed a quiet place to tend to his wounds, and he also needed to properly focus on practising qi.
“Together?” Han Qiongzhi’s eyes lit up. If it were possible, she would rather remain by his side constantly.
“Then will we still have time to cultivate?” Li Qingshan pinched her waist with an evil smile. Having done it now, she became more graceful and charming.
“I refuse to believe you won’t get tired.” Han Qiongzhi reddened, but she refused to relent.
“Since when has it ever ended without you begging for mercy?” Li Qingshan’s smile widened, and Han Qiongzhi became even redder, but she could not help but admit to that. Tucking her hair behind her ear with her little finger, her voice became tender as she whispered into his ear, “I can find a suitable method of dual cultivation.”
“I even have to think of cultivation when I’m doing it? That’s too troublesome.” Li Qingshan was very interested, but upon further thought, he still chose to decline. He had far too many secrets. Just absorbing spiritual qi of the world as he cultivated could lead to a lot of suspicion.
“I think you just don’t want to be with me!” Han Qiongzhi became annoyed. It was rare of her to consider so much, but he still refused her.
“I’ve already promised Xiao An,” Li Qingshan said helplessly.
“If you don’t want to, then forget it. That’ll just be your bad luck!” Han Qiongzhi snorted coldly. If Li Qingshan declined, what could she do? She was not a pestering person. She would never behave like she could not even live anymore if he were not by her side.
All Li Qingshan could do was coax her before celebrating with her alone, spending a night entangled together. The next day, he accompanied her to the seclusion dwellings in the Han family, parting with her reluctantly.
At the bottom of Contention island, Li Qingshan and Xiao An held hands and watched the stone door close and the formations activate. They smiled at one another.
“Does it still hurt?” Xiao An undid Li Qingshan’s clothes and placed her hand against his chest. He seemed fine on the surface, but she could feel that the hole was nowhere close to healing, so she asked in concern.
“A little, but it’s fine.” Li Qingshan rubbed her head. Ever since that battle, his chest had never stopped hurting, but he was rather good at withstanding and hiding pain. Unfortunately, he could not fool Xiao An.
“Let me help you,” said Xiao An. As her tiny hand stroked his chest, Li Qingshan felt the pain gradually disappear. It warmed up slightly, filled with indescribable comfort.
Power surged out from her hand. Under the nourishment of this power, the flesh and blood in his body started to teem with vitality, and his wound began to heal faster.
After a night and two days, Xiao An let go, and Li Qingshan had made a complete recovery. He was even tougher than before. “And I had thought it would take half a month at the very least! I really do need you around!”
Xiao An let out a smile of exhaustion and relief. “As long as it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
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Chapter 413 – Li Qingshan’s Orders
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Chapter 413 – Li Qingshan’s Orders
The Governing meridian began in the lower abdomen, extending down to the crotch, moving along the spine, and reaching the brain. It governed all the yang meridians in the body, which was why it was called the “sea of yang meridians”. It was the last of the eight extraordinary meridians to be opened.
Li Qingshan sat quietly as a faint, blue haze gradually rose up from him. When he practised qi now, he no longer had to ingest any pills. The endless spiritual qi of the world would gather in his body automatically, far more effective than any regular pill.
If he could withstand it, he would direct it to the sea of qi in his dantian for conversion into true qi. If he could not, the spirit turtle’s daemon core would absorb it, converting it into daemon qi. Nothing went to waste.
Limited by the size of his sea of qi, his cultivation speed was not particularly fast. However, he was able to remain in a state of cultivation for all twenty-four hours of a day, so a single day of cultivation for him could rival ten from regular people.
As he became absorbed in cultivation, his mind rapidly sank, submerging in a boundless, azure ocean. A spirit turtle carried him, allowing him to drift freely through the ocean. He was at great comfort. This was a form of extreme peace and freedom of the mind.
Although cultivation was often described as arduous, true cultivation was never arduous. Regular people just were incapable of understanding this mysterious feeling.
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone in his underground dwelling remained in the same posture, seated on the stone bed. He used the spiritual qi within the spiritual stone vein to maintain his mirror clone in case anything unexpected happened.
He had already cast down numerous formations using the formation banners. Even Fu Qingjin would not be able to move around so freely. After who knew how long, Li Qingshan opened his eyes and saw Ye Mingzhu bowing before him. He asked, “Has it been a month yet?”
“Only fourteen days have passed. The matriarchs of the five other clans have come to seek an audience with sir Northmoon. These are their gifts.”
Ye Mingzhu smiled. Everything had gone much more smoothly than she had imagined, obviously due to how she handled it all. More importantly, Li Qingshan’s strength that had led to consecutive victories against Strongboulder and Bloodshadow had crushed the courage of the other clans to confront him directly. In this brutal underground world, only strength could earn respect and leave people convinced.
Li Qingshan opened the boxes. They all contained spiritual herbs over a thousand years old, and he smiled in satisfaction. That’s right. This was the exact outcome he wanted. He did not want to busy himself with collecting spiritual herbs. Instead, he just wanted to move his mouth and have his subordinates handle it.
“How did you do it?” Li Qingshan was rather curious. There were six major night roamer clans, so how had Ye Mingzhu completed this mission in such a short amount of time without destroying a single clan? He was rather surprised by this.
“I just declared an ultimatum three days ago—anyone who doesn’t come today will be hunted down and slain.” Ye Mingzhu giggled.
“That simple? If none of them came, what would you have done?”
“Actually, they all agreed to it soon after I left.”
“And then they all came.” Li QIngshan’s expression was rather strange.
“Yes. They obviously all hoped that some idiot wouldn’t come, which would let them destroy her clan and divide up her territory. It’s exactly because of this reason that they’re afraid of becoming that idiot.” Ye Mingzhu played around with her hair. With her deep understanding of night roamers, she had grasped their weakness with ease.
Li Qingshan shook his head with a sneer. Even at a time like this, they still did not forget about internal conflict? Perhaps this had already become a habit engraved in their very beings.
“You’ve done very well. Send them in!”
“Yes.” Ye Mingzhu turned around and said loudly, “Liubo, Liusu, sir Northmoon wishes to see the matriarchs.”
Under Ye Liubo and Ye Liusu’s lead, the matriarchs of the five night roamer clans entered the cavern and arrived before Li Qingshan. They all stated their names and clans before bowing together. “Greetings to sir Northmoon.”
Apart from an old woman and a young girl, all of them were beautiful madams like Ye Mingzhu. They all raised their heads and studied Li Qingshan. No matter how dissatisfied they felt, they all showed utmost respect. None of them were ignorant enough to openly oppose him. People as stupid as that would have never been able to become matriarchs in the first place.
From a certain perspective, it was also this kind of cleverness that prevented them from uniting and opposing this ruler from a foreign race.
“This should be our first meeting, right? Let me just say a few words before we start—those who obey me will live, and those who defy me will die. Do you understand?” Li Qingshan remained seated there. He did not seem arrogant, nor did he give off any pressure. He just said it very seriously; it was as simple as telling them he liked it when it was sunny and disliked it when it was rainy.
“Understood,” Ye Mingzhu replied first, and the other matriarchs agreed in a hurry. With their current circumstances, they no longer had much interest in resisting anymore. At the end of the day, as long as the Spider Queen wanted to unite the night roamers, she would definitely send over a Daemon General to lead them. They would be ruled over no matter who it was. Even if they put up a desperate struggle, it was pointless, so why not use this opportunity to gain an upper hand over the future?
Li Qingshan smiled in satisfaction. This came before everything else. If any of them dared to say they did not understand, he would not mind making an example out of them. There might not even have been a need for him to do anything, as the other matriarchs might try to do it for him.
“Very good. You’ve already seen the formations when you came here. This is my first order. Send powerful members over to serve me under my direct command. We’re going to be erecting a fortress here in preparation for the attacks from the humans.”
Before the matriarchs could even respond, Li Qingshan continued, “The second order is that all night roamers are forbidden from killing one another as long as they are in my territory, whether secretly or openly. If anyone defies this order, not only will they pay with their lives, but their entire clan will be punished too.”
Ye Liusu’s eyes lit up. Was this not what she had been striving towards the entire time, to stop the night roamers from killing one another and uniting them once more? Perhaps he really might be able to change everything.
“The third order is that from today onwards, all clans will give me offerings of spiritual herbs. All varieties are welcome, and the older, the better. Do you have any objections to these three orders?”
Under the gaze from Li Qingshan’s scarlet eyes, none of the matriarchs had any objections. The three orders seemed restrictive, but they were not completely unacceptable. It was not like he had specified what kind of powerful members he wanted with the first order, so they could deal with it easily. The second order was even simpler. If they could not kill one another, then they would not kill one another.
The last order was a little troublesome, but spiritual herbs never really held much value to night roamers in the first place, as they could not refine pills. Only fruits that could be directly ingested were relatively more valuable. The gifts they had brought forwards were all the former.
Li Qingshan had not placed any specifications on that order either. All of the clans had built up a supply of regular spiritual herbs. As a matter of fact, some spiritual herbs grew throughout their territory and were never picked because they had no idea on how to use it. They were all extremely old, so it would be very easy to fill the quota with them.
“You’ve all been very cooperative, which delights me. It would be impolite of me to not reciprocate. Here are a thousand Qi Gathering pills. Human cultivators normally use them to cultivate. You can split them evenly between the five matriarchs!”
As the most common pill, Qi Gathering pills held very little value. He could obtain a lot of them with just a single spiritual stone. However, they were crucial to all sects and Qi Practitioners.
Li Qingshan had found several tens of thousands of them in the Green Vine Elder’s hundred treasures pouch. For a sect that cultivated spiritual herbs and refined pills, it was very normal for them to have built up such a large supply.
Li Qingshan basically no longer required them anymore. Sitting down and taking in a breath of spiritual qi would be equivalent to several hundreds or even thousands of Qi Gathering pills. However, they were perfect for him to reward others with. He was basically salvaging them.
The matriarchs’ expressions all varied. They had obviously heard about the renowned Qi Gathering pill, and they were capable of refining them too. However, many of the herbs that went into the pills could only be found above ground, which inhibited them from refining them. Even when they managed to get their hands on some, the pills seemed extremely precious. They would only use them to nurture their most talented clansmen.
Two hundred Qi Gathering pills was already a very great sum to them, enough to support a year’s cultivation of ten night roamers. They would be able to nurture another group of elite warriors. Although it was nowhere close to the value of their gifts, they were still rather surprised and overjoyed, as they had never thought they would receive a gift like that in return. They all found this sir Northmoon to be so reasonable that he no longer seemed like a daemon.
“Ye Mingzhu.”
“Yes, sir.” Ye Mingzhu just happened to be tempted by all that. Hearing her name being mentioned, she stepped forward in a hurry. Her eyes were filled with eagerness.
“You’ve done this well, gathering the matriarchs. Here’s a True Spirit pill as your reward. If you have someone suitable ingest it, they should break through very soon and face the heavenly tribulation.”
There was no need for Li Qingshan to explain what the pill did. The various clans were extremely well-informed. Ever since Ye Liubo returned to show off, the matriarchs immediately learnt about the existence of such a wondrous pill. Now, all of their eyes widened, staring straight at the True Spirit pill in Li Qingshan’s hand. They were tempted to snatch it over right now. Powerful members who had undergone the heavenly tribulation were the most precious, central force in all clans.
“Thank you for the reward, sir Northmoon.” Ye Mingzhu smiled widely and bowed gracefully, accepting the True Spirit pill.
“Then I’ll leave the ship’s wheel that controls the puppets and cannons in your possession for now. I hope you can maintain the order underground.”
Li Qingshan’s words made Ye Mingzhu elated. She said in a hurry, “I definitely won’t disappoint you, sir.” As long as she possessed this power, she would be able to consolidate her position as the greatest matriarch. She looked at Li Qingshan with so much charm that she seemed like she was infatuated with him.
The faces of the other matriarchs became extremely warped. Ye Mingzhu had once shown off the power of the puppets to them. If they faced them in direct confrontation, it would come at an extremely heavy price even if they managed to destroy this puppet army. As for the cannons, their power was even more terrifying. Even those who had undergone the heavenly tribulation would be injured if they took on a blast.
The tiny ship’s wheel was like a staff of power, giving Ye Mingzhu the power to destroy any clan. They now understood that he had bestowed her with it.
No, we can’t let this continue. The matriarchs exchanged glances, and all of them thought of the same thing.
“Sir Northmoon, I have objections to that! “I have objections too!” “Me too!”
The matriarchs who had always been so tolerant, agreeing with whatever Li Qingshan said, all objected together. They were indignant. They could accept the rule of a daemon, but they could not accept Ye Mingzhu walking over them.
PS: Hmph, hmph, hmph, it’s time for Dream Teller’s orders—Young masters! Take pity on me! Give me monthly votes!
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Chapter 414 – Arrangements and Arrival
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Chapter 414 – Arrangements and Arrival
“Oh? Then what do you think?” This was the exact outcome that Li Qingshan wanted. He had no idea how to use schemes with his authority, but he was still capable of stimulating the enthusiasm of his subordinates.
“A weapon like that should remain in sir Northmoon’s control. How can you just give it to someone else?” The old woman said, putting on a vicious front like “If I can’t obtain it, then none of you even think of obtaining it”.
“Sir Northmoon bestowed this upon me. How can you question his decisions?” Ye Mingzhu rebuked immediately. She had already become very good at bringing up “sir Northmoon” constantly.
“That’s reasonable, but I don’t have the habit of taking back something I’ve given away. If that’s the case, then you can take turns with the ship’s wheel. However, that’ll depend on your upcoming performance.”
In just a few words, Ye Mingzhu went from being startled to joyful to worried again, while the other matriarchs all saw hope. As it seemed, he had not been bewitched by Ye Mingzhu. As long as they demonstrated sufficient loyalty, they could receive a similar reward too.
They no longer had any intentions of brushing aside Li Qingshan’s three orders. Otherwise, their clans would decline and be surpassed by others even if they personally got involved.
“At it seems right now, Mingzhu’s performance has been the best, so she’ll be in charge of the ship’s wheel first.” Li Qingshan stood up and arrived beside Ye Mingzhu, patting her on the shoulder like he was comforting her.
“Thank you for your trust, sir Northmoon.”
“Liubo, here’s your reward.” Li Qingshan took out a bright yellow satin. This was a supreme grade spiritual artifact he had obtained from the Golden Pheasant Elder’s hundred treasures pouch.
“Thank you, master!” Ye Liubo was overcome with excitement. She threw herself at him and gave him a kiss despite the current circumstances.
The matriarchs became even more envious. This was a powerful weapon that only humans could forge, yet he actually gave it away to his servant so easily. No, they could not allow this to go on for any longer. Both of his servants were Ye Mingzhu’s daughters. As time went on, it would be very disadvantageous to them. As a result, they all thought of the same thing.
Li Qingshan glanced past the six matriarchs. “With the current upheaval, I hope you can let go of your conflict of the past and unite together, to devote yourself to ma’am Spider Queen. If you continue to remain in a state of disunity, riddled with internal strife, you’ll definitely be destroyed by the humans.”
“Yes.” The matriarchs accepted his orders and took their leave.
“Master, can I switch my reward for something else?” Ye Liubo immediately became glued to him as she giggled away.
“What, you don’t like it?”
“I do like it, but I’d much rather have you, master.” Ye Liubo licked her lips and stuck her hand into his clothes, sliding down his body and grasping a certain object. Her eyes became clouded with lust.
“Go play to one side. If I’m supposed to give you whatever you want, isn’t that very insulting to me?!” Li Qingshan pushed her aside in annoyance. She was so lustful that she had almost lost her mind. If he let her touch him a little more and something happened, he would be mortified.
As she watched Ye Liubo play around with the bright yellow satin, Ye Liusu, who had received nothing, became slightly disappointed for some reason. She suddenly made up her mind and went up. “Sir Northmoon, can you please promise me something?”
“What is it?”
Li Qingshan was rather curious. Ever since Ye Liusu became his servant, she had remained silent and obedient. She would do whatever he made her do, but she was as serious as a machine. She would never lower herself in an attempt to flatter him. She really did seem a little like a princess. It was rare of her to be so proactive.
“Please protect the night roamers and lead them back to under the starry skies. As long as you promise that, I’ll serve you with utmost sincerity. I’ll be loyal to you and only you, and I’ll do everything I can to serve you, just like Liubo.” Ye Liusu’s delicate face was filled with determination. She had always focused on cultivation for the rejuvenation of the Night Roaming folk, but her future had always been so uncertain. His appearance seemed to bring her a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she had been influenced by Ye Liubo, so she also believed slightly that as long as he was willing, he actually could change everything.
“Big sister…” Ye Liubo was rather surprised.
“Even if you have to betray the Spider Shadow clan?” Li Qingshan smiled in thought. The more he understood the night roamers, the more he found Ye Liusu to be strange. Her eyes were filled with a willpower so determined that it was close to becoming a belief, completely lacking the darkness that regular night roamers possessed. Perhaps all races would have a strange one or two!
“Yes.” Ye Liusu agreed with gritted teeth. Sorry, mother. This is for the sake of the night roamers.
“Are these clansmen really worth it? I think most of them want to kill you out of jealousy.”
“The underground without the stars and moon have twisted their minds. I believe night roamers were not like this in the first place. They just need to break away from… control.”
“That’s a very good idea, and I’m very tempted, but I decline!”
“Why?” Although she had guessed this possibility, Ye Liusu’s disappointment still exceeded her expectations.
“Because you’ve completely misunderstood it all. I reward loyalty, but never will I do anything in exchange for anyone’s loyalty. I only do what I want to do. You’re welcome to help out or just stand aside and watch. You have no other choice.”
Ye Liusu returned to where she stood before in silence.
Li Qingshan returned to his state of cultivation, but before long, he jerked awake again. The powerful members of the various clans had arrived much sooner than he had imagined.
The first to arrive were ten beautiful night roamers. They were either cold, tender, or sweet, but their appearances were all the best of the best among the night roamers. Combined with their revealing attires, they all seemed like beauty pageants. They did not just possess beauty, but great strength too. Every single one of them had undergone the heavenly tribulation already, all noble princesses in their respective clans.
After stating their names and offering up their spiritual herbs, they actually lowered their proud heads and expressed that they were willing to leave their clans and serve Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan could not help but laugh. These matriarchs were all trying to express that they too could provide him with what the Spider Shadow clan had provided him. As for just how loyal these princesses would be, he had no plans to rely on them at all. They all looked at him like they wanted to eat him, not only drooling over his “handsomeness”, but also because they wanted to obtain things from him.
Ye Liubo was absolutely nothing in the eyes of these princesses. She had just been slightly lucky. If even she could be bestowed with a supreme grade spiritual artifact, why couldn’t they?
“Master.” Ye Liubo felt greatly threatened, subconsciously grabbing Li Qingshan’s arm. As for Ye Liusu, she let out a deep sigh instead. It was no wonder why he had brushed her aside like that. Everything she could offer up was nothing in his eyes.
“Alright, I accept. From today onwards, you will be my personal guards.” Li Qingshan did not turn them down. The clans needed to be balanced and remain equal to one another. He also required a group he could directly command. And, obtaining a group of personal guards like that was probably the dream of every man!
“Liusu, you can be their captain,” Li Qingshan said next.
Ye Liusu was taken aback. The proud princesses immediately objected, “Why her?” “We should decide that through a battle.”
Li Qingshan could not be bothered with dealing with all that. He directly said, “I’m going to cultivate. You can all disperse!”
Li Qingshan shut his eyes, and the cavern settled down once more. He opened his eyes again. “Liusu, why aren’t you leaving?”
“Why me? It’s not like I’m anything of value in your eyes,” Ye Liusu asked in confusion.
“Because you’re very special.”
“Very crazy you mean!” Ye Liusu’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head. Her lips curled into a bitter smile. “Mother said that if I were born into a regular household of night roamers, I wouldn’t have such crazy thoughts.”
“All dreams seem just as crazy in the very beginning. I might be a daemon, but I don’t dislike those who have hopes and dreams, “Li Qingshan said with a smile.
“Then why did you turn me down?”
“All Liubo entrusted to me was herself, but you want to entrust far, far too many things to me. You couldn’t handle it yourself, so you want to throw it to someone else and then take it easy.”
“I don’t.” Ye Liusu tried to defend herself.
“I have no interest in serving as the mediator between a group of women, but you might be able to influence them with your thoughts, such that they will serve you. I’ve already given you the opportunity, so work hard! I don’t know whether you can succeed, but if there really is a day when night roamers can return beneath the starry sky, no longer scheming and plotting and killing one another, that’ll all be because of you, not because of me.”
Ye Liusu’s feelings surged. For the first time, she could understand a little of what Ye Liubo felt. Since young, no one had ever said something like that to her. No one had ever encouraged her, approving of her thoughts and giving her their support.
When Li Qingshan defeated Strongboulder and Bloodshadow consecutively, she only admired his strength and strategy. But with what she heard right now, she actually felt like she was unable to stare at him directly. Her mind that had become impervious to desires and passions through many years of arduous cultivation began to ripple.
Li Qingshan shook his head slightly. Sure enough, idealists were the easiest to fool. Originally, he planned on giving Ye Liubo the position of the captain, but Ye Liubo’s cultivation was just too low, and she lacked the required temperament. In comparison, Ye Liusu’s temperament was better. At the very least, she seemed to possess some leadership and was relatively simple and easier to control. At the very least, she would not look at him greedily.
However, Ye Liusu had just been too unenthusiastic. Becoming his servant seemed to have a very big effect on her. As a result, he came up with all of this. He was not completely fooling her either. If Ye Liusu actually grasped this opportunity, she could indeed achieve a lot.
Ye Liusu arrived outside the cavern. She pressed her hand against her chest, still feeling her heart thump heavily. She had no idea whether it was because of what he said, or because of just how he was.
“Master really is powerful. He can actually make someone like you who has purged her heart of desires to yearn for love.” Ye Liubo walked over from one side with a wide grin.
“Stop the nonsense. Let’s go.” Ye Liusu’s face reddened before recovering her cool demeanour. She grabbed Ye Liusu’s hand and walked off. Now was not the time for her to consider this.
“What’re we doing?”
“Since they want a battle, then I’ll give them a battle.” Ye Liusu was brimming with morale. This was an unprecedented opportunity. She had to grasp it.
As the sun set in the west, the evening glow filled the sky. A green figure appeared in front of a cave that led underground.
Fu Qingjin stood with his sword, his face exhausted. However, the moment he drew the Green Ruins sword, his eyes erupted with life. He turned into a streak of green light and dived into the pitch-black cave.
The negotiations fell through. Only the option of killing remained!
PS: Woah, a few hundred monthly votes. So happy!
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Chapter 415 – Misjudgement
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Chapter 415 – Misjudgement
The green light moved with unmatched speed, following the same route that he had used last time to lure out Milliped. He rushed straight towards where Li Qingshan cultivated.
Suddenly, mist blocked his path. Fu Qingjin frowned and stopped.
The daemon was actually capable of such thought, enough to understand how to use formations? However, how could these formations stop him?
Fu Qingjin brought his fingers together, sliding across the Green Ruins sword slowly. The Green Ruins sword lit up with glaring light, containing startling power.
Li Qingshan was completely in the dark about all this. Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do. His mind was submerged in cultivation as time passed slowly. His cultivation as a Qi Practitioner advanced steadily as ebbs of Gui Water true qi burst through his acupoints one after another.
Suddenly, his mirror clone underground opened his eyes. As the person who had laid down the formations, he could clearly sense that the formations had been touched.
Were they here?
“Personal guards, gather!” Li Qingshan leapt up as his voice boomed out in all directions. Although only his clone was present, he possessed twelve powerful night roamers and an advantage in geography. That was enough to put up a battle. Just getting through the formations would cost them quite a lot of effort.
In just a while, twelve figures flew over. Leading them, Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo held their heads high. Some of the ten princesses were still reluctant to accept them, but they still followed behind them.
Working together, Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo had faced off against the princesses of the five other clans in a series of battles, two-against-two. Although it had not been completely one-sided, their combination and mutual understanding completely exceeded their opponent’s mutual disunity. Combined with Ye Liubo’s supreme grade spiritual artifact, they ended up dominating the battles easily despite how it seemed on the surface, consolidating their position as the leader of the guards.
What filled Ye Liusu with enthusiasm the most was when she told these princesses about her idea of unity, three of them agreed. Regardless of whether this agreement was sincere or fake, it was still an extremely rare step forward. Her respect for Li Qingshan increased.
“Master, may I ask why you’ve summoned us?”
Li Qingshan raised his hand, silencing them. He concentrated on the ship’s wheel in his hand and gradually became confused. The opponent seemed to be trapped in the formation, and they seemed to be trapped in the very first formation, the mist formation. It definitely was not Fu Qingjin.
With a flash, he arrived at the edge of the formation and saw a night roamer stuck in there. He let him in to question him.
A while later, Li Qingshan’s expression became strange.
The night roamer was the Spider Queen’s messenger. The Spider Queen urgently summoned him back to Cobweb city to discuss official business. The reason for that was a human cultivator had single-handedly killed four Daemon Generals and almost a hundred regular daemons before vanishing again. And, the territories of the four Daemon Generals were all around Li Qingshan’s territory.
Li Qingshan could basically imagine that the cultivator had chosen to actively avoid his region after running into the formations, killing all the Daemon Generals in the surroundings instead.
“Do you know what the human cultivator looks like?”
“I don’t. I only heard he was a green flash.”
Li Qingshan had no idea whether he should feel happy or disappointed.
“You’ve come.”
Spider Queen Lolth leaned back on her throne in Cobweb city, propping herself up with her arm as she faced the four most powerful Daemon Generals under her command. She was relaxed. She had not become frantic or irritated from the loss of her soldiers and generals, nor did she feel sad or angry. Instead, she was brimming with interest, as if she was fascinated by this.
“You all must have heard about what had happened already!”
“Yes.”
“Northmoon, I think he was originally looking for you!”
“He’s called Fu Qingjin, the liaison of the Daemon Suppression alliance in Clear River prefecture. I basically killed the Green Vine Elder right in front of him. I thought he would tear through the formations without any regard to fight me, but never did I think…”
“Fu Qingjin, a disciple of the Sword Collection palace. He really was something else. The four Daemon Generals did not even get the chance to blow up their daemon cores. If Bloodshadow had not made it in time, even more Daemon Generals would have died to his hands.”
Li Qingshan could not help but glance at Bloodshadow. He forced back Fu Qingjin? I think Fu Qingjin just didn’t want to become entangled in a battle underground.
“If it weren’t for the fact that I can’t venture above ground, I would definitely make this Fu Qingjin or whoever he is remain underground forever.” Bloodshadow was filled with self-restraint. The senses of daemons covered an extremely wide range, and Bloodshadow happened to be the best among the best. He changed the topic and questioned, “Northmoon, everything happened around your territory, yet you didn’t sense anything at all?”
“Northmoon’s daemon qi has never been greater than ours. Not to mention that what you see right now is just a clone. Northmoon, I’m very curious about where your main body is right now.”
Before Li Qingshan could answer, Dragonsnail had already cut him off slowly.
“Obviously above ground, spying on the Daemon Suppression alliance.”
“Is this how you spy on them?” Bloodshadow sneered.
“What’s there to bicker about? Can’t we just kill our way back?!” Strongboulder bellowed out, brimming with battle intent.
“Strongboulder is right. Northmoon, you killed four of theirs, so they’ve killed four of ours. It’s very fair. Bloodshadow, from today onwards, the Daemon Generals to the west will be under your command. Strongboulder, the east will go to you. Northmoon, continue to watch over the night roamers. Dragonsnail, you will be responsible for dispatching them. We can’t let them find an opening so easily again.”
Strongboulder and Bloodshadow both beamed. This meant that they could command around several dozen Daemon Generals now. Dragonsnail’s eyes flashed. He was not given any subordinates, but he would serve as the carrier of the Spider Queen’s commands, which was an extremely important role.
Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts. They were really declaring war with this kind of arrangement!
With just a few words, the Spider Queen had determined the situation underground. Afterwards, she stood up slowly. “Under his majesty the dragon king’s command, all the daemons under my command can move about freely and kill humans from here on out!”
At the same time, Fu Qingjin laid out a hundred daemon cores before the many Foundation Establishment cultivators in a meeting of the Daemon Suppression alliance. They varied in size and glimmered like pearls.
Daemon cores were the crystallisation of hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation of daemons. They were worth much more than regular spiritual herbs or pills. Apart from being able to increase cultivation drastically and assist with breakthroughs when ingested, they also served wondrous purposes in the aspects of forging artifacts and formations. Exactly because of how rare they were, it made them worth even more. As for the value of the daemon cores of Daemon Generals, it was completely beyond imagination.
It was like Fu Qingjin had laid out a hundred diamonds before a group of regular people, immediately drawing over everyone’s gazes. They all gasped in admiration at the same time before erupting in a buzz of activity.
Fu Qingjin stood with his hands behind his back, watching on coldly. In consideration of the bigger picture, he did not choose to attack the formation. Apart from his reluctance to waste time and energy, the biggest reason was because he did not actually have any grievances with Li Qingshan at all. Whether it were the three elders or Jiang Shancheng, if they were dead, then they were dead. There was no reason for him to take special note of their deaths.
Although Li Qingshan forcefully annihilating the Green Vine mountain had humiliated him and the Sword Collection palace, he had never cared about the concept of “pride” in the first place. All he did was undertake retribution according to the Sword Collection palace’s orders and bring back the daemon cores to stir the greed within these people. Since he would be killing no matter who he killed, why did he have to choose the most troublesome opponent?
“Fellow Fu, how did you achieve this?” asked a cultivator fervently.
Fu Qingjin could not be bothered with telling them, but upon considering the Sword Collection palace’s arrangements, he told everyone what he had gone through, immediately winning over another round of praise.
“Doesn’t this defy the Treaty of Kings?”
“From today onwards, all human cultivators can venture underground and purge daemons freely within the vicinity of the Clear River prefecture!”
After a series of cries, everyone fell silent. The priceless daemon cores, the spiritual stone veins hidden deep underground, and the century or millennium old spiritual herbs all seemed to be waving at them. Tempted by all that, even daemons no longer seemed so terrifying.
Only a handful of people became deeply worried. They looked around and took note of the situation around them, but they said nothing. Was everything really just this simple? There was no free lunch in the world after all.
“Hold on. Ma’am Spider Queen, I have a different opinion.”
In Cobweb city, Strongboulder and Bloodshadow just happened to rouse up in surprise and joy when Li Qingshan objected.
“Oh? What would be your opinion?”
“I don’t think we should let the daemons do whatever they want!” Li Qingshan could easily imagine the sight of countless daemons surging out from the underground world that they had been trapped in. He could also imagine just what kind of disaster powerful, bloodthirsty, and battle hungry Daemon Generals like Strongboulder and Bloodshadow could cause for regular people.
“Why?” The Spider Queen frowned. The most radical Daemon General under her command had suddenly said something like that, which confused her.
“Bloodshadow has doubts over my investigations, so let me tell you about it. That is, the humans aren’t actually completely united. There are two large factions among them, which are the Daemon Suppression alliance composed of various sects and the cultivators of the government, primarily based around the Academy of the Hundred Schools.”
“So what? They’re all our enemy!” Bloodshadow said.
“You’re not wrong. However, they aren’t necessarily friends with one another either. If we focus on the Daemon Suppression alliance only, it’s very likely for the Academy of the Hundred Schools to remain passive. At the very least, they will take their time. That way, our overall strength will greatly surpass the Daemon Suppression alliance, which would give us an extremely great advantage.”
“However, if we openly massacre everyone and pull regular people into the mix, we will force the Academy of the Hundred Schools to join the battle immediately, which is instead disadvantageous to us. All of this is for the bigger picture. Please give us your wise judgement over this, ma’am Spider Queen.”
Li Qingshan spoke calmly, backing himself up with reason. He only wanted to target the Daemon Suppression alliance. The Daemon Suppression alliance had been the ones who stirred up the war in the first place. As long as these radicalists were destroyed, perhaps it was possible for peace to return between humans and daemons.
Bloodshadow was speechless. He could not help but admit that Li Qingshan was rather reasonable. Strongboulder also studied him up and down like he did not know Li Qingshan at all. Someone who was bold enough to throw his own life at him was actually so meticulous.
“Northmoon, oh Northmoon, this is exactly what you excel in! I really need to praise you for your courage and your wits.” The Spider Queen clapped gently.
“You overestimate me, ma’am!” Li Qingshan smiled. He believed this suggestion that was beneficial to the war would be accepted by the Spider Queen.
Dragonsnail lowered his head and smiled mysteriously.
“Then I look forward to your future performance,” Spider Queen Lolth said.
Is that supposed to be accepting or declining? Li Qingshan stared at the Spider Queen’s vicious smile, and his heart shivered. Suddenly, he understood something. After misjudging Fu Qingjin, he had misjudged her.
She just wanted to watch the world burn!
PS: All my friends are back during the New Year’s break, so I won’t be able to avoid certain occasions. The releases might be a little slow, so please understand. However, this isn’t exactly a bad thing. I’ve just reached the choke point of coming up with the new plot. Having some fun and meeting some people will improve my condition. You can call it preparatory work! It’ll be even more fascinating in the future!
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Chapter 416 – Conflicted
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Chapter 416 – Conflicted
“I think we should start with the regular people. Humans are cunning, and they know how to use traps called “formations”, which are extremely dangerous. However, if we target the cities occupied by regular people, they’ll be caught completely caught off-guard. We’ll have the initiative then. We can set down traps and kill any cultivators that come to rescue them.” As the Spider Queen’s greatest advisor, Dragonsnail slowly expressed his opinion.
“What if they don’t come to rescue them?” Strongboulder frowned. Compared to regular people, he would much rather kill cultivators.
“We’ll massacre a city with each passing day! I refuse to believe they’ll turn a blind eye to it!” Bloodshadow extended his bright red tongue and licked his lips. What he required the most for cultivation was fresh blood, but he was forbidden from slaughtering other daemons and night roamers underground. He could only rely on making do with the “offerings” from the night roamers. Dragonsnail’s strategy suited him perfectly.
“We should target cultivators!” Li Qingshan found it to be even more unacceptable to target these innocent people who had nothing to do with the Daemon Suppression alliance or cultivators in general.
“Aren’t so-called cultivators just cultivated regular people? Don’t regular people eat the flesh and blood of our kin to grow? Only by severing the roots can we truly defeat the humans. Have you forgotten about such a simple principle?”
Dragonsnail asked three consecutive questions, leaving Li Qingshan speechless. Humans fed off beasts. When the range of human activity increased, the range of habitation for beasts was reduced. Weren’t other species going extinct every single day in the world completely dominated by humans from his previous life?
So-called animal conservation was basically just the leftovers from the person who sat at the very top, whatever they could be bothered sparing. And, it was built on top of personal need. Wild beasts were locked up to serve as playthings, while livestock would be butchered once they were raised. Human apathy was instead the most terrifying apocalypse to beasts.
War had not just begun. Instead, it had never stopped. Humans and daemons opposed one another in their very nature. The founding emperor who had maintained several millennia of peace between the two races had basically achieved an unbelievable feat.
“Dragonsnail is right. That’s the way we daemons handle things,” the Spider Queen said in appreciation.
“Northmoon, you’ll experience the taste of failure soon,” Bloodshadow said in a sunken manner.
“Hahahaha, we can finally massacre humans freely! Northmoon, why don’t we see who kills more people?” Strongboulder laughed madly.
Li Qingshan suddenly experienced an absurd thought. Why am I associated with them at all? The faces around him gradually twisted, sometimes becoming a terrifying Rock of Slaughter, sometimes becoming a bat reeking with the smell of blood. In the end, an eight-eyed, eight-legged, vicious spider would lunge at him.
Afterwards, he saw himself. His ox horns and tiger claws were peeled away from his body as his skin like black iron would become bronze, recovering his original appearance, which was human!
“Northmoon, you’ve spent the most amount of time on the surface. Which city do you think we should start off with? It’s best if they have a larger population.”
Dragonsnail’s voice seemed to ring out from an extremely distant location, interrupting the images in front of Li Qingshan. The Spider Queen, Bloodshadow, and Strongboulder all stared at him, waiting for his reply.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, there’s something I’d like to report!”
“What is it?”
“I’ve reached a bottleneck in my cultivation lately. I want to enter secluded cultivation for some time and make a breakthrough so that I can properly fight Fu Qingjin to the death. I might not be able to partake in the initial battles.” Li Qingshan lowered his head, and his scarlet hair draped down over his face, concealing the hint of confusion in his eyes. Suddenly, he discovered that everything was already completely beyond his control. Perhaps thinking he could control it was a conceited illusion in the first place!
“Really?” The Spider Queen’s eyes flickered in doubt.
“Master, you’ve returned. How did the discussion go?”
Li Qingshan returned to the cavern in his territory, and Ye Liusu immediately went up to receive him.
“From today onwards, I will be entering secluded cultivation. Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo will be temporarily in charge of everything that happens in the territory. If there isn’t anything important, don’t disturb me.” Li Qingshan made his way onto the bed of spiritual stone and announced loudly.
In the end, the Spider Queen had agreed to his request. She did not suspect at all that this powerful subordinate of hers with illustrious achievements would experience conflict like that inside.
“Thank you for your trust, master.” Ye Liusu beamed inside.
The other night roamers had objections, but Li Qingshan completely ignored them. He dispersed them before just shutting his eyes.
“Xiao An, what do you think I should do?”
Below Contention island in the seclusion dwelling, Li Qingshan opened his eyes and told Xiao An everything that troubled him without holding back at all.
“Help neither.” After some thought, Xiao An answered like that.
“Help neither?”
“Yep. What do other humans or daemons have anything to do with us? It’s not like you’re the one killing them. They’re killing among themselves, so don’t worry about them. All we have to do is focus on cultivating.”
Xiao An blinked her large eyes and comforted him softly. Actually, she struggled slightly to understand what troubled Li Qingshan. After all, in her eyes, it did not matter even if all the other living creatures died apart from him. Perhaps it was more correct to say she hoped for that exactly.
“That’s reasonable. Perhaps I’ve been thinking too much.” Li Qingshan shook his head with a bitter smile. As a half-human, half-daemon “monster”, he had already lost his standpoint, thrown into a predicament of absolute isolation. He could not help but think of Gu Yanying. Did she ever become conflicted like this too?
Suddenly, his eyebrow twitched. Xiao An placed her little hand on Li Qingshan’s forehead seriously, as if she wanted to flatten his furrowed brows.
Li Qingshan smiled. At least he would never be lonely.
“Let’s cultivate. I want to make it to Foundation Establishment in a single breath and take out what brother ox gave me!”
Li Qingshan was overcome by his lofty aspiration. He immediately sat down and began cultivating, but a while later, his brows became subconsciously furrowed again. Even when he used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he was unable to enter a proper state of cultivation.
At that moment, Li Qingshan suddenly heard the clear, pleasant chanting of scriptures. It was Xiao An’s voice.
Xiao An sat in front of Li Qingshan as she rotated through the Skull Prayer Beads in her hand. Scriptures emerged from her mouth, directly reaching his ears.
Although he could not understand the scriptures at all, Li Qingshan’s heart gradually settled down. He began to think over everything he had gone through since leaving Crouching Ox village. Like rewinding tape, the various scenes began to recede faster and faster.
Various figures flashed past his eyes as various matters unraveled like silk from a cocoon.
Before he knew it, his heart had already become entangled with so many emotions of love and hatred. Now, they were instead like cobwebs and dust, whisked away bit by bit.
There were also existences he could not whisk away so easily, like Fu Qingjin and Han Qiongzhi. They were the hatred and love deeply engraved in his heart. Whenever he reached them, the tape seemed to become stuck, stopping on this scene.
Xiao An’s scripture changed, and these scenes brushed past. Finally, he returned to Crouching Ox village once again, returning to the young boy who slept soundly on the hay in that tiny cowshed.
Three years passed with a flick of a finger.
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Chapter 417 – Circumstances Come and Go with Time
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Chapter 417 – Circumstances Come and Go with Time
Li Qingshan let out a deep breath like a steam whistle. Fierce gales of wind were kicked up in the large dwelling. He opened his eyes, and they flashed like two stars. The light gradually receded, becoming deep and dark like a pond.
“Xiao An, how long has it been?”
“Around three years.”
“Three years. It has been so long.”
Li Qingshan was rather surprised; to him, it did not feel long at all, brief as a matter of fact.
Three years were enough for the plants to wither and bloom three times, enough for children to become youths. But to him, it had been as brief as a flick of a finger.
There was no concept of time in the mountains and caves. This was the definition of time to cultivators.
He had not spent all three years meditating away. Every now and then, he would talk with Xiao An and fight a little. It definitely had not been boring. Instead, he found it to be surprisingly substantial.
Together, they had not been serious the entire time, talking about cultivation and only cultivation. Often, they talked about things that had nothing to do with cultivation at all. However, they understood what each other was thinking from a single glance and smile. They were fellow cultivators, or perhaps intimate friends.
Ye Liusu seemed to have reported to his underground clone a few times during this period, but the contents had already become blurry. Yet, he could recall every single word from an ordinary conversation with Xiao An from two years ago.
“Have you gained anything today?” Xiao An asked.
“Confusion still exists in my heart.” Li Qingshan shook his head gently and placed his hand on his chest.
Right now, Li Qingshan’s cultivation was not at the ninth layer, but the tenth layer. He had only used half a month to open the Governing meridian with the help of the spiritual qi of the world. Afterwards, he got to work with tidying up the twelve standard meridians, which were the three yang meridians of the arm, the three yang meridians of the leg, the three yin meridians of the arm, and the three yin meridians of the leg.
After two years of absolute focus, he finally tidied through all of it and broke through to the tenth layer. In the final half a year, he had constantly tried to break through to Foundation Establishment and obtain what the black ox had left for him.
In the very beginning, Li Qingshan had been very confident, as he possessed many True Spirit pills. He believed he could reach Foundation Establishment even if he had to forcefully pile his way up with the pills.
But as his cultivation continued, he discovered it was not that simple. The path of human cultivation placed great emphasis on cultivating the mind. If he was shacked down inside, then everything would become much more difficult. It could even become a great obstacle. This was the reason why Hua Chengzan had not been able to break through even after all that time. It was not a lack of talent, nor did the Hua family ever lack True Spirit pills.
“I’ll have to face what I must face in the end. Xiao An…” Li Qingshan murmured to himself.
“Let’s emerge!” Xiao An smiled sweetly with bright eyes and shining teeth.
Three years had passed, but her figure had not changed at all.
Seeing the light of day again, Li Qingshan squinted his eyes and gazed at the landscape of lakes and mountains in the distance. Nothing seemed to have changed much compared to three years ago. However, he could sense that the formation over the academy had become even more profound and powerful.
Xiao An had to pay a visit to the school of Buddhism, while Li Qingshan directly visited the school of Legalism. He arrived before a small, delicate building by the lake. This was where Han Qiongzhi resided in the school of Legalism.
Over the three years, the person that he worried the most about was her. He was afraid something would happen to her in the chaos of war. He had wanted to emerge when he reached the ninth layer, but he soon considered the possibility that she was still in secluded cultivation. Even if he did emerge, she would be under protection with her background, so he stopped worrying. However, he could not help but admit his mental state had already changed compared to when he was deeply in love with her.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Li Qingshan knocked on the door.
Footsteps rang out from behind the door, and Li Qingshan became slightly excited. However, when the door opened, he was a bit stunned.
Because of the formation there, Li Qingshan did not try to sense the aura in the building. However, the person who opened the door right now was not Han Qiongzhi, but a legalist disciple he was somewhat familiar with, Wu Gen.
Seeing Li Qingshan, Wu Gen was taken aback too. He said in a hurry, “You’re looking for senior sister Han, right? Senior sister Han no longer lives here.”
Li Qingshan’s heart sank slightly. This was her residence. How could it be offered to someone else so easily?
“You’ve already reached the tenth layer. Congratula…” Before Wu Gen could even finish talking, Li Qingshan had already flown off on a cloud, travelling straight towards the school of the Military’s Great War island.
At the same time, Xiao An returned to Anāsravāṃ island to see the One Thought master.
“Junior sister Xiao An, you’ve returned.” A disciple of buddhism faltered before bringing her to the One Thought master’s meditation room in the end. As she passed through the familiar monastery and pavilions, she could feel that many of the life forces that once moved about in the Anāsravāṃ temple had vanished.
“Abbot, senior sister Xiao An has emerged from secluded cultivation. She wishes to see you.” The way the monk referred to Xiao An left her slightly puzzled.
A skinny monk, so skinny that he was just a bag of bones, emerged from the meditation room. With a stern expression, he brought his palms together. “Junior sister Xiao An, long time no see.”
“Mind Enlightenment.” If it were not for Xiao An’s ability to sense the life force of others, she would have never been able to connect the person before her right now to the tall, chubby primary disciple of buddhism from back then, Mind Enlightenment.
After being defeated by Xiao An, Mind Enlightenment had punished himself with three years of wall facing and self-reflection in the Cliff Inscription cavern. After a series of arduous cultivation, he finally broke through and successfully established a foundation. He now wore the abbot’s kāṣāya.
“You don’t have to be confused. I’m the leader of the school of Buddhism now, the abbot of the Anāsravāṃ temple.” As he said that, Mind Enlightenment did not show any pride at all. Instead, irrepressible sorrow surged out. “Master… master has already died.”
“How did he die?”
“He was slain by a daemon!” Mind Enlightenment’s eyes widened, like the furious glare of a guardian king.
Xiao An lowered her head. She had no idea what to say.
“Don’t you feel sad at all? Not even a bit?” Mind Enlightenment questioned loudly.
“I don’t.” Xiao An was emotionless.
“Y- you’re heartless!” Mind Enlightenment pointed at Xiao An as his voice trembled. Clearly, he had been truly angered.
Xiao An did not refute him either.
“As the leader of the school of Buddhism, I don’t think you’re suited for the position of primary disciple anymore!” Mind Enlightenment called out, stunning the entire temple before turning around and leaving furiously.
Xiao An was not angered. She never wanted to be some primary disciple in the first place. She did what she was supposed to do, so it was time to go find Li Qingshan. She turned around quietly and made her way out.
The buddhist disciples who heard the disturbance all made their way out, casting gazes of either surprise or disdain at Xiao An. Xiao An ignored it all, directly making her way into the forest of stūpas. There was a very new stūpa with the dharma name One Thought engraved below. It was basically the final part of him that remained behind to remember him by.
Xiao An was still emotionless. She took out a pearl that seemed to be made out of gold and stared at it for a long time. This was the Guardian King’s pearl that the One Thought master had given her.
Please forgive me. I can’t mourn for you, but if it’s possible, I will avenge you.
In the Main Martial Arts stadium, Han Tieyi stood on a platform with his arms crossed, watching the military disciples train. Through the baptism of war, he had broken through to Foundation Establishment, but he experienced many near-death encounters as the price. Suddenly, he raised his head and saw a cloud fly over. He said gently, “He’s finally here.”
“Tieyi, do you know…” Li Qingshan spotted Han Tieyi too, flying over to him quickly.
Han Tieyi remained as stoic as ever. He did not say anything, not even a greeting. He handed a stack of letters to Li Qingshan.
The letters were clearly labeled, “For Li Qingshan only. Letter from Han Qiongzhi.”
Li Qingshan opened the letters one by one in order. The first letter came from two years ago.
After reading through it, Li Qingshan stopped worrying. As it turned out, Han Qiongzhi had already left the academy two years ago. She had gone to the Ruyi commandery to continue cultivating under her uncle, Han Anguo. Perhaps because she never received a reply, but the letters gradually lessened. The last letter was from three months ago.
After reading through it, Li Qingshan was unable to describe what he felt. There was relief, disappointment, and some ease.
“Don’t blame her. She waited half a year for you. During a mission, she came across a Daemon General and almost lost her life,” Han Tieyi explained for once.
“Why would she carry out such a dangerous mission?” Li Qingshan asked with a frown.
“There are no safe missions now.”
“What about the others?” Li Qingshan looked back at the Main Martial Arts stadium, and pairs of eyes looked over at him too. Through these three years, the military disciples had developed a bleak aura around them, which made him think about the personal army he had faced in the Han family back then. Although it was just training, every single one of them radiated with murderousness, as if they were facing actual enemies.
However, there were only three or four hundred people present, with many unfamiliar and immature faces among them. Their cultivations were not particularly high either. Clearly, they were disciples who had joined recently.
“Some died. Others fled,” Han Tieyi said.
Li Qingshan gazed at the clear, blue sky. In a daze, he seemed to see a colossal monster dwelling above the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture, silently devouring life. The name of this monster was war. Saying that it was no different from three years ago was his greatest mistake.
Even if he ignored the kind of person Han Anjun was, why would she ever flee from danger with how stubborn she was?
“Do you want to write back?” Han Tieyi asked.
“Not right now.” Li Qingshan considered it before shaking his head gently. He could tell from the later letters that she was doing very well right now. She was also making preparations to establish a foundation. It would be best if he did not bother her mental state and affect her cultivation right now.
Speaking of which, who knew when they would meet again?
Three years, five years, perhaps ten years… Even his mental state right now was different from the past, so let alone many years into the future.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An met up outside Cloudwisp island. Before they could even reach the bamboo loft on the island, a woman’s figure appeared. Li Qingshan could not help but frown when he saw her.
Qian Rongzhi saw Xiao An, and her eyes lit up. She approached her with a flash and crouched down, grabbing Xiao An’s hand. She asked, “Does it hurt?”
Xiao An shook her head.
Qian Rongzhi’s smile became even more resplendent. She wanted to give Xiao An a hug, but she hugged nothing.
“Qian Rongzhi, why have you come?” Li Qingshan pulled Xiao An behind him.
“You’re still the same as before. Take out your Scarlet Wolf tablet. There’s a mission.”
Li Qingshan took out his Scarlet Wolf tablet in doubt. It flashed gently, and sure enough, Hua Chengzan’s voice rang out in a blurred manner,
“Qingshan, I heard you emerged from seclusion, so I have a mission for you. It shouldn’t be dangerous, but I can’t say for sure. Anyway, you should familiarise yourself with the situation first! Qian Rongzhi already knows about the details of the mission. I’ll take you out for dinner once you get back.”
Hua Chengzan seemed to be busy. He just said a few words in a hurry before falling silent.
“Would you like to see it? Our heaven, that is!” Qian Rongzhi smiled like a colourful, venomous snake.
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Chapter 418 – Waking Up
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Chapter 418 – Waking Up
This was a small city three hundred and fifty kilometers from Clear River city. It was a small city, but it still had a population of several tens of thousand people. However, piles of corpses and puddles of blood spanned as far as the eye could see.
The red blood soaked the ground, drying into a black mess before the winter froze it cold. It was sticky and slippery.
With every step Li Qingshan took, he would alarm countless crows as well as various other unknown scavenging birds of prey. However, the strangest part about it was there were no signs of invading enemies at all.
A madam dressed in an apron firmly embedded her kitchen knife into a man’s head. However, right before his death, the same man attacked her, crushing her throat. Their faces were twisted with hatred the moment before they died, as if they were facing their greatest enemy. And, it was possible to tell from where they lay that they were clearly husband and wife. The virtuous madam had probably finished making dinner and had come out to call the man in.
A regular soldier with a spear pierced the chest of an armoured military officer. At the same time, he was pierced by three other spears, whose wielders were dressed in the same uniform. They seemed to be soldiers and officers responsible for defending the city, but they had become icy-cold corpses now. They had forgotten about their responsibilities and killed one another.
A little girl with her hair tied into buns used her hemp waistband to choke another child to death. Her head had become dented by the metal ball that the other child originally played with. Their faces were twisted with viciousness and murderousness that did not belong to children. The bloody metal ball had rolled to one side. Originally, this was a very ordinary game between two friends.
Wives killed their husbands, soldiers killed their officers, and friends killed their companions.
It was as if the people in the city had all gone insane, attacking the people around them and all perishing together.
Li Qingshan could vaguely guess whose handiwork this all was. He clenched his fist as his face became rather ugly.
“I thought you’d like it! Thankfully, it’s winter. If it were summer, there’d be much more to see!” Qian Rongzhi walked over from behind.
“Aren’t there any people who try to deal with this?”
“There were in the beginning, but after a few massacres, they came to their senses. Who would sacrifice themselves for regular people who are no different from ants? Oh right, there was one a while back. The One Thought master came to bring salvation, and he challenged the rock demon, but he lost.”
“The rock demon!?” Li Qingshan confirmed his thoughts inside. It could not be wrong. This was the power of the Rock of Slaughter. Strongboulder had arrived here and unleashed his natural power, making everyone descend into madness and kill one another.
To a daemon like him, massacring an entire city was a piece of cake. If Li Qingshan were willing, he could kick up an earthquake here and reduce the entire city to ruins.
“You still don’t know, do you?” Right now, the daemons are being commanded by the rock demon and the blood demon. They’re both powerful daemons who have massacred countless cities. The cities massacred by the rock demon are all like this, while the cities massacred by the blood demon won’t have a single drop of blood left. There aren’t a lot of people who can hold their ground against them, whether it’s from the academy or the Daemon Suppression alliance.”
“Then what are we doing here? What’s there to investigate?”
“We’re here to collect corpses.”
“Collect corpses?”
“This is an easier job, alright? I can tell Hua Chengzan is taking very good care of you. Look, what’s that?” Qian Rongzhi pointed ahead.
Under the setting sun, a tottering figure stood up.
A survivor! Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat, but he immediately dismissed that thought. The figure was a stalwart farmer. His eyes were completely white with long, protruding teeth. His body had already become blue, wrapped with corpse qi. Suddenly, he turned around and locked onto the aura of the living. With a growl, he lunged towards Li Qingshan. A wooden cart blocked his way, but he directly smashed through it.
“That’s a zombie!” Li Qingshan suddenly understood.
Qian Rongzhi rushed over with a flash. A bronze bangle flew out from her hand and smashed into the zombie’s head. The zombie vanished, and with a flash, the bronze bangle returned to her hand. A bloody mark had appeared on it, almost covering the entire bangle.
“The deceased hold extremely great resentment. They only need to be slightly refined, and they’ll become Corpse Soldiers who can serve in battle. All the Corpse Soldiers produced from cities massacred by the rock demon have the best quality. Their murderousness and malice linger without dispersing. They can even become zombies by themselves and be refined into Corpse Generals.” Qian Rongzhi smiled sweetly.
Corpses climbed up to their feet. Under the setting sun, they growled at the sky, as if they were baring their fangs at it in resentment.
Li Qingshan was shocked by this. His attempt to lecture Qian Rongzhi was reduced to silence when it reached his lips. He was responsible for everything before him.
He could try to justify himself, blaming the Daemon Suppression alliance as the ones who started it all and the fact that war between humans and daemons was unavoidable in the first place. He could say that he only played the role of a soldier in this. However, all of his excuses seemed pitiful before this sight. Even just one ten-thousandth of the responsibility weighed as heavily as a mountain.
Disregarding what Li Qingshan felt, Qian Rongzhi made her way around gracefully and subdued these zombies one by one. Xiao An tugged Li Qingshan’s sleeve, worried and concerned for him.
Li Qingshan rubbed her head and silently got to work, collecting corpses.
A racoon-like daemon moved around through the streets, constantly changing directions and avoiding the balls of exploding fire.
Balls of fire flew over the city, illuminating the night. A few disciples from the Fire Cloud sect, dressed in scarlet clothes, were in hot pursuit, unleashing balls of scorching fire and setting whole regions ablaze.
The entire city smoked, engulfed by fire. Noises and wails rose up into the sky like the smoke.
Li Qingshan gazed down from the sky in the distance, and he felt strangely surprised. From his perspective, it just seemed like a few cultivators committing widespread arson.
Before they had even completed the first mission, a second mission arrived. The traces of a daemon were discovered in this city and needed to be eliminated. However, this was what he saw when he arrived.
“Someone’s beat us to it. They’re from the Fire Cloud sect,” Qian Rongzhi said.
“What are they doing?”
“Purging daemons, obviously. It’s fine. Once they succeed, we’ll just kill them too. We can even get our hands on a few hundred treasures pouches. Don’t look at me like that. If they have the opportunity, they won’t show any mercy either. The academy’s lost a lot of disciples, but it’s not like they only died to the fangs and claws of daemons.”
The threat of the daemons had not united the humans. Instead, it broke the original order, making all conflicts even more violent. The Rock of Slaughter was not present, but killing one another had already become the norm. No one would mind obtaining a few hundred treasures pouches without facing any danger at all. It was not like anyone would look into the matter with the current chaos anyway.
Before Qian Rongzhi had finished speaking, Li Qingshan already flew down.
“Oh no. Senior brother, we’ve let it escape!”
The racoon-like daemon was extremely nimble. It turned around a corner and vanished. When the disciples of the Fire Cloud sect rushed over, all they saw was a small hole in the corner of the walls. They could not help but feel overcome with dismay. That was a daemon core!
At this moment, Li Qingshan descended from the sky. The disciples of the Fire Cloud sect immediately became vigilant. However, all they saw was Li Qingshan wave his hand and conjure a few water dragons, lunging into the fire and putting out the firestorm.
These techniques immediately made the disciples of the Fire Cloud sect change in expression. This definitely was not someone they could handle.
“May I ask which senior brother you are? How come we’ve never seen you before?” The leader of the group was an eighth layer Qi Practitioner, gathering his courage to pay respects to Li Qingshan. Seeing how Li Qingshan had appeared in the eye of the public, he did not immediately behave like he was about to kill and rob him.
“Did you catch the daemon?” Li Qingshan stood on the roof and asked them from above.
“We didn’t, or we’d definitely offer it up to you.”
“Do you know how many people you’ve just killed?” Li Qingshan gazed at the city. Plumes of smoke still rose up into the sky. With his superhuman hearing, he could clearly hear the many sobs and moans, rising up into the night sky in a playful manner.
In the blink of an eye, countless families had been destroyed. Even with the heart of steel that Li Qingshan believed he possessed, he was unable to remain indifferent to all this.
“If we don’t kill the daemon, it’ll just lead to even more deaths!” That disciple of the Fire Cloud sect sure was righteous. He clearly possessed much more resolve than Li Qingshan. Afterwards, he feigned pity. “Oh, we didn’t want to do this either! We were just careless, letting the daemon take advantage of us.”
Most of the battles between humans and daemons would not occur in the wilderness, but in cities. Powerful daemons would massacre cities in anger, while weaker daemons would make use of the complex layout of human cities to hide and prey on humans. This was commonplace. Whenever they began fighting, they would cherish their own lives the most. Why would they care about the lives of regular people?
Li Qingshan waved his hand, and as if spared, the disciples all flew away from the city, gradually turning into specks of firelight before suddenly going out.
“Another mission.” Qian Rongzhi walked over from where the firelight had been extinguished. Her collection of corpses had increased yet again.
Li Qingshan turned a deaf ear to her. He stood with his arms crossed, sinking into his thoughts. He was like a statue in the darkness.
“What, after three years of seclusion, the vicious tiger’s become a cowardly cat?” Qian Rongzhi smiled faintly. Originally, she thought there would be even more opportunities for her to collaborate with him, but his behaviour had left her slightly disappointed or even angered. Perhaps she should risk her life to anger him!
Xiao An glanced at Qian Rongzhi. Qian Rongzhi raised her hands and shrugged, no longer saying anything else.
“Thank you, great immortal! Thank you!” The common folk gathered over beneath the roof, lowering their heads, thanking him and asking for help. Li Qingshan ignored all of it, and the crowd dispersed.
Before he knew it, a night had passed. The many stars receded, and the east lit up.
In a corner, Qian Rongzhi, who was currently holding Xiao An’s hand and speaking with her, suddenly raised her head, looking at Li Qingshan. Gradually, a familiar feeling began to awaken from him, which made her tremble slightly. The rising sun in the east coated him in a layer of gold.
“Time to go, Xiao An. Let’s go back.” Li Qingshan opened his eyes, no longer lost or confused. It was filled with composed determination.
Xiao An leapt up, arriving beside him and grabbing him by a finger.
“The mission!” Qian Rongzhi said.
“You’d better just handle these boring missions yourself!” Li Qingshan behaved like he had just woken up, slightly lazy. He abandoned Qian Rongzhi and took off with Xiao An.
The three years were like a dream. He had woken up now.
Qian Rongzhi raised her head and watched him disappear into the horizon. She suddenly smiled. You have some more value of use when you’re like this!
In the windy sky, Xiao An cast a questioning glance at him.
“I’m not you. I can’t help neither. I can’t cut off everything. I will bear my responsibilities, my responsibilities as a human, my responsibilities as a daemon.” Li Qingshan stared at the glimmering horizon, and his lips curled up. His smile was slightly exuberant and naive, as if he was still that high-spirited, young, gallant wanderer.
“I’m not a particularly clever person, nor can I come up with any good ideas. However, as long as I kill both sides, the war will stop!”
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Chapter 419 – The Boundlessness of the Ocean, Unable to Neglect Deep Love
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Chapter 419 – The Boundlessness of the Ocean, Unable to Neglect Deep Love
“Yep. I’ll help you!”
At this moment, no one had any idea that an unruly chess piece would enter the board properly, much less expect what change his appearance would bring.
Li Qingshan returned to Cloudwisp island. He frowned near the bamboo loft and heard the moans of a woman ring out from Liu Chuanfeng’s room.
Don’t tell me this bastard has used the Divine Talisman of Great Creation to do that again. Li Qingshan said to Xiao An, “Wait here!”
Afterwards, he rushed over and kicked open the door.
Sure enough, Liu Chuanfeng was entangled with a naked woman. The woman was so life-like that even Li Qingshan struggled to tell whether she was real or fake.
“Who is it? Oh, Qingshan, you’ve emerged from seclusion!” Liu Chuanfeng turned around and saw Li Qingshan, beaming with surprise. He had already reached Foundation Establishment, but he was unable to hide his feebleness. Combined with his messy clothing, Li Qingshan only frowned when he saw him.
“What the hell are you doing?” Li Qingshan barked.
“Living in the world, you should seize the day and enjoy yoursel- Ah, ah, let go of me. I’m your master!”
Before Liu Chuanfeng could finish talking, Li Qingshan had walked over and grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting him up.
“Master my ass. So much for my efforts for you to reach Foundation Establishment. You’re wasting the power of belief again to do something as depraved as this.”
“S- s- she’s real. She’s from the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. She’s not made from the power of belief!” All Liu Chuanfeng felt was like his shoulders were about to be ripped apart. He was in no state to maintain his facade anymore as he explained frantically.
Li Qingshan looked at the woman again and saw her surprise. Never had she seen a Qi Practitioner “harass” a Foundation Establishment cultivator like that.
After chasing away the woman, Li Qingshan and Liu Chuanfeng sat down.
“When did you succeed with establishing a foundation?”
“Over two years ago.”
“How’s the school of Novels doing?”
“Oh Qingshan, the school of Novels is completely done for! Daemons run amok and bandits are everywhere. Everyone’s in a state of fear. No one’s in the mood to read these stories anymore. We even have to go risk our lives to kill daemons. Who knows when we’ll be slaughtered. Qingshan, just spare me!”
Did all that hard work go to waste like this?
If it were yesterday, Li Qingshan definitely would have sighed and lamented, but right now, he grabbed Liu Chuanfeng by the collar and lifted him up. “Then you still have to keep writing! This is exactly when people need your stories! You need to inspire people!”
“Alright, alright, alright.” Liu Chuanfeng had always been somewhat fearful of this disciple of his, and it was not just because of his cultivation. Just a single vicious glance from Li Qingshan could make him feeble inside. He would never object.
“As long as you understand!” Li Qingshan dropped Liu Chuanfeng. As he made his way out, he looked back and added, “There’ll always be an opportunity to turn things around.”
“The tenth layer! Qingshan, you cultivate at an alarming speed!”
Around dusk, Hua Chengzan rushed back in a hurry and arrived on Cloudwisp island. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Li Qingshan. Breaking through to the ninth and tenth layers had always been the most time-consuming, yet he had managed it in just three years. He was truly something else. Perhaps he could succeed with establishing a foundation before long and lend great support.
“Barely, just barely. You’ve changed too. Looks like I’ve missed out on quite a lot in the past three years.” Li Qingshan studied Hua Chengzan, and he discovered that his handsome appearance was more mature and sombre now.
“You’ve already seen everything you should see. What do you plan on doing next?” Hua Chengzan’s face sank.
“Lend assistance to the academy, obviously,” Li Qingshan replied without the slightest hesitation.
“Let’s go. We need to celebrate for you. I’ll go call Tieyi. The others don’t have time. Even if I call them over, you might not necessarily see them. You can’t exactly call this maltreating you if you have the three of us celebrating for you!”
Having three Foundation Establishment cultivators celebrate for a Qi Practitioner was an extremely rare treatment to enjoy. It was basically impossible unless they had close ties with one another.
However, Li Qingshan shook his head and declined. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Is it because there’s not enough people?”
“I want to celebrate once I reach Foundation Establishment,” Li Qingshan smiled. He had already made up his mind. He could make a push through this final obstacle now.
“Foundation Establishment?” Hua Chengzan raised an eyebrow. He called himself a genius, but in order to successfully establish a foundation, who knew how much effort he had spent towards it. He would have never mentioned it so easily.
Liu Chuanfeng on the side raised his head in surprise too. This disciple of his really liked to boast.
“You want to enter seclusion for another three years?” Hua Chengzan probed. He thought Li Qingshan was trying to avoid the current situation after seeing all the dangers. This was a common thought. As a result, the academy maintained an extremely tight control over the disciples in secluded cultivation now. However, he felt like Li Qingshan was not that kind of person.
“It shouldn’t take that long this time.” Li Qingshan shook his head gently.
At this moment, Han Tieyi descended from above. Without saying anything, he directly shoved a letter into Li Qingshan’s hand.
Li Qingshan opened the letter in confusion. There were only ten words, “You bastard son of a bitch, write back to me!”
“You contacted her.” Li Qingshan smiled bitterly as he read those ten words again and again. His heart warmed up. Her appearance suddenly grew clear in his mind, like she was cursing him loudly in his ear.
“She’s still my elder sister after all,” said Han Tieyi. Although they never seemed like siblings, even rather distant at first glance, their familial connection where blood ran thicker than water could never be severed.
“I often forget about that.” Li Qingshan stowed the letter into his bosom.
“Are you going to reply?”
“Of course.” Li Qingshan smiled. His heart was no longer lost or confused. His various thoughts of running away had all been swept clean. This was his responsibility as a man.
Han Tieyi then took out a jade slip and passed it to Li Qingshan.
“What’s this?”
“You’ll know once you take a look.”
Li Qingshan opened the jade slip and immediately became speechless. The jade slip recorded a cultivation method—the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
“You said you wanted the cultivation method that could allow you to completely power Ocean Wielding. This is it, the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. She asked our uncle to find it. Although it’s missing the first half, she’s asked our uncle to patch it up, so it shouldn’t affect it too much. It should be the cultivation method most suited for you. She wanted me to give it to you once you emerged. You can say it’s a surprise.”
Li Qingshan rubbed his tingling nose. He had almost forgotten he had mentioned this to her, yet she still remembered it. Was it all just a coincidence? No, it wasn’t. It was inseverable love. Even if she did not know about his various secrets, did that make her love any less real?
Li Qingshan waved around the jade slip in his hand. “If I wasn’t going to reply, you never planned on handing me the jade slip, did you?”
“I’m still her younger brother after all,” said Han Tieyi after quite a lengthy silence. Although every single cultivator had their own thoughts and choices towards these emotions, people who were faithless and fickle did not deserve her concern.
Li Qingshan returned to his room and wrote a reply with just a few flicks of the brush. He shoved it into the envelope and handed it to Han Tieyi.
“She’s written so many letters. You’re just going to answer her with a few words?” Hua Chengzan smiled.
“She knows. Actually, I hate writing a lot.” Li Qingshan’s heart was no longer shackled down anymore.
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Chapter 420 – All Rivers Converge to the Ocean, Success with Foundation Establishment
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Chapter 420 – All Rivers Converge to the Ocean, Success with Foundation Establishment
In the commandery city of Ruyi, within the great general’s estate.
Han Qiongzhi frowned slightly in worry. This guy actually had not written back immediately after emerging from seclusion. What was he thinking?
“My old cousin, are you thinking about that man again?” A delicate, young girl, around fourteen or fifteen, giggled. She had her hair tied up in buns and was currently standing on a looming, great oak tree.
“Meimei, get down from there!” Han Qiongzhi raised an eyebrow.
“Cousin, people are fickle. He might have already fallen in love with someone else.” Han Meimei leapt down, landing on Han Qiongzhi’s back and wrapping her hand around her neck as she prattled on like an old man.
“You better not talk nonsense. He’s always been a little mysterious. He might have encountered something!”
“Miss Qiongzhi, there’s a letter.”
A caretaker personally delivered a letter. Han Qiongzhi beamed inside, but she suddenly felt like Han Meimei on her back weighed like a boulder. She struggled to take a step forward. Her back lightened again, and Han Meimei flew over, snatching over the letter and giggling. “Come chase me!”
“Give it back!” Frustrated, Han Qiongzhi lunged over as quickly as she could, but she missed. Han Meimei swiveled around and landed on the roof gracefully. “You can’t catch me.”
Han Meimei had reached the tenth layer too. Her cultivation was profound, and her reactions were so fast that they surpassed Han Qiongzhi’s. She was like a monkey, leaping about and dodging through the garden as she opened the letter.
“What? There’s just three words, and the handwriting is so horrid.”
Han Qiongzhi’s heart sank. She roared, “Give it to me, or I’ll tell uncle!”
“Oh my, you’re actually angry! You’ll tell my father just because you can’t catch me. You’re shameless!” Han Meimei leapt over a roof and vanished while the letter drifted down gently, landing in Han Qiongzhi’s hand.
Sure enough, there were only three words written there in a wriggly, crooked manner—Wait for me.
“What the hell is this supposed to be!?” Han Qiongzhi curled her lip, but her eyes were filled with smiles. She pressed the letter against her chest.
“Everyone look! My cousin’s thinking about her man!” Han Meimei emerged from somewhere again. This time, she was carrying a gong, creating a ruckus as she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Han Qiongzhi sighed. Because their cultivations were similar, they had been arranged to cultivate together. It would be strange if she could cultivate in peace like this!
Though, I won’t wait for you. Do you really think I’m supposed to wait for you just because I’m a woman? You’re the one who’s supposed to wait for me. I’ll return to the Clear River prefecture as soon as I successfully establish a foundation.”
It might be dangerous, but that was where her family and her lover were.
Li Qingshan did not enter secluded cultivation again. Instead, he arrived outside the academy, entering an area with some desolate reeds near the banks of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes.
As he gazed at the lake that spanned as far as the eye could see and listened to the rising and falling waves, he could still sense the boundlessness of the ocean even though this was not the sea.
He had studied the first half of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean countless times. Now that he obtained the other half, he no longer hesitated at all. He immediately began cultivating.
Strands of Gui Water true qi were converted into Boundless true qi. Although it was also of the water element, it was many times more turbulent and powerful, like comparing a mountain stream to the billows of the ocean.
There was an extremely high requirement on the elemental affinity of water to practise the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, but this was no problem to Li Qingshan at all. After reaching the third layer of the spirit turtle, he seemed to possess the spirit turtle’s bloodline. His water affinity had completely surpassed the high jia standard that he was tested as back then. He could be described as the perfect person to practise the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
Ten days later, Li Qingshan converted the final strand of Gui Water true qi in his body into Boundless true qi. Like its name, it really did seem boundless. He finally witnessed the gateway leading to Foundation Establishment.
His mind was unshackled, and his true qi was full. Finally, he took out ten True Spirit pills and placed them in a row.
All rivers converge to the ocean! Li Qingshan bellowed inside.
His eight extraordinary meridians and twelve standard meridians were like rivers that true qi constantly lingered in. Suddenly, it all began to flow into his sea of qi, kicking up turbulent waves in his sea of qi. It actually felt like it had gone beyond his control.
The Boundless true qi cultivated from the Arts of the Boundless Ocean was extremely powerful, but at a time like this, it had instead become a cultivator’s greatest test. If he were unable to control the turbulent true qi, the true qi would burst through the dantian and destroy the cultivator.
The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
The spirit turtle’s daemon core glowed brightly, flattening the frenzied sea of qi instantly.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan began to ingest the first True Spirit pill. As soon as it reached his belly, it turned into a strange, flexible aura.
It was like a droplet of divine water landing within the sea of qi before pervading instantly and leading to startling changes. The true qi thickened and became sticky.
If he were a cultivator who had remained at the tenth layer for a very long time like Hua Chengzan or Han Tieyi, just a single True Spirit pill would have sufficed. However, Li Qingshan had cultivated for too brief of a period. He had not accumulated and consolidated his true qi enough, and the Boundless true qi was simply too powerful. As soon as the effects of the True Spirit pill began to kick in, they began to disperse.
Li Qingshan halted and immediately consumed a second True Spirit pill to ensure that the effects would linger. Since he was unable to use the regular method, he would use the most forceful method to overcome this obstacle.
Just like that, he ingested nine True Spirit pills consecutively.
Not a single strand of true qi flowed through his dantian anymore, as all of the true qi had frozen into ice. The sea of qi had become a sea of ice.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. He stowed the final True Spirit pill away. It was already time.
Cracks appeared on the sea of ice before it shattered loudly. An aura much purer and much more refined rushed up; it ignored the existence of the meridians and went straight into Li Qingshan’s mind.
In that instant, everything was clear. His mind was transparent.
Li Qingshan understood that he had finally opened up a sea of consciousness, which was also known as a violet palace, lingtian, or spiritual field. From now onwards, he would be able to use soul sense. He would be able to sense and control the spiritual qi of the world as a human. However, this feeling was not unfamiliar to Li Qingshan at all.
Normally, the heavenly tribulation would descend right now.
A fierce gust of wind arrived, making the reeds bend over. The water rippled endlessly.
Li Qingshan looked around, but sure enough, a second heavenly tribulation did not descend. He could fool humans and daemons, but he was unable to fool the heavens. The number of tribulations of the heavens were no more and no less, treating all as equals. Since Li Qingshan had already gone through it, it would not descend again.
Ever since the war between humans and daemons unfolded, the academy would hold routine meetings between the school leaders. The person who hosted them was no longer Liu Zhangqing anymore, but Wei Yangsheng, who had also reached Foundation Establishment. Liu Zhangqing had not fallen in battle, instead devoting his efforts to doing a better job as the prefect.
The school leaders had been replaced by many new faces. Among those three years, many original primary disciples had taken the most important step in their lives, reaching Foundation Establishment. Reaching Foundation Establishment was anything but easy, but since they could become primary disciples, they were talented. As long as they did not suffer from any particularly large mental shackles and spent sufficient time, they would all be able to take this step sooner or later.
The leaders of the schools of Legalism and the Military had become Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi. Wang Pushi and Han Anjun now focused on the matters of the Hawkwolf Guard and the military.
“School leader Liu, I’ve heard that Qingshan has already emerged from secluded cultivation, so why didn’t he come with you?” Wei Yangsheng frowned and asked before the meeting. The primary disciples would listen along in the meetings too. Sitting behind Wei Yangsheng was Chu Tian.
“Qingshan said he wanted to break through to Foundation Establishment…” Before Liu Chuanfeng could even finish, Chu Tian sneered. “Don’t tell me he’s gone into hiding again!”
Primary disciples originally had no authority to speak arbitrarily, but Chu Tian had reached the highest realm of Qi Practitioner, the tenth layer, and he had made quite a name for himself during the three years. With the power of the Palm of the Five Elements, he had slayed many daemons. Even when he came across regular Daemon Generals, he would be able to escape easily. He would definitely become a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator in the future, and they all knew about his pettiness, so no one wanted to offend him.
Moreover, Chu Tian had spoken the minds of many people present. All of them knew that safety was no longer a concept that existed for Qi Practitioners in this day and age. Who hadn’t emerged from these circumstances? Why are you allowed to cultivate in peace while others risk their lives in battle?
“Can you really call breaking through the ninth and tenth layers in three years running away?” Liu Chuanfeng rebuked with a flushed face.
“Chu Tian, shut your mouth.” Wei Yangsheng silenced Chu Tian, but he asked instead, “School leader Liu, Qingshan has only just broken through to the tenth layer recently! Now he’s making preparations for Foundation Establishment. How long will that take? Don’t tell me it’s another few years? Could you perhaps convince him that cultivation isn’t all about seclusion? The academy just happens to be in need of manpower. If he acts like this, it won’t be a good influence. Regular disciples all have an issue with this.”
“What a pair of fleeing lovers,” said a chubby, middle-aged man in silken clothes sarcastically from a corner. It was not just regular disciples who had an issue with this. The leader of the school of Miscellany, Gou Dai, had an issue with it too. The school of Miscellany was similar to the school of Novels. It was also a lower school of thought, unskilled with battle. They never had a lot of disciples in the first place, and they had lost quite a few during the chaos of war.
Moreover, the primary disciple that he had high hopes for died at the hands of daemons last year. He was forced to stand with a group of juniors from the past, which he struggled to accept. He was infuriated the moment he heard Li Qingshan’s name. If his disciple was in secluded cultivation too, how would he have died?
Han Qiongzhi left, and Li Qingshan remained in secluded cultivation. They earned themselves the nickname of “fleeing lovers” within the academy.
“Please don’t insult him, senior,” Han Tieyi raised a straight eyebrow of his and said coldly.
“That’s how all the disciples in the academy refer to them! You’re welcome to kill all the disciples for this, school leader Han!” Gou Dai continued to fume, but his voice did grow a lot softer.
“Qingshan has his plans. If the academy can gain another Foundation Establishment cultivator, that’ll be far better than a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. Let’s continue discussing our future strategy instead!” Hua Chengzan stood up to mediate the bickering.
“That’s not necessarily true. Why don’t we look at who has killed more daemons instead?” Chu Tian was peeved off by that.
The other primary disciples refused to accept this too. They had all spent a much longer time in the academy than Li Qingshan, so why was he supposed to receive special treatment?
Just when Hua Chengzan was about to defend Li Qingshan, a tremendous aura shot over swiftly from afar. It was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The room fell silent. Had an original school leader returned? However, the aura did not resemble any one of them.
It had arrived so quickly!
As they pondered, the aura descended from above, and the door was flung open. Li Qingshan strode in and looked around, arriving in the corner and sitting down behind Liu Chuanfeng.
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Chapter 421 – Seeing the Black Ox Again, Waiting a Thousand Days
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Chapter 421 – Seeing the Black Ox Again, Waiting a Thousand Days
Everyone was stunned. Liu Chuanfeng twisted himself around. His mouth opened, but he faltered.
Hua Chengzan’s eyes shone brilliantly. “He actually succeeded!” From meeting him the first time till now, not even a decade had passed. He had gone from being a worthless member of the jianghu to a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could preside over an entire region.
And, he had accomplished this without any clan or background. Those so-called geniuses were nothing special at all before him. Gu Yanying’s special instructions truly seemed insightful now.
The leader of the school of Miscellany, Gou Dai, widened his eyes. He was unable to say anything at all, as the aura Li Qingshan gave off was actually slightly more powerful than his. He did not seem like he had just succeeded with Foundation Establishment at all.
The Arts of the Boundless Ocean definitely played a role, but Li Qingshan’s startling talent after reaching the third layer of the spirit turtle was even more important. After reaching Foundation Establishment, cultivators did not judge each other’s auras on the strength of their spiritual energy alone. They placed great focus on their connection with the spiritual qi of the world too.
Just by sitting there on his knees, Li Qingshan’s aura was like the waves of the ocean, endless and connected with the world, becoming one with nature. All the other Foundation Establishment cultivators present who had broken through recently felt slightly pressured before him.
“Why are you all staring at me? Keep going. I want to listen in too.” Li Qingshan smiled. He was not like regular Foundation Establishment cultivators who ravished in joy after breaking through. He had already experienced this extraordinary power when he broke through to Daemon General.
He had only come to understand the situation so that he could decide where he could start.
“Qingshan, you actually!” Liu Chuanfeng lunged over and grabbed Li Qingshan by the shoulders. He was elated, even happier than Li Qingshan himself.
“Qingshan, that’s fantastic. That way, our academy will possess another Foundation Establishment cultivator!” Wei Yangsheng smiled. However, Chu Tian behind him clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He, a blessed prodigy, had actually lost to a country bumpkin in terms of cultivation speed. However, no matter how arrogant he was, he still understood the difference that existed between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Practitioners. He was not bold enough to openly provoke him.
The other school leaders all gathered over to congratulate him. Gou Dai forced out a smile on his round face too, discussing the matters of the past with great affection with him.
Only the leader of the school of Buddhism, Mind Enlightenment, furrowed his brows and remained where he was. He had just dismissed Xiao An as the primary disciple of the school of Buddhism, and everyone in the academy knew how close Li Qingshan and Xiao An were. He was afraid he had already offended Li Qingshan deeply.
“Senior brother Mind Enlightenment, you’ve emerged too.” Li Qingshan took the initiative instead.
“Yeah. Congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment, junior brother.” Mind Enlightenment brought his palms together and bowed.
“From today onwards, Xiao An is no longer a member of the school of Buddhism. She’ll be with me instead, so she won’t be accepting any pills from the school of Buddhism anymore. I do believe she’ll definitely avenge the One Thought master. I’m sorry for your loss, senior brother.” Li Qingshan had heard about the One Thought master’s fate from Xiao An. Xiao An never mentioned anything about what she would do, but he had already made up his mind.
In the past, the One Thought master had taken great care of Xiao An. All the pills she obtained ended up in his belly too. Li Qingshan was not exactly saddened by the One Thought master’s death, but he had to keep clear accounts of the kindness he received. He had to maintain a clear conscience.
“Amitābha,” Mind Enlightment said before lowering his head and falling silent.
Leaving the Academy of the Hundred Schools was not so easy. Li Qingshan only possessed the right to say something like that with his current cultivation. The other school leaders would not object either. Moreover, Xiao An had already been accepted by the Annihilum Light Chan Master of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga as a disciple. This identity of hers completely surpassed her identity as a disciple of the school of Buddhism.
Li Qingshan’s gaze landed on an empty seat. That originally belonged to the leader of the school of Medicine. The primary disciple of the school of Medicine was missing as well.
Hua Chengzan said, “Ru Xin’s already succeeded with Foundation Establishment too. She’s now the leader of the school of Medicine, but she spends most of her time outside, healing the sick. She rarely attends these meetings.”
Li Qingshan nodded. “Senior brother Wei, could you explain the current circumstances to me?”
It was getting late, so the meeting ended. The news of Li Qingshan’s breakthrough to Foundation Establishment shook up the entire academy, but the person that the news revolved around, Li Qingshan, turned down any celebratory banquets and left the academy with Xiao An, arriving in a desolate valley.
The moonlight was hazy, and the plants were verdant.
Li Qingshan’s eyes shone. He felt slightly excited and very eager inside. Foundation Establishment had never meant much to him, but what it represented was something extraordinary.
He calmed himself down and found a cavern before sealing off the surroundings with a few formation scrolls. Only then did he fish out a ring from his clothes. It was the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring.
Li Qingshan took in a deep breath and held the sumeru ring firmly. Just what had the black ox left for him inside? Was it an ultimate treasure? Some ultimate pill? Or perhaps it was only a joke, just a way to encourage him?
Lifting up the ring, Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s hands merged together. Under Xiao An’s gaze, Li Qingshan slowly slid the ring onto his finger.
Afterwards, he closed his eyes and channeled spiritual energy into it. The ring gradually began to glow, lighting up the dark cave. Li Qingshan’s heart shuddered. This was the first time he had experienced something like this.
Then, Li Qingshan released his soul sense, sending it deep into the sumeru ring. However, he was stopped by an energy, preventing him from venturing any deeper. A huge, golden dragon coiled firmly in his boundless sea of consciousness.
This was a form of will the Soaring Dragon Elder had left behind. Only by erasing it could he truly make the sumeru ring his.
Li Qingshan smiled. He could finally see the gate. Now, all he had to do was barge through that gate. He immediately mobilised his soul sense to attack the golden dragon. With that, the golden dragon jerked awake, emitting a lengthy roar. It seemed to kick up a fierce gust of wind, making his entire sea of consciousness tremor.
The soul sense Li Qingshan had released was basically torn to shreds instantly. He felt his head grow light as the world spun around him. He had never expected a will left behind by the Soaring Dragon Elder who had been dead for all these years to still possess so much power.
To Foundation Establishment cultivators, the sea of consciousness was even more important than their sea of qi. If the sea of qi were destroyed, they had a chance at cultivating it again, but if their sea of consciousness shattered, even the best outcome was being reduced to an imbecile.
Li Qingshan was not completely unprepared. He bellowed out inside, The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
A turtle’s shell no different from his daemon core appeared in his sea of consciousness. In the beginning, it was only the size of a grain of rice, but as it absorbed the shattered soul sense, it rapidly strengthened. Before long, a huge turtle shell hovered in the sea of consciousness, forcefully suppressing all the chaos.
Li Qingshan eased up, and his mind cleared. Afterwards, he immediately sent the spirit turtle hurtling towards the golden dragon.
Boom! There was a thunderous rumble in his mind, and he experienced a splitting headache.
Only after a very long time did the rumbling stop. Li Qingshan had already withdrawn his soul sense, and he discovered that the spirit turtle had already shrunk, while the golden dragon had grown slightly dimmer too. Fortunately, the will the Soaring Dragon Elder left behind only attacked reactively and not proactively, giving him sufficient time to catch his breath. It also reminded him to be constantly cautious about this aspect when he fought other people.
Practising the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, his spiritual energy was powerful and his body was tough, but there were no improvements in his soul sense. It was said that only the cultivation methods of mohism focused on this aspect, as it could improve their control over many more powerful puppets.
However, perhaps due to practising the three supernatural abilities of the ox demon, tiger demon, and spirit turtle, Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness had been extremely powerful the moment he opened it. He recovered rather quickly too. When the spirit turtle returned to its original size, Li Qingshan sent it towards the golden dragon again.
Boom! There was another rumble. He repeated this again and again. After who knew how many times, the golden dragon had already become extremely dim, as well as less than a tenth of its original size.
However, through the constant depletion and recovery, the spirit turtle had instead grown slightly larger. Mustering up all his strength, the spirit turtle smashed down, and the golden dragon let out another roar, but it was so feeble that it sounded more like a wail before death. Unable to bear the burden anymore, the dragon twisted.
The sumeru ring flashed, and the obstacle that blocked Li Qingshan finally vanished. He let out a sigh of relief, about to open up the sumeru ring and look for what the black ox had left behind.
A man with a pair of horns appeared out of nowhere with his back towards him, seated on the spirit turtle. Li Qingshan had only seen this figure once, but it was deeply embedded in his mind. It was even loftier than mountains.
Li Qingshan cried out, “Brother ox!”
“You’re finally here.” The black ox’s voice seemed to boom out like a bell, enough to cause avalanches. It resounded through his entire sea of consciousness, but it caused Li Qingshan no discomfort at all.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding away and secretly spying on me the entire time!” Li Qingshan had absolutely no doubt that the black ox possessed a repulsive habit like that. After all, he had spent a dozen or so years like that, playing himself off as a normal ox.
“Kid, don’t get too ahead of yourself. This is just a part of my soul sense that I left behind. Why would I care about what you do? A decade for you is as brief as a day for me.”
“Then why’d you leave in such a hurry? Why didn’t you spend a day or two longer with me? That way, I can continue to listen to your teachings too. If I ended up being finished off by someone, that day of yours would be wasted.”
Originally, Li Qingshan thought the black ox would say, I have plenty of time. Even without Li Qingshan, I have a Zhang Qingshan and a Wang Qingshan.
However, the black ox said instead, “Then I’ll have to find you again in saṃsāra and spend another day. Don’t doubt yourself. No matter who tells you you’re of absolutely no importance or significance, you can just treat them like they’re talking out of their ass.”
“Then can you tell me why you chose me?” Li Qingshan wondered. Was it because he possessed some kind of impressive talent? Or because he was just some reincarnation of someone powerful, which the black ox wanted good graces with?
“That’s because I believe you, even though you’re just a regular old kid with a bit of innate knowledge.”
At this moment, the black ox’s figure flickered. “I’m going to go. Keep advancing forward, kid. Don’t make me find you in saṃsāra. That takes a lot of time, y’know. I don’t have too much time. I hope this won’t be the last time we meet.” As he said that, the black ox’s figure gradually faded away.
Li Qingshan shuddered inside. “Then how long do I have?”
“Around a thousand days.”
Li Qingshan was relieved. “Then just wait in peace! I might just be a regular old kid, but I’m not that useless.” If I can’t even achieve something with ten thousand years of cultivation, I’ll kill myself, alright? “Oh right, what about the thing you left for me?”
“Isn’t it in your heart already?”
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Chapter 422 – Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, Phoenix’s Nirvāṇa
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Chapter 422 – Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, Phoenix’s Nirvāṇa
“Oi, don’t you even think about slipping away just because you’re acting all profound!” Li Qingshan was taken aback. He extended his hand over, but it passed straight through the black ox’s body.
The black ox extended a finger backwards to his forehead before vanishing like a dream with resonant laughter.
Li Qimgshan immediately felt like something had appeared in his sea of consciousness, but he was unable to think too much about it. The moment the black ox turned around, he saw many wounds crisscrossing viciously across the black ox’s chest.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan understood why he did not turn around. He could not help but become dazed. Even right now, the black ox’s power was unfathomable to him, yet who was able to cause him such severe wounds? And, just who was responsible for his broken horn?
Why don’t you tell me anything? That’s because even if you tell me, it’s useless!
Xiao An held Li Qingshan’s hand and asked about what had happened in concern.
Li Qingshan raised his head. His gaze seemed to pierce the rock and soil, the mist and haze, the wispy clouds and the sky, reaching beyond the Nine Heavens. Only after a very long time did he lower his head again. He smiled. “Looks like we need to hurry up. I just saw brother ox again. It seems like he needs us.”
Beyond the Nine Heavens suddenly ceased to be an empty promise, as the person who gave him everything and believed the regular him was not just an insignificant figure was currently awaiting his assistance
“I’ll accompany you.” Xiao An said seriously.
“Of course.” Li Qingshan withdrew his soul sense, returning to his sea of consciousness. He discovered that a few, dark figures had appeared in the boundless darkness.
Was this what brother ox had left to him?
The soul sense that condensed into a spirit turtle dispersed and reverted into Li Qingshan’s original appearance, completely naked. He moved through the sea of consciousness and arrived between the dark figures. Counting carefully, there were a total of eight dark figures. They seemed like the silhouettes of various animals.
Li Qingshan was most familiar with one of them. Was that not an ox?
Li Qingshan extended his hand. As soon as he touched the silhouette, the silhouette immediately lit up. An ox demon stood with an indomitable spirit, its back arched like a lofty mountain. It stood with vigorous spirit, as if it radiated with great might endlessly.
Li Qingshan was even more familiar with the information that emerged from it. Was this not the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength?
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. That also meant that the eight silhouettes were eight supernatural abilities and cultivation methods. He found the tiger and turtle before long, but he felt like something was missing. No, it was not eight. It should have been nine. This feeling was completely groundless, yet it was also so strong.
The ox suddenly spoke, “That’s right. The name of this supernatural ability is the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine. It’s the work of my entire life. Kid, how much you can comprehend and how many transformations you can achieve will be up to you.”
“Brother ox, you still haven’t left!” Li Qingshan beamed, but the ox fell silent, like it was dead. He understood now. This was the final message the black ox had left behind when he sealed the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine into his sea of consciousness.
However, he never explained why it was called the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, or why there were only eight transformations here? However, Li Qingshan no longer cared about that. He scanned past the eight silhouettes around him, filled with shock inside.
He finally understood why he always felt like the supernatural ability the black ox had taught him was nowhere near as wondrous as the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. As it turned out, he had not even properly cultivated the first transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, the Ox Demon Transformation. If he succeeded in cultivating all nine transformations, then what would Fu Qingjin be? What would the Sword Collection palace be? He would definitely be heading to beyond the Nine Heavens, while the nine provinces in this world would not be able to contain his existence.
Brother ox had truly left behind something impressive to him.
Li Qingshan calmed down and devoted his focus to the Ox Demon Transformation. The profound truths it contained were much more complex and far-reaching than what the black ox had originally explained to him. Back then, he had only given him a rough explanation of it all because he was limited in his ability to understand, barely enough for him to make progress and cultivate.
Only when he comprehended it carefully right now did he feel enlightened. In particular, the aura that the ox demon figure radiated with was his best teacher. As he comprehended the cultivation method, he subconsciously replicated the ox demon’s movements.
From Xiao An’s perspective, Li Qingshan’s flesh seemed to fluctuate like waves, trembling strangely and giving off a startling aura.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan felt slightly perplexed. As his comprehension of the ox demon gradually deepened, he did not sense endless strength or great freedom to do whatever he wished, but deep sombreness and helplessness.
A mantra suddenly appeared in his mind. “The Ox Demon, with its Great Strength, Sinks in the Mud.”
Li Qingshan looked at the ox demon figure again, and it no longer seemed the same. It was the same ox demon, standing with an indomitable spirit and endless strength, stuck and sinking in the mud. Its strength was boundless, but it was unable to use it; it was all for nothing, like a hero at his end in front of a lamenting hegemon.
TL: The lamenting hegemon is a reference to Xiang Yu, the hegemon-king of Western Chu in Chinese history, over how Xiang Yu laments over the death of his lover, consort Yu. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiang_Yu#Song_of_Gaixia)
Li Qingshan shook his head before touching the tiger-like silhouette that flapped its wings to his right. A roaring tiger seemed to leap out from the darkness, radiating with surging malice and murderousness. It took Li Qingshan by surprise before he beamed with delight.
This was the second transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, the Tiger Demon Transformation. It was battle hungry and murderous, wanting to destroy the world. Even the battle intent and killing intent that belonged to Strongboulder, known as a Rock of Slaughter, seemed like child’s play before the tiger demon.
Li Qingshan immediately realised that the Tiger Demon Transformation brother ox had taught him was even less complete. Certain important components had basically been purposefully omitted. The tiger demon was a demon of slaughter, so its power should have been greater.
However, when Li Qingshan focused and comprehended it, the frenzied killing intent immediately dominated his mind. He actually felt the urge to kill everything in the world. A mantra also appeared all of a sudden. “The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones, with a Frenzied Heart.”
Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression in a hurry to suppress this sudden murderousness. He had abruptly become drenched in cold sweat. He knew if brother ox had taught him the original version right from the beginning, he would have already become a bloodthirsty madman.
Looking at the tiger demon figure, it was a whole different sight again. Its tiger eyes were filled with blood-red killing intent, frenzied and insane.
Li Qingshan frowned slightly. Since it was called the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, and these two belonged to the demonic path, the spirit turtle should have been divine. He casually pressed his hand against the spirit turtle’s silhouette.
The spirit turtle appeared and multicoloured light unfolded resplendently. The rising and falling back was layered with criss-crossing inscriptions, constantly manifesting the good and the ill. Its aura was completely different from the tiger demon and ox demon’s, sacred and noble, sagacious and peaceful. Even though it was also a beast, it could not be labelled as a daemon, much less a demon. Instead, it was a god that had transcended mortality.
Li Qingshan comprehended its will and immediately felt like his heart had emptied out, purged of all desires. Instead of devoting all his strength to constantly fighting others, he would be better off sitting and observing the aura of the world, the fluctuations in fate.
“Qingshan! Qingshan!”
When Li Qingshan comprehended the Ox Demon Transformation and became sombre, Xiao An was not worried. When Li Qingshan comprehended the Tiger Demon Transformation and radiated with murderousness, Xiao An only became slightly concerned. But when Li Qingshan’s expression became serene and tranquil, peaceful yet distant, Xiao An’s expression changed drastically. She went up to shake his shoulders, calling him by his name.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. His pupils were as calm as stillwater, having lost some emotions and desire. It was a chilling sight. Only when he saw Xiao An clearly did some of his intense feelings return, like a few buckets of dye had been thrown into a clear pool of water.
Li Qingshan scratched his head. He shook his head with a bitter smile. Originally, he had thought the Spirit Turtle Transformation was a little safer, so he lowered his guard, but never did he expect that gods were even better at harming people than demons.
He suddenly understood. Over all these years, even though the spirit turtle suppressed the ox demon and tiger demon, there was still an endless demonic nature that could not be washed away. If he only practised the Spirit Turtle Transformation, his character would definitely change drastically. He would become a proper cultivator who purged his minds of desires.
Exactly because of the conflict between the demonic and the divine, he could maintain the human nature within him, such that he was still that Li Qingshan.
The third mantra appeared in his mind too. It was an auspicious one for once. “The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas, Foreboding Fate.”
Li Qingshan felt like he had benefited tremendously from the complete cultivation methods of the three transformations. If he could spend some time and comprehend them carefully, his strength would definitely climb even higher.
The Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine was not like regular cultivation methods. He could focus on a single one, or alternate between them. Each transformation was independent to one another, yet also closely linked.
A thought crossed Li Qingshan’s head. In other words, should I learn a fourth transformation? Since brother ox’s chosen to give me the cultivation method at a time like this, it should be fine.
Li Qingshan raised his hand before lowering it again. The fourth transformation had to be a divine transformation. If he accidentally chose a demonic transformation, the Spirit Turtle Transformation would not be able to keep his daemon qi suppressed, and his mind might suffer from irreversible effects.
He contemplated the five remaining figures for a while. Li Qingshan’s gaze landed on the figure above the spirit turtle. According to the order, that should have come after the Spirit Turtle Transformation.
The dark figure was a huge bird that flew in the air, flapping its wings with a long tail dragging behind. Its posture was graceful, such that even though it was just a dark silhouette, the feeling it gave off was magnificent and glorious.
Li Qingshan no longer hesitated. His hand landed on it, and a clear cry rang through his sea of consciousness, resounding and grandiose, graceful and mild.
Li Qingshan had heard countless musical instruments and countless songs before, but none of it could compare with the cry. It was like a magnificent symphony, condensing into the most beautiful musical notes.
A phoenix!
Li Qingshan stared at the soaring phoenix for a very long time. It was so magnificent and noble that it seemed like a flowing ball of fire.
The phoenix was the chief of birds, the king of avians. Even regular people were very familiar with this divine bird. It was rumored to possess the five virtues, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trustworthiness, and it was of noble and pure character. It did not perch unless it was a wutong tree, and it did not drink unless it was morning dew.
TL: Wutong trees (Chinese parasol trees) are known as the favoured resting places of phoenixes in Chinese mythology.
And, whenever it died, it would blaze with fire before undergoing a rebirth in flames, obtaining an even more beautiful body and greater life force. It was known as a “phoenix’s nirvāṇa”, cycling again and again and obtaining eternal life.
Spirit turtles possessed longevity, but there would still be a time when they met their end. However, phoenixes were truly undying birds.
The phoenix circled around slowly and landed on Li Qingshan’s shoulder. Only then did Li Qingshan discover that its darkness had already vanished. Perhaps it was because he had already made a decision!
The phoenix used its vermillion beak to peck him gently and tremendous amounts of information flowed into his head. Li Qingshan obtained the cultivation method of the fourth supernatural ability, the Phoenix Transformation. It was known as the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa.
PS: The planning’s basically done, enough for a hundred thousand or so characters. Any holes are guaranteed to be filled. It’ll be fascinating enough. However, I’m going to put in some painstaking effort this time and come up with a plan of a million or so characters, just in case you say I don’t have any moral integrity.
Finally, congratulations to Alliance Head “A Soft Yes”, heh, albeit a late thank you.
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Chapter 423 – The Soaring Dragon Emerges, the Heavenly Secrets Change
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Chapter 423 – The Soaring Dragon Emerges, the Heavenly Secrets Change
Li Qingshan caressed the phoenix feathers. The phoenix was not particularly large, only around one and a half meters tall. Its long tail feathers draped down elegantly, filled with indescribable dignity and nobility.
The Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa entered Li Qingshan’s head. At the same time, he comprehended its spirit, the phoenix’s dignity and its noble, pure heart. It was different from the spirit turtle’s clear, reflective mental state, more like a virtuous sage of the past.
The arrival of the phoenix ushered peace.
As a result, Li Qingshan obtained the fourth mantra—The Phoenix Undergoes Nirvāṇa Rebirth, with an Undying Heart.
Daoism possessed techniques of praying and aversion, which were split into two streams of thought. Those who prayed prayed for blessings and those who averted averted disasters, which had to do with the dispelling and elimination of disasters. The phoenix possessed the power of nirvāṇa, or rebirth, possessing an undying heart. Even in the face of life-threatening danger, it was fearless, let alone mere disasters.
As Li Qingshan was touched by the mantra, he could not help but sigh over how the mantras for the ox demon and tiger demon both sounded like depressing curses, while the mantras for the spirit turtle and phoenix were pleasant blessings. Brother ox, who created these supernatural abilities, was still a demonic daemon after all!
And, these eight supernatural abilities corresponded to four gods and four demons, so what would the final one belong to?
Dismissing his various doubts, Li Qingshan settled down to comprehend the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, but he opened his eyes again before long. Sure enough, it was not that simple.
The spirit turtle lorded over water, and Li Qingshan’s cultivation was completely oriented towards water. Yet, the phoenix happened to lord over fire. As the spirit turtle sunk into the deep sea, the phoenix danced in the nine heavens. One was peaceful, while the other was vigorous. Their natures were complete opposites.
The concept of a balance between fire and water, the unity of movement and peace, was nothing rare in the cultivation world. However, that was only for regular cultivators. The special nature that these two divine beasts possessed was extremely pure. He would basically be dreaming if he wanted to make them exist in harmony.
After cultivating for a few hours, Li Qingshan gave up temporarily. The wilderness was not a place to cultivate. He would be better off finishing what he needed to do and returning to the academy!
Li Qingshan’s thoughts became directed at the sumeru ring again. His eyes gradually lit up, shining brightly.
The ring contained all of the Soaring Dragon Elder’s possessions. The various spiritual artifacts, no, arcane artifacts, pills, spiritual stones, and talismans must have reached a startling sum. Even to him right now, it was still an astronomical piece of wealth.
Just the pills inside were probably more than enough for him to increase his cultivation by a single layer, let alone everything else.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An exchanged glances. Li Qingshan channeled his spiritual energy and extended his soul sense into the ring. The sumeru ring swung open, and an unbelievably large space appeared. There was too much to see inside, where everything glowed or flickered. Before Li Qingshan could even properly see what was in there, a golden streak of light shot towards him.
The Soaring Dragon sword!
Li Qingshan had an extremely deep impression of this sword. The blade of the sword was like a dragon’s body, while the hit was like a dragon’s head. It was covered in golden scales, glistening brightly. It seemed like a living dragon.
And now, the sword actually sprang alive, flying out of the sumeru ring and shooting towards Li Qingshan. It was like a golden bolt of lightning, wanting to avenge its master. The sword thrummed like a dragon’s roar.
Everything happened right in his face, such that even Li Qigshan was rather flustered. Xiao An was a few steps away, which made it even less possible for her to assist him.
Clang!
At that critical moment, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell rose up and blocked the Soaring Dragon sword. Before Li Qingshan could even let out a sigh of relief, he saw the Soaring Dragon sword bounce off and take off into the sky like a startled dragon.
“Capture it! It wants to run!” Li Qingshan called out and leapt up, but he was still a beat slower than the Soaring Dragon sword. It was just about to penetrate through the formation and the cavern.
All of this had happened in a single instant. The Soaring Dragon sword was like a supreme swordsman, throwing its life on the line to launch an assassination attempt before taking off upon failure. Li Qingshan had never expected a sword to be so intelligent. It was inconceivable.
Clang! A bone sword appeared and sent the Soaring Dragon sword flying. The Soaring Dragon sword circled around a few times before fleeing in a different direction. Twelve Skull Prayer Beads scattered and surrounded it, trapping the Soaring Dragon sword.
The Soaring Dragon sword exploded with light, and its dragon’s roar became even louder. With a series of clings and clangs, it shook away the Skull Prayer Beads, but it immediately became drastically slower. As it turned out, the twelve Skull Prayer Beads had turned into twelve thumb-sized Skull Demons, clinging onto the sword desperately.
The Skull Demons possessed startling physical strength, enough to rip apart rock, even surpassing regular Daemon Generals. However, the Soaring Dragon sword actually managed to continue flying about, squirming around in the cave like a golden snake. Whenever it was stopped by Xiao An, it seemed to grow even more frantic. This continued until a huge hand grabbed the hilt firmly, unleashing the Tremors of the Ox Demon and the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas.
The Soaring Dragon sword let out a long cry before being sent back into the sumeru ring and sealed up.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief, but he suddenly felt uneasy inside.
A lone mountain pierced the clouds, like a single island within the sea of clouds. Below, it was not connected with the ground in any shape or form. It just hovered there, alone and aloof.
This was the Sword Collection palace’s renowned Sword Collection peak. Its cliffs and precipices were covered in swords, either covered in rust or entangled by vines. They all seemed to be nothing special at all. The mountain had hidden away their edge, making them wait quietly for their next master.
Because swords would be pulled out, there were many sheathe-like grooves among the swords. The moment the Soaring Dragon sword emerged from the sumeru ring, the Sword Collection peak sensed it, and one of the grooves suddenly erupted with light, dispersing the clouds. It was like a mother calling for her travelling child’s return.
Every single sword would automatically return to the Sword Collection peak after its master died. However, even when the light had subsided, the Soaring Dragon sword still had not returned. It shook up the entire Sword Collection palace.
On the main peak of the Sword Collection palace, in the Heaven Reliant palace, a middle-aged man swung his hand. “Invite over the Divining Elder.”
The middle-aged man’s appearance was simple and refined, with his hair flowing freely. Before him was a map that covered all nine provinces. He drew an invisible line on the map with his gaze. Upon closer inspection, this coincided perfectly with the direction and angle from the streak of light that the Sword Collection peak had emitted.
With a few coughs, an old man with white hair dressed in white stepped into the palace as he leaned against a strangely-shaped sword. He seemed to be tottering about, where just a gust of wind could blow him over, but every single step he stood was extremely steady.
“Greetings, palace master.”
The middle-aged man frowned slightly at the sight of the Divining Elder, as just a few years ago, the Divining Elder had not been reduced to this. In order to find the Soaring Dragon Elder’s murderer, he mobilised the heavenly secrets, but he happened to touch on something and suffered from a backlash of the heavenly secrets. Within a single night, all his hair turned white, and he fell unconscious for seven days and nights. When he woke up, he only said a single thing quietly to the middle-aged man,
“No matter what it is, it’s not something that anyone in this world can deal with. I’d advise the palace master to drop this matter for now. There may be a favourable turn in the situation in the future.”
“Has there been a favourable turn?” asked the middle-aged man.
Clang! The Divining Elder drew the Sword of Divination, and his aura changed drastically. His eyes became as deep as the sea, and the Sword of Divination split into black and white along the ridge. A eight trigrams diagram circulated rapidly near the edge as the black and white blended together into chaos.
A while later, the Sword of Divination flew up, and the tip of the sword landed firmly on the map, landing on the line that the middle-aged man had drawn mentally. His eyes suddenly lit up, and the entire palace seemed to dim.
“Still the Clear River prefecture?”
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Chapter 424 – An Acquaintance Unchanged
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Chapter 424 – An Acquaintance Unchanged
Around noon, Fu Qingjin landed among the remote mountains. The grass grew vibrantly in the surroundings, dyed golden by the sunlight. They waved in the autumn wind, rustling quietly.
Fu Qingjin was more alert than ever. The Soaring Dragon sword had appeared here. In the message, the Divining Elder had been so stern that he dared not be careless, not even in the slightest.
Very soon, he sensed the abnormal activity of the spiritual qi of the world there. Fu Qingjin found a cave. The cave was not very deep, such that he reached the end very soon. There was nothing in there anymore, but he could sense someone had cast down formations here.
A streak of golden light fell from the ceiling, landing in Fu Qingjin’s eyes. Through the crack, he could see the sky outside.
That’s right. It had to be here. The Soaring Dragon sword had not managed to escape, but the sword qi had already pierced the sky.
Fu Qingjin closed his eyes. As the sun shifted overhead, the streak of sunlight vanished before long.
Fu Qingjin snapped his eyes open. First of all, the person was not particularly powerful, below the second heavenly tribulation at the very least. Otherwise, he would have been able to suppress the Soaring Dragon sword before it could emit sword qi. Second of all, the person should have been a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Daemon Generals could not open sumeru rings. Moreover, he should have been rather powerful, as stopping the Soaring Dragon sword was anything but easy.
Only one question remained. Did this person obtain the sumeru ring through a coincidence, or was he connected to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death?
There were approximately a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Clear River prefecture. All he had to do was investigate where they were when the Soaring Dragon sword emerged. Then, he could use a process of elimination, and he would definitely be able to find some clues.
There were no absolute hermits among cultivators. Human life was limited and people could be found no matter where they hid, especially with Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Fu Qingjin made his way out of the cave as his eyes flickered with cold light. He had to retrieve the sumeru ring and the Soaring Dragon sword no matter what!
Near the shore of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes, within the ripping reeds, Xiao An opened her hand, and the sumeru ring flashed. She thought about something before tossing the sumeru ring into her mouth and swallowing it with a gulp.
“Is it just you?” At this moment, Qian Rongzhi arrived by striding on the water, looking around.
Xiao An nodded.
“Did he tell you to come find me?”
Xiao An nodded again.
“What’s the matter?” Qian Rongzhi was very confused.
“Gathering corpses.” Xiao An finally spoke. She took out a pile of spiritual stones. “Here’s the remuneration. Don’t let a lot of people find out about this.”
“Why?” Qian Rongzhi crouched down and propped up her cheeks.
Xiao An stopped talking. She thought back to the cave when she parted with Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan had said, “Xiao An, looks like we can’t open this sumeru ring without proper preparation in the near future. I felt that something was amiss earlier. The Sword Collection palace might have discovered our location already from that moment just then.”
“From now onwards, we’ll split up. I’ll go find Ru Xin so that she can refine pills for me, while you… you’ll go find Qian Rongzhi and get her to gather corpses for you so that you can continue forging Skull Prayer Beads. Didn’t you say forging eighteen of them will allow you to cast formations? I think it’ll be up to you to kill Bloodshadow.”
Killing either Strongboulder or Bloodshadow required enough strength to make the battle completely one-sided. Otherwise, once he failed, he would not be able to remain among the daemons anymore. Strongboulder was impregnable, while Bloodshadow was as fast as lightning. Both of them were tough bones to chew. If he wanted to guarantee their deaths, he had to possess strength that completely overwhelmed them.
Among all the people that Li Qingshan knew, basically all of them were more trustworthy than Qian Rongzhi. However, there was no one more suitable for this than her. Only a person as meticulous and secretive as her could guarantee complete secrecy when handling this matter. Even Li Qingshan paled in comparison to her in this regard.
However, her nature of constantly acting in her own interests had instead become a safeguard at a time like this. Although Li Qingshan did not necessarily like this nature of her, their cooperation had always resulted in success.
Xiao An said nothing, so Qian Rongzhi just stopped asking. She pushed the pile of spiritual stones back. “I’ll find him when it comes to remuneration. What kind of corpse do you need? Corpse Soldiers and Corpse Generals that have already been refined, or will any do?”
“Any will do… but don’t kill mindlessly.”
“Did he tell you this too? Heh, why would I spend all that effort? The last thing I’d need to do with the current circumstances is kill mindlessly.”
“I’ll bring you to a good place.” Qian Rongzhi smiled.
“He doesn’t want me to be with you.” Xiao An lowered her head.
“Fine then. Sometimes I really want to kill him. Don’t glare at me, I’m just kidding. The weather’s perfect!”
The rippling surface of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes reflected their figures, as if they had been gilded with gold. Qian Rongzhi’s smile seemed to become slightly warmer too.
“Let me rest a little. We’ll set off immediately, we’ll set off immediately.” Qian Rongzhi lay down on the dried grass, resting her head on her arms and shutting her eyes. A gorgeous, little snake winded across her face. It was a strange and terrifying sight to behold, but her face was extremely peaceful.
When Li Qingshan saw Ru Xin again, she was healing the sick in a small city by the mountains. Dressed in white clothes, she smiled warmly as she stood among the people. Wherever her hand passed by, the wounds would all heal, and the diseases would be cured. Everyone knelt on the ground and lowered their heads, constantly referring to her as goddess, bodhisattva, or great immortal.
Her expression became even gentler, and she told them all to stand up. Under the setting sun, a halo seemed to appear on her head, which made her seem noble and pure, just like a goddess.
“Oh great benevolent bodhisattva Ru Xin, my chest hurts. Do you have any medicine for it?” Li Qingshan came up with an idea and withdrew his aura, pushing aside the crowd and going up to her.
Ru Xin heard a familiar voice ring out from behind her. Looking back, her eyes flashed brilliantly, and she smiled. “If your chest hurts, that means you have a wicked heart. The only way to heal it is to dig out the heart and cut away the wicked flesh. However, I can tell that your heart has become wicked through and through. Even immortals won’t be able to save you. You are beyond help.”
“Then I’ll dig it all out and give it to you.” Li Qingshan laughed aloud. After three years, this old acquaintance of his had not changed at all, which was truly a joyous matter.
However, he unintentionally infuriated everyone there with that smart comment of his. In particular, the younger men were filled with indignation. “What are you supposed to be? Why have you come to joke around?” “Don’t let him escape! Beat him up!”
An old man rushed over and threw a punch at Li Qingshan, treating Li Qingshan as a rascal. Li Qingshan tilted his head and dodged, but he did not fight back. With his current strength, a slight movement could kill a whole swathe of people.
Ru Xin burst out laughing. Not only did she withhold from explaining, but she even said, “Thank you all for upholding justice and fighting for me.”
“Move side! I’m her husband!” Li Qingshan roared out, immediately stunning the entire crowd. Afterwards, he grabbed Ru Xin and pulled her out.
Ru Xin did not put up a fight. She clasped her hands at everyone with a smile, allowing him to drag her away.
Everyone was stunned. In particular, the younger men were all ashen. Their hearts were broken. She actually had a husband!
It was a small city, but actually it was more like a large town. There were grey tiles and whitewashed walls, with a small stream flowing through the place and leafy neighbourhoods.
Li Qingshan dragged Ru Xin to a quiet pavilion. To one side was the flowing stream and to the other were houses with wisps of smoke rising up slowly from the chimneys. Looking up, the entire city was smoking from its chimneys.
Ru Xin smiled. “My dear husband, it’s time for you to let go!”
“Your dear husband is reluctant to.” Li Qingshan thought of a smart remark and teased her.
“If you’re reluctant to, then break it off with the girl from the Han family. Otherwise, I’d have to explain everything to her.”
“Looks like fate just opposes us being together.” Li Qingshan let go and shrugged.
“You’ve established a foundation too? Sigh, I originally wanted to show you the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and give you a fierce beating so that you cough up your remaining Blue Butterfly flowers. Looks like I won’t be able to do that now.” Ru Xin rubbed her wrist. Her beautiful pupils slanted slightly as she smiled widely.
“I’m very tempted to try that. How’s it? Foundation Establishment feels great, right? You’ll have to thank me for that.” Li Qingshan sat on a bench in the pavilion by the stream.
“That makes two of us.” Ru Xin sat down beside him.
“I heard you’ve been serving as a roaming doctor ever since you emerged from seclusion, healing regular people. To be honest, it’s made me look at you in a new light.”
“I’m just completing the missions from the academy.” Ru Xin smiled slightly, giving an explanation.
As it turned out, the consequences of war were not as simple as daemons massacring cities. Corpses constantly caused plagues. If it were not for the work of the disciples of the school of Medicine, probably even more people would die of disease than to the jaws and claws of daemons.
“And it’s not just that simple. Bandits are running amok right now. Many people are using the chaos to pillage and plunder. They’re even more vicious than daemons. The schools of Confucianism and Legalism have sent out many disciples to maintain stability in the various regions. They’re in even more danger than I am. Creatures like people really love to kill one another!” Ru Xin sighed slightly as her smile faded.
“You seem slightly melancholic?” Li Qingshan studied Ru Xin in interest. He had noticed that her gaze darted about, clearly thinking about something. Even when the Academy of the Hundred Schools was attacked by the White Lotus cult and suffered numerous losses, she had never behaved like that.
“What, have I enchanted you? You better go break it off with the girl from the Han family quickly!” Ru Xin stroked her hair and smiled and spoke just like before.
“Enough joking around. Do you still have time to refine pills?”
Li Qingshan stated his reason for finding her. Just as Ru Xin considered his request, a bare-footed girl with her hair tied up in buns ran over. She shoved an apple into Ru Xin’s hand. “Big sister, I picked this from the mountains. Thank you for curing my dad.”
“Oh, what a good girl. It’s going to rain soon, so you better hurry back and help your mother with the laundry!” Ru Xin smiled and rubbed the girl’s head, biting into the apple with a crisp crunch.
The girl answered her and scuttled off. She called out from afar, “It’s going to rain! Bring the clothes inside!”
Ru Xin spat out the apple flesh in her mouth before casually tossing the apple behind her.
“Why’d you throw it away? That’s someone’s good will after all.” Li Qingshan caught the apple. The bite mark on there was neat, which only demonstrated how perfect her teeth were.
“Obviously because it’s disgusting. I’ve saved the person, I’ve accepted her good will, and I’ve eaten the apple. There’s no need to torture my mouth any further.” Ru Xin suddenly said mischievously, “Don’t tell you saw me take a bite and you wanted to…”
Before Ru Xin could finish, she heard a plop. The apple landed in the water and floated away.
Li Qingshan patted his hands. “How did you know it’s going to rain? Your affinity is wood, if I recall correctly!” There were clouds in the sky, but it was still sunny. He too could sense the gathering and variation of the moisture in the air, but he was still unable to say with certainty that it would rain.
“It’s just an offhand remark. Do you want to gamble a True Spirit pill on it? If I win, we’ll set off immediately. I’ve created a new dwelling, so I’ll take you there and show you around.”
“Can I not gamble?”
However, before long, the sky became shrouded by dark clouds and autumn rain descended. Ru Xin extended her hand craftily, like her scheme had just succeeded.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan placed a True Spirit pill in her hand.
The rain became heavier, forming a curtain outside the pavilion.
“There’s something wrong with the rain.” Ru Xin frowned and gazed at the mountains to the west.
“There’s daemon qi!”
Li Qingshan sensed it too. The rolling daemon qi in the distance surged into the clouds. At the same time, a rumble rang out in the distance, growing closer and closer.
The two of them arrived at the top of the mountain and saw a yellow, muddy flow suck up loose rock and branches, howling as it rushed over.
A flash flood!
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Chapter 425 – Ru Xin’s True Form
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Chapter 425 – Ru Xin’s True Form
The flash flood raged towards the small city. It was impossible for the daemon qi it contained to fool Li Qingshan and Ru Xin’s senses. This was not a natural disaster, but a daemonic disaster. They probably only had a moment before the flood swallowed the city, reducing it to a land of water. The entire city of living people would probably be decimated.
Li Qingshan said, “Let’s stop the flood first!”
Ru Xin extended her hand and waved it. Verdant leaves expanded to the size of doors and scattered, forming a dam in the flood’s path.
“Do you really think you can stop me with your puny tricks?” A sneer rang out from afar. A strange catfish swam in the muddy flow. Its wide, pitch-black back seemed like an isle. Surprisingly, it was a Daemon General. Shadows flickered about in the water, hiding many daemon soldiers, driving the flood together.
The pouring rain all gathered towards the flood, making the flood even more powerful. It smashed through the dam of green leaves violently.
The residents of the city heard the disturbance, and all of them emerged from their homes to investigate, only to be met with this shocking sight. A dragon’s roar rose up, going from soft to resonant. At the same time, a crystalline water dragon several dozen meters long condensed from the sky full of rain. It rushed down, slamming towards the strange catfish that was behind the flood.
This was Li Qingshan’s first time using a technique as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was so effective that even he himself was taken aback.
The catfish’s colossal, pitch-black body suddenly leapt out of the water, slapping apart the water dragon with its tail. It used the water to make the flood even more violent. Containing colossal boulders, it flowed downwards like thousands of horses freed from their reins.
The strange catfish made use of its geographical and environmental advantage, not in hopes of killing the two of them, but in hopes of killing off the entire city. This was no longer something Foundation Establishment cultivators could stop.
Li Qingshan wanted to fly down and use his spirit turtle’s daemon core to suppress the flood. He hoped that Ru Xin would be careless, and she would fail to notice this strange ability of his. However, Ru Xin ended up saying, “I’ll go stop the flood. You go kill the daemon!”
“What? How are you supposed to stop it?”
Before Li Qingshan could even finish his question, Ru Xin had already flown down. As she watched the roaring flood grow closer in the valley, her eyes suddenly became completely blue, like a peaceful lake. At the same time, her drifting hair became a light blue, while her skin seemed to become translucent like water. She leapt into the flood.
“Shut up and get going!” Ru Xin rose up in the water, surrounded in clear water over a dozen meters tall in the shape of the top half of her body. She unfurled her arms and caught the flood. The water seemed to turn into black threads, scattering in the drizzle.
Despite his astonishment, Li Qingshan took a step forward, and turbulent waves rose up below his feet. When he took another step, he had already reached several hundred meters away. The rain in the air pulsed with the waves of air he gave off as he directly plunged into the flood.
Ocean Wielding—The Rising Tide Form.
Immediately, the spiritual qi in his sea of qi swelled up like the tides of the ocean, continuously with an unstoppable aura. Originally, Li Qingshan could not use this move when he had not practised the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, so now that he used it, it actually filled him with indescribable delight. Without further thought, he struck out with a palm strike.
Bang! The turbid waves parted, and the catfish Daemon General slipped away, but the other aquatic daemons that supported its attack were not so fortunate. They were sent flying despite not receiving the brunt of the attack, dying then and there.
Li Qingshan dove into the flood headfirst and was immediately met with the catfish’s huge, toothy mouth, and it swallowed him in a single gulp. The strange catfish was stunned. It originally wanted to chew Li Qingshan to pieces, but Li Qingshan had thrown himself into his belly, so it smiled viciously instead. Its stomach fluids could dissolve even metal.
Suddenly, a sharp pain appeared in its belly. The strange catfish tossed and turned violently in the flood. Not only had it failed to digest Li Qingshan, but Li Qingshan had made a mess inside it. Suddenly, a figure burst out, and it was no other than Li Qingshan. He clutched a daemon core that shone with faint, blue light. It trembled constantly, but it was unable to break free.
The catfish knew that it was unfortunate enough to have run into a powerful opponent. It yelled out, “I’ll take you down with me!” With that, it tried to blow up its daemon core, but a huge, pitch-black hand suddenly pressed down on its head, gripping it firmly. The hand then tightened and crushed it to pulp before tossing everything into a hundred treasures pouch, guts and all.
Li Qingshan’s eyes grew scarlet. He scanned around and silenced all the remaining daemons by finishing them off. He obtained seven or eight daemon cores and over a dozen corpses, all of which he stowed away in his hundred treasures pouch.
Downstream, Ru Xin immediately felt the pressure on her lessen, but even without the control of daemon qi, the flood had already developed properly. Combined with the pouring rain, the flood grew to a wall of water over a dozen meters tall. Just the sight of it was enough to strike fear into people’s hearts.
Even when Ru Xin used her other ability, it was extremely difficult. She was gradually giving way, while the “water Ru Xin” she had conjured also showed signs of collapse.
In the mountain city, there were no longer any people who still paid attention to this. Every single one of them had grown ashen from panic, kneeling on the ground, praying with sincerity, and calling out for help. To Ru Xin, these cries and calls seemed to be right by her ear, which made her smile bitterly inside. It’s useless even if you beg me. I’m not an actual supernatural being after all. I’m just a mere cultivator who’s just set off on the path of cultivation.
She had never thought she would still be so powerless even when she exposed herself before him.
The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
Li Qingshan descended from above, landing towards the front of the flood. The raging waters immediately settled down, but the danger still lingered. The wall of water continued to rise. If this continued, it would directly flatten the entire city like a tsunami.
But in that moment, Li Qingshan seemed to have forgotten about all of this. He stared straight at Ru Xin. Only now could he see her true form clearly. Not only had her eyes changed in colour, but a pair of blue fins had sprouted behind her ears. There were a pair of even larger fins on her back, transparent like silk and moving around as freely as wings. Below her waist, her beautiful legs had turned into an azure fishtail, swaying elegantly in the water.
“Have you stared enough? If you have, help me out!” Ru Xin said in irritation.
“Alright then! Get out of the way!” Li Qingshan smiled, like a child who had just learnt the secret of an adult, which Ru Xin found to be extremely irritating. Without saying anything else, she moved to one side.
The wall of water immediately collapsed. When the people of the city saw this, cries rose up from everywhere. They fell back on their bottom as their legs became jelly. However, all they saw was the gushing water swirling upwards towards the sky.
Li Qingshan’s arms constantly whirled around, unleashing the Vortex Form as the spirit turtle’s daemon core in his body glowed brilliantly. He flew high into the air.
Now that the strange catfish had been slain, the dark clouds had dispersed, allowing the sun to emerge. Sunlight scattered on the swirling river that filled the sky, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
With a powerful swing, he scattered the water like a splash of ink on paper. In that instant, the river in the sky drained away and shattered in the air, actually raining cats and dogs. It left all the people in the city drenched.
The water spray surged, leaving behind a rainbow across the city. Cheers rang out everywhere.
Li Qingshan returned to the valley between the two mountains, and Ru Xin had already transformed back. She was so relaxed that she behaved like nothing had happened at all.
Li Qingshan was unable to hold back his curiosity. He immediately asked, “You’re merfolk?”
Ru Xin answered with a question, “Even if regular people primarily cultivate the water element, how can they possess so much control over water?”
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Chapter 426 – The Eight Gates of Golden Locks, the Illusory Water of Invisibility
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Chapter 426 – The Eight Gates of Golden Locks, the Illusory Water of Invisibility
“That’s because I’m talented,” Li Qingshan laughed loudly. A rainbow stretched over behind him as the sunlight shone resplendently.
“I’m not different then,” Ru Xin said in an exasperated manner. “If you want me to refine pills, then keep your mouth shut.” Leaping up, she stepped onto a verdant leaf and drifted off in the wind.
Li Qingshan followed behind her on a cloud, unable to help himself as he studied her back. Merfolk were also one of the otherfolk. They resided in water, mainly around the shore of the South sea. They were beautiful and good at singing, able to spin water into silk, and their tears could become pearls.
The Mist province was much larger than the Green province. He was unable to imagine how she had managed to traverse almost fifty thousand kilometers to settle down here. After seeing her true form, she had only become even more mysterious.
“Alright, alright. I’m half-Merfolk. What do you think of it?” Ru Xin was unable to put up with Li Qingshan’s gaze anymore, so she suddenly stopped the verdant leaf and spoke up in annoyance.
“Nothing really. Actually, you were quite beautiful just then, especially your eyes,” Li Qingshan said sincerely. Perhaps because they condensed the essence of nature, there were many races of otherfolk known for their beauty, while the Merfolk were among the most beautiful. It was said that their eyes possessed a mysterious power, and direct eye contact had to be avoided, or it could enchant people.
Ru Xin’s heart skipped a beat. She found Li Qingshan to be very strange. When regular people saw otherfolk, they would either be shocked and surprised or they would be repulsed. He did not react like that at all, which made her feel closer to him. Her nervousness and anxiety settled down. She pointed at her eyes with a smile. “The Condensed Jade pearls refined from my eyes are priceless.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback before sneering. “And I had thought it was something impressive. There’s something on me that’s worth much more than your pair of beads.”
Ru Xin had originally mentioned it to test him, but she never expected him to get competitive instead. She had no idea on how to respond. She was rather curious about what he was talking about, but the phrase “beads down below” suddenly crossed her mind, which made her take off.
Li Qingshan was perplexed. I’m talking about my daemon core. What were you thinking of?
A hundred and fifty kilometers south-west of Clear River city were a few dozen mountains that rose and fell. They were known as the Chain mountains. They were not exactly a blessed land, but spiritual qi was abundant, which made it a good place to cultivate.
The two of them moved through the enshrouding mist and landed on a cliff face. Ru Xin waved her hand, and the scenery before them twisted, revealing the entrance to a dwelling. Two large words were engraved above, “Ru Xin”.
Li Qingshan smiled. Boldly labelling the entrance with her own name really did suit her.
“Please, fellow Li.” Ru Xin made a gesture for him to come in.
The cave was complete with stone tables and chairs. Everything was arranged neatly and elegantly in nature, without a speck of dust. The curling incense only made the place even more otherworldly.
Ru Xin said, “Do you want tea? If you don’t, I’m not going to bother. You’re not having any, right?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “I’ll have some.”
As Ru Xin prepared the tea, Li Qingshan did not hold back and inspected the entire place, in and out. Suddenly, he heard a clatter in the front room, and Ru Xin yelled out, “Li Qingshan, get your ass over for your tea.”
Li Qingshan returned to the room, picked up the tea cup, and took a small sip. He said slowly, “This place might be peaceful and quiet, but if a daemon attacks, it’ll be bad.”
“The formations can last for a while and sending a distress signal to the academy is very convenient too. Moreover, it’s not like I’m made out of paper, completely useless. Let’s not talk about this. Take out the remaining Blue Butterfly flowers. With my current ability, refining a few True Spirit pills won’t take very long at all.” Ru Xin brushed him off.
Li Qingshan placed down the tea cup and opened his hundred treasures pouch. Blue Butterfly flowers fluttered out rapidly, but that was not the end of it. Then he took out the spiritual herbs he had collected underground one by one.
“Thousand-year Dark Blood ginseng, thousand-year milkvetch…” Ru Xin was taken aback as she appraised the spiritual herbs one by one. Her eyes lit up. She had refined pills for so long, so she had seen quite a large variety of spiritual herbs. However, all of these spiritual herbs were either millenium-old or centuries-old. Every single one of them were spiritual herbs people could only dream of, yet Li Qingshan had pulled them out like vegetables. She had even forgotten how to speak for a moment.
“Alright, just these for now.”
“Fellow Li, please have some tea.” Ru Xin smiled softly and lifted up the tea cup.
“Right here!” Li Qingshan snorted and opened his mouth.
“Sigh, to think you’d actually believe me.” Ru Xin threw the cup on the table before picking up the spiritual herbs and carefully examining them. “Where did you get all these spiritual… Forget it. Heh, we’re rich. Looks like my two years of doing good hasn’t gone to waste.”
The two of them arrived in the alchemy room. Ru Xin took out the Crystal Resin cauldron before taking out various spiritual herbs. She immediately began refining.
Li Qingshan backed out silently. Ru Xin looked back. “Where are you going?”
“I’m off to set up a dwelling.”
Li Qingshan had plans to set up a dwelling a long time ago. There were too many prying eyes in the academy, which really made cultivation inconvenient. It was even more so when it came to his daemon cultivation. After seeing Ru Xin’s dwelling today, he made up his mind.
“You’re not going to watch this time?”
“I’m too busy. No time.”
“Don’t blame me if any pills go missing.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just kill the donkey once it’s done it’s job. Even you won’t be able to escape.” Li Qingshan waved his hand without even looking back.
Ru Xin was slightly surprised as she quipped, “You’re the donkey.” Li Qingshan had already made his way out of the dwelling, and his laughter gradually vanished. Originally, she thought he would spend some time with her refining pills, and it would be rather troublesome, but she never expected him to leave so eagerly, which instead made her feel rather lonely.
She suddenly smiled. He was clearly so deeply shrouded with mysteries, yet she never doubted him and thought he would actually turn against her and show no mercy. Even just thirty percent of the pills refined from these spiritual herbs were enough for any two cultivation sects to turn against each other and declare war.
She shook her head and dismissed these thoughts. Sitting with her legs crossed, she activated the Crystal Resin cauldron and began refining pills.
Li Qingshan returned to the academy and notified Liu Chuanfeng about how he wanted to set up a dwelling outside. Afterwards, he found Xiao An. “Have you already spoken with Qian Rongzhi?”
“Yep. She’s already gathered around seventy or eighty thousand.”
“So quickly?” Li Qingshan was surprised.
As it turned out, collecting corpses was not all that Qian Rongzhi did during these years. She had done plenty of backstabbing and killing too. She had accumulated forty or fifth Corpse Soldiers within her possession alone, and they were all elites that had been carefully refined. She sold off all the other corpses of lower quality, or she probably would have possessed a hundred and ten or twenty thousand corpses. And, she was well acquainted in the academy, so she could gather seventy or eighty thousand just by asking around, which she passed onto Xiao An for now.
“She didn’t accept the spiritual stones. She said she would find you instead.”
“That works too.” Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. He thought about how it really had been a correct decision to leave this matter to her. “Let’s go set up a dwelling!”
“A dwelling?”
“Our home.”
“Home.” Xiao An repeated softly. Her heart created by the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty suddenly heated up. She nodded firmly. “Alright!”
Just as the two of them were about to leave, Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi arrived together. One of them possessed a picturesque appearance, as handsome as ever, while the other had a pair of straight eyebrows and twinkling eyes, radiating with valiance. After undergoing the heavenly tribulation, they became even more enchanting. As they stood together, they were like two perfect pieces of jade.
Li Qingshan went up to receive them. “What brought you here?”
“Qingshan, I heard you wanted to set up a dwelling. Do you need our help?” Hua Chengzan said enthusiastically. Han Tieyi never liked talking, so he just stood there coldly.
“There’s no need. Isn’t it just digging out a cave?”
“You can’t say that. You can’t go without formations if you want to set up a dwelling. This Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks might not be the best formation, but it should be enough to protect your dwelling. You can call it a gift for succeeding with Foundation Establishment.” Hua Chengzan was just speaking modestly. The Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks cost tens of thousand spiritual stones at the very least. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to destroy it if they were alone. Moreover, it could lock in spiritual qi, such that even regular mountains would become fantastic places to cultivate as time went on.
Li Qingshan was touched. He accepted the entire set of formation discs and banners. Right now, he did not exactly lack a few tens of thousand spiritual stones, but all of it came from unknown sources. If he spent them carelessly, it was very easy for him to draw suspicion. Hua Chengzan’s formation was basically giving him exactly what he needed when he needed it, but there was nothing he could give back in return. Everything he carried on him was stolen goods.
Suddenly, he thought of something. He took out the strange catfish’s daemon core that he had just obtained from his hundred treasures pouch. “It would be rude of me to not reciprocate. Please take this.”
Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi’s gazes were drawn over. Hua Chengzan accepted the daemon core and said in surprise, “This is a Daemon General’s daemon core. Where did you get this?”
Li Qingshan told him the entire story. Han Tieyi’s eyes flashed as he stared at him. Hua Chengzan said, “I’ve heard about this daemon too. It’s already flooded many cities and towns. I never thought it would die to your hands.”
Apart from gift-giving, he had come to persuade Li Qingshan to not cultivate single-mindedly and forget about the matters of the academy and the Hawkwolf Guard, but never did he expect him to kill a Daemon General right off the bat, so what else could he say? Even if he entered seclusion for another year or two, no one could criticise him.
And, the value of the daemon core surpassed the worth of the Eight Gates Formation of the Golden Locks. He fiddled around with it before returning it to Li Qinshan. “I haven’t come to make an exchange, so why would I want your daemon core? If you don’t have a use for it, I can purchase it from you, but you cultivate the water element, and the daemon core’s the water element too, so it suits you the most! You better keep it for yourself!”
Li Qingshan was actually very reluctant to give it away too. Since Hua Chengzan had said that, he just obliged and stowed the daemon core away. As long as his cultivation could increase, did he have to worry about not being able to pay him back?
“Brother-in-law, where’s your gift?” Li Qingshan teased.
Sure enough, Han Tieyi rummaged through his hundred treasures pouch and seemed to pull out something, but his hands were empty.
Li Qingshan squinted his eyes. Only after careful observation did he make out a transparent sword around a meter long. Although it did not glow at all, Li Qingshan could clearly sense it was a supreme grade spiritual artifact.
Hua Chengzan smiled. “This Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility comes from general Han’s personal collection. When you use it, both the wielder and the sword can turn invisible, making it a perfect weapon for secret assassinations. He’s basically accepting you as his son-in-law, Qingshan.”
“My father’s never said that,” Han Tieyi said. Hua Chengzan ignored him and asked, “Where do you plan on setting up your dwelling?”
“The Chain mountains.”
“Isn’t that…” Hua Chengzan shut his mouth and glanced at Han Tieyi.
Han Tieyi was just about to pass the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility to Li Qingsan when he suddenly tightened his grip and pulled it back. Li Qingshan grabbed his arm. “Brother-in-law, how can you take back something you’ve given out? This is a gift from my dear father-in-law.”
Han Tieyi tried to pull his hand back, but it did not even budge. He was secretly surprised. What strength!
Li Qingshan smiled. “Don’t mess around. Don’t forget, you still owe me a punch!”
“Come get it!” Han Tieyi threw a punch. He had wanted to clash against Li Qingshan since a long time ago.
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Chapter 427 – Defeating Tieyi with Cloud Parting, Chu Tian’s Killing Intent Rises
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Chapter 427 – Defeating Tieyi with Cloud Parting, Chu Tian’s Killing Intent Rises
“We’re already married, so how can I bring myself to hit you?” Li Qingshan dodged with a smile.
“What do other people have to do with matters between us?” Han Tieyi took a step and chased after him, wielding his finger as a blade and swinging down viciously.
“If that’s the case, I’m not holding back! Cloud Parting Form!” Li Qingshan brought his palms together and pushed them forward in an ordinary manner. Han Tieyi’s face changed as he felt like a huge tsunami was slamming towards him. It completely drowned out the sky, making it impossible to dodge.
Swish! A wheel of blue light whistled past, making the bamboo sway and surge in waves.
Hua Chengzan’s clothes were ruffled. He secretly thought in admiration, Qingshan has only gone through the heavenly tribulation recently, yet his control over spiritual qi is already so meticulous, and it possesses tremendous power too. Taking him head on probably isn’t a good plan. Sure enough, Han Tieyi was like a floating boat within the surging waves, drifting back several dozen meters and landing gently, but he was completely unscathed. He pushed off his feet again and lunged towards Li Qingshan.
“Cloud Parting Form.” Li Qingshan pushed out his hands calmly again. With the support of the tremendous spiritual qi cultivated by the Arts of the Boundless Ocean and the spirit turtle’s daemon core assisting him in mobilising the spiritual qi of the world, it basically cost him nothing to use the Cloud Parting Form.
All Han Tieyi could do was retreat again. He had personally handed the Arts of the Boundless Ocean to Li Qingshan, so he understood exactly what it was about. The greatest highlight of the cultivation method was its boundlessness and vastness. For some reason, this advantage seemed especially prominent when Li Qingshan used it. When he had first returned after establishing a foundation, no one had thought such a tremendous aura would belong to a cultivator who had broken through to Foundation Establishment recently.
In short, he could not afford to take him head-on. All he could do was search for an opportunity and finish him off in a single strike.
However, Li Qingshan seemed to fall in love with this move. Regardless of what Han Tieyi unleashed, he remained standing exactly where he was. In the blink of an eye, he had already pushed out over a dozen Cloud Parting Forms.
Han Tieyi’s battle skills were wide-reaching and flexible, but he happened to be helpless against Li Qingshan.
Originally, he had wanted to wait for Li Qingshan to deplete all his spiritual qi and become exhausted, but he never expected his attacks to grow smoother and more vigorous over time. Han Tieyi had been forced back over a dozen times. He had not even managed to touch Li Qingshan’s clothes.
Hua Chengzan burst out laughing. “Qingshan, you shouldn’t bully an honest person.”
Li Qingshan even had the effort to spare to converse with Hua Chengzan. “This is called dominating with a single move. You obviously use whatever move that’s effective on the battlefield. How can you call this bullying?”
Even with Han Tieyi’s mental fortitude, he cursed inside out of anger. His face became even colder. He took a step and the tiling below shattered. At the same time, he drew his weapon. The tassel on the spear danced like fire as he merged with the spear, striking out like a dragon in an attempt to forcefully destroy Li Qingshan’s Cloud Parting Form.
“Oh my, the brother-in-law’s angry,” Li Qingshan said before pushing out with his hands again. Han Tieyi raised an eyebrow, but he was not met with a cloud-parting tsunami. His spear thrust struck nothing. When he looked at Li Qingshan’s face again, he saw a strange smile rise up. Oh no, I’ve fallen for this bastard’s ploy! He wanted to alter his attack, but it was already too late. Li Qingshan extended his right hand and grabbed him, unleashing the Vortex Form and went from pushing to pulling. Han Tieyi’s figure shifted to the side slightly, and Li Qingshan’s left fist whistled over.
A clash between the powerful only depended on a single moment.
The spear in Han Tieyi’s hands suddenly became as flexible as a snake. With a twist and turn, it stabbed directly towards Li Qingshan’s heart.
Li Qingshan pulled his fist back and retreated, taking the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility with him. He drifted away with Xiao An as his laughter rang out from the cloud in the distance. “Since we’re one family, I’ll forget about this punch. Li’l bro Tieyi, if you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to come find your brother-in-law! Haha!”
“This guy… Tieyi, are you fine? That’s a draw.” Hua Chengzan saw Han Tieyi standing silently with his spear and asked in concern.
“It’s not a draw. It was close, but I lost.” Han Tieyi gazed at the sky and rubbed his face that had almost been struck. Who knew what he was thinking about.
“Victory and defeat is commonplace in the school of the Military. Moreover, when it comes to a real life-or-death struggle, you would have never allowed the enemy to get in your head so easily. I know that towards Ru Xin, you feel…”
“Stop talking. I’m not you,” Han Tieyi interrupted him coldly. It was human nature for people to fall in love, but not everyone had to become blinded, lost and grief-stricken over the word of love.
“Alright, alright. You’re both real men with hearts of steel. Only I am a sentimental little girl.” Hua Chengzan lamented as he rubbed his face.
Even Han Tieyi could not help but curl his lips at this sight as his eyes hid a smile. His small emotional knot vanished.
“Sir, Fu Qingjin of the Daemon Suppression alliance is outside. He wishes to see you. He wants to ask about a few things.” A legalist disciple reported.
Hua Chengzan had already stopped joking around. He exchanged glances with Han Tieyi. They both wondered about the same question, “What’s brought him here?”
Just around when Li Qingshan left the academy, he ran into an extremely familiar figure. Fu Qingjin stood with his arms crossed and his head tilted back, looking at the sky. He lowered his head back down and glanced past Li Qingshan indifferently.
Li Qingshan frowned, brushing past him on his cloud, but he heard Fu Qingjin say, “Please hold on, fellow cultivator.” In the blink of an eye, he arrived before him.
“What’s the matter?”
“I just wanted to ask where you were yesterday,” Fu Qingjin said slowly.
“Why’re you asking that?” Li Qingshan immediately became alert. Just as he had expected, the appearance of the Soaring Dragon sword had left behind traces, which was why the spirit turtle’s daemon core had warned him.
“Nothing really. I’m just asking?” Fu Qingjin smiled warmly in an extremely patient manner, even nodding towards Xiao An. However, his courtesy was more like the courtesy that a modest and good-natured king would show to his subordinates. He had good intentions, but it was unsettling.
Even if they felt displeased, regular cultivators would still be forced to show some respect and answer him. However, the two of them did not get along too well. Xiao An completely ignored him, while Li Qingshan said, “I’ll be wherever I want to be. What’s it got to do with you?” He directly sailed off on his cloud.
Fu Qingjin did not stop him, nor did he chase after him. He just watched him leave as he pondered to himself. At this moment, Hua Chengzan received the news and came to receive him. Fu Qingjin asked, “May I ask who the person that just left is? How come I’ve never seen him before?”
Hua Chengzan was slightly surprised, confused by what his intentions were. He gave him a short introduction to Li Qingshan.
In the right hand behind Fu Qingjin—hidden in his sleeve—was a curved, slender horn. He thought to himself, The truth.
Another person appeared on his large, mental list of suspects, Li Qingshan.
Fu Qingjin did not chase after him, which made Li Qingshan even more alert. This person is much more shrewd than the three elders.
Flying for a little longer, a bright streak of five-coloured light rushed over from below. Chu Tian bellowed out, “Li Qingshan, so what if you’ve reached Foundation Establishment? Are you bold enough to face me and test yourself against my Palm of the Five Elements?”
Li Qingshan sighed. Only if my enemies could be as “adorable” as the one before me. He smiled as a result. “Alright. If I won’t even smack a face offered up to me, why did I establish a foundation at all?”
Ever since the meeting last time, Chu Tian had become pent up with fury. Coupled with hearing how Li Qingshan had actually gone to find Ru Xin, even wanting to set up his dwelling in the Chain mountains, he basically flew into a rage. This was basically no different from becoming a couple.
He had waited a very long time for this. The land below was uninhabited and sparse with trees. If he used that here, no one would know what had happened. His killing intent suddenly swelled.
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Chapter 428 – Qing Xiao
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Chapter 428 – Qing Xiao
Li Qingshan sensed the killing intent and raised an eyebrow. Looks like I need to end it all today! Chu Tian, oh Chu Tian. I don’t have any particularly great grievances with you, but with the hostility you’ve shown, you can’t blame me for showing no mercy.
True qi of the five elements shone brightly and condensed into a large hand above Chu Tian’s head. However, his mind gradually settled as he stared at Li Qingshan coldly. He began to recall the various times he had been humiliated by him. Li Qingshan, today’s the day you die.
Li Qingshan exchanged glances with Xiao An. Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit, so let’s leave out all the nonsense later. We’ll work together and kill him instantly, just in case he makes more trouble in the future. Xiao An agreed, clenching the Skull Prayer Beads.
The setting sun cast their shadows on the sparse forest below. Their eyes clashed. A battle to the death could break out at any time.
Li Qingshan frowned and glanced at the distance, rubbing Xiao An’s head and studying Chu Tian curiously. Did fate really protect him because he was a Reincarnated Celestial?
“Chu Tian, what are you doing?” Wei Yangsheng flew over quickly and called out loudly from afar.
Chu Tian arrived here for an ambush as soon as he heard how Li Qingshan wanted to set up a dwelling. He thought he had been secretive, but his face always gave away what he was thinking. Radiating with murderousness and sneering every now and then, anyone could tell there was something wrong with him. The moment Chu Tian left the academy, confucian disciples reported this silently to Wei Yangsheng.
“School leader, what brings you here?” Chu Tian’s expression changed as he stowed the item away again. He was afraid to unleash it.
“Junior brother Li, what are you doing?” Wei Yangsheng ignored Chu Tian. He greeted and asked Li Qingshan.
“Chu Tian is challenging me. Don’t stop him, senior brother. I’d like to see what he’s capable of,” Li Qingshan said. He could also sense something amiss. Chu Tian was arrogant, but he was not actually stupid after all. Was he unable to tell the difference between their strength? Since he was bold enough to challenge him, he definitely possessed some kind of powerful trump card.
“Chu Tian, is this true?” Wei Yangsheng asked in surprise. Just who was Li Qingshan? Let alone a Qi Practitioner, even Wei Yangsheng himself had no confidence in being able to defeat him. Challenge him? Are you sick of living? You’ve even chosen such a remote location. If Li Qingshan gets carried away with his murderousness, do you really think you’ll survive?
“School leader, leave me alone! This is a matter between us!” Chu Tian waved his hand in annoyance.
Wei Yangshen was angered by how he lashed out. So much for worrying about your safety and rushing over in such a hurry, yet you’re not even going to appreciate it, finding me annoying instead. “Alright then. Chu Tian, your cultivation is outstanding, so I’m going to leave you alone. I’ll just watch from here and see how you’ll achieve victory. Just wait for my celebratory applause.” He backed away to one side.
“Don’t get angry, senior brother.” Li Qingshan smiled. He knew Wei Yangsheng remained here because he still did not want Chu Tian to suffer too much. However, Chu Tian right now was someone of absolutely no importance to him. It did not matter even if he left him alive. There was still ample time ahead.
Chu Tian frowned and became frantic. His fist tightened before he loosened it again. In front of Wei Yangsheng, he was unable to use that item. Surely he could not kill Wei Yangsheng as well? They had spent so many years together, so he did become somewhat attached to him. His anger had yet to reach the point where he would even turn against his friends. However, if he did not use that, how was he supposed to win?
If he forfeited like this, it would be embarrassing, so he still clung onto a small sliver of hope. He had basically perfected his true qi of the five elements now. If he unleashed the Protection of the Five Elements, he was capable of keeping himself safe even when he faced Foundation Establishment cultivators. Once he returned, he could say that Li Qingshan was helpless against him even after reaching Foundation Establishment, and it would still be his victory.
Li Qingshan cut right to the chase. He spread out his arms and used the Vortex Form conveniently, swirling the invisible spiritual qi of the world and creating a huge vortex in the blink of an eye. It spun rapidly, unleashing a great suction force and even kicking up a violent breeze. Some of the trees with shallowers roots below had even been ripped out of the ground, sucked into the vortex and torn to shreds.
Wei Yangsheng’s expression changed slightly as he backed away by another few dozen meters. He thought, Is the Arts of the Boundless Ocean really this powerful? It’s fantastic news that the academy has gained such a powerful person, but Chu Tian is probably going to be in for some bad luck. For a moment, he had no idea whether he should be delighted or worried.
Chu Tian was startled. He gritted his teeth and unleashed his true qi of the five elements desperately in an attempt to stabilise himself. However, he was like a fallen leaf in a whirlpool, sucked towards the centre helplessly. Suddenly, he roared out and swung the Palm of the Five Elements violently towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan smiled. The spin of the vortex reversed and Chu Tian flew out again, watching helplessly as Li Qingshan grew further and further away. The vortex reversed again, and he was sucked back. This repeated for who knew how many times. All Chu Tian felt was the world spin around him as he became light-headed. He could not even put up a fight.
Foundation Establishment cultivators had always possessed an absolute advantage in power over Qi Practitioners. Chu Tian might have been able to protect himself before regular Foundation Establishment cultivators with his true qi of the five elements, but how could Li Qingshan be compared to a regular Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Li Qingshan simply sat down on the cloud and wielded the spiritual qi of the world, sending Chu Tian wherever he wished. He was completely toying with him.
Wei Yangsheng let out a soft sigh. He wanted to speak up, but he stopped himself. Teaching Chu Tian a lesson would be good too. If a Qi Practitioner had leapt out in front of him and wanted to make trouble, being toyed with would be a gentler fate to suffer.
Chu Tian roared furiously, “Li Qingshan, I’ll fuck-”
“You’ll what?”
With a flash, Li Qingshan arrived in front of Chu Tian and swung down with his hand. Chu Tian’s protective true qi shattered and collapsed.
Bang!
Like a balloon, Chu Tian flew into the remote forest. There was a boom, and the trees trembled. Dust rose up everywhere.
Li Qingshan wanted to pursue, but Wei Yangsheng stopped him and coaxed him. “Junior brother, please just drop the matter. Do it for me. He’s learnt his lesson.”
Chu Tian leapt up from the crater he had created. He stared at Li Qingshan, completely overcome by fury. “Li Qingshan, you’ve gone too far!”
Li Qingshan said in surprise, “Weren’t you challenging me? What’s this got to do with me? Don’t tell me you’ve come specially to cheer me up? Thank you then, I am in a much better mood now.”
“Chu Tian, why don’t you apologise?” Wei Yangsheng grabbed Chu Tian and shot him a glance.
“You- you- you-” Chu Tian looked at Wei Yangsheng before looking at Li Qingshan. He was clearly hiding a powerful trump card, but he was unable to use it. He felt so frustrated and furious that he actually burst out into tears with a wah.
Li Qingshan was the one who became very embarrassed now. He clasped his hands towards Wei Yangsheng. “Senior brother, I’ll be taking my leave first.”
Wei Yangsheng was exasperated by Chu Tian. He said earnestly, “Little Tian, we’re all from the academy. It’s not like he’s killed your parents or stolen your wife, so why must you invite humiliation like this? Even if you want to redeem yourself, you’ll have to establish a foundation first!”
“Senior brother… if you hadn’t… if you hadn’t…” Chu Tian choked out between his sobs.
“If I hadn’t what?”
“Wah!”
The Hawkwolf Guard of Clear River city was bustling with activity. Hua Chengzan descended from above and stepped in.
“Commander Hua, you’ve come.” The many people all greeted him.
“Yeah, I’ve come.” Hua Chengzan nodded towards them one by one. He made his way up the stairs quickly and entered through the door.
Wang Pushi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and said without even looking back, “Where is he? Didn’t I tell you to bring him back to receive orders?”
Hua Chengzan said, “He said he wanted to set up a dwelling, so I let him go for now.”
“You’re far too lenient with him. He’s reached Foundation Establishment, and he’s a Hawkwolf guard. He’s a disciple of the academy on top of all of that. He has his responsibilities. What kind of impression is he giving off if he enters seclusion whenever he wants to and sets up a dwelling whenever he wants to? What would everyone else say?” Wang Pushi turned around and said sternly. Compared to three years ago, his appearance had not changed much. He just seemed slightly more weathered.
“But he just killed a Daemon General.”
Wang Pushi was taken aback. “He still can’t be permitted to do whatever he likes.” However, his tone had softened. Even among the school leaders of the academy, not everyone was capable of killing a Daemon General. Although Li Qingshan did whatever he liked, without any control at all, no one could nitpick what he did. As a matter of fact, they would even praise him.
“Fu Qingjin just came. He asked me where I was yesterday. He seems to be investigating something.” Hua Chengzan mulled over the conversation he just had with Fu Qingjin, wanting to deduce something from it. As the leading figure of the Daemon Suppression alliance in the Clear River prefecture, there would be a profound reason regardless of what he did.
“What’s he investigating?” Wang Pushi frowned.
“I’m not sure. From his tone, it sounds like someone did something huge yesterday. He also mentioned that he wanted to do something big soon, and he wanted our cooperation. He said it would greatly benefit us too.” Hua Chengzan crossed his arms and sank into his thoughts, rubbing his chin with one hand as he tried to guess what Fu Qingjin was thinking.
In the Chain mountains, a white cloud flew around freely between the mountains. Li Qingshan and Xiao An were looking for a suitable place to set up their dwelling. In just a while, they had already toured through the several dozen mountains of various sizes there.
Finally, Li Qingshan chose a mountain. It was not particularly lofty or precipitous, but it did possess some delicate beauty. “Let’s get to work!”
“Yep.” Xiao An nodded.
They circled around the mountain again and found a natural cave. Li Qingshan condensed the pulses of water in his right hand into a huge drill, and the rock fell to the ground as dust. He expanded the cave, turning it into the entrance of their dwelling.
Li Qingshan ventured deeper. Before long, he had dug out a huge hole in the middle of the mountain. He had basically created the most simple dwelling possible.
In the end, he took out the formation discs and banners and set up the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks. He saw eight words and the eight gates flash in order around the mountain, “Resting, Life, Pain, Limit, View, Death, Wonder, Beginning.” The eight trigrams circulated around the mountain peak before suddenly stabilising and drooping down. It vanished at the same time, as if it had merged with the mountain. The spiritual qi of the mountain was firmly locked in.
TL: To be added
Li Qingshan nodded in satisfaction. From that moment onwards, no one could enter the mountain easily unless they had his permission. If he cultivated here, he did not have to worry about his daemon qi leaking out and drawing attention.
Arriving in front of the dwelling, Li Qingshan flattened the rock there with a wave of his hand. He said to Xiao An, “My handwriting is no good, so you do it instead!”
Xiao An bit her lip. The bone sword protruded from her hand. With a few flicks, rock fragments fell down with her beautiful penmanship. Three large, sunken words appeared, “Qing Xiao’s Home.” Qingshan and Xiao An’s home.
“Qing Xiao’s Home dwelling. What a strange name. But that doesn’t matter. From today onwards, this is our home.” Li Qingshan inspected it with crossed arms, radiating with vigour. Xiao An smiled.
The bright moon had just risen, and the moonlight scattered across the autumn mountains. It illuminated a small and a large figure, freezing time.
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Chapter 429 – As the Spirit Turtle Wills, the Heavenly Secrets Become Unfathomable
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Chapter 429 – As the Spirit Turtle Wills, the Heavenly Secrets Become Unfathomable
The dwelling that Li Qingshan had set up was neither elegant nor grand. It could only be described with a single word—big.
Within the spacious centre of the mountain, Li Qingshan took out the daemon core of the strange catfish. The daemon core was of the water element, so the power it contained was perfect for him. He opened his mouth and swallowed the daemon core.
A tremendous energy was unleashed within his body. Although it was not explosive, the power was enough to claim the lives of regular Foundation Establishment cultivators. Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, and even then, he struggled slightly to keep it suppressed. His body immediately began to change, rapidly stretching and expanding, reverting to his most primitive form as a daemon.
Tremendous daemon qi directly pierced the mountain, rushing towards the sky. The Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks immediately came into use, locking in this aura. If he were in the academy, he definitely would have given himself away, but he did not have to worry about that here.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core shone brilliantly and revolved rapidly, using everything it had to suppress the energy and gradually absorb the daemon core. Only then did Li Qingshan’s figure slowly recover.
Seeing how Li Qingshan would be fine, Xiao An sat down beside him and summoned the Corpse Soldiers. She unleashed the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration and Pale Flames of Bone Smelting, alternating between the two as she refined a corpse.
Ten days later, a Skull Prayer Bead was completed. Fourteen tiny Skeleton Demons leapt around in the surroundings, as if they were welcoming their new companion.
Li Qingshan’s cultivation had reached the most critical juncture too. During the three years of secluded cultivation, he had never stopped practising the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Originally, he thought he could easily break through to the fourth layer of the spirit turtle with the water element daemon core, but only now did he discover that it would not be so easy. Even if he absorbed the entire daemon core, he would still be lacking a little.
This was the essence that a Daemon General had condensed and refined over centuries or millennia! As his cultivation progressed, his daemon core’s demand for resources grew at an astonishing pace. If he just sat there and absorbed the spiritual qi of the world, who knew how many years it would take him before he broke through.
Li Qingshan suddenly remembered he had obtained a few daemon cores of lower quality as well when he killed the strange catfish. They were basically all of the water element too, so he gulped all of them down, making up for the final part he was lacking.
In the Sword Collection palace, the white-haired, white-beareded Divining Elder sat with his legs crossed before the map of the nine provinces. The Sword of Divination was placed across his knees as the eight trigrams diagram continued to revolve around the ridge of the sword.
As Fu Qingjin undertook his investigation, the Divining Elder had never stopped searching. A sumeru ring was equivalent to a miniature world. Apart from the owner, no one could find out what was going on in there, let alone sense the Soaring Dragon sword’s aura.
The Divining Elder pondered to himself for a while before setting his target to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring again. It was difficult to find out about the matters of different worlds, but a “gate” would always remain in this world, at least until the other world was destroyed. Although it would not give off any aura at all, he could still use it to grasp its trace.
A few years ago, the Divining Elder had tried this, but he ended up suffering a backlash, leaving him heavily injured. What injured him was not the black ox himself, but the soul sense he had left behind in the sumeru ring. If it were not for the soul sense, the Sword Collection palace would have sniffed out Li Qingshan already and ripped him to shreds with their divination techniques.
Li Qingshan thought the black ox had already left, but little did he know that the black ox’s power had been constantly protecting him throughout these years. And now, with the disappearance of the soul sense, Li Qingshan seemed to turn into a child who had lost his final layer of protection. Not only did he have to survive in this world by depending on himself, but he also had to face enemies well beyond what he could handle right now.
“Rise!” The Divining Elder’s hands danced about like a lotus flower, stretching and performing seals with unbelievable speed. The Sword of Divination let out a long thrum and rose up. The tip of the sword pointed down, right over his head.
“One with the Sword!”
The Sword of Divination fell, piercing and melding into the top of the Divining Elder’s head. The diagram of yin and yang appeared in the Divining Elder’s pitch-black pupils, constantly revolving as he gazed at the map.
In that instance, his gaze seemed to pierce the many mountains and rivers, gazing over the entirety of the Clear River prefecture. He was trying to find the tiny sumeru ring in this land that stretched fifteen hundred kilometers.
He did not need any investigations, any analyses, any questions, or any thoughts. He directly asked fate itself, appealing to the heavens for an answer.
No one knew how long he had wandered in the river of fate. The corner of the Divining Elder’s lips suddenly curled in delight. He had finally found it!
It was like finding a ray of sunlight in the darkness. All he had to do next was follow this ray of sunlight and trace it back to its source.
The Divining Elder completely stopped worrying too. During the previous divination, the great disaster had appeared with this ray of sunlight. He had vaguely made out the back of a figure. It did not give off any hostility, nor did it purposefully attack him, but that was the most terrifying part of it all, as its existence alone had made his divination completely collapse.
If it were not for merging with his sword and having the Sword of Divination enduring most of the damage, his sea of consciousness would have almost received a devastating blow. This felt no different from an insect that had actually flown a little too close to the crater of a volcano. The volcano would continue to sputter and surge like before, completely neglecting the existence of the insect, but just a wisp of smoke it produced was enough to kill the insect.
The Divining Elder followed the ray of sunlight and suddenly encountered some interference. It alarmed him, but he calmed down again very soon. It seemed like his target also knew divination, except from the contact earlier, he could tell that his target was weaker than him.
Xiao An, who was refining her Skull Prayer Beads, lurched inside. She frowned slightly and began to practise the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots.
The Divining Elder immediately sensed the interference intensify. The ray of sunlight began to twist, and the path he followed became obscured. A clash between practitioners of divination was more profound and mysterious than any other clash.
The Divining Elder smiled, filled with confidence. He nullified Xiao An’s interference bit by bit, advancing towards his target steadily.
Li Qingshan had absolutely no idea that Xiao An right beside him was currently embroiled in a battle like that with the Divining Elder over five thousand kilometers away. He just comprehended the variation with the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression silently until his mental state attained absolute peace.
Something seemed to be brewing and growing restless within the spirit turtle’s daemon core that was shaped like a turtle shell, like the birth of the universe. Suddenly, the turtle shell shuddered, and a pair of eyes lit up, deep and sagacious.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. His pupils shone with deep, blue light. In that instant, he seemed to feel what regular people described as “something clicking into place”. Many questions and problems that he had racked his brain over suddenly seemed to become clear. Even the entire world became clear.
After breaking through to the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, the profound inscriptions on the spirit turtle’s daemon core became clearer. He began to radiate with an invisible power that spanned deeply into the vast river of fate, kicking up a ripple.
The Divining Elder snapped open his eyes in surprise. Just when the answer was about to be presented before him, the ray of sunlight vanished completely, like it had been obscured by a dark cloud. He was unable to find its source anymore.
“You’ve finally roused.” Xiao An let out a long sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingshan scratched his head. Although he did not exactly know how to use the spirit turtle’s ability of divination, hiding and obscuring had always been the spirit turtle’s instincts. It did not just hide him as a person from divination, but his entire fate; in particular, it hid the fate of those closely attached to him.
“You didn’t sense it? Someone tried to use divination to find us, or should I say, it.” Xiao An looked at the sumeru ring in her hand.
With that, Li Qingshan seemed to recall something. He frowned. “It felt like… someone was spying on me earlier, which made me very uncomfortable, so I just hid… Why would I think of something like this?”
Xiao An brought her palms together and smiled. “According to the buddhist scriptures, twenty moments pass within a flick of a finger, and twenty thoughts occur during a single moment. This is just one of your thoughts. You obviously won’t sense it normally.”
Li Qingshan bent his finger and flicked it. He smiled. “So that’s four hundred thoughts. That should be the so-called unconscious mind, right?”
Many thoughts would flash past at lightning speed, such that even the person themself would not know they had thought of something like that. After reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, not only had Li Qingshan’s daemon qi increase drastically, but he had become more meticulous and intricate with his thoughts too, reaching an unprecedented state.
Li Qingshan paced around. He even understood the protection that the black ox’s soul sense offered now. He was very touched. Brother ox must have calculated his cultivation progression accurately. After reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, even if he could not foresee everything, at least he would not be killed through something like this. That had basically eliminated one of his worries.
He smiled. As for how he would take his next step, he already had an idea.
The Sword Collection palace definitely had a way to locate the Soaring Dragon sword, which was why Fu Qingjin had asked him a question like that. If he wanted to remove any items from the sumeru ring or make the Soaring Dragon sword his, he had to find a suitable location that could both allow him to avoid the Sword Collection palace’s search and weaken the Soaring Dragon sword.
A place like that was not actually difficult to find. It was right below Li Qingshan’s feet. If he continued to venture downward, to even greater depths, he could use the interference from the underground magnetic field.
“Xiao An, what do you think?” Li Qingshan told Xiao An his thoughts.
“Smart.” Xiao An praised sincerely.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud before sighing again. His fate had been led underground once more. However, he was in no hurry to set off. There was no need for Northmoon to appear so soon.
Talking with Xiao An a little more and checking on her results, Li Qingshan calmed down. He then took out the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility to refine. It would be a combination made in heaven if he used it with the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility.
In the blink of an eye, over a month had passed. Autumn went and winter came. The mountains became covered in snow.
The Crystal Resin cauldron opened once more. Ru Xin stretched her neck and stood up, taking out the refined pills from the cauldron and storing them into bottles. She took a glance and found that still a lot of the spiritual herbs from Li Qingshan remained.
I wonder how he’s doing, getting me to do all the hard work! Let me go get some air!
Just as she thought that, someone touched the formation. Li Qingshan’s voice rang out from outside, “Ru Xin, open up.”
Ru Xin opened the formation and the entrance to the dwelling, erupting on a rant right off the bat. “Don’t yell out like that in the future! If I were refining pills, what would happen if I become distracted? Is it going to be on me or on you?”
“I knew you weren’t refining pills. How’s the refining going?” Li Qingshan entered without any invitation.
“How did you know?”
“I guessed.” Li Qingshan smiled. That was not a lie. He did not purposefully try to divine anything. He just thought of Ru Xin, and a thought crossed his head, She might be sick of alchemy. Afterwards, he just paid a visit.
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Chapter 430 – Fu Qingjin’s Questioning, Strongboulder Comes Knocking
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Chapter 430 – Fu Qingjin’s Questioning, Strongboulder Comes Knocking
“Would you like to come to my dwelling and take a look?”
“Where is it?”
Li Qingshan extended a hand. A wisp of cloud formed a bridge, extending into the distance through the mountains.
Ru Xin followed the winding cloud bridge, making her way around the mountain in front of her. She travelled quite a short distance and arrived in front of Li Qingshan’s dwelling. Looking at the three words, Qing Xiao’s Home, she sank into her thoughts and fiddled around with her hair. “So close? Don’t tell me you’re planning to do something to me!”
“You overestimate yourself. I’m just protecting my pills, as well as the alchemist… In other words, you were cultivating in your dwelling that day?” Fu Qingjin crossed his legs and fingers as he stared at the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect right before him with a slight smile.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect seemed rather uneasy. “Fellow Fu, What’re you asking this for? Of course I was cultivating in the sect.”
Fu Qingjin took out a curved, slender horn from behind, which flashed. “Have you heard of the xiezhi before?”
TL: A xiezhi is a mythical Chinese beast that can tell the innocent from the guilty, which you can read about here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiezhi
“I’ve heard that it’s a divine beast that can see through deception. Don’t tell me that’s…”
“That’s right. This is a xiezhi’s horn. I hope you tell me the truth, as it’s very important.” Fu Qingjin fiddled with the Green Ruins sword absentmindedly.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect’s face twisted. This was his secret. He definitely could not let anyone know. However, he glanced at the Green Ruins sword before glancing at the xiezhi’s horn and became conflicted. In the end, he said, “Fine. I’ll tell you. That day, I ventured underground…”
“Alright, I understand.” Fu Qingjin turned around as he stood up. He had already achieved some initial results with his investigation of all the Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Clear River prefecture. Some had been questioned personally, while others had clear evidence that they were not present. However, there were also a few Foundation Establishment cultivators who refused to cooperate, and they all belonged to the academy. In the end, there were a total of seven suspects, with the prime suspect being Li Qingshan.
As if he had just been spared, the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect let out a long sigh of relief. As it seemed, Fu Qingjin was not investigating that matter.
“You were engaging in trade with the night roamers, weren’t you?” That one sentence from Fu Qingjin made the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect’s heart lurch violently. “Liaison, you must listen to me…”
“Colluding with otherfolk and assisting the enemy is taboo in the Daemon Suppression alliance. Oh right, your disciple that killed Hawkwolf guards from three years ago is still around. Don’t let him run off. I might have a use for him soon.”
With that, Fu Qingjin turned into a streak of green light and flew off, leaving the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect standing there in daze.
Leaving the Vermillion Clothes sect, Fu Qingjin arrived in the sky. He did not go off to find the suspects one by one for questioning. Instead, he found his bearings and took off in the direction of the Boundless mountains.
Those directly connected to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death were the Dark Queen’s cat daemon and Gu Yanying. Neither of them were existences the Sword Collection palace could investigate. However, there must have been other witnesses deep within the Boundless mountains.
These witnesses definitely would have been daemons. Constrained by the treaty, it had been very difficult for the Sword Collection palace to do anything. Coupled with the Divining Elder’s warning, the entire matter came to a grinding halt. But now, the treaty had been lifted within the Clear River prefecture, and the Diving Elder had confirmed that the power not of this world no longer interfered. They could finally undertake a large, formal investigation.
They would definitely be able to get to the bottom of the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death by approaching the matter from two directions.
Arriving near the edge of the Boundless mountains, he discovered that the huge crater left behind from the destruction of the Green Vine mountain had already turned into a city. It was enveloped by various formations with many human cultivators moving around in there. It was even busier than the Town of Flowing Clouds of the past.
Ever since the treaty had been lifted, many human cultivators chose to enter the Boundless mountains and not anywhere else. They would still be able to kill daemons, and clearly, being above ground brought people relatively more relief. There were many more spiritual herbs in the Boundless mountains that bathed in sunlight too.
Fu Qingjin’s gaze then shifted to the east. Milliped had blown up his daemon core there, leaving behind a pit. It seemed desolate on the surface, but Fu Qingjin knew that a city of night roamers was prospering below the thick rock and soil. It was rumored that these night roamers did not attack humans, remaining neutral instead.
And, according to the information Fu Qingjin had received, the governors of the city were two night roamer sisters. The people that the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect traded with should have been them too. This was not a coincidence. Compared to facing life-threatening risk to kill and plunder, obtaining the scarce resources from underground through trade was much more favourable.
The prosperity of the city in the Green Vine mountain’s crater was very closely linked to the stance they had taken. Who knew how many resources had been exchanged through these two cities.
Centred around Li Qingshan’s “throne”, the web-like tunnels were flattened and smoothed out under the efforts of the night roamer craftsmen, just like long, underground corridors.
The slender tip of a finger brushed past the smooth walls. Ye Liubo walked through there with a deep sense of pride. This was the fruit of her efforts over the past three years.
Ye Liubo followed alongside her, fiddling around with a formation banner. “Sister, I didn’t think the human would even be willing to sell a formation like that to us. He even seemed to be a member of some Daemon Suppression alliance. Aren’t they the enemy of our underground world?”
“It’s not like we’re daemons, so what’s wrong with that? Black Gold ore is very useful for forging artifacts. The Daemon Suppression alliance is incapable of excavating and mining underground, so of course they’ll have to rely on us.”
As they conversed, the two of them arrived in a cavern. This was a newly-established village of night roamers. Every single night roamer bowed deeply towards Ye Liusu when they saw her. This was not just out of a fear for power, but also out of respect for Ye Liusu.
Beyond Li Qingshan’s territory, the internal strife between the night roamers had never stopped. Instead, it intensified, extending all the way to the surface and upholding the Spider Queen’s wishes. As they assassinated human cultivators, they also became each other’s prey.
However, under Ye Liusu’s rule, this place completely upheld Li Qingshan’s will. All internal conflict had stopped, making it a unique region of peace.
Many night roamers who had grown tired of fighting or lacked the ability to fight gathered here, becoming sir Northmoon’s servants willingly, which was equivalent to leaving the control of the other clans. During the time Li Qingshan spent in secluded cultivation, his servants under him had already reached five figures.
Ye Liusu smiled. She had proven that night roamers did not have to kill one another in order to survive, that they too could live their lives in peace and happiness.
“Liubo, set up the formation!”
Ye Liubo deployed the formation, and a spherical barrier enveloped the cavern.
Ye Liusu nodded in satisfaction. Now, even if they were under attack from ignorant human cultivators, they would still have enough time for reinforcements to arrive.
“Just when is master going to emerge from seclusion?” Ye Liubo kicked a pebble.
“Don’t fret. He’ll rouse sooner or later.” Ye Liusu’s eyes flashed. When he roused, she wanted to personally thank him and tell him, “You’re right. I am special.”
The pebble flew into the darkness, but it did not produce any sounds after that.
Ye Liusu’s expression changed. “Be careful, Liubo!”
The pebble shot back with ten times the speed, but it shattered against the barrier of the formation.
Strongboulder emerged from the darkness and bellowed, “Where’s Northmoon!?”
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Chapter 431 – Startling the Two Daemons with the Strengthened Abilities
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Chapter 431 – Startling the Two Daemons with the Strengthened Abilities
Strongboulder’s body rippling with muscles constantly gave off a fierce, powerful bearing. The three years of battle had allowed him to completely unleash his nature, and his strength had grown. His shining eyes were congealed from killing and battle intent as he grinned viciously, revealing his pale-white teeth, as if he had been feeding on humans.
“Everyone, back away!” Ye Liusu spread out her arms like she was protecting her people as she ordered loudly, but it was already too late. The formation was unable to stop the Rock of Slaughter’s wondrous power. The eyes of half the night roamers in the village became scarlet red as they lunged at their own clansmen.
Ye Liubo waved her hand, and the bright yellow piece of embroidery Li Qingshan had bestowed to her wrapped up the night roamers, sending them far away from Strongboulder.
“Sir Strongboulder, please contain your power. This is sir Northmoon’s territory.” Ye Liusu clasped her hands. Strongboulder gave her a greater headache than what any human cultivator could.
“Don’t you have ears? I’ve come exactly for him!” Strongboulder swaggered forward, stopped by the formation.
“Sir Northmoon is currently in seclusion. He may not be able to see you.”
“He’s bold enough to even defy the Spider Queen’s orders?” A man with a rosy face and delicate features in a cloak strolled over from behind Strongboulder. He seemed to move at a leisurely pace, but it only took him a blink of an eye to be right in their faces. As he spoke, he revealed his sharp canines.
“Sir Bloodshadow.” Ye Liusu could sense that the situation was bad. She tried to stand her ground. “If it’s just for the Spider Queen’s orders, why would the two sirs have to come here together and in person?”
“Ye Liusu, your actions have always displeased the Spider Queen. Not only are you avoiding battle by remaining passive, but you’ve even engaged in trade with humans. If it were not for the bit of merit that bastard Northmoon has earned, we would have come to destroy you a long time ago.” Bloodshadow’s daemon qi filled the cavern. Just the pressure of the daemon qi made the formation tremble. Over the past three years, who knew how much fresh blood he had drunk. His strength had increased too.
“We haven’t been avoiding battle by remaining passive. We’re building up strength.” Ye Liusu justified herself powerlessly.
“Is this a toy you exchanged from the humans?” Strongboulder knocked the barrier. Suddenly, he flew into a rage and punched the barrier. The entire cavern trembled as stalactites fell down from above. The barrier immediately became riddled with cracks.
“Please calm down, sir Strongboulder!” Ye Liusu lowered the formation in a hurry. The formation could not stop them, and even if it could, would she be bold enough to oppose these two daemons? After three years of administration, she had once believed she had become powerful enough, even finding no issue with Li Qingshan’s secluded cultivation, as she would be able to go about her affairs freely.
But only in that instant did she realise her feebleness. Strongboulder and Bloodshadow’s combined efforts could destroy everything she had built up over the past three years in a single instant, as easily as how they destroyed human cities.
“We don’t care whether you’re avoiding battle or building up strength. We only have one message to pass on. The Spider Queen’s patience is limited!”
Bloodshadow sneered while Strongboulder smiled viciously. It was time for them to pay back Northmoon for the humiliation he had caused them due to their defeat!
The two daemons rushed over and alarmed all the night roamers. The personal guards under Ye Liusu’s lead all rushed over together. They looked at one another, but they did not stop them.
The two daemons arrived in the central cavern that Li Qingshan resided in. Because the night roamers had been afraid to disturb Li Qingshan, only here remained the same as three years ago.
Within the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone sat on the stone bed. Milliped curled up nearby and ingested spiritual qi. He had recovered a lot of his strength, becoming much larger than before. When he saw Strongboulder stride over, he lunged out, spitting out a pink gas.
Strongboulder’s figure suddenly pulled upwards, turning into a large stone giant and stepping down on Milliped before immediately turning back. He could transform at will. He went up and reached towards Li Qingshan’s neck. “Wake up!”
“Master!” Ye Liubo cried out. It crossed a great distance and reached Li Qingshan’s ears.
Li Qingshan slowly opened his firmly-shut eyes. His ruby-like eyes glistened. “It’s you?”
Bloodshadow said from one side, “Where’s your original body? The Spider Queen wants to see you. We want to see you too, to settle an old debt!”
“Lift your foot!” Li Qingshan saw Milliped struggling under Strongboulder’s foot, and his gaze suddenly coldened.
“Are you angry? If you are, then hurry up and come. I’ve already become far too impatient to fight you.”
“If you take too long, your servants are all going to die.” Bloodshadow waved his hand, and a night roamer guard began to twitch all over. Bright-red blood oozed rapidly out from every single pore of his, flying into Bloodshadow’s hand. He extended his tongue and licked it.
Rings of light, like ripples, radiated from Li Qingshan. All the night roamers the light reached felt tranquility blossom inside. The light moved through Strongboulder’s arm and reached his body.
Strongboulder suddenly sensed the battle and killing intent that raged within him eternally settle down, which took him by surprise. He took a step back and released Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan’s figure flickered in the centre of the ripples, sometimes blurry and sometimes clear. Yet, he also seemed like a reflection in the ripples. Only his daemon qi constantly rose up.
The flower in the mirror, the moon in the water, were just reflections—Watermirror’s Image. The mirror could shatter, and the water could be disturbed, but the flower and moon would remain the same. Since his original body had changed, his reflection altered too.
This was Li Qingshan’s deepened comprehension of this innate ability, achieved after reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle and condensing the essence of the spirit turtle.
His mirror clone would not vanish because it had run out of daemon qi anymore. As long as he used this innate ability again, his mirror image would recover its original form, like flattening out the water ripples and allowing the bright moon to be reflected again.
The mirror clone right now seemed like he had just reused the Watermirror’s Image. As his original body strengthened, the daemon qi of his mirror clone strengthened too. And, the original Watermirror Image only possessed thirty percent of his strength, which had become forty percent now.
In that instant, the strength of Li Qingshan’s mirror clone multiplied.
“And I had thought it would be something impressive. Looks like this is all there is to it.” Bloodshadown sneered.
Even with his multiplied daemon qi, a huge difference still existed from these two powerful daemons who had grown stronger.
Bloodshadow curled his hand at Li Qingshan, and Li Qingshan’s blood immediately began to surge, as if it wanted to burst out of his body. He only uttered a single word, “Suppress!”, and the blood immediately settled down.
Bloodshadow’s face twisted viciously, and his canines protruded. He extended his right hand and wrenched it back. He refused to believe that he could not even deal with a clone of Northmoon after three years of cultivation.
Countless light-blue hexagons rose up from Li Qingshan, circling around him in a dazzling array and randomly reflecting everyone before finally coming to a stop. It formed a smooth barrier of light, which completely isolated Li Qingshan from Bloodshadow’s ability to control blood.
This was still the same innate ability he had grasped first, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. However, with his breakthrough to the fourth layer, especially after obtaining the full cultivation method from his sea of consciousness, his comprehension of it had reached a whole new level.
Most of the spirit turtle’s mystical abilities had to do with its turtle shell. By hiding within its shell, it created a whole world of its own, allowing the world to change and time to flow around it while completely unaffected. No matter how profound the heavenly secrets were or how wondrous the techniques were, was there anything that could bypass a spirit turtle’s shell and affect the spirit turtle itself?
In the instant the spirit turtle opened its eyes, Li Qingshan’s severance from the surroundings had surpassed what Bloodshadow could overcome. As a matter of fact, it was no longer an issue of daemon qi quantity.
Bloodshadow was taken aback. His ability was actually useless.
“So much for fancy tricks! Eat my fist!” Strongboulder recovered his battle intent and murderousness and threw a punch. He was certain the fragile barrier would shatter under his punch. With his fearsome physical prowess, there were no tricks that could be used in a frontal clash like that.
The barrier of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell was as smooth as a mirror. Strongboulder clearly saw himself on the other side of the attack, but he did not worry at all. It was clearly just a reflection. When that thought flashed through his head, his punch landed on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, colliding perfectly with the punch in the mirror.
Strongboulder was dumbfounded, as he clearly sensed a legitimate force emerge from his reflection, blocking his punch perfectly. Although it was slightly weaker than him, it did nullify most of the force in his punch.
Strongboulder and Bloodshadow were both shocked. The strength and ability they were most confident in were actually useless before Northmoon. Most importantly, standing before them right now was not Northmoon in the flesh, but just a clone.
Just what had he attained through cultivation in the past three years?
“You can’t even deal with my clone, and you want my original body to come? Alright then, just you wait. I will make you pay for what you’ve just done.” Seeing how Bloodshadow and Strongboulder were about to lash out again, Li Qingshan dispersed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and just sat down on the ground.
Actually, he had already come up with a rough idea of the move he had just used during his three years of secluded cultivation. However, he had only been able to unleash it now. These two innate abilities of the spirit turtle were linked together in the first place.
In particular, the Watermirror’s Image had many aspects worth considering. It definitely was not as simple as a mere clone technique. However, this move required tremendous mental effort, so he could not use it at will. This was why he refused to give them an opportunity to continue fighting after establishing his strength.
Bloodshadow was surprised and unsettled inside. Suddenly, he no longer felt so confident about the cultivation he had developed over the past three years. He dared not dismiss the statement that Li Qingshan had spat out anymore either. He did not exactly regret killing the night roamer guard. He just felt slightly uneasy.
“Alright. I’d like to see just how powerful your original body is!” Strongboulder became even more riled up by that and was convinced he could not waste his strength on a clone. As a result, he just glared at the seated Li Qingshan.
Just Li Qingshan’s clone had managed to keep the two powerful Daemon Generals at bay. Various thoughts flickered through the eyes of all the night roamer princesses. This was the person they had sworn loyalty to. Their loyalty was not sincere, only considering the interests of their clans, but at a time like this, they could not help but succumb to the power he had demonstrated.
“Master!” Ye Liubo cried out happily and lunged over, throwing herself into Li Qingshan’s arms and unleashing a series of kisses.
Ye Liusu let out a sigh of relief. Aside from her relief, she felt slightly at ease too. From what Bloodshadow had just said, she already understood that everything she had created over these three years had already reached the moment of life or death. The Spider Queen only needed to pass a single order, and everything would go up in flames.
Although I won’t run away from my responsibilities, this is already beyond what I can bear.
Master, please come back!
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Chapter 432 – Even Deeper Underground
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Chapter 432 – Even Deeper Underground
In the dark, quiet tunnels, a few night roamer guards patrolled around. With their status, they did not possess the right to take part in the turmoil within the central cavern. Suddenly, a figure rushed past them with a fierce gust of wind.
Strongboulder and Bloodshadow raised their heads. Tremendous daemon qi was rapidly drawing closer. They both smiled. However, his daemon qi had actually grown so much over the three years.
Ye Liusu’s face lit up. “He’s here.”
The wings of wind were not in the shape of wings right now. Instead, they seemed like two spraying whirlwinds, pushing Li Qingshan ahead swiftly. The cavern rapidly rose and fell.
If he flew at such high speeds underground in the past, he probably would have lost control already and ran into a wall head-first, but now, his mental processes were intricate and meticulous, and his control over daemon qi was almost miraculous. He moved faster and faster instead.
In the blink of an eye, the space ahead of him opened up. Ye Liusu, the night roamers, and the two Daemon Generals, Strongboulder and Bloodshadow, all appeared before him. Their expressions varied.
Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes. He did not slow down at all, running right into them like a swooping bird of prey.
Strongboulder suddenly rose up and threw a punch. It expanded to the size of a pillar and pierced the air like a clap of thunder.
Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows and clenched his fist. Bloodshadow arrived beside him in a flash and struck out viciously with his claws.
The simultaneous attacks from the two powerful Daemon Generals did not fluster Li Qingshan at all. He shifted his gaze and looked at Bloodshadow.
Met with the clear, still eyes, Bloodshadow felt like he had been seen through. Before he could even react, he felt his wrist tighten.
As if Li Qingshan had been anticipating this, he casually grabbed Bloodshadow by the wrist and pulled him forward.
Strongboulder’s colossal punch landed on Bloodshadow with full force, and blood erupted from his mouth. He seemed like he had delivered himself to Li Qingshan to serve as a meat shield.
With a flap of his wings, Li Qingshan did not slow down at all. He brushed past Strongboulder’s huge arm, gripping Strongboulder’s head and flying off.
All of this happened in a single instant. Even Ye Liusu felt rather dazzled. In the blink of an eye, he had easily taken away the two powerful enemies that had forced her into a corner.
A great rumble rang out from underground in the distance.
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone that remained in the cavern spoke, “I’ll venture underground to see the Spider Queen right now. Ye Liusu, tell me about the situation over the past three years.”
As his thoughts became intricate, he was able to comprehend the beginning and end of each thought of the four hundred thousands that occurred in each flick of a finger. Splitting his focus was no longer an issue. He could now control both his original body and his clone at the same time, and it would not interfere with one another.
With Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo in the lead and the other night roamers behind them, they all said, “Greetings, sir!”
Ye Liusu began to tell him about everything that had occurred during the three years, as well as the trade with the humans.
Li Qingshan listened quietly. He smiled. “You’re pretty capable, aren’t you?”
“It’s all because of the inspiration master’s given me,” Ye Liusu said. It was exactly because Li Qingshan had begun the trade between human and underground resources that she did this.
“Have the clans been offering up spiritual herbs on time?” Li Qingshan was not particularly fazed by Ye Liusu’s actions. Who didn’t want to live a better life? Apart from spiritual herbs, he was unable to directly convert other resources into his cultivation right now. If he sold them above ground, it would easily attract suspicion, which was not worth what the resources could be exchanged for.
Seeing how Li Qingshan did not choose to pursue the matter, Ye Liusu let out a sigh of relief inside. She immediately offered up a hundred treasures pouch. Li Qingshan opened it and took a look. His eyes lit up, and he smiled. Ru Xin’s got plenty to do now.
Deeper underground, Strongboulder was trapped in Li Qingshan’s grip as he threw a punch at Bloodshadow furiously.
“Piss off! This is my battle!”
With a plop, Bloodshadow was forcefully smashed to pieces, turning into droplets of blood. It twisted in the air and turned into a whip of blood, lashing at Strongboulder viciously. Fragments of rock scattered as a deep, white mark was left behind.
It made Strongboulder even more furious. He turned around and charged towards this rival of his. Li Qingshan simply let go of them, continuing to fly towards Cobweb city. Bloodshadow and Strongboulder exchanged glances before lunging at Li Qingshan together.
The three daemons basically constantly ventured deeper in their entanglement. The collisions of the three powerful groups of daemon qi shook up the underground world.
Spider Queen Lolth emerged from Cobweb city and arrived on the high terrace, gazing out with the frown.
Li Qingshan shook his arms, and the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell suddenly expanded, pushing aside Bloodshadow and Strongboulder. With a flap of his wings, he landed on the high terrace, arriving before the Spider Queen. “Ma’am, I’ve returned.”
Strongboulder and Bloodshadow arrived right behind him. Before the Spider Queen, they were afraid to act up.
Spider Queen Lolth studied Li Qingshan first. “Your daeon qi really has grown by quite a lot. If I hadn’t sent Strongboulder and Bloodshadow, did you plan on remaining in seclusion?”
“Of course not.”
The Spider Queen said coldly, “Do you know what the night roamers under your command have done in the past few years?”
Bloodshadow said, “That’s colluding with the enemy. Ma’am, please punish these night roamers and relinquish the authority to rule over the night roamers from Northmoon.”
“I just learnt about it. It’s just a few transactions. Can you even call that colluding with the enemy?” Li Qingshan understood the Spider Queen’s cruelty and brutality very well. She basically detested peace like that. His past efforts were basically nothing to her. Once he displeased her, she would never show any mercy.
“Since you’ve already emerged, I await your upcoming performance.” The Spider Queen looked at Li Qingshan threateningly with her vicious gaze. She turned around and returned to the hall as soon as she said that. Her long dress dragged behind her. “My patience is limited. Do not disappoint me.”
“Yes, I understand, I understand,” Li Qingshan lowered his head and said softly.
“As long as you understand.” In Bloodshadow and Strongboulder’s eyes, he had obviously weakened in vigour before the Spider Queen’s pressure. From the clash earlier, they had also discovered that Li Qingshan had not become absurdly powerful. His daemon qi was still below theirs. If they actually began fighting, the outcome would not be predetermined. It was clearly just an offhand remark when he said he would make them pay.
However, they failed to notice the flickering light in Li Qingshan’s clear eyes between his drooping hair. It was not particularly sharp or murderous, just peaceful and confident. He did not need any of these people on the path he would take. All he needed to do was follow his heart and do whatever he wanted.
At the same time, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone said, “Liubo, summon all the matriarchs and have them gather here.”
“Yes, master.”
“Everyone else is dismissed. Liusu, you stay here.” Li Qingshan patted Milliped’s head. “You aren’t injured, are you?”
Milliped swayed around to indicate that he was fine. Li Qingshan smiled. “As long as you’re fine.” He thought inside, Don’t worry. I’ll help you recover your strength very soon. I just need to obtain a daemon core that suits you.
Ye Liusu asked, “May I ask if master has any orders?”
“It’s just us, so there’s no need to be so polite. Come sit down.” Li Qingshan patted the stone platform beside him. Ye Liusu wavered slightly before sitting down gently. She asked apologetically, “Did the Spider Queen reprimand you because of me?”
“How did you know? Whatever, you’re not the one responsible for it. You’ve already done very well.” Li Qingshan stared ahead. The conflict of their ideologies definitely did not appear with the night roamers alone. He was not afraid of challenges, even liking battle, but he did not become blinded in the endless slaughter like the tiger demon, losing his target.
“Thank you.” Ye Liusu’s heart softened. She stared at the handsome, flawless face silently. In that moment, she felt exactly what Ye Liubo constantly said, He’s utterly enchanting!
“Liusu, the Spider Queen’s already given me orders. The times of peace are going to end. We must enter the battle.”
Although Ye Liusu had been expecting this, she still could not help but let out a gentle sigh. Once they lost their neutrality, the trade could not continue, and who knew how many night roamers would lose their lives in all this.
Li Qingshan changed the topic. “Oh right, how’s the propagation of your ideology been going?”
“There are many people who agree with me, but they’re all regular night roamers. They lack the ability to protect themselves. As for the strong ones, they all snort in contempt. They all think I’m out of my mind.” Ye Liusu returned to her senses and felt rather helpless. When she remembered how they would be sucked into the war soon, she became even gloomier.
“Habits developed over all these years won’t change so easily.” Li Qingshan patted her shoulder to comfort her. Afterwards, he said, “The humans have a saying, where the new cannot come without destroying the old. Perhaps this might be an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“An opportunity to remove the differences between the clans and unite all the night roamers.”
Growing up underground, Ye Liusu’s character was different, but she was still influenced by those around her. She was not unfamiliar with these tactics. Her own mother, Ye Mingzhu, had discussed this aspect with her countless times.
“Even when the weak shout themselves hoarse, no one cares. However, even the whisperings of the strong can leave behind a firm impression.” Li Qingshan smiled.
“I understand now.” Ye Liusu’s gaze became determined.
“As long as you understand.” Li Qingshan smiled. No one liked to serve someone else, or act like a fool to amuse others. Li Qingshan hated it. Of course, with his current strength, it was insufficient for him to confront the Spider Queen. However, he could not let her order him around.
There would be a day when the Spider Queen would discover that all her loyal subordinates were dead, with only a group of treacherous night roamers remaining. When that day arrived, she would have to personally partake if she wanted to continue playing that perverse game of hers.
Were Daemon Commanders unkillable? Li Qingshan refused to believe that.
At the same time, Li Qingshan’s original body ventured even deeper underground. The air grew colder, such that the dripping water turned to ice. He personally witnessed an underground river freeze up.
However, after venturing past a certain depth, the temperature began to rise again, soaring with no sign of stopping and becoming scorching, enough to melt metal. The underground rivers gradually lessened, and fire-red rivers of magma gradually increased, flowing freely.
Within his senses, the auras of living creatures lessened, almost being reduced to none. It had truly become a world of deathly silence.
Li Qingshan stopped and took in a few rapid breaths. He felt a similar discomfort to altitude sickness. He was forced to maintain the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell as he ventured forward. Even cultivators would call this place a forbidden zone.
However, he smiled instead, as he could clearly sense the interference from the underground magnetic field gradually growing stronger. He could not even use the simplest techniques he knew. He could only barely use his innate abilities as a daemon, but even they were beginning to be affected.
Li Qingshan took out the sumeru ring. Gritting his teeth, he continued forwards, venturing a little deeper just to be certain.
In the Boundless mountains within Black Rat mountain, a large rat scurried into a cave and reported, “Great king, great king! There’s a human outside.”
The great rat king stroked his thin beard. “Oh? Let’s see who it is!”
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Chapter 433 – The Phoenix’s Embryo
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Chapter 433 – The Phoenix’s Embryo
Fu Qingjin concealed his aura and made his way through the mountains slowly. The chilly, snowy wind ruffled his green clothes. The snow had turned the mountain into a vast world of silver. He let out a white, misty breath, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly. He was missing some of his laid backness and gloominess, replaced by peace and calmness.
If he could toss aside everything, with just a single friend beside him to travel through the mountains, wouldn’t that be better than all the conflict in the secular world? Everything would be reduced to ruins anyway, so he might as well have nothing in the first place.
Suddenly, he felt daemon qi draw close. A rat emerged from a snowy den and spotted Fu Qingjin, but it did not attack him. Instead, it yelled out as loudly as it could, “The great rat king has arrived! Oof!”
Subsequently, sixteen rats standing on two feet burst out of the snow with a throne-like carriage on their shoulders, trampling over the messenger rat.
A fatty with a thievish, shrewd appearance and a crown on his head sat on the throne. He pointed at Fu Qingjin and yelled, “You human, who are you? Where are you from? Where are you headed? You better cough up the truth.”
Even with Fu Qingjin’s vast knowledge and experience, he was still taken aback by this sight. He laughed. “I’m Fu Qingjin. I’ve come to ask the great king about something.”
“Please tell me the truth, great king. I may be able to spare your life then.”
When he said the second sentence, a while had already passed. In the Green Ruins Illusion, his crown fell to the ground, and the great rat king knelt on the step below. He pleaded for mercy, “Please spare me, great immortal. I’ll definitely tell you everything I know.”
Fu Qingjin stood on the step with the xiezhi’s horn in his hand. “A few years ago, did a cat daemon pass through your territory?”
The great rat king’s eyes swiveled around. “I- I think there was, but I also don’t think there was.”
The xiezhi’s horn was unable to distinguish the truth behind something so vague. Fu Qingjin then drew the Green Ruins sword.
After being taught a lesson, the great rat king told him everything that had happened that day. He no longer dared to hide anything.
Fu Qingjin continued to ask, “Did the daemon really possess a pair of horns, scarlet hair, scarlet pupils, the hooves of an ox, and the tail of a tiger?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Fu Qingjin glanced at the xiezhi’s horn, which had not reacted. He let out a long sigh. “I see now. Northmoon, so you’ve always been involved.”
“Great king, great king!”
After who knew how long, the great rat king slowly raised his head under the calls of the carriage-bearing rats. He discovered the surroundings had turned back into the snowbound world, while Fu Qingjin had already vanished. He let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on his bottom. Glancing at his crown, he pounced over and wiped it clean.
A streak of green light descended from above, brushing past right before the great rat king. When he checked his hand again, the crown had already been cut into two. He cried out and fled into the hole. The sixteen carriage-bearing rats followed closely behind. The carriage was simply abandoned there.
A while later, the messenger rat pushed the carriage off itself and scurried into the hole too.
Li Qingshan’s face had been dyed red by the magma. He currently stood within a lake of magma, where the surroundings were completely fire-red. Tough rock no longer existed here. All of it seemed like balls of fire, slowly melting in the lake of magma.
If he ventured any deeper, he would probably reach the mantle. Li Qingshan wiped away the sweat oozing out from his forehead. Let alone regular spiritual artifacts, even hundred treasures pouches that differed from regular spiritual artifacts could not be used here. Only the sumeru ring remained unaffected.
Li Qingshan smiled. Suddenly, he felt like he was a hobbit that had arrived at Mount Doom with the One Ring from the movies. Before he knew it, the word “movies” had already become an extremely foreign term. His past life gradually drifted away. However, everything that happened to him right was even more magnificent than the movies.
Li Qingshan put on the sumeru ring slowly. Just when he was about to open it, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he removed the ring, hiding it away. He turned his head and listened and sensed closely.
He sensed the aura of life in the distance. Don’t tell me there’s actually something living here. However, this aura of life was not from higher up, but from somewhere on the same level as him, or even deeper, deep within the mantle and slowly surging and breathing with the mantle. It was in an extremely serene state.
Li Qingshan was alarmed. Even he could not last very long if he ventured any deeper unless he succeeded with cultivating the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa. However, that did not mean he could swim about freely in the mantle.
At that depth, the interference from the underground magnetic field would be even more severe, like destroying order and returning to chaos. He would not even be able to use innate abilities. Moreover, the mantle contained terrifying fire poisons and legendary earth bubbles that were completely unpredictable. The power of an exploding earth bubble was not something a Daemon General could endure.
In short, something that could venture so deep into the mantle would definitely be a tough nut to crack. Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath and slowly backed away.
“Why have you come here?”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him. Li Qingshan turned around quickly and saw Spider Queen Lolth with her bright-red dress that dragged along the ground standing nearby, casting a questioning gaze towards him.
After confirming that the sumeru ring was hidden away, Li Qingshan bowed. “I’ve come here to cultivate.”
“To cultivate? Aren’t you of the water element, yet you’ve come here to cultivate?” The Spider Queen’s questioning voice became shrill. As a matter of fact, a strand of killing intent surged silently, wrapping around Li Qingshan like spider silk.
A droplet of sweat dropped from Li Qingshan’s forehead. He thought rapidly. Just how had he set off the Spider Queen? Was it just because of his unexplained appearance here? No, it definitely had something to do with the aura in the mantle. This was directly below the Spider Queen’s territory. Since he could sense the existence of the aura, why couldn’t the Spider Queen?
This was probably a great secret of the Spider Queen. By accidentally running into her, he might have already attracted even more suspicion from her, which tempted her to silence him with death.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core let out a warning like a siren, telling Li Qingshan just how much danger he was in right now. The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas, Foreboding Fate my ass. Couldn’t you give me a warning sooner? However, he understood that this was the mantle and the magnetic field interfering with the spirit turtle’s daemon core.
Elsewhere, Li Qingshan possessed some confidence even if he directly fell out with her, but here, he was in a state of absolute disadvantage.
Li Qingshan smiled. “I want to practise both water and fire, which is why I’ve come here. I hope ma’am Spider Queen doesn’t mind.”
“Oh?” The Spider Queen made her way over slowly and grabbed Li Qingshan by the wrist before reaching around his waist. “You’ve made me rather curious.” The elemental affinity of daemons were fixed at birth. Normally, they only possessed one element. Li Qingshan’s explanation only made her even more doubtful.
The Spider Queen’s magnificent face was inches away, and her beautiful body was pressed against his. From Li Qingshan’s perspective, he could even see the deep gully between her snow-white peaks.
If he were standing under the shade of a tree by a lake, accompanied by a murmuring beauty, just how pleasant would that be? However, the reality was he was surrounded by black and red rock, standing before a lake of fire, and the vicious Spider Queen seemed to be cursing him.
Li Qingshan was pushed to one side by her and right below was the churning magma. If he did not give her a satisfying answer, she would push him into the lake of magma mercilessly. He would be reduced to nothing.
“If the Spider Queen wishes to see it, I’ll demonstrate it.” Li Qingshan broke away from the Spider Queen and leapt into the centre of the lake.
“Please satisfy my curiosity, Northmoon.” Spider Queen Lolth smiled with crossed arms.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. “No problem.”
However, he murmured inside, Phoenix, oh phoenix. Please don’t disappoint me.
Ever since he had obtained the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, Li Qingshan had never given up on comprehending it, but it would end in failure every single time. The main reason for this was the existence of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression.
Even though they both represented peace and tranquility, how could an absolute existence of water allow for a pure existence of fire?
However, as Li Qingshan looked around, his heart skipped a beat. Perhaps he could actually practise the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa here.
Sparks rose up and vanished from the lake of fire, like tiny, dancing fire fairies. This place did not allow for any existences of water. The power of the spirit turtle’s daemon core had been almost completely suppressed. However, this instead presented an opportunity.
His daemon qi swelled, kicking up waves of fire. Li Qingshan’s body rapidly grew, transforming into his original form. He turned into a colossal creature that stood over a hundred feet tall, standing within the lake of magma like a black pillar that upheld the cavern.
Although he would lose some of his agility and flexibility in his original form, this was a daemon’s most powerful state.
“This would be the first time I’ve seen your original form. You really are a descendant. That would be no wonder,” the Spider Queen said softly.
Only offspring of daemons above Daemon General were called descendants. They differed from regular beasts the moment they were born. Instead, they possessed great power akin to exotic beasts. However, very few powerful daemons were willing to do that, as they would lose power. In particular, the mother of the offspring would even go through a long period of weakness.
However, this did make the Spider Queen a little less suspicious. At least there was an explanation for his cultivation speed, or he definitely would have been receiving support from elsewhere. The Spider Queen nodded at Li Qingshan’s ox horns and tiger tail too. If he were a blend between two species, a blend between two bloodlines, it would make sense that he could practise two elements.
“However, I do recall that you can control a second power aside from water, which is wind!”
“You’ll know if you keep watching, ma’am Spider Queen,” Li Qingshan said and stopped paying attention to her. He allowed the magma to swallow him. The scalding pain engulfed him as the vicious fire poison invaded his body.
He did not circulate his daemon qi to fend it off. Instead, he withdrew all of his daemon qi into the spirit turtle’s daemon core, drawing the fire element into his body. He began to practise the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa
Immediately, Li Qingshan’s eyes seemed to light up like fire, blazing brightly. At the same time, a sense of nobility and purity rose up from his body. That was the phoenix’s dignity, standing aloof from others.
The Spider Queen furrowed her brows slightly and watched on silently. He really did seem to be able to control the fire element.
Although Li Qingshan’s body suffered from burning agony, both inside and out, the joy within him had drowned out all of the pain, as sure enough, practising the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa was much smoother here. The rampaging fire element gathered together under his control, turning into a blazing ball of fire that constantly revolved.
The ball of fire was not completely spherical. Instead, it was larger on one end and smaller on the other, shaped like a chicken embryo. This was the phoenix’s embryo.
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Chapter 434 – The Hour of War
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Chapter 434 – The Hour of War
The surrounding flames licked against Li Qingshan’s body. He was like a piece of black iron that had been thrown into the furnace to be forged into a sword.
His scarlet eyes flickered like flames as his scarlet hair danced like fire.
Half of Li Qingshan’s body had been swallowed by the magma. Suddenly, he let out an earth-shattering roar and kicked up a great wave in the lake of magma. The various colours of magma, dark red, scarlet red, bright red, golden red, seemed to be blended together, hissing with white smoke that filled the entire cavern.
Rolling flames surged over, colliding against the dim barrier in front of the Spider Queen before shattering. It made her face flicker. Who knew what she was thinking.
Li Qingshan recovered his humanoid form and spread out his arms, laying back on the lake of magma and bobbing up and down. His burn marks rapidly recovered, and the vicious fire poison settled down. Something that imitated the phoenix’s embryo had finally been condensed in his body.
When he raised his hand, the fire gathered in his hand automatically, abiding to his will.
Was this the first layer of the phoenix?
Li Qingshan shook his head. No, something was still missing. This was just a temporary work around against the problem. As long as he was unable to merge fire and water, he would not be able to properly practise the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa. However, this was already quite a large step forward. He had basically gained a grasp over the fundamentals.
Just when he was about to prop himself up, a soul sense pierced the magma and his body, reaching his sea of consciousness. Li Qingshan “saw” the turbulent magma and the violent explosions of the earth bubbles. Among all of that was a golden, glistening infant sleeping soundly.
Don’t tell me this is the Spider Queen’s son?! A thought crossed Li Qingshan’s head, and it was so absurd that it was funny. Even the Spider Queen herself could not reside safely in the depths of the mantle.
The infant suddenly snapped open its eyes. In that instant, Li Qingshan felt like he had been seen through. Before he could even closely tell what was going on, a strand of spider silk flew over, wrapped around him, and directly dragged Li Qingshan out of the lake.
“What did you see?” asked the Spider Queen as her face pressed in.
“I didn’t see any… thing… An infant. Who is he? Or should I ask, what is it?” Li Qingshan changed his mind halfway. If it were a blessing, then it was a blessing, but if it were a curse, it would be unavoidable. Instead of making the Spider Queen doubt him, he would be better off trying to get to the bottom of this.
If they fell out, then he could toss out the phoenix’s embryo he had just condensed and blast her into disarray, giving him the opportunity to slip away.
“So you did see it.” The Spider Queen’s expression changed. She reached towards Li Qingshan, but she missed.
Li Qingshan appeared a hundred steps away in a flash. “I didn’t see him. He was looking at me.”
“Then did he say anything to you?” A hint of nervousness appeared on the Spider Queen’s face. She placed her hand on Li Qingshan’s shoulder and tightened her grip.
Li Qingshan’s heart shivered. Daemon Commanders really were something else. “He only looked. He said nothing at all.”
The Spider Queen’s expression varied, sometimes vicious and sometimes peaceful. Li Qingshan was already prepared with the phoenix’s embryo, poised for anything.
In the end, the Spider Queen’s murderousness faded away. From Li Qingshan’s demonstration earlier, she could tell that Li Qingshan had indeed come for cultivation. He had intruded upon this place accidentally. As long as he had not been sent here under someone’s command and was not scheming something, she was reluctant to kill this powerful daemon at a time like this.
“Don’t mention this to anyone. If even part of it leaks out, I’ll…” The Spider Queen turned her head and kissed Li Qingshan’s cheek gently. Her bright-red tongue brushed past Li Qingshan’s face.
A strangely stimulating sensation filled his mind. However, Li Qingshan understood that this was not a display of love, but a threat. Or perhaps, it was all the same to her. Binding them like S&M, raping them, and then killing them was her natural hobby.
“I almost can’t help myself. I’ll go leak this piece of news right now.” Li Qingshan wrapped his arm around the Spider Queen’s waist with a smile. He felt like he was playing with fire.
The Spider Queen laughed aloud. Her laughter was sharp, like a trembling spider’s web. Yet, it was strangely pleasant at the same time.
Li Qingshan dismissed his suspicions. He was afraid to open the sumeru ring here now. As he left, Li Qingshan glanced back at the lake of magma again.
However, just what was that?
Deep within the mantle, the infant closed his eyes again. In that instant, it seemed to see the phoenix, but that was just an illusion. That undying bird had already flown away from this world.
It’s been another millenium. Ink dragon, I can feel it. Your age is coming to an end.
Returning to the depth of Cobweb city, Li Qingshan took his leave with the Spider Queen. Although he never obtained an opportunity to open the sumeru ring, he had gained a grasp over the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, so at least it had not been a waste.
However, as he ventured further away from the mantle, the spirit turtle’s daemon core immediately unleashed its power completely again. He could not help but withdraw the power of the phoenix embryo, but even then, it still felt foreign. This was not something he could rush, so Li Qingshan set the matter aside, focusing his attention on his clone instead.
A special meeting hall had already been erected in his territory. In the centre was a beautifully-sculpted long table. There were six seats to the left and right. The six matriarchs were all present, seated on both sides. The dangling light illuminated the varying expressions on their faces.
There was a new face among them. This was a replacement that occurred very naturally within the clans of night roamers, and there would never be a need to ask about the fate of the previous matriarch.
Li Qingshan arrived at one end of the table. Ye Liubo pulled out his chair for him, and he sat down slowly. The six matriarchs all stood up together. “Greetings, sir Northmoon. Congratulations on emerging from seclusion.”
Li Qingshan brushed them aside. The news of how he had dealt with the provocation from the two powerful Daemon Generals with his clone obviously could not hide from their ears. None of them wanted to disrespect this rising star among the Daemon race.
“Please be seated.” Li Qingshan yawned and leaned against one hand. “Since I’ve already emerged, it’s time to move around a little, just in case the Spider Queen feels like I’ve been neglecting my duties. What suggestions do you have?”
“Bring the map.” Ye Mingzhu clapped her hands, and a guard brought over a mental map. She unfurled it on the stone table. “This is a map we’ve obtained from the humans.” Afterwards, she pointed at a speck on the map. “This is a human city. Sir, you can start there and gift it to the Spider Queen.”
Bang! Li Qingshan slammed the table and stood up. “Do you think the Spider Queen will be satisfied with a mere city of regular people?”
“Yes.” Ye Mingzhu stroked the map and several dozen specks of light lit up. “This is the location of human sects we’re aware of. However, they’re all protected by formations, and they have mechanical turrets from the school of Mohism. All of them are difficult bones to chew. And, once they’re under attack, they will receive reinforcements from other sects very quickly.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “That’s good news!” He casually pointed at a speck nearby. “We’ll go with here. I require you all to partake in this battle.”
“Sir, we still have to manage our clans…” “That won’t do.” “We can send clansmen to assist sir.” Apart from Ye Mingzhu, the matriarchs immediately objected. Who was willing to leave their dens and venture above ground? They were not afraid of the power that human cultivators possessed. They were just afraid the elders of their clans would use this opportunity to usurp them.
“If anyone refuses to take part, they’re welcome to step down right now.” Li Qingshan interrupted them. His eyes shone coldly as the murderousness of the tiger demon surged.
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Chapter 435 – Night Raiding with Phantom Roaming
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Chapter 435 – Night Raiding with Phantom Roaming
None of the matriarchs dared to object anymore. “Since sir Northmoon has already decided on this, we’ll do as sir Northmoon wishes.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Very good. I’ll give you two hours to gather your subordinates. Of course, I just need those who have undergone a heavenly tribulation… Quickly. The sun’s about to set.”
The sky gradually darkened, but Clear River city was still bright lit. Above the Hawkwolf Guard, Wang Pushi stood with his arms behind his back, overlooking the shining city. As the prefectural city under the tight protection of cultivators, Clear River city was the only city that had not been attacked by daemons.
A streak of green light shot over, making a turn and descending from above. Fu Qingjin landed on the roof gently with a person in his hand.
“Who’s this?”
“The person who caused our dispute three years ago. I’m handing him to commander Wang now for punishment. This is a demonstration of my sincerity.” Fu Qingjin tossed the person before Fu Qingjin. The disciple of the Vermillion Clothes sect who had undertaken a massacre in the past cried out in fear. “Senior Fu, sir Fu, I’m a disciple of the Daemon Suppression alliance! I’m a disciple of the Daemon Suppression alliance! You can’t do this!”
Wang Pushi stepped on his throat and asked, “What do you want?”
“Cooperation,” Fu Qingjin said. “In the past three years, daemons have been running amok, throwing countless people in danger. The death count is unfathomable. Yet, due to our dispute, we are unable to stand united, impeding each other instead. I think now’s the time for us to settle this dispute, band together, and end this matter with the daemons for good.”
“End this matter? How are you going to end it?” Wang Pushi frowned. What a boast.
“We’ll gather all the cultivators and launch a counterattack underground to slay daemons.” Fu Qingjin waved his hand in high spirits. He was filled with convincing confidence. Regardless of how dispirited and laid back he usually seemed, as long as he wanted to, he seemed to be born with the charm of a ruler.
Wang Pushi sank into his thoughts. “This isn’t something I can decide alone. I need to discuss with the other school leaders.”
“I’m just letting you know for now. Please pass on my message, commander Wang. In five days’ time, I will be inviting all Foundation Establishment cultivators to join the Daemon Suppression alliance in the parlour. I will explain my thoughts to them.”
Fu Qingjin clasped his hands and leapt off the roof, taking his leave.
The first reason for this was for gathering all the suspects who could potentially possess the sumeru ring. Under the pressure of the situation and with the judgement of the xiezhi’s horn, he could make them give themselves away. After the meeting, the first battle would be an attack on Northmoon’s territory to force the truth out of him. That was the second reason.
A net that Fu Qingjin had personally weaved, planned, and prepared wrapped around Li Qingshan, but Li Qingshan was still unaware. Even if he knew, it would be useless. This was not some scheme, but a legitimate strategy.
Not only was Fu Qingjin doing this for the Soaring Dragon Elder, but he also wanted to gather strength and defeat the daemons in one fell swoop. This was the third reason.
The moon rose up from between the branches, illuminating the tranquil, secluded valley. There was a winding string of structures in the valley, standing like a forest. The eaves and arches were primarily vermillion. They were so grand and extravagant that they could not be the handiwork of regular people.
An invisible formation enveloped everything, blocking the entry of all intruders. Among the many buildings, the special structures were still the erect turrets. This was a crystallisation of the school of Mohism’s engineering. Li Qingshan had experienced their power first hand in the past. If someone tried to attack the formation, they would have to endure their blasts first.
It was easy to defend and difficult to attack. It had a very tight security. This was the Vermillion Clothes sect.
Only when Li Qingshan saw it in person did he understand what Ye Mingzhu meant by a tough bone to chew. Although the formation before him was not on par with the Duality Formation of Disintegration, it still would not be that easy to breach if he did not possess a Soaring Dragon ship.
Flickering figures stood silently within the forest on the slopes of the valley.
Their leader was obviously Li Qingshan, who stroked his chin in thought.
Behind him, there were many other powerful night roamers apart from his ten personal guards and the six matriarchs. In order to prevent any problems from arising when they were gone, the matriarchs had truly made abundant arrangements. The group they brought was so powerful that even Li Qingshan was stunned. Afterwards, he laughed to himself in thought, Conscripting them by force really was a good idea.
“Do you have any plans on breaching the Vermillion Clothes sect?” Li Qingshan asked through daemon qi. He could not come up with any other idea apart from launching a direct attack, as the formation was present. Unfortunately, the last thing night roamers were adept at were direct attacks. Encircling them and defeating the reinforcements they called would be a good idea, but it would depend on whether the others bit the bait or not.
Ye Liusu instead said, “I have a plan that can allow us to breach the Vermillion Clothes sect without sustaining any losses.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“In my opinion, the formation isn’t exactly flawless. As long as we can unleash an ability as night roamers and use Phantom Roaming, we can pass through the formation and assassinate the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect. By then, these mechanical turrets and even the formation will be ours.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. If that really were possible, it would save a great deal of trouble. All he had to do was kill his way through the sects one by one. His losses would be minimised, while his gains would be maximised.
A matriarch expressed her doubts, “But only those who have undergone two heavenly tribulations can use Phantom Roaming.”
Once night roamers underwent two heavenly tribulations, they could basically become phantoms. Not only could their bodies pass through all visible and invisible barriers, but their weapons could pierce the protective techniques or arcane artifacts of opponents. They could reach anywhere and breach anything. They would become the most terrifying assassins.
Ye Mingzhu smiled. “That is indeed impossible if we’re alone, but with so many people here, we just need to work together and open up a phantom path. We’ll still be able to send in a person or two.”
Work together? The matriarchs all looked at one another. This was not a concept that existed in their heads. Apart from the Spider Queen, no one could order them to work together, but now, there was Li Qingshan. He smiled. “That’s a good idea. Let’s begin!”
But who was going in?
Alone and without any support, they would be lambs for the slaughter if the assassination attempt failed. They would be thrown into the most dire of circumstances. Just looking at the erect turrets gave them chills.
Ye Liusu stood forward silently, while Ye Liubo followed behind her with a smile. “Me too.”
Under the lead of the six matriarchs, all the powerful night roamers poured their strength together, forming a clump of darkness that was hazy like smoke. Even at a time like this, their power was withdrawn, without the slightest sliver leaking out.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo were waiting for that moment of opportunity. The six matriarchs suddenly moved together, tossing the clump of darkness towards the Vermillion Clothes sect below. Sure enough, it passed through the formation silently, like it was paving a path of darkness.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo used Night Roaming at the same time, leaping into the path of darkness.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect paced around in his room alone, carefully considering everything that had happened recently.
He recalled the resentful gaze of his disciple who had been taken away and used as a bargaining chip by Fu Qingjin. He could not help but sigh slightly. However, he did not feel like he did anything wrong. Preying on the weak had always been the law of this world. It would be your fortune that your sect was willing to protect you. Now that the sect refused to protect you, that would be your fate. There was nothing to resent.
Compared to that, he found more pity in being unable to engage in the trade underground anymore. He began to ponder. From Fu Qingjin’s recent movements, he could clearly tell he was making a move. Compared to engaging in trade with those strange otherfolk, cutting them down with his blade and plundering their belongings befitted the philosophy of the Vermillion Clothes sect more.
The moonlight cast a shadow against the wall. The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect suddenly looked back, only to see Ye Liusu gripping a curved dagger and standing silently in the moonlight. “W- why have you come here?”
What answered him was a streak of resplendent, silver light.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect bellowed out. The blood-red blade on his waist moved like a dragon, dyeing the entire room blood-red in an unstoppable manner. Suddenly, a yellow satin wrapped around his head, and his vision darkened. He heard a strange screech, and his back began to ache. A dark dagger had stabbed into his back. The blood-red blade lashed out backwards, but Ye Liubo retreated gracefully.
The dagger in Ye Liusu’s hand followed a mysterious trajectory, sweeping towards his throat in an untraceable manner.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect was overcome by both surprise and anger. He shone with red light as he deflected the two daggers. He stood like a deity in vermillion clothes, grasping a long blade as he stared at Ye Liusu murderously.
“How did you enter here?”
The formation was still operating, and there were no signs that it had been tampered with. Otherwise, he definitely would have sensed it. Everything that occurred tonight was strange. He had to seek help from the Daemon Suppression alliance immediately. Suddenly, he felt a wave of numbness spread out from his back—the dagger was poisoned, laced with terrifyingly potent poison.
Over the past few millennia, the night roamers had directed all of their efforts into alchemy and apothecary, which still bore some results. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not ignore their poison. In the blink of an eye, the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect turned green.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo revolved around the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect; it was as if they were performing a graceful dance. They turned into two black fairies, merging into the night silently. All that remained was a bright yellow satin drifting about, running through the moonlight.
The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect’s eyes narrowed. All he felt was death approaching him. The disciples of the Vermillion Clothes sect who heard the disturbance gathered over from all directions, but it brought him no comfort at all. It only made him feel even colder.
Attack with the turrets? Send a distress signal to the Daemon Suppression alliance? His mind moved rapidly. The bright yellow satin suddenly expanded to ten times its size and loomed over him.
“Shatter!” The blood-red blade in the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect’s hand expanded. With a single move, he unleashed bloody attacks in all directions, such that his blade aura swept about like a storm. The moment the disciples arrived outside, they saw the streaks of blood-red light tear the room and courtyard to pieces. A faster disciple had even been sucked into the blade aura, cut to pieces immediately. He was reduced to a pile of flesh, which alarmed the other disciples into backing away hurriedly.
The bright red satin pulsed, pliable, tough, and undamaged. However, it was unable to fall down, hovering in the air like a yellow cloud and shrouding the moon.
The daggers flashed, like the crescent moon, like a falling star. The light they gave off criss-crossed before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Time dripped away. All there was was a rumble of collapsing structures, and an uproar erupted in the valley.
“Prepare to go on the offence to assist them,” Li Qingshan ordered sternly. Although his chances of victory were extremely large, he still had to consider the worst outcome. They were his most important and most trusted subordinates among the night roamers. He could not allow anything to happen to them.
Ye Mingzhu said, “It’s just the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. They definitely won’t disappoint you, sir Northmoon.”
As she said that, the formation vanished.
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Chapter 436 – Ambushing Fu Qingjin
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Chapter 436 – Ambushing Fu Qingjin
The blade aura dispersed. Within a radius of a few hundred meters, the ground had been cut up and shattered. Not a single blade of grass survived. Only the master of the Vermillion Clothes sect, who wielded a blood-red blade, remained standing like a deity.
A slash had appeared across his neck as blood poured out from his chest, soaking his vermillion clothes. Yet, the colour of the blood was a dark green. The bright yellow satin hovered about, falling out of the air and covering his face filled with reluctancy. He collapsed on the ground loudly.
Although a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s life force still paled in comparison to a Daemon General’s, wounds to the body no longer mattered so much as someone who had become one with nature. Otherwise, Ye Liubo’s first strike would have ended his life. However, the poison attacked all aspects. Foundation Establishment cultivators were still incapable of achieving complete independence from their bodies.
The Vermillion Clothes sect could be regarded as a battle-oriented sect, and their sect master’s strength ranked towards the top in the Clear River prefecture. In a direct confrontation, even several Ye Liusus would struggle to finish him off in a short amount of time.
However, the concept of assassination had always been about catching the opponent off-guard and killing them despite being weaker. The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect had lowered his guard due to the formation, so he suffered a fatal strike from Ye Liubo. Victory had already been decided the moment he was poisoned.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo emerged from Night Roaming and knelt on the ground, breathing heavily. Both of them were covered in several dozen brutal wounds. The master of the Vermillion Clothes sect’s final strike had truly been startling. The blade he wielded was anything but ordinary.
“It’s otherfolk! Kill them! They’ve killed the sect master!” “How did they get in here? Why didn’t the formation give off any warning?”
As the disciples of the sect cried out, Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo smiled at one another. They made their way over to the corpse of the sect master like no one else was present and began to search through it.
A tenth layer disciple lunged over, swinging his blade. There was a flash from the curved dagger, and he was bisected. Despite being injured, they still were not people who could be threatened by these regular disciples, as they had undergone a heavenly tribulation.
Seeing this, the disciples hesitated and staggered back before scattering off in all directions. Ye Liusu had already found the formation disc, deactivating the formation.
Black figures flew into the Vermillion Clothes sect, tailing behind each disciple like their own shadows. A few cries rang out, but the valley fell silent very soon.
The turrets remained untouched. Ye Liubo held the controlling mechanism and disassembled them one by one, stowing them away in her hundred treasures pouch.
Li Qingshan unfurled his wings, flew along a straight line, and landed on a turret, surveilling the entire valley. All the night roamers returned before him, offering up the hundred treasures pouches they had obtained. None of them dared to keep it for themselves. The hundred treasures pouches of Qi Practitioners was not worth this kind of risk.
Li Qingshan did not hold back, accepting all the hundred treasures pouches. In the end, he received the sect master’s hundred treasures pouch from Ye Liusu and smiled. “The two of you hold the greatest merit in this attack. Once this is all over, I will reward you accordingly.” He also said to the other night roamers, “I’m just holding onto all the spoils for now. I will reward your clans according to your contributions once we return underground.”
Ye Mingzhu said immediately, “Wise be sir Northmoon. We will definitely work as one team and demonstrate our loyalty to you, sir.” The other matriarchs all cursed her inside for being a bootlicker, but they were afraid to fall behind, just in case they lost out in the very end when they split the spoils.
“As long as we work together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.” Ye Liusu was riled up. This was the first time she had felt so relaxed as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but she also understood she would never feel so relaxed if it were not for Li Qingshan’s command.
The other night roamers did not necessarily agree with her, but they did accept everything Ye Liusu had done.
As Ye Liusu advocated for her belief of unity, Ye Liubo snuck over and hugged Li Qingshan around the waist. She handed the blood-red blade from the sect master to him and bit his ear. She spoke with a sickly sweet voice, “This’ll be a gift from me, alright?”
“That won’t do. Even you’re mine. Are your injuries fine?” Li Qingshan lifted up the blood-red blade, and he could not help but praise, “A good blade.”
The blood-red blade was extremely sharp, having surpassed the boundary of regular spiritual artifacts already. This was the keepsake of the masters of the Vermillion Clothes sect, having been passed down through the generations. It had been refined countless times.
It was not as flexible as regular arcane artifacts with fancy tricks or abilities, but it only seemed more practical and suited Li Qingshan better. Even when he faced Fu Qingjin’s Green Ruins sword, he would not lose out by too much now.
“It’s just a few small scratches. I’ll be fine with a bit of rest. There won’t be any scars. Though, the blade qi is a bit troublesome. All you say is that I’m yours, so why don’t you want me?” Ye Liubo sulked.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. He pressed his hand against her back and purged the blade qi. He smiled. “Stop flirting around.” He raised his hand and said, “Mingzhu, bring the map. Where’s the closest sect?”
The moon hung high as stars covered the sky.
Li Qingshan unfurled his wings and flew over the wilderness. Black figures followed behind him silently along the ground. Only a night breeze passed by wherever they were.
Very soon, a chain of mountains appeared on the horizon. Li Qingshan furled his wings and shot off rapidly. That was his next target.
The night roamers became more practised as they went. Towards the end, they could even send in four people through the formations instead of two, and regular sects only possessed a Foundation Establishment cultivator or two. They assassinated them with a crushing advantage, almost undefeatable. The Foundation Establishment cultivators did not even have a chance to send out a distress signal.
They only failed once. The formation of the Rose Clouds sect was relatively special. It was mist that enveloped several dozen kilometers, which could not be breached with Phantom Roaming. As a result, they moved onto their next target.
Just like that, Li Qingshan destroyed four sects consecutively with his group in a single night, killing three Foundation Establishment cultivators. They had a bountiful harvest.
Ye Mingzhu unfurled the map. “Sir, it’s quite late now. The next target is here.”
“What sect is it?”
“The Bronze Cauldron sect. They’re known for forging artifacts, so they should be easy to deal with.”
Fu Qingjin sat on a nameless peak, absorbing the spiritual qi of the world. He had already cast out his net. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to reel it in, and he would be able to end this lengthy journey of his. He would be able to take her back to the Sword Collection palace.
Through everything that happened during these three years, witnessing the various tragedies caused by daemons, she must have understood the importance of strength, no longer possessing such naive thoughts anymore. He was reluctant for her to go through such pain, but it was a crucial step to take.
At this moment, the tablet of the Daemon Suppression alliance on his waist suddenly began to flash. Fu Qingjin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a distress signal from the Bronze Cauldron sect.”
Green light rose up into the air, and Fu Qingjin arrived at Bronze Cauldron mountain on his sword. As he gazed down, even he could not help but be shocked despite his mental fortitude.
The prosperous Bronze Cauldron sect had basically been reduced to ruins, like a huge beast had trampled through it. There was not a single complete structure in sight. All that remained was a large, bronze cauldron standing alone in the ruins.
What had happened? Fu Qingjin arrived before the bronze cauldron. “Sect master Chen, are you inside?”
Sect master Chen’s anxious voice rang out from inside, “Be careful, fellow Fu!”
An hour ago, Li Qingshan launched a surprise attack on the Bronze Cauldron sect with the night roamers. Phantom Roaming succeeded once again. However, as they waited for the formations to be taken down from the inside, the mechanical turrets continued firing away, blasting out with streaks of light and forcing back a few night roamer assassins into scattering and hiding.
Li Qingshan rose up and transformed mid-air, landing back down loudly. Streaks of light shot over, and the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell constantly assembled and disassembled, blocking the attacks.
Boom!
With a great boom, shockwaves swept out around the iron roof, ripping aparts all the structures within the turrets and sending them flying. As for the disciples of the sect who stood on the ground, they all exploded as pieces of flesh. Bronze Cauldron mountain trembled and became covered in cracks, closed to collapsing.
All the night roamers were dumbstruck by this apocalyptic sight. He had reduced the Bronze Cauldron sect to ruins in the blink of an eye. If Li Qingshan massacred cities, he would be even more effective than Strongboulder and Bloodshadow.
After the shockwave settled, the night roamers responsible for the assassination returned. They raised their heads and reported, “Sir, there’s been some issues.”
Li Qingshan gazed down. He had noticed the source of the issues a long time ago. Only a single bronze cauldron remained fine within the ruins, as if even his shockwaves could not destroy it so easily.
“He’s hiding in there. There’s nothing we can do.” Just when the night roamers began their assassination, the master of the Bronze Cauldron sect immediately summoned out a cauldron and hid in there.
“Can you use Phantom Roaming?’ Li Qingshan patted the bronze cauldron, and it clanged loudly. The cauldron was actually an extremely rare arcane artifact, the sect treasure of Bronze Cauldron mountain. It was extremely tough and sturdy such that even the night roamers were helpless against it.
Ye Mingzhu said, “We should be able to, but entering the opponent’s cauldron should put us in an extremely disadvantageous position.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll just wait for him to come out,” said Li Qingshan. An arcane artifact cauldron for forging artifacts was extremely rare. Since he had come across it, how could he just leave without it? He was tempted to carry the whole thing back. He refused to believe a mere cauldron could stop him.
Ye Mingzhi said, “About that… The sun’s rising soon. He’s probably sent out a distress signal already.” Although the influence from sunlight had already become extremely miniscule to night roamers at their level, this influence would slowly build up and still cause quite a bit of trouble. In particular, if they wanted to open another phantom path, it would not be that easy anymore.
“Alright then. Retreat!” Li Qingshan immediately changed his mind, turning and leaving decisively. He exchanged glances with Ye Liusu.
The group retreated to below the mountains, and Ye Liusu ordered everyone to lay in ambush there. They also took out all the mechanical cannons they had gathered along the way, carrying out Li Qingshan’s original plan of drawing in the reinforcements and defeating them.
The blood-red blade reflected Li Qingshan’s face, “Retreat? You’re dreaming! I’m still not satisfied yet! Since sneak attacks won’t work, we’ll just lay in ambush here. If that still doesn’t work, we’ll just forcefully break through and use our momentum to deal a heavy blow to Fu Qingjin of the Daemon Suppression alliance.”
They waited until a streak of green light descended from above. Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly lit up. He never thought he would catch a big fish right from the beginning.
He had the blood-red blade in hand, many subordinates around him, and countless cannons prepared. If he grasped this opportunity, he might be able to kill Fu Qingjin then and there and end their conflict prematurely.
Li Qingshan leapt out from the forest and waved his blade at Fu Qingjin, “Fire!”
Right now was the darkest moment, right before daybreak. In a single instant, countless streaks of light illuminated the night sky, weaving into a net.
Fu Qingjin turned around dumbfoundedly. The streaks of light rushed over along a slightly curved trajectory.
As he cast out his net for Li Qingshan, he never thought he would run into Li Qingshan’s net first.
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Chapter 437 – Clashing
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Chapter 437 – Clashing
It was as if the cauldron-shaped Bronze Cauldron mountain erupted with light, like a volcano erupting violently. The ruins were reduced to dust within the light before rushing into the air. All traces of humanity had been erased in that instant, crystallising from the heat.
Li Qingshan cast his gaze through the dust. Fu Qingjin had not managed to escape in time. The Green Ruins sword pointed at the sky, wielded right before him. On one side was his dancing green robes and black hair, while on the other, he had already turned into starry specks of light, scattering and condensing.
In the final moment, he unleashed the Green Ruins Illusion. He was struck by the streaks of light, but he just dispersed into specks of light.
“Continue firing!” Li Qingshan waved his blade and roared. No matter how powerful the Green Ruins sword was, its power could not be endless. He seemed invincible, but that was only because he had not been forced into dire situations. He wanted to test the limit of the Green Ruins sword, so he did not let this heaven-sent opportunity slip by.
Light fell like rain, spraying over the top of Bronze Cauldron mountain. The rumbling reached hundreds of kilometers away as the mountain was sliced away. Fu Qingjin constantly disassembled and reassembled, remaining just as composed as ever.
This lasted for fifteen long minutes. Fu Qingjin frowned as the Green Ruins sword in his hand thrummed gently. He never expected he would actually fall into such an awkward predicament from a moment of carelessness. Northmoon, I’ve underestimated you.
He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the Green Ruins sword. The sword shone brightly with green light, and he merged with it, turning into a green streak that shot into the air.
“Now!” Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Having been waiting for this the whole time, he suddenly unfurled his wings and swung out with the blood-red blade, emitting a streak of light that forcefully severed the green light.
Fu Qingjin was not angered at all. Instead, he smiled. The Green Ruins sword produced ripples of green light, and the ruined palaces and walls unfurled in the air. Before he knew it, Li Qingshan had fallen into the Green Ruins Illusion once again.
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo strode through the air, following behind him closely and ready to strike at any time. They swung their weapons at Fu Qingjin, but they missed. They directly passed through the green light, looking back in surprise. The Green Ruins Illusion was like a mirage in the sky, visible but beyond reach.
Fu Qingjin said gloomily, “Even if you have ten thousand people on your side, only you will face me in the end. Are you prepared, Northmoon?”
At this moment, many other Foundation Establishment cultivators who had received the distress signal arrived. They saw the devastated Bronze Cauldron mountain before glancing at the illusion in the air. They had no idea what to do.
Ye Liubo said loudly, “Quick, open a phantom path.” Although she had not clashed with Fu Qingjin before, this liaison of the Sword Collection palace had made a name for himself even underground. He had clashed with Strongboulder and Bloodshadow several times, gaining the upper hand every single time. Although he never managed to kill the two daemons, he would force them to return underground every single time with some wounds.
“There’s no need.” Li Qingshan said indifferently as he stared at Fu Qingjin. The Green Ruins Illusion was different from formations. It was completely under Fu Qingjin’s control. Even if she managed to force her way in, she would just be expelled again. “From now onwards, Ye Liusu will be in charge. Kill and injure as many cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance as possible.”
“As you wish, master.” Ye Liusu shot towards the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to provide assistance, while the remaining night roamers followed behind her. Mid-air, they had already merged with the darkness, vanishing completely.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators changed drastically in expression. Never had they seen so many night roamers that had all undergone a heavenly tribulation gathered together.
“Mountainous Sword Qi!” A middle-aged cultivator in the robes of a daoist priest drew the sword from his back, conjuring countless blurs of swords that revolved around him like a mountain of swords. If he wanted to face several night roamers, this would be enough to protect himself, as night roamers were not good with direct confrontations. However, what he faced right now were several dozen of the strongest assassins the night roamers had to offer.
Cling! Clang! Clang! Cling! With a series of collisions, the night roamers flickered like ghosts, and the Mountainous Sword Qi was forced back.
The middle-aged cultivator was shocked. He snatched out a handful of Thunderbolt bombs and scattered them, stopping the night roamers’ attacks with a series of explosions. He rode away on his sword in a hurry.
Ye Liubo sneered. She relinquished her sword and pulled out a bow, drawing it to full. A black arrow had already condensed between her fingers. Behind her, over a dozen night roamers did the same. Among the night roamers, archery was something they had to know.
A rain of black arrows pierced the smoke from the explosions, leaving behind black trajectories silently.
The middle-aged cultivator called to the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, “Save me, fellows!”
With the philosophy of “a dead fellow’s better than a dead me” in mind, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators took off without even looking back. They were not crazy enough to throw their lives at several dozen night roamers who had gone through heavenly tribulations yet.
The middle-aged cultivator did his best to block a few arrows. The robes on him began to stir. It was actually an extremely rare protective supreme grade spiritual artifact, which helped him block seven or eight arrows. If he faced a single night roamer, he would have basically been undefeatable, but faced with an absolute disadvantage in numbers, the robes did not have time to recover its strength at all. It was pierced by the arrows in a single instant, riddling the middle-aged cultivator with holes. He fell out of the sky.
His “fellows” had not managed to escape so easily either. The six matriarchs all went up to block them. Speed was one of their advantages. They did not have a lot of opportunities where they could kill so many Foundation Establishment cultivators with such ease.
“Are you thinking you can unsettle me like this?” As Fu Qingjin spoke, he used the Green Ruins Illusion to recover the strength he had used up earlier.
“I never planned on unsettling you at all. How is it? You never imagined this, did you?” Li Qingshan laid out his hands. He actually did not launch a preemptive attack. Instead, he began conversing with Fu Qingjin in interest.
He had never been one to blabber. He utterly detested those who wanted to monologue and pose around when they possessed an absolute advantage, only for the tables to turn against them later.
It was the exact opposite, as a matter of fact. After witnessing the speed that Fu Qingjin had unleashed earlier, he understood he had no so-called advantages at all. Now was clearly not the time for him to throw his life on the line for a great battle against Fu Qingjin. If Fu Qingjin wanted to leave, he would not be able to stop him.
At their level of cultivation, one-against-one battles were often all like that. Victory and defeat was easy to determine; life and death was not.
Moreover, winning this held no significance to Li Qingshan at all, which was why he purposefully put on a front to convince Fu Qingjin had a chance to kill him, just to keep him here. His helper was already on the way.
When he saw Fu Qingjin, Li Qingshan understood this was a heaven-sent opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Daemon Suppression Alliance. His clone began to take vigorous action underground. The helper he was looking for was not Xiao An.
In the underground cavern, Bloodshadow stared at Li Qingshan coldly. “You’re bold enough to intrude upon my territory?”
“Fu Qingjin is on Bronze Cauldron mountain, locking in combat with my original body. If you want revenge, then come!” Li Qingshan cut right to the chase. Only Bloodshadow could catch Fu Qingjin with his startling speed and end him for good.
“Is that the truth?” Bloodshadow’s expression changed. He resented Li Qingshan no less than Fu Qingjin. Both of them had humiliated him before.
“Whether you believe it or not is up to you.” Li Qingshan turned around to leave and Bloodshadow appeared before him in a flash. “Where are you going?”
“I’m obviously off to find Strongboulder, Dragonsnail, oh right, and ma’am Spider Queen. I want to report to her that a good opportunity for a counter attack is here.”
Li Qingshan made his way around Bloodshadow and flew off. He did not know any battle tactics or strategies. He just suddenly discovered he had been dealt a good hand, and he wanted to win big.
War was not a game that could be won through scheming alone. Playing his cards right was nowhere near as complicated and profound as novels had described it. Varying factors were everywhere. A single coincidence could change the direction of the entire war.
And, what truly determined the victory was still the strength of the opposing sides. At the very least, the united night roamers right now were stronger than the half-hearted members of the Daemon Suppression alliance.
It only took Fu Qingjin a single thought to think through all this. He had gained an inkling of Li Qingshan’s objective too. However, he remained as calm as ever, smiling instead. “I know what you’re thinking. However, even if the blood demon and rock demon are here, you still won’t be able to kill me.”
“Don’t mind if I try.” Li Qingshan sat down on the mossy steps. “I hope your subordinates are as tough as you. All of your arrogance just comes from a single sword.”
Deep underground, Strongboulder smiled viciously. “You want me to assist you?”
“No, I’m advising you to use this opportunity to attack other sects. This is the perfect opportunity.” Li Qingshan left as soon as he came. Strongboulder was unable to match Fu Qingjin’s speed, and the Rock of Slaughter’s power probably would not be particularly effective either. However, he would be perfect for attacking other sects.
Fu Qingjin was right. Absolute confidence in killing him had never existed in the first place. However, he could destroy the Daemon Suppression alliance at the very least.
“Does a wise king not rule without using others? Have you achieved everything just by depending on yourself alone?” Fu Qingjin said slowly. He arrived near the broken walls to Li Qingshan’s right and sat down. He smiled. “A group of Foundation Establishment cultivators aren’t as important as you think they are. Compared to them, I care about you much more. In just a few years, you’ve gone from being a daemon, no, a daemonic beast to what you are right now. That’s truly astonishing.”
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “They, however, are very important to me.” Without the battles, without so many spoils, would he still be standing here right now?
“Is it just through the pills that the cat daemon gave you? No, that’s nowhere near enough. You have other fortuitous encounters,” Fu Qingjin said to himself.
“Of course I’m fortunate.” Li Qingshan gazed down carelessly. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were like a herd of elk surrounded by a pack of wolves, gradually giving away. Another died.
“Oh right, do you know who killed the Soaring Dragon Elder?” Fu Qingjin asked suddenly as he clutched the xiezhi’s horn within his sleeve. He had remained here exactly to get to the bottom of this. This was what mattered to the Sword Collection palace. Everything he said before this was just in preparation for this. He was striking while Li Qingshan was unprepared.
The enemy obviously would not tell the truth, but with the xiezhi’s horn, he believed he could find the truth.
Li Qingshan opened his mouth, but he wavered. With a thought, he shut it again before just shutting his eyes. He could not afford to be careless when speaking to this person.
Green light flashed through Fu Qingjin’s eyes. He smiled. “Alright, I’ve already learnt what I want to know. Actually, you’re not particularly good at hiding what you’re thinking. That person’s the source of all your power, right?”
Li Qingshan snapped open his eyes. “What are you holding in your hand?”
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Chapter 438 – The Fist and the Sword
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Chapter 438 – The Fist and the Sword
Li Qingshan swung his right hand, and the broken wall was reduced to dust loudly. Fu Qingjin turned into specks of green light and circled around Li Qingshan. It condensed into Fu Qingjin’s face, which said, “You think you’re already strong enough, but actually, you’re powerless.”
“Fu Qingjin, you really like to blabber, don’t you? Life and death isn’t decided through words. Why don’t you speak with your sword?” Li Qingshan laughed aloud and swung the blood-red blade wildly, striking every single speck of green light with precision. The specks of green light split into two. Just when they were about to scatter, the blade moved like a shadow and struck them at the same time. The green light then split in half again, and the flashes from the blade split up with it.
The blade was swung violently and furiously, but Li Qingshan’s pupils remained clear and unperturbed, shining slightly with blue light. Time seemed sluggish, passing extremely slowly. The movement and trajectory of every speck of green light became extremely clear.
Clang! There was a clash of metal. The specks of green light condensed into the Green Ruins sword and collided with the blood-red blade, and Fu Qingjin flew backwards, slightly surprised. His face finally lost its sense of ease. “A mental state of intricacy!”
Fu Qingjin’s great powers did not originate from the Green Ruins sword alone. He also had access to the tremendous heritage of the Sword Collection palace. He was a disciple chosen from thousands who had undergone elite training and education.
If the Academy of the Hundred Schools and the smaller sects were akin to regular schools, then the Sword Collection palace would be a training class for geniuses. In regular schools, memorising the curriculum and being able to use the knowledge skillfully made a good student, while for the latter, completely understanding the curriculum under a teacher’s guidance would only make them qualify as a genius. It was the same realm of cultivation, but their strengths were completely different. Even if he just wielded a regular spiritual artifact sword, regular Foundation Establishment cultivators would still struggle to defeat him.
“A mental state of intricacy? Is that what you call it?”
After reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, Li Qingshan could sense the beginning and end of each thought in utter tranquility, which went through countless profound processes. If he combined it with the spirit turtle’s daemon core, he could sense fate with even greater precision. If he used it with the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, he could reflect attacks right back at his opponents. He had used it with his blade swings earlier, forcing back Fu Qingjin. He had never been able to tell whether it was just talent or something else, but he finally learnt what it was today from Fu Qingjin.
“I must admit that you are indeed an enemy that can threaten me. Against enemies like that, I normally show some respect, but that’ll be your misfortune.” Fu Qingjin’s gaze was as sharp as a sword as he extended the fingers on his left hand like a sword. At the same time, the Green Ruins sword in his right hand slanted backwards.
Li Qingshan swung down. A wave of blood-red blade aura turned violently, exploding with blood-red light and dyeing the Green Ruins Illusion completely red.
“Green Ruins Tribulation, Myriad Swords Bloom!” Fu Qingjin chanted and stabbed out. The green light collided violently with the blade aura, piercing the blade aura with a flash and moving straight towards Li Qingshan’s forehead.
Li Qingshan tilted his head to dodge and took a step forward. A Green Ruins sword suddenly shot up from where he had shifted his foot. He twisted his feet and leaned backwards, and a streak of light brushed past his face. Before his foot could even land on the ground, streaks of green light erupted from the earth. Each sword moved faster than the last.
Li Qingshan’s feet shifted gracefully, traversing through the streaks of light like a vicious tiger bounding through a jungle. He strode forward at a steady pace while his gaze remained locked on Fu Qingjin the entire time.
The streaks of light grew even thicker, so he casually swung his blade and opened a path in the forest. He sneered loudly. “My misfortune? Then I really am lucky.”
Fu Qingjin smiled. “It’s only just begun.” Forming a sword seal with his hand, he pointed upwards. Green Ruins swords flew into the air one by one and hovered there. They turned around together, pointing towards Li Qingshan and turning into a wave of sword rain. They all thrummed loudly as they fell with a whistle.
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows. He moved rapidly, producing a wheel of blurs with the blood-red blade. The sound of colliding metal rang out constantly.
However, the sword rain seemed to be endless. The countless Green Ruins swords arranged themselves into rings of sword formations around Li Qingshan, flying over from every angle and direction. Even when they were repelled, they would just turn around and fall back into formation.
Fu Qingjin only smiled indifferently. Li Qingshan was gradually swallowed by the Green Ruins swords.
A roar of the tiger demon pierced the clouds, and the sword formation halted. Li Qingshan unfurled his wings of wind and burst out, arriving above Fu Qingjin in a flash and swinging down.
Before his blade had even reached him, Fu Qingjin turned into specks of green light and scattered, merging with every single Green Ruins sword. The countless Green Ruins swords gathered into a long dragon, flickering with green light as it rushed over.
By imbuing the green light into the swords, Li Qingshan would struggle to harm him even with his blade in hand. Meanwhile, the Green Ruins Illusion replenished Fu Qingjin’s power endlessly while completely severing Li Qingshan’s connection to the spiritual qi of the world. His daemon qi would diminish with every bit he used.
Fu Qingjin had been undefeatable right from the beginning, which was why he had conversed with Li Qingshan at such great ease, like a hunter staring at his prey in his trap. Meanwhile, Li Qingshan was mid-air, so he could not even use his innate ability of the Strength of the Earth. He truly felt trapped.
In the face of imminent danger, Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly became clear. He lowered the blade that he relied on to hold his ground against the Green Ruins sword, as if he had given up on the battle against Fu Qingjin. He threw a straightforward punch without any fancy tricks. It seemed to pause and swell larger with every inch it travelled. It seemed sluggish.
Fu Qingjin laughed inside, Is this his final, crazy attempt to put up a desperate fight by throwing his own flesh at the Green Ruins swords?
The moment the fist and the swords collided, something unexpected happened. The Green Ruins swords shattered one by one. The tips of the swords had not even come into contact with Li Qingshan’s fist when they were destroyed by an invisible power. The moment they shattered, even the green light within them was put out speck by speck.
Cracks rapidly expanded. Wherever they passed by, the ruins collapsed, shattering into green light. The rumbling reached fifty kilometers away, even louder than the Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar. He seemed to strike a huge, invisible bell.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. He had been holding back the power of his tremors that possessed the greatest destructive power exactly for this opportunity. With his mental state of intricacy, he layered the power of tremors such that he could even take down an entire mountain.
Li Qingshan collapsed the sword dragon in a single breath, destroying the myriad swords in a single instant and forcing out the real Green Ruins sword. Li Qingshan sneered viciously and converted all of his daemon qi into the power of tremors, pouring all of it into the Green Ruins sword.
The Green Ruins sword screeched and flew back into Fu Qingjin’s hand. His shabby, faded robes had been reduced to tatters, and he was no longer graceful at all. His face had become sheet-white too, having been heavily injured. In the Green Ruins Illusion, he had originally turned his body into specks of light to avoid damage, but that instead allowed Li Qingshan to unleash the full potential of his destructive powers.
The Green Ruins sword had been damaged too, which directly affected his mind. It made him extremely surprised and furious. He stared at Li Qingshan. “What power is that?”
“Go ask the king of hell!” Li Qingshan lunged over and expanded to over a hundred feet tall, reverting to his original form. His head was as tough as metal as he brandished his sharp fangs and claws, just like a black, demonic tiger roaring out wildly. His tiger tail lifted up the blood-red blade and turned into a blurry, red streak, swinging towards Fu Qingjin’s waist. At the same time, his tiger claws lashed out, ready to unleash his power of vibrations at any time. He was covered in weapons that could kill.
“Wretched daemon!” Fu Qingjin barked, and the surrounding ruins twisted into green light. The entire Green Ruins Illusion turned into a sea of sword qi, gushing over and surrounding Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 439 – A Letter of Challenge
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Chapter 439 – A Letter of Challenge
The battle on the ground had ended a long time ago. The Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to provide assistance were annihilated, while the other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance who had arrived later refused to get any closer after witnessing what had happened. They flew in the sky, watching on from afar.
At this moment, the east began to glow dimly. The night roamers were afraid to scatter from one another now. They just remained below Bronze Cauldron mountain and raised their heads to watch the battle in the Green Ruins illusion.
The world seemed to have become a stage, where other people were all hidden spectators below the stage. Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin stood in the centre of the stage, drawing everyone’s attention. The outcome of their battle was about to determine the situation of the Clear River prefecture, as well as the lives of countless people.
There were also a few spectators who resided in the dark private boxes, quietly hiding themselves and watching on with various different thoughts in mind.
They saw the Green Ruins Illusion turn into a sea of sword qi, invading all openings at all costs and surrounding Li Qingshan completely.
Ye Liubo became extremely nervous. She muttered to herself, “Master is undefeatable.” Ye Liusu patted her shoulder. “You’re completely right. Believe in him!”
Li Qingshan swung the blade with his tail, producing countless blood-red flashes that clashed and wore away the sword qi. He swung his fists and hooves madly like a demon, throwing them at the empty space and producing a series of cracks. The power of tremors spread out in all directions, destroying the many layers of sword qi. With a fierce roar, a sound wave spread through the sea of sword qi, clearing the sky and making the dark blue of dawn visible.
However, before he could even appreciate it, he suddenly shuddered. A chilling killing intent attacked him from behind.
Fu Qingjin leapt out from the sea of sword qi and produced green ripples with each step. The Green Ruins sword was like a green bolt of lightning that shot across the night sky, and the sea of sword qi began to move with that, gathering on the sword and allowing the sword to tear through the sky.
Pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell gathered into a reflective wall, clearly reflecting Fu Qingjin’s figure. Fu Qingjin was not as tough or dense as Strongboulder. He immediately sensed that the figure in the mirror possessed a similar aura to him.
Fu Qingjin’s eyes coldened. No matter what ability you use, how can you block the Green Ruins sword’s edge? “Shatter!”
The tips of the swords connected and ripples appeared on the surface of the mirror. The reflected Fu Qingjin twisted and vanished. Cracks spread across the mirror before shattering loudly.
However, Fu Qingjin was not delighted at all. Instead, his heart sank.
Li Qingshan grinned widely, revealing his mouth full of sharp teeth. A blade aura thirty meters long emerged from the blood-red blade, swinging towards Fu Qingjin. “Die!”
Even with Li Qingshan’s intricate control, he still struggled to block the full-powered attack from such a powerful arcane treasure like the Green Ruins sword. However, that was enough. Fu Qingjin’s killing strike had been weakened. Both the power and the sword intent was no longer as sharp as before. A clash between the powerful only depended on a single moment.
Clang! With a screech of metal, a sword fell out of the sky.
Li Qingshan failed to hit Fu Qingjin. Instead, he hit the Green Ruins sword. In the final moment, Fu Qingjin had fused with the sword and hid in there, escaping with his life intact. However, he did suffer rather severe injuries.
Li Qingshan held back his temptation to call him shameless. He roared, “Stop him!” Little did he know that in Fu Qingjin’s eyes, his innate abilities were just as shameless.
The night roamers responded swiftly. Even without his order, they had already risen up, but the Green Ruins sword was even faster. It turned and twisted through the air, weaving between the night roamers like a bolt of lightning and flying off in the south-east direction.
With just a slight difference in strength, it was very difficult to prevent the strong from fleeing through numbers alone unless it was an assassination or ambush.
Li Qingshan cursed. “Bloodshadow, have you fucking watched enough?!”
There was a cold snort, and Bloodshadow shot out. With his speed, he had arrived a long time ago, but he would much rather watch Li Qingshan be finished off by Fu Qingjin and then take advantage of the weakened Fu Qingjin. Why would he ever work with Li Qingshan? The opportunity had appeared now, and he refused to let Fu Qingjin escape for nothing too.
With a flash, Bloodshadow stopped the Green Ruins sword. The cloak around him expanded and turned into a blood-red barrier, wrapping around the Green Ruins sword. The Green Ruins sword could pierce everything, but when it came to the red light, it began to falter. It weaved left and right, searching for an opening.
Fu Qingjin had clashed several times with Bloodshadow. He understood exactly how much the barrier of blood could corrupt weapons. If regular spiritual artifacts came into touch with it, they would lose all of their abilities, being reduced to a piece of regular metal. It was more terrifying than any form of damage.
Normally, Fu Qingjin would not have cared. The sword was protected by sword qi and its glow, so at worst, all he had to do was go back and refine it for another few days. However, the Green Ruins sword had been damaged again and again today. Its sword qi and glow had already become extremely dim. If it became covered by this corrupting blood, it really would become powerless.
“Fu Qingjin, to think even you would have today!” Bloodshadow sneered sinisterly and drew in the barrier of blood. Fu Qingjin had already become a sitting duck. He was unable to hide, and he was faced with dire circumstances. However, he recovered his composure and flew towards Bloodshadow.
Why would Bloodshadow be afraid of an injured Fu Qingjin? He went up to receive him with a sneer. This was the perfect opportunity for him to kill him and get his revenge.
Li Qingshan reverted to his humanoid form, flapping his wings of wind and lunging over. He definitely would not let Fu Qingjin’s hundred treasures pouch just go to Bloodshadow. At this moment, an omen of warning rose up inside him. He came to a screeching halt and retreated.
Bloodshadow had no idea why he did that. In a single instant, he had already approached Fu Qingjin. Fu Qingjin held a scarlet talisman in his hand. The inscriptions on the talisman suddenly lit up.
Light flooded the surroundings as a scorching, white bolt of lightning thicker than a tree. It twisted around for a few hundred meters and was just like a dragon. In a single moment, Bloodshadow’s sneer turned into fear. By then time he returned to his senses, the lightning dragon had already penetrated his chest.
Fu Qingjin brushed past Bloodshadow. He did not even bother to use an ounce of strength to finish him off.
A very long time seemed to pass before the rumbling arrived. The clap of thunder from nowhere shook up the very earth.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. Not only was it a scarlet talisman, but it was probably of the mid or even high grade. If Fu Qingjin had used that right from the beginning, the outcome of the battle would have been difficult to predict. His joy over the victory vanished, turning into caution. He had still underestimated the Sword Collection palace.
Fu Qingjin broke out, but he did not flee. He hovered in the air, but his face was filled with sighs, and he even seemed slightly annoyed. After witnessing the power of the Lightning Dragon talisman, no one dared to approach him carelessly anymore.
A while later, Fu Qingjin did something no one had expected. He bowed deeply towards Li Qingshan in the distance. “Northmoon, I must apologise to you for how I’ve underestimated you in the past.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback slightly. “Is this begging for mercy?”
Fu Qingjin said, “No, it’s a letter of challenge.”
“Then unleash your talismans and face me in a grand battle again!” Li Qingshan said boldly and fearlessly as his blood boiled.
Fu Qingjin said, “As a sword practitioner, I don’t rely on other objects unless I face imminent death. This is an unwritten rule of the Sword Collection palace.”
Li Qingshan crossed his arms and mocked, “Isn’t a rule like that useless to you? Stop posing around. Use whatever you have! If you don’t have enough, the Sword Collection palace is welcome to deliver some to you.”
“I, Fu Qingjin, swear that I will not rely on any other object or any other person. I will use this sword to defeat you.” Fu Qingjin raised his sword high into the air as his clothes ruffled. In that instant, all of his dejection, indifference, and laid backness vanished. He had recovered the bearing of a swordsman.
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Chapter 440 – A Righteous Strike
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Chapter 440 – A Righteous Strike
Li Qingshan’s valiance had been roused. His smile vanished as he said loudly, “Under my orders, no one is allowed to interfere in any of my battles with this person! Fu Qingjin, if I can defeat you once, then I can defeat you twice, three times, until you’ve been slain.” He spread his fingers before closing them into a fist. “I will personally shatter your pride.”
Fu Qingjin’s eyes flashed. He gazed at Li Qingshan deeply. “You really aren’t like a daemon. A pity!” With that, he merged with his sword and shot off.
Li Qingshan watched the green light take off. He did not waste any energy to chase after it either. A golden ray of light lit up in the east, dyeing all the clouds and stretching thousands of kilometers away.
The bright moon remained in the west, hanging high above Li Qingshan. The cultivators in the distance all saw this and murmured, “The moon demon.”
Following the terrors of the blood demon and the rock demon, he who had fallen silent for three years made a name for himself through a single battle. With strength even greater than the two former daemons, he earned the name of the moon demon, casting a shadow over the hearts of all cultivators.
The night roamers succumbed to his figure in the sky, lowering their heads. The matriarchs all handed over the hundred treasures pouches obediently.
Ye Liusu went up. “Master, we should…”
Li Qingshan scanned past them and flew down. He landed on the bronze cauldron that tried to slip away before raising his hand. “Mingzhu, the map.”
As the red sun rose up in the east, the bright moon gradually faded away. However, so what if it was day? Now, the greatest threat, Fu Qingjin, had been heavily injured, no longer capable of battle. This was a fantastic opportunity to attack the Daemon Suppression alliance.
“Northmoon, you screwed me over!” A spiteful voice rang out from the forest. Bloodshadow’s pale-white face was twisted; no, his entire body was twisted, filling in the hole in his chest. Having been directly struck by the destructive lightning dragon, a part of his body had directly vaporised, leaving behind an injury that could not be healed. His three years of sucking blood and cultivation had basically vanished in a single moment.
Li Qingshan mocked him. “So you’re still alive. Why don’t you check yourself before you think about taking advantage of me? You better piss off, or I’ll send you off!”
“Y- you…” Bloodshadow pointed at Li Qingshan as his face became even paler from anger. Not only had he failed to benefit, but he even ended up being heavily injured from taking part this time. He had truly been humiliated.
The wings of wind rose up with a whoosh, and Li Qingshan arrived before Bloodshadow in a single step, cutting him in half with one stroke. With a sweep of his foot, the power of tremors emerged, and the top half of Bloodshadow’s body was sent flying, reduced to a mess. “Off you go!”
Li Qingshan returned with his blade on his shoulder. Just when he was about to speak, another omen of warning rose up inside him.
The east suddenly lit up as an aura of righteousness rushed into the clouds. Gazing over, it actually originated from a tiny, skinny old man, covered in wrinkles. His stiff expression radiated with righteousness, shooting over from the east with a sword like the unstoppable rise of the sun.
He was the head scholar of Pine Sough academy, Wen Zhengming. He had been paying attention to the situation of the Clear River prefecture the entire time, especially to Jiang Shancheng’s murderer. He had received the news and rushed over the moment Li Qingshan appeared, but due to the rules, he was unable to show himself. Afterwards, he saw how arrogant the wretched daemon behaved and could not help himself any longer.
Wen Zhengming opened his mouth and blasted Li Qingshan’s ears like a clap of thunder. “Die, wretched daemon!”
The sharpness from the sword pricked his eyes. Li Qingshan thought of the Soaring Dragon Elder again, and his heart sank. A Golden Core cultivator. He bellowed out, “Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!”
Hexagonal pieces of faint blue light stacked before Li Qingshan. He was afraid to use the mirror reflection again, and it was not only because of the severe mental exhaustion he had gone through. It was also because with his current power, he probably could not even reflect a hundredth of the attacker’s strength. All he could do was use the simplest and most direct method to defend.
If Wen Zhengming changed his move, then Li Qingshan would be able to escape from the sword intent.
However, Wen Zhengming would never pull back his sword once he had swung it. He was straightforward, just like his own character. The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell shattered layer after layer. This was something that even Fu Qingjin could not achieve.
Li Qingshan’s eyes were clear as he forced his mind to settle down. He spread his arms, and his scarlet hair danced. The spirit turtle’s daemon core revolved rapidly as he poured all of his daemon qi into the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. I’m no longer the same Li Qingshan of the past. Even if a Golden Core cultivator wants to kill me, it won’t be that easy!
The night roamers all paled in fright, staggering back in retreat. They were unable to face the terrors of Golden Core cultivators. They were afraid to attract his attention. Only Ye Liusu remained where she was.
The bright yellow satin expanded to several meters across and flew towards Wen Zhengming. The moment it came in contact with the righteous aura, it ripped to pieces.
Ye Liubo cried out, turning into a shadow and flying towards Wen Zhengming. She stabbed down viciously with her dagger, and with a bang, she was sent flying, knocking down countless trees.
“Liubo!” Ye Liusu cried out.
Wen Zhengming’s righteous aura had been shaken up slightly, and it had shattered three layers of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell beforehand. It was a spent force.
Li Qingshan’s anger was stirred. He withdrew the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and spat out an oval bead. This was the phoenix’s embryo he had condensed in the magma underground.
Boom! It was like another sun had risen up from the ground, yet also like the surging eruption of a volcano.
“The World Flattened with Humanity and the Sword!” Even Wen Zhengming’s serious expression changed slightly. He bellowed out slightly, and his sword rose with the wind. His righteous aura surged, and he swung down, splitting through the flames right down towards Li Qingshan’s head.
Li Qingshan swung the blood-red blade with a violent roar. He did not retreat, advancing instead to fight with his life on the line. However, the sword swing ended up being deflected, brushing past him and landing on Bronze Cauldron mountain, cutting through the layers of rock and soil. Bronze Cauldron mountain was split in half as the two sides collapsed loudly.
Wen Zhengming lowered his head, and all he spotted was an invisible strand of spider silk wrapped around his sword. He gazed behind Li Qingshan and snorted coldly. “Spider daemon!”
Li Qingshan looked back. Before he knew it, Spider Queen Lolth was already standing behind him. She smiled. “You really haven’t disappointed me.”
“Save me, senior Wen!” The bronze cauldron flew out from the rock and soil behind Wen Zhengming. A call for help rang out.
The Spider Queen did not even glance at it. With a flick of her finger, the bronze cauldron suddenly fell down out of the sky, falling silent.
This time, Li Qingshan had to hold his breath and stare hard to tell what had happened. The bronze cauldron that had remained undamaged after countless attacks from him had been pierced by a crystalline thread even thinner than a hair. When it returned to the Spider Queen’s hand, it had already become a bright-red thread. A Foundation Establishment cultivator had been easily slain by the Spider Queen like she was swatting a fly.
Wen Zhangming was quite far away, so he was unable to react to it. He was filled with anger. “Wretched daemon!”
“Come!” The Spider Queen spread her slender arms. Her scarlet red evening dress exposed her cleavage. She seemed extremely alluring. She seemed like she wanted to hug Wen Zhengming’s sword. The smile on her face was gorgeous and venomous, truly quite a sight.
Li Qingshan came to a realisation. Once this battle began, the Clear River prefecture would no longer be a chessboard. With a flash, Ye Liusu had already used the explosion earlier to retreat into the distance with Ye Liubo. Only then did she ease up slightly. Ye Liubo was unconscious, but at least she was still alive.
Wen Zhengming’s robes surged as his righteous aura gushed out. They were on the verge of a great battle.
The Spider Queen’s smile suddenly stiffened. A voice that Li Qingshan found extremely familiar rang out in the sky. “A’Luo, long time no see again.”
In the blink of an eye, a figure landed between the Spider Queen and Wen Zhengming. Her white clothes were even paler than snow, and she seemed to hover there like an immortal. She held a jade fan in her hand; her smile was as graceful as the wind. It was Gu Yanying. The spectators behind the scenes finally could not help themselves but to leap on stage one by one.
Gu Yanying purposefully glanced past Li Qingshan mysteriously. She had wanted to teach this disobedient kid a lesson three years ago, but she became distracted by something else. By the time she remembered it again, he had already begun his secluded cultivation, and that lasted three years. He made a mess the moment he emerged, as if he was trying to make back all the time he had lost.
Gu Yanying moved away from the two powerful human and daemon cultivators. She said to Li Qingshan with a delightful smile, “You actually made head scholar Wen use the Triple Wealth style. That’s impressive of you.”
“You flatter me.” Li Qingshan’s thoughts were intricate now, which made him even more confident that Gu Yanying should have noticed his secret. Did she find out now? Or three years ago, when he joined the Academy of the Hundred Schools? Or perhaps she knew right from the beginning.
She had countless opportunities to deal with him, so why didn’t she? Was it because they were both human-daemon hybrids? Or perhaps she was afraid that brother ox who had slain the Soaring Dragon Elder had been watching over him carefully?
“Gu Yanying, get out of the way!” The Spider Queen gritted her teeth.
“Commader Gu, these daemons have been so arrogant. I uphold the righteous path, so I can’t just turn a blind eye to it. If you’re willing to assist me in purging daemons, then please do so. If you aren’t, then please move aside and don’t get in my way.”
Both of their auras gathered on Gu Yanying, trying to force her to leave.
Gu Yanying gently tapped her forehead with her fan in frustration. She sighed. “It really is difficult for me to satisfy the two of you.” Her eyes swiveled, and the corner of her lips curled up. “Looks like all I can do is listen to my heart.”
Li Qingshan had a feeling she was talking to him, and that she was slightly melancholic. Regardless of which side they chose, whether it be the humans or the daemons, they would never be able to obtain true peace. All they could do was walk their own path, but it would be a path of solitude that no one understood. Both sides would treat them as despicable traitors.
Li Qingshan thought of something. Looking at her graceful demeanor, independent and aloof from the word, her beauty unmatched in the world, his heart flittered slightly. He could not help but ask himself if his feelings of the past had changed at all.
“I have said that I’d continue taking responsibility over this war as long as no one interferes with it. However, I don’t think the two of you can be convinced with mere words.” Gu Yanying’s smile vanished. With a swish, she unfurled her fan. “If any of you are dissatisfied with me presiding over this matter, then come attack me!”
The Spider Queen snorted gently and curled her finger back, ready to flick it at any time.
Li Qingshan took a step forward and said softly, “Ma’am Spider Queen, we’ve already gained an upper hand in the war.”
The Spider Queen looked back. “You mean?”
“We shouldn’t get too greedy.” Li Qingshan shrugged. If they flipped the chessboard now, he would immediately be faced with an endless pursuit from Wen Zhengming. Instead of that, he would be better off benefitting sufficiently from this chessboard. There would be a day when he could leap out of the chessboard and cut down all of these people who dared to toy with him.
The Spider Queen considered it for a while. She also found it to be quite a waste to destroy the fantastic situation Li Qingshan had created. The great war would happen sooner or later, so there was no need for her to be so eager. She withdrew her daemon qi, turned around, and left.
Gu Yanying said, “Thank you.” but she looked towards Li Qingshan. She turned around and said to Wen Zhengming, “Head scholar Wen, surely we don’t have to fight against each other as humans! You’ve already heard what Fu Qingjin said. Are you really that unconfident in the Sword Collection palace?”
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Chapter 441 – Allocating Rewards
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Chapter 441 – Allocating Rewards
Wen Zhengming shut his eyes and let out a gradual sigh. His sword returned to its sheath, and he took off, throwing a word of caution behind.
“With how indecisive you are when it comes to choosing a side, you’ll definitely end up suffering one day, fellow Gu. Please take care.”
“Thank you for your reminder, great confucian Wen. However, the matters in the world are never perfect. There has to be sacrifices.” Gu Yanying clasped her hand and took off into the sky, sweeping away the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, the three spectators who could not help but leap on stage returned to the darkness once again. Below Bronze Cauldron mountain that had completely collapsed, Li Qingshan fished out the bronze cauldron. It was slightly damaged, but it was still an arcane artifact after all.
The night roamers who had scattered out of fright gathered together again silently. They were still uneasy. There was not a single organisation that would forgive soldiers deserting their commander when it mattered.
“Sir, where are we going now?” Ye Mingzhu studied Li Qingshan carefully, but she was unable to tell what he was thinking.
“We’re going back!” Li Qingshan ordered. He had already lost the element of surprise if he wanted to continue attacking. The night roamers were not accustomed to moving around under the sun either. With these two disadvantages, it would be a bad idea to keep fighting.
“We’re not going to continue our attack?”
“Liubo’s wounds come first.” Li Qingshan made his way through the crowd and arrived before Ye Liubo. She was still unconscious.
Li Qingshan touched her face and sensed a brutal aura rampaging through her body. It was the reason why she was unconscious. It was Wen Zhengming’s aura of righteousness. Fortunately, Wen Zhengming had been focusing on him the entire time, so she had only been injured on reflex. If Wen Zhengming even paid the slightest attention to her, she would have died already.
Every single heavenly tribulation represented a realm of cultivation, and the gaps between the realms would only grow larger with each tribulation, like a chasm that could not be filled in.
Ye Mingzhu reported with a frown. “The aura’s extremely tenacious, and it seems to suppress the powers of us night roamers. It’s extremely difficult to deal with.”
With a wave of his hand, pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell gathered together, wrapping around her and hoisting her into the air like a crystal coffin.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh. This battle had taken an extremely great toll on him. He had only managed to recover some of his daemon qi and his mental energy just now.
His eyes grew clear, and the daemon core revolved. The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!
His cultivation was profound, and he was adept with his various innate abilities, but this was still the first time he had used the ability to suppress seas on someone else through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
Ye Liubo shuddered and winced in pain. The righteous aura within her seemed to be alive, moving left and right to avoid Li Qingshan’s power. At the same time, it caused Ye Liubo even greater damage.
“Master,” Ye Liusu said in concern.
Above the clouds, Wen Zhengming glanced back. The spider daemon had killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator right in his face, but it was not like he had not achieved the same.
Li Qingshan’s forehead became covered in sweat. It was clearly just a strand of righteous aura, yet he actually felt like he was unable to suppress it even when he used all of his daemon qi. It was like an army thrown together in a hurry being pitted against a few dozen elite soldiers. If this continued, Ye Liubo would lose her life before long.
Li Qingshan made up his mind and bellowed out, “Suppress!” The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell pressed in from all directions and into Ye Liubo’s body. It completely cut off the righteous aura’s paths of retreat, and it was depleted in the end.
“Impressive, wretched daemon!” A cold light flashed through Wen Zhengming’s eyes. He wavered slightly, but he still chose to continue on his path in the end, albeit furiously.
A while later, Ye Liubo woke up slowly. She saw Li Qingshan and said feebly, “Master, are you fine?”
“I’m obviously fine.” Li Qingshan’s heart softened, and he withdrew the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell with a smile. He placed a healing pill into her mouth and picked her up. “Let’s go!”
Ye Liubo felt rather flattered before becoming filled with delight. She wrapped her arms around Li Qingshan’s neck and pressed her head against his chest. She seemed to be living in happiness.
The group returned to the underground dwelling, and Li Qingshan placed Ye Liubo on the stone bed. “Rest up!”
Afterwards, he took out all the hundred treasures pouches he had obtained through the battles and began to allocate everyone’s rewards.
“Liusu, count through them.”
Ye Liusu stepped up under his orders and opened the hundred treasures pouches one by one, tallying up everything that they contained.
They had killed a total of nine Foundation Establishment cultivators and countless Qi Practitioners. The spoils they had received were extremely abundant. Just the supreme grade spiritual artifacts amounted to seventeen, with over a hundred high grade spiritual artifacts and almost a thousand other spiritual artifacts.
Any single one of them was enough to light up any night roamer’s eyes. The various pills formed a dazzling array as well, almost too many to count. By the time Ye Liusu took out the talismans, formations and various puppets, she had almost filled the entire cave, turning it into a huge treasure trove.
“My share first.”
Li Qingshan picked out the pills that were beneficial to him first. Just the Virtue Accumulation pills amounted to four. Coupled with the other high level pills, they were enough for him to cultivate the ox demon to the fourth layer.
Afterwards, he took the few scarlet talismans. Although all of them were either inferior or low grade, they were still quite powerful. Most importantly, they did not possess any prominent special characteristics. Even if he used them as a human, people would not wonder about their origins.
As for the spiritual artifacts, all he chose was the military tablet for controlling Corpse Soldiers. He was prepared to give it to Xiao An as a gift along with all the other corpses. As for the other spiritual artifacts, he had no use for them, and they were difficult to sell, so he did not take a single one.
But most importantly, the blood-red blade and the bronze cauldron were already in his possession.
The blood-red blade would be for his identity as a daemon. The primary reason why he had crushed Fu Qingjin in battle this time was because Fu Qingjin did not understand what his innate abilities were capable of, so it was no wonder that Fu Qingjin would be reluctant to accept his defeat, issuing a vow like that. If Li Qingshan wanted to defeat him again in the future, these tricks would not work anymore. It would be the real thing. With this blood-red blade in hand, at least he would not suffer too much.
As for the bronze cauldron, he could leave it in his dwelling for forging artifacts. With his cultivation at Foundation Establishment, he should be able to use it. He had not even mastered the basics for artifact forging, but with this powerful artifact in his possession, he would probably be able to create some spiritual artifacts if he spent some time learning, right?
After choosing, Li Qingshan looked back and said, “Liubo, choose three supreme grade spiritual artifacts!”
Ye Liubo stared at Li Qingshan eagerly and bit her lip. “Master, can I have a different reward?”
“Stop messing around. Go.” Li Qingshan’s gaze softened. After all, this was the first time someone had shown him such loyalty in his entire life.
Ye Liubo was rather reluctant to oblige, but under his gaze, she was unable to turn him down. She had not thrown herself into life-threatening danger in vain.
Under everyone’s envious and jealous gazes, Ye Liubo picked and choosed before deciding on three spiritual artifacts, which were a protective shield, a small bow glistening with silver light, and a golden bracelet that she wore on her wrist.
This girl has really earned his favour. I would’ve treated her better if I had known before, Ye Mingzhu thought. Not only had Ye Liubo taken away three supreme grade spiritual artifacts, but she also had the priority in choosing, so she obtained the best supreme grade spiritual artifacts out of all of them.
“Liusu, you take two as well. It’s all thanks to your strategy that we could win the battles so easily.”
“Thank you, master.” Ye Liusu bowed and went up to take two spiritual artifacts. She knew this probably had something to do with the fact that she had not fled when it mattered. However, she wondered inside whether she would be able to be like Ye Liubo if she did not carry the mission of revitalising the night roamers on her shoulders.
Li Qingshan turned around and said with hostility, “Now for you lot.” His hand slid down the shiny supreme grade spiritual artifacts. “There’s twelve remaining. The six clans should have received two each, but those who fled will lose half of their spoils. Do you have any objections?”
Under Li Qingshan’s gaze, the matriarchs all lowered their heads. None of them dared to object. Although it pained them, they instead let out a sigh of relief when they considered how Li Qingshan could have lost his temper instead. They went up to pick one each.
Li Qingshan waved his hand. “Liusu, you can allocate the rest!”
Ye Liusu accepted his orders and split up half of it first. She split it into seven portions, with the additional portion going to the personal guards. That was equivalent to declaring the establishment of a new clan. Only with authority could she implement her beliefs.
The matriarchs looked at one another and exchanged glances. They were filled with doubt. The personal guards were all overjoyed, being able to obtain a share for themselves was obviously good news. Who cared about who was in charge? All that mattered was they would be obtaining benefits.
Li Qingshan nodded. After the allocation of rewards, he stowed the tremendous amount of remaining resources away and began to think over the battle earlier. He left his mirror clone here to deal with any possible issues, while his main body returned to the dwelling in the Chain mountains.
The sky had lit up completely now. In the Chain mountains, the Qing Xiao dwelling.
Xiao An seemed to sense something. She emerged from the dwelling and gazed into the distance. A white cloud shot through the sky with a long tail. She smiled in relief.
“I’m back!” Li Qingshan picked up Xiao An and said in her ear, “The battle was very satisfying. I taught that bastard Fu Qingjin a proper lesson. Here’s a gift.”
As he said that, he shoved a hundred treasures pouch into Xiao An’s hands. Before Li Qingshan had begun fighting, he had told the night roamers to collect the corpses. The hundred treasures pouch contained all the corpses from the battle, including the corpses of the nine Foundation Establishment cultivators.
With that, she would be able to strengthen the Skull Prayer Beads even further. She would be able to begin the next step in the plan.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head, and his eyes narrowed. He saw Qian Rongzhi flying over.
Qian Rongzhi landed on the flat platform gracefully. She bent over and placed a hundred treasures pouch into Li Qingshan’s hand. She smiled. “This is what you wanted.” She straightened herself out and stuck her hand out. “It’s time for you to settle your debt.”
Li Qingshan accepted the hundred treasures pouch and ran some numbers. He took out two True Spirit pills. “Is this enough?”
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes lit up as she smiled happily. “It’s enough. You’re just as considerate as before.” Suddenly, she grew serious. “Let’s get serious now. The academy has called an emergency meeting. All Foundation Establishment cultivators have to return for discussions.”
Li Qingshan thought inside, Just as expected.
“Are you going to ask what happened?” Qian Rongzhi asked absentmindedly while she thought, Seems like he just returned.
“What happened?” Li Qingshan asked in an unfazed manner.
“Eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance were slain, with seven sects destroyed. Among them, the rock demon killed two, while the daemon who slew the three elders three years ago and devastated the Green Vine mountain struck again. Leading several dozen Foundation Establishment level night roamers, they killed nine people. He’s now known as the ‘moon demon’. This is the situation right now. What do you think about it?”
In the academy, Liu Zhangqing was stern. He used as few words as possible to tell everyone about what happened last night.
An entire hall was filled with Foundation Establishment cultivators in front of him. There were actually thirty to forty people. Among them, there were many news faces Li Qingshan had not seen before. They were cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment but did not become school leaders, setting up their own dwelling and cultivating as hermits instead. They also belonged to the academy, or more accurately, the faction of the empire. They were unable to distance themselves from war anymore, having all been mobilised.
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Chapter 442 – Ru Xin’s Memories
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Chapter 442 – Ru Xin’s Memories
The resplendent sunlight poured into the hall through the window, illuminating the dust particles that drifted through the air. The singing of the birds entered through the windows as well while the Lake of Dragons and Snakes shimmered in the sun. This was originally an extremely peaceful and tranquil morning, yet the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.
If any regular people were present, they would definitely reevaluate their composed and aloof impression of cultivators. Expressions of shock and thought filled everyone’s faces.
They were independent from the Daemon Suppression alliance, even with many conflicts and disputes existing between them, but so many cultivators who were almost no different from them had died all of a sudden. What they felt was no longer just sympathy over the deaths of fellow humans. Instead, they felt truly threatened or even fearful.
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows in thought, as if he was lamenting over the horrors of the war.
Ru Xin stared at him, as if he was extremely fascinating.
However, ever since Qian Rongzhi warned him, Li Qingshan had decided to strengthen his abilities as an actor. In particular, he could not afford to show even the slightest opening before these observative people.
As a result, no matter how Ru Xin stared at him, he remained like the sculpture, “The Thinker”. Ru Xin lost interest very soon. She let out a sigh lazily and leaned against her hand, gazing at the shimmering Lake of Dragons and Snakes outside the window. Memories flooded back to her like the tide.
The shimmering light turned into balls of fire, turning the sky red. Fire-red figures soared through the flames like spraying sparks. Their fire hair scorched; they roared furiously like erupting volcanoes and flames surged out of their mouths, filling the skies like a meteor shower.
The sea water overflowed the dams, destroying the forests and drowning out the landscape. Thousands of fish-tailed merfolk swam within the water, chanting and singing together. No one would have imagined the gentle, tactful merfolk could actually produce such a startling war song unless they had heard it in person.
The singing rose into the sky like invisible rope, pulling the sparks into the sea water, drowning and extinguishing them. However, they too were charred to ashes under the attacks of the meteors. Every now and then, the song of the merfolk around her would become elated and sorrowful. Crystalline tears would even flow from their eyes, turning into translucent pearls that sank into the bottomless ocean.
After their shock, the cultivators present engaged in an intense discussion. “Is the moon demon really that powerful? Just what kind of daemon is he?” “I don’t think it’s actually him who’s powerful. Instead, the Night Roaming folk are just despicable. So much for calling them folk or people, they’re actually assisting the wicked against us. We should’ve driven the otherfolk to extinction a long time ago. That way, they wouldn’t have been able to cause us any more trouble.”
“You don’t think he’s powerful? I’ve heard that even Fu Qingjin of the Sword Collection palace interfered in person, but he ended up being injured, retreating in defeat.” “He just had an advantage in numbers, that all.” “An advantage in numbers? I think you’ve been in secluded cultivation for far too long. You’ve basically been living under a rock. Three years ago, he faced the elders of the three mountains together and killed two of them. He also frightened the Green Vine Elder to the point where he was too afraid to leave the mountain. He only worked up the courage to move around a little after obtaining a Duality Formation of Disintegration, but he still ended up dying.”
Li Qingshan took some secret pleasure in all of that when he heard it. He even closed his eyes in the end, just in case a smile oozed out through his eyes. However, he grew bored of it before long, so he opened his eyes, emerging from his state of “The Thinker”. Looking around, his gaze landed on Ru Xin’s face, and he noticed something.
Ru Xin’s eyes were shrouded in haze, as if her mind was in an extremely distant place. As sunlight fell on her bright and delicate face, all of her emotions vanished before he knew it. She was like a beauty sculpted from white jade, so beautiful that she no longer seemed alive.
For some reason, Li Qingshan’s heart sank. He asked her secretly, “Ru Xin, are you thinking about a man?”
Ru Xin returned to her senses and answered, “I may be, but it’s definitely not you.”
“What’s wrong with me that you can’t think about me?”
“I’d rather think about the moon demon instead of you. I heard he’s a handsome man!” The mocking expression that Li Qingshan found great familiarity in returned to Ru Xin’s face. She shot a glance at Li Qingshan, like he was welcomed to check himself in the mirror.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Then you better keep thinking!” It left Ru Xin slightly surprised.
Han Tieyi noticed all the “flirtatious glances” going on between them and raised an eyebrow. Hua Chengzan said to him secretly with a smile, “The two of them sure are relaxed. We should learn from them.”
Liu Zhangqing raised his hand to give a sign, and the hall fell quiet. “Fellows, many of you have been in secluded cultivation the entire time, so you might not be familiar with this daemon. Commander Wang, please give an introduction to him!”
Wang Pushi’s stern face was so cold that it seemed like steel. He stood up and arrived at the front, hanging up the painting Chu Danqing had created in the past.
“This is the moon demon. His actual name is Northmoon. Regarding his strength, I’ve received news that he’s defeated the stone demon and the blood demon in the past and was nominated as the commander of the night roamers by the Spider Queen. He’s spent the past three years in secluded cultivation. Through the battle last night, he’s demonstrated extremely great influence and leadership. The Daemon Suppression alliance or even us pale in comparison in this aspect.”
The two major human organisations impeded one another, such that both of them were afraid of unleashing their full strength in a battle against the daemons, just in case they were weakened and allowed the other organisation to take advantage of them.
Wang Pushi continued, “If you still don’t have a clear understanding of his strength, then hear me out. Earlier this morning, fellow Fu of the Sword Collection palace ventured to Bronze Cauldron mountain to provide reinforcement, though he did fall for an ambush, which cost him a lot of spiritual energy. Afterwards, fellow Fu managed to trap the moon demon in the Green Ruins Illusion. In order to wait for reinforcements, the moon demon did not attack him immediately. By the time fellow Fu had recovered most of his spiritual energy, their battle unfolded and ended with fellow Fu’s defeat.”
The hall immediately fell quiet. Over the past three years, they had gained a deep impression of the stone demon and blood demon’s strength and terrifying deeds. Among the humans, Fu Qingjin’s reputation soared the most, even surpassing some of the veteran late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yet, the “moon demon” had actually defeated all three of them.
However, Li Qingshan managed to notice a few other things from that. Old Wang had originally been extremely displeased with Fu Qingjin, yet he constantly referred to him as “fellow Fu” now.
Wang Pushi let out a heavy sigh. “From today onwards, we’ve gained a terrifying opponent. The circumstances have become extremely dire. Yesterday, fellow Fu brought the murderer of the Hawkwolf guards from the Vermillion Clothes sect to Clear River prefecture. He seems to be intending on proposing an alliance. I was thinking we could respond to this proposition either way, so I don’t want to say anything more. I have no choice but to invite you all to discuss this now.”
Li Qingshan had never expected Fu Qingjin to have already begun taking actions behind the scenes. If he had not struck first, Fu Qingjin would probably be leading many cultivators in a large-scale attack. However, speaking of which, he was also the major impetus behind the alliance between these two factions. External pressure would always result in internal peace.
The hall fell silent before becoming noisy again. However, they primarily discussed how they would form the alliance. There were very few objections.
Obviously, Li Qingshan would not try to stick out like a sore thumb. Wang Pushi saw how he remained silent and called on him, “Kid, tell me, what do you think we should do?”
Li Qingshan stood up. “Old Wang, I think we should form an alliance. As the old saying goes, we’re all in the same boat. If the Daemon Suppression alliance is destroyed, the pressure we face will definitely increase drastically. However, the Daemon Suppression alliance were the ones who started this war, and now that they’ve been weakened, I think we should use this opportunity to claim more authority such that we’re the ones in charge of the alliance. We shouldn’t be ordered around by outsiders.”
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Chapter 443 – The Person in the Painting
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Chapter 443 – The Person in the Painting
Li Qingshan’s suggestion immediately garnered everyone’s agreement. Since the alliance would definitely be going ahead, the priority right now was how to derive more benefit from the alliance. Nothing would be better than the Daemon Suppression alliance and the daemons they wanted to suppress all dying together so that they could continue cultivating in peace. However, they obviously could not openly say something like that.
Wang Pushi snorted heavily. He was rather displeased by how he was called “old Wang”. He knew this was Li Qingshan’s reply to being called “kid”. However, he agreed very much with what the brat said, and he did possess some of the right to call him that now. As a result, he decided to ignore how he had referred to him.
After some further discussion, everyone decided that Liu Zhangqing would lead the negotiation with Fu Qingjin along with a few other school leaders. However, with Fu Qingjin injured and the Daemon Suppression alliance receiving a heavy blow, they were unsure whether the meeting in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain would go ahead as planned.
Li Qingshan did not care too much about this meeting. He just felt that Fu Qingjin had chosen a very good location to hold it. As a sect, the Sect of Clouds and Rain should have joined the Daemon Suppression alliance, but since it was based in the Clear River city, it had always been mingled with the academy. It existed within a grey region between the two factions. Qiu Haitang could be regarded as a clever and capable person, so she could mediate between them.
After the meeting ended, Li Qingshan and Ru Xin bickered secretly as they made their way out.
Liu Chuanfeng glanced at Li Qingshan in the crowd and wanted to say something. Li Qingshan sensed him and turned around, but Liu Chuanfeng ended up shirking away like a mouse that had just seen a cat, lowering his head and leaving. He left Li Qingshan rather confused.
Suddenly, Chu Danqing appeared before them. He bowed towards Li Qingshan first before asking Ru Xin, “Senior sister, could you send someone to take a look at my master?”
“Danqing, you’ve reached Foundation Establishment too? What’s wrong with your master?” Li Qingshan noticed he had already reached Foundation Establishment. The naivety had vanished from his face. He no longer seemed as dazed as when he first left the mountains. Instead, he was anxious, and it clearly had nothing to do with the daemons.
“My master has been feeling rather unwell.” Chu Danqing forced out a smile before looking at Ru Xin again.
Ru Xin said in confusion, “Hasn’t my master been taking care of master Chu’s body the entire time?”
“Senior Hua Ci said, ‘Doctors can’t cure the helpless, just like how buddha can only bring salvation to those who are destined. Sir, your life force is almost all but exhausted. No medicine can save you.’ After that, he stopped visiting.” Chu Danqing was overcome with worry.
Li Qingshan shook his head. That dark-skinned old man sure was blunt and direct. He could have comforted him a little at the very least. He wondered whether Ru Xin had turned out like this because of his influence.
“Since my master’s said that, it might be… Fine, I’ll take a look.” Ru Xin originally wanted to turn him down, but when Chu Danqing’s pleading gaze became almost pitiful, she changed her mind and agreed.
Chu Danqing thanked her several times, leading the way in a hurry.
Li Qingshan knew he was probably just doing everything he could do and was touched by his filial piety. He could not help but let out a sigh. He thought of something and followed along as well.
Ru Xin said, “Why’re you coming along?”
Li Qingshan said, “To visit, obviously. You can say there’s a bit of fate that master Chu and I met.” He paused slightly and changed the topic. “I have a few works of calligraphy that I’d like master Chu to appraise.” He had remembered the three pieces of the Cursive Sword Caligraphy.
They were on the verge of an alliance and on the brink of a great battle. Increasing his strength as a human was his priority right now. If he could restore these three fragments of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he could potentially obtain a powerful arcane artifact. In the past, he was worried it would lead to trouble, but now, there was nothing to worry about. Paintings and literature had always gone hand in hand. He could not really depend on Liu Chuanfeng, so he would have to find a painter for this instead.
Chu Danqing’s worries eased up slightly. He smiled. “Thank you, senior brother. My master likes calligraphy very much. Perhaps he’ll feel a little better after appreciating a few works.”
Through these years of construction, the school of Painting had become quite the sight to behold. There were sculpted pillars and painted walls, small bridges and flowing water, forming a pleasant scenery.
Although the war had never stopped, the school of Painting primarily focused their efforts on painting and not actual battles in person. As a result, they normally did not have to carry out any dangerous missions. They were mainly responsible for painting on the island and handing them over to the academy, which would give the other disciples an additional safeguard. They had not lost many disciples, so it was bubbling with activity.
As they moved around, they were all dressed in white, but it was unlike the pure-white of the school of Medicine. They painted pictures of birds, flowers, landscape, and people. The streams gurgled as the fish swam through them. They would move about freely, which was difficult to put into words.
Under Chu Danqing’s lead, Li Qingshan and Ru Xin arrived before a residence surrounded by pine and cypress trees. The flowers and plants at the front were impervious to the cold, blooming brightly. Butterflies fluttered between the flowers. It was a wonderful sight to behold.
“Master Chu’s paintings truly are almost divine.” Li Qingshan held a butterfly in his palm. Through his soul sense, he could feel that the butterflies and flowers were not real.
Chu Danqing scratched his head in some embarrassment. “I painted all of these. You’re too kind, senior brother. They’re nowhere near as great as the wonderful techniques of the school of Novels that can conjure anything and everything. Could you wait outside for a moment, senior brother?”
“The school of Novels is nice, but it’s a pity that it relies on the external environment so much. It can’t be compared to how painters can just remain in seclusion and paint. Alright, you better go!” Li Qingshan nodded with a smile. He had almost forgotten about his identity as the primary disciple of the school of Novels.
However, when he peered inside his body, he discovered that the power of belief gathered within his Divine Talisman of Great Creation had already become extremely abundant before he knew it. He could not help but beam. Now this is the virtue of the school of Novels. Even if I toss it to the back of my mind, it’ll gather power endlessly.
Liu Chuanfeng took a rather passive stance, but as the one truly behind the Cloudwisp association, Sun Fubai had never stopped pouring in his efforts. His efforts and perseverance were the primary reason why he had managed to accumulate so much power of belief. If he refined the Divine Talisman of Great Creation again with his spiritual energy, he would be able to reach a whole new realm. He would not have to rely on the figures and objects in the novels anymore. Instead, he would be able to directly turn fiction into reality, the intangible into the tangible. He would be able to do whatever he wanted. It would be an impressive source of power.
It made him think of Liu Chuanfeng. As it seemed, it was time for him to return to Cloudwisp island to take a look and plan for the future. He had a vague feeling that this power would play a critical role at a certain moment in the future.
“Since you’ve come, you might as well come in too!”
Chu Shidao’s old, feeble voice rang out from the residence. Even with Li Qingshan’s ignorance of the medical arts, he could tell he was growing feeble and his life was coming to an end from his voice.
“Please.” All Chu Danqing could do was invite him in. Li Qingshan and Ru Xin stepped in. The decor in the residence was very simple and elegant.
Chu Danqing followed closely behind them, but his face became slightly gloomy. The residence was arranged in exactly the same way as where he learnt how to paint in the mountains. That was the place that had made him feel the warmest in his entire life. To a little beggar who lived day-to-day wandering the streets, it was basically paradise that was only mentioned in the legends. Yet now, it only amplified his sorrow.
“Danqing, you’ve returned.” A regular woman in a coarse dress emerged from behind to welcome them.
Chu Danqing said with respect, “Mistress, this is senior sister Ru Xin and senior brother Li.”
“Are you the Li Qingshan who won the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms from us? I’ve heard many things about you.” The woman bowed gracefully. Without any makeup on, she studied Li Qingshan somewhat curiously.
Li Qingshan was astounded. He had learned that Chu Shidao took a painting as his wife a long time ago. Was it her? However, she was not as startlingly beautiful as the rumors claimed her be. She was only on par with a pretty woman of humble origins at most. However, even until now, he had not sensed a hint of fakeness from her. Her lively aura of life and her eyes filled with emotion were no different from a real person’s.
Now this was called truly divine!
“This way please,” the woman said.
They arrived in a bedroom. Chu Shidao laid on a bed. He propped himself up and clasped his hands. “I’m not too well, so please forgive me for failing to welcome you at the door.” His white hair was messy. Although his face was sunken and on the decline, his bearing still held up. The woman arrived behind him quietly and combed his hair for him. She gently hummed a tune to herself, not worried at all.
“You’re too kind, senior. Please allow me to check your pulse.” Ru Xin approached him, but Chu Shidao waved his hand. “There’s no need. I’m not a doctor, but I still can calculate how much time I have. Danqing, you’ve done something pointless again.”
“Danqing is doing all of this out of his devotion to you, yet an old thing like you won’t even appreciate it.” The woman smacked Chu Shidao’s head gently.
Chu Shidao lost his temper. “I’m teaching my disciple a lesson! Why do I need you butting in? Get out!”
The woman walked towards the wall without saying anything. A yellowing, blank scroll hung there. She walked right into it, turning into a painting that stared at Chu Shidao at ease.
Li Qingshan thought, Even Chu Shidao is losing control over his anger despite his cultivated character in the face of death, but you can’t blame him for that. It has already reached a time like this, yet this “mistress” is still so unfazed. She’s just a painting after all. No matter how human-like she seems, she won’t understand human feelings.
Chu Shidao pointed at the painting and yelled, “Danqing, roll up the painting. Don’t let me see her.”
Chu Danqing was troubled, but he was afraid of defying his master. He bowed at the painting. “Mistress, master is in a bad mood. You…” Before he could even finish talking, the “mistress” turned around. Chu Danqing went up to roll her up, passing her to Chu Shidao.
Chu Shidao let out a long sigh as the anger on his face melted away like ice. He smiled. “I’ve made a fool of myself before the two of you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Senior, your body comes first, so why must you be angry over a painting? If you find her dissatisfying, you can just switch her out for another painting.”
Chu Danqing frowned. She was not just a painting, but a gentle woman who had watched him grow up. She was akin to his mother.
Chu Shidao smiled. “I don’t have the leisure. Even if you give me another century, I won’t be able to paint her.”
His gaze deepened, and he stroked the painting gently. “When I painted her, I was still a mere Qi Practitioner who had barely grasped the basics. Let alone the lack in charm, I even did a bad job with her appearance. I originally wanted to paint an unmatched beauty, yet this was all I could manage. She could barely leave the painting scroll, and she did not seem alive at all. Even when she spoke, she was like a parrot. She was completely absent-minded. She would always knock over the inkstone whenever she grinded ink for me.”
“After- afterwards, for some reason, she just became more and more… Actually, I was the same as Danqing. Although I liked painting, I never actually planned on marrying a painting. Life is unpredictable!” Chu Shidao sighed with a smile. He held the scroll like he was holding a great treasure. He was completely attached to it.
Li Qingshan and Ru Xin exchanged glances. Both of them were speechless. What he poured in was not effort and ink, but a lifetime of emotions, allowing this clumsy piece of an apprentice to become a living being that understood feelings.
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Chapter 444 – Origins of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy
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Chapter 444 – Origins of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy
Then, Chu Shidao said to Ru Xin, “It’s good that you’re here. I heard from brother Hua that you’re good with refining strange medicines. You even managed to refine Water of Recollection that could bring back a person’s memories.”
Ru Xin nodded. “I still have a lot of Water of Recollection.”
Chu Shidao shook his head. “I already have enough memories… Can you refine a medicine with the opposite effects?”
If it were opposite to the Water of Recollection, wasn’t that just Water of Oblivion? Li Qingshan asked, “Isn’t that just granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness?”
TL: Quoting from what I wrote in chapter 317: “Granny Meng, or Meng Po, is the goddess of forgetfulness in Chinese mythology. It’s said that once you die and enter the afterlife, you drink granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness and permanently forget about your past life so that you can reincarnate.”
“That’s right.” Chu Shidao nodded with a smile and stared at the painting in his hand absentmindedly.
Ru Xin suddenly understood something. “Senior, you want to make her…”
Chu Shidao’s eyes rippled like water. “I’ll be venturing down the path of yellow springs soon, and she can’t come with me to the Bridge of Helplessness. Surely I can’t drink granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness alone, right?”
TL: All of this is a reference to the underworld in Chinese mythology. The path of yellow springs is one that leads to the next life, while the Bridge of Helplessness is a bridge that every soul must cross to reincarnate. The Soup of Forgetfulness is drunk on the bridge.
“Master, h- how can we do that?” Chu Danqing’s expression changed drastically.
“I have my plans.” Chu Shidao raised his hand and said to Ru Xin, “There’s not a lot I can give you. Here’s three taels of Evening Dew cinnabar. You can use it for refining medicines. You can treat that as remuneration.” He fished out a metal, circular box used for holding pigments from his hundred treasures pouch and passed it to Ru Xin.
Ru Xin opened the box of pigments, and a red colour, similar to a light or a haze, seeped out. Like the evening dew under the setting sun, it varied with countless different colours. Faint red, blood red, violet red, and so on dyed the entire room. It was as if the colours of the sunset had been sealed within the tiny box. Not only was it extremely beautiful, but the spiritual qi it contained was startling too.
Ru Xin returned it with gratitude. “This is just too precious. I can’t accept it. I will do my best to fulfill senior’s request, but I might not manage to. Sometimes, forgetting is even more difficult than remembering.”
“That’s right. Take it. Whether you succeed or not, it’s yours.” Chu Shidao chuckled. “Little fellow Qingshan, I’ve actually wanted to see you for a very long time now. If you had come a little later, you really would have missed out. Danqing, the two guests you’ve brought today are perfect.”
“Whatever makes you happy, master.”
Li Qingshan said, “Don’t tell me you plan on asking me to return the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms?”
“It’s a mere painting, so why would I do that?” Chu Shidao took out a picture book and laid it out in his hands. It was the Magic Brush Ma Liang Li Qingshan had used in the past to defeat Chu Danqing. “This is your masterpiece!”
Chu Danqing was perplexed. He had flipped through the picture book before. The workmanship was clumsy, nothing worth mentioning. Yet, Chu Shidao would flip through it again and again, like he was rather fond of it.
“You’re too kind, senior.” Li Qingshan was rather confused too.
“I had nothing to do when I was bed bound, so I painted a few things according to it. They’re not real works, just something to pass time.” As Chu Shidao said that, he passed a paperboard to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan accepted it and took a look. The same title was written at the top, which gradually merged into a puddle of ink. It turned into various characters and scenes, running around and talking in there. The plot was unfolding.
With their abilities, the fish painted by painters could swim, while the birds could sing. All of this was the basics. Making the subject of the painting leave the restraints of the paper was truly grasping the art. To Chu Shidao, this was only something to pass time like a doodle, but the lively appeal it contained left even Li Qingshan stunned despite all his experience with movies and animations.
What was this supposed to be? Was he a master animator? How happy would young children be if they saw something like this? No, even adults would become attached to it!
“Painting and literature go hand in hand. The school of Novels and the school of Painting both count as lesser schools of thought within the academy. However, if we can work together, there is great room for development. It was exactly you who reminded me that the art of painting could be used like this.”
“You’re completely right, master Chu!” Li Qingshan already began thinking. Let alone animation, even movies would not prove to be a problem with what painters were capable of. Moreover, all of the scenes would be absolutely stunning, greater than any form of special effects from his past life. What would 3D be when compared to that? When they reached a climax, it could directly fly out of the screen. It would be startlingly effective, and it could remove the barrier of knowing how to read. The rate at which the power of belief accumulated would become much faster too.
Chu Danqing frowned. “Master, are you saying that I should also condense a Divine Talisman of Great Creation and go gather the power of belief?”
Chu Shidao grabbed Chu Danqing and Li Qingshan’s hands and said sincerely, “Both of your names have the word ‘Qing’. You can say that it’s destiny. If you can work together with absolute sincerity, what can’t you manage?”
Li Qingshan thought, Fu Qingjin also shares the word ‘Qing’ with me!
“I will, master.” Chu Danqing obliged as he always would and looked towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan patted Chu Danqing’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, senior. I admire Danqing’s conduct as a person very much. We’ll definitely collaborate properly and achieve great things.” He would write the script, while Chu Danqing would paint, and they could go on tour. When they split the earnings in the end, they would not be splitting money, but the power of belief. That would be wonderful.
Chu Shidao let out a satisfied smile. Ru Xin joked, “It’s just a pity that the two Qings are both men, or they could dual cultivate.”
Li Qingshan shot a glance at her, while Chu Danqing coughed a few times.
Chu Shidao said, “It would be wrong of you to say that. Those who find each other compatible become partners of love, while those who share the same goal and mindset become partners of cultivation. Doesn’t the latter surpass the former?”
Chu Danqing said, “You’re only bold enough to say that when mistress isn’t here.”
Chu Shidao stroked the painting. “Heh, she’s my confidant. There is no concept of gender when it comes to confidants.”
Alright, we better change the topic! Li Qingshan said, “Oh right. I have three scrolls of art here. I’d like senior to appraise them.”
“Oh?” Chu Shidao accepted the three scrolls of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy from Li Qingshan. He unfurled them one by one, and his eyes suddenly shone resplendently. He stared at the three pieces of calligraphy like he wanted to engrave it into his heart. His face was filled with shock at first before being replaced by endless pity.
Li Qingshan asked in a hurry, “Senior, do you recognise the origins of these three works?”
Chu Shidao let out a long sigh. “The origins of these three works are anything but simple. They’re so old that they even predate the Great Xia empire. Have you heard of the Five Absolutes of the Nine Provinces before?”
“May I ask which five seniors are they?” Li Qingshan said. What a name. There were so many talents and freaks in the world, yet who dared to claim they were absolute? After understanding the size of the nine provinces, he expressed admiration from the bottom of his heart to these people who dared to take on this in their nickname. These five people must have been extraordinary figures of great might.
Chu Shidao shook his head. “The Five Absolutes of the Nine Provinces is not five people, but one person.”
“One person! Who might they be?” The three of them were all astounded.
“I’ve only heard a few words about him from my master. Legend has it that he was a Reincarnated Celestial. After awakening his innate knowledge, he possessed unbelievable intelligence and power. Because he was unrivalled in the aspects of the sword, the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, people called him the Five Absolutes Immortal, or the ‘Heavenly Lord of the Five’. If I’ve guessed correctly, the calligraphy must be by him.”
Li Qingshan beamed inside. The origins of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy were impressive, just as expected. It was no wonder that it could earn a word of praise from the black ox despite being a mere spiritual artifact. If he could collect all the fragments, wouldn’t it make him unstoppable?
Ru Xin said, “Senior, the world has always been filled with powerful figures, and there should be a lot of cultivators who are skilled in the sword and calligraphy too!”
Chu Shidao turned to Chu Danqing and asked, “Danqing, have you noticed it?”
“Yes, master.” Chu Danqing picked up one of the scrolls and inspected it closely. “Apart from the art of the sword and calligraphy, there seems to be the art of paintings in here too.”
Chu Shidao nodded in satisfaction. “It would be impossible for non-painters to tell this. The art of painting is not widespread. I truly cannot think of a second person who’s skilled in all three arts and can meld them into one.”
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Chapter 445 – A Battle of Interests
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Chapter 445 – A Battle of Interests
“The technique in this painting is startling. No matter how you divide it, its essence remains complete, just like how a sparrow is complete with organs despite its size. The fact that it can still be used as a spiritual artifact is unbelievable. If I could witness its original form, I can die without any regrets,” Chu Shidao said in both praise and pity.
Li Qingshan asked, “Then is it possible to merge these three fragments into one?”
“If you can split it apart, then you can obviously merge it back together. I’m not particularly talented, but I can try comprehending the divine techniques of this senior and attempt to repair it.”
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. “If senior can help me out, I definitely won’t let senior go to such lengths for nothing.”
“No, you can’t do that. Master, your body’s already in such a state, so how can you waste your energy?” Chu Danqing shoved the Cursive Sword Calligraphy back into Li Qingshan’s hand. “Sorry, senior brother, but this can’t happen. Master should rest now.”
Li Qingshan was unable to say anything more. He could only try seeking another method to go about it.
“Do you just want me to lay in bed and wait to see the king of hell?” Chu Shidao slammed the bed and roared at Chu Danqing, “Give me the painting. Li Qingshan don’t you want an arcane artifact?”
Once Chu Shidao became carried away, no one could stop him. In the end, Li Qingshan left behind the three fragments of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and took his leave.
A white cloud rose into the air, and the vast ground receded rapidly. The wind whistled, making their clothes ruffle.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh. “They’re basically a family. They’re so devoted and concerned for each other that it’s admirable.”
Ru Xin sat on the cloud with her legs crossed. “As cultivators, becoming overly wrapped up in our feelings might not necessarily be good. Only by forgetting your emotions and becoming impervious to your feelings can you achieve enlightenment and become an immortal.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll just go without becoming an immortal.”
A strange smile appeared on Ru Xin’s face, like she was looking at a stubborn child. Li Qingshan said, “What, have you been enchanted by my charm?”
“A little.”
“Then you’re too late.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of proximity being an advantage?” Ru Xin huddled towards Li Qingshan. Her breath was ticklish, and she smiled gently. Her water-like gaze was filled with indescribable hints of affection.
It was not like Li Qingshan had just met her, so why would he fall for it again? “Stop messing around. Can you really refine this Water of Oblivion?”
Ru Xin said, “I’ll try! Perhaps I might need it too.”
The most difficult part about forgetting your emotions had always been the “forgetting” part.
They separated in the Chain mountains. Li Qingshan returned to his dwelling only to see Xiao An seated in the centre. Flames scorched above her as the Skull Prayer Beads turned into huge skulls, spitting out flames from their large mouths to make it burn even more vigorously.
Corpses flew into the fire one after another, melting away instantly and merging with the clump of white fluid in the centre of the fire, which scattered in all directions. Sometimes, it fell into the mouths of the skulls; sometimes, it dripped down.
As she continued to forge Skull Prayer Beads, it was not just an increase in number anymore. Her overall strength was rapidly increasing, and the quantity of corpses she needed would increase too. After who knew how many corpses, the white fluid gradually consolidated into a perfectly round bead. Another Skull Prayer Bead had been forged.
Xiao An stood up and smiled sweetly. “I’ve almost completed the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.”
The so-called Foundation Establishment realm was actually about establishing a foundation for her. After all these years of arduous cultivation, she had barely managed to build up sufficient progress with both her mind and body, establishing an adequate foundation for the supernatural ability of another world.
Li Qingshan said, “Am I supposed to praise you for cultivating quickly or criticize you for cultivating slowly? If you reach the first layer, how well would you hold up against Bloodshadow?”
Xiao An said, “He definitely won’t be able to escape. Even if I fight you, I might not necessarily lose!”
“Girl, I’ll show you my power right now!” Li Qingshan lunged over with a smile, and Xiao An fled far away, letting out a series of chime-like giggles.
Before darkness had descended, many sects in the Clear River prefecture did the same thing. They dismantled their formations and stowed away their mechanisms and puppets before glancing back reluctantly and taking off into the sky. They abandoned the sects they had managed for all these years and undertook a large-scale migration.
Because the migrating groups were all composed of Qi Practitioners, they did not move quickly, but whenever they ran into another sect, they would merge and travel towards their destination together.
The sky was darkening, and the setting sun dyed the clouds red. Hua Chengzan stood on a sword and gazed down from above. He saw glimpses of light as cultivators of various sects flew through the red clouds like fireflies.
Then he glanced at the crescent moon that rose up in the distant horizon and said to Han Tieyi beside him, “I never thought a single moon demon would be able to throw Fu Qingjin and the entire Daemon Suppression alliance into such dire circumstances.”
Han Tieyi said, “I’d like to try clashing with him.”
Hua Chengzan said, “I really hope you don’t get the opportunity.”
Before he had even finished speaking, a scarlet figure shot across the sky, arriving above the Rose Clouds sect. His wings of wind were wondrous as his scarlet hair danced about. His ruby-like eyes locked onto Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi.
Hua Chengzan leapt in fright inside and smiled bitterly. “You’ve actually jinxed it.” Han Tieyi grew stern, poised for battle at any time.
Li Qingshan left his original body in his dwelling to ingest pills and cultivate and sent his clone to investigate the movements of the Daemon Suppression alliance. He planned on leading a few more raids, and if it were possible, destroy a few more sects, which would strengthen the academy’s bargaining position in the upcoming negotiations, allowing him to subdue Fu Qingjin and the Daemon Suppression alliance from various directions.
As a result, he ran into the large-scale migration and arrived here by following them. However, he ended up running into Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi, who had come to investigate. Seeing how they were basically on the edge of their seats, Li Qingshan smiled inside before lowering his head and looking at the Rose Cloud sect.
Hua Chengzan eased up and dragged the riled-up Han Tieyi with him in a silent retreat. Since he had no intentions of fighting, that would be for the best. Let alone their slim chances at victory, even if they did win, they would not be able to stop him from leaving. Right below was the headquarters of the Daemon Suppression alliance, so surely he would not attack them, right?
The cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance sensed Li Qingshan’s existence and spread out fearfully. The Qi Practitioners flew even faster through the rosy clouds while the Foundation Establishment cultivators all served as the vanguard. They raised their heads to study the figure who had forced them into their current circumstances. They felt both hatred and fear. No one stepped forward for a battle. They just stared at one another silently.
Hua Chengzan’s expression changed slightly. Despite being alone, he could deter thousands of cultivators from coming forward and challenging him. Just what kind of might was that? Now this was Northmoon! However, when he saw him in person, he did not find him as vicious or violent as he imagined him to be. His relaxed demeanour gave off an indescribable sense of peace and tranquility.
Before Fu Qingjin entered seclusion to rest, he had ordered everyone to avoid battles and ignore the provocations of the daemons just in case they fell for a scheme. He made everyone stick to this simple principle to cope with whatever situation arose. Fu Qingjin had designated the Rose Cloud sect as the headquarters of the Daemon Suppression alliance in the Clear River prefecture. It was enveloped in countless powerful formations and surrounded by countless mechanical turrets. If Li Qingshan were bold enough to come, he would be throwing himself into the belly of the beast.
“Looks like Fu Qingjin isn’t there.” Li Qingshan muttered to himself and shoved his hands into his pockets. He embarked on an invisible path paved with stars in the sky and travelled into the distance.
Everyone could not help but ease up.
Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi exchanged glances and only became sterner. Now an opponent like that would be truly terrifying. Forging an alliance was definitely a matter of great urgency now.
The next day, the Daemon Suppression alliance sent a message that the negotiations about the alliance would be pushed back indefinitely under the reason that Fu Qingjin was healing in secluded cultivation. This was expected. Fu Qingjin would never negotiate with the academy in a feeble state.
But very soon, everyone realised how clever and vicious this move that Fu Qingjin made was. It did not target the daemons, but the academy.
In the Hawkwolf Guard of Clear River city, Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan were discussing with one another when the door thumped three times.
“Come in.”
“Greetings, commanders. Another office has been breached by the daemons today. Seventeen Hawkwolf guards have fallen in battle.” Hua Chenglu was dressed in scarlet clothes. After three years of cultivation, she had finally reached the seventh layer and was promoted to a Scarlet Wolf guard. The neat and tidy Scarlet Wolf uniform originally added a flair of valiance to the people who wore it, but it only made her beautiful figure seem even more graceful.
Wang Pushi slammed the table as he radiated with coldness. The sects could turn a blind eye to everything, but the various schools of the academy had the responsibility of governing over its citizens in place of the emperor. They had to send people to various places constantly to kill the daemons that made trouble. With the sects taking a step back, not only had the Hawkwolf Guard suffered heavy losses recently, but the academy had too.
Hua Chengzan said, “I never thought they’d get us good instead. He wants us to understand the principle that we’re in the same boat. He wants to throw us into a disadvantage when we undertake the negotiations for the alliance.”
Wang Pushi said, “They’re the ones who started it all, turning the entire Clear River prefecture into a hellscape, yet as soon as the situation turns against them, they shrink back. They’ve managed to hold the citizens of the prefecture as hostages against us. How despicable, Fu Qingjin, Sword Collection palace!”
Hua Chengzan raised his head and let out a sigh. “The rock demon and blood demon are massacring people everywhere. They’ll be difficult to stop even if we send over more people. The fortunate thing is that the moon demon hasn’t done anything. Even the night roamers seemed to have withdrawn, or the situation would be even more difficult to deal with. However, that just makes everything more worrying. We can’t hesitate at all when it comes to forming the alliance.”
Wang Pushi frowned. At a time like this, whoever contacted the other side first would be thrown into a disadvantage.
Hua Chengzan said, “Chenglu, has Zijian been well recently?”
Hua Chenglu said rather helplessly, “I’ve tried convincing her to focus on cultivation, but she’s been in a very bad mood. She doesn’t want to remain in the academy. She wants to lend a helping hand. I’ve already gotten her father to try to change her mind.”
In the past three years, Hua Chengzan had been even more protective of Yu Zijian than his own sister, Hua Chenglu. After all, this had to do with the successor of the Violet Clouds sword. If she died in battle, the Sword Collection palace would definitely unleash its wrath, and the situation would become even worse than losing the war. He had even made special arrangements for Yu Shukuang and the people she knew. If it were someone else, they would not even have the time to celebrate, but Yu Zijian was rather different.
Hua Chengzan pondered for a moment. “I’ll allow her to go out for training and toughening up. You better choose some safer missions for her right now!” However, once she left the protection of the formations, were there any missions that were absolutely safe?
This was a battle of interests between two organisations, yet even he felt rather displeased with using such a kind-hearted girl as a bargaining chip. But at a time like this, he had no other choice. As a member of the academy, he had to take the academy’s overall interests into account, just like how he should fight daemons because he was a human.
“This…” Hua Chenglu hesitated. “Fine, but I have to go on the mission with her!”
After Hua Chenglu left, Wang Pushi asked in confusion, “How is Yu Zijian related to all this?”
Hua Chengzan thought about it before deciding to tell him everything.
After hearing it all, Wang Pushi said, “I see. I’ve noticed a long time ago that you seem to care a little too much about this Yu Zijian. You even made me think you’ve moved on. This is a good move. However, we need a Foundation Establishment cultivator to watch over them constantly from the shadows. We need someone we trust who isn’t too weak, and they have to be able to hide themselves.”
Hua Chengzan smiled. “I have the perfect person in mind.”
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Chapter 446 – A Promise of the Past
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Chapter 446 – A Promise of the Past
Li Qingshan received the message and arrived at the Hawkwolf Guard in Clear River city. He entered through the door. “What’s the matter?”
“Kid, we got a mission for you.” Wang Pushi studied the neatly-dressed Li Qingshan and nodded in satisfaction. No matter how unruly he was, he was still a reliable choice.
“What mission?” Li Qingshan thought, Just as expected. He had a rough understanding of the circumstances the academy faced. Fu Qingjin’s actions had instead erased the lingering hint of guilt within him. Even the people who started it all stopped caring, so what was there for him to be guilty about as someone who merely responded to their actions?
Hua Chengzan strolled over in thought and arrived beside Li Qingshan. “You know my younger sister and Yu Zijian, right?”
Li Qingshan said, “Of course.”
“What do you think of them?”
“They’re both good girls. What, you want to propose an engagement in my place and marry your sister off to me?”Li Qingshan smiled.
Hua Chengzan smiled too. “You do have the right. If you can get Qiongzhi and Chenglu to nod, I won’t intervene. Your mission is to protect them secretly.” Because the reason behind the mission had to be kept a secret, it was rather strange. Why would regular Foundation Establishment cultivators be patient enough to protect two Qi Practitioners? Clearly, his good impression of them was extremely important.
“I know exactly what to say. It’s been three years. You’ve become prettier, Chenglu! Jokes aside, where are they going under my protection?”
Wang Pushi said, “Nowhere special. They’re just completing some simple missions.”
Li Qingshan was perplexed. “You want a Foundation Establishment cultivator to protect two Qi Practitioners? The two of you sure are good at coming up with ideas. Since there’s danger, why don’t you just have the two of them stay put? You can send me off to complete the missions instead.”
Hua Chengzan said rather apologetically, “This touches on an extremely important matter, which I can’t explain to you. And, not only do you have to keep this a secret from them, but you can’t let anyone else learn about it either. I know it doesn’t make much sense. I don’t really trust anyone aside from you…”
“You trust me, yet you still won’t come clean? Alright, I’m not going to trouble you any further. Don’t worry. As long as I’m there, no one can even touch a hair on them.”
“No. If there isn’t life-threatening danger, you absolutely cannot intervene. All you have to do is watch over them. You can just treat this as training for them!”
“Now that’s interesting. You’ve really made me curious!”
Leaving the Hawkwolf Guard, Li Qingshan turned towards the Cloudwisp association. He did not use any techniques, walking on foot instead and blending into the crowd.
It was the end of the year right now, so Clear River city was exceptionally busy, bustling with prosperity as if it had never been influenced by the war.
However, reality was the exact opposite. Because of the war, the prefectural city had become the only place of safety. Countless people had uprooted their entire families to move here, which led to the exceptional prosperity.
Most cultivators did not share the concept of celebrating the end of a year, but this sight made Li Qingshan recall the past. Before long, he arrived before the Cloudwisp association.
The fiery-red archway was labelled with two large words, “Cloudwisp Association”. Lanterns had been hung up everywhere, radiating with jubiliance. A performance was being held inside.
It included everything, from opera to storytelling to singing, yet the price was extremely cheap. Just a few copper coins were enough to spend an entire winter afternoon there, seated comfortably in the theatre, drinking hot tea and eating snacks, forgetting about what troubled them by becoming immersed in the stories. It had already become a prevailing custom in Clear River city.
Li Qingshan made his way through the archway and tossed out a few silver taels, entering the newly-constructed theatre. He was met with a wave of heat. All the seats were filled, amounting to around a thousand people. An old man currently stood on the stage, telling a story loudly. The story he told happened to be about the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. The inscriptions on the ground amplified his voice such that it reached all corners clearly.
In a private box at the back, Sun Fubai and Liu Chuanfeng sat before one another.
Sun Fubai grumbled, “Junior brother, since you saw Qingshan, why didn’t you discuss the upcoming plans with him?”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “How am I supposed to discuss it with him? It’s so chaotic out there. We can’t go forward with any of our plans. It’s just within the Clear River prefecture. We can simply go without it. If we mention these difficulties, we’re going to be lectured again.”
“Who’s being lectured? Fubai, long time no see. Your cultivation has advanced yet again.” He saw Sun Fubai seated in a round-backed armchair. He was dressed in a set of thin, grey robes, and his hair was all white, but he seemed even more energetic than before. True qi surged through his body, filling all his meridians. He was approaching the peak of the tenth layer.
Sun Fubai suddenly stood up and beamed. “Qingshan, you’re finally here!” He studied him up and down and was filled with delight. “I heard you established a foundation. Just as expected, just as expected! It’s fantastic, fantastic I say!”
Li Qingshan sat down and learned the situation that the Cloudwisp association faced with development from Sun Fubai. Sure enough, just as Liu Chuanfeng had said, they had made very good progress within the prefectural city, but the situation elsewhere was horrendous. Bandits rose up in swarms as daemons ran amok. Everyone’s lives were under constant threat, so who would still be in the mood to listen to their stories?
Liu Chuanfeng said, “Especially now, some moon demon or whatever has emerged and made the Daemon Suppression alliance pull out all together like cowards. Perhaps the Clear River prefecture will become a world of daemons before long.”
Sun Fubai frowned. “Junior brother, how can you say something so pessimistic?”
“The situation will get better. War won’t continue forever. We need to make preparations right now and win over everyone. I paid a visit to the school of Painting a while back…” Li Qingshan told them what Chu Shidao had proposed.
Sun Fubai’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea. Qingshan, if you’re too busy, then you can go to the school of Painting and take a look instead, junior brother.”
Li Qingshan said, “It’s best if you don’t go and find him right now. Master Chu… isn’t too well.”
Sun Fubai nodded, expressing that he understood. He smiled. “Qingshan, the moment you return, it’s like our school of Novels has grown a backbone. The various schools are all undergoing a transition from the old to the new, so you can step down, junior brother.”
Liu Chuanfeng grew nervous. He was afraid of seeing Li Qingshan exactly because he was afraid this would be mentioned. Just when he began having some fun as the school leader, having gained a few disciples now too, he was supposed to step down. He found this very difficult to accept. Fortunately, Li Qingshan declined the offer, which made Liu Chuanfeng ease up. He poured him a cup of tea in a hurry.
Sun Fubai suddenly asked, “Qingshan, you practise the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, right?”
“I do!” Li Qingshan thought of something. This was not exactly a secret in the academy, so there was nothing strange with Sun Fubai knowing about it.
Sun Fubai began to recall the past. “I had this cultivation method back then in my bookstore, but it was only the first half. I ended up giving it away to a strangely-large, dark-skinned fellow.”
Liu Chuanfeng said, “It’s still a cultivation method. How can you just give it to him?”
Sun Fubai said in exasperation, “It’s all because your book embarrassed me. The large fellow was quite a straightforward person. He even said he would show me the cultivation method if he somehow managed to assemble it. I never thought you’d be practising the cultivation method now.”
“What a coincidence. Who knows where this large fellow is now. We don’t even know if he’s still alive. Why don’t I show the cultivation method to you instead? You can count that as a wish fulfilled.” Li Qingshan smiled and took out the jade slip, passing it to Sun Fubai. He had actually completed a promise of the past like this. Life sure was unpredictable.
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Chapter 447 – Yu Zijian’s Changes
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Chapter 447 – Yu Zijian’s Changes
“How can I accept that?” Sun Fubai declined immediately.
“Just take a look!” Li Qingshan shut him up and shoved the jade slip into his hands.
Sun Fubai thought, His straightforwardness really resembles that person a little. Most people treat a special cultivation method like a treasure the moment they get their hands on one. They’d never show it to someone else so easily.
Sun Fubai skimmed through it before passing the jade slip back. “Sure enough, the power of this cultivation method is startling. The most special part about it is it suits your character very much, Qingshan. It’ll definitely achieve glory in your hands.”
“I believe the school of Novels will also achieve glory in your hands, Fubai.” Li Qingshan placed a True Spirit pill into Sun Fubai’s hand.
“T- that’s far too precious! I really can’t accept it this time!”
“It’s all thanks to your efforts over all these years that I’ve managed to gather so much power of belief. If the school of Novels could gain another Foundation Establishment cultivator, what can’t we handle as long as the three of us work together?”
They conversed a little more before Li Qingshan left the city, arriving by the banks of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes. He gazed at the swathe of reeds and thought back to the times he spent there with Han Qiongzhi. He thought to himself, I wonder how Qiongzhi is doing. Has she established a foundation yet?
He sat down within the veil-like mist and took out the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility. He stroked the blade gently and produced rings of rippling light. Both the sword and he vanished completely.
He dismissed his thoughts and sank into his sea of qi. The lively water spiritual energy was like the surging ocean. Within the sea was a Divine Talisman of Great Creation, which seemed slightly dull. Ever since he established a foundation, he had been busy, primarily focusing on the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine. Now, he could finally settle down and push his cultivation of the Divine Talisman of Great Creation forward.
The sea of qi surged violently as waves flew out from the surface of the ocean one after another, circling around the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. The rings formed a ball of water, like a great cocoon, which gradually seeped into the Divine Talisman of Great Creation.
By late morning, the mist gradually dispersed.
The ball of water condensed in Li Qingshan’s body shattered loudly. The Divine Talisman of Great Creation shone brightly as the twisted inscriptions became even more complicated and profound. Within the surging light, everything seemed to appear, whether it be plants, bird,s or beasts. It contained anything and everything.
Li Qingshan appeared out of nowhere. He surged and distorted before turning invisible again. A jackdaw appeared out of nowhere, standing on thin air.
Li Qingshan stared at the jackdaw on his wrist. He had conjured it using the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Sure enough, it was absolutely remarkable, like it was real.
Imbuing it with some of his soul sense, he raised his arm, and the jackdaw took off. There was a ruffle of features and countless jackdaws scattered in the sky, turning into black specks.
Li Qingshan felt like he had the compound eyes of insects. Countless images merged together to form the scenery of the entire Lake of Dragons and Snakes, like he had set up countless cameras. It covered a startlingly large range.
Conjuring these jackdaws had not taken much power of belief. The glow from the Divine Talisman of Great Creation had only dimmed slightly before being replenished by newly-gained power of belief. However, the range that his soul sense could cover experienced a drastic increase. Although he could not use it for close investigations, he could see and hear.
In the academy, a group of young disciples passed through the Formation of Dragons and Snakes as specks, crossing through the lake and arriving on the banks. A jackdaw descended from the sky, landing on a bare branch. Its pitch-black, pea-sized eyes reflected their figures.
Through its eyes, Li Qingshan spotted Hua Chenglu immediately. She had become even more beautiful. Dressed in scarlet clothes, she was like a rose in full bloom, giving off an enchanting fragrance that drew in butterflies and bees. The eyes of the male disciples nearby were basically glued to her as they greeted her, trying to catch her attention.
She smiled at them like equals, giving off a sisterly bearing of bravery. She no longer possessed a hint of immaturity anymore. Time had slipped by before she knew it, turning this girl who once feigned maturity into what she had wanted to become.
“Zijian, let’s go!” Hua Chenglu said gently. Only then did she show some real gentleness.
“Alright,” Yu Zijian said softly.
“How did she become like this?” Li Qingshan frowned slightly. He saw Yu Zijian with her hair tied up. She was dressed in the robes of a daoist priest, carrying a sword. It made her seem slim and graceful, like a feeble willow in the incoming wind.
However, she no longer resembled the her of the past very much anymore. She had lost the radiance she had in his memories, becoming silent and quiet. Her brows were constantly furrowed, as if she was constantly worried. With her head lowered, she seemed like something loomed over her mind constantly.
She was also a woman in her prime, but due to her lack of radiance, she was an orchid that sagged due to the rain and dew.
“Junior sister Yu, this must be your first time out for a mission, right? Being a little nervous is unavoidable. Don’t worry, it’s just a few daemonic beasts. There won’t be any danger.” Sun Yi patted his chest. He was also a disciple of the school of Daoism, having reached the eighth layer of Qi Practitioner. His cultivation was the highest among the group. Although he did not show it, he did treat Yu Zijian with some contempt inside.
Even geniuses like Chu Tian would constantly be sent on missions, facing the same danger as other disciples. He could no longer recall how much danger he had faced or how many deaths of juniors and seniors he had witnessed already.
Yet, Yu Zijian had been placed in protection the entire time. All she had to do was cultivate on Wuwei island, yet she achieved absolutely nothing in these three years. She was only a seventh layer Qi Practitioner. She had failed to live up to her title as a genius.
“It’s the second time.” Yu Zijian’s voice was very soft such that Sun Yi missed it. “What?”
“It’s my second mission.” Yu Zijian raised her voice slightly.
“Are you talking about that time?” Sun Yi and the other cultivators could not help but scoff slightly. Sun Yi even felt slightly disgusted and discontent inside. He never thought she would still bother to bring up the mission from last time that had embarrassed the entire school of Daoism.
On Wuwei island, the slovenly daoist priest gazed over from a high vantage point and furrowed his brows slightly. His robes were just as faded and shabby as before, but his cultivation had grown deeper. He had already become recognised as the figure most likely to undergo the second heavenly tribulation within all of Clear River prefecture.
He gazed in the direction which Yu Zijian had left in and patted the stone railing gently. “Zijian, oh Zijian!”
Three years ago, he had personally arranged the training mission that time. He had even shut down Hua Chengzan’s objections with curses. The edge of treasured swords had to be polished. Experiences like this were very crucial to cultivators, and it was just a simple investigation mission.
However, the end result was completely beyond his expectations. When she returned from that mission, she had become scared out of her wits. Rumors rose up in the academy that the genius of the school of Daoism had been frightened out of her mind. She made a very great fool out of herself, as if she was trying to prove that no matter how great a person’s talent was, it would be useless if they were lacking mentally.
As a result, he stopped forcing her to do anything, and she stopped undertaking missions. She remained on Wuwei island the entire time cultivating, yet her cultivation did not take a single step forward all the way until now.
Hua Chenglu grabbed Yu Zijian’s hand. It felt icy-cold.
“I’m the leader of the mission now, so the orders will all come from me. Outside isn’t safe like the academy. If you’re afraid, it’s best if you back out right now.” Sun Yi subconsciously glanced at Yu Zijian again.
The group took off on their own artifacts. Soon after they had left, the jackdaw let out a cry and rose into the sky. Li Qingshan leapt up and tailed behind them. The mist around her became even thicker. Just what had she gone through?
This doubt even became a form of anger. He held extremely special feelings for her.
Hua Chenglu glanced back at Yu Zijian and felt even more ashamed. She thought back to three years ago. That was a small city two hundred kilometers west of Clear River city, which experienced a great plague. Due to the traces of daemon qi, they suspected it to be the work of daemons, so they sent them over to investigate.
It was not a particularly dangerous mission. Powerful daemons were not ones to snoop around like that, and Hua Chenglu had plenty of life-saving medicines and talismans on hand. As long as they did not run into a Daemon General, there should not have been too many problems, no matter how dire the situation became.
“Ma’am, the people who have fallen ill are all here.” Under a grey-robed old man’s lead, Yu Zijian stepped into a gloomy clinic with the afternoon sun on her back. With the sword on her back, she seemed valiant and completely incorruptible.
The clinic was deathly silent. There were no moans or groans at all. Countless men and women lay strewn on the ground. They did not even respond when Yu Zijian walked past them, as if they had already accepted their fate, awaiting their deaths. They gave off a rotting smell prematurely.
Hua Chenglu hated the smell, so she stood in the sun within the courtyard.
The old man served up tea. “Please have some tea, ma’am.”
Hua Chenglu accepted the tea. Just when she was about to take a sip, she glanced at the old man. He stared fixedly at the cup in her hand, and when he noticed Hua Chenglu glancing over, he forced out a smile, wanting to express good will, but it only made him even more sinister.
Hua Chenglu remembered Hua Chengzan’s warnings. She took out a jade needle and placed it in the tea. The needle did not respond. She found her overcautiousness to be rather funny. It would only be strange if she were in a good mood with so many sick people around, but she also felt slightly proud over her own cautiousness. She said to the old man, “Don’t worry, we will find the source of the plague.”
She took a sip of the tea before looking over at the clinic. She saw Yu Zijian frowning as she inspected every patient. She found her diligence to be rather admirable.
Yu Zijian checked another sick man and raised her head, speaking confidently, “They all have very faint traces of daemon qi.” The moment she raised her head, a black spot swam across the whites of the man’s eyes.
“Then you don’t need to be so meticulous. I have a Daemon Searching compass. We’ll find the daemon and finish it off.” Hua Chenglu pulled out a compass-like spiritual artifact from her hundred treasures pouch.
Daemons could hide their daemon qi, but they would always leave behind some faint traces. The Daemon Searching compass could sniff out these traces just like a hunting hound and find where the daemon was. It was extremely flexible.
The compass needle spun wildly, which made Hua Chenglu frown. Daemon qi was everywhere, interfering with the compass. However, as the needle spun, it finally stabilised, pointing towards the entrance of the clinic.
Hua Chenglu turned around and said to the old man, “Move over.”
The old man backed down to one side with his head lowered. Hua Chenglu said, “Thanks. Zijian, let’s go!” Picking up the tea cup, she made her way out of the courtyard, but the moment she brushed past the old man, the compass needle spun and locked onto the old man firmly.
Hua Chenglu’s expression changed. She tossed aside the tea cup and reached towards the blade on her waist. She called out, “Zijian, be careful! The daemon is right here!”
The tea cup was smashed to pieces and tea splashed everywhere. There was a black speck, even smaller than a needlepoint, on the tea leaves.
Outside the clinic, the old man’s face gradually twisted into a vicious smile that did not belong to a human. His teeth protruded from his mouth, radiating with daemon qi.
In the clinic, all the sick patients climbed up like zombies.
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Chapter 448 – Ghost City
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Chapter 448 – Ghost City
Hua Chenglu was about to strike, but she suddenly felt extreme pain in her belly. Her true qi dispersed as soon as she mobilised it. Her eyes widened. “There’s poison in the tea!”
The old man radiating with daemon qi lunged over with unbelievable speed.
In a single instant, life-threatening danger enveloped Hua Chenglu. Despite all the powerful talismans in her possession, it seemed to be too late to use any of them.
White light filled the clinic. Yu Zijian’s eyes narrowed as she flew out. The Nine Yang sword was like a white rainbow, penetrating numerous patients in the way and piercing the old man.
A black smoke spurted out from the wound, flying towards Hua Chenglu.
The jade tablet on Hua Chenglu’s waist produced a ring of verdant light, and the black smoke smacked into it. Unable to penetrate it, the smoke changed directions and turned towards the wall.
Although the protective jade had saved her life, Hua Chenglu still ended up collapsing. Yu Zijian caught her. At this moment, a series of shrill cries and groans suddenly rang out from behind. Yu Zijian looked over.
Blood splattered across the ground where the Nine Yang sword had passed by. The bright red colour was dazzling. The sick people who had been pierced seemed to awaken from their nightmares, crying out on the ground. Strands of black smoke surged out from their wide-open mouths, merging with the larger wisp of black smoke near the wall.
They were not zombies or puppets, but living people. Yu Zijian was dumbfounded. I was the one who killed them!
“Zijian, it hurts so much! There’s poison in the tea!”
Before Yu Zijian could accept the reality of what she had done, Hua Chenglu had already fallen into debilitating pain. Her temperature fluctuated, sometimes scorching hot and sometimes as cold as a corpse.
“Chenglu, use your cultivation to purge the poison!”
“It’s not poison, but my children.” The ball of black smoke produced a strange buzz.
Yu Zijian focused her true qi on her eyes and saw a startling sight. The black smoke was not actually smoke, but countless tiny black insects. She lowered her head to check on Hua Chenglu again, and she had already become soaked in cold sweat. She fed a healing pill to her in a hurry.
“It’s useless. Before long, all of her organs will be destroyed, and she’ll die. You’re next!” The smoke buzzed. With bulging eyes, all the people under the control of the black insects squeezed their way out of the clinic frantically, producing inhumane growls.
Yu Zijian was afraid to strike so carelessly again. She lifted up Hua Chenglu and flew towards the wall. Her sword whistled as she stabbed towards the smoke.
The smoke churned and scattered before reassembling further away. Standing on the wall, Yu Zijian’s expression changed drastically with what she saw. When she had first arrived, the entire city was deathly silent. There had been almost no one on the streets. Yet right now, countless men and women filled the various streets and alleyways, like they were taking part in some sort of grand ceremony. All of them raised their heads blankly and stared at her with their paling eyes, like puppets carved from wood or moulded from clay.
“I’ve already sent my children into every single well here. Originally, I wanted to enjoy this city full of blood and flesh slowly, but you’ve actually come to interfere. You can all die!”
The sea of people suddenly sprang alive and snarled together, and a terrifying sound wave rushed into the air with the buzzes of the black insects. The sea of people surged like the tide towards Yu Zijian.
With a rumble, dust filled the air as the walls directly collapsed under their weight.
Yu Zijian leapt up with Hua Chenglu in her arms, gazing over the black mass from above. She had no idea whether it were a few thousand or a few tens of thousand. Both her body and mind began to sink. Staring at the countless, hollow eyes, she became rather dazed.
Hua Chenglu whispered into her ear with difficulty, “Zijian, go!”
Yu Zijian immediately returned to her senses. Before she touched the ground, the Nine Yang sword let out a lengthy thrum and stopped three meters above the ground, brushing past the sea of people and flying out of the city with Yu Zijian on top.
Countless arms reached over, like a sight from the bottom of hell.
A middle-aged woman suddenly leapt up. Despite being under the daemon’s control, this was still beyond her physical capabilities. Her legs snapped with a crack, but her hands managed to touch the corner of Yu Zijian’s clothes. The other humans under control all leapt up too, throwing themselves at her.
Yu Zijian gazed ahead with pursed lips, pushing the sword control technique she had learned from the school of Daoism to the limit. The Nine Yang sword left behind a curved streak of white light, shooting over the sea of people. The daemon qi trailed closely behind her. Glancing backwards, she saw the black smoke composed of countless tiny insects surging in pursuit.
However, the Nine Yang sword was still a supreme grade spiritual artifact personally bestowed upon Yu Zijian by the leader of the school of Daoism. Although Yu Zijian was unable to unleash its full power, she still moved with startling speed. She gradually shook off the black smoke, shooting over the city walls.
The black smoke circled around above the city walls and let out a regretful hiss, but it was afraid to pursue any further. It understood its limitations. It was not skilled in open combat, and humans possessed some powerful techniques, so if it became heavily injured, it would be bad. Instead of that, it would be better off breeding and strengthening itself through the several tens of thousand prey in the city. Out of the two that had come, it had managed to kill one, so it was enough.
The daemon qi gradually grew further away, and Yu Zijian decelerated rapidly. The Nine Yang sword under her skid over thirty meters before coming to a screeching halt. Gazing back, she saw how the daemon did not come in pursuit. Deep, lingering fear immediately welled up inside her as her back became covered in cold sweat.
Daemons like that were extremely rare. It was actually composed of countless black insects, and it was so clever. If this continued, the entire city of people would be slaughtered. Yu Zijian had always been a kind-hearted person, so she was immediately overcome with sorrow after witnessing something so tragic. She had even forgotten about fear. She was tempted to cut down the daemon right then and there.
However, she gritted her teeth instead and lowered her head. “Chenglu, we’ve escaped. We’ll go back right now. You have to hold on!”
Hua Chenglu forced out a smile. Just when she wanted to open her mouth to say something, a mouthful of blood gushed out. She became completely sheet-white as she said feebly, “Zijian, I can’t hold on for much longer.”
Her cultivation as a Qi Practitioner was already rather impressive, but the organs were still the weakest part of a human’s body. Countless tiny black insects were currently wreaking havoc in there. If her control over true qi was as intricate as Li Qingshan’s, then she would have been able to kill the black insects, but it was completely impossible for the current her.
Yu Zijian’s heart became filled with pain with that. Tears rolled down her face. “Chenglu, don’t be so foolish. You won’t…”
“I never thought I’d die on my first mission. How… embarrassing. Tell my elder brother that I…”
“Stop, I don’t want to hear it!” Yu Zijian covered her ears.
The black smoke let out a sharp buzz as it sneered. “Children, eat her organs!”
Hua Chenglu said, “It hurts! It hurts so much!”
Yu Zijian was filled with despair. She raised her head instinctively, wanting to look for someone to help her, no matter who it was. A stalwart figure appeared in her mind naturally, but there was nothing in the wilderness around her at all. There was only her best friend moaning in pain in her arms, on the brink of death.
Faced with a situation like this, some people would break into tears, while others would become frantic. However, her gaze gradually became determined under this unbearably great pressure.
“Chenglu, hold on. I won’t let you die. I’ll definitely kill the daemon. I’ll save you and everyone else!” Yu Zijian placed Hua Chenglu on the ground and took her hundred treasures pouch, taking off on the Nine Yang sword and flying back towards the city with determination.
Hua Chenglu extended her hand, but she was unable to say anything at all. All she could do was watch as the violet figure vanished from her vision. Afterwards, she completely fainted from the pain.
After who knew how long, the dim sky began to rain. Droplets of rain fell from the hanging clouds, stretching out into drizzle and falling onto Hua Chenglu’s face. Her face that had become twisted from pain eased up before she knew it.
Hua Chenglu felt the coldness on her face and opened her eyes slowly. The pain had already vanished from her body. For some reason, the black insects she had ingested settled down, no longer gnawing and ripping away at her body crazily. Instead, it lurked within her silently, like regular insects. Even their daemon qi had become extremely faint, almost gone entirely.
“Did Zijian succeed?”
Hua Chenglu was filled with joy from surviving. She immediately mobilised her true qi to purge these tiny insects that had lost their intelligence and only moved according to their instincts from her body. Gazing in the direction of the city gates, she frowned again before propping herself up and making her way towards the small city.
The rain grew heavier, forming a curtain before the city walls. Hua Chengzan entered through the curtain, passing through the gloomy gates and returning to the city that had almost taken her life.
The state of the city left her shocked. A large swathe of structures before her had been razed to the ground with traces of fire. This was the power of a protective supreme grade talisman Hua Chengzan had handed to her. She could vaguely make out countless charred figures on the ground, which had been washed by the rain.
Travelling further ahead, corpses appeared before her one by one. They had either been burnt to a crisp by Lightning Summoning talismans, or they had shattered into pieces after being frozen by Frigid Ice talismans. However, most of them had been pierced or cut apart. They had been slain by a sword.
“Zijian! Zijian!” Hua Chenglu became worried and called out her name. Her voice imbued with true qi boomed through the silent city, but she did not receive a single reply.
The sky grew darker, probably because it was already dusk. Finally, Hua Chenglu found her before a destroyed ancestral hall.
She hugged the Nine Yang sword, sitting with her head lowered on the grey stone steps. The rain moistened her hair, which made it stick to her face. Then, the rain dripped down along her clean cheeks and suddenly turned red. She was covered in blood. Under the rain, blood permeated her surroundings. Only the Nine Yang sword shone like snow.
She stared at the grey tiles before her. Suddenly, a pair of feet appeared on the tiles and a gentle call rang out from above, “Zijian. Zijian, are you fine?”
“Chenglu, I won… But I only saved you…” Yu Zijian seemed to return to her senses. She raised her head slowly and smiled with difficulty. Her face was completely moist, perhaps from the rain or perhaps from tears.
Hua Chenglu saw her smile, and her heart ached. She felt even greater pain than when the black insects gnawed at her. There was nothing she could say.
A few streaks of light shot across the air. One of them was Hua Chengzan.
Afterwards, Hua Chenglu heard from her knowledgeable elder brother that the daemon they had run into was extremely rare. It was known as a “miasma daemon”.
Among the carapace daemonic beasts, some were overly simple and small, without a shred of intelligence. They even paled in comparison to ants, making it basically impossible for them to become actual daemons. However, if they gathered near spiritual veins or spiritual grounds, there was an extremely slim chance that they would develop intelligence over countless years, turning into an existence akin to miasma. Destroying them was very easy. All they had to do was kill most of them.
If Yu Zijian had been a moment slower, Hua Chenglu would have died. Fortunately, Yu Zijian found the method in time, which was why she had saved her. However, at certain times, Hua Chenglu would rather not be saved, such as right now.
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Chapter 449 – Blue Bird
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Chapter 449 – Blue Bird
Li Qingshan rode on the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility, flying through the air and tailing them far behind. The speed at which a group of Qi Practitioners could fly was simply too slow in his eyes. He was tempted to take them along with him.
If it were not him but some other Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would never bother with a mission like this. Towards the end, he just laid down on the sword and closed his eyes, beginning to practise the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
After reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, he could connect with the water spiritual qi in the surroundings as easily as eating or drinking. Endless spiritual energy gathered in his dantian, powering the sea of qi to produce ebbing waves.
Four hours later, Li Qingshan opened his eyes, and the spiritual energy within his sea of qi had become very plentiful, constantly churning away. The cultivation had been startlingly effective.
Just like the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, his cultivation of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean had reached the fourth layer, basically early Foundation Establishment. As long as he continued cultivating like this, breaking through to the fifth layer would just be a matter of time.
This obviously was not just due to the spirit turtle’s daemon core. The cultivation speed of humans had always exceeded that of daemons. A thousand years of bitter cultivation for a daemon might have only been equivalent to a century or two of cultivation from a talented human. They were not joking when they called humans the paragon of animals.
However, any old daemon, even a tiny one, could live for a few centuries. Even human Foundation Establishment cultivators could not come close. These were the unique advantages that they could only envy one another over.
Li Qingshan practised as both, so he could feel the differences even better. He truly could not underestimate the cultivation of humans at all. If it were not for the constant ingestion of pills, his cultivation as a human probably would have vastly superseded his cultivation as a daemon already.
And, in the future, it would definitely become more and more difficult to obtain pills. By then, even if Li Qingshan became very powerful, enough to hold large-scale massacres for spoils, the pills that could satisfy him would still become rarer.
Perhaps by then, his daemon side would have to depend on his human side.
At this moment, Yu Zijian and the others on the ground finally arrived at the tiny city for their mission. Li Qingshan immediately sensed a tiny daemonic beast hidden in there. It might have been an extremely vicious monster to regular people, but it did not pose any threat to them at all.
People poured in and out of the city. It could be regarded as rather busy. Clearly, a single daemonic beast was not enough to uproot their lives completely. Daemons wanted to eat people, but clearly they had to stay alive first.
This bustling sight also made Yu Zijian recall the past. She subconsciously gripped the hilt of her sword as she stared into the emptiness before her.
Li Qingshan simply stood there. In that instant, he thought she had discovered something, but he soon realised she was only blanking out. Gazing at her face that had visibly become thinner, he could not help but take pity on her. Zijian, oh Zijian. What has happened to you?
Hua Chenglu fished out the Daemon Searching compass and determined the location of the daemonic beast very soon. However, the daemonic beast was rather clever. It had already burrowed an escape tunnel in the ground. As soon as it caught a whiff of them, it immediately dove into the ground.
However, these people seemed to be well-prepared for a situation like this. Most of the daemons came from underground, so all of them knew how to burrow through the earth. If they could not even track them down, what were they hunting daemons for?
Hua Chenglu patted her hundred treasures pouch, and a few mechanical snakes flew out, waving their heads and tails about. They shone with a metallic lustre as the segments of their bodies curled up before pouncing out vigorously like a spring. They shot into the tunnel in pursuit.
The mohist ideology had always been about love and pacifism, but their engineering could be pushed to the limits through war. They could create powerful mechanisms and puppets that could deal with various circumstances. Because they did not have any particularly high requirements on the user, and they could be adjusted to various cultivation levels, there was an extremely high demand for them across the Clear River prefecture.
As the machines of war were created in the mohist factories one by one, any ideology would become worthless. Only existence and victory held meaning.
Before long, the mechanical snakes choked the daemonic beast to death and returned to the surface. They lost two of the snakes, and the mission was completed.
Fate was unpredictable. Sometimes, catastrophe would seem imminent, but it would take a turn for the better and become a blessing instead. Yet other times, it would feel like smooth sailing, only to run into an unfathomable storm and capsize.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief and began to discuss how they would split the remains of the daemonic beast. These items were worth quite a lot. The bones could be ground into dust for refining pills, while the hide could be used for forging artifacts. Even the flesh had a use. If it were consumed regularly, it would bring countless benefits to the body.
A series of cheers rose up from the surroundings. The people of the city all viewed them as heroes. Only Yu Zijian continued to grip her sword, lowering her head with a frown. What she heard instead was countless wails as those people she had cut down rolled about and took their last breaths.
At this moment, a crisp song jerked her back to her senses. A blue bird landed on her shoulder, singing happily like it was completely unafraid of humans. It was lively and touching.
Just when Yu Zijian extended her hand over, the blue bird used its vermillion beak to peck the tip of her finger gently. She could not help but smile.
“It’s not afraid of humans. Don’t tell me it’s a daemon!” Sun Yi said cautiously.
“How’s that possible? It doesn’t have any daemon qi. It was probably a pet that managed to escape. Seems like it likes you very much, Zijian.” Hua Chenglu saw her smile for once, and she felt happy inside too.
Li Qingshan stood nearby, smiling to himself.
They did not encounter any accidents. After contacting the academy, a new mission arrived very soon. It was already late now, so they decided to rest for the night. They would undertake their necessary daily cultivation and set off tomorrow.
All was silent in the dead of night. Hua Chenglu sat with her legs crossed. After completing her cultivation, she saw Yu Zijian seated by the window, leaning against her arms as she played around with the blue bird.
Hua Chenglu responded to that, “Zijian, you’re not cultivating?”
“There’s no hurry. I’ll do it later. It seems to like me very much.” Yu Zijian touched the blue bird’s feathers. The moonlight scattered across the window sill as she smiled gently.
Hua Chenglu wanted to say something, but she faltered. She made up her mind in the end and said, “Zijian, let’s go back!”
“Why?” Yu Zijian asked in confusion.
“Do you know why my brother has suddenly permitted you to undertake these missions? It’s so he can use you to force out the Sword Collection palace. If this continues, you’ll be in danger.” Hua Chenglu finally gave into her inner guilt and cast down a formation in the room before telling her the truth.
However, the blue bird continued to flap its wings, remaining in Yu Zijian’s hand. After a careful inspection from Hua Chenglu, she had confirmed it was just a regular bird, without anything special at all.
Li Qingshan sat on the eaves and became slightly surprised. Why is Zijian connected to that bastard? How’s it possible to force him out with just her?
“Using me?” Yu Zijian had almost forgotten about the man who fished with his sword. Now that she thought of it, he had wanted to take her to the Sword Collection palace in the past.
“The Sword Collection palace seems to have destined you as the successor of the Violet Clouds sword among the Ten Renowned Swords. The Violet Clouds sword and the Green Ruins sword come as a pair of yin and yang swords. Once one emerges, they both emerge. Their fates are deeply intertwined. Even if a few thousand or a few million people die, Fu Qingjin might not necessarily care, but if you are in danger, it’ll definitely force him to take action, which will end this stalemate and earn the academy an upper hand in their disputes with the Daemon Suppression alliance,” Hua Chenglu said in one breath.
Li Qingshan had already become filled with shock. He never expected Yu Zijian’s fate with the Sword Collection palace to actually run so deeply. If this were the case, his mission made complete sense.
Oh right, and that shitty pair of yin and yang swords or whatever it was. Suddenly, it brought Li Qingshan great displeasure. How is that bastard Fu Qingjin worthy of her? What fate? Watch as I dismantle this fate!
However, he soon thought of something and became rather confused. Fu Qingjin had arrived in the Clear River prefecture a long time ago, so why hadn’t he taken her to the Sword Collection palace already, idling away here instead? Even an idiot would know that cultivating in the Sword Collection palace was much better.
Yu Zijian smiled. “I see. Chenglu, thank you for telling me. Thank you for accompanying me.”
Hua Chenglu said, “You’re forbidden from thanking me. You’ve saved my life! Why don’t we leave right now? I’ll go talk with my brother. If it doesn’t work out, you can just go find Fu Qingjin. You can stop thinking about that Niu Juxia or whoever it is. Didn’t your father say he’s safe and sound? You can’t wait around here for your entire life for him, right?”
Li Qingshan came to a sudden understanding. As it turned out, she had remained behind for him. His emotions surged inside as warmth filled his heart. He was tempted to leap out right now and tell her his identity so that she would stop worrying.
However, upon further consideration, he held himself back. It was not just for the mission, or for concealing his identity. If she really stopped worrying, wouldn’t that mean she would return to the Sword Collection palace with Fu Qingjin?
Yu Zijian smiled softly with some of her radiance of the past. “Chenglu, aren’t you afraid of your brother Chengzan the most?”
“Since when have I been afraid of him? If I tell him to do something, he’ll never defy me. It’s all his fault this time for coming up with such a bad idea. I’ll get him to apologise to you once I get back. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s go!” Hua Chenglu’s face reddened as she said in disdain.
Yu Zijian shook her head firmly and declined. “Chenglu, you should go back. You shouldn’t accompany me! I don’t blame your brother. I feel rather grateful to him instead. If I had a use like this, why can’t I be used?”
Hua Chenglu grabbed Yu Zijian’s hand. “What are you saying? It’s all because of me that you’ve already… If you get hurt further, I really don’t know what I’ll do.”
Yu Zijian said seriously, “Niu Juxia told me to make proper decisions and not be indecisive like my mother, or I’ll end up regretting it. I’ve never regretted saving you. Even if I could choose again, I’d go with the same choice. Now, this is my choice too.”
Li Qingshan sighed slightly. She had truly grown up, and she treated what he had said so seriously. He smiled in a self-deprecating manner and gazed at the moon. Making choices was easy, but just how many people could bear the burden of their choices?
Hua Chenglu felt rather relieved. She sat back down on the bed. “Alright, I can’t win against you. To think you’d actually believe in what that big, dark-skinned man said. However, don’t send me away. This is my choice too. If we really come into actual danger, then we can go out together on the same day.” Then she pouted and said, “What Fu Qingjin? I think we should just stick together. That’ll be more like it.”
Yu Zijian smiled. “Then, why don’t we become sisters?”
Hua Chenglu’s eyes lit up. “Alright! However, I have to be the older one. I’ve already had enough being the younger sister.”
On the window, the blue bird let out a clear cry and flew off into the night sky.
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Chapter 450 – The Water of Oblivion, Success with the Calligraphy
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Chapter 450 – The Water of Oblivion, Success with the Calligraphy
Li Qingshan leaned against the ridge of the roof and took out a gourd of alcohol with a smile, tilting his head back and taking a sip. He stared at the clear moonlight and watched as the blue bird took off into the horizon.
“Be careful, Zijian!” Hua Chenglu cried out. A wild boar daemon that stood as tall as several adults charged towards Yu Zijian with a pair of long, curved, snowy-white tusks, just like a huge elephant.
They faced a real daemon in the mission this time. The level of danger could not be compared to the previous missions. Sun Yi and the others launched shining techniques, but they only left behind shallow marks when they landed on the wild boar daemon.
Wherever the wild boar daemon passed by, the buildings and structures collapsed with a rumble, directly paving a path. Its might made everyone’s expressions change drastically except for Yu Zijian, who was right in its path. She seemed extremely composed. The Nine Yang sword in her hand turned into a streak of white light and shot towards the wild boar daemon.
The sword pierced the wild boar daemon’s blood-red right eye, and the boar let out a violent squeal. It shook its huge head violently, wanting to stab its tusks through Yu Zijian. It was willing to throw its life away to drag her down with it.
Even at a time like this, Yu Zijian did not show the slightest hint of fear. Instead, she was composed and relieved to a certain extent. She had experienced much more terrifying situations than this before. This was her choice. No matter what the consequences of her choice were, all she could do was accept it.
The wild boar daemon’s swinging tail suddenly became taut, but no one noticed this detail because its colossal body completely blocked their vision. They just saw the wild boar daemon come to a sudden halt.
The Nine Yang sword pierced its head through its eye, turning its brain into mush. Yu Zijian used this opportunity to leap up over the wild boar daemon, and its colossal body struck the ground heavily. Due to all the momentum it possessed, it slid for another dozen or so meters, taking down a small building with it before finally coming to a stop.
“Zijian, are you fine? The strike just then was just too risky.” As soon as Yu Zijian landed on the ground, Hua Chenglu rushed over, both concerned for her and also grumbling to her.
“If we let it run amok any longer, who knows how many more buildings it’ll destroy and how many more people will die. This bit of risk is worth it.” As Yu Zijian said that, she felt rather puzzled. During the critical moment earlier, no one sensed how the wild boar daemon halted clearer than her. It did not seem like the wild boar daemon had lost its balance due to becoming heavily injured. Instead, it felt like something else had interfered with it.
Li Qingshan stood nearby with his arms cross, smiling. Earlier, he had casually tugged the wild boar daemon’s tail.
“Zijian, nicely done!”
Sun Yi and the others gathered over. Through the past few missions, their impression of Yu Zijian had changed drastically. They did not find her as timid as the rumors said she was at all. Instead, she was extraordinarily decisive and courageous. Many of the times, even they could not help but sigh over how much better she was than them.
“But you shouldn’t take risks like that again in the future. The lives of regular people cannot compare to the value of ours.” Sun Yi frowned.
Just like every other time, everyone emerged from their hiding places like startled rats or rabbits after the daemon had been slain, gazing over from afar fearfully.
“But they don’t seem any different from us at all.”
“I’m not looking down on them. I was born as a regular person too. However, only when we survive can we kill even more daemons and save even more people,” Sun Yi said righteously.
“Senior brother’s got a good point. Zijian understands.” Yu Zijian lowered her head without disputing what he said, but she had no intentions of changing what she believed.
It was just like how people were most likely looking down on you when they say something along the lines of, “I’m not looking down on you”. To cultivators, treating regular people as ants seemed to be a form of talent. Even the weakest of Qi Practitioners could achieve this with ease. However, she was unable to. It was just too difficult for her. It pained her when she saw others shedding tears. This was her weakness, but also her choice.
At this moment, a familiar bird song appeared in the sky. A blue bird circled around as it descended, landing on the mountainous corpse of the wild boar daemon.
Yu Zijian smiled. “You’ve come again!” The blue bird seemed to bring her good luck. She looked at the sky. The bird was like a protector god, watching over her silently.
The people of the city overcame their fears and gathered over. They gazed at her like they were looking at a god.
They received a message from the academy, telling them to return and rest up. They eased up. After spending all this time outside, they could finally embark on their return journey.
Li Qingshan wondered, Is it because Fu Qingjin has made a response? With this period of cultivation, he had made great progress with the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, the effect that the body played gradually shrank, and the effects of the meridians and acupoints had basically become negligible. What mattered more was the comprehension and connection with the spiritual qi of the world, as well as a person’s mentality and character.
Yu Zijian waved her hands at the cheering people. She sat down on the Nine Yang sword and shot off in the direction of the academy. She said seriously to the blue bird perched on her shoulder, “You better not poop on me!” She had recovered much of her former radiance and cheeriness.
The hearts of people might have been delicate, but it would constantly grow stronger and firmer through trials and training.
Returning to the academy, they all returned to their respective schools. Yu Zjian and Sun Yi returned to Wuwei island. Halfway up the mountain path, they saw the slovenly daoist priest standing in the pavilion on the mountainside. Yu Zijian said in surprise, “Master, why are you here?”
Sun Yi clasped his hands. “Greetings, master!”
The slovenly daoist priest waved his hand to dismiss Sun Yi. He said to Yu Zijian happily, “To wait for you, obviously. How do you feel? Do you feel better after going out for some air? You definitely do look better.” He studied Yu Zijian and smiled in satisfaction.
Sun Yi was filled with indescribable envy or even jealousy. As the person most likely to break through to Golden Core, the slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong, could be regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the entire prefecture. Normally, he spent his time in secluded cultivation for his breakthrough. Even the leaders of the other schools could not seek an audience with him whenever they wanted. Yet, he had specially come here to wait for her. What kind of honour was that?
It’s just a Pure Yang constitution. The world is so unfair. Sun Yi was sour. If he knew that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had been watching over her carefully the entire time, and it had nothing to do with her talent or cultivation, his feelings would probably become even more mixed.
“Fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you this time, master!” Yu Zijian pursed her lips.
“You’ve never disappointed me, including the mission last time. Others may think you’re soft, but this is exactly where you stand out. Those who don’t persevere and only focus on small gains obviously won’t be able to understand. What I was afraid of the most was having that compromise your character.” The slovenly daoist priest shook his head gently and gazed over the Lake of Dragons and Snakes.
“Divine swords can only be forged through thorough tempering, and fate has never been a good blacksmith. Sometimes, they go too hard and reduce something that was supposed to become a treasured sword into scrap metal. But seeing how you are right now, I don’t have to worry.”
“Girl, temper yourself properly. You’re not a piece of regular metal. Once I overcome the next heavenly tribulation, I’ll formally accept you as my disciple!”
Among the many disciples of the school of Daoism, only she had received a promise like that from him aside from Juechenzi.
Li Qingshan returned to the Chain mountains. The Skeleton Demons ran around and made trouble in the spacious cavern like monkeys. These Skeleton Demons were extremely interesting. They were like clones of Xiao An, which she could control as she wished, yet they were also self-conscious, even possessing their own intelligence.
After being taught a few lessons by Xiao An, they no longer dared to provoke Li Qingshan when they saw him. They moved out of the way obediently.
Xiao An waved her hand, and the Skeleton Demons turned into prayer beads, returning to her pale, slender wrist. There were exactly seventeen beads, just a single bead away from scaling to greater heights and using the eighteen Skull Prayer Beads to create a formation.
As for the skeleton under her flesh and blood, it had become even more crystalline, with its glow withdrawn and vaguely radiating with a buddhist nature. She had reached the juncture of the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Looks like this game of chess is almost ending.”
Even though no one had realised that yet.
Once the time was right, the two of them would work together to annihilate Strongboulder, slaughter Bloodshadow, destroy the Daemon Suppression alliance, and kill Fu Qingjin, painting in a full stop to this drawing of war. Afterwards, he would be able to reunite with Han Qiongzhi and spend some more time with Xiao An, writing some novels, gathering some power of belief, oh right, and properly learning how to forge artifacts. He had obtained an arcane artifact like the bronze cauldron through sheer luck, so there was no reason for him to run around in such a busy manner.
Just as he daydreamed about the beautiful future, Xiao An interrupted his thoughts. “Yesterday afternoon, Chu Danqing came looking for you. He said your item has been completed.”
Li Qingshan beamed in joy. He lifted up Xiao An and gave her a kiss. He smiled. “My good thing is here.”
In the residence within the school of Painting, Chu Shidao had already become completely bedbound. Not only was his face withering, but even his eyes had begun to lose their shine. He stared at the fluid within a tiny bottle. Due to his trembling hand, the golden fluid trembled as well.
He was rather excited as he asked Ru Xin, “This… is…”
Ru Xin said, “That’s right. This is the Water of Oblivion you wanted, senior. I’ve tried it. It’s quite effective.”
“That’s fantastic. Lass, you truly are a master of refining medicines. It’s no wonder that that geezer Hua Ci praises you so much… Cough, cough, cough,cough.” Before Chu Shidao had even finished talking, he was hit by a coughing fit. His chest heaved violently.
“Master!” Chu Danqing was worried. He sat beside the bed and stroked Chu Shidao’s back gently, channeling spiritual qi into his body to steady Chu Shidao’s breathing.
“You dumb child, don’t waste your cultivation for nothing!” Chu Shidao grabbed Chu Danqing’s arm with his withered hand. In that instant, he became extremely stubborn. He was like a bottomless lake right now. They would be going nowhere no matter how much water was poured into him.
At this moment, he suddenly heard a voice from outside, “Junior Li Qingshan has come to visit.”
“Perfect. He’s come too.” Chu Shidao grinned, which was vaguely enough to make out he had basically lost all his teeth by now.
Li Qingshan entered the residence and was taken aback when he saw Chu Shidao’s state. Most of his joy vanished as he grew stern. He clasped his hands. “Thank you for your efforts, master.”
Chu Shidao fished out a scroll, not from his hundred treasures pouch, but from under his pillow. He handed it to Li Qingshan. “Why don’t you take a look?”
Just like the Cursive Sword Calligraphy Li Qingshan had first obtained from the Black Wind stronghold, the calligraphy scroll did not seem special at all. It did not give off any spiritual qi or glow at all. However, when he slowly unfurled the scroll, he suddenly shivered inside, and all his hairs stood on end. It was a reaction to danger.
He completely unfurled the scroll, but before he could even take a proper look, a sharp sword intent attacked his forehead.
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Chapter 451 – Jiaping City, Strongboulder Emerges
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Chapter 451 – Jiaping City, Strongboulder Emerges
In a daze, he saw a person wielding a sword, stabbing it right towards his face.
Li Qingshan’s eyes shone, and a spirit turtle appeared in his sea of consciousness, suppressing the sword intent. The figure wielding the sword was reduced to ink strokes before dispersing.
Only then did he make out the rugged ink strokes scattered on the scroll. A stroke of the sword was a stroke of the brush, and a stroke of the brush was a stroke of the sword. In that instant, the hundred swords had struck out together, dancing and weaving into an earthshaking sword style. However, there were still flaws unfortunately. It was not everything.
However, those few strokes alone were like the horns of kylins and the claws of dragons. He could already sense the power of its original form.
Li Qingshan was utterly delighted. This was an arcane artifact through and through.
“It might just be an inferior arcane artifact, but it’s probably no weaker than regular low grade arcane artifacts. As I repaired it, my understanding of the Five Absolutes Immortal’s epoch-making talent only grew deeper. Qingshan, your strength will definitely increase tremendously with this.” Chu Shidao sighed.
“Thank you, senior.” Li Qingshan stowed the Cursive Sword Calligraphy away and bowed deeply.
Chu Shidao waved his hand with a smile. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m a little tired. You’re welcome to leave, the two of you!”
After Li Qingshan and Ru Xin had left, Chu Shidao said, “Danqing, I can tell that this child Qingshan is valiant and courageous, placing great emphasis on debts of gratitude and grievances. Now that this has been done, seek help from him if you encounter any problems. He shouldn’t turn you down.”
“Master…” Chu Danqing’s heart warmed up, unable to say anything more. As it turned out, he had done all of this for him.
“None of your senior brothers and sisters are easy people to deal with. You must confront them slowly. There’s no need to search for the location of the Painting Tomb in a hurry.”
As if he was speaking his last words to him, tears immediately pooled in Chu Danqing’s eyes.
Chu Shidao smiled. “My dumb child, don’t be sad. Life and death are all set by fate. You should go. I want to talk to your mistress a little.”
Leaving the school of Painting, Li Qingshan said to Ru Xin, “I didn’t think you’d actually refine it. Why have you been ignoring me the whole time?”
Ru Xin looked back and asked in confusion, “Who are you?”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He went up and tugged her sleeve. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not like I know you, so please stop pestering me.” Ru Xin shook him off in displeasure and took off on her artifact.
Li Qingshan caught up to her in a flash, flying alongside her. He pointed at himself and said, “I’m Li Qingshan. Don’t tell me you don’t recognise me anymore!” Seeing how unfamiliar Ru Xin was with him, He said in surprise, “Don’t tell me… you drank the Water of Oblivion!”
“I may have. I forgot. However, since I’ve forgotten it, it’s not worth remembering. No matter what we had going on between us, none of it matters anymore. Goodbye, fellow Qingshan.” Ru Xin clasped her hands as soon as she said that and sped up resolutely. She flew away.
Li Qingshan watched her grow further away as he remained stunned for quite a while. Suddenly, he returned to his senses and began cursing aloud, “None of it matters my ass! You damn woman! You took all those spiritual herbs from me! You better spit it all out right now!”
In the distance, the corner of Ru Xin’s mouth curled into a smile. This bastard is getting more and more clever. Fooling him is really quite difficult now.
Li Qingshan used tremendous effort, almost attacking Ru Xin’s very dwelling, before finally getting everything he needed from her. However, Ru Xin stuck to her statement the entire time. “I don’t know who you are, but since you insist these are yours, I’ll give them to you.”
Afterwards, even Li Qingshan began to wonder a little whether she had actually drunk the Water of Oblivion and forgotten about him. After receiving this batch of pills, Li Qingshan cultivated for a few more days in his dwelling, converting it all into his own cultivation. When he had nothing to do, he would study the sword intent within the Cursive Sword Calligraphy together with Xiao An.
Yu Zijian’s group set off once more, and Li Qingshan could not help but take to the road again as their babysitter. The missions allocated to them this time were clearly much more difficult than the last. The group encountered many dangers. If it were not for Li Qingshan’s secret protection, they probably would have sustained a few injuries and losses already.
Li Qingshan knew Hua Chengzan was placing pressure on Fu Qingjin with this, and he had probably even included Hua Chenglu’s confession and Yu Zijian’s reaction in his calculations. He wanted to force Fu Qingjin into yielding.
Winter had already passed now. The ground began to heat up again.
Yu Zijian flew above the Clear river on her sword. The two sides were both lush with vegetation.
“Junior sister Yu, up ahead is Jiaping city.” Sun Yi closed the distance between them.
“Yep.” Yu Zijian nodded. After facing life-threatening danger again and again, she had become more and more composed, and her halted cultivation finally broke through again, having reached the eighth layer now. With a supreme grade spiritual artifact, the Nine Yang sword, in hand, she had basically become the strongest among them. No one dared to brush her aside anymore.
Gazing at the city that appeared in the distance, Li Qingshan was slightly touched. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to come back here.
The flowing river suddenly made a turn, and the two banks turned into human settlements, replaced by households. With the three years of war, Jiaping city no longer possessed its former prosperity, but its influence remained, still possessing some of the scale of the past.
The iron hawk on the mountain continued to stare fiercely, like it was flying, but the other structures on the mountain were severely damaged. The branch of the Hawkwolf Guard here had already been dismantled. It was not under the protection of any powerful formations, nor were any powerful cultivators stationed here. They even struggled with regular daemons. It would just become a living target if it remained behind.
Li Qingshan landed on top of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain and gazed over the entire city. He remembered a few matters of the past and lamented slightly inside, but all of this happened in a single instant. He dismissed his thoughts and expanded his senses, but he failed to sense the existence of daemon qi in the city. As it seemed, the trouble-making daemon had already left. There was no need for him to keep such a close eye on them then.
However, he could sense a Qi Practitioner in the city. He leapt off the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, gliding over to a structure that seemed like a garden. He found the surroundings to be rather familiar. He thought about it and recognised it to be the district government.
Li Qingshan arrived in the garden silently and saw a person sitting beside a pond, cultivating. He revealed himself and smiled. “Sir Zhou, long time no see.”
Zhou Wenbin jerked to his senses and looked over. He saw a large man standing behind him. He was so close, yet he had actually failed to sense him at all. Even now, he did not give off the slightest aura at all. He found the face to be extremely familiar. Listening to how he spoke, he suddenly remembered. “You’re… Li Qingshan!”
The teenager of the past had completely become a grown man now. His bronze face, his tall nose bridge, his steady gaze, and his consolidated bearing gave off an indescribable presence. It inspired admiration.
“I heard you already established a foundation. Is that true?” Zhou Wenbin was well-informed. He had heard many rumors about Li Qingshan the entire time, but he was never really convinced Li Qingshan had established a foundation even right now. When he first saw him, he was only an insignificant first layer Qi Practitioner. Just how long had it been since then?
“It only happened recently. Sir, your cultivation has progressed drastically too, hasn’t it?”
“The younger generation will always surpass the older! The younger generation will always surpass the older. Compared to you, I’ve basically just been wasting away time.” Zhou Wenbin stood up in a hurry and invited Li Qingshan to sit down.
The two of them sat before one another and talked about what happened after they had separated. Zhou Wenbin was clearly slightly overcautious as he faced Li Qingshan. The difference in status between Qi Practitioners and Foundation Establishment cultivators was tremendous. Unless they had extremely deep ties, they basically never stood on equal footing.
No matter how old, no matter how much time spent cultivating, Qi Practitioners would always have to refer to Foundation Establishment cultivators as seniors. Even though Li Qingshan had not put on any airs, Zhou Wenbin still felt extremely unnatural. As he gazed at his junior of the past, he had leapt up in just a few years to a level he would never be able to reach. It was impossible for him to not feel even a hint of envy or reluctance to accept this.
Li Qingshan originally had nothing to do, so he revisited this old place to catch up with an acquaintance of his. However, with the conversation, he could not help but feel that the world remained the same around him while people changed. A chasm had already appeared between them, such that they could not even talk freely anymore. As a result, he lost interest in the conversation too, preparing to stand up and take his leave.
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. He would develop a slight connection with the ground as long as he was standing on it, and at that moment, he could feel something emerging from underground.
Hua Chenglu held the Daemon Searching compass and moved through the streets and alleyways with Yu Zijian and everyone else, searching for traces of daemons. The needle on the compass would turn from time to time, sensing the residual daemon qi that daemons had left behind before reverting to its original position.
They continued searching until they reached a busy street. Originally, people flowed to and fro on the street, bustling with activity, but with their arrival, it immediately fell silent. The pedestrians all stopped and stared at them, while the bosses and shopkeepers in the stores by the street stopped too, making their way out to take a look. The existence of cultivators was not exactly a secret to them, but women as beautiful as them were not common.
Hua Chenglu had already grown accustomed to gazes like that, so she was completely unfazed. She just stared at the compass in her hand. Seeing how the needle refused to budge, she raised her head and said, “Looks like there’s nothing this time.”
“That’s good too. We can go rest.” Yu Zijian raised her head and looked at the sky, searching for the blue bird.
However, in complete silence, everyone’s gazes towards them changed.
Cultivators are all indomitable existences. With my status, all I can do is look at beauties like them. They’ll just end up in the arms of other men in the future. I hate this. Since I can’t obtain her, they can just go die. A spark of danger suddenly rose up in a waiter in front of a restaurant.
What beautiful women they are. Why must they be so beautiful? I’ve heard cultivators all possess eternal youth. This is completely unfair. I want to rip off their faces. Let’s see whether they can still smile like that. A middle-aged woman in a brothel ground her teeth enviously. Vicious thoughts emerged one by one.
Old Li next door has borrowed my money, but he still hasn’t returned it, even now. That’s completely unforgivable. This bastard is better off dead. An old man carrying a bird cage suddenly thought.
“Stop hitting me! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” A child who had been pressed against a chair, viciously spanked by his mother, suddenly roared out furiously. He put up a desperate struggle as his eyes became blood-red.
Thoughts emerged. Killing intent bloomed.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes became filled with malice and killing intent.
Hua Chenglu checked the compass in her hand, and it began to spin wildly like a windmill. It spun faster and faster. “Everyone, be careful. There’s daemon qi approaching. It’s tremendous and very dangerous.”
Rumble! The ground shook gently, and wild laughter appeared from underground.
“Hahahahaha! Kill! Kill! Kill to your hearts’ content!”
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Chapter 452 – Running Across Each Other’s Better than Actively Seeking Out
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Chapter 452 – Running Across Each Other’s Better than Actively Seeking Out
The ground cracked, and a huge boulder burst out from the earth. An invisible, terrifying power swept through the entire city in an instant. In everyone’s eyes, even the sky turned blood-red, but what was dyed red was not the sky, but their eyes. Regardless of their age or gender, their eyes all glowed red due to being filled with blood.
In the busy streets, everyone became frenzied, growling as they lunged at the people beside them. Their eyes were filled with hatred as they ground their teeth; it was like they were facing their mortal enemies.
“Oh no, the rock demon is slaughtering the city!” Sun Yi’s face changed drastically and cut down the people who lunged towards him. It was rumored that people would kill one another in madness wherever the rock demon went. He could slaughter an entire city without doing anything.
“Let’s go!” Hua Chenglu felt herself become restless and ingested a Pill of Soothing as she spoke anxiously.
Before she had even finished speaking, a voice rang out from beneath her, “To where?”
The ground began to ripple like water, and Strongboulder emerged. He stared at them with a vicious smile, like he was staring at a group of puppets. He had no intention of fighting. Killing them was easy, but Strongboulder wanted to rile up their killing intent and malice before he killed them so that he could feed off them.
Sun Yi was filled with fear, but under Strongboulder’s gaze, his fear turned into hysteric hatred and killing intent very soon. He charged towards Strongboulder.
Strongboulder threw his fist gently, and with a thud, Sun Yi’s head exploded like a watermelon, and pulp of red and white sprayed over Strongboulder. He let out a laugh. The two remaining Qi Practitioners could not withstand it any longer either and rushed over. They were ripped apart like dolls as the ground became covered by their slippery organs.
Strongboulder licked the blood on his hand and admired the slaughter that was everywhere. Only a moment had passed, but tens of thousand people had already killed one another.
In that moment, Jiaping city turned into a blood-soaked purgatory as malice radiated into the air. Strongboulder took in a deep breath and sucked in this malice, converting it into daemon qi and making his power as a Rock of Slaughter even greater.
Suddenly, Strongboulder sensed something and gazed in the direction of the district government’s office. There were still other Qi Practitioners! His hand expanded violently and plunged into the ground. A crack stretched into the distance.
How could Li Qingshan not recognise this familiar daemon qi? He said to Zhou Wenbin, “Run!” before shooting off in the direction of the daemon qi. Soon after he had taken off, a crack stretched over from afar, reaching deep into the government office. A huge hand of rock, several meters long, suddenly extended out from the ground, grabbing Zhou Wenbin who had tried to flee. He called towards Li Qingshan from between the cracks, “Save…”
However, before he could finish, the huge hand closed around him and crushed Zhou Wenbin to pulp with ease. Succeeding with the attack, the huge hand collapsed and shattered, only leaving behind a bloody mess.
Li Qingshan found this situation to be extremely troublesome; it was not because he feared Strongboulder’s power, but because protecting two Qi Practitioners in the face of this power was anything but easy. Even if he transformed, it would still be difficult, let alone under the current circumstances.
However, he could not afford to think too much about it. The streets and buildings receded around him rapidly, and he arrived on the busy street in the blink of an eye. The street was no longer noisy. It was deathly silent now. Blood formed streams as corpses were scattered everywhere. It was a chilling sight.
Only when Li Qingshan saw how Yu Zijian and Hua Chenglu were still alive did he let out a sigh of relief. He hid his aura even more carefully and slowly approached them.
Hua Chenglu continued to hold on arduously through the power of the Pill of Soothing, resisting the invading killing intent. However, she knew she was probably done for this time. Who knew how many times she had heard of the infamous rock demon already. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not necessarily survive before him. Zijian, looks like we’re really going to be going out on the same day.
As for Yu Zijian, she seemed to have become frightened out of her wits by the sight around her. She stood still like a statue, without moving at all.
Strongboulder let out a soft expression of surprise and looked at Yu Zijian’s face. She had not been infected by the Rock of Slaughter’s power, becoming a bloodthirsty, frenzied madman. She did not even give off a hint of murderousness or malice.
“Why?” Yu Zijian croaked. Her memories from three years ago flooded her head. She felt like she was reliving the moment with everything going on around her, with countless living people dying horrible deaths right in front of her.
Indescribable pain filled her chest, drowning out her hatred and resentment. When she said that, tears had already begun coursing down her cheeks, as if she was asking Strongboulder, yet also asking herself.
“There’s no why. Do you hate it? If you hate it, come kill me!” Strongboulder was rather surprised. She was a mere Qi Practitioner, yet she was actually completely resistant to the Rock of Slaughter. He extended his hand at Yu Zijian and withdrew all of his power, directing it towards Yu Zijian instead.
Her heart beat violently, urging her to kill.
Yu Zijian moved, but she did not charge over madly like Sun Yi and everyone else. Instead, she straightened herself out, wiped away her tears, and drew the Nine Yang sword. The noon sun seemed to flow across the blade like water as she pointed it towards this undefeatable opponent. Her gaze was sorrowful yet determined, without a hint of madness or fear.
“Interesting! It’ll be even more interesting when I kill you!” Strongboulder laughed.
There was a flash of white light, and the Nine Yang sword swung towards Strongboulder’s indestructible body. Hua Chenglu’s eyes widened. She could already see the fate when her sword snapped, and she died.
Strongboulder just spread his arms, completely neglecting the attack. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he raised his arms, as if he wanted to block, but it was already too late. The Nine Yang sword landed on him, and he was sent flying like a spinning top, smashing through several dozen buildings consecutively.
Even Yu Zijian was surprised by the power of her strike, while Hua Chenglu behind her saw a large figure flash by. Before they could even return to their senses, they felt their waists tighten as the surroundings rapidly receded around them.
Li Qingshan could not bother with hiding himself anymore. He grabbed them by the waist and fled into the distance as quickly as he could. He had landed a strike on Strongboulder while he was careless, but he had failed to cause any meaningful damage. Before anything else, he had to take them to somewhere safe first.
Hua Chenglu saw a ripple of blue light, and Li Qingshan’s figure appeared. She said in surprise, “Have you been following us the entire time?” Normally, help would have never arrived so quickly, so only one explanation remained. He had been following them the entire time. If that were the case, all the dangerous situations they had encountered that turned into nothing made sense.
After three years, she saw Li Qingshan once again. However, Yu Zijian immediately became troubled with something else. He’s Niu Juxia!?
Li Qingshan said, “Now’s not the time to talk about that. He’s right behind us.”
Hua Chenglu turned around and took a look. With a great rumble, Strongboulder burst out of the rubble and shot into the sky like a cannonball. Before the dust had even settled, he fell back down like a meteor, shooting towards them.
Strongboulder stared at Li Qingshan with extreme fury. Due to a moment of carelessness, the human had actually managed to land a sneak attack. He radiated with murderousness like an ill omen.
In a different time and place, Li Qingshan would be very willing to fight Strongboulder to the death, but the circumstances right now were rather inappropriate. However, it was very difficult for him to escape from Strongboulder with just his cultivation as a human.
Suddenly, shimmering light filled his eyes. He had arrived above the Clear river again. Li Qingshan came up with an idea and dove headfirst into the river.
The river suddenly surged, rushing upwards with a roar. It turned into a huge dragon, opening its mouth and receiving Strongboulder with a growl.
Strongboulder completely ignored it. The water dragon ripped away at his body and smashed into him, but it failed to even leave a mark. With a wave of daemon qi, he directly rushed through the water dragon, smashing into the Clear river loudly.
Not only did the shockwave empty out that section of the river, but even the structures on the two banks were completely destroyed. He arrived on the flat riverbed and failed to find the three of them. The destroyed water dragon fell as rain before suddenly turning into mist that enveloped the region.
The mist was thick like clumps of cotton, reducing visibility to absolutely nothing. Not only did it restrict sight, but it also interfered with the sensing of aura.
“Mere trickery!” Strongboulder sneered. With a gush of his malicious aura, the mist immediately began to disperse. He vaguely made out three figures who fled into the distance. It was Li Qingshan, who carried Yu Zijian and Hua Chenglu with him.
Strongboulder leapt up and smashed viciously into Li Qingshan’s back, but when he came into contact with Li Qingshan, the three figures dispersed like mist. In the moment before, Strongboulder had clearly sensed the aura of living people from them.
With a rumble, Strongboulder smashed into the ground and formed a huge crater. He became even more vexed. He had killed many Foundation Establishment cultivators before, but never had he been toyed with twice while even failing to land a single blow. With the time he had wasted, they had probably fled far away already.
Sunlight fell down from above, projecting a shadow onto Strongboulder’s face. Strongboulder suddenly raised his head and saw Li Qingshan appear, just standing beside the crater with a sword in hand and staring at him. “Are you the rock demon?”
Li Qingshan had followed the Blaststream Water Dragon with a technique of shrouding mist. Then, he used the Divine Talisman of Great Creation to turn fiction into reality, attracting Strongboulder’s attention in the opposite direction. Afterwards, he used the Invisibility technique to hide Yu Zijian and Hua Chenglu, suppressing their auras as well. He had already fled thousands of meters away in a single instant.
Hearing the rumble in the distance, Hua Chenglu calmed down. The rock demon was terrifying, but this man was extraordinarily powerful too.
But at this moment, Li Qingshan thought of something and suddenly stopped. He summoned a cloud and left it in front of them before turning around and leaving.
Hua Chenglu asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going off to kill the rock demon, obviously,” Li Qingshan said like it was as clear as day. Running across each other was better than actively seeking out each other. Who cared if the time was right or not? It would be fate if they ran into each other.
“Alone!?” Hua Chenglu said. The horrors of the rock demon had been deeply engraved in her heart. Even the mid Foundation Establishment One Thought master had died to his hands, while Li Qingshan was only at early Foundation Establishment. He was basically seeking his own doom if he did this.
“Of course not.” Li Qingshan pointed out, and a streak of green light shot across the sky.
Fu Qingjin finally could not help himself any longer and interfered. Li Qingshan caught the scent of something called opportunity from all of this, so he returned to the crater. Strongboulder leapt out of the crater, lunging straight towards Li Qingshan. Suddenly, he felt a hint of danger. A stream of green light stabbed towards the back of his head.
“Fu Qingjin!” Strongboulder growled furiously. The sword qi was extremely familiar. He would know who it was even without seeing it with his eyes. He dared not treat the Green Ruins sword like any regular weapon. An armour of rock and soil suddenly erupted from his body, and the sword qi stabbed three inches deep before dispersing by itself.
Strongboulder’s murderous, beady eyes were fixed on Li Qingshan. He decided to kill this person who had struck him with a sneak attack first, regardless of the consequences.
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Chapter 453 – White Bone Breakthrough
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Chapter 453 – White Bone Breakthrough
In the Chain mountains, within the Qing Xiao dwelling.
She forged the last Skull Prayer Bead. The eighteen prayer beads circled above Xiao An’s head, forming a mystical formation. Suddenly, they all turned into skulls and spat flames at Xiao An.
The flames stripped Xiao An’s flesh away from her, revealing the translucent, white bones underneath. Under the flames, they became even shinier, like they were sculpted from white jade. However, they were also imbued with a buddhist light that jade lacked.
Xiao An brought her palms together, like a disciple of buddhism being inducted into nunhood. However, she did not kneel, staring at the sky instead. The roaring firelight in her eye sockets seemed to be able to pierce the thick rock, gazing towards the Western Paradise or Sukhāvatī, the hall of buddhas.
Regular skeletons roused a feeling of horror within people, but with the posture she held right now, she seemed solemn and sacred, radiating with righteousness.
Xiao An slowly lowered her head, and the flames cloaked her body, like a multicoloured kāṣāya. She murmured softly.
“Right now, right here, I vow that all my actions, my intentions, are for ending the many buddhas, for slaughtering the boundless creatures, just so I can assist him in reaching beyond the Nine Heavens, right by his side.”
With that vow, the flames vanished, and the eighteen skulls turned into eighteen Skull Prayer Beads, returning to her slender, pale wrist.
Breakthrough to the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty!
The door to Qing Xiao’s Home opened loudly. With a flash, Xiao An took off into the air, flying towards Li Qingshan’s location.
Faced with Strongboulder’s frenzied attack, Li Qinghan did not dodge at all. In the moment he was struck by the punch, he dispersed as a splash of water. Strongboulder’s vicious smile stiffened slightly. He knew he had been played yet again.
This was a water technique. Although it could never compare to his innate ability, the Watermirror’s Image, it was enough for drawing away some attacks.
Li Qingshan used the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility again to hide himself, retreating to a safe distance.
Fu Qingjin glanced at where he was. The Green Ruins sword let out a long thrum, and the Green Ruins Illusion rose up, enveloping Strongboulder.
Strongboulder roared angrily, “Fu Qingjin, don’t you know anything else? This trick alone can’t hurt me!” He radiated with malice, so condensed that it was black. The Green Ruins Illusion immediately began to twist.
At this moment, Li Qingshan suddenly received a message from Xiao An and learned that she had already forged the eighteen prayer beads, reaching the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. He beamed inside, and his eyes immediately became filled with confidence.
It was time. His strongest helper had finally arrived.
Li Qingshan told Xiao An to hide first and wait for an opportunity. Xiao An nodded and turned away towards the earth. She swung her white bone sword around and directly burrowed through the ground.
Looking at the Green Ruins Illusion again, Fu Qingjin and Strongboulder were actually rather helpless against one another.
Strongboulder was clad in armour, so the sword qi from the Green Ruins sword could no longer do anything to him. Even if Fu Qingjin managed to get through the rock armour, he was unable to harm his actual body. The only thing Strongboulder was afraid of was the Green Ruins sword, but even if he were struck by it, it would leave behind a mark at most. As long as it was not a fatal wound, he could recover in the blink of an eye with a surge of daemon qi. Even Fu Qingjin was rather helpless against him despite his extraordinary sword techniques.
As for Fu Qingjin, he was basically undefeatable as he stood within the Green Ruins Illusion. No matter how many attacks landed on him, he would just scatter as green light before reassembling. He was indifferent. Clearly, the power of the Rock of Slaughter was unable to shake the will of the Green Ruins sword.
Having cut off Strongboulder from the spiritual qi of the world, he might have been able to win if he dragged this out blindly, but under the surges of Strongboulder’s malicious aura, the Green Ruins Illusion gradually began to twist and shatter, with holes appearing from time to time. If Strongboulder wanted to flee, no one could stop him.
Fu Qingjin brought his fingers together like a sword and slid them across the Green Ruins sword. He chanted softly, “Myriad Sword technique!”
Thousands of Green Ruins swords tore through the air, their blades thrumming and their sword qi surging.
Strongboulder’s beady eyes shone brightly. He was unable to absorb the spiritual qi of the world here, so he would probably lose the upper hand if they kept fighting. He let out a wild laugh. “I’ll play with you next time!”
The black aura of malice gathered on his fist, and he pushed to the right. The halls and structures began to twist like a transitioning scene of a movie, caving into a huge hole that revealed the scenery outside the illusion.
The first person Strongboulder saw was none other than Li Qingshan.
“You want to stop me with just this much?” Strongboulder leapt out and threw a punch at Li Qingshan.
With just his cultivation at early Foundation Establishment, Li Qingshan did indeed possess no right to stop Strongboulder. Neither the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility nor the Arts of the Boundless Ocean could harm Strongboulder properly, let alone kill him.
With a shake of his hand, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy unfurled in the wind. Hundreds and thousands of ink strokes merged together as a sword as black as ink burst out of the paper.
Strongboulder and the ink sword collided, but there was no noise. The ink sword dispersed silently.
However, Strongboulder’s unstoppable bearing that could tear through anything had been forcefully severed by the sword intent. At the same time, he felt an extremely sharp strand of sword qi pierce his indestructible stone skin, right through his body. It plunged through the daemon qi and directly headed towards his daemon core. It made his heart leap in fright.
Li Qingshan slowly raised his hands.
The Rising Tide Form—his sea of qi seemed to swell like the tide, endlessly and continuously.
The Cloud Parting Form—the rising tide turned into a tsunami, reaching towards the sky and parting the clouds in an unstoppable manner.
A hand pressed against Strongboulder’s chest. Wave-like blue light rippled outwards with a dazzling array of colours.
Strongboulder had been forcefully slammed back into the Green Ruins Illusion. Fu Qingjin glanced at Li Qingshan in appreciation and did not let this opportunity slip by. The hole that Strongboulder had created immediately closed up.
Strongboulder was furious. He opened his mouth and coughed, forcing out the strand of sword qi with some rock fragments, but he still sustained some internal injuries. By the time he turned around to look, he could not find Li Qingshan anymore. Only countless Green Ruins swords filled Strongboulder’s surroundings in formation, trapping him firmly.
“Go!” Fu Qingjin ordered, and the swords took off like rain. The swords spun like sawtoothed blades, chipping and grinding away Strongboulder’s armour.
After sending Strongboulder back in there with the palm strike, Li Qingshan immediately ingested a recovery pill, sitting down to recover his spiritual qi. The palm strike was powerful, but it consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual qi. Combined with using the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, which was now an arcane artifact, he had directly consumed thirty percent of his spiritual qi. If they actually began fighting, he definitely would not be Strongboulder’s opponent.
It was completely impossible for him to defeat Strongboulder as an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, if it were just doing an odd job or two, lending a helping hand every now and then, it was not too difficult. If he wanted to swoop in while they were both heavily injured, then he had to make Strongboulder stay behind and wear down Fu Qingjin.
However, through this, he became very satisfied with the power of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. It could injure Strongboulder even with his defences. If a regular Foundation Establishment cultivator had received this attack instead, they probably would be dead already.
Strongboulder’s vicious smile disappeared. His armour had been chipped away from him, and his body had become covered in many sword wounds. Unable to replenish his energy with the spiritual qi of the world, his daemon qi was nowhere near as vigorous as before either. The rate at which his wounds healed had obviously become much slower.
Strongboulder let out a mad roar, and his arms expanded in size by ten times. He swung them around madly like two huge pillars of stone, smashing apart the Green Ruins swords around him. Riling up his malicious aura, he punched down.
As long as he made contact with the ground, he would be able to flee through the earth. The reason why he could slaughter countless cities, make a name for himself as the rock demon, and go through countless battles without having a single person keep him behind was exactly because of this innate ability.
When the strength of one’s opponent was similar, preventing them from escaping was very difficult to achieve. Even Fu Qingjin was helpless in this respect.
The Green Ruins Illusion gave way once again, but what Strongboulder saw was not the ground he was looking for, but flowing water.
Fu Qingjin had unleashed the Green Ruins Illusion near the Clear river. In order to prevent Strongboulder from escaping through the ground, Li Qingshan had dug out a huge pit under the Green Ruins Illusion before filling it with water.
Li Qingshan just floated on the water, holding the unfurled Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his hand and launching the ink sword.
Strongboulder wanted to dodge, but the ink sword moved with lightning speed, and he had been caught off-guard by Li Qingshan. At such a close distance, in such a narrow space, how could he dodge?
Strongboulder had almost gone crazy from anger and resentment. He ignored the ink sword that shot towards his chest and began to swell up, crushing down towards Li Qingshan like a mountain. At the same time, two stony arms reached towards Li Qingshan’s shoulders. As long as he killed Li Qingshan or forced him back and returned to the ground, he would obviously be able to force out the sword qi and recover his wounds.
The Vortex Form!
Li Qingshan pushed out with both arms. The water surged and revolved rapidly, turning into two huge vortices and wrapping around Strongboulder’s arms. He nullified Strongboulder’s terrifying power by conquering the unyielding with the yielding.
Strongboulder’s arms swelled once again, and the terrifying power directly ripped apart the vortices. Before absolute power, all tricks seemed so futile. Seeing how he was just millimeters away from Li Qingshan’s shoulders, Strongboulder sneered. By then, all he had to do was use some force and rip him apart…
Of course, Li Qingshan would not just die on the spot with his body as a daemon, but it would give him away to Fu Qingjin.
At this very moment, the Divine Talisman of Great Creation lit up. A third arm extended from Li Qingshan’s chest, rapidly growing and reaching out like a vine.
The arm happened to resemble Chu Tian’s Palm of the Five Elements slightly, but it was much smaller, even smaller than Li Qingshan’s arm. There were not just five colours either, but a dazzling array of colours.
Just like that, a tiny arm pressed against Strongboulder’s chest, and his indestructible, grey, stony skin actually collapsed slightly.
Afterwards, under Strongboulder’s absolute refusal, he was struck back into the Green Ruins Illusion. His way out sealed up once more.
That’s the power of belief. Fu Qingjin returned to his senses after a moment of surprise. Only then did he remember Li Qingshan’s identity as a disciple of the school of Novels, which made him smile. Everything made sense now. With his assistance, perhaps there really was a chance to kill Strongboulder here and now.
This was the most primitive use of the power of belief, to use it to directly attack or defend instead of conjuring anything, and it could only be used after refining the Divine Talisman of Great Creation again. It was much more effective than Li Qingshan had been anticipating, but it had depleted quite a lot of power of belief too, which pained him. There was nothing he could do. He would always feel like that whenever he used this consumable power.
Li Qingshan said, “Fellow Fu, this is all I can do to assist you. It’ll be entirely up to you now.”
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Chapter 454 – Swooping in for the Kill
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Chapter 454 – Swooping in for the Kill
Fu Qingjin nodded. Now was indeed an unprecedented opportunity for him to kill Strongboulder. A mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator had managed to repel Strongboulder twice, which was truly shocking. The arcane artifact seemed to be anything but ordinary too.
Before Strongboulder could even force out the sword qi, Fu Qingjin merged with his sword and charged over, pulling Strongboulder into a battle.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh of relief. He rolled up the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and sat down on one side, meditating to recover. The Cursive Sword Calligraphy was powerful, but the amount of spiritual qi it depleted was startling.
If it were not for the extremely abundant spiritual qi and extremely fast recovery rate granted by the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, regular cultivation methods really might not have been able to power the arcane artifact.
Even now, he could not use it consecutively. He had to recover with each use.
However, he still had a trump card that he had yet to use!
A sword as black as ink hovered above the sea of qi in his body.
After receiving the Cursive Sword Calligraphy from Chu Shidao, he had refined it once again. This time, he could also store the sword qi of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his dantian, which he could use at whim.
However, it was no longer over a hundred strands of messy sword qi. Instead, it had condensed into an ink sword.
Li Qingshan had yet to try out its power, but if he combined it with the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility, it definitely would be able to give his opponents a surprise.
At this moment, Strongboulder suddenly let out a furious roar. He pierced through the Green Ruins Illusion and rushed into the air.
A while later, the earth began to shake. Looking down from above, several large mounds swelled up in Jiaping city. The earth shattered, and the buildings collapsed, radiating with daemon qi.
Where Li Qingshan meditated swelled up too. With a rumble, a hole appeared in the ground, and a blood-red tongue extended out, sweeping towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan shivered inside. Strongboulder had finally run out of options and summoned his subordinates. The seven or eight clusters of daemon qi all corresponded to powerful daemons among Daemon Generals. He used the Wave Treading Form and avoided the long tongue before turning himself invisible with the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility and concealing his aura.
Colossal figures all standing over thirty meters tall burst out of the ground in their true forms. Some seemed like toads, some seemed like wolves, and there were even a few that were strangely shaped, making it impossible to tell what kind of wild beast they were originally. They all opened their gaping mouths and roared at Strongboulder in the Green Ruins Illusion.
As if he were responding to these roars, Strongboulder began to expand too, swelling to over thirty meters tall in the blink of an eye. He turned into a huge stone giant as he gazed at Fu Qingjin above with his shiny, beady eyes.
Fu Qingjin was unfazed. The Green Ruins Illusion expanded with Strongboulder, but the waves of daemon qi and malice that slammed against it grew thinner.
“Fu Qingjin, I hadn’t come today to kill you, but since you insist on it, you better leave your life behind!” Strongboulder’s voice was extremely resonant, like it originated from within a huge boulder. As he said that, he slammed his hand towards Fu Qingjin.
Strongboulder also ordered, “Little ones, kill the human on the side!”
Li Qingshan let out a sigh. Plans truly were not foolproof. As it seemed, it would not be so easy for him to watch on from the side anymore.
The senses of daemons were extremely powerful, let alone those that had undergone the first heavenly tribulation. He might have been able to hide himself away from their senses if they were not actively looking for him, but if they were, he would struggle to avoid detection.
Waves of daemon qi swept over, locking onto Li Qingshan’s position very soon. The huge, earthen-yellow wolf bit viciously at him.
Li Qingshan dodged the bite and arrived on the side of the wolf’s head. He materialised and swung the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility towards the wolf daemon’s neck.
The sword was still transparent, but it shone with a streak of bright blue as it ripped through the wolf daemon’s fur before running out of power.
Only then was his real attack revealed. A strand of sword qi black like ink directly pierced the wolf daemon’s tough flesh.
It was the trump card Li Qingshan had been holding onto the entire time, the strand of black sword qi within his dantian. He had completely merged the sword intent and sword techniques he had comprehended from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy into the strike as well. He did not strike often, but when he did, he would strike with full force.
The wolf daemon let out a painful howl, and the black sword qi erupted as a wave within the centre of his neck, just like ink. Afterwards, its huge head fell from its shoulders loudly. It had actually been beheaded in a single stroke. Daemons had strong regenerative powers, but when they suffered a fatal wound like that, they would still die on the spot. Blood flowed out like a river.
Li Qingshan shoved the entire wolf daemon, corpse and daemon core, into his hundred treasures pouch efficiently. He looked around and saw the daemons gathered around him, glaring at him furiously. In a single instant, claws, fangs, and innate abilities all flew his way.
Li Qingshan moved about swiftly on his sword. The surging daemon qi was locked onto his location the entire time, so all he could do was constantly unleash the Wave Treading Form, waving between the attacks of the daemons. As soon as he emerged from poisonous mist that was right in his face, the toad’s tongue swept over once again. Waves surged below his feet, and he changed directions, avoiding the attack by a hair’s breadth.
Every time he used the Wave Treading Form, he would flash before vanishing. He seemed like he was teleporting around.
The Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility was not completely useless. It could not achieve absolute invisibility, but as long as it could mislead the opponent’s eyes, dazing them for even a moment, it would be enough for him.
He seemed to be under constant danger, but there actually was not much danger at all. With just some effort, Li Qingshan broke out of the daemons’ encirclement and arrived in the sky. He had obtained a daemon core, which was quite nice.
When Strongboulder saw how easily Li Qingshan had broken out of the encirclement he had arranged, he ground his teeth in utter hatred. He knew no benefit would arise if he continued fighting this battle, so he suddenly shrank.
“Xiao An, Strongboulder is about to run. Get ready.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. Xiao An had already arrived beneath Jiaping city. Fu Qingjin was not an easy target to deal with, which he understood the most. However, Strongboulder had used up most of his daemon qi, and he was peppered with wounds, so now was definitely the perfect opportunity to kill him.
However, Fu Qingjin was no better. His clothes were extremely tattered, and the Green Ruins sword had dimmed visibly. Li Qingshan silently wondered to himself just how great of a chance he had to kill him if he worked with Xiao An.
“I’ll kill you here no matter what today.” The exhaustion on Fu Qingjin’s face suddenly vanished. Cold light flashed through his eyes, and he radiated with bleakness as he said that.
He raised his hand, and in between his fingers was a scarlet talisman. He called out, “Wind!”
Before he had even finished speaking, a tornado sprung up from beneath Strongboulder, sweeping him into the sky. It connected with the sky like a black dragon.
Li Qingshan curled his lip. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t use talismans?
The wind from the tornado was thousands of times sharper than any sword or blade. It was like a huge meat grinder, scraping away rock fragments from Strongboulder.
Fu Qingjin sheathed his sword, and the Green Ruins Illusion dispersed with it. He stared at Strongboulder in the air. All of his attention had been focused on a single point.
In that instant, the sword erupted from its sheath with a flash, and he vanished. A perfectly-straight streak of green light pierced through the air, crossing through the tornado.
The tornado seemed to be cut in half. It twisted a few times, refusing to disperse, before turning into a gale of fierce wind. Strongboulder fell from the air. His eyes were wide open, as if he refused to believe he would actually die here. A tiny hole had been pierced through his chest. He landed heavily on the ground.
Fu Qingjin separated from the Green Ruins sword and glanced back. He frowned slightly and murmured, “Did I still fail?”
Strongboulder leapt up to his feet. Despite his heavy injuries, he roared at the sky, “Fu Qingjin, I’ll never die! I’ll slaughter another hundred cities with each attempt at my life!”
Fu Qingjin contemplated his choices. If it were not for the other daemons present, he could give him a chase. However, even he was reluctant to enter underground without good reason under the current circumstances. Killing someone at the same level of cultivation really was not easy. All he could do was watch as the daemons sank into the ground.
However, he failed to notice how Li Qingshan stared at Strongboulder like he was staring at a corpse. Xiao An and her eighteen Skeleton Demons were already waiting down there.
Li Qingshan pulled his gaze away and flew towards Fu Qingjin slowly. Piercing cold light was hidden in the depths of his eyes, and he was already holding a few scarlet talismans between his fingers, hidden in his sleeve. They could not match Fu Qingjin’s talismans in grade, but he would definitely be able to give him a surprise once he used them.
He was able to mobilise his accumulated power of belief instantly too and turn it into a powerful, lethal force. Most importantly, he still had his daemon form and the innate abilities.
He had a seventy percent chance at success.
He had a seventy percent chance to kill Fu Qingjin, to eliminate a great source of trouble here and now, but there was also a thirty percent chance that Fu Qingjin would escape and thus prevent him from using the identity of Li Qingshan to walk among the world of humans ever again.
Everything flashed through his mind, and he made his decision. He would gamble on it. If he was afraid to gamble when he had a seventy percent chance at success, could he still be called a man?
Fu Qingjin said, “You’re Li Qingshan, right? Your sword style is very impressive and very special.”
“You must be Fu Qingjin. Your sword style is very impressive too.” Li Qingshan let out a gentle sigh and answered him calmly. He silently stowed the talismans away and looked back.
A few streaks of light shot over in the sky in the south-western direction as well as the north-western direction. The reinforcements from the Daemon Suppression alliance and the Academy of the Hundred Schools had arrived.
Do I really have to fight him again just like what I promised? Li Qingshan found this slightly unfortunate, but with some further thought, it was fine if he did not gamble too. As his cultivation grew, his chances at victory would only increase, not decrease. Killing Fu Qingjin here would be “checkmate”, and the game of chess that was the Clear River prefecture would come to a complete end.
There were two possible outcomes in the future. One was that both sides had understood the brutality of war and decided to uphold the Treaty of Kings, maintaining peace, but this possibility was almost negligible. It was much more likely for war to swallow the entire Green province.
They had eaten the appetizers already, so everyone could roll up their sleeves and prepare for a hearty meal. A shrimp like him probably would not even count as a single dish, so it was best if he waited a little longer.
Fu Qingjin was not angered by Li Qingshan’s arrogance. Instead, he said with sincerity, “Thank you for your assistance, sir.”
He appreciated Li Qingshan’s performance during the battle very much. Not only was he extraordinary with the sword, but he maintained a clear mind in battle and did not actively avoid danger. The rarest part about it was he had broken through to Foundation Establishment already despite being so young. Even in the Sword Collection palace, he would be regarded as a talent.
Through these various coincidences, Li Qingshan was unable to make an attempt at Fu Qingjin’s life, earning quite a lot of good will from him instead.
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Chapter 455 – Freezing Strongboulder with the Ice Flame of Soul Refinement, the Three Together Form White Bone
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Chapter 455 – Freezing Strongboulder with the Ice Flame of Soul Refinement, the Three Together Form White Bone
Li Qingshan said coldly, “Even without me, you wouldn’t die in a place like this, fellow Fu. You have plenty of talismans from the Sword Collection palace anyway.”
“I still have to thank you,” Fu Qingjin smiled, basically admitting he was under no danger at all.
Actually, he was truly thankful to Li Qingshan for saving Yu Zijian, but he did not mention it openly.
Li Qingshan had vaguely realised that too, but he did not state it either.
Fu Qingjin sighed gently. “I didn’t want to use something like that either unless I had no other choice. This isn’t our Sword Collection’s palace path of the sword. However, the rock demon poses a great threat. He’s slaughtered millions of people and countless cities already. In order to kill him, I could not afford to care so much anymore.”
Li Qingshan seemed to hear the funniest joke in the world as he laughed aloud.
“Why do you laugh, sir?”
“If you hadn’t broken the Treaty of Kings first, why would these daemons run amok above ground in the first place?”
“Since it’s called the Treaty of Kings, how can a measly person like me break it? I’m just going with the flow.” Fu Qingjin naturally possessed the bearing of a lord who ordered people around at whim. He sounded like he was treating his subordinates courteously and condescendingly, as if they should feel flattered because of him.
“Don’t even think about running away from the responsibility. You’re connected to this one way or another.” Li Qingshan refused to play along. It made him feel even more displeased, as a matter of fact. He had been trying everything to settle these ties of karma involving him, yet all Fu Qingjin did was take an easy step back and push aside his responsibilities.
Fu Qingjin smiled. He really was unable to shirk away from this anymore, so he changed the topic. “Sir, could I take a look at the arcane artifact you used earlier?”
“With how great the Sword Collection palace is, why would you need a measly arcane artifact of mine?”
As they said that, the streaks of light arrived. The group from the academy was led by Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan.
“Qingshan, are you fine?”
Hua Chengzan literally leapt up in fright when he heard his sister and Yu Zijian had run into the rock demon slaughtering a city. Despite his incredible intelligence and all the calculations he had made, a situation beyond his control like this was exactly what he was afraid of.
If it really were the rock demon, then let alone two measly Qi Practitioners, even Li Qingshan would be in danger.
Li Qingshan said, “I’m fine. I even killed a Daemon General. Don’t forget to record this under my name when you get back, old Wang. Oh right, I am a Foundation Establishment cultivator now after all. I should have been promoted to the same standing as you a long time ago!”
Wang Pushi had already prepared himself for the worst, so he truly let out a sigh of relief right now. When he heard Li Qingshan’s words, all he did was swear in exasperation, “Damn brat, you’ll get exactly what you deserve. Tell us exactly what happened.”
As a result, Li Qingshan told them roughly what he had gone through.
Hua Chengzan clapped his hands together and praised, “Qingshan, you’re a genius!”
The other cultivators present could not help but reevaluate Li Qingshan too, I didn’t think the school of Novels would produce someone like him after all the time I spent in secluded cultivation. Not only did he save two Qi Practitioners in front of the rock demon, but he’s even bold enough to turn back and assist Fu Qingjin in killing the rock demon. He even managed to kill a Daemon General when he was encircled by them. Not only would you require wits to achieve this, but it would require absolute guts too.
If it were them instead, just going back to save two Qi Practitioners would require careful consideration. It would be like walking on a tightrope, where just the slightest carelessness could cost them their lives.
Actually, Li Qingshan had not thought that much at all. Even if he gave a handicap to Strongboulder, he would not be able to kill him. A person who was not afraid of falling from the tightrope would obviously be brave enough to dance around there gracefully, which instead led to gasps of admiration from those who did not know the whole story.
Fu Qingjin finished his conversation with the cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance before glancing at Hua Chengzan deeply, basically warning him.
Afterwards, he clasped his hands at Li Qingshan with a smile. “If everyone from the academy could be like fellow Qingshan, brave, resourceful, and open-minded, what couldn’t you achieve? What daemons can’t you kill?”
The cultivators from the Daemon Suppression alliance were all surprised. Rarely did they see Fu Qingjin treat someone else so politely.
In the depths underground, Strongboulder shook off his Daemon General subordinates and reached an extremely deep cavern by moving through the earth. After confirming that no one was chasing after him, he eased up inside. His face was sunken as his teeth creaked from how hard he grit them.
“I’ll make you suffer a horrible end, Fu Qingjin, and that kid too!”
He had been quite heavily injured this time, having been pierced all the way through by Fu Qingjin’s fusion with his sword. This was not a simple stab wound. All of the powerful sword qi and sword intent within the attack was enough to destroy his organs.
If he were some regular Daemon General, he definitely would have died on the spot. It was exactly because he was a stone daemon, possessing no vital points on his body, that he managed to hang on tenaciously.
Just as he tried to force out the sword qi before returning to his territory to heal.
Cling~ Cling~ Clink~
In the darkness, a shiny, snow-white bead bounced over. The bouncing sound was extremely prominent in the silent underground world.
Strongboulder found this rather strange. His beady eyes moved up and down with the bead until it arrived before him. He picked up the bead and wondered, What’s this? Seems like bone.
He was unable to sense even a hint of aura from it. He tried to crush it casually, but the bead refused to budge. He became more and more surprised. There really were not a lot of items in the world that could not be crushed by him.
Clink! Clank! Clonk! Like beads of various sizes falling into a jade bowl, over a dozen beads bounced over loudly. They arrived beside Strongboulder’s feet and leapt up like they were alive.
“Who’s trying to act all mysterious? Get your ass out here right now!” Strongboulder called out.
Despite how sharp his senses were, he was unable to find even a sliver of a living creature’s aura in the darkness, no matter how hard he searched.
He felt slightly uneasy, but with how fearless he always was, he was confident he could escape through the earth no matter how bad the situation was. These beads agitated him as they leapt up and down, so he kicked them. The ones he touched actually stuck to his foot.
He lowered his head and discovered that the bead in his hand was stuck to his hand too. Looking closely, it had turned into a tiny skeleton, hugging his finger firmly. It expanded to the size of an infant in the blink of an eye, grabbing Strongboulder’s entire wrist. Its jaws clattered as it let out strange, chattering laughter.
The eighteen prayer beads turned into eighteen skeletons. Like eighteen monkeys, they clung onto Strongboulder’s limbs, back, and neck. They clung onto every part of him.
“And I had thought it would be something impressive! Is this all?” Strongboulder sneered, but his smile suddenly stiffened. The slender arms of white bone unleashed startling power, causing his entire body to tighten up and become immobilised.
When Xiao An went from fourteen to eighteen Skull Prayer Beads, the power of all the Skeleton Demons had increased yet again. Every single one of them could handle a regular Daemon General. When the strength of eighteen of them was poured together, even Strongboulder was helpless, not to mention that he had just gone through a great battle and was currently weakened.
“Petty tricks!” Strongboulder suddenly expanded, and his head touched the ceiling. The eighteen Skeleton Demons expanded with him, becoming extraordinarily bulky, and their power became even greater. They weighed down on Strongboulder like a small mountain.
Strongboulder collapsed on his knees helplessly. Looking up, a tiny skeleton, “solemn and sacred”, was already standing right in front of him before he knew it.
Strongboulder’s Rock of Slaughter would influence the thoughts of all living creatures, rousing their killing intent. However, in that moment, the skeleton influenced his thoughts instead. His killing intent had been completely washed away, replaced by an omen of death.
There was no difference between white bone and great beauty. Form had already become emptiness.
The tiny skeleton was like a collector of souls from the underworld, preaching the absolute truth of life and death to him. No one could escape it, and no one could change it. All attempts of struggle were pointless.
“What are you!?” Strongboulder broke free from that mental state violently. He unleashed a wild roar and erupted with his remaining daemon qi, which filled the entire cavern.
The cavern suddenly began to writhe, like the guts of a monster. The stalactites bit towards Xiao An like the long teeth of a monster.
Strongboulder was filled with confidence. No matter what it was, challenging him underground would only result in death for them. He was definitely going to crush them to death with this innate ability of his.
Xiao An took a step forward. She raised the sword of white bone and plunged it into the hole in Strongboulder’s chest.
The hole left behind by the Green Ruins sword had become extremely large with Strongboulder’s expanded body. It was large enough to fit an entire person in there.
As a result, Xiao An’s white bone sword hit nothing, and Strongboulder sneered even harder.
Xiao An possessed the ability to reduce blood, flesh, and bones to flames, but Strongboulder was a strange rock, possessing neither blood, flesh, or bone. Neither the Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration or the Pale Flames of Bone Smelting were effective against Strongboulder. She could suppress Bloodshadow, but she seemed to be suppressed by Strongboulder now.
The flickering fire in Xiao An’s eyes sockets suddenly became an icy blue.
Icy blue flames suddenly surged out of the white bone sword too, filling the hole in Strongboulder’s chest. The eighteen Skeleton Demons opened their toothy mouths and spat out icy blue flames as well, enveloping Strongboulder completely.
Strongboulder laughed freely. He had a natural resistance to various techniques. The last thing he was afraid of was a fire attack. Even the scorching lava, the flames of the earth, could not melt him.
His laughter suddenly halted. He felt a deep chill. It did not come from his body, but from the depths of his very soul. He shivered for the first time in his life. So cold!
“Ice Flames of Soul Refinement!” Xiao An chanted. After reaching the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, she had finally grasped the three flames—Corpse Incineration, Bone Smelting, and Soul Refinement.
With the three together, she could completely kill him.
“I’ll drag you down with me!”
Strongboulder felt colder and colder. He knew the only thing awaiting him would be death if this continued. Out of pure madness, he wanted to blow up his daemon core, but he discovered that the daemon core directly connected to him was already beyond his control.
Before he knew it, the cavern stopped surging, and Strongboulder’s daemon qi dispersed.
It was not just the daemon core. He could not even move a single finger. He had been frozen by this piercing, bitter cold. Not only had his thoughts halted, but even his fear came and went, as if he had been reduced to the same, senseless rock of the past.
“Don’t… no…”
Xiao An closed her boney hands and wrenched the frozen soul from Strongboulder’s body.
Strongboulder collapsed loudly, turning into a strange rock that landed before Xiao An. It flickered with light senselessly, radiating with intense malice.
The Ice Flames of Bone Refinement receded back into Xiao An like the tide, merging with the two other flames. It turned into a white flame that was almost transparent, flickering in her eye sockets.
This was the foundation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty—the Samādhi Flames of White Bone.
All creatures in the mortal world that possessed a soul, flesh, and blood would be incinerated, would be frozen, when they came into contact with this fire. They would go from life to death, beyond salvation.
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Chapter 456 – Gathering at the Parlour of Clouds and Rain
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Chapter 456 – Gathering at the Parlour of Clouds and Rain
Xiao An fished out the shiny Guardian King’s pearl. After staring at it for a while, she suddenly pressed down on it. Resplendent golden light poured out from the tips of her fingers as waves with the vague roaring of guardian kings and buddhist chanting. With a crack, it turned into golden dust and scattered.
She waved her hand, and the eighteen prayer beads returned to her pale, slender wrist. Long, seaweed-like hair draped down, covering her body that was just as slender and pale.
At this moment, on a whim, she spread her arms and raised her head. Like a sprouting willow in spring, her body gradually stretched upwards.
Li Qingshan’s group returned to the academy. Hua Chengzan specially held a banquet at the Hua estate to welcome him back.
After washing and grooming herself, Hua Chenglu emerged from the back and specially toasted him, thanking him for saving her life.
Li Qingshan emptied his cup and smiled. “Never did I think that the girl back then would end up becoming such a beauty now. If your big sister Han hadn’t been a step faster, I probably would not be able to help myself but to ask you to pledge yourself to me.”
Hua Chenglu reddened, but she did not back down. “Never did I think either that the brat back then would become such a heroic figure. If big sister Han hadn’t been a step faster, I probably would not be able to help myself but pledge myself to you too.”
She left Li Qingshan surprised, who asked seriously, “Han Tieyi is not here, right?”
That led to a roar of laughter. Hua Chenglu stamped her foot. “What are you trying to do?”
Hua Chengzan even jokingly said, “Qingshan, you’re not even afraid of the rock demon. How can you be afraid of tiger Han?”
Li Qingshan said, “If he’s here, I’d like to go three hundred cups with him.”
“Brother, why didn’t you tell me this beforehand?” Hua Chenglu then grumbled. Who knew how many private conversations he had eavesdropped on during their missions.
Hua Chengzan immediately raised his cup and apologised to his younger sister. Li Qingshan smiled. “It’s not just you. Even I was left in the dark without the slightest clue of what’s going on.”
Before she returned to her seat, Hua Chenglu blinked her eyes and said to Li Qingshan, “Big brother Li, don’t forget you still owe me a favour.”
Li Qingshan smiled and expressed, “As long as it’s not pledging me to you, I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Zijian, it’s your turn now.” Hua Chenglu understood the value of his word very well. She returned to her seat and pushed over Yu Zijian who was beside her.
Yu Zijian offered up a cup of alcohol, but her eyes were fixed on Li Qingshan. His smile eased up slightly, but he continued to smile with his eyes. “What, is there something on my face?”
“There isn’t. Thank you for saving me.” Yu Zijian found he resembled him more and more. Although their statures and appearances were completely different, their manner of speaking and their expressions were basically the same. However, she also doubted whether it was just because of her initial impression of him.
“Zijian, you’ve done very well with the missions this time. I find it very admirable,” Li Qingshan praised.
Hua Chenglu said, “Do you just admire everyone that’s a beauty?”
“Haha, basically.”
With both the host and the guest thoroughly satisfied, Li Qingshan took his leave from the banquet. Hua Chengzan accompanied Li Qingshan to the entrance and whispered to him, “I just received the news. In three days time, still the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. Negotiations about the alliance.”
Li Qingshan’s expression changed. “That works too. At least your efforts haven’t gone to waste.”
“You already know?”
“I know a bit. Don’t worry, I won’t blabber.”
“You should pay a visit to the Han family too.”
“Understood.” Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan on the shoulder. He leapt up and arrived mid-air before taking a step and flying into the clouds. With a few flashes, he vanished into the horizon.
Hua Chengzan stared at the sky for quite some time before sighing gently. “What impressive judgements.” Who knew whether he was talking about Gu Yanying or Han Qiongzhi.
……
Li Qingshan returned to the Qing Xiao dwelling. Xiao An was already waiting there. She took out the strange rock that Strongboulder had left behind.
The Rock of Slaughter flickered with blood-red light, dimming and brightening over time like a beating heart. This was her gift for him.
Li Qingshan stroked the uneven surface of the Rock of Slaughter gently. Countless riling scenes of slaughter and of war poured through his head, tempting him to fight and slaughter too.
He suppressed this urge and sighed gently. “A tie has finally been settled.”
“Qingshan… look at me…” Xiao An called at him extremely softly and murmured.
“What’s wrong? You seem a little different today?” Li Qingshan turned his head and finally noticed what was different about Xiao An. He circled around her.
Her seaweed-like hair seemed to have become even longer, and she stood slightly taller too, almost past his waist. Her delicate facial features had become even more distinct, now with a hint of breath-taking beauty.
Li Qingshan clapped his hands together. “You’ve grown a little.”
“If I don’t grow, I’ll attract suspicion.” Xiao An lowered her head and explained it like that.
Although a profound cultivation could delay ageing or even rejuvenate youth, Xiao An’s cultivation was nowhere near that profound.
Because she had been practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty the entire time, she was unable to change the size of her skeleton. Fortunately, she had been avoiding the eyes of others for the past few years, and she did not attract much attention in the first place. However, as time went on, she would definitely attract suspicion.
“Really?” Li Qingshan rubbed his chin and pressed his hands against Xiao An’s cheeks, rubbing them happily. “Very good. Very beautiful. Though, don’t grow too much all of a sudden.”
“Ah!” Xiao An became disappointed. With his encouragement, she originally wanted to keep growing!
“Don’t tell me you really plan on growing up completely in a single breath!” Li Qingshan had no idea how to respond.
“I could.”
“Don’t. You’ll scare people like that. Don’t worry, I can wait.” Li Qingshan lifted her up with a smile before becoming troubled again. “If you get any bigger, I won’t be able to carry you on my shoulders.”
“This is enough.” Xiao An wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured.
“Look at this.” Xiao An broke free from his arms and opened her mouth towards her hand. She spat out a misty, azure-blue object.
“That’s Strongboulder!” With a closer glance, Li Qingshan noticed that it resembled Strongboulder. Suddenly, he understood that this was Strongboulder’s soul.
Xiao An removed the Ice Flames of Soul Refinement, and Strongboulder seemed to awaken from hibernation. He recovered his senses and immediately tried to fly away.
Pale, white flames surged in from all directions like a cage, trapping him in Xiao An’s hand. As soon as Strongboulder came in contact with the flames, he felt bone-chilling coldness, forcing him back.
Li Qingshan huddled over in amazement.
“Who are you?” Strongboulder was surprised, fearful, and furious. Suddenly, he recognised Li Qingshan. “It’s you!”
“Then who am I?” Li Qingshan snickered, and his pupils gradually turned scarlet.
“Northmoon! It’s you! You’re a human! No, you’re half-daemon?”
“That’s not your problem.” Li Qingshan smiled. It was no wonder both the main characters and the antagonists would monologue in those various stories, as it just felt too fucking satisfying.
“Xiao An, he can’t escape, right?” Li Qingshan asked in confirmation. He liked the beginning of this story, but he did not want an ending where the tables turned.
“Absolutely not. I can refine him.” After achieving the Samādhi Flames of White Bone, not only could she refine blood, flesh, and bone to nurture her white bone, but she could even refine souls to strengthen herself.
“That’s good then. I have a whole heap of stuff to say to him!” Li Qingshan stopped worrying. He ignored Strongboulder’s curses and threats and cleared his throat. He put on an act and said, “Strongboulder, oh Strongboulder. Do you know why you’ve failed?”
He spoke until he became parched. After having his fill, Li Qingshan waved his hand. “Xiao An, torture this bastard properly for me, and see if you can get any useful information out of him.”
Afterwards, he returned to where the Rock of Slaughter lay and patted it. “This might be a good material for forging artifacts!”
Deep underground, in Cobweb city.
Spider Queen Lolth snapped open her eyes and summoned Dragonsnail. She asked coldly, “Strongboulder’s aura has vanished. Investigate who was behind this. The Daemon Generals under Strongboulder will now serve you.”
There definitely were not a lot of humans or daemons capable of killing Strongboulder silently within the Clear River prefecture. Apart from some of the heavy-hitters from the Daemon Suppression alliance and the Academy of the Hundred Schools, she thought of Northmoon.
If it really were a case of murder, Dragonsnail would never do it, while Bloodshadow was currently healing. As a result, the only one capable was Northmoon who came from unknown origins.
“Yes.” Even Dragonsnail was slightly surprised inside. Strongboulder had actually fallen in battle despite his strength. He felt certain things were escaping his control.
Following the traces and questioning the Daemon Generals who had gone to slaughter the city with Strongboulder, he finally arrived in the cavern where Strongboulder had been slain.
A buddhist glow continued to flow through the cavern. Dragonsnail frowned. “Is this the handiwork of a disciple of buddhism?”
Within the Clear River prefecture, there did not seem to be any powerful figures of buddhism apart from those in the school of Buddhism of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. At the very least, none of them could kill Strongboulder silently.
He could recall that a monk Strongboulder had once killed seemed to be closely connected with the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. He had managed to heavily injure Strongboulder with the Chant of Deva-Nāga right before his death. If the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had sent a disciple for revenge, then it would be beyond his control, let alone avenging Strongboulder.
Dragonsnail returned to Cobweb city and reported this to the Spider Queen.
The Spider Queen only dismissed her suspicion of Northmoon after hearing Dragonsnail’s theory before sinking into her thoughts again. The Sword Collection palace, the Umbral Yin sect, and the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga were the three great sects of the Green Province. Every single one of them was a colossal existence that required Daemon Kings to contend with.
However, if a disciple of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga really was responsible for this, there was no reason for them to be so secretive. Were they trying to avenge their disciples while maintaining the current situation, or were they trying to warn them that the massacring of cities could not continue…
The Spider Queen licked her bright, red lips. “Send orders to Northmoon and Bloodshadow. Strongboulder is already dead. I want them to massacre a hundred cities in revenge!”
Xiao An’s actions had drawn away the Spider Queen’s doubts. As for Dragonsnail, his investigation had already taken up three days.
Today, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain seemed rather deserted. The regular people had all been blocked from entering. Only cultivators could enter.
Regardless of whether they were actually cultivated people or they were purposefully putting on an act, they all spoke under their breaths. Only the disciples of the sect of Clouds and Rain who moved between them demonstrated some of their past liveliness.
“School leader Liu, it’s been a long time since you last visited. Are you no longer satisfied with us now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment?” A few seductive women clung around Liu Chuanfeng, which filled him with awkwardness. He barked powerlessly, “Begone! Begone!”
“Release him! If you have any problems with him, come at me instead!” Li Qingshan emerged from behind Liu Chuanfeng and shouted.
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Chapter 457 – The Order to Slaughter Cities
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Chapter 457 – The Order to Slaughter Cities
The eyes of the seductive women all lit up the moment they spotted Li Qingshan. A Foundation Establishment cultivator as young as him was rare, which often represented talent and future prospects. They immediately abandoned Liu Chuanfeng and gathered around him.
“Little brother, you look so familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?” “How are you so sturdy?”
Some of them brushed past him gently as others lightly touched Li Qingshan’s chest. They did not possess absolute beauty, but they were still attractive. Combined with their full figures and revealing clothing, they were extremely charming.
Even Li Qingshan began to be taken away by his imaginations, as it had been some time since he had last done it.
“Back down.” Qiu Haitang walked over.
The women immediately retreated to one side and bowed. “Sect master.”
Qiu Haitang smiled and bowed gracefully. “I’ve made the two of you wait. Please come with me.”
Meeting Li Qingshan once again, she could not help but reevaluate him. He was not handsome like Hua Chengzan, but he did have a sturdy stature and a lively expression. Just by standing there, he radiated with a sense of power and firmness. Never had she thought that the ignorant young man who had stood up to her would have already grown up into a figure like this.
Qiu Haitang said to him secretly with a smile, “If you’re interested, Qingshan, I can make some arrangements for you. Of course, Qiongzhi won’t know.”
After three years in secluded cultivation, Li Qingshan reached Foundation Establishment in a single breath. He accomplished this at the tender age of his early twenties, and then he killed two Daemon Generals in a row. He was one of the prominent figures of the cultivation world in the Clear River prefecture right now, a young cultivator who surpassed most cultivators in his generation. He even surpassed Hua Chengzan and everyone else, almost earning him the title of the greatest prodigy.
Qiu Haitang was afraid to brush him aside. Thinking about his past disputes with the Sect of Clouds and Rain, she and the entire sect would be in quite a lot of trouble if she failed to handle their relationship properly and he clung onto those past grievances.
However, Li Qingshan had assisted her in killing Wei Zhongyuan in the past, so their relationship was not all bad. Qiu Haitang believed it would not be a problem at all to make him forget about their past disputes with what she was capable of and improve their relationship.
“Unless it’s Haitang yourself, the risk is not worth it!” Li Qingshan studied Qiu Haitang. With her splendid attire, she was like a flowering crabapple. Her appearance seemed no different from three years ago, but her worries had vanished from her face. It seemed like she had already let go of what she had been clinging onto. He felt like it had all been due to his efforts.
Qiu Haitang glanced at Li Qingshan in surprise. She felt like he had suddenly become a little too familiar with her, which left her rather confused. She just found him to be rather different from the Li Qingshan in her impression.
In Li Qingshan’s memory, he already possessed a very deep understanding of Qiu Haitang. He had set off “fireworks” with her, and he had seen her most frail side. He had heard her speak her mind. Their relationship had even exceeded that of regular friends. This sense of familiarity just flowed out naturally.
“It’s a joke, it’s a joke.” Li Qingshan knew that his abilities as an actor were not enough. He showed an opening from just a slight carelessness, so he tried to dismiss it in a hurry.
“With your youth, talent, and heroic bearing, I’m instead not worthy of you, Qingshan.” Qiu Haitang took advantage of that to improve their relationship, but she maintained her distance from him. She felt like Li Qingshan’s behaviour probably originated from the complacent arrogance of youths.
It was reasonable for a person as young as him to develop some outrageous thoughts with how high his cultivation was. However, she did not feel anything special towards Li Qingshan at all.
Thinking up to there, another figure appeared in her mind. Although they had only met twice, both times so fleeting, the impression he had left behind was so deep that she would never be able to forget him.
Of course, he had already become known as a terrifying existence called the “moon demon” now. Humans and daemons were destined to travel down different paths, so there were no possibilities for them to become entangled again. However, if she did meet him again, he should not kill her. She did have that confidence.
The mechanism of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had already been activated, dividing into two layers. Qi Practitioners mingled on the bottom, while above was a meeting that only Foundation Establishment cultivators had the right to join in.
This made Li Qingshan think about the elaborate banquet in the Hua family three years ago. Now, he saw many of those familiar faces once again. As he stepped on the cloud elevators and traveled up with Qiu Haitang, those people all raised their heads and stared at him, becoming smaller and smaller.
Among them was the first senior brother of Horned Rhinoceros mountain. Who knew what his name was, but he refused to accept this. Although the tenth layer of Qi Practitioner was only a step away from Foundation Establishment, it had never been an easy step to take. Three years would often not be enough.
Arriving upstairs, the surroundings immediately became much more spacious. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators had already gathered there, keeping each other company. They did not worry about any taboos as they spoke, all talking about the huge matters that happened recently in the Clear River prefecture.
The battle between Fu Qingjin and Strongboulder three days ago was obviously the most popular topic. As one of the people directly involved, he garnered a lot of attention the moment he set foot on the floor.
Fu Qingjin nodded at Li Qingshan in acknowledgement. Li Qingshan did not want to come off as overly impolite, so he clasped his hands back at him. Seeing Wei Yangsheng and a few others, he went over and greeted them. They all congratulated on his repeated victories.
Before long, basically everyone was present. Everyone retreated into the surroundings.
The leader of the school of Mohism tossed out a wooden box. The box began to swell and change rapidly, letting out a mechanical clicking. Before long, it had expanded into a circular, stepped stand.
Everyone took their seats. The academy and the Daemon Suppression alliance took up many of the seats. Those who were directly involved in the discussions sat towards the bottom, while those uninvolved sat towards the top to listen along, which was convenient for them to speak up at any time too. It saved them from a lot of the trouble of being seated according to seniority.
The meeting had finally begun. The representatives from both sides, Liu Zhangqign and Fu Qingjin, arrived in the centre of the stand to make a speech one after another before engaging in a debate.
Li Qingshan watched on from a corner towards the back. After listening on for a while, he found it rather boring, so he lowered his head and began cultivating. This meeting would definitely take some time.
He had already become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but his experiences were still rather lacking, and he was not skilled at debating either. Instead of all that, he would be better off settling down and increasing his cultivation.
The fragrance of medicine appeared from beside him. Li Qingshan knew it was Ru Xin, but he ignored her.
“Wake up!”
A thunderous voice assaulted his ear drums, which made Li Qingshan shudder all over. He glared at Ru Xin beside him.
“Leave me alone.” Li Qingshan suddenly frowned heavily before closing his eyes again.
“Oh my? Your temper has grown.”
Li Qingshan’s temper had not actually grown. Instead, in the cavern underground, he just happened to receive the Spider Queen’s orders to slaughter cities.
“Master, what should we do?”
With Li Qingshan’s main body moving about outside, his mirror clone watched over underground so that he could react to anything unexpected.
He opened his eyes. Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo stood to his left and right, awaiting his orders.
Li Qingshan asked in thought, “What do you think?”
Ye Liubo suggested, “If we move independently, there might be losses. Should we gather the matriarchs again? Night roamers may not be accustomed with large-scale killing, but if we work together, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Among the techniques that night roamers are capable of, there’s something called “Gathering Nightshroud”. It can cover a very large range. It’s not particularly powerful, but it’s more than enough to deal with regular humans.
Little did she know that Li Qingshan had no interest in carrying out this order at all. Even if he tossed his morals and ethics aside, contemplating purely his interests, what benefit would killing regular people bring? It would cause many problems instead.
The current war might have been restricted to the Clear River prefecture, which he could rampage through freely with his cultivation as a Daemon General. However, there would be one day when this game of chess ended and stronger cultivators could become uninhibited from their constraints.
The cultivators on the side of the academy prohibited such acts the most. Let alone others, even Gu Yanying would not allow a Daemon General that slaughtered entire cities without batting an eye to run freely through the territory she governed.
The Sword Collection palace was just a powerful organisation among the many sects of the Green province, but slaughtering regular people was forbidden by the entire empire. This would definitely lead to the consequence of being specially hunted down in the future. The combined strength of the academy was far more terrifying than a single Sword Collection palace. He could go into hiding, but it would be impossible for him to keep everything he had built up underground after so much effort.
He was not afraid of battle, but he did not want to become involved in pointless battle, not to mention all the people he was familiar with that he could not lay his hands on in the academy. Taking a step back, if he killed everyone, who would still read his novels and help him gather the power of belief?
Only an idiot would do something that brought no benefit and only detriment.
Ye Liusu said, “Now is without a doubt the perfect opportunity to carry out this order.”
“Why?”
“The Daemon Suppression alliance and the Academy of the Hundred Schools are currently holding a meeting in Clear River prefecture. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators are attending it.”
“How do you know?”
“I purchased this information from the humans.”
“This is a heaven-sent opportunity. Master, let’s go make a great mess!” Ye Liubo’s eyes shone.
Li Qingshan noticed the uncertain and worried expression on Ye Liusu’s face. “Liusu, you don’t seem particularly willing.”
“Master doesn’t seem to derive his power from slaughtering cities like Strongboulder or Bloodshadow.”
“That’s true.”
Ye Liusu suggested, “This matter brings no benefit at all, and it’ll probably lead to a destructive blow to Night Roaming folk. Please give this matter careful consideration, master.”
“Oh? Why do you think that?”
Ye Liusu gave an explanation similar to Li Qingshan’s analysis. Her objective was for the night roamers to return above ground, so they could live under the stars and moon again. Falling out with the humans for a conflict between daemons and humans was completely meaningless.
Li Qingshan admired her secretly. She did not possess so many avenues of information like him, yet she was still able to see so far. Her insight was truly impressive.
“Sister, it’s just killing a group of regular people. Will the consequences really be so severe?” Ye Liubo felt like she had come up with a good idea for once, but she had been overshadowed by her elder sister yet again.
“All chest and no brains.” Li Qingshan patted Ye Liubo’s cheek. “Hmph!” Ye Liubo directly grabbed his hand and stuffed it between her impressive breasts.
Li Qingshan did not pull his hand out, enjoying himself between her soft breasts. He asked, “Liusu, looks like you’ve learnt quite a lot about the human world recently. I don’t like wasting time on something like this, but how should we deal with this?”
This order definitely could not be carried out, but the Spider Queen was a difficult target to appease. Completing ignoring her orders was impossible too. This was the helplessness that came with a lack of strength. If he served someone, then he would be bound to them. He was unable to approach matters the way he wished all the time.
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Chapter 458 – Intentions Revealed
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Chapter 458 – Intentions Revealed
Li Qingshan contemplated it silently. Since he could not deal with this using a direct approach, he would have to cover it up with something else and lead the spider queen astray.
“Liusu, apart from the Rose Cloud sect currently occupied by the Daemon Suppression alliance and the academy’s Clear River city, are there any other places we can attack in the Clear River prefecture? It has to be strategic points to the war. Only then can it hold up before the Spider Queen as an explanation.”
Ye Liusu saw how he approved of her suggestion, so she smiled and came up with a suitable counterplan.
“There are. We can target spiritual stone mines!”
As the currency in the world of cultivation, spiritual stones were also important items of use. They were all mined from the individual spiritual stone mines before being forged by artifact blacksmiths into regular spiritual stones.
This was one of the most important resources to cultivators. Without spiritual stones, the mechanisms and puppets of mohism would all be rendered useless.
Fu Qingjin was able to gather all the sects together, but he was unable to take these spiritual stones along with him.
Ye Liusu took out a mental map and indicated certain spots. “There are over a dozen larger spiritual stone mines in the Clear River prefecture right now…”
“Gather everyone!” Li Qingshan swung his hand. He had to launch an attack as soon as possible so that he could draw over everyone’s attention before the daemons began massacring cities.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, Li Qingshan opened his eyes and glanced at Fu Qingjin from afar. You may be an enemy, but I hope you receive my warning.
He turned towards Ru Xin. “Earlier, I…”
“Who are you? Why are you sitting beside me?” Ru Xin glanced at him before turning away again.
Li Qingshan shrugged and let out a smile.
As his summoning orders were being carried out in a hurry underground, the meeting continued in a systematic manner.
Through Li Qingshan’s eyes, he saw two worlds, one dark and one light. They both symbolised the centres of the world of humans and the world of daemons. Even though the Clear River prefecture was just a chessboard, he believed he was a rook that could move freely, one that could affect the developments of the entire chessboard.
TL: The chess reference here is actually a reference to the chariot piece in Chinese chess. It’s a piece that moves in basically the same way as the rook does in western chess, except it’s the piece that can move most freely and quickly through the board in Chinese chess, thus making it one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, piece in Chinese chess.
With the Spider Queen’s orders, the middlegame had finally arrived.
In the meeting, both sides bickered over every single point, refusing to relent no matter what it was.
Fu Qingjin sat with his arms crossed in silence. Suddenly, he frowned and pressed his finger against his ear, as if he was listening to something. A while later, he stood up and arrived in the centre of the meeting.
The disputes stopped. Everyone’s gazes landed on him.
Fu Qingjin said, “I just received news that the rock demon is dead.”
After a moment of silence, everyone became riled up again. “What? When?” “Did he succumb to the injuries dealt by that strike from fellow Fu?” “That’s fantastic! My disciples have finally been avenged!”
Various sounds reached Mind Enlightenment’s ears, but it only turned into a buzz. Only five words continued to echo through his head. The rock demon is dead. In the end, it turned into a verbal murmuring, “The rock demon is dead.” He exclaimed, “Master!” His face was already covered in tears.
Li Qingshan glanced at Mind Enlightenment from afar and muttered quietly, “That’s the end to that grievance. We no longer owe one another anything.”
Li Qingshan was rather surprised with how quickly Fu Qingjin had received the news. The death of the rock demon had been announced with the Spider Queen’s orders to massacre cities, but the news had not been spread very far.
Just where did he receive this news from?
The hall became filled with a jubilous atmosphere. The rock demon had slaughtered countless and caused great damage. The number of regular people who died to his hands had reached into the millions a long time ago, and he had killed countless cultivators too. He was like a great shadow, looming over everyone’s heads. Now that he finally faced retribution, of course they would all be overjoyed.
Even the cultivators with extremely impressive self-restraint could not help but smile. Some people even began to dance about.
However, Fu Qingjin’s next words immediately diluted the joyous atmosphere while attracting even more suspicion from Li Qingshan.
“The daemon queen has already sent out orders to massacre cities. She wants a hundred cities slaughtered in revenge for the rock demon.”
Just as everyone was surprised, Li Qingshan contemplated a certain question. How had the information been leaked?
Fu Qingjin seemed to be using some kind of high level voice transmission spiritual artifact earlier, or it would have been impossible for the message to be transmitted across such great distances, even overcoming the interference from the underground magnetic fields.
Daemon Generals could refine spiritual artifacts and use them, but spiritual artifacts like that normally came in pairs or groups. If they were to be refined, they would be refined together. Fu Qingjin would never move around with an item radiating with daemon qi on him, so it must have been the doing of a night roamer.
Who was this night roamer? There sure were a lot of hidden secrets in the world!
However, Fu Qingjin did not mention anything regarding attacking spiritual stone mines, which made Li Qingshan relax slightly. As it seemed, it was not someone from his personal guards, but a clansmen possibly. Otherwise, he would have his mirror clone turn the entire place upside down right now to sniff out the damned spy.
It was not necessarily bad news that Fu Qingjin had learnt about this beforehand. At least it could save countless cities, reduce the casualties of this war, and speed up the progress of the war.
“Fellow Fu, is that true?” Liu Zhangqing could not help but stand up. He was solemn. As the prefect of Clear River, he had the responsibility of safeguarding his citizens in the place of the emperor. More importantly, it had to do with the accumulation of merit for all confucian disciples.
“That’s right. The daemons are leading a large-scale attack, yet we’re still here bickering over puny matters. What do you think about this, sir Liu?”
Wang Pushi’s brows became firmly furrowed as Hua Chengzan let out a soft sigh.
The situation had instead pressed the academy against the wall. All of the advantages they had built up had vanished. It was impossible for the academy to turn a blind eye to the lives of millions. If the Daemon Suppression alliance just stood aside, and they had to face the daemons alone, they would definitely suffer severe losses.
Liu Zhangqing said after a moment of consideration, “Please set the rules, fellow Fu. As long as they’re not too excessive, we’re willing to accept them!”
But to everyone’s surprise, Fu Qingjin did not take advantage of the situation to maximise his benefits. Instead, he said, “You’d be underestimating me if that’s what you say, sir Liu. The objective of the Daemon Suppression alliance is to purge daemons and protect the common people. How can we pressure everyone into favourable agreements?”
“Our alliance must be centred around a common goal. If we continue to clash endlessly over our own interests, will it be different from the past at all? We’ll go with what we roughly discussed earlier as the rules. As for certain details, we’ll set them aside for now and discuss them in the future. What do you think, sir?”
“Fellow Fu is a man of noble character. You have my admiration.” Liu Zhangqing bowed deeply.
Fu Qingjin had spoken perfectly. Even the people in the academy who were very displeased with the Daemon Suppression alliance and Fu Qingjin in the past found that he truly lived up to his reputation as a disciple of the Sword Collection palace. He possessed a great bearing that regular people struggled to match.
“Please forgive me for making this decision for everyone. As people seated here, we’re all fellow cultivators to one another, so we should be standing together and helping one another in the first place. I do believe I don’t need to elaborate on the principle of mutual dependence, right? Over the past three years, who hasn’t lost people to the hands of daemons? Compared to our interests, purging daemons and avenging them is more important. Fellow Li Qingshan of the school of Novels has already made a model example out of this point.”
As Fu Qingjin spoke enthusiastically, he suddenly pointed at Li Qingshan. “A few days ago, it was exactly fellow Li Qingshan of the academy who obstructed Strongboulder from fleeing despite the tremendous danger, which led to his heavy injuries and eventual death!”
Everyone’s gazes swept over to Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan had no idea on how to react inside. Out of pure coincidence, he had instead become the ice breaker of the meeting, also earning great praise due to the rock demon’s death. If it were not for his other identity, his goodwill towards Fu Qingjin would probably skyrocket right now.
Li Qingshan stood up and clasped his hands. “Fellow Fu, you are too kind to me. As a Hawkwolf guard, this has always been my responsibility. The One Thought master of the academy died at the rock demon’s hands, and I had personally witnessed the brutality of his actions too, so I can’t just stand aside and let him run about freely.”
Mind Enlightenment’s heart heated up. He felt like he had gone a little too far with what he did to Xiao An. He felt rather ashamed.
Fu Qingjin said, “Well said.” Then he said to Li Qingshan secretly, “I hope your performance today won’t bring me disappointment.”
Under great, external pressure, the meeting about the alliance came to an end very quickly. They immediately began discussing countermeasures to the orders of slaughtering cities.
At this moment, Fu Qingjin changed the topic. “Forgive me for wasting everyone’s time, but there’s something critical that I hope the fellows of the academy can assist me with.”
Liu Zhangqing said, “Feel free to mention it, fellow Fu. As long as we can assist you, we’ll never shirk away from it.”
Fu Qingjin said, “Some of you might know a little already. I’ve carried out most of the investigations already too, so all that’s left is to tie off a few remaining loose ends, as some fellow cultivators have refused to cooperate. However, as this has to do with the death of the Soaring Dragon Elder of our Sword Collection palace, I really must handle it with my full attention.”
Everyone remembered how Fu Qingjin ran around questioning people a while back. “Where were you that day, and what were you doing?”
Li Qingshan shivered inside. He could sense the situation was taking a bad turn. With how much Fu Qingjin was rambling, he felt like he was about to reveal his true intentions.
Touching on the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death, Liu Zhangqing was prudent too. “Please elaborate, fellow Fu! Just what has happened?”
“Recently, the Soaring Dragon sword emerged, and the Sword Collection palace determined its location. That’s right, it was that day. I just want to ask a few more fellows where they were that day.” Fu Qingjin’s gaze was like a sword, sweeping across everyone present, including Li Qingshan’s face.
Li Qingshan was unperturbed and let out a small sigh of relief. I’m supposed to tell you the truth just because you’ve asked? However, he felt slightly uneasy for some reason.
“How are you so certain that the people you’ve asked already aren’t suspects?” Wang Pushi immediately stated his doubts.
Fu Qingjin let out a sigh. “Commander Wang, have you heard of the xiezhi?”
“It’s said to be a divine beast that can tell guilt from innocence, the truth from lies.”
“That’s right. This is one of the secret treasures of our Sword Collection palace, the xiezhi’s horn. It also possesses the ability to detect lies. As a result, may the fellow cultivators who did not tell me the truth back then answer my question again?”
Fu Qingjin lifted up his hand, and sure enough, the xiezhi’s horn was in there, radiating with a divine aura. He had already set up the situation, so there was no need for him to keep hiding anything. If that person really was here, he would definitely be able to force them out. With so many cultivators present, he would not be able to flee no matter what he was capable of.
As he pulled out the xiezhi’s horn, Fu Qingjin took note of everyone’s expression, especially the suspects high on the list.
Li Qingshan’s heart turned cold. Suddenly, he understood why Fu Qingjin had asked him so many questions for no reason on Bronze Cauldron mountain. It all made sense now! He could not help but experience some lingering fear. If he had spoken carelessly back then, Fu Qingjin would have gotten him good. Even if he did not expose his true identity, Fu Qingjin would probably still be able to deduce many things.
The real question was now if the xiezhi’s horn really was as magical as Fu Qingjin described it to be, how was he supposed to deal with the situation right now?
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Chapter 459 – Judgement
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Chapter 459 – Judgement
Liu Zhangqing considered it. Fu Qingjin had already demonstrated so much commitment to this, and he had taken such a great concession in the negotiations too. If they still refused to cooperate, it would be far too unreasonable of them.
He looked back and asked the people of the academy, “Do you have any objections?”
Everyone remained silent, only glancing at one another.
If someone objected at a time like this, they would probably garner actual suspicion. None of them could afford to become involved with the death of an elder of the Sword Collection palace.
“Fellow Fu, please go ahead. I believe no one in our academy will be connected to this, and if there really is someone, we definitely won’t side with them. We’ll definitely make them give the Sword Collection palace a proper explanation.”
“You have my admiration for how impartial you are, sir.” Fu Qingjin clasped his hands. He strolled over to the semicircular stand where everyone sat and scanned around. No matter who he saw, their hearts tensed up.
In the end, Fu Qingjin’s gaze landed on Li Qingshan’s face, and he smiled.
Li Qingshan’s heart tensed up too. This bastard buttered him up good, but never did he think he would be the one questioned first. If he really were questioned, he would give himself away regardless of whether he answered or not.
What was he supposed to do next? Admit he had found the sumeru ring? But that would be a lie, and it would be picked up by the xiezhi’s horn. Fu Qingjin would definitely get to the bottom of this.
Or perhaps he could directly kill his way out of here, but that would be even worse. If Fu Qingjin wanted to prevent him from leaving, he would unleash the Green Ruins Illusion. Unless he transformed, he was unable to break out at all, but if he did transform, there were almost a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators here. They would not simply idle around.
Fu Qingjin had cast out an all-encompassing net. Once he reeled it in, Li Qingshan would be thrown into dire straits.
Various thoughts flickered through his head. Fortunately, Li Qingshan had already established some foundations with his ability to act, so he frowned slightly. “Don’t tell me you’re suspecting me, fellow Fu?”
“I’m not…” Before Fu Qingjin had even finished speaking, a roar of laughter erupted, as the xiezhi’s horn in his hand actually lit up.
“The xiezhi’s horn truly lives up to its reputation.” Li Qingshan smiled.
The xiezhi divine beast passed impartial judgement. It only knew right and wrong, regardless of who it was.
Fu Qingjin smiled bitterly and rubbed his nose. He said clearly, “I admire your courage and adaptability very much, so I really don’t hope it’s you. I want to question you last.”
The xiezhi’s horn did not respond, proving he was telling the truth.
“Whatever you want.” Li Qingshan said without minding at all as he eased up inside, but his feelings also became rather mixed. What would Fu Qingjin say once he exposed him?—“I didn’t think it would be you!”? How was he supposed to answer?—“Sorry, I’m a police officer!”
Stop kidding around.
He had avoided it for now, but the danger was nowhere close to being over. It had just been temporarily delayed. Li Qingshan thought long and hard. Just how was he supposed to fool the xiezhi’s horn? The ox demon? The tiger demon? The spirit turtle? None of them seemed to work.
Fu Qingjin paced around a little more and arrived before the slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong. He bowed deeply. “Please answer me, senior!”
Fu Qingjin had questioned Zhou Tong in the past, but as the person closest to Golden Core in all of Clear River prefecture, he had developed an unscrupulous character where he did whatever he wanted. Why would he pay any attention to Fu Qingjin?
But given the current situation, even Zhou Tong was forced to answer. He said seriously, “You’re a real fucking likable kid!”
The xiezhi’s horn lit up brightly, leading to another roar of laughter. Zhou Tong said, “It sure is useful!”
Fu Qingjin said, “Please continue, senior!”
“I feel joy from the bottom of my heart when I see you!” The xiezhi’s horn lit up once more.
“Fu Qingjin is wise and kind-hearted… The Daemon Suppression alliance is justice and righteousness… May the Sword Collection palace prosper for many generations to come…”
The xiezhi’s horn flashed constantly, and Zhou Tong resorted to cursing aloud. The people of the academy laughed a few times, but when they saw the faces of the people from sects becoming more and more warped, the laughter gradually died down.
Only Fu Qingjin continued to smile. “Senior, if you haven’t had enough, I can make some time and let senior go on for three days and three nights. However, please don’t forget that the daemon armies underground have already begun assembling. A hundred cities will be reduced to hells of blood before long.”
Zhou Tong’s cursing came to a sudden halt. No matter how uncontrollable he was, he was still a person after all. In the face of a righteous cause, even he could not act stubbornly and recklessly. He gazed at Fu Qingjin deeply. “I haven’t seen that Soaring Dragon Elder or whoever you’re talking about, let alone some Soaring Dragon sword.”
The xiezhi’s horn finally dimmed, and Fu Qingjin clasped his hands again. “Thank you, senior.” He proceeded to the next suspect.
Li Qingshan smiled gently too, but he was extremely nervous inside. I need to interrupt this meeting before he gets to me!
“They’re in a meeting in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain? Let me go take a look!” Underground, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone notified Ye Liusu before unfurling his wings of wind and flying out from underground. He rushed into the sky and accelerated, producing a few sonic booms as he shot towards Clear River city.
However, Fu Qingjin’s next few suspects suddenly began to cooperate very smoothly. Even someone like Zhou Tong had to cooperate obediently, let alone them. They were even more afraid of offending the Sword Collection palace. Even if they were reluctant to tell him where they were and what they were doing that day, all they had to say was they had never seen the Soaring Dragon sword, and it would basically be enough.
The lie-detecting property of the xiezhi’s horn made the questioning process as simple as possible.
When his mirror clone had only flown half of the distance, they had already gone through most of the suspects. Only three remained, and it would just take a few words before it reached him.
Li Qingshan clenched his fist firmly. Suddenly, a pale hand grabbed his fist. It was smooth and warm. It came from Ru Xin.
Due to the obscuring table they sat behind, his subconscious movements were hidden away from the eyes around him, but they were not hidden away from Ru Xin beside him.
Li Qingshan shivered and looked over. Ru Xin behaved like nothing had happened at all, focusing on the outcome of Fu Qingjin’s questioning like everyone else. However, there was a sliver of concern in the corner of her eye.
The stretch of structures appeared on the horizon. The Clear River prefecture was in view. Li Qingshan’s mirror clone stared at the city, but he slowed down instead. He withdrew his aura and approached silently.
It was already too late…
Fu Qingjin finished asking the second last suspect. Only Li Qingshan remained.
Li Qingshan’s suspicion increased drastically. Almost a hundred scorching gazes gathered on him.
Hua Chengzan became slightly nervous, Han Tieyi furrowed his eyebrows slightly while Liu Chuanfeng was completely dumbfounded. Everyone Li Qingshan had befriended and gotten to know in the academy over these years cast over gazes of worry, concern, and undispellable suspicion towards him.
If he interrupted the meeting right now, he would basically be giving himself away. Li Qingshan had already prepared himself for the worst. His mirror clone was for reinforcing him, just in hopes of creating a chance to kill his way out.
“I do hope my judgement is wrong.” Fu Qingjin stared at Li Qingshan. His slightly blue pupils were as clear as water.
The xiezhi’s horn glowed dimly. Li Qingshan smiled. “That’s not true at all. Ask me whatever you want!”
He appeared completely calm, but this was not an obstacle he could get past with acting anymore. The battle began.
Fu Qingjin tightened his left hand and placed the slender and curved xiezhi’s horn between them.
Vaguely, a one-horned xiezhi seemed to be crouching between them, like a solemn judge of law, ready to make its final judgement. Friends or foes, success and failure, or even life and death would depend on this verbal exchange.
Fu Qingjin’s right hand pressed against the Green Ruins sword without any attempt of hiding it.
Li Qingshan seemed extremely relaxed. He did not even stand up. He made a gesture of invitation.
Finally, Fu Qingjin asked the questions he had asked countless times before again, “Where were you that day and what were you doing?”
Li Qingshan smiled. He opened his mouth, and when he began to speak, his mind suddenly sank into chaos.
“I forgot!”
Fu Qingjin was taken aback. The cultivators present were all overcome with disbelief too. This answer was unable to satisfy anyone.
After reaching Foundation Establishment and splitting open a sea of consciousness, not all cultivators necessarily developed eidetic memory, but their thought processes and memories would be much clearer than regular people. They would still be able to recall whatever they wanted.
As a matter of fact, even regular people would not forget about something so recent completely. They would still have some impressions, yet he actually claimed he had forgotten.
If this was a normal interrogation, it would basically confirm the suspicion on Li Qingshan. However, Fu Qingjin glanced at the xiezhi’s horn in his hand, and it remained still, without reacting at all. It meant that Li Qingshan’s forgetfulness was not an excuse. He had truly forgotten.
Li Qingshan laid out his hands. “It was a few months ago. Who still remembers something like that? I was probably cultivating!”
Fu Qingjin would never relent. His gaze was as sharp as swords as he stared into Li Qingshan’s eyes. He continued questioning, “What about the Soaring Dragon sword? Have you seen the Soaring Dragon sword before? Be direct. Just tell me yes or no.”
Yes, I’ve seen it!
Li Qingshan basically reacted with so much certainty without even thinking at all. Not only had he seen the Soaring Dragon sword before, but he even knew its shape and size.
Afterwards, as he tried to recall it, his eyes suddenly became slightly lost. The glistening Soaring Dragon sword turned into mist and dispersed.
His memories gave him the exact opposite as an answer. Not only had he never seen the Soaring Dragon sword before, but this was even his first time hearing about the Soaring Dragon sword, even though Fu Qingjin had clearly asked the cultivators so many times earlier.
That was the only reply Li Qingshan could give. “No, I haven’t.”
The xiezhi’s horn did not light up. The xiezhi divine beast seemed to judge Li Qingshan to be innocent, proving he had nothing to do with the Soaring Dragon Elder.
It was impossible to tell whether Fu Qingjin’s reaction was disappointment or relief.
Don’t tell me I was mistaken? The person who obtained the sumeru ring is not a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Clear River prefecture, but from somewhere else, or perhaps a night roamer? But why would a night roamer make a special trip to the surface just to open the sumeru ring?
However, anything was always possible in this world.
The lead had come to an end! Fu Qingjin could not help but admit the feebleness and powerlessness of human intelligence before the unfathomable, unpredictable world. He would only be able to gain a grasp over the tracks of fate if he possessed the arts of divination like the Divining Elder.
Liu Zhangqing let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Fellow Fu, are you satisfied now?”
Fu Qingjin let out a gentle sigh and nodded towards Li Qingshan. “Looks like I was mistaken.”
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Chapter 460 – The Past is Easy to Forget
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Chapter 460 – The Past is Easy to Forget
“People aren’t perfect. All we can do is strive for the better.” Li Qingshan shrugged. Suddenly, a gentle voice rang out in his ear.
“You owe me this time.” Ru Xin’s lips curled into a slight smile as she spoke to him secretly.
I owe you this time? Li Qingshan tried to think, but his memories were like sand sculptures on the beach, collapsing under the waves. He furrowed his brows and pressed his hand against his forehead. He was afraid to recall anything else.
What was going on? He clearly knew the answer, yet he was afraid to think too much about it.
A while earlier, Ru Xin held Li Qingshan’s hand. After a while of consideration, she shoved a tiny bottle into his hand. The bottle rippled with golden fluid. It was the Water of Oblivion Ru Xin had only refined recently.
Li Qingshan widened his eyes slightly and glanced at Ru Xin before looking towards Fu Qingjin below.
It was almost up to him.
He could no longer care about the effects and side-effects of the Water of Oblivion. He grabbed Ru Xin’s soft hand and tightened around it slightly, expressing his gratitude. Her hand was warm, smooth, and gentle, but he had no time to properly appreciate it.
He changed his posture in a very natural manner, placing his elbow on the table as his hand covered his mouth. The Water of Oblivion flowed down his throat in a scorching manner.
Because Li Qingshan sat towards the back and everyone’s attention was gathered on Fu Qingjin and the questioned cultivators, Li Qingshan did not attract any attention with his subtle movements.
In the beginning, Li Qingshan did not sense anything strange when the Water of Oblivion reached his stomach. He raised his head and did find the resplendent ceiling lights rather dazzling.
When he lowered his head again, Fu Qingjin had already returned to the platform in the centre, standing beside Liu Zhangqing. The danger had already passed by.
“The large-scale invasion of daemons will be a great danger to Clear River city as well as us. The oath of the Daemon Suppression alliance, the responsibilities of the academy, will completely depend on this battle. We must pour our strength together and defeat the daemons, fighting side by side!” Liu Zhangqing waved his hand in an enthusiastic manner.
What beautiful spring scenery! Li Qingshan sighed inside.
Through another pair of his eyes, he currently stared at the Clear river that flowed east. It just happened to be the end of spring, where the weeping willows on the two banks were shrouded in mist. The weather had already grown very warm, but it had yet to reach a level where it was scorching.
As he walked through the spring breeze, he felt like he had just drunken some good liquor. He felt tipsy.
What was I doing? I can’t think about it! It’s useless even if I do think about it. Is this called getting lost on the road of life?
Li Qingshan plucked a willow branch out of pure boredom, breaking his shadow in the water.
Nearby on a road, there was a banner labelled “Tea” swaying in the wind.
Old man Liu had already run this tea stand for thirty-one years. This was a road that everyone had to use if they wanted to enter the prefectural city from the west. Merchants and visitors flowed to and fro. If they became thirsty or tired, they would sit down at his stand to rest and have a bowl of tea. Business was still booming.
Since three years ago, business gradually took a turn for the worst, but he was very content with what he already had, at least compared to those who had fled here with their entire family. He was located on the edge of the prefectural city. The greatest city within fifteen hundred kilometers watched over his tiny tea stand from behind.
There were no daemons that would come to make trouble here. Even if a few ignorant ones appeared, they would be dealt with quickly and cleanly by the sirs in the city.
Business today was alright. In threes and fives, over a dozen customers sat at his tea stand, conversing among themselves leisurely. Among their discussions, they could not avoid mentioning the horrors of daemons.
Old man Liu smiled as he listened along. He did not feel pressured at all. Suddenly, he saw the vegetation on the river bank rustle, and a person seemed to sit down. He called him over, “Sir traveller, you must be tired from all the travelling. Why don’t you come here and have a cup of tea and quench your thirst!”
The other customers all looked over too. All they saw was a person standing up, and the first thing they noticed was his head of fiery, long hair, which seemed to burn. His scorching, scarlet eyes could make people shiver even under the light of day.
“D- daemon!”
Everyone shuddered inside. None of them were unfamiliar with the word daemon, but they had only heard about daemons that could assume human forms. Never had they seen one before. It was said that all those who had seen one were dead. And, it was said that even the great sirs in the cities who could use magic were not their opponents. They had no idea whether that was true or not.
Old man Liu was tempted to slap himself across his face. With his unlucky mouth, what was he calling out for? He immediately turned around to flee.
However, with a scarlet flash, the daemon had already arrived right in front of him. He lowered his head and said to old man Liu, “Alright!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had…” Before Li Qingshan had even finished speaking, he heard a thud, and old man Liu’s legs gave way, falling onto his knees. He soon remembered this was a daemon and pleading for mercy was useless, so he just straightened himself out to play dead!
The other customers all shrieked and howled as they scattered.
Li Qingshan curled his lip and poured himself some tea, drinking a cup. Unsatisfied, he picked up the entire teapot and directly poured it into his mouth.
The tea was not particularly good tea, but over the past few years he spent cultivating, he had almost forgotten the feeling of being “human”. Having some tea once more was quite the sensation.
Gazing at Clear River city in the distance, a thought crossed his head. I probably want to go there, right?
As a result, Li Qingshan made his way towards the city at a leisurely pace with a teapot in one hand and a willow branch in the other.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, everyone had become riled up with Liu Zhangqing’s motivational speech. They were eager to get a piece of action. There were not people who could be fooled with just a few words, and they understood the dangers of war too.
Actually, in the past three years, millions of regular people had lost their lives. Countless Qi Practitioners had too, but when it came to Foundation Establishment cultivators, there were not a lot who died at all. If the moon demon had not emerged, it would have only been ten or twenty percent at most.
With their levels of cultivation, they would always possess a few methods to protect their own lives, whether it be talismans or arcane artifacts. As long as they knew how to respond to the situation without biting off more than they could chew, escaping from danger was not particularly difficult for them.
However, if they killed daemons, they would obtain precious daemon cores as well as their other remains like bones, flesh, and hide, all of which was extremely precious. It was possible to say that killing a Daemon General was equivalent to obtaining a treasure trove of items.
If the daemon cores they obtained matched their elemental affinity, they could even take a great step forward with their cultivation, earning them an opportunity to break through to higher realms that they originally had no chance at reaching.
Moving around alone might have been dangerous, but with so many people together, what were they afraid of? Even if they ran into the stone demon or blood demon, they had countermeasures against them. Everything would be fine as long as they did not get too unlucky and run into the moon demon.
“We’re well-informed on the enemy right now, and we have the advantage of striking first. If we plan carefully, we’ll definitely catch the daemons off-guard. I’m not particularly skilled in this aspect, so could you come up with some strategies for us, general Han?” Fu Qingjin requested politely.
Han Anjun, who had remained silent the entire time, accepted the responsibility and stood up, arriving in the centre with a flash.
The very aspects that the school of Military focused on had always been mobilising troops, battle formations, strategies, and the military law. Even Fu Qingjin could not claim he surpassed Han Anjin when it came to a large-scale operation of mobilising all the cultivators in the entire prefecture.
“There are only a few dozen Daemon Generals underground right now, and they lack organisation and a leader. The rock demon is dead, while the blood demon is injured. They’re nothing worth worrying about. Only the moon demon and the several dozen Foundation Establishment night roamers under his command are a problem.”
When they heard the moon demon being mentioned, everyone felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over them. Their enthusiasm was completely extinguished. If they ran into the night roamer army led by the moon demon, fleeing would not be as easy as running into the rock demon or blood demon.
Fu Qingjin let out a gentle sigh. He knew that this was an unavoidable obstacle. As he murmured, “Northmoon,” even he found him rather troublesome. He had never expected the Daemon race of the Clear River prefecture to produce such a powerful daemon.
Not only did he possess an extremely powerful cultivation, but he also possessed intelligence that regular Daemon Generals lacked, having united a great group of night roamers under his banner. Anyone who wanted to destroy this force would have to pay a heavy price.
As a member of the cultivation community in the Clear River prefecture, Qiu Haitang also listened along from a corner. She knew she would no longer be able to maneuver between the two organisations and remain uninvolved once the alliance was forged. As she watched how they reacted when the moon demon was mentioned, she found it rather funny, and she felt rather proud too.
She had seen the moon demon, no, Northmoon, in person before. She had even forced him into a heart-to-heart conversation on the Soaring Dragon ship. In retrospect, she sure was audacious back then! He was a cruel and vicious daemon after all!
However, he did not seem as terrifying as they described him to be in her impression. Although he was rather irritable, he was actually very mischievous or even rather gentle. Sometimes, he seemed more like a big child to her, also possessing feelings of love inside.
At this moment, a Scarlet Wolf guard responsible for surveilling the surroundings of Clear River city reported, “Commander, a daemon has entered the city.”
Was it about to begin? Everyone shivered and prepared themselves to purge daemons.
“It’s just a daemon, isn’t it? What’re you so flustered for?” Wang Pushi became displeased at how unsettled the Scarlet Wolf guard was.
“ I think… I think… it’s the moon demon!”
“What did you say?” Wang Pushi’s expression changed. It was not just him. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators were all taken aback too. Most of their motivation to purge daemons vanished into thin air.
Liu Zhangqing immediately fished out the Watermirror disc. Stroking across it, the scenery of the entire city immediately appeared on there. The west side of the city had descended into turmoil and people shrieked and fled.
Everyone could not help but raise their heads and look into the Watermirror disc.
Under the control of his spiritual energy, the scenery in the Watermirror disc rapidly expanded. A devilishly handsome face filled the entire disc. He seemed rather lost and lethargic. As if he had suddenly sensed something, he looked around before narrowing his eyes, locking onto Liu Zhangqing’s eyes.
“So there you are!”
Liu Zhangqing staggered backwards slightly in fright as he cried out, “Oh no, the moon demon is going to slaughter the prefectural city!”
“Why didn’t the formations respond?”
“The moon demon can conceal his aura.”
As it turned out, they had set up a formation within the vicinity of Clear River city when the war first began. It did not restrict the entry and exit of regular people, but as soon as it sensed even a hint of daemon qi, it would give off a warning, and the formation would activate. As the person watching over the city, Liu Zhangqing would be able to respond immediately. However, Li Qingshan had hidden his aura away completely, thus making his way in here with ease.
Fu Qingjin’s heart sank. He had personally witnessed the state that he had reduced Bronze Cauldron mountain to. The moon demon seemed to be able to cause earthquakes. If he really wanted to slaughter cities, he would probably be even more efficient than the rock demon or blood demon, and he would be almost unstoppable.
He could imagine just how many buildings and structures would collapse once he produced an earthquake. Clear River city would be reduced to ruins! This bastard rarely struck, but when he did, it would always be startling.
Li Qingshan had no interest in slaughtering the city at all. After drinking the Water of Oblivion, he had forgotten many things before he knew it. The more important they were to him, the more he was afraid to think of them, as he was afraid of forgetting. However, he could still remember that he wanted to come to the prefectural city, and he still felt angry inside.
Fu Qingjin you bastard! You’re trying to scheme against me again! I’ll show you what’s what!
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Chapter 461 – The Past is Difficult to Forget
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Chapter 461 – The Past is Difficult to Forget
Fu Qingjin, if it weren’t for you, why would I have drunken, drunken…
Who’s Fu Qingjin? What did I drink?
Clatter!
“Fuck this shit!” Li Qingshan finished off all the tea. He smashed the teapot on the ground, tossed the willow branch aside, and strode off towards the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
“Fu Qingjin, get your ass out here!”
Even though I have no idea who you are!
They had requested all Foundation Establishment cultivators to attend the meeting in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain this time, but it clearly was not the case.
In the academy, within a residence of the school of Painting.
Dismissing all his uniformed disciples, Chu Shidao propped himself up on the bed and stood up. He arrived beside the window and gazed at the brilliant spring scenery outside. The glistening water flickered between the willow leaves.
His eyes began to glisten too. I really don’t want to die!
Having cultivated his entire life, his reason and the thing he pursued was still about a single word, longevity, because if he lived, there would be hope, and everything before him right now would be his.
He forced himself to turn away. He took out a painting from his bosom carefully and unfurled it slowly.
The person in the painting currently stared at him with her pitch-black, inky eyes. Her cyan dress and her rouge lips had been painted by him in the past, stroke by stroke, but looking at it again, she no longer resembled the her of the past anymore.
“A’Yan, I’m hungry.”
As soon as Chu Shidao said that, a gust of fragrance hit his face. It was not the fragrance of rouge, but the fragrance of ink.
“You always shove me into your bosom. You’re going to dry out the pigments.”
A woman emerged from the painting and snatched the scroll from Chu Shidao’s hand, hanging it up on a wall properly.
As if she had failed to notice the aura of death gradually growing heavier on Chu Shidao’s face, she touched her skin in the mirror and made her way to the kitchen at the back without even asking what he wanted to eat. A while later, the smell of fire and smoke arrived, followed by the smell of food.
Chu Shidao leaned against the table and sat down. He took out a gamboge jug of alcohol and set it on the table. Without much hesitation, he opened the lid and tipped in the golden fluid he had obtained from Ru Xin.
Before long, A’Yan served up the dishes. Chu Shidao took a bite. “It’s salty.”
“If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t eat it,” A’Yan said in exasperation.
The alcohol was poured into two cups. With a gentle clink in their hands, they each drank the alcohol and remained silent.
There was not any awkwardness from the silence. Having spent over a century together, they had already said everything that they wanted to say to one another. Their eyes just had to meet, and they felt no need to speak anymore.
“Are you hiding something from me?” A’Yan stared at Chu Shidao with some suspicion. Today, there was something obscured in his eyes, which she struggled to read.
“What can I hide from you?” Chu Shidao lifted up the cup again with a smile.
Before long, the jug of alcohol was emptied.
“This alcohol is so strange. Why do I feel tipsy?” A’Yan propped up her forehead. Her head felt rather heavy.
“I feel a little tipsy too.” Chu Shidao smiled. The matters of the past rose up like smoke, like dust, before all dispersing. Dispersing with it was the final shred of life that remained in him.
With a gentle clank, the cups and dishes on the table jolted together. Chu Shidao leaned on the table, without moving at all. He had passed away all of a sudden.
With a clatter, A’Yan stood up abruptly and pushed back her chair. “Hmm? W- who are you?”
Before her sorrow could even fill her, it had turned into confusion. The harder she thought, the harder she tried to grasp at something, the more it would all just turn into wisps of clouds in her hands.
Her face heated up for some reason. She touched her cheek. It was already moist. Tears flowed endlessly.
The spring scenery outside the window seemed even more brilliant.
Just as everyone’s attention was drawn away by the moon demon in the Watermirror disc, Ru Xin paid no attention to the arrival of this terrifying daemon at all. Instead, she asked in concern, “Are you fine?”
When Li Qingshan faced Fu Qingjin, he seemed extremely calm, but Ru Xin could sense his nervousness. This had nothing to do with her sharp wit. Li Qingshan’s acting had been flawless.
Perhaps they had achieved a tacit understanding? Ru Xin snorted in contempt. What benefit would come from achieving a tacit understanding with him? But at the same time, she could not help but worry for him too. She immediately thought of the existence of Water of Oblivion.
She had never drunk the Water of Oblivion before. Instead, she had found a few regular people. Enticed by a great sum of money, no one would be interested in their memories. As a matter of fact, they had never even imagined they would actually possess something worth so much silver. As a result, they sold it without the slightest hesitation.
The effects seemed decent. Her Water of Oblivion was obviously nowhere near as potent as granny Meng’s Soup of Forgetfulness, which could wash away everything in a person’s memory. Otherwise, she would have never offered it to Li Qingshan.
Its effects were basically the opposite to the Water of Recollection. The Water of Recollection allowed the consumer to remember whatever they wanted to remember, while the Water of Oblivion made the consumer forget whatever they wanted to remember. During the refinement process, she had referred to the formula for the Water of Recollection and chosen many medicines with opposite effects before tweaking it further.
It was exactly because of this that ensured she would remain the same as before while removing her memories of Chu Shidao painting her.
The xiezhi divine beast was known for being able to discern lies, but it could only rely on a person’s conscience to see through lies. If the very mind itself had forgotten, even the xiezhi was unable to distinguish anything.
“I seem fine, don’t I?” Li Qingshan stared at Ru Xin. There was not even a hint of unfamiliarity in his eyes.
“You still remember me?” Ru Xin said in surprise. He should be forgetting whatever he recalled right now.
“No matter how I forget, I won’t be able to forget you!” Li Qingshan shook his head, as if he was resisting the effects of the Water of Oblivion desperately, wanting to carve the woman before him into his head so that he could never forget her.
Ru Xin’s heart began to thump, while her cheeks became slightly flushed.
“You still owe me a lot of pills!”
However, Li Qingshan’s next words left Ru Xin slightly stunned. Smiling like she always did, she said, “Didn’t you give up the remaining pills for the Water of Oblivion?”
“Since when!?”
“Oh my, you’ve forgotten.”
“You better stop trying to trick me! How can I forget? Give me some Water of Recollection. That’s the cure!”
Li Qingshan extended his hand. Although it was unable to fool the mystical powers of the xiezhi, controlling his thoughts and suppressing the power of the Water of Oblivion was not particularly difficult with the spirit turtle.
But with that, his head felt rather sluggish, so he asked the person behind it all for the cure.
Ru Xin frowned. “If you’re so capable, why don’t you just recall it?”
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. “You’re angry?”
“Huh?” Ru Xin returned to her senses, but she discovered that she did feel a little peeved.
Li Qingshan smiled mischievously. “Looks like I really do need to discuss this with Qiongzhi.”
“Discuss what?”
“It’s nothing strange for a man to have multiple wives and concubines, right?” Li Qingshan snickered. Back then, he had been quite ambitious in this respect. Thinking about how even a bastard Chu Tian could swagger around with multiple women in his embrace, he did not seem to find he was asking for too much.
This thought sprang up and grew like weeds. When he looked at Ru Xin again, he looked at her slightly differently.
The two of them had been communicating secretly the entire time, just in case someone noticed something was amiss. They had both been staring ahead, communicating from the corner of their eyes.
However, when she heard that, Ru Xin turned over, smiled sweetly, and riled up her spiritual qi, bellowing into Li Qingshan’s ears thunderously, “You better keep fucking dreaming!”
“I’ve won!” Li Qingshan smiled silently. His lips moved, purposefully mouthing that.
Whenever they were together, they constantly joked with one another, such that they would claim victory whenever the other lost their calm. As for how serious these jokes would become, even Li Qingshan himself was unable to put his thumb over it.
However, he would always have a very easy time when he was with Ru Xin. Ru Xin did not probe into the fact that he needed to drink the Water of Oblivion to fool Fu Qingjin, but she must have learnt some secrets about him, such as how he had seen the Soaring Dragon Elder, or even the fact that the Soaring Dragon Elder’s sumeru ring was on him.
However, he was not worried at all, placing a strange form of trust in her. Seeing how Ru Xin was still grumpy, Li Qingshan smiled. “If you want to keep the pills, then keep them! It’s not like there’s a lot left. It’s just a bottle of medicinal water. It’s nowhere near enough for me to forget about you. It’s not like you’re granny Meng!”
Who knew what Ru Xin felt when she heard that. Suddenly, she returned to her senses. It’s not like I’m granny Meng… Seems like the Water of Oblivion isn’t particularly effective on cultivators. Surely master Chu will be fine, right? She’s just a painting after all.
“Master!”
Having sensed the disappearance of Chu Shidao’s aura, the disciples of the school of Painting could no longer care about the rules anymore. They barged into the residence and cried out before all shedding tears endlessly. They sobbed painfully.
They then saw their “mistress” standing in front of the dining table at a complete loss. Her face was covered with tears, but she did not seem particularly sad. She seemed extremely confused. As a result, they all felt extremely displeased. Master has lost his mind. Is a painting like this really worth his entire lifetime of efforts?
No one paid any attention to her either. The group of people carefully laid Chu Shidao on the bed and draped a white cloth over him, carrying him off to the main hall for now. They wanted to wait until his direct disciple Chu Danqing returned before making any decisions.
Her hand remained outstretched in the air, with no one around her anymore, but she had no idea what to do. She felt like she had returned to a century ago, when she had first been painted.
Painted!
She suddenly turned around and gazed at the blank canvas on the wall. She stared at the corner of the canvas, at the faded, dark-red seal. She read the two words “Chu Shidao” again and again.
Within a bamboo loft, a young man frowned. Although he was very displeased with this clumsy piece of work he had created, he still stamped his seal into the corner enthusiastically.
That was their first meeting.
Time flowed past like water, and her memories that had dispersed like dust, like smoke, gathered together once more. The first time she spoke with him, the first time she cooked for him, the first time she argued with him, as she had purposefully destroyed a newly-painted beauty of his. Who told him to stare at it like he was head over heels?
A gentle smile gradually appeared in her eyes. A century passed in a hurry, like she had lived through it all once again. She suddenly smiled. “How… can I forget?” Then she cursed, “You old thing, you sure are bored enough.”
As she spoke and cursed, she walked into the blank canvas.
A disciple returned to collect Chu Shidao’s clothes and items, planning to wash up Chu Shidao and change him into new clothes once Chu Danqing returned, only to discover that “she” was no longer there anymore.
Looking around, he saw the painting on the wall. The beauty was no different from before, smiling gently, except her smile gradually blurred.
The disciple rubbed his eyes forcefully, doubting his eyes.
The beauty in the painting gradually melted away, turning into pigments of rouge and cyan and bleeding from the canvas.
In the blink of an eye, all the colours bled away, only leaving behind a blank canvas. A spring breeze entered the residence, rustling up the canvas. All that remained was the dark red seal in the corner, the same as before.
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Chapter 462 – Arranging the Battle
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Chapter 462 – Arranging the Battle
“A daemon!” “Run!” “Daemons are coming!”
Among the screams, people scattered in all directions chaotically. The busy streets immediately became extremely desolated.
All that was left was a child, around eight or nine, sitting in the centre of the street, bawling out loudly. Countless pairs of eyes looked over from the two sides of the streets, through cracks in doors and windows. All of them trembled in fright. As they watched the daemon approach the child, they all felt like the child was done for.
As they imagined the horrific sight that was about to unfold, many of them could not help but close their eyes.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, the cultivators saw this through the Watermirror disc too. It was already too late for them to save him.
The child raised his head and saw the figure strolling over. He became stunned from fear before erupting in tears. Normally, his mother said daemons would eat him whenever he was mischievous, so his fear for daemons had been deeply ingrained within him since young. Only a single thought remained in his head, I’m really going to be eaten!
“Kiddo, you’re blocking the great Northmoon’s path! Why don’t you piss off?” Li Qingshan bared his teeth. The child quivered before scampering off to the side of the street. Hearing a resonant laughter from behind, he could not help but look back, but the figure had already travelled away. His scarlet hair drifted about, like a flickering bundle of fire.
Daemons did not seem as terrifying as his mother described them to be.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were all mildly surprised. He had actually done nothing? It must have been because regular people were like ants in his eyes, so he was reluctant to stoop to their level! However, if he was so reluctant to stoop to their level, why did he speak to him instead?
Their fear of the moon demon was deeply ingrained because the moon demon had killed a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, making him the existence that threatened them the most.
Liu Zhangqing was relieved. As it seemed, the moon demon had no plans on slaughtering the city. With further thought, he recalled that the moon demon had never been like the rock demon or the blood demon, who liked to massacre people. As a matter of fact, he had never even caused any problems for the Academy of the Hundred Schools, not even the slightest inconvenience.
Wang Pushi also recalled how he only killed the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder on the Green Vine mountain back then, letting the disciples of the Green Vine mountain escape with their lives intact. He was not a daemon that killed blindly.
In other words, he has been specially targeting Fu Qingjin and the Daemon Suppression alliance with everything he has done. This is clearly just for counter-attacking and revenge!
The people of the academy all thought of this, and suddenly, the moon demon no longer seemed so despicable anymore. If the Daemon Suppression alliance had not been so aggressive, the situation would have never deteriorated to its current state.
Fu Qingjin said in thought, “Northmoon, oh Northmoon. You really are different from regular daemons!”
Qiu Haitang’s pink lips curled up slightly, with the same comfort as seeing an acquaintance of the past again. She had not been wrong. Behind his terrifying infamy was a simple and passionate heart, which made him seem approachable. She actually could not help but worry for him as she watched him enter the belly of the beast.
Ru Xin found the moon demon’s confusion expression rather familiar. Looking at Li Qingshan beside her, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She was stern.
The effects of the Water of Oblivion gradually faded away, so his mirror clone had obviously returned to his senses at the same time too.
A clone from the Watermirror’s Image was a reflection of his main body. No matter what Li Qingshan’s main body went through, it would be reflected in his clone.
Raising his head, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had already arrived before him.
Li Qingshan smacked his forehead and thought, I’ve already gotten out of the situation, so why’d I still make my clone come here?
He wanted to turn around and leave, but it was already too late. He currently stood at a crossroad, and figures emerged from the streets in all directions. On the towering structures in the surroundings, resentful gazes landed on him one by one.
Basically all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Clear River prefecture were there, trapping him in an encirclement.
Li Qingshan was obviously among them too. He stared at the moon demon coldly without the slightest hint of fear, as if he was ready to call out, “Die, moon demon!” at any time and rush over for a battle to the death with this daemon who had shaken up the entire prefecture.
Facing almost a hundred cultivators alone, the moon demon was fearless. A murderous aura rushed into the air, circling above the city, which made everyone tense up.
The formation activated. A barrier of light enveloped the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, protecting the Qi Practitioners in there. The light twisted the colours of the sky, enveloping the entire city.
The Qi Practitioners in the parlour all eased up, and some of the Qi Practitioners even became excited, standing by the window and bellowing through the formation, “The moon demon has already become a sitting duck! He’s dead for sure!” “Kill this daemon! For revenge!”
However, most of the Qi Practitioners just stared at this terrifying daemon of the legends silently, “So this is the moon demon!” They looked down on the Qi Practitioners who bellowed out, “Why don’t you go out and yell at him?”
The Foundation Establishment cultivators all furrowed their eyebrows in thought. Why had the moon demon come? Where were the night roamers? They all believed the moon demon was not stupid enough to throw himself into the enemy’s net, but little did they know it was all because the moon demon had a little too much to drink, even though he had not drunk alcohol!
“Hahahahahaha!” Mad laughter filled the sky. Li Qingshan placed his hands on his waist and swayed back and forth from laughter. Even his molars were visible.
This was a small mistake on his behalf, but he would be losing a clone at most. It would be nothing.
There were many ingenious clone techniques in the world. Their clones would be extremely flexible and could share the main body’s strength, but the main body would often be affected when the clone was injured, or the clone might even develop self-consciousness and break away from the main body.
However, there was no need for Li Qingshan to worry at all with the Watermirror’s Image. Even if the flower in the mirror or the moon in the water shattered, the actual flower or moon would be completely unaffected.
If the flower did not move and the moon stayed put, the mirror image would not change either. It was a little troublesome when it came to control, but after reaching the fourth layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression and developing an intricate mind, this problem had basically been dealt with.
Not only did the laughter shut up the bellowing Qi Practitioners, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivators became more afraid to move recklessly. If he did not have something to rely on, the moon demon would have never behaved like this.
Ru Xin stood near Li Qingshan and bore a serious expression on her face for once, but she asked him secretly, “Does this moon demon have issues?”
You’re the one with issues! Your whole family has issues!
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “That’s something women can’t understand. The moon demon possesses a wild, brutal aura of valiance. Even enemies can not help but be impressed!”
“Really? I don’t feel it at all!” Ru Xin rubbed her chin before studying the moon demon again. Li Qingshan’s face heated up slightly.
The moon demon’s laughter came to a sudden halt. He said sternly, “Fu Qingjin, I’m bold enough to come, yet you’re not bold enough to meet with me?”
When all the Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared, Fu Qingjin had instead vanished.
With a flash of green light, Fu Qingjin appeared behind the moon demon, standing sideways. “You’re just a clone, so are you worth meeting? Northmoon, if you have something you want to say, go on ahead!”
Li Qingshan did not look back at Fu Qingjin. He thought very hard just what he was supposed to say. Surely he could not say, I’m just passing by. I don’t actually have any matters here, so you do you.
Ru Xin’s scornful voice rang out in his ears again, “What valiance? If I had a clone, I’d be bold enough to do the same.” Li Qingshan became so infuriated that he was tempted to directly transform, capture this bastard, and give her a thorough spanking.
He thought of something. Perhaps this is a chance!
The moon demon said, “Fu Qingjin, I’ve heard since a long time ago that you want to fight me to the death. I’ve waited all this time, but what? You’ve fallen silent. Turns out you’re just scheming and coming up with traps with this group of people, leaving me with nothing better to do.”
“Where’s your main body? I can clash with you right now.” Fu Qingjin pressed against his sword. His gaze was sharp, no longer possessing even a hint of laziness, like a drawn sword.
“Are you looking for a chaotic battle? As well as massacring the weaker people on your side? That’s completely tasteless. I only want to kill you. I only want to destroy your Daemon Suppression alliance!”
It’s true! Liu Zhangqing thought, Only if all daemons were as reasonable as this moon demon.
The moon demon said, “The fifth of the fifth month, the Boundless mountains, just you and me, a battle to the death!”
Everyone looked at one another. A great battle was clearly on the brink of erupting, yet the moon demon had instead sent over his clone to arrange a battle. The timing was a little too strange.
“What about this battle?” Fu Qingjin stroked his hilt gently, contemplating what Northmoon was trying to say.
“We won’t participate, just in case it undermines the atmosphere of the deathmatch.”
Li Qingshan finally expressed his true intentions, which was to avoid this battle!
Because he had to participate in the battle under the identity of “Li Qingshan”, “Northmoon” would not be able to participate. Although he could fool everybody with his clone, he would give himself away as soon as he began fighting. He definitely would not be Fu Qingjin’s opponent.
The circumstances were very disadvantageous to him, so he came up with this idea. He used the prearranged battle to prevent Fu Qingjin from fighting, and he would also have a reason that could appease the Spider Queen. It was basically perfect.
“What about your clone?” Fu Qingjin studied him.
“My clone obviously won’t participate in this battle either.”
“Very good! I agree!” Fu Qingjin said decisively, but he had already come up with his own plans inside.
The threat that Northmoon posed was tremendous. Not only did it come from his own strength, but it also came from the night roamers he led. Without Northmoon as a commander, it was very likely for the night roamers to remain in a state of disunity, which would benefit them greatly. It might even have a direct influence over the outcome of this battle.
After reaching this agreement, Fu Qingjin was extremely magnanimous. He made Liu Zhangqing open the formation and let the moon demon’s clone leave.
Li Qingshan snickered. Actually, I’m still participating in this battle!
“Fellow Fu, this isn’t a scheme by the daemons, right?”
The cultivators returned to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, and Liu Zhangqing asked in worry.
“Please use the Technique of Aura Observation to watch over any movements across the entire prefecture, sir Liu. I will keep watch in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. I’ll enter battle the moment he appears.”
Fu Qingjin pondered to himself. He could not fight, but he could give a few talismans and pills to the cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance he trusted. The items all came from the Sword Collection palace, so they were extremely powerful. They would definitely be able to deal a heavy blow to the daemons.
Li Qingshan’s clone returned to his dwelling underground. The matriarchs had all been gathered already, ready to set off at any time.
“The humans have already learnt about the Spider Queen’s orders. They’re currently making preparations in Clear River city. This battle probably won’t be as easy as last time.”
Li Qingshan’s words left everyone surprised. Before they had even digested this information, he continued, “I won’t be participating in this battle! You will do as Ye Liusu orders! Her orders are my orders!”
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Chapter 463 – The Son of Heaven’s Aura Observation, the Battle Begins
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Chapter 463 – The Son of Heaven’s Aura Observation, the Battle Begins
“Master!?”
Ye Liusu and the others were all confused. They were on the brink of battle, so how could he not participate as the force they relied on the most?
“I’ve agreed to a battle with Fu Qingjin. We’re fighting on the fifth of the fifth month. Before this, I won’t partake in any battles in order to condition myself. Fu Qingjin will do the same. You’ll have to rely on yourselves for this battle. The spoils you receive will obviously all go to you.”
Only then did everyone understand the reason. They were filled with both joy and worry as they became uncertain as for how to react.
Large-scale, open conflict was different from ambushes and assassinations. Facing human cultivators in a direct confrontation obviously came with extremely great risk. However, the benefits they would receive from each human cultivator they killed was just as tempting.
After telling them that, Li Qingshan turned his back on the night roamers and returned to his dwelling, only to see Milliped curled up on the stone bed. Winter had clearly passed already, yet this guy was still hibernating. He was having the time of his life by sleeping every day.
Li Qingshan’s tense mind eased up. He smiled. “Even if you cultivate for another few centuries, it won’t make a difference if you continue like this. No wonder you’re so simple.” He patted Milliped’s tough carapace on his head as he thought to himself, I have to find a suitable daemon core for you this time.
Before long, Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo arrived together. Li Qingshan asked, “You’re done discussing?”
“Yes. We’re still going to focus on attacking spiritual stone mines. Killing regular people and becoming enemies with the Great Xia empire brings no benefit at all.”
“As long as you understand that.” Li Qingshan smiled. He did not want to run into his subordinates on the battlefield either.
“However, I’m just afraid they won’t submit to me.” A sliver of worry appeared on Ye Liusu’s delicate face. She paled in comparison to them when it came to both strength and seniority. If he were present, then even the matriarchs would not act up, but if he were not there, it would be difficult to say.
“That’ll be up to you then.”
Li Qingshan was indifferent. The only people he was somewhat attached to among the night roamers were the two standing right before him, or more accurately, it was just Ye Liubo alone.
Ye Liusu was a very impressive subordinate, but her loyalty to him would never surpass her loyalty to her ideals. As a matter of fact, Li Qingshan even suspected her to be Fu Qingjin’s informer.
Among all the night roamers, she was probably the one who had the most contact with human cultivators, and she possessed such a good understanding about the news above ground. However, without any proper evidence and without suffering from any actual evidence, Li Qingshan could not be bothered with looking into this.
If Ye Liusu died, Li Qingshan would feel pity and a little sadness, but he would not be too sorrowful. He would just be losing a capable subordinate. However, Ye Liubo was different.
“Liubo, if you don’t want to go, you can just stay back!” Li Qingshan looked at Ye Liubo, and his gaze became much softer.
Both Ye Liubo’s strength and brains were nowhere close to her elder sister’s, but her loyalty towards him was unmatched. She had even tried sacrificing herself for him in the past. As a result, he spoilt her very much. Even if he would be questioned, he would still want her to remain somewhere safe.
“Thank you, master, but I want to lend my elder sister a hand.” Ye Liubo was extremely touched, but after a moment of hesitation, that was still what she decided on.
“As you wish, but do be careful. Take these talismans to protect yourself. They aren’t for fighting, so don’t use them without good reason.” Li Qingshan took out a few scarlet talismans and handed them to Ye Liubo.
“Master,” Ye Liubo murmured before directly throwing herself into Li Qingshan’s arms.
“Liusu, take good care of her.” Li Qingshan patted Ye Liubo’s plump bottom.
“I will.” Ye Liusu replied. She actually felt slightly envious of this affection he showed, and she even felt a hint of jealousy that she refused to admit.
With the Spider Queen’s order, the cold, desolate underground seemed to become the churning lava. It gradually began to rise up and surge.
Under Bloodshadow and Dragonsnail’s lead, basically every daemon joined in on this operation. They were prepared for a massacre above ground.
At the same time, in Clear River city.
The moon demon had paid a visit, but the meeting still came to a proper end.
The first order they issued together was not directed towards daemons. Instead, it was directed to the handful of clans and sects that had not even joined the alliance. Some of these Foundation Establishment cultivators had constantly been maneuvering around between the two sides, remaining uninvolved with the entire matter.
“These orders cannot be disobeyed. You have one day to report to the prefectural city, or your sects and clans will be destroyed! The world will no longer tolerate your existence!”
The machines of war assembled by all the cultivators in the Clear River prefecture sprang alive, ready to enter battle.
Liu Zhangqing returned to his government office. He washed up and changed his clothes, changing out of the confucian robes he often wore into his robes as an official that he rarely wore. He took out his official’s seal bestowed to him by the empire.
On a large square in front of the office, the mohist disciples busied about, taking out various machines and constructing a tower as quickly as possible.
When Liu Zhangqing emerged from his office, the tower had already reached over three hundred meters tall, plunging into the clouds. Raising his head and looking up, it seemed to tilt, as if it could collapse at any time.
He took in a deep breath and made his way towards the tower. Step by step, he climbed to the platform on the very top. The entire prefectural city sat below his feet as a group of birds flew past him.
Liu Zhangqing cast his gaze to a place even further away. The Divine Talisman of Great Virtue within him suddenly shone with resplendent light. He seemed to become a burning torch as his eyes suddenly erupted with light.
The landscape vanished, turning into blurry mist. The city below his feet vanished, turning into wisp-like smoke and rising straight up into the air like a beacon.
The beacon of smoke became smaller and smaller. Liu Zhangqing felt like his soul was rising towards the endless sky. Even more beacons of smoke rose up in the horizon, appearing in his view. They were of various different colours and sizes, but none of them were as large as the beacon of smoke that Clear River city had become.
Finally, Liu Zhangqing spotted thousands of beacons, forming a rough outline of the entire prefecture.
Every single beacon represented a city, village, or settlement where humans gathered.
The Fortune Viewing technique was a secret technique that had existed since ancient times. Not only was it a technique for sensing and investigation, but it also had an element of divination. It could see the fortunes of people, and it had almost become a lost technique to this day.
What Liu Zhangqing used was not this Fortune Viewing technique, or he would have never been able to see all fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture. Instead, he used the renowned “Son of Heaven’s Technique of Aura Observation ”.
TL: Not sure if you can tell, but in chinese, the Technique of Aura Observation and Fortune Viewing technique are the same, but the semantics vary drastically. The Chinese is “望气术”, where “望” means seeing/observing/viewing and “术” means technique. “气” in the Fortune Viewing technique refers to “气运”, which is karmic fortune/fate, while in the Technique of Aura Observation, it refers to qi/aura/presence. If you can’t tell already, single characters like “气” can mean a lot of different things in Chinese.
When the founding emperor founded the Great Xia empire, becoming revered as the son of heaven and leading humanity to prosperity, he was also tasked with the responsibility of governing his citizens. However, with the nine provinces stretching several hundred thousand kilometers in all directions, governance was anything but easy, so he created this “Son of Heaven’s Technique of Aura Observation”. He could see far as long as he had a high vantage point, allowing him to see the situation of the nine provinces.
The “aura” referred to the aura of the living, which was also the aura of humanity.
If the many nobles and lords allowed kind heartedness and justice to spread, if they administered and governed harmoniously, then humanity would prosper, and this “aura” would strengthen, which was what they wanted.
If they mismanaged their citizens and led them to poverty, then this “aura” would decline as a result. The son of heaven would then summon his subjects from their various lands to reprimand and punish them.
With Liu Zhangqing’s identity, he would obviously never claim to be the son of heaven. He could not even call it the “Lord’s Technique of Aura Observation.” It was only a “Prefect’s Technique of Aura Observation”.
However, only Liu Zhangqing who had been recognised as the prefect by the empire could use this technique, and all he could do was observe the prefecture. However, it followed the same principle as the “Son of Heaven’s Technique of Aura Observation”.
He had no need to visit the various lands to check on the various district magistrates. All he had to do was perform a single, routine aura observation every year from the prefectural city, and he would be able to punish or reward the district magistrates accordingly.
Liu Zhangqing cast his gaze out and could not help but sigh. The “aura” for basically everywhere was in decline. Resentment was surging with the aura of many places directly vanishing, which represented it was no longer occupied by humans.
If it were not for the war, the Marquis of Ruyi only needed a single glance from a vantage point, and he would dismiss him from the position of prefect immediately.
He dismissed his thoughts and focused on observing the movements across the entire prefecture. He would be able to make a timely response no matter which city the daemons attacked.
After who knew how long, a beacon of smoke in the south-east direction shuddered and began to weaken. With each sliver that vanished, it represented the deaths of countless lives. The smoke was filled with a sensation of fear too.
Liu Zhangqing had familiarised himself with the human geography of the Clear River prefecture a long time ago. He immediately said, “Great Gold pass has daemons attacking!” Before he had even finished, a beacon of smoke in the north rapidly began to decline.
Before long, several dozen beacons began to tremble, covering all directions of the prefecture.
There was a saying that the wrath of the son of heaven could dye a thousand kilometers scarlet. The Spider Queen’s order could not be defied. She was not joking when she said she wanted a hundred cities slaughtered.
Liu Zhangqing’s heart sank. He reported a string of location names without stopping.
“Han Tieyi, Hua Chengzan, venture to Great Gold pass. Once you arrive, immediately report back on the daemons. If they’re weak, kill them. If they’re strong, retreat. Do not become entangled in battle.”
Under the tall tower, Han Anjun also issued a string of orders, and Foundation Establishment cultivators rose up, rushing off in all directions. Regardless of their reputation, they could only serve as chess pieces now.
The people in the city had all locked their doors and windows.
On the square, the Qi Practitioners circled around the tower a few times outside, watching this unfold in shock. At a time like this, they did not even have the right to be used as chess pieces. However, as the flames of war spread, no one would be able to remain uninvolved.
The situations seemed severe, but it was just a probing process right now. They would mobilise their troops properly after understanding the direction of attack of the daemons.
In the beginning, Han Anjun would go into some detail with the instructions, but towards the end, he would only say a name and a location.
“Li Qingshan, Nine Rivers city.” When he mentioned Li Qingshan’s name, Han Anjun paused slightly and stared at him deeply.
Li Qingshan said nothing. He drew the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility and rode off on it, concealing himself.
It had finally begun.
Near dusk in the wilderness that had been dyed red by the setting sun, a lonely antelope grazed on the grass with its head lowered below a small hill.
Perhaps because it was late spring, the delicious taste of the grass made it drop its guard. It had completely failed to notice a pair of orangey-yellow eyes staring at it from a bush nearby. Under the descending night, the eyes shone with a green glow.
The panther lowered itself even further to the ground, approaching the antelope silently. The antelope seemed to sense something and raised its head, but it was already too late. The panther’s powerful body pounced out from the bush with lightning speed, landing on the antelope. Its canines plunged into its neck, making it take its last breath.
Just as the panther enjoyed the delicious food it had caught, there was a rumble, and even the ground shook slightly, followed by another rumble. It was getting closer. The panther sensed danger, but it was reluctant to abandon the prey it had just caught.
The setting sun near the horizon turned the hill into a glowing outline. Suddenly, a huge shadow passed over the hill, which shrouded out the setting sun and crushed the panther to pieces like a mountain.
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Chapter 464 – The Chaos of War
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Chapter 464 – The Chaos of War
Regardless of the angle, the black shadow was shaped like a huge egg, except with four limbs poking out, draping down from its colossal body. The surface of the egg was smooth and tough, as if it had been carefully polished. It seemed more like metal or rock than flesh and blood.
Only the connectors of the four limbs seemed slightly more organic, but they still resembled huge pipes woven together. Under the sunlight, it was even possible to make out the flow of fluids through them, except who knew whether it was blood or not.
It did not possess a distinct head. Two tiny specks of light shone coldly like its eyes. Overall, it seemed huge, but not clumsy. It was like a moving fortress, an extremely imposing sight to behold.
The rumbles came from its heavy footsteps. Stepping over the corpse of the panther, it continued towards the end of the wilderness. A lonely city stood there.
On the ground, a strange, uneven rock suddenly trembled. The surface of the rock split open, revealing a crystalline structure inside that turned into a huge eyeball the size of a cartwheel. It swiveled around and locked onto the huge egg monster that strode over.
The huge egg monster crossed over it without sensing anything at all.
A large crack appeared in the ground. It was a huge, gaping mouth filled with teeth. A colossal body erupted from the earth. It was a single-horned lizard over thirty meters long, which lunged towards the huge egg monster while spitting out with venomous fluid.
The huge egg monster raised its right arm and targeted the lizard with great accuracy with its palm, releasing a beam of light as thick as a water bucket. However, as it was close to its body, the egg monster was unable to adjust its arm to the most optimal angle.
The one-horned lizard twisted with great dexterity and brushed past the stream of light. Its toothy mouth bit down viciously on the huge egg monster’s arm. It shook its head forcefully and ripped off the entire arm.
Dark red fluid sprayed far and wide. As if it could not feel pain, the huge egg monster punched the lizard’s head with its left arm.
The two monsters engaged in a violent battle in the wilderness. There was no concept of good or evil. It was just a clash of primitive power.
The huge egg monster’s eyes constantly flickered, but it did not produce a single roar or growl. It was like a tireless machine of war, but the disadvantage that came from losing an arm constantly grew. It gradually began to show signs of weakness.
The venomous fluid covered its entire body, eating away the surface and exposing the interior. There were no organs, but rapidly revolving gears and mechanisms.
The bulging chest was something akin to a compartment. Hao Pingyang sat in there with his eyes completely bloodshot. He bellowed out mindlessly, “Die!”
He was piloting this huge egg monster in battle. This was a newly-invented puppet of the school of Mohism. Combined with the methods of corpse refinement, it possessed power at Foundation Establishment, but it could operate independently like regular puppets.
Among the traditional puppet techniques of mohism, there were Foundation Establishment puppets, or even Golden Core and legendary Soul Nascence puppets. However, the corresponding strength was required to control these puppets. At the very least, they were beyond what Qi Practitioners could control.
However, these new models could be controlled by Qi Practitioners. Hao Pingyang basically played the role of the puppet’s brain. He had come here for a mission, to slaughter daemons, but he never thought he would run into trouble right from the beginning and be ambushed by a daemon.
The lizard Daemon General pressed the puppet against the ground and sensed Hao Pingyang’s existence. Its sharp claws constantly dug into the compartment, sending sparks and wooden shrapnel flying. Among the painful screeching, there was a hiss.
The lizard Daemon General ripped open the compartment, about to feast to its heart’s content. The taste of human cultivators was just something else.
Hao Pingyang hugged the Yellow Dragon’s Cannon of Devouring Light. With a furious roar, he launched a streak of light right into the lizard Daemon General’s open mouth.
The lizard Daemon General’s fragile mouth was injured, but it was not a particularly large wound. It only made it even more furious and vicious, biting towards Hao Pingyang.
A rancid smell rushed into his face. Hao Pingyang knew it was probably over for him here.
Suddenly, the lizard Daemon General seemed to sense something. It abandoned Hao Pingyang, and its two bulging eyes swiveled around, locking onto a region of space. A sword as black as ink suddenly flew over.
The lizard Daemon General sensed the danger the ink sword posed. A terrifying sword intent locked onto it and drew closer with lightning speed. At such a short range, it was unable to dodge.
It rapidly shrank and began to move faster, avoiding the ink sword with lightning speed and lunging towards the space. The person who launched the sneak attack was right there!
The Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility swept through the air in a semi-circular fashion, almost completely invisible. As if it had grasped the lizard Daemon General’s movements, it slashed into its back with great precision. A sharp sword qi as terrifying as the ink sword then emerged.
The lizard Daemon General produced a horrific howl, and it was reduced to two pieces. However, it was not along its waist, but near its tail, as if the attack had not landed on its back at all.
This was its innate ability. No matter where it was injured, it could transfer it all to its tail, and as a lizard, it could regrow its tail. Sensing danger, it turned around and dove underground without the slightest hesitation. From the side, a strand of sword qi pierced its bulging eye and right through its head.
The ink sword that had flown over earlier had changed directions unknowingly.
Li Qingshan appeared. This Daemon General was truly crafty. If he had not refined the entire Cursive Sword Calligraphy and could not control the sword qi as he wished, it basically would have escaped.
If he did not possess these two strands of sword qi, it would be anything but easy for him to kill Daemon Generals with his cultivation at early Foundation Establishment if he could not transform either.
The Arts of the Boundless Ocean was an impressive cultivation method, but it lacked the power to kill in a single stroke. Even if he gained the upper hand and forced the Daemon General into dire straits, it only needed to blow up its daemon core, and all his efforts would still end up being in vain.
Li Qingshan stowed away the entire lizard into his hundred treasures pouch and went out of his way to inspect the daemon core. He was overjoyed. The daemon core had a poisonous affinity. He had finally found a daemon core that Milliped could use.
“Qingshan!” Hao Pingyang crawled out from the puppet in surprise and joy. He was in a rather horrible shape having just escaped death.
“Long time no see.” Li Qingshan looked back and smiled.
The two of them talked for a while in the remains of the puppet. Only then did Hao Pingyang learn that Li Qingshan had not appeared here out of coincidence. Instead, he had been sent to assist him.
These new puppet models had only been introduced to battle recently, so no one was particularly confident in them. Their performance in actual battle was indeed worse than regular Foundation Establishment puppets.
This was not the first time Li Qingshan had done something like this either.
The setting sun gradually sank below the horizon. The stars above the wilderness seemed particularly resplendent.
“Let’s go. I’ll accompany you back to the academy…” Before Li Qingshan had even finished, the jade tablet on his waist flashed. Unlike the Scarlet Wolf tablet, it was an item for communication allocated to every single cultivator.
Han Anjun’s cold voice rang out from there. “Li Qingshan, what’s the situation?”
“I killed a Daemon General. The puppet has been damaged, but Hao Pingyang’s fine.”
“Go to the banks of Fangting river a hundred and fifty kilometers south-west to provide assistance.” Han Anjun did not praise him at all, directly issuing an order.
“Alright, I’ll go soon.”
“Not soon, immediately!”
Li Qingshan shrugged helplessly. Hao Pingyang said, “You better go! I need to fix this up!”
“I’ll take you drinking once I get back!”
Hao Pingyang watched as Li Qingshan vanished. The various pieces of news regarding him filled his head. Apart from gratitude, he felt deep admiration too.
“That’s the fifth Daemon General he’s killed, right?”
Over half a month had already passed since the battle began. After the initial probing, the flames of war blazed, reaching everywhere.
Even Li Qingshan was surprised by the number of daemons hiding underground. They raided the various cities and towns, leaving everything in ruins wherever they passed by. The Spider Queen’s order to massacre a hundred cities had already been completed, as even if Foundation Establishment cultivators came to stop them, the consequences of battle were still enough to destroy entire cities.
No one could afford to watch out for regular people during an intense battle of life and death. However, the battle did not end with that. It only became even more intense. In just a dozen or so days, the number of dead Foundation Establishment cultivators had already reached double digits.
Even Li Qingshan was endangered many times. There was even once when he faced life-threatening danger. The Daemon General was not as powerful as the rock demon or the blood demon, but that was only because it lacked a special bloodline. It still possessed startling strength, not an opponent that an early Foundation Establishment cultivator could stop. If it were not for his greatest trump card of actually possessing the body of a daemon, he would have been heavily injured even if he survived somehow.
However, as he rushed around, he had benefited quite a lot too. He killed a total of three Daemon Generals. Combined with the two other Daemon Generals he had killed earlier, his kill count had reached a startling five.
Apart from the water element daemon core he had used up, he now possessed four daemon cores, as well as countless more from regular daemons he had killed.
His contribution in the Hawkwolf Guard had reached an extremely tremendous sum too. At the same time, the academy and the Daemon Suppression alliance had offered up a great number of resources to raise morale, earning him an extra share of rewards.
Apart from that, he had earned a few names for himself, with some along the lines of “Invisible Sword Li Qingshan” or “Sea Tiger Li Qingshan”.
Li Qingshan rushed to the banks of Fangting river and heard the sound of music instruments from afar, crossing through the reeds that stretched as far as the eye could see and rippling through the warm, night breeze of midsummer.
There was an estate on the banks of the river. The sound came from there.
The eyes of daemonic beasts twinkled like stars outside, constantly drawing closer and constantly forcing back the invisible music.
A few disciples of the school of Music sat in a circle within a pavilion at the back of the estate and wielded various musical instruments, like they were performing and not fighting. They were indeed not skilled at battle. Although they could force back the daemonic beasts, they were unable to deal any life-threatening blows, yet their true qi continued to gradually diminish. Fear filled their faces.
They suddenly heard a squeal, which frightened a disciple into snapping the string on her zither. Among her fear and confusion, she discovered that the daemonic beasts had begun to scatter, collapsing on the ground bloodily.
Li Qingshan killed the leading daemon in a single stroke before finishing off the remaining daemonic beasts one by one without much effort. He arrived before the pavilion.
“Are you fine?”
“You’re Li Qingshan!”
Most of the disciples of the school of Music were female, and the ones here were not exceptions to that. They did not possess supreme beauty, but their appearances were still delicate with exceptional bearings. They all thanked Li Qingshan as they looked at him favourably. One of them even boldly expressed she was willing to fill in for the space Han Qiongzhi had left behind and comfort Li Qingshan’s lonely soul.
Li Qingshan understood that this was not just gratitude and admiration from being saved. Otherwise, these proud beauties of the school of Music would have never been so liberal. Instead, they wanted to find someone powerful they could rely on considering how precarious the war was right now.
He only smiled, without making a reply. He sat down in the pavilion to recover his exhausted spiritual qi and energy.
Before long, the jade tablet on his waist lit up once again.
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Chapter 465 – Dragonsnail Plans an Ambush, Zhou Tong goes Daemon Slaying
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Chapter 465 – Dragonsnail Plans an Ambush, Zhou Tong goes Daemon Slaying
But this time, Han Anjun did not give him a new mission, summoning him back instead.
Li Qingshan smiled. “You’re finally going to let your son-in-law get some rest?”
When the disciples of the school of Music heard how he would be returning to Clear River city, they all faltered. They did not possess the same amount of strength as Li Qingshan, but correspondingly, they did not carry a responsibility as great as his either. They would basically return and rest up after every mission.
However, there was still quite a distance to cover if they wanted to return to Clear River city. The situation right now was turbulent with the flames of war reaching everywhere. It was very easy for them to run into surprise attacks from daemons again, so they wanted Li Qingshan to accompany them.
However, if he took them along with him, it would definitely waste some of his time. As Li Qingshan made a name for himself, he became known for his aloofness and pride as well. It was rumored that he always moved alone and disliked human contact. It all seemed true now.
If they asked him and were rejected, it would be embarrassing.
“I’m going back to Clear River city. Do you want me to come with me?” Li Qingshan read their thoughts. He did not mind wasting a bit of time.
The disciples were overjoyed. They thanked him constantly and did not find him as unreasonable as he was supposed to be.
They were all humans after all!
White clouds filled the surroundings, lifting up Li Qingshan and the disciples of the school of Music into the air gradually. With a hum, it took off with a long tail of clouds behind.
“There’s probably no one in the entire academy who can match senior brother’s Cloud Riding technique and Mist Wielding technique, right?”
“Senior brother is a rare genius that only appears once a century in our Clear River prefecture. Despite all those who earned the titles of geniuses during the entrance examination, senior brother was still the first one to reach Foundation Establishment.”
The cloud crossed over a chain of mountains and threw it behind. The disciples all sang praises from the bottom of their hearts. Apart from the fact that this was what they believed, they were obviously trying to suck up to him too. Actually, they had all spent a longer time in the academy than Li Qingshan, so technically they were his senior sisters.
Even if they could not obtain any realistic benefits, developing a good relationship with someone like him was still good. When the weak received the strong, most of them did it with this same thought in mind. Even though they would often emerge with nothing, as long as this sliver of hope existed, they would never become tired.
Li Qingshan smiled. Just when he wanted to say something, he felt a wave of uneasiness.
The dark land flashed with golden light that pierced the cloud.
This was a prosperous, ancient city. Although it was nowhere close to the prefectural city in terms of prosperity, it was surrounded by a few mines in the mountains. They relied on the mountains and dug into the mountains, but the people were well-off.
The lanterns in the city lit up as soon as the sky darkened.
Because of daemons running amok, a lot of people had already vanished from the streets, only leaving behind a night watchman striking a gong on the streets as he called out lazily, “The weather’s dry, so be careful with fire!”
The night watchman paused. Using the moonlight, he saw a figure walking over from afar, obscured by the thin, night mist. He squinted his eyes, wanting to take a closer look.
Somehow, the figure arrived right in his face instantly. A pair of eyes shone with blood-red light on his handsome, healthy face. A pair of fangs extended from his lips, and he sucked hard.
With a spurt, the night watchman’s chest suddenly bulged before exploding with bright red blood.
With a clang, the gong struck the ground. The night watchman collapsed on the ground and twitched, having been reduced to a pale, cold corpse already. Not a single droplet of blood remained in him anymore.
Bloodshadow licked his lips and continued along the street. His gaze passed through the thin mist and walls, seeing the humanoid figures that radiated with vitality inside the houses on the side of the street.
His mouth expanded to an exaggerated size, which twisted his entire face. He sucked in large mouthfuls and fresh blood emerged from behind the walls and flowed violently into his mouth.
At the end of the street, a powerful ball of vitality attracted his attention. He looked over and saw a slovenly daoist priest in faded, shabby robes carrying a gourd of alcohol in one hand and a burnt stick in the other.
“Wretched daemon, I’ve waited for you for quite some time now!”
Zhou Tong took a sip of alcohol and raised the stick in his hand.
A bolt of lightning twisted and turned like a dragon, piercing the night mist and striking Bloodshadow instantly.
The cloud was ripped to pieces, but there was not a single person on there. Two cloud ribbons flew out from Li Qingshan’s hand and wrapped around the disciples from the school of Music, surging into the air.
Golden light shimmered on the ground. There was a huge hedgehog daemon covered in glistening quills. Every single quill was the size of a spear, reaching towards the sky.
Li Qingshan used the Wave Treading Form and constantly climbed upwards like he was climbing up cloud steps. He wanted to escape the range of attack first and lead the music disciples somewhere safe before killing the hedgehog.
A thin veil of clouds obscured the shining moon in the sky, making it hazy.
Li Qingshan burst through the clouds, climbing above it. The hedgehog daemon’s quills would basically run out of power at this altitude, but before he could even catch his breath, he saw a hunch-backed old man sitting on the clouds, speaking extremely slowly.
“Are you the cultivator who killed three of my Daemon Generals recently?”
Dragonsnail!
Li Qingshan’s heart sank. Among the three daemons, the one he feared the most was still the unfathomable Dragonsnail, and even daemons as unruly as Bloodshadow and Strongboulder seemed to recognise this too.
Li Qingshan’s clone underground had already entered secluded cultivation, preparing for his battle with Fu Qingjin. He had reported this to the Spider Queen. While the Spider Queen was displeased, she had no objections seeing how he managed to keep a powerful opponent away from the battle. But when that happened, Dragonsnail requested that he assume control over all the daemons in his territory.
Li Qingshan originally disagreed, but the Spider Queen had already made up her mind, so it was difficult for him to object. As it turned out, not only had Dragonsnail incorporated Strongboulder’s subordinates into his own, but he had even taken Bloodshadow’s subordinates too. He was basically ruling over the daemons in the Spider Queen’s place.
Looks like my performance recently has made me stand out too much, attracting the attention of this old daemon to specially set up an ambush here for me. This old daemon is extremely shrewd and meticulous. He’s much more difficult to deal with than Strongboulder or Bloodshadow. If I were alone, then it would be easy, but I’d probably struggle to keep these Qi Practitioners safe.
Li Qingshan said without overreacting, “So what if I am?”
“Then you better remain here for good!”
Dragonsnail’s speech suddenly became much faster, no longer with the same frustratingly slow pace. His overall speed increased too, arriving before Li Qingshan in a flash. His shrivelled hand reached towards Li Qingshan’s throat.
So fast! He’s actually even faster than Bloodshadow!
Li Qingshan’s body responded faster than his mind and parried with his sword. Dragonsnail seemed to miss the almost transparent Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility, continuing to extend his hand over.
Li Qingshan beamed with joy inside. The sharp edge of the sword cut through Dragonsnail’s hand easily, splitting his shriveled arm into two. The sword qi in his dantian erupted with it.
A sinister light flashed through Dragonsnail’s rather blank eyes. His arm that had been split open rapidly swelled and parted, like the huge mouth of a monster. With thousands of sticky threads, it bit towards Li Qingshan’s neck.
Li Qingshan had already fulfilled his objective, so he pulled back his sword to withdraw. The Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility was covered in a layer of sticky fluid that ate away the glow on the sword. He channeled his spiritual qi into the spiritual artifact in a hurry to wash off the stick fluid, but the sword had already become much more dim. Even the sword itself had become clearly visible now.
Dragonsnail had basically let him land that strike. The sword qi in his dantian was fatal to regular Daemon Generals, but he did not have the slightest confidence in it when it came to Dragonsnail.
Sure enough, Dragonsnail only paused slightly before continuing like normal. He did not even force out the sword qi like what Strongboulder would do.
“Let me down! Let me down! I want to go home!”
At this moment, one of the music disciples began to scream and cry like a child, struggling as hard as she could. She was the one who tried to take it one step further with Li Qingshan. The constant threat of danger finally made her snap. Not everyone’s minds were as tough as Li Qingshan’s.
“Don’t be afraid. We’ll definitely be fine.” “Believe in senior brother!” “You bitch, shut your mouth, you hear me?!”
The other music disciples were afraid she would actually fall down, so they all spoke up to comfort her, even scolding her.
When their voices reached Li Qingshan, they spoke with startling speed, like a tape on fast forward. It was almost unintelligible. He furrowed his brows and seemed to understand something.
Swish, swish, swish, swish! A few streaks of golden light shot towards him, so fast that even Li Qingshan almost failed to react in time. Without even looking back, he swung his sword and knocked away the quills flying towards his back, but the screaming behind him suddenly stopped. A quill had directly pierced her head, killing her on the spot. A bloody hole appeared on her clean, smooth forehead.
The comforting stopped too. A bloody hole had appeared on each of the other music disciples too, reducing them to corpses in the blink of an eye, still held up by the cloud ribbons.
Their eyes were wide open, almost struggling to believe that this would be their fate. Originally, they wanted to depend on Li Qingshan for some safety, but they never thought they would die because of him.
The cloud ribbons dispersed, and they fell towards the ground, gradually becoming smaller and vanishing through the clouds. Their clothes ruffled like fallen petals.
Li Qingshan had no time to lament. He finally understood. Dragonsnail had not become faster, but he had become slower. Not only had he become slower, but the response of his brain and the rate at which he circulated spiritual qi had slowed down too. However, he actually had no idea when he had fallen for this!
He stared at Dragonsnail before him. What a strange and terrifying innate ability!
Behind Li Qingshan among the clouds, the hedgehog daemon shuddered, and over a hundred streaks of golden light shot over like rain. There was nowhere to dodge. It was much slower than Li Qingshan, but it just happened to be unavoidable.
Why would Bloodshadow be afraid of a mere bolt of lightning after having faced a heavenly tribulation?
Just you wait until I suck you dry and see what your blood tastes like!
Bloodshadow sneered inside. He took a step forward, bathing in the sparks. His face gradually became charred, overwhelmed with a hint of fear. He stared at the stick in Zhou Tong’s hand. “What is that?”
It did not vanish after a flash like regular lightning. Instead, it lingered in Bloodshadow’s body, wreaking havoc recklessly. Every tiny spark could pierce his entire body and vaporise a part of his blood. Even his blood-red daemon core was wrapped in lightning, which made him shiver inside.
“As the Lord commands, may the thunder god and lightning goddess cast the divine lightning to slay the daemons!”
Zhou Tong was stern. He did not waste a single word and performed a series of ritualistic daoist gestures. His shabby robes danced about as he wielded the stick like he was wielding a supreme sword, plunging it right into the sky.
Boom!
The divine lightning descended from above, linking heaven and earth and illuminating a range of five hundred kilometers.
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Chapter 466 – Avoiding Ties of Karma, Regular People are No Different From Ants
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Chapter 466 – Avoiding Ties of Karma, Regular People are No Different From Ants
Li Qingshan would have been fine if the golden rain was all that he faced, but with how shrewd Dragonsnail was, why would he ever give him that kind of opportunity? Dragonsnail lunged over without the slightest hesitation.
They wanted to squeeze out the last shred of life in him with this pincer attack.
Li Qingshan’s mind calmed down, like a grand ocean that was completely flat.
In that instant, he seemed to witness the trajectory of every single quill, but this feeling only remained for a single moment. The Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility in his right hand had swung towards the incoming rain of quills already. The blade of the sword flashed with the reflected silver moonlight.
At the same time, he sent a palm strike towards the incoming Dragonsnail, unleashing the Rising Tide Form and the Parting Clouds Form in a single breath. His true qi moved like the tide, layering and cascading in his palm strike, but it did not erupt. Only during the moment before Dragonsnail was about to reach him did it turn into a cloud-parting tsunami.
If it were some other time, his sword techniques might have been useful. If he faced regular Daemon Generals, this palm strike of his should have done the job.
However, he currently faced an ambush from a powerful commanding officer of the daemons. Dragonsnail had only brought a single Daemon General with him to ambush Li Qingshan, which only demonstrated his confidence in succeeding.
With a cling and a clang, Li Qingshan’s sword that was slightly slower only managed to knock away the two quills flying towards his head. His chest, belly, arms, and legs were struck at the same time, leading to seven or eight bloody holes running right through his body. One of these holes just happened to pierce the location of his heart.
With a bang, Dragonsnail confronted Li Qingshan’s palm strike scornfully. With his unbelievably great power and extremely tremendous daemon qi, he directly smashed through the tsunami, launching Li Qingshan away as he spurted with blood.
Just like the disciples of the school of Music, Li Qingshan fell out of the sky.
Dragonsnail was extremely confident that he had already shattered Li Qingshan’s organs with that palm strike of his. Not to mention, his heart, a vital point, had been injured too. Death was certain for him.
But just in case, he nodded towards the hedgehog Daemon General. The hedgehog Daemon General rushed towards Li Qingshan eagerly, ready to enjoy the delicious taste of human cultivators.
Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly lit up. Before everyone had noticed it, he was already holding a scarlet talisman between his fingers. It burst into flames and turned into ashes as light wrapped around Li Qingshan.
The hedgehog daemon missed. In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had already been transported to five kilometers away, leaving behind a twinkling trail of light in the night sky.
Fortunately, I have this Escape talisman, or that old bastard would have gotten me good!
Li Qingshan could sense the circulation of his spiritual qi return to normal. No matter what Dragonsnail’s innate ability was, he clearly could not cover such a large range. He immediately unleashed the Wave Treading Form without the slightest hesitation, flying off into the distance.
Escape talismans were relatively precious among the various types of talismans available. Even their weakest versions could be scarlet talismans. Using one when facing imminent death was like gaining a new lease on life.
Having used an Escape talisman of the lowest quality, Li Qingshan could only escape to five kilometers away, and he did not know any escape techniques, which made it highly restrictive. He could only move five kilometers once he used it, not an inch more or less. He could only escape to somewhere within his view, and there could not be any obstacles in between.
These various restrictions made the Escape talisman almost useless. Not only was he unable to use it in a closed region, five kilometers was not far at all either for someone at his cultivation. He could cross that distance in a single breath.
It would be particularly restrictive in a situation like earlier. If he tried to use it right off the bat, he would probably be interrupted the moment he took it out. Even if he managed to use it, he would probably be startlingly slow under Dragonsnail’s strange ability, allowing Dragonsnail to respond in time.
He’s so heavily injured, so how can he still move around freely? Dragonsnail’s expression changed. A hint of anger flashed through his eyes as he directly pursued Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan eased up. Dragonsnail was not fast. Let alone Bloodshadow, he was not even as fast as Strongboulder, but he was still a bit faster than Li Qingshan. The distance between them rapidly decreased.
There’s no need for me to catch up to him. I just need to be close enough for my ability to reach him. Dragonsnail squinted his eyes. His ability expanded like a great net, extending towards the fleeing Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan had thought of that too, so how could he just let Dragonsnail succeed? He unfurled the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and launched another ink sword before using several techniques together. He cast down a water curtain before summoning a cloud giant, blocking Dragonsnail’s path, and in the end, he stuck a Tailwind talisman to himself.
Dragonsnail swallowed the ink sword in a single gulp, smashed the water curtain with a single palm strike, and directly pierced the cloud giant. He only slowed down slightly three times. His speed was virtually unaffected.
But when he spotted Li Qingshan again, he had already ridden off into the distance on a swift gale, widening the distance between them again.
Dragonsnail slowed down and gave up on the pursuit.
Clear River city was not particularly far away anymore. Having reached this point, the ambush had basically failed already. Continuing his pursuit would instead be a bad idea.
Dragonsnail’s aura travelled away before vanishing. Li Qingshan descended from the sky, sat down, and began meditating to recover his spiritual qi.
The holes through his body had mostly recovered by now, only leaving behind faint marks. His heart began to thump once more too. With his powerful life force, many vital points were no longer vital points to him. All he had to do was protect his head.
I’m still not strong enough. If I directly transformed and killed this bastard, would it still be so troublesome?
No, if I were stronger, I’ll just go and conquer Lolth. Wouldn’t I have even more freedom if I were a Daemon Commander?
Raising his head and looking into the distance, the glowing Clear river city was right ahead. At this moment, the sky in the distance flashed, followed by the muffled sound of thunder a very long time after.
What loud thunder. The thunder is probably from almost five hundred kilometers away. That’s definitely not regular lightning. Probably even my Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell would not be able to block it easily.
Li Qingshan lamented inside. There were countless powerful masters in the world, and this was just the measly Clear River prefecture, restricted to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If this game of chess ended and the war spread, Daemon Commanders and Daemon Kings would be running amok with Golden Core and Soul Nascence cultivators everywhere. His cultivation at Daemon General would be nothing anymore. Running into any one of them would be enough to end his life. Just Wen Zhengming from Pine Sough academy alone was a great issue.
Having faced the dangers tonight, he desired an increase in strength and cultivation even more. He had to break through to the fourth layer of the ox demon and tiger demon as soon as possible.
Changing into a new set of clothes, he strode off towards Clear River city.
The burnt stick in the slovenly daoist priest Zhou Tong’s hand was obviously no ordinary stick. Instead, it was a true arcane artifact.
During his travels in the past, he encountered an ancient cycad that had almost become a daemon. It had been struck by lightning, only leaving behind a tiny piece. After several decades of refinement, he forged it into an arcane artifact and named it “Lightning Slaughter”. It was extremely powerful.
Zhou Tong practised the Divine Heaven Method of Lightning Wielding. When he powered Lightning Slaughter with that, the destructive power was so great that even other arcane artifacts would pale in comparison. His unruliness might have been due to the cultivation method’s influence, but he had what it took to back up this unruliness.
The region where Bloodshadow originally stood had turned into a great pit of several hundred meters wide, reaching the structures on the sides.
From the destruction alone, it did not seem particularly extraordinary. Li Qingshan could achieve something like that easily. However, unlike other techniques, the power of lightning normally could not destroy rock or soil, yet the bolt of lightning had directly vaporised several hundred tonnes of rock. The pit glistened under the moonlight, having crystallised under the heat.
“What a coward!” Zhou Tong snorted. The bastard had managed to escape.
In the final moments, Bloodshadow raised his cloak, which turned into a blood-red barrier that blocked the bolt of lightning. It earned him a moment, which he used to escape.
If they actually clashed, who knew what the outcome would be. Bloodshadow’s ability to control blood posed a huge threat to cultivators. Originally, he could have used that opportunity to approach Zhou Tong, but Bloodshadow refused to take on even the slightest of risks. He directly fled instead.
It made Zhou Tong furious, but there was nothing he could do. He was known as the greatest in the Clear River prefecture, but he was slightly slower than Bloodshadow.
Zhou Tong shot off on his sword, throwing the pitch-black city behind him. However, he could not help but glance backwards and let out a gentle sigh before leaving resolutely.
All of the firelight in the city had been put out.
In a study room, all of the vases and porcelain had shattered, scattered across the ground. A scholar collapsed on his table. Just earlier, he was studying under lantern light, but now, there was not a shred of life left in him. Blood gradually soaked his books. He bled from his orifices. He had been directly killed off by the shockwave.
Not a single living creature remained in the city, whether they were male or female, young or old, reptilian, insect, or mammalian.
Some of them died to Bloodshadow. Most of them died to Zhou Tong’s bolt of lightning.
Against an opponent like Bloodshadow, Zhou Tong was afraid to hold back, nor could he afford to hold back. If he had to think about the fates of regular people when he struck, holding back his full strength, the one who would die would be him.
As for Bloodshadow, he would still be able to slaughter cities, and he would continue to do so. As a result, this was the only choice Zhou Tong had. There was nothing else he could do.
Even though he refused to admit that, reality was like cold steel. Regular people were no different from ants.
It was just a clash between immortals, a disaster for regular people.
In Clear River city, the meeting in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had ended a long time ago, but the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had been transformed into the headquarters of the human cultivators. It manifested their determination to protect the several million lives within the city.
“Qingshan, that’s another one!” “That’s fantastic, senior!” “Sir, you truly are amazing!”
Cultivators moved around in the parlour in a bustling, noisy manner. When they saw Li Qingshan return, they all bowed and greeted him.
The news of another Daemon General dying at Li Qinngshan’s hands had already become known. He was treated like a hero.
Recently, he had been running around in the Clear River prefecture, saving the lives of countless cultivators and establishing many good ties of friendship. However, he only nodded slightly in response, without making any other gestures back. It made him seem rather arrogant in the eyes of some.
Actually, it was just because Li Qingshan was reluctant to establish any more ties with others and meddle with karma. Although he had only randomly learnt these terms from the scriptures that Xiao An read, he actually found it to be rather reasonable and logical now. Since he understood the path he had to take, it would be better if he had fewer friends and acquaintances, just in case they died and caused him grief.
Arriving on the top floor, the leaders of the schools of Confucianism, Legalism, the Military, and so on were all present, as well as Fu Qingjin and a few Foundation Establishment cultivators he was unfamiliar with. They all crowded around a large mental map of the Clear River prefecture, as if they were discussing something.
They were all too busy to greet Li Qingshan. Liu Zhangqing waved his hand at him, making him wait before lowering his head again and pointing at a location on the map. “I’ve just received news that senior Zhou Tong has failed to kill Bloodshadow. He should be responding very soon. This is already the twelfth city. If it were not for the fact that the blood demon has to absorb and refine his blood, the destruction might be even greater.”
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Chapter 467 – A Dangerous Mission
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Chapter 467 – A Dangerous Mission
Hua Chengzan said in thought, “Several Foundation Establishment cultivators have fallen in battle against him too, with countless Qi Practitioners dying at his hands. With his ability to control blood, it becomes extremely dangerous once you’re in close proximity to him, even though we have senior Ma’s divination and can roughly determine a few locations. We wanted to set up ambushes for him, but never did we expect him to be so vigilant. If we don’t concentrate our power, it’ll be very difficult to kill him.”
Li Qingshan listened along silently. He must have been recalled this time because of the blood demon. He too had heard about the various deeds Bloodshadow had done. Ever since the large-scale war began, Bloodshadow had become the greatest threat to human cultivators.
Bloodshadow’s strength was equivalent to the peak of Foundation Establishment. Apart from the slovenly daoist priest and a handful of other people, most Foundation Establishment cultivators were not his opponents. And, if they lacked any life-saving measures, running into him alone would basically be a death sentence. It would be difficult to escape before his unmatched speed.
Perhaps Li Qingshan’s luck had just been fantastic, or Bloodshadow was simply too lucky, as they actually had not run into each other at all in the past month.
The fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture was not exactly large, but it was not exactly small either.
Listening in, Li Qingshan managed to work out roughly what had happened. They had first made the leader of the school of Yin-yang, Ma Buyi, calculate which cities Bloodshadow could potentially attack before setting up ambushes there, but it ended in failure.
Wang Pushi frowned and asked, “Old Ma, could you narrow it down to a single city? If we set up a trap then, we’ll definitely be able to kill this scourge for good!”
Everyone’s gazes landed on Ma Buyi, some eager. Just as the saying “A foresight of three days could lead to wealth of millennials” implied, if they knew about the opponent’s movements beforehand, any person could become an unmatched general in battle.
Liu Zhangqing watched over the entire situation with the Son of Heaven’s Technique of Aura Observation, but all he grasped was the present. Ma Buyi’s divination could connect with the future.
Ma Buyi was dressed the same before. He wore a set of coarse clothing and a long hat, standing with his arms behind his back. Hearing that, he let out a long sigh and smiled helplessly.
“You sure have made it difficult for me. The matters of the world have always been mysterious and unpredictable. Moreover, I’ll have to predict what the blood daemon, such a powerful daemon, is doing, so how am I supposed to achieve that? This has already exceeded the capacity of Foundation Establishment cultivators like me.”
Everyone was disappointed. They could not devote too many of their forces into scattered ambushes like this, or it would weaken their other fronts and lead to severe losses, especially when they were not absolutely certain they could kill Bloodshadow.
Daemons were all extremely sensitive to danger, and Bloodshadow was extremely vigilant. Perhaps he would turn around and leave the moment he sensed something was wrong. By then, their ambush and arrangements would all go to waste.
The war between humans and daemons was like a wrestling match. They had to carefully utilise every bit of strength they possessed.
For example, Dragonsnail and Zhou Tong could have gone to other places tonight. It would be a death sentence for any opposing Foundation Establishment cultivators or Daemon Generals that ran into them. Yet, they wasted their time on a failed ambush in the end. The losses involved could not be directly estimated.
“But…” Ma Buyi glanced at Li Qingshan on the side and thought of an idea.
“But what?”
“If Xiao An has established a foundation, we should be able to work out a more precise location. Qingshan, how has Xiao An’s cultivation been going? Does she have a chance at breaking through to Foundation Establishment soon?”
As Ma Buyi said that, everyone looked towards Li Qingshan.
“The Xiao An you speak of is that genius of your academy, right? Even if she establishes a foundation, she’ll just be an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. How can she be compared to you? How can we place our hopes on a little girl?”
The sect master of Horned Rhinoceros mountain voiced his objections. He rippled with muscles, standing tall and wide. He seemed like a tower of metal. A bony spike protruded from his forehead like a horn, a manifestation of having reached an extremely profound realm with the Horned Rhinoceros’ Arts of Mountain Splitting. His cultivation had already reached late Foundation Establishment. As he spoke, his voice boomed out. He was extremely imposing.
As he looked towards Li Qingshan, his eyes would always be filled with undisguised scorn. He was a mere junior up on his luck, getting on the good side of the Han family and obtaining a powerful spiritual artifact, which allowed him to kill a few Daemon Generals. That was the only reason why he was highly praised.
A few years ago, Li Qingshan had humiliated Cheng Kaishan by defeating the first senior brother of Horned Rhinoceros mountain in public. Afterwards, Li Qingshan broke through to Foundation Establishment, while the first senior brother remained as a Qi Practitioner. He believed the battle had left behind a permanent shadow in his heart.
He did not hate Li Qingshan to the core, constantly thinking about revenge, but he was unable to take a liking towards him.
The others were very disappointed too. They had thought Ma Buyi had come up with a good idea. Even geniuses needed time to grow. Going from a regular person to a tenth layer Qi Practitioner in just a few years was startling enough, but she was just a Qi Practitioner.
“The Xiao An you speak of has never shown herself. As our disciples bleed on the battlefield, she’s hiding in a safe place. That’s not exactly appropriate, is it?” a madam questioned. She was the Cloud Elder of the Rose Clouds sect.
Li Qingshan frowned. He wanted to retort, but Liu Zhangqing spoke up before he could, “Xiao An has already been accepted as a disciple by the Annihilum Light Chan Master. We are in no position to dispatch her around. If she’s injured, we won’t be able to explain ourselves to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. I hope the Cloud Elder can understand.”
“Hmph, it’s not like we’re missing a measly Qi Practitioner anyway.”
Just when an argument was about to break out, Fu Qingjin shot a glance at the Cloud Elder, and she snorted coldly before dropping the matter. If Xiao An actually fell in battle and the Annihilum Light Chan Master came for an explanation, the Rose Clouds sect would not be able to bear the consequences.
Ma Buyi shook his head in an exaggerated manner. “Now this is something you don’t know about. Divination is different from other techniques. It places great emphasis on talent. Xiao An could wield yin, yang, and the five elements from the moment she began cultivating. Her talent for divination exceeds even mine. After teaching her the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, I originally wanted to give her some proper guidance, but in the end, she basically comprehended everything I had comprehended over the years in a single afternoon. She basically needs no guidance from me.”
“Even without the Annihilum Light Chan Master of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, I still wouldn’t send her on any missions. Her talent definitely should not be used on dealing with a few daemons. Instead, it can be used to influence the entire war. As long as she has the time, she might even be able to influence the entire Green province. At the very least, I’m confident that her divination will exceed mine as long as she breaks through to Foundation Establishment!”
Everyone became hopeful once more with what Ma Buyi said. An extra, powerful practitioner of divination could play a role that even rivaled a peak Foundation Establishment master like Zhou Tong in a war like this.
Li Qingshan said, “Actually, Xiao An has already considered what school leader Ma is thinking. She has been attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment lately. She should have a good chance.”
Li Qingshan was not lying.
After killing Strongboulder, Bloodshadow became Xiao An’s next target, but Bloodshadow constantly moved around. It was impossible for her to search the entire world for him either. As a result, she tried to predict Bloodshadow’s movements with the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, but a cultivation at Qi Practitioner was just too low. Hence, she wanted to break through to Foundation Establishment with her fleshly body before predicting again. However, she wanted to kill him alone. She never considered working together with these people.
Ma Buyi said, “Please give this True Spirit pill to her for me.”
Liu Zhangqing also said, “I have one on me too. I hope it can assist her so that she can assist us.”
In order to kill this great opponent of theirs, they did not hold back at all with precious True Spirit pills. They were extremely generous. In the blink of an eye, four True Spirit pills had been offered. One of them even came from Fu Qingjin.
“I must thank you all in Xiao An’s place. I’m certain she won’t disappoint you.” Li Qingshan did not hold back, accepting the True Spirit pills. Xiao An is going to be finishing off this great opponent of yours, so she deserves some remuneration!
“Qingshan, actually I’ve recalled you this time to give you a certain mission. This mission is extremely dangerous. You’re free to accept it or turn it down.” Han Anjun frowned gently and seemed slightly troubled.
“You have always issued military orders like they are absolute, never discussing with us when handing down missions, general, so why are you wavering today? Don’t tell me you plan on going easy on Li Qingshan just because he’s your son-in-law?” Cheng Kaishan said unhappily.
Han Anjun only mentioned a single question and that was enough to leave Cheng Kaishan speechless.
“Where is Han Tieyi right now?”
Han Anjun had also sent Han Tieyi to ambush Bloodshadow. The dangers involved in the mission were self-explanatory. He would be sucked dry by the blood demon with even the slightest carelessness. What he implied was, I’ve never even given special treatment to my own son, let alone a son-in-law.
“I’ve already killed five Daemon Generals. If I recall correctly, you’ve only killed two so far, right, sect master Cheng? What are your orders, general? Please be straightforward. I, Li Qingshan, am not a coward!” Li Qingshan understood they were approaching the main topic the moment Han Anjun spoke. He glanced at Cheng Kaishan before clasping his hands.
“I want you to venture underground and investigate Bloodshadow’s den!”
Han Anjun knew the ambushes could potentially end in failure, so he made new arrangements beforehand, which was Li Qingshan.
Everyone no longer looked at Han Anjun in the same light. They felt that it was not because he did not show nepotism, but rather he was very displeased with this son-in-law of his, wanting to push Li Qingshan to his death. This mission was not just dangerous. It was basically certain death.
“Han Anjun, I’ve misspoken. You’re a true man!” No matter how unhappy Cheng Kaishan was with Li Qingshan, he could not help but develop some admiration towards Han Anjun. Being tough on others was nothing. What was difficult was being tough on yourself.
“General, I don’t think that’s appropriate. No one has any idea what the situation underground is like. There’s the daemon queen underground too. Qingshan is just an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, so this is no different than sending him off to his death. We should wait until Xiao An breaks through to Foundation Establishment first!” Hua Chengzan tried to dissuade him.
Li Qingshan frowned slightly. Xiao An had also suggested in the past for her to directly venture underground and kill Bloodshadow, but he stopped her. Bloodshadow’s den was extremely deep underground and extremely close to Cobweb city. He would never let Xiao An take this risk.
This father-in-law had basically lost his mind. He doesn’t even view his son-in-law as a proper person! Sure enough, this Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility didn’t come for free!
“I can’t place all my hopes on a child. I’m not sending you to kill Bloodshadow. I just want you to use the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility to investigate so that we can prepare for the worst. With risk comes reward. Of course, you’re welcome to turn it down.”
“I accept, but I might not be able to set off immediately.” Li Qingshan casually drew the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility. Not only had the blade dimmed, it was no longer transparent anymore either. He tested it, and the sword could no longer conceal him completely.
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Chapter 468 – Only Tomorrow is Worth Looking Forward to, Only Today is Worth Treasuring
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Chapter 468 – Only Tomorrow is Worth Looking Forward to, Only Today is Worth Treasuring
“What happened here?” Han Anjun’s face sank as he asked sternly.
“I ran into some trouble along the way…” Li Qingshan gave them a rough overview about Dragonsnail’s ambush and hid the detail that his heart had been pierced. “… Unfortunately, I was unable to save them. I’d say this Daemon General is even more powerful than the rock demon and blood demon. Please be careful if you run into him in the future, everyone.”
After listening to Li Qingshan’s story, everyone realised he had not just run into some trouble. Instead, he had almost lost his life out there.
It was rare of him to remain so calm and unfazed, seated on the side, listening along earlier and only explaining this calmly when the matter had been brought up, as if the one in danger was someone else, not him. His composure and bearing truly were startling.
Han Anjun nodded in satisfaction inside, but he also could not help but sigh, Qiongzhi, oh Qiongzhi. You really have an eye for men. This one is anything but mediocre. He is already showing signs of greatness. Even I can’t tell what step he will take now. This Li Qingshan is not someone you can control.
Cheng Kaishan snorted and questioned, “If the daemon you described really was that powerful, how did you manage to escape as a cultivator at early Foundation Establishment? What even more powerful than the blood demon and rock demon? You were probably just careless, wanting to shy away from your responsibilities!”
This was what made Dragonsnail terrifying. Actually, quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators had already died at his hands. He had managed to conduct the war between the entire Daemon race and the humans for so long, yet still remain completely unheard of.
“You’re welcome to remain unconvinced.” Li Qingshan leaned against the back of the chair and did not argue.
Fu Qingjin said, “Qingshan might be right. According to the news I’ve received, there is indeed a Daemon General like that underground, known as Dragonsnail. He’s the most trusted by the Spider Queen, but there has never been any news of him directly interfering in the past three years. Even his abilities remain a mystery. Today is the first time I’ve heard anything about it.”
“Either he has never struck before, or his attacks have never ended in failure. With Qingshan’s description, I think the latter is more likely. Even I find this ability to be rather troublesome.”
Hua Chengzan agreed and said, “Recently, a few Foundation Establishment fellows have died extremely strangely. None of them are weak, and they have plenty of life-saving measures. If they ran into regular Daemon Generals, they could always escape even if they were not their opponent. Yet, when they died, Bloodshadow was clearly moving around somewhere else. Looking at it now, they probably all died to Dragonsnail.”
Fu Qingjin and Hua Chengzan were reputed for their sharp wit and deep thinking. No one had any more doubts now that the two of them had spoken up. Their faces only grew stern as they carefully wondered what would happen if they ran into Dragonsnail instead.
When they looked at Li Qingshan again, they no longer looked at him in the same light. There were plenty of mid or even late Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been targeted and killed by Dragonsnail, yet only he managed to escape. It probably was not luck alone. Little did they know that if Li Qingshan really were just a regular early Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would be as dead as a corpse right now.
In the end, everyone decided to wait for now and see how Xiao An progressed with her cultivation. If she really lived up to their expectations, it would obviously be for the best.
Han Anjun asked for Li Qingshan to return the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility. He said he would find someone to repair it. As it seemed, he still planned on sending Li Qingshan on that mission if nothing worked out.
Li Qingshan did not mind. The underground that seemed like the gates of hell to other cultivators was absolutely nothing to him. He was not particularly worried whether the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility could be repaired either.
If regular cultivators had a supreme grade spiritual artifact like that damaged, they would be utterly heartbroken, but Li Qingshan had seen his fair share of supreme grade spiritual artifacts already. He even had a few arcane artifacts, so he did not care at all.
Actually, he had become slightly unhappy with the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility a long time ago. The invisibility had only been effective in the beginning. He could even be directly seen through by Daemon Generals with sharper senses.
Moreover, the power of the artifact was a little low. If it were not for the strand of sword qi in his dantian, all he would be capable of would be angering the opponent even if he had surprise on his side. He would not even be able to cause a heavy injury.
Right now, he was more like an assassin—sneaking over, sword qi in the dantian, Cursive Sword Calligraphy. If he used up these three tricks and the opponent was still alive, probably all he could do was flee.
If only he had an arcane artifact sword!
However, arcane artifacts had always been items that arose from luck, not searching. Finding one that was compatible with his element would be even more difficult. Swords were weapons for attacking and killing. Metal element swords appeared the most, while water element ones appeared the least.
He possessed the sect treasure of Bronze Cauldron mountain, the Bronze Cauldron of the Four Cardinal Directions. He could attempt to refine artifacts for himself, but unfortunately, the world was a mess right now. He had absolutely no time to settle down and learn how to forge artifacts.
As a matter of fact, he did not even have the leisure to cultivate. All he could do was make this war end as soon as possible.
When Li Qingshan returned to the Chain mountains, dawn had not even arrived. The mountains rose and fell in the misty clouds, seeping in the moonlight. It was enough to inspire a feeling of transcendence within people, enough for them to forget about all the fighting and killing.
Li Qingshan could not help but slow down. He glanced at Ru Xin’s dwelling from afar before passing through the protective formations, landing at the entrance. Dense spiritual qi immediately surrounded him. After a period of accumulation, the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks gradually demonstrated its powers.
Li Qingshan entered the dwelling and spotted Xiao An seated with her legs crossed. Her seaweed-like hair flowed down her back. She was surrounded in flames, currently cultivating.
Li Qingshan did not interrupt her. He took out a jar of spiritual alcohol and casually leaned against the wall, taking a sip. He slowly settled down with that.
On the surface, Xiao An was at the budding age of thirteen or fourteen. Just like the poem “Aged thirteen and o’er, pretty, slender and charming, a bud on treetop, she’s to bloom in early spring”, her appearance that was deemed to be the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty by the Sect of Clouds and Rain had begun to demonstrate its beauty.
She was bare, already possessing the femininity of a young lady. Li Qingshan witnessed her entire enchanting figure.
She obviously did not feel inconvenienced, while Li Qingshan had grown accustomed to it too. There was not the slightest temptation. Instead, he was rather delighted.
He felt like he was watching a shrub, an orchid, thriving and growing under his close care.
Of course, what he fed it was endless amounts of flesh and blood.
Her jade-like skin was almost transparent under the firelight, such that the white bone inside could be made out from time to time.
For one instant, she was a woman of heavenly beauty. In the next instant, she was a terrifying, deathly skeleton.
Even Li Qingshan was able to capture a hint of the buddhist nature and truths it was conveying. He took another sip and smiled. Xiao An’s cultivation had progressed even further.
Through this period of cultivation, Xiao An had finally consolidated her cultivation of the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. The first thing she did next was not forge more prayer beads or continue with cultivating white bone, but to refine her body again.
White bone was the foundation of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, but she could not go without great beauty either.
White bone represented death, where all was emptiness. Great beauty represented life, where everything tangible was present.
The former was like the middle of winter, the ice three inches thick and completely desolate, while the latter was like early spring, when everything bloomed and prospered.
Only by combining the two, merging life and death such that she could alternate between them freely, could she truly reach the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
After who knew how long, the flames gradually died down, merging into her body. Her skin seemed flawless, pale like snow and shining with the lustre of jade. It also contained roaring vitality and spiritual energy.
Originally, her power only came from the white bone, and her body was just an illusion. Although it was completely perfect, endowed with extraordinary talent, it was no more powerful than a regular person’s body.
But now, it had merged with the essence from all the flesh and blood, such that her feminine body possessed enough power to rival regular Daemon Generals.
“Qingshan.” Xiao An threw herself into Li Qingshan’s arms like a swallow returning to its nest.
A strange fragrance like sandalwood filled his arms. As he touched the jade-like skin, it felt indescribably fine and soft, such that even precious jade completely paled in comparison. He truly understood what “as fine as jade” meant now.
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose. He suddenly felt rather embarrassed, finally remembering the fact that they were of different genders. He took out a dress and lectured her as he dressed her, “Look, Xiao An, you’re not a child anymore. As a girl, you can’t just let other people see your body. Raise your hand!”
“It’s not like you’re other people,” Xiao An raised her hand and slipped it into the sleeves as she said in confusion.
“I’m no different.” Li Qingshan said sternly.
Xiao An raised her head and looked at Li Qingshan. Her brilliant pupils suddenly flashed, and she smiled, which seemed like flowers blooming. Even Li Qingshan was taken slightly aback.
“What are you smiling for?”
Xiao An smiled gently. She shook her head and said nothing.
“Turn around.” Li Qingshan shook his head helplessly. He had no idea whether it was because most of her immaturity had vanished as her body grew that she seemed to mature overnight, now possessing certain thoughts that even he was unable to guess.
Xiao An turned around obediently and allowed Li Qingshan to tie up her waistband.
“Alright, you’re like a princess now.” Li Qingshan studied in satisfaction.
Princess!
Xiao An’s heart skipped a beat. She found that form of reference to be rather familiar. Some of her lost memories rose up, but she immediately dismissed them to one side.
It had already been several years since Li Qingshan last mentioned he would take her home. She seemed to have forgotten about it completely too.
The matters of yesterday were not worth mentioning. Only tomorrow was worth looking forward to. Only today was worth treasuring.
Li Qingshan took out the True Spirit pills he had obtained from the Parlour and Clouds and Rain and mentioned Ma Buyi’s plan.
Hearing that, Xiao An began cultivating in Li Qingshan’s arms.
Before long, all of the true qi in her body had been converted into spiritual qi. She continued to meditate for a little longer until the seven types of spiritual qi filled her dantian. Only then did she stop and say, “I’m done.”
She had even managed to succeed with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, so practising the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots now obviously took no extra effort. It did not pose any difficulty at all.
“Don’t let other Qi Practitioners see you, or you’ll drive them crazy.” Li Qingshan sighed with a smile.
Several days later, in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
The upper echelon of the Daemon Suppression alliance and the Academy of the Hundred Schools gathered together once more.
Li Qingshan’s news from the Chain mountains made everyone eager and excited. They discussed among themselves.
“Has she really established a foundation? She’s not even twenty this year!”
“That’s not it. A few years ago, she was still a regular person. Compared to her, we’re all mediocre.”
“Once they’re here, we’ll obviously find out. I’d like to see just how impressive she’s supposed to be!”
A cloud descended from the sky. Li Qingshan and Xiao An arrived together.
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Chapter 469 – Divining with All Seven Lots, Great Sword of Heavy Water
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Chapter 469 – Divining with All Seven Lots, Great Sword of Heavy Water
With Xiao An’s appearance, the platform on the very top of the parlour immediately fell quiet.
Hua Chengzan’s eyes lit up, slightly amazed.
He had been born with a handsome, flawless face and both Qiu Haitang and Hua Chenglu who he had regular contact with were rare beauties. Even his dream lover was a supreme beauty like Gu Yanying.
Originally, he thought he would never be amazed by beauty again, but now, that was exactly what he felt. Even more to his disbelief, the person that amazed him was a budding young girl around thirteen or fourteen years of age.
Today, Xiao An was not dressed in any special manner, or even rather casual. She had no concept of beauty and ugliness, and a grown man like Li Qingshan would never spend time to dress her. However, none of it impeded her beauty.
She did not have an enchanting smile, only glancing past everyone calmly with her pitch-black eyes. They were like calm, deep pools, unable to reflect anyone. However, that empty expression of hers possessed indescribable, bizarre charm on her face.
Qiongzhi, oh Qiongzhi. You really are in trouble. Hua Chengzan could not help but worry for his good friend.
Whether it’s Gu Yanying beyond reach or Ru Xin within arm’s reach, probably neither of them pose a threat as great as this kid! When Qingshan was still a Qi Practitioner, he went as far as standing up against Qiu Haitang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, for her sake, willingly offending an entire group of school leaders for her. What about now? What about the future?
Qiu Haitang was standing right behind Hua Chengzan. Although she had already given up on him, they remained as very good friends. She obviously would not miss out on the excitement with everything that was happening today.
After all these years, she saw Xiao An again. Aside from her amazement, she could not help but experience deep pity and envy.
She’s already so charming despite being so young. If she practised the cultivation methods of my Sect of Clouds and Rain instead, just who would still be able to withstand her once she grew a little older? If I had her beauty, even little Hua that infatuated, blind lover would probably change his mind!
If it’s just the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty, then so be it. What’s even more terrifying is her unbelievable cultivation talent. This Li Qingshan’s good fortune is basically out of control. That’s the only reason why he’s managed to find an unbelievable wonder like her.
Qiu Haitang suddenly frowned. Though, is it really good fortune? The disaster of beauty, being able to overthrow kingdoms, isn’t all just for say. As the ancient saying goes, ‘With the Heavenly Aspect, the world is thrown into chaos’ I doubted it a little, but looks like it’s actually true now.
“Qingshan, is this Xiao An?”
Fu Qingjin studied Xiao An deeply. She was a teenage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she had not even begun cultivating from a young age. Only five or six years had passed at most, and she had never received any true, close guidance. She had basically relied on her own comprehension and understanding. Even Fu Qingjin could not help but admit he paled in comparison to this talent.
It was no wonder that the Annihilum Light Chan Master of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would travel thousands of kilometers to accept her as a disciple despite how aloof and outstanding he was. He seemed like he was lowering himself and making a fuss out of something, but this was actually a clever move to take. Otherwise, even the Sword Collection palace and Umbral Yin sect would fight over a disciple like her!
In the cultivation world, even ten thousand mediocre people could not rival a single genius. This point was made extremely obvious through this war. They were at Foundation Establishment, yet a single Fu Qingjin was worth more than ten regular Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Li Qingshan said, “Yes. She doesn’t really like to talk. Everyone, let’s begin!”
“The quiet room has already been prepared. I also want to witness Xiao An’s divination with the seven lots.” Ma Buyi stepped forward and bowed towards Li Qingshan and Xiao An individually.
“You’re far too polite, senior.” Li Qingshan lowered his head. “Xiao An, it’s fine, right?”
Xiao An nodded and entered the room with Ma Buyi. Everyone else waited outside for the results.
“General, how is it looking with my Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility?”
Li Qingshan found Han Anjun. Although he did not care too much about this sword, it was still a supreme grade spiritual artifact, and one he had obtained through legitimate means.
“It’s damaged beyond complete repair.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. Thank you for your efforts, general.”
Li Qingshan had been anticipating this. The stuff that Dragonsnail spat out definitely would not be anything good. If it were a regular spiritual artifact, then it would only become slightly weaker at most with some damage. However, the primary function of the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility was to conceal the user. It would become useless even if it gave away only a small part of the user.
Han Anjun then took out a great, azure sword and only said three words, which was the sword’s name—Heavy Water Sword.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. It was another water element supreme grade spiritual artifact. Clans sure had foundations that ran deep!
It was not an arcane artifact, but not everyone possessed arcane artifacts among Foundation Establishment cultivators. Most of them still used supreme grade spiritual artifacts. Arcane artifacts and spiritual artifacts only differed by a single word in name, but it made all the difference in their effects, power, and quantity. Arcane artifacts could not be obtained easily.
In the past when Li Qingshan led the night roamers and destroyed multiple sects, only Bronze Cauldron mountain and the Vermillion Clothes sect had arcane artifacts. They were all sect treasures, items that represented the legacy of the sect.
Li Qingshan was already much better off than most other people with the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his possession. He was not greedy either. Finding a water element supreme grade spiritual artifact sword was rare enough. At the very least, he could unleash the power of the sword qi in his dantian with it.
“As it’s a gift from the father-in-law, I must oblige.” Li Qingshan joked before accepting the Heavy Water sword without hesitating. His arms sank the moment the sword entered his hand. The sword was quite hefty.
Li Qingshan beamed inside. The heavier the sword was, the better he could make use of the advantage of his strength, unleashing greater destructive power. It suited his personality more than the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility too. It was even compatible with the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, far more appropriate for him than the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility.
Han Anjun no longer said anything about the way he was referred to, unlike the past when he maintained his opposing stance over this marriage. He had already achieved his objective of making Han Qiongzhi independent, and Li Qingshan’s performance lately had been very outstanding.
Of course, Li Qingshan did not do what Hua Chengzan suggested, which was frequently visiting the Han family. He would never go out of his way for someone to like him. If he handled it badly, it would only worsen their relationship. He stuck with his decision of walking his own path. He just did his best to complete Han Anjun’s military orders.
Even this aspect left Han Anjun very satisfied. The so-called favours and etiquette of the mundane world never worked with him, and he looked down on men who used petty tricks and sucked up to people verbally. At the end of the day, he had admired Li Qingshan very much right from the beginning. He just did not have a high opinion of this relationship, but people had to take responsibility for their choices.
As the patriarch of the Han family, all he had to do was cover his responsibility of “roping him in”. However, his method of roping him in seemed more like a formality.
Li Qingshan moved over to one side and immediately began refining the Heavy Water sword.
At this moment, the door to the quiet room opened again, and Ma Buyi walked out.
“School leader Ma, how was it?” “Have you found anything?”
Ma Buyi waved his hand and said to Hua Chengzan, “Commander Hua, please give me the information on the blood demon.” Then he added, “Xiao An needs it.”
The Hawkwolf Guard had begun gathering all the information they could gather on Bloodshadow since three years ago and undertook analysis. Hua Chengzan had even tried replicating the blood demon’s thought process to predict which cities he would attack next, but he had not been particularly successful.
“If you could find out through analysis, why do we still need divination?” someone asked.
Ma Buyi did not give an explanation. Actually, even he was not too certain about that.
The nature of divination was a method of learning information. It did not rely on any deductions or logic. Instead, it directly asked for the answer from fate. It did require some information as a foundation to increase the accuracy of the divination, but overly complicated and detailed information was unnecessary.
In the room, Xiao An sat on a huge mental map of the Clear River prefecture. With a thump, she opened her eyes and saw Ma Buyi pile up a stack of documents as tall as a man in front of her.
“It’s all here.”
Xiao An waved her hand, and the documents all fluttered into the air, arranging themselves neatly in stacks. They almost filled the entire room before beginning to revolve around her.
Without any pattern or form of order, the pages flashed past her, and the information on there entered her eyes clearly, yet she did not seem like she was looking. In the end, she simply shut her eyes.
Ma Buyi could not help but back into a corner. He was clearly the one who taught Xiao An the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots, yet he was at a slight loss on what Xiao An was trying to do now.
At this moment, seven clusters of light lit up around Xiao An, turning into seven lots.
“Divining with all seven lots!” Ma Buyi’s expression changed.
Time passed slowly. Everyone stopped talking and waited in silence. The outcome of the divination directly tied into the lives of the people around them, as well as the future of the Clear River prefecture.
“Done!” There was a whisper that surprised everyone slightly. They all turned around, only to discover it had come from Li Qingshan in a corner. He held a great, azure sword in one hand and seemed completely satisfied. The sunlight and the glow of spiritual qi flowed through the sword beautifully.
Li Qingshan had already refined the Heavy Water sword. Because the Heavy Water sword was ownerless, the refinement process had been easier. All he did was pour in waves of spiritual qi with the Arts of the Boundless Ocean before leaving behind an imprint of his soul sense.
Through the refinement process, he completely understood the functions of the Heavy Water sword. There was actually just a single move, and it was extremely simple and crude.
It was expending large quantities of spiritual qi in one go, making the sword expand to ten times its size to launch a devastating attack. Li Qingshan named it as the Siege Breaking strike.
If the Illusory Water Sword of Invisibility was an assassin’s sword, then the Heavy Water sword would be a true warrior’s sword.
As a matter of fact, this sword was not even suited for artifact control. It was only suited for close combat, which most cultivators disliked. Even Qi Practitioners with water affinity would normally take a more nimble and flexible approach with their sword techniques. They would not use such a large sword.
However, it was perfect for Li Qingshan. He could finally unleash the power of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. His battle prowess was about to multiply.
“Is she still not done?” Li Qingshan stood up and looked around. He was probably the most relaxed out of all of them.
“Seems like fellow Qingshan is very satisfied with this sword. They probably still need a little more time, so why don’t we spar? Just so you can try out the sword.” Fu Qingjin’s green clothes ruffled as he drifted over.
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Chapter 470 – Karma, the Heart of the Sword
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Chapter 470 – Karma, the Heart of the Sword
“Try out the sword? Sure!” Li Qingshan did not hesitate much at all and agreed to it. “Seeing how fellow Fu has nothing to do too, please give me some guidance.”
No one had imagined they would be clashing first when there was still some time until the fifth of the fifth month.
In the room, the seven lots dispersed together, turning into streaks of light. Paper fluttered through the surroundings.
Xiao An casually grabbed a piece with a brush in her other hand. She wrote a few simple words before folding it and handing it to Ma Buyi.
“Don’t show it to too many people.”
The heavenly secrets could not be divulged, not because there were terrifying consequences once they were divulged, but because it could easily become inaccurate once divulged. If everyone knew the results of the divination and news reached Bloodshadow’s ears, he would know about the ambush and the divination obviously would not be accurate.
“Yes.” Ma Buyi opened the piece of paper and took a glance. He could not help himself as disbelief filled his face. A precise time and location was actually written on there.
It had to be mentioned that not only did the results of his divinations only provide a rough location, even the time would be very vague, covering a large period. And, this was already very impressive. Foresight had never been so simple.
Ma Buyi had already stated in the past that Xiao An would definitely be better than him with divination once she reached Foundation Establishment, but in reality, he was wrong. She was not just better than him. She had completely exceeded him.
As he thought about how he had said, “This isn’t something a Foundation Establishment cultivator can achieve.” when Wang Pushi asked him to predict Bloodshadow’s future movements, he basically reddened slightly. As it turned out, it was not beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was just beyond his capabilities.
“Hold on!”
Just as Xiao An was about to leave through the door, Ma Buyi called out and stopped her from behind.
Xiao An stopped, but she did not look back. She waited for him to speak.
“Fellow Xiao An, please relieve me of my confusion. What was all this information for?” Ma Buyi bowed deeply.
“For karma.” The karma Xiao An spoke of was the karma of buddhism. Actions came with consequences.
Apart from relying on her extraordinary talent, she was able to predict Bloodshadow’s future movements so precisely because her method of divination did not just originate from the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots anymore, but the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
Buddhism placed great emphasis on karma and predestination. If the disciples of buddhism wanted to cultivate to higher realms, it was basically impossible for them to remain uninvolved with this aspect. “Enlightenment of Predestination” was even designated as a certain realm of cultivation.
The eminent monk of buddhist who became the White Bone Bodhisattva was the best among the best in this respect. If they did not even know about the fate awaiting them, how could they make the claim that they would destroy buddhism?
There was a specialised section for this in the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. It was much more profound than the sections for forging artifacts or refining pills. It was not called the Divination section. Instead, it was directly called the Section of Predestination.
Predestination was fate set in stone. It could not be changed. Even the person who carried out the divination would be bound to their predestined fate.
For example, practitioners of divination like Ma Buyi and the Divining Elder actually only saw the very surface of the river of fate. There, the waves surged without control, filled with unknown and uncontrollable factors.
As for true predestination, it lay in the very depths of this river of fate. It also experienced undercurrents, but it was much more stable compared to the surface. Whoever managed to dive down to there would be able to grasp the future.
Xiao An had only gained a small inkling about this Section of Predestination through the foundation she had set with the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots after consolidating her cultivation at the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. By following the traces of karma, she could see through the waves of the river of fate and grasp a hint of invariability within the endless variation.
Karma? Only then did Ma Buyi remember Xiao An was actually a disciple of buddhism. However, no one could connect this young lady of unrivalled beauty to the solemnity of buddhism.
As Ma Buyi pondered this, Xiao An had already left through the door.
……
“Looks like fellow Fu insists on going easy on me?” Li Qingshan studied the surroundings before looking at Fu Qingjin again.
The Clear River prefecture was covered in bodies of water. It had many rivers and lakes. Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin were currently on a lake near the prefectural city. Here, it would clearly be very beneficial for Li Qingshan to unleash his powers, which was why he mentioned that.
“The landscape here is as beautiful as a painting. It’s a good place to try your sword. I’d like to see the limit of your sword style.” Fu Qingjin smiled gently.
“Then you better keep your eyes open!”
Li Qingshan grabbed the Heavy Water sword on his back and swung it hard. He kicked up a huge wave as he lunged towards Fu Qingjin.
Fu Qingjin wielded his hand like a sword, and the tips of his finger ripped with green light. He swung it down gently, cutting through the huge wave like he was cutting through paper.
The huge wave parted, and a figure appeared. Li Qingshan burst out of the wave and swung down with the Heavy Water sword with enough power to split mountains and rivers.
As if he had been anticipating this. Fu Qingjin ignored the incoming sword and lunged forward. Using his fingers like a sword, he stabbed it straight towards Li Qingshan’s heart.
It was a clash of life and death the moment they began fighting, a battle to the death.
Boom! A huge slash appeared in the calm lake surface, kicking up huge waves of over a dozen meters tall and shaking up the entire lake.
Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin brushed past one another, standing back-to-back.
“Very good. You have the talent to become a good swordsman.” Fu Qingjin turned around and a strand of hair fell gently.
“Really? What talent?” Li Qingshan looked back and asked. His chest throbbed slightly. If the sword qi on the tip of Fu Qingjin’s finger had pierced another three inches deeper, it would have reached his heart.
“Showing no fear in the face of danger, bold enough to throw your life on the line.”
Fu Qingjin lifted up his fingers and brought them close to his forehead. Rippling with green light, it dyed his forehead and hair green. He swung it conveniently, and it extended into a meter-long stream of light. He arrived with a flash. Before he had even launched an attack, the trail of his sword had already weaved a great net, enveloping Li Qingshan firmly.
Sword intent pierced his forehead, making Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness ripple. He could not help but feel dispirited and pessimistic. He felt like it was impossible to stop the attack and all attempts of struggle were futile.
Li Qingshan roared out and cut through the sword intent. The Heavy Water sword turned into numerous blurs, like a master of calligraphy wielding a brush valiantly to create a majestic work. It immediately crushed Fu Qingjin’s net.
Before the lake could even settle down, an even larger wave appeared. Under Li Qingshan’s control, it turned into endless strands of sword qi that shot towards Fu Qingjin wave after wave.
“What an exquisite sword style. I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
Fu Qingjin was like a single row boat in the raging waves. He rose and fell with the waves, as if he could capsize at any time, yet remaining perfectly fine the entire time as he went with the flow. Only when he had no other place to dodge would he gently slash out with his finger and nullify the danger. He closely observed Li Qingshan’s sword style.
When Fu Qingjin worked with Li Qingshan last time against Strongboulder, he caught a hurried glance of Li Qingshan’s sword style and found it familiar. Today, the sense of familiarity appeared once again.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s sword style both originated from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. Fu Qingjin had once clashed with Xiao An before, so this sense of familiarity was not without reason. He had spent his life learning the sword, so his sensitivity and understanding of the sword even surpassed his memory of people’s faces. As long as he had seen it once, he would keep a record of it and never forget it.
But after observing for a little longer, he was unable to match it up to any of the sword styles in his memories. It was not like this had never happened before. He knew far too many sword styles, and the inherited memories from the Green Ruins sword basically covered everything too. It was just like how it was simply too easy to find two people who looked alike within a sea of people, so it did not attract any suspicion from him.
Although Li Qingshan had comprehended his sword style from the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, his ability to understand and comprehend completely paled in comparison to Xiao An’s.
If Xiao An could comprehend one hundred percent, then he could only comprehend thirty percent, and the sword style would be more straightforward, forceful, and valiant, just like his character. As a result, it became very difficult for Fu Qingjin to connect the two.
The Heavy Water sword missed once again. Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, and the muscles on his arms rippled. Through brute strength, he forcefully changed the path of the sword, slapping it towards Fu Qingjin.
Resplendent green light appeared on the tips of Fu Qingjin’s fingers as they pressed against the flat blade. This was the weakest point of the sword. However, as he knocked away the Heavy Water sword, he also felt his finger ache, as if it had been broken. He was startled inside. What strength!
He was afraid to take it on directly, so he used the force to drift away into the distance.
“Fu Qingjin, you won’t even draw your sword. Are you looking down on me?”
Taken away by the battle, Li Qingshan could no longer bother with this fake courtesy. With a clang, he hoisted the Heavy Water sword onto his shoulder and barked in a straightforward manner.
Not only did wielding the sword take great strength, but it depleted his spiritual qi rapidly too, but the Arts of the Boundless Ocean came into effect at a time like this. His depleted spiritual qi would replenish rapidly such that he would always have enough.
“The Green Ruins sword won’t be directed towards friends. You wouldn’t want a sword you’ve just obtained to be damaged, right?”
Fu Qingjin stroked the hilt gently and smiled with quite the bearing. He was like a courteous lord purposefully lowering himself to talk heart to heart with the generals and advisors he liked, without any insincerity.
Li Qingshan found it cringeworthy. Who’s your friend? In another month’s time, I’ll cut you down in person.
Fu Qingjin continued, “Your sword style is very impressive, but it seems incomplete. It’s rather rigid between moves, which leads to openings.”
“Openings or not, it’s enough as long as I can kill with it.” Li Qingshan could not help but admire and admit that this bastard’s sword technique sure was impressive, having surpassed his own. He had actually managed to see through the flaws of his sword style so quickly in battle. He would probably have to suffer a little in this aspect when it came to their battle to the death in the future.
Apart from Fu Qingjin’s own talent and hard work, the legacy from the Green Ruins sword played a vital role too. The past masters of the Green Ruins sword were all outstanding figures. They might not remain here in person anymore, but their heart of the sword would forever remain in the sword.
Fu Qingjin said, “Please lend me your sword.”
“Take it!” Li Qingshan was surprised by the request before tossing the Heavy Water sword over. I’d like to see what you’re planning to do.
The moment Fu Qingjin gripped the hilt, his aura suddenly changed, becoming unruly and beyond control. He swung out with the Heavy Water sword, unleashing a forceful, unruly, and valiant sword style.
Li Qingshan found it rather familiar. “Isn’t that my sword style!?”
However, all of the flaws had been fixed, such that it flowed freely from move to move. It became much smoother and more natural, and its power had increased too.
“This sword style doesn’t suit me, so I can’t unleash the limits of its power. All I can do is demonstrate it. I hope it can assist you. We should return.”
In that instant, Fu Qingjin stopped with the sword style and tossed the Heavy Water sword back to Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 471 – Bloodlight Escape
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Chapter 471 – Bloodlight Escape
Li Qingshan could not help but think of something very absurd. An enemy is teaching me the sword?
However, he would never let any opportunities of strengthening himself slip by. He completely memorised the sword style that Fu Qingjin displayed earlier. Before great grievances, small favours were not enough to make him waver.
Spring went and summer came. The weather was hot and humid. The thick, dark clouds piled on the sky, awaiting a storm.
The crows cawed noisily as they circled around in the air, refusing to land. They were like specks of black sesame scattered across the sky.
If someone managed to take note of the trajectories of all these crows, they might have been able to detect some kind of pattern after an hour of observation.
A streak of blood-red light stuck close to the ground. The gales of wind it kicked up rushed past a few crows and ripped them to pieces. Black feathers scattered in the sky.
However, these pitch-black feathers vanished before they even reached the ground.
“He’s here,” Li Qingshan whispered into a jade tablet for communication. He stood on a tall mountain in an extremely distant place, gazing at the black shadow that protruded from the horizon.
A city stood there, but now, it was a trap.
He did not make his way over. With his cultivation at early Foundation Establishment, he had no right to participate in the ambush this time. Of course, this was also a form of protection.
The sky was so dark that it seemed like dusk. Bloodshadow had already arrived at the city gates. Suddenly, he sensed a hint of uneasiness, as if something was brewing, just like the clouds in the sky.
But at the same time, the fragrant smell of fresh, enticing blood attracted his attention.
There was a rumble of thunder, which made his heart lurch. It made him think of the divine lightning the slovenly daoist priest had summoned. Then he sneered at himself. If it were just that ox-nosed daoist, he could escape safely if he ran into him another ten or a hundred times.
Even regular wild beasts could sense the arrival of death. At his cultivation, his senses had become even sharper. He did not sense any life-threatening danger, so he strode into the city without worrying.
A crow perching on the city gates let out a strange caw before taking off.
“Your predictions sure are divine. Looks like there’s no need for you to do anything this time.” Li Qingshan smiled brilliantly and looked back.
Xiao An sat on a grey rock under a large pine tree, staring at an insect on the branches in a daze as her seaweed-like hair flowed freely. She was as serene as an orchid. Hearing Li Qingshan’s words, she shook her head gently.
“He won’t die here.”
“What? Didn’t you predict that Bloodshadow would come here?” Li Qingsha was very surprised. They had already rigged the entire city with traps. Even if the moon demon barged in there for some reason, he would be done for.
“I only said he would come. I never said he would die.” Xiao An smiled beautifully. Only then did she seem like a young girl. “It’s the exact opposite. I made sure he would never die here.”
Some of the childishness vanished from her voice, replaced by a sense of clarity. It was extremely pleasant, like it possessed a wondrous power that could comfort the souls of people.
“Is it really that accurate?” Li Qingshan blinked his eyes. He felt very amazed even though he had no idea how all of this worked.
“It really is that accurate.” Xiao An copied Li Qingshan and blinked her eyes too. “But it won’t be this accurate everytime, because he’s entangled in many ties of karma, and he has very deep karma with me.”
“What karma?”
Rumble! Several bolts of lightning rained down from the sky together, like a huge dragon diving down.
“It has begun!” Li Qingshan turned around quickly and gazed at the lonely city on the horizon.
“You again!”
Bloodshadow was reduced to a miserable state by the consecutive bolts of lightning as he stared at Zhou Tong before him in surprise and fury. Why did this damned ox-nose always know where he would appear?
“It’s not just me this time! Wretched daemon, prepare to die!” Zhou Tong sneered as if the outcome was already set in stone. He relished with delight.
That kid Xiao An’s divination sure is accurate!
Bloodshadow behaved as cautiously as he normally did. Without saying anything more, he flapped his cloak and took off into the air. He moved faster than the lightning, running head-first into a barrier of light.
In each direction outside of the city, eight Foundation Establishment cultivators planted down eight formation banners, immediately trapping Bloodshadow in the formation as they rushed into the city together.
How could they be so certain that I’d appear? Oh no, I’m in danger this time! Bloodshadow became pale-white.
Not only had Xiao An predicted a location, but she had even predicted an extremely precise time as well, which was why they were able to gather the strongest group of cultivators the Clear River prefecture had to offer. They had to make sure Bloodshadow would die.
It was not just Zhou Tong. The other cultivators all relished with delight too. Practitioners of divination were definitely precious in this day and age, and with her accuracy, it basically made her something akin to a rare treasure. All of them praised her inside.
The time is actually completely right, down to the very second.
She truly is a genius. With her divination, defeat will be certain for the daemons!
Even the Cloud Elder who had been displeased with Xiao An’s avoidance of the war thought, We have to protect this child. We can’t let the daemons get close to her.
With their various thoughts, the nine powerful cultivators did not utter a single word, cutting right to the chase. They unleashed their strongest moves at the same time to kill Bloodshadow.
The rain fell like buckets, while the sky was as dark as night. Six streaks of light tore through the air. They were actually six arcane artifacts.
Various trapping and restricting techniques were unleashed at the same time. Strands of golden light turned into chains, jangling about and sealing up the space everywhere. Thick trees rose up from the ground, extending their branches and blotting out the sky.
All of this had been planned beforehand. Their teamwork was perfect. However, with Bloodshadow’s speed, he was fast enough to escape before these techniques managed to wrap around him.
A handsome, pale cultivator in white robes among the nine cultivators opened his mouth and spat out a single word towards Bloodshadow, “Freeze!”
He was not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly. Even from fifty kilometers away, Li Qingshan could vaguely make out his words.
“This is the school of Names’ Freezing curse. Bloodshadow really won’t be able to escape this time.” Li Qingshan smiled.
The hundred schools all had their own wondrous arts. The school of Names focused on concepts and words, using language to express a hint of the truths of the world. They inherited the curses and jinxes of ancient cultivators and were known to imbue powers with every word they spoke. They could injure without the opponent even knowing.
Among the thousands of curses, the most famous one was probably the Freezing curse. It was more convenient than any technique for trapping the opponent.
In that instant, Bloodshadow became immobilised. All he could do was watch helplessly as the chains condensed from Geng Metal spiritual qi wrapped around him firmly, and the trees formed a huge cage. Seven or eight spiritual artifacts and arcane artifacts hurtled over together, grinding him into mince meat.
“The blood demon is still not dead! Don’t stop!” Liu Zhangqing called out.
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—various powerful techniques of all five elements landed on Bloodshadow.
In particular, the slovenly daoist priest Zhou Tong raised the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword towards the sky. Thunder boomed without end as a thick, flashing bolt of lightning pierced the sky, lingering for a very long time.
The leader of the school of Names’ Freezing curse was unleashed again and again, disrupting each of Bloodshadow’s attempts at escaping.
The crows that Li Qingshan had conjured from his power of belief scattered into the distance and watched from above, allowing him to take in this sight from various different angles. He was secretly shocked.
An encirclement like this is just too terrifying. Let alone escaping, you won’t even have the opportunity to fight back. As soon as you tear through a technique, seven or eight more would have struck you already. If it were me, I’d probably barely manage to put up the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, and all I’d be able to do is just watch as my daemon qi was expended. No matter how much daemon qi I have, no matter how quickly it recovers, I still won’t be able to withstand something like that.
Though, setting up a trap like this is anything but easy. Both daemons and cultivators are extremely sensitive to life-threatening dangers. If it were not for the fact that they had grasped his movements, Bloodshadow should have been able to come and go as he pleases even if he faces the nine of them, moving about freely. The divination is still the part that is more terrifying. No, I have the spirit turtle’s daemon core, so I should have quite the talent in this aspect. I need to learn from Xiao An in the future.
Li Qingshan turned around and asked, “Oh right, what did you mean by karma earlier? Bloodshadow is clearly done for now, so why did you say he wouldn’t die here?”
“It’s waiting for me.” Xiao An leapt off the rock and flew off into the distance.
“Where are you going?”
“Off to kill Bloodshadow.” Xiao An smiled.
“But Bloodshadow is not in that direction.”
Just when Li Qingshan was about to chase after her, he thought about it and stopped himself. Since Xiao An made him wait here, she definitely had her reason.
He was not worried about Xiao An’s safety. After reaching the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, probably only the Spider Queen could pose life-threatening danger to her, as well as that “guy” hidden deep below the magma. There was no need for him to worry too much.
However, as he watched her figure disappear into the horizon, he experienced a strange sense of melancholy, like “My child has grown up and is independent now”. He really could not go without his strength increasing anymore. At least, he could not pale in comparison to Xiao An.
He also had to surpass the pressure that Fu Qingjin and Dragonsnail could cause him.
“Blood demon, today is the day you die.” Seeing how the blood demon was close to death, Zhou Tong let out a great laughter.
The leader of the school of Names had already uttered “Freeze” eleven times, having reached his limit. He also eased up at this moment.
Bloodshadow, who had been reduced to a blood-red piece of meat, suddenly began to separate and twist. A sinister face appeared there.
Innate ability, Bloodlight Escape!
With a bang, the chunk of flesh exploded. Violent energy pushed away all the arcane artifacts and techniques. Only a blood-red daemon core revolved about as it took off as a red flash with a swish.
“Stop him!” Liu Zhangqing said in a hurry.
Even if he had not said that, Zhou Tong still would have extended his finger over. A serpentine bolt of lightning shot over.
However, when the blood-red light ran into the formation, it actually passed through directly and sailed across the sky. The lightning slammed against the barrier heavily.
Everyone in the city was left dumbfounded. How had Bloodshadow managed to escape given the current circumstances?
“The blood demon is just a daemon core now. He might be dead already,” Liu Zhangqing said bitterly.
Everyone wanted to believe that, but none of them could believe that! In that instant, the blood demon had clearly abandoned his body and taken off.
Was Bloodshadow dead?
Of course not!
Only after flying five hundred kilometers away did Bloodshadow stop and land. His flesh and blood immediately began to grow, turning into a blood-red bat in the blink of an eye, flapping its wings. A little later, he regained a human form. He seemed perfectly fine, apart from the fact that his face was pale-white, without a shred of blood.
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Chapter 472 – Incinerating Bloodshadow with Samādhi, the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase
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Chapter 472 – Incinerating Bloodshadow with Samādhi, the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase
“He actually managed to escape.”
Li Qingshan murmured, and the direction that the blood-red light fled in just happened to be the direction Xiao An had travelled off to. As he thought about the twisted expressions of Zhou Tong and the others right now, he could not help but smile.
“Don’t worry, my Xiao An will help you deal with this great enemy. I can’t accept those True Spirit pills for nothing.”
Having undergone a heavenly tribulation and become a Daemon General, Bloodshadow obviously possessed two innate abilities. The first one was a sound wave with an extremely large range of attack.
The second innate ability was the Bloodlight Escape. He could cross five hundred kilometers in a single instant, which was a hundred times more powerful than Li Qingshan’s Escape talisman. Even Golden Core cultivators would struggle to hunt him down.
However, whenever he used it, he would have to abandon all of his flesh and blood, which took a great toll on him. As a result, he would never use it unless he faced life-threatening danger.
As for his ability to control blood and the powerful vitality that allowed him to stay alive even when he was reduced to mince meat, they were the same as Strongboulder’s abilities as a Rock of Slaughter. It was a talent they were born with, not an innate ability.
This was also the reason why daemons with special bloodlines were stronger than regular daemons.
The torrential rain doused Bloodshadow. His face was pale-white, as if he did not even have the power to block the rain with his daemon qi. He leaned against a tree in exhaustion. His face was filled with resentment as he ground his teeth, thinking about revenge.
Suddenly, his face lit up. He sensed a vigorous cluster of vitality. This was the exact supplement he needed right now.
Bloodshadow made his way over to the other side of the tree. A young girl just happened to be sitting there, staring at a sparrow on the tree branch with her head raised. She seemed to be sheltering from the rain. Hearing the noise, she lowered her head and took a look. Her clear eyes reflected Bloodshadow’s figure perfectly. She was completely calm.
“A Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
Bloodshadow shivered inside, having sensed the spiritual qi within the girl. He had already become extremely shaken up. Afraid it was another trap, he wanted to retreat.
The girl did not move at all. The flowing blood under her jade-like skin gave off an intoxicating fragrance. Bloodshadow had never smelled something so tempting before.
The thunder continued to boom. The tree basically held up the surrounding region as the thunderstorm outside formed curtains of rain.
“How dare you come so close to me. This is just your bad luck. I’ll drain your blood first so that I can recover some daemon qi.”
Bloodshadow gradually settled down and sneered. With his speed, a distance of a few meters was basically no distance at all. He opened his pale hand and extended it towards the girl’s heart.
All of the blood in the girl surged and rampaged. With a bang, it erupted from her body.
Bloodshadow gulped down the blood. He immediately felt refreshed. The taste was just far too delicious.
However, to his surprise, the girl did not resist or put up a struggle. She did not even show any pain or fear. She just continued to stare at him calmly, which made him, the blood demon who had killed countless beings, feel strangely uneasy.
He felt like a frog that had caught a snake’s attention. Under the threat of his natural predator, his body stiffened, unable to move.
“What are you looking at!?” Bloodshadow was agitated. He struck with lightning speed, sending his fingers into her clear eyes.
When his fingers were just an inch away from her eyes, Bloodshadow suddenly froze.
W- What’s going on? Why can’t I move anymore?
The frog had yet to notice, but the lethal venom had been injected a long time ago.
Every inch of Bloodshadow’s body that had merged with the blood suddenly burst into flames. It began to burn vigorously.
With a boom, the Samādhi Flames of White Bone oozed out from every single pore on Bloodshadow, setting him alight and turning him into a torch.
The fire swayed and happily set Bloodshadow’s blood, flesh, and bones alight while freezing his soul. All he could do was watch as he burned.
The great vitality he depended on to make a name for himself, the great vitality he took pride in, had now become the perfect fuel for the flames.
In that instant, deep fear filled Bloodshadow’s eyes. “You’re not human…”
The fear vanished as his eyes were burned away. His voice halted as his tongue turned into fire.
With a swish, the blood-red daemon core shot off into the distance.
“You’re the one who’s inhuman.”
TL: An insult in Chinese is to label someone as not a human. It’s basically calling them inhuman, used for cases of inhumane cruelty or savageness. Xiao An is basically retorting Bloodshadow’s (true) statement that she’s not human.
Xiao An’s clear eyes turned, and she grabbed the daemon core. The daemon core trembled and struggled violently in her hands.
Her right hand gripped it firmly, immobilising the blood-red daemon core. Suddenly, it began to shine with dazzling, red light. It had already given up on escaping. Bloodshadow wanted to blow up his daemon core and drag her down with him.
She brought her left hand over the daemon core, forcefully drawing out a half-transparent, mist-like soul. It vaguely resembled Bloodshadow.
The red light dispersed, and the daemon core rested silently in her hand.
Three words naturally appeared in her mind—Blood Sea Banner.
A while later, a bolt of lightning shot over from afar. Zhou Tong did not place his hopes on catching up to Bloodshadow. The reason why he pursued was just to do everything he was capable of.
“Hmm?”
Zhou Tong sensed Xiao An’s aura from extremely far away. He descended from above on the Lightning Slaughter.
“Have you seen Bloodshadow?”
“He’s already dead.” Xiao An told the truth.
“You killed him?” Zhou Tong was overcome with both joy and surprise.
“Yep.”
“Did you predict he would escape here?” Zhou Tong was at a slight loss as for how to react. If that were the case, didn’t it mean Xiao An had predicted they would fail to make Bloodshadow remain behind?
“Yep.”
“Then why did you-” Zhou Tong forcefully stopped talking half-way. There had been a whole group of them who surrounded Bloodshadow, yet he still managed to escape. How could he still bring himself to question this girl?
“Senior Zhou, the heavenly secrets must not be divulged!” Li Qingshan made his way over from afar with a wide grin. He rubbed Xiao An’s head heavily. “Well done!”
At this moment, several other streaks of light shot over. Liu Zhangqing’s group had arrived too. After learning the end result, they could not help but look at one another. Apart from joy, there was astonishment on their faces too.
She had reached Foundation Establishment at a tender age of thirteen or fourteen, deploying the troops and hiding her killing intent. She killed the blood demon the moment she struck.
These mid and late Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed to have become her subordinates, yet they were unable to speak a single word of complaint. Instead, they had to thank her. Were there any schools or sects that did not have disciples that died to the blood demon?
She could no longer be described with just “genius”. As they looked at Xiao An who snuggled by Li Qingshan’s side with a rare smile, all of them felt speechless. At the same time, they gained a deeper understanding for the mental depth and terror of practitioners of divination.
What was terrifying was not the practitioner themselves, but the fate they could control.
However, no one doubted whether Xiao An had the ability to kill Bloodshadow or not. When Bloodshadow fled, all of them could tell he was heavily injured. All of them dismissed their doubts when taking the terrifying talent Xiao An had demonstrated into account.
The Parlour of Clouds and Rain was adorned with decorations, filled with a long-lost, boisterous atmosphere. They celebrated the death of the blood demon, as well as the efforts that Zhou Tong and everyone else had put in.
However, the main focus of the banquet was obviously Xiao An.
Qiu Haitang activated the mechanism and opened the walls in the centre of the parlour so that the Qi Practitioners could witness the “heroes”. It added some liveliness to the atmosphere.
Just as Qiu Haitang had expected, both upstairs and downstairs immediately fell silent the moment Xiao An appeared before everyone. Both men and women were amazed, with many male cultivators falling in love at first sight.
Qiu Haitang shook her head gently. “This is the power of the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty.”
When everyone’s gazes were drawn away by Xiao An, Li Qingshan instead sensed a gaze of disdain cast his way. Turning around, he discovered it to be Ru Xin, who stood nearby.
Because Ru Xin was a doctor, her primary mission was not to purge daemons, but to heal injured cultivators and refine medicine. As a result, she never got the opportunity to see Li Qingshan as of late.
“I never thought you would be someone like that!” Ru Xin communicated. Her gaze moved around between Li Qingshan and Xiao An, filled with shame, as if she was embarrassed to have a friend like this.
“You can piss off!” Li Qingshan smiled and replied viciously.
Ru Xin felt her mind buzz. Li Qingshan possessed the Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar, so he was much more powerful with mental communication. It made her frown and rub her forehead.
“It’s just a joke, so do you have to be so serious? Have I actually hit the mark and pissed you off from embarrassment? It’s not like I look down on you. I’ll just call you even worse than a beast at most.”
“You’ll call me even worse than a beast, and you’ll still look up to me? Oh, I forgot. You’re even worse than a beast too. You’re half-human, half-fish!”
“Oi, Li Qingshan, you’ve gone too far with that! Though, have you finally admitted you’re even worse than a beast?”
“Who has admitted that? I’ll go overboard because I want to. What are you going to do about it?”
“You better be careful, just in case I divulge you are connected to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death. You’ll be cut down the moment you step out the door.”
“Then I’ll have to silence this person, no, fish, with death.”
“It’s merfolk, not fish!”
“Once you return to the Chain mountains, I’ll give you a great gift.”
“Don’t change the topic. What gift?”
As the two of them secretly squabbled, the celebratory banquet officially began.
Xiao An just sat there emotionlessly. She did not eat or drink, completely ignoring all the praises and gazes of admiration. Instead, Li Qingshan emptied all the cups of alcohol the moment they were poured on her side, talking and laughing with ease.
Liu Zhangqing said, “Everyone, may I have your attention! Now, I shall be representing the academy in bestowing this arcane artifact to Xiao An. This was offered up by fellow Ma, the heirloom treasure of the leader of the school of Yin-yang.”
As he spoke, he took out a lot from his sleeve. It was jade-like yet also bamboo-like lot less than a foot long, verdant green and transparent. He passed it to Xiao An.
“So this is an arcane artifact. It doesn’t seem particularly special?”
“Isn’t that the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase that school leader Ma never parts with? He’s actually managed to bring himself to take it out.”
Among the discussions, Ma Buyi stood up too. “Xiao An, this Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase is rumored to have been created with the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots. The two complement each other. Originally, there were seven lots, as well as a lot pot. Although only a single lot has been passed to me now, it’s still an arcane artifact. I hope you can make good use of it. I believe it will definitely shine resplendently in your hands!” Then he glanced at the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase again. His eyes were filled with reluctance.
The Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase was not just an arcane artifact, but an extremely rare arcane artifact for divination.
No matter how much Ma Buyi admired Xiao An, he would have never given this away for nothing. He had only done this after a lengthy persuasion from Liu Zhangqing and everyone else. In the end, they had basically purchased this from him with the resources of the academy before bestowing it on Xiao An.
Their objective was obviously for Xiao An to play an even greater role in the war. And, if it were not for the pressure from the war, Ma Buyi would have never sold it.
The soul sense on the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase had already been removed by Ma Buyi. It was ownerless. As soon as Xiao An accepted it, she felt her spiritual qi and mind become closely connected with it.
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Chapter 473 – A Clear Conscience Brings Peace of Mind, the Mind is Perturbed by Ru Xin’s Charm
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Chapter 473 – A Clear Conscience Brings Peace of Mind, the Mind is Perturbed by Ru Xin’s Charm
Divination was not omnipotent. It was not like what everyone imagined it to be either. It was not omniscient.
The information gathered by the Hawkwolf Guard played a vital role in allowing Xiao An to predict Bloodshadow’s movements and his death. Bloodshadow killed too much, leaving behind too many ties of karma.
He was like a tiny fish swimming through the river, leaving behind clear ripples in the water.
She did not analyse the information using logic. Instead, she grasped the threads of fate that regular cultivators were unable to see, which was why she managed to predict Bloodshadow’s movements so accurately.
If she were to predict Dragonsnail’s movements instead, then she would be left at quite a loss as for where to start. Even if she just tried blindly, it would never be so accurate.
From a certain perspective, it was exactly because Bloodshadow was fated to die in her hands that led to this deep tie of karma, which allowed her to do this. In other words, if she were unable to predict so much, she would not have been able to kill Bloodshadow.
The components of karma, cause and effect, were intertwined. As a matter of fact, they were two sides of the same coin, which formed a mysterious, almost unpredictable predestination. It was much more profound than any techniques the world had to offer.
Xiao An had only scratched the surface so far. She was nowhere close to understanding it thoroughly. However, the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase would bring great assistance to her divination. At the very least, it could allow her to dive a little deeper into the river of fate.
“I must thank you all for your great generosity in Xiao An’s place!” Li Qingshan raised his cup up high and downed it all.
Apart from the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase that went to Xiao An, Li Qingshan received some rewards too. Without saying, his contribution in the Hawkwolf Guard had increased drastically yet again.
A resplendent smile stretched over his face as he downed alcohol jar after jar, like he was drinking water. It led to a series of cheering and applause.
Xiao An looked at Li Qingshan, and the corner of her lips curled up silently. Although she appeared to be quite inhuman sometimes, no one could rival her in terms of intelligence. She just never cared about what others thought and felt. But for him, she had an extremely detailed understanding. She understood what bothered him mentally.
Ru Xin gazed over from afar and also found him rather different today. It was as if he had returned to a few years ago when she had met him for the first time.
Today, Li Qingshan felt extremely satisfied inside, and it was not only because of all the benefits he had received.
In the past, he had witnessed the atrocities of war. He personally believed he was responsible for part of this. This responsibility might not have been particularly big. Just like what Fu Qingjin had said, war was unavoidable. They were just pieces on the chess board.
However, he would never use this as an excuse to shirk away from his responsibilities. As a man, even if he made a mistake, he would accept and bear the burden. If he constantly tried to cover it up, even distancing himself from his own cover-ups, then it would only twist his conscience. He would just be a hypocrite.
The right or wrong in this had nothing to do with what other people thought. Everyone had a set of scales in their hearts. Perfection, unparalleled kindness, and justice had never been what he pursued. All he wanted was to maintain a clear conscience.
In the past, after he had gained power, he did not seek revenge against his elder brother and sister-in-law who had abused him for all those years. He did not use it to vent his pent-up fury. Instead, he tossed behind a bag of silver, exactly because of these two words.
After killing the rock demon and the blood demon, he personally believed he had settled a few ties of karma, having upheld his responsibility. It was like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He was filled with indescribable relief and delight.
Of course, no one had the right to judge him on this outcome, to say “Li Qingshan, you’ve completely been overthinking” or “Your sins are much deeper than that. Killing two daemons is nowhere near enough to redeem yourself”.
If he felt it was enough, then it was enough. Although he had once sworn he would finish off both sides of the war and end the war for good, but through this period of understanding, he felt this was no longer his responsibility. It even exceeded his abilities to a certain degree, so he just cast this directly to the back of his mind.
While he did not completely agree with Fu Qingjin’s chessboard metaphor, he did find it somewhat reasonable. Right now, the war was restricted to the Clear River prefecture, where he could still play a role. Once it spread even further, what could do with his current cultivation?
Forget it! If he wanted to fight, then he could fight to his heart’s content! And, once he became tired of the issues from balancing both sides, he would be better off making use of this opportunity to swoop in and benefit from the demise of others so that he could increase his cultivation quickly. Only then could he protect those important to him. Only then could he reach beyond the Nine Heavens sooner.
As a transmigrator, he did not really conform to the concept of “upholding his word no matter what”. The circumstances constantly changed. He would never allow a single word to tie him down, even if it originated from his own mouth.
He had clearly taken a step forward, possessing much greater knowledge now, yet he had to stick with the conclusions he had drawn from his past understandings. That was no different from purposefully making things difficult for himself.
“They’re retreating! They’re retreating!”
A young cultivator rushed into the Parlour of Clouds and Rain excitedly and called out loudly.
“What’s going on? Take your time!” Liu Zhangqing said sternly.
“Sir prefect, we have received news from various directions that all the daemons have retreated back underground. It’s all because of sir’s great leadership that allowed us to kill the blood demon and weaken the daemons’ momentum.” As the young cultivator spoke, he did not forget to suck up to Liu Zhangqing.
The news of the blood demon falling in battle reached Dragonsnail’s ears very quickly. He immediately made a decision to withdraw all their forces.
Among the four great Daemon Generals under the Spider Queen’s command, Northmoon was locked up in secluded cultivation, so only he remained. There was not a lot he could do alone. Continuing to persist had already become pointless. It would only lead to even greater losses.
Daemons had lengthy lifespans, but they cultivated slowly too. Every daemon they lost would take a century to make up for.
However, the wartime chaos from the past few years had drastically reduced the population of the Clear River prefecture too. It was equivalent to destroying most of the foundation of the cultivation society of the prefecture. It would take them a century to recover too.
Cheers erupted in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. They all tossed aside their cultivated composure.
Over the past few years of battle, who knew how many seniors and juniors they had lost. Who knew how many times they had faced life-threatening danger. They were finally witnessing the light of victory. Who could still control their emotions at a time like this?
“Don’t celebrate too soon, everyone. We still need to continue with our efforts. Only then can we completely smash the Daemon race’s ambitions.” Liu Zhangqing cleared his throat twice before finally suppressing the excitement inside.
Cheng Kaishan said, “Fellow Fu, both the rock demon and blood demon have already fallen in battle. Now, as long as you can kill the moon demon too, we’ll win this war.”
“I’ll do my best,” Fu Qingjin said nonchalantly.
Kill me? Then why don’t you try it!
Tipsy, Li Qingshan smiled and thought to himself.
The celebratory banquet became an even grander celebratory banquet. It lasted deep into the night before disbanding.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An returned to their dwelling in the Chain mountains. Ru Xin also accompanied them.
Now that the fighting had come to an end, there was no need for her to constantly refine pills to save people. She could take a break now. She wanted to go back and rest up. She was still thinking about the “great gift” Li Qingshan had promised her, so along the way, she gave into her curiosity.
“Where’s my great gift?”
“We’ll talk about it once we get back.” Li Qingshan smiled mysteriously.
Returning to the chain mountains, Li Qingshan sent Xiao An back to the dwelling first before returning to Ru Xin’s dwelling with her.
Li Qingshan cut right to the chase, directly pulling out all the spiritual herbs in his hundred treasures pouch and piling them up on the stone table.
Most of them were spiritual herbs that the six clans of night roamers had offered up during his three years of secluded cultivation. There were also a few that came from killing and robbing cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance, which also amounted to quite the sum. He had held onto them for all this time, leaving them in his hundred treasures pouch, as Ru Xin had neither the time or effort to deal with them.
“Is this the great gift you were speaking of?” Ru Xin said in surprise. The amount of spiritual herbs Li Qingshan had taken out last time had already surprised her, but comparing it to this time, she realised she had still underestimated it.
Never had she seen so many spiritual herbs in her life. Just the amount alone had completely surpassed what Li Qingshan had taken out in the past, and they were nowhere close in terms of value too.
One a thousand-year spiritual herb could match a whole pile of regular, cultivated spiritual herbs. Yet, there were a hundred stalks of thousand-year spiritual herbs at the very least before her, piled up like vegetables. How could she not be shocked?
“Same as before. You’ll gather the other spiritual herbs, and once you refine them, you can have thirty percent.”
“That won’t do. I’ve refined too many pills lately. Now, I feel sick just from seeing spiritual herbs. Just thinking about alchemy gives me a headache,” Ru Xin rubbed her forehead and said in fake distress.
That was to hide the quivering emotions in her eyes. If she converted all of them into spiritual stones, there would probably be enough to fill her entire dwelling. Most importantly, the origins of these spiritual herbs were enough to expose many things, which only confirmed her suspicions.
She had never considered receiving trust on a level like this.
“Hmph, you’re getting such a good deal already, yet you’re still not satisfied. If you don’t want to do it, then I’ll go find someone else.” That was what Li Qingshan said, but he had no intentions of leaving.
“Why don’t you get that old father-in-law Han of yours to help you out? With the Han family’s influence, finding a few suitable alchemists won’t be difficult at all. You’ll save the thirty percent you’ll have to share with me too.”
“You’re the one I trust, alright? Are you happy now? Stop it. Are you going to refine it or not?”
This kind of trust could not be built up overnight, but at a time like this, Li Qingshan felt like he could trust her with many things, which even included a few important secrets.
Ru Xin found that soothing. For some reason, she chucked to herself. In other words, even Han Qiongzhi doesn’t know these secrets about him! Wait, why am I comparing myself to her?
“So be it. Since you’re already pleading with me like this, I’ll refine it. Though, you probably haven’t even counted your spiritual herbs, right? Even if a stalk or ten go missing, you wouldn’t know!” Ru Xin accepted all the spiritual herbs and blinked her eyes with a smile.
“Who said? If even a stalk goes missing, I’ll be questioning you.” Slightly taken aback, Li Qingshan refused to back down.
In reality, she was completely right. He had indeed not counted it. If Ru Xin wanted to steal his spiritual herbs, there was no need to go to such great lengths at all. She could just directly claim a few cauldrons of pills were destroyed during the refining process, or she could under-report the sum of pills. There were plenty of methods for her to embezzle him.
“Just by you?” Ru Xin said in disdain.
“Do you want to try it?” Li Qingshan shot a glance at her.
“Come at me then!” Ru Xin shot a glance back at him with contempt, but she suddenly felt rather uneasy. Li Qingshan’s expression changed slightly before she knew it.
They were a man and a woman in a room alone, staring at one another.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan felt rather tempted. Perhaps it was the alcohol at work, or perhaps it was because the burden had suddenly been lifted from his mind. Through his tipsiness, Ru Xin’s gentle face and wonderful, graceful figure possessed an indescribable charm. She was enchanting.
He was tempted to get a little closer to her, to sniff the medicinal fragrance on her and see exactly what she was thinking under her cynical mask.
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Chapter 474 – Spiritual Stone Mines
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Chapter 474 – Spiritual Stone Mines
“Have you stared enough?” Ru Xin did not reveal her awkwardness and uneasiness. She casually raised her hand and swept aside her hair with her little finger in a leisurely manner. Her fair, graceful face formed clear curves under the ceiling lights, which made her seem extremely beautiful.
Her gaze drifted away, perhaps provoking him or turning him down.
“I’ve grown sick a long time ago.”
Li Qingshan retorted immediately, only to remember he should have responded with something sickly sweet like “I can never get enough”. This was an almost automatic defensive response he had developed from spending time with her.
“You, oh you!” Ru Xin smiled and shook her head gently. Who knew whether it was disappointment or relief.
“You might be rather good-looking, but it’s nowhere near enough to seduce me!”
Li Qingshan smiled too, recovering his composure. He did not wish to see their relationship destroyed because of what he felt on a whim.
“Right back at you! If you’re sick of it, then piss off. Don’t get in my way of refining pills.” Ru Xin stood up to see him off.
“But I haven’t even finished my tea.”
“It’s finished.” Ru Xin picked it up and emptied it before shooing Li Qingshan out the door.
When Li Qingshan left, he wanted to say something, but all he saw was the door being slammed in his face. As he gazed at the stone door, he felt rather reluctant to just let this end like this.
Ru Xin stared at the stone door too as light rippled through her eyes. It seemed frigid, yet also passionate.
The two of them simply stared at one another with the heavy, stone door there, unable to see one another. However, their gazes did not shift at all.
Li Qingshan suddenly smiled, turning around and leaving on a cloud. He crossed his arms leisurely. He just dismissed it as becoming slightly muddle-headed for once during his long journey of cultivation. It was fine if he was reluctant. There was still plenty of time ahead.
Ru Xin let out a gentle sigh and sneered. “Coward.” Suddenly, she began to rub her head in distress. “With all these spiritual herbs, how long do I have to refine them for!?”
She was not completely joking with what she had said earlier. Recently, she had become rather tired of refining pills, but with so many benefits laid out before her, she would put up with it no matter how tired she was.
The night deepened. The rain eased up slightly, but it continued to patter endlessly, drenching the earth and mountains.
With the arrival of spring came the season of rain.
It also rained a thousand kilometers south-west.
There was a great, ruptured mountain. The mountain was teeming with spiritual qi, which indicated the presence of a spiritual stone vein. Within the rupture, scattered pieces of spiritual stones shone gently.
On the foot of the mountain was a mine. Ye Liusu appeared there like a shadow. Her simple, black armour was extremely revealing. Her slender legs in boots moved even more gently than a cat as she made her way through the rain.
Her brows were slightly furrowed on her delicate face, as if she was considering something. Her dark blue skin did not affect her beauty at all, adding a mysterious sense of charm instead.
“Sister, the daemons are retreating. What should we do? Dammit, to think they didn’t contact us!” Ye Liubo followed closely behind. Her appearance was only slightly lacklustre to Ye Liusu, but with her curves, she possessed a romantic charm that even Ye Liusu failed to match.
“Yep.”
Leading the army of night roamers, Ye LIusu attacked the various spiritual stone mines scattered throughout the land. Some mines were heavily guarded, protected by powerful cultivators, but compared to their army, they were nothing. Although they had suffered quite a lot of casualties, only a single night roamer who had undergone the first heavenly tribulation died in battle. The resistance that they faced was rather weak.
The biggest problem did not actually come from the daemons or the humans, but from themselves.
Although Li Qingshan had given Ye Liusu the task of commanding them, the various forms of strike, both open and secret, immediately began to spread through the ranks without his presence. The powerful night roamer who fell in battle died to extremely strange circumstances.
From a certain perspective, these battles no longer had anything to do with their interests. Instead, it was a form of instinct. They would harm one another as soon as the opportunity presented itself, even if it offered no benefits. It was no different from, “You’re too perfect in this area, so I couldn’t help myself but to kick you. It’s been quite some time since kicking someone has been so satisfying”.
This was the aspect that troubled Ye Liusu the most. Sometimes, she would even think in anger, Are night roamers like them really worth all my effort? However, a thought like that would vanish in a flash. It was not enough to influence an idealist like her.
Through the various trials, she developed a leader’s bearing, and her supporters gradually increased. They all found Ye Liusu extremely admirable.
Ever since the Daemon Suppression alliance and the Academy of the Hundred Schools forged an alliance in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, they placed most of their focus on attacking the daemons that ran amok on the surface. After all, spiritual stone veins were important, but they could always steal them back if they lost them. It was not like they could be uprooted and taken away. At most, they would just lose out on some spiritual stones.
On the other hand, death was permanent. If the Clear River prefecture had actually been decimated, not only would the academy be unable to recruit any suitable disciples, the various sects would be no different. Humans had short lifespans, and the lifespans of cultivators were not particularly long either. Going a few generations without accepting any new disciples was definitely enough to end a sect’s legacy and lead it to its demise.
Although none of them cared about the lives of regular people after becoming cultivators, all of them understood the foundation of the cultivation community lay among these regular people who produced generations after generations.
As a result, these attacks from the night roamers essentially went unimpeded. Instead, they were more than willing to use these mines to keep the night roamer army busy and reduce the pressure they faced on the battlefield. As long as they defeated the daemons, did they have to worry about losing these mines for good?
Ye Liusu gazed at the night rain and said after quite a while of thought, “Let’s retreat too. We can’t stay behind and serve as the vanguard for them.”
“But we only managed to claim these mines after so much effort.”
“We’ll give up on them all,” Ye Liusu said resolutely.
The battle had been on the safer side, but they had not exactly reaped a bountiful harvest either. Although they had obtained large quantities of spiritual stone ore, the spiritual stone veins underground had always been much more plentiful than the ones on the surface. Mining underground was much safer too.
Moreover, night roamers were nowhere near as knowledgeable as humans when it came to using spiritual stones.
That was because spiritual stones could not be directly used the moment they were mined. They had to be further refined, purified and concentrated to obtain the type of spiritual stones regularly used for battle and cultivation. Otherwise, the spiritual qi would be extremely impure, making it very difficult to use.
Night roamers obviously did not possess the technique to refine them, so they were not particularly enthusiastic about something like mining. Obtaining all this ore was rather useless.
Of course, there were spiritual stone mines with very high levels of purity, but they were claimed by various Daemon Generals. Let alone venturing into their territory for mining, even if they managed to sever the spiritual stone vein from below, that was enough to lead to war!
Ye Liubo smiled. “Fair enough. These shitty rocks don’t seem to be of any proper use anyway. I’ll go call everyone right now. I just happen to be missing master too. The rain is so pretty!”
There will be a day when we can shower under the rain as we please, Ye Liusu thought to herself.
Cultivators observed the army of night roamers from extremely far away through techniques. They saw them abandon the mines and leave in a winding mass. The cultivators immediately returned to the mines and reestablished the formations, commencing with the excavation again.
“Sir prefect, the night roamers have retreated too. We’ve retaken all the spiritual stone mines already, except rebuilding what we had will lead to some difficulties.”
In Clear River city, Liu Zhangqing listened to the report of a subordinate and stroked his long beard in thought. After the battle ended, the first thing he asked about was the situation of the spiritual stone mines. Spiritual stone mines to cultivators were like gold mines to regular people. They were extremely important. Normally, a single spiritual stone mine was enough to spark a great conflict between two sects.
The night roamers were very dissatisfied with their spoils this time, but it did cause quite a loss to the human cultivators. Apart from the spiritual stones themselves, the defensive formations and mechanisms and the puppets for mining had all been destroyed. It would take them quite the effort to establish everything again.
“How long will it take before we recover our previous functionality?”
“Over a month at the very least.”
“We’ve already lost most of the month.”
Liu Zhangqing let out a sigh. The three years of war had already depleted many of the resources they had accumulated over the years. Once they lost their supply of spiritual stones, many powerful mechanisms and puppets would be rendered useless and many formations would not be available for use. Cultivators would not be able to draw out the spiritual qi within spiritual stones to recover either. The consequences would be unthinkable.
“Please invite the leader of the school of Miscellany, Gou Dai, over!”
As soon as Li Qingshan returned to the dwelling and spoke a little with Xiao An, he felt a series of disturbances from around him. With a thought, the exquisite patterns carefully carved by the night roamer craftsmen filled his eyes.
A few blue butterflies fluttered about, illuminating a small range. Beside him, Milliped had already woken up from his sleep. Who knew where he had wandered off to.
The original dwelling had also been sealed up by a carefully sculpted stone door. Behind the door were many obscure auras that silently drew closer.
“Sir Northmoon!” “Master.”
The stone door opened, and the night roamers returned from above ground. They immediately reported back to him, passing through the Blue Butterfly flowers like shadows and arriving before the stone bed, performing a bow together.
Unable to help herself, Ye Liubo immediately became tempted to throw herself into his arms, but looking at the surroundings, she managed to hold herself back. She stood behind Ye Liusu obediently.
The social hierarchy was clearly divided in the underground world. If she acted fearlessly just because she had her master’s trust and damaged his bearing, it would be bad. She did not want him to dislike her. Just as she thought of that, she suddenly saw Li Qingshan waving his hand at her with a smile. “Liubo, come over here!”
Ye Liubo could no longer care anymore, diving into his arms. The matriarchs all witnessed this and could not help but blame their own daughters. They had also served Northmoon for so long, so why hadn’t they received the same level of favour from him?
“Oh, you’re back. How are the spoils of the battle?”
Li Qingshan asked despite already knowing the answer. The night roamers had not become too involved with this battle, so he was not too worried about Ye Liubo’s safety. However, seeing her standing before him safely still brought him great joy.
As for his so-called dignity or bearing or whatever that was, he did not care at all. People of power naturally possessed a dignified bearing, while the weak only knew how to pose around in a futile manner.
Before Ye Liusu could reply, he lowered his head and ran his hand down Ye Liubo’s back gently. He asked in concern, “You weren’t injured, were you?”
“Please check for yourself later, master.”
Ye Liubo clung onto his waist firmly. As she listened to his metallic voice ask those words of concern, her heart almost melted. She nodded forcefully. When the somewhat sharp tips of his fingers ran across her skin, she could not help but moan in delight inside.
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Chapter 475 – Sooner or Later, There Will be Revenge
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Chapter 475 – Sooner or Later, There Will be Revenge
“We attacked many spiritual stone mines and killed a few Qi Practitioners, but most of it is just some unrefined ore. Fortunately, we didn’t suffer particularly heavy losses,” Ye Liusu reported.
“Ore? How much?” Li Qingshan’s interest was piqued. There was not a single cultivator who could find fault in possessing too many spiritual stones. Although it was just ore, it would still be a sizeable sum once he found someone appropriate to refine it.
“Our Spider Shadow clan is willing to offer all the ore to sir Northmoon.”
Ye Mingzhu was observative. Through Li Qingshan’s actions and responses, she could tell that Li Qingshan was interested in these ores, so she immediately stepped forward and offered up a hundred treasures pouch.
Li Qingshan accepted the hundred treasures pouch and took a look. The ore inside twinkled like stars. Based on a rough estimation, the amount should be enough to refine several tens of thousand regular inferior spiritual stones, so he accepted it happily.
“The Spider Shadow clan should be praised for their loyalty. Though, I have said that I won’t be taking any spoils from this battle, so I’ll give you a few spiritual artifacts as a reward instead!”
“Thank you for your reward, sir Northmoon.” Ye Mingzhu smiled and accepted his reward without holding back.
The other matriarchs immediately became tempted too. These spiritual stones truly did not hold much value to them. A few spiritual artifacts would be much more practical, and they could express their loyalty too. It was a deal that came at no cost to them.
Before long, Li Qingshan obtained a few extra hundred treasures pouches. If the ore was all refined into spiritual stones, there would be three or four hundred thousand at the very least. In exchange, he had only offered up a few useless mid and high grade spiritual artifacts.
While he could find Ru Xin for refining pills, he had no suitable choice for forging artifacts. Then Li Qingshan began thinking about the Bronze Cauldron of the Four Cardinal Directions in his possession. Once he returned to the academy, he had to properly understand exactly what was required to refine spiritual stones.
They waited until all the night roamers had scattered, with just Ye Liubo remaining in Li Qingshan’s arms.
Li Qingshan’s feelings for her were originally the same feelings as a master had for their pet, but it was somewhat different today. The deep gully right in front of her drew in his gaze. She curled up on him seductively, basically demanding him to take her. Lust suddenly rose up in him, and a certain part of his body began to respond uncontrollably.
“I have no idea whether I’m injured or not, so please inspect me closely, master.” Ye Liubo sensed this response and smiled complacently, clinging on to him even more firmly. Her full chest pressed against his abdomen, leaving completely no space between them.
“Then let me take a close look.” Li Qingshan smiled. Whenever he controlled his mirror clone, he would always be especially casual. The drunkenness of his original body was reflected on his clone too.
Gradually, his hands were not restricted to her exposed skin anymore. Whenever they ran into the obstructing armour, he would directly take them off, caressing every inch of her skin. Ye Liubo’s eyes were filled with delight as she leaned against him, heaving and moaning gently without control. Her gaze gradually misted up.
Before long, only a pair of slender shoes remained on her body. The blue patterns on her seductive body shone magnificently, allowing Li Qingshan to admire her however he liked. This was not the first time he had seen Ye Liubo naked, but she seemed particularly tempting right now. It made him gulp as he remembered it had already been three years since he had last tasted flesh.
Li Qingshan suddenly stopped and whispered into Ye Liubo’s ear, “The only thing that a master can do to his pet is to spoil her.”
“Then please spoil me good, master!” Ye Liubo suddenly straightened herself up, and her chest jiggled. Her provoking gaze was furious, dissatisfied with a hint of pleading. She pouted. “Ever since I met master, it has been so many years since I last had a man. You have no idea how tantalising it is being alone.”
“Don’t you have many ‘concubines’?” Li Qingshan was rather puzzled by this. He knew night roamers did not really have a concept of maintaining their chaste, nor would he bind her to the conventions of humans. Of course, this was because he did not treat her as his lover.
“I’ve gotten rid of them a long time ago. I only want to give birth to your children, master,” Ye Liubo said so seriously that she seemed like Ye Liusu when she mentioned her dream of the night roamers returning to the surface.
Because night roamers were matriarchal, female night roamers often had many “concubines”. They only knew who their mother was, not their father. Rearing descendants and becoming a mother was still regarded as a rather sacred matter among the race. After all, those with the greatest authority in a clan were known as “matriarchs”.
Yes, she was no longer interested in just a night of joy. Instead, she wanted to use this body to continue each other’s bloodlines.
“To think you could actually put up with something like that!” Li Qingshan had no idea about how to respond. Then just what would we produce? A third human, a third daemon, and a third night roamer?
“Everything I have belongs to master—my heart, my body, and in the future, my children.” Ye Liusu grabbed Li Qingshan’s hand and placed it on her perky chest, allowing him to feel her beating heart before sliding it to her abdomen.
Li Qingshan was extremely moved by this. Alright fine, he admitted that his heart was not the only place that had been moved.
With how everything had unfolded, what else could he say?
Sorry, Qiongzhi. A certain person will be breaking the shackles of conventions and the boundaries of society to experience a friendship beyond a normal friendship with his pet.
Li Qingshan made up his mind. He was just about to do something that would make him stoop to a level even lower than a beast.
The stone door opened loudly, and Ye Liusu walked in. As if she had seen nothing at all, she said, “Ma’am Spider Queen orders you to visit Cobweb city immediately.”
Li Qingshan was thick-skinned, but even with that, he was unable to maintain this posture with a naked woman under the gaze of another lady. Moreover, the Spider Queen was not someone he could brush aside either.
He gently placed Ye Liubo on the side and made his way off the stone bed. He tidied his ruffled clothes and shook off his lust with that.
“Master!” Ye Liubo said with hidden bitterness. She could not help but shoot a glance towards Ye Liusu. She had endured for all these years for this opportunity. Just when success was in sight, all her efforts were reduced to nothing. How could she simply accept this?
“This is something I’ve promised to you.” Li Qingshan glanced back and winked before breaking out in laughter helplessly. He found it all extremely interesting.
Making a child? I still haven’t tried that before. Should I try it with Qiongzhi? I wonder whether she’ll be willing or not. Though, while the various sensations are the same with a mirror clone, is that still possible?
He did not feel like Ye Liusu had interrupted anything. What’s mine will always be mine. Am I supposed to be afraid there won’t be an opportunity in the future?
Li Qingshan flapped his wings and left behind a fierce gale and a great laugh, ruffling the heavy curtains.
“Liusu, did you hear that? Did you hear that? Master is promising me this!” Ye Liubo was left dazed for a while before ravishing with joy.
“Hear what? Promise what? You better dress yourself first!”
“Making a child!”
“Congratulations on no longer having to deal with it with your hand.” Ye Liusu was surprised before commenting with a smile.
“Hmph, it’s all your fault, or I would have succeeded already!”
Only with Ye Liusu’s comment did Ye Liubo remember she was in the heat from the encounter earlier. There was already a moist patch between her legs.
“Do you want me to leave so you can do something about that first?” Ye Liusu smiled.
“There’s no need. Patience, patience. There is no enjoyment without patience.” Ye Liubo sucked in a deep breath. Since master had already promised her, this would definitely happen.
It was like how normal people handled going to a buffet. They would starve themselves for a few meals first, planning to crawl in and crawl out on their knees.
TL: I’ve adapted this analogy slightly by changing the cultural cues, but it still might not make sense. By crawling in and crawling out of the buffet, the analogy is basically implying that you’ve starved yourself so much before the meal that you have to crawl in on your knees, and during the meal, you’ve stuffed yourself with so much food that you can’t walk properly, so you need to crawl out on your knees.
Ye Liusu said, “Creating an offspring between a daemon and a night roamer probably won’t be that easy.”
“Then we’ll go at it a few extra times until we succeed. What, do you also want to partake, sister?” Ye Liubo snickered like her scheme had just succeeded. It would be for the best if she took part, but if she did not, it did not matter either.
“I have no interest.” Ye Liusu gazed at Ye Liubo as she waited happily, and her feelings became rather mixed. She was already closing in on her goal. What about herself?
“Northmoon, do you know that Bloodshadow is dead?”
Li Qingshan arrived in Cobweb city, and sure enough, Spider Queen Lolth was waiting for him on the high terrace. However, only Dragonsnail out of the three powerful Daemon Generals by her side remained.
“I’ve just heard about it. How did he die?” Li Qingshan was slightly surprised as he asked casually. He did not feign any sadness.
“He was ambushed by humans.” The Spider Queen’s face was rather ugly. If Dragonsnail was her brains, then Bloodshadow and Strongboulder would be her left and right hands. Now that they had both been severed, even she felt extremely unhappy despite her vicious nature.
“Losses are unavoidable in war, so please don’t take it to heart, ma’am Spider Queen. Even without them, the Daemon race won’t be defeated.” Li Qingshan played along as he felt extremely satisfied inside.
“You sure have had it comfortable! And, those night roamers never openly clashed with the humans. It’s all because of what you taught them! You’re actively avoiding the battle!” The Spider Queen’s voice coldened as she stared at Li Qingshan with her venomous gaze.
“I’ve been in secluded cultivation, preparing for my battle with Fu Qingjin. You had agreed to that, ma’am Spider Queen. I was also the one who ordered the night roamers to attack the spiritual stone mines, but that is to sever the humans’ supply of spiritual stones. At the very least, these spiritual stone mines are much more important than cities of regular people, and their defences are tight too. We have directly clashed with human cultivators, so how can you say that we’ve been actively avoiding the battle?”
Li Qingshan reasoned with her perfectly, which made the Spider Queen even more displeased. She suddenly swung her hand towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan felt a blur before him and unleashed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell instinctively, blocking the Spider Queen’s slender, fair hand. In a single instant, it caved in and became covered in cracks.
Bang!
Li Qingshan was sent flying, slamming heavily against the wall. The entire cave shook.
“I’m teaching you a lesson, so how dare you talk back? How dare you resist!?” The Spider Queen’s icy-cold voice reached Li Qingshan’s ears, which made his understanding of a certain fact even clearer. If the powerful wanted to be unreasonable, it would be futile even if the weak had a silken tongue.
The Spider Queen was like a vicious, capricious little girl. She cherished the toys that brought her joy to a certain degree, but if they could not bring her joy, she would toss them aside or even rip them apart forcefully and amuse herself through that.
“This is my punishment. Don’t get any other ideas. I have always favoured you too much and given you too much freedom. You are only permitted to win in your battle against Fu Qingjin. You are forbidden from losing. Do you understand?” In consideration of the fact that Li Qingshan was still of some use, the Spider Queen did not continue, only warning him coldly.
“I understand.” Li Qingshan remained calm, even smiling. He was no longer the child from the country, still wet behind his ears. There was no need for him to grind his teeth or become wrapped up in anger and resentment.
He would take note of grievances that he was supposed to take note of. Sooner or later, he would have them settled.
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Chapter 476 – The Fourth Layer of the Ox Demon, to Never Admit Defeat
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Chapter 476 – The Fourth Layer of the Ox Demon, to Never Admit Defeat
Li Qingshan’s mental state was not particularly affected, but with the battle on the horizon, he temporarily cast his lust aside to focus on a period of proper cultivation. He left Ye Liubo grumbling.
However, Li Qingshan still made some preparations. He ordered the night roamers to speed up their herb gathering process and offer them all up.
The war had continued for many years now. Many of the territories underground had been emptied out. The zones originally forbidden to the night roamers were now available. Daemons were even more ignorant about the usage of spiritual herbs than night roamers. All they knew was protecting spiritual herbs that could be directly consumed, so they should have left behind even more spiritual herbs in comparison to the night roamers.
In order to speed up the process, Li Qingshan handed all the random spiritual artifacts and talismans in his hundred treasures pouch to Ye Liubo. As long as they offered up spiritual herbs of relatively good quality, she was free to award these items to others.
The Spider Queen was not easy to appease. Just in case she turned against him some time, he would take all the benefits he had collected from her and take off. The world was vast. Whether human or daemon, where couldn’t he go? Why did he have to put up with her?
Li Qingshan had only consumed a small portion of the pills Ru Xin had refined so far. Most of it still remained in his hundred treasures pouch, as he never got the opportunity to convert them into his cultivation.
In Qing Xiao’s Home, Li Qingshan took out all the pills in his hundred treasures pouch. All of them were of decent quality.
The spiritual herbs that the night roamers had offered up were of relatively higher quality. They might not have been millennia old, but they were centuries old. As a result, most of the pills refined were of very good quality, enough for him to use. However, there was also a small fraction that had already become rather useless to him. It was a pity to discard them, but there was no point for him to consume them either.
As his cultivation progressed, he could circulate the spiritual qi of the world faster and faster. Even his own body gradually developed a spiritual nature. Just the spiritual qi in a drop of his blood was probably more abundant than most pills. It had obviously become useless to consume any more of these pills.
Once he reached a certain point, probably even pills refined from millennium-old spiritual herbs would become useless. As a result, his territory underground was no longer as important as when he first obtained it. Once he squeezed out a little more value from it, there was no need for him to be bound by it and be ordered around by the Spider Queen.
Li Qingshan smiled towards Xiao An, took in a deep breath, and abruptly grew in size. He towered over thirty meters in the blink of an eye. Three meters was roughly the height of a storey, so in other words, Li Qingshan was over a dozen storeys tall right now. Although he was still a bit smaller than godzilla, it was enough for him to impersonate a small monster.
His pitch-black body made him seem like a demon god as his scarlet hair poured down like a waterfall. His eyes shone brightly, like they were burning with fire. They radiated with a primitive, beatial, and demonic nature
When he carved out Qing Xiao’s dwelling, he did not go after anything else. The only thing he had in mind was size, and it was precisely to deal with the current situation. The mountain they had chosen stood several hundred meters tall. Together, Li Qingshan and Xiao An had basically hollowed out the entire centre.
From the ground to the ceiling, there was roughly six hundred meters. If Li Qingshan had not crushed the walls to the point where they were as tough as steel with his abilities, the mountain would have caved in on itself from its weight a long time ago.
As a result, even when standing straight, Li Qingshan did not feel cramped. He studied his body and opened his great, toothy mouth, letting out a chuckle. The tiger’s tail swayed freely behind him, leaving behind a series of blurs.
From a certain perspective, he was even more satisfied with his original form than his humanoid form. His humanoid form was very handsome, but compared to his original form, it was clearly nowhere near as imposing or bold.
He could not help but admit that the black ox had an eye for things, choosing Li Qingshan. If it were not for his strange tastes as a transigrator, probably this form alone would be beyond what regular people could accept, let alone feeling good about it.
Li Qingshan extended his hand and made a scooping gesture, making all the pills on the ground fly into his hand. He shoved them into his great mouth and gulped it all down without even chewing.
If other cultivators witnessed this, their jaws definitely would have dropped from pure astonishment. They would think he was sick of living and was trying to commit suicide.
These pills were not all the same. Just the conflicting medicinal effects were enough to claim his life, and their intense efficacy could directly blow up a person.
Sure enough, after swallowing these pills, Li Qingshan’s belly immediately began to swell, growing larger and larger like a balloon. He seemed like he was ten months pregnant. The ear-piercing sound of stretching metal filled the dwelling.
A hint of caution appeared on Li Qingshan’s face. He bellowed out, “The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas!”
The spirit turtle’s daemon core shone resplendently, forcefully suppressing the chaotic effects from the pills.
However, even with that, it seemed to struggle to keep it suppressed. His daemon qi erupted from his body, lifting up his scarlet hair. If it were not for the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks that kept the rolling daemon qi locked it, daemon qi could probably even be spotted from very far away.
The daemon core could only suppress, not absorb. The effects of the pills merged with Li Qingshan’s limbs, bones, and organs strand by strand. They ached slightly as countless capillaries ruptured, only to repair themselves immediately.
In the blink of an eye, who knew how many times this destruction and reconstruction had occurred already.
Li Qingshan only had a single objective with this, which was to break through to the fourth layer of the ox demon.
Finally, Li Qingshan’s belly stopped swelling. Supporting his stomach, he sat down and rubbed his great belly.
“To think I had said I wanted to make a child with someone else. I seem like I bear a child right now! Xiao An, don’t I look like the laughing buddha?”
Xiao An leapt up gracefully and landed on his belly. Looking at how ominous he seemed, she covered her mouth as she laughed. “Not one bit.”
“Then what do I look like?”
“You look like Li Qingshan.”
“That’s right, I look like Li Qingshan. What am I impersonating others for?”
Li Qingshan let out a great roar of laughter. In this world, she was probably the only one unaffected by his appearance, bloodline, cultivation, and other external features. No matter what he became, he was still only Li Qingshan in her eyes.
As for Xiao An, whether she was a ghost, a white skeleton, or a great beauty with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty, she did not change either in his heart.
Xiao An settled down on one side and took out Bloodshadow’s daemon core that reeked of blood. She sniffed it gently, and the heavy, sanguine smell left her extremely satisfied. It was the perfect material for refining the Blood Sea Banner.
After a moment of consideration, she stowed the blood daemon core away again and took out the Skull Prayer Beads. The level after eighteen prayer beads was twenty-one. She was only off by three.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, almost a month had gone by.
Li Qingshan’s belly had completely turned back to normal. His iron hooves were planted deeply into the ground as he grabbed the ground firmly with his claws. His spine arched like a mountain as he butted his horns upwards forcefully.
Standing upright between heaven and earth with an indomitable spirit!
Although his vigour was still nowhere close, his bearing was extremely similar to what he had seen in the past from the ox demon’s figure in his sea of consciousness.
There were no unnecessary movements. He no longer swung his arms and feet around. He even stopped using the Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves, the Ox Demon Forges its Hide, and the Ox Demon Butts its Horns. He simply stood there without moving, just like a statue.
However, a sense of power filled the absolute stillness, like a great bow that had been fully drawn. His muscles were stretched and expanded to the limit, even tougher than rock or steel.
But under the cold, hard skin, his blood surged and his soul burned, without resting for even the slightest moment.
His scarlet pupils flickered with red light. Although the upper half of his body still remained mostly humanoid, no one standing there would connect him with the word “human”.
The effect of the pills he had swallowed in one gulp had completely kicked in, but this time, the Ox Demon Transformation that had always been the easiest to practise became especially difficult.
“It’s still not enough. Something is still missing! Pills? No! What is it?”
Li Qingshan was dripping with sweat as two white clouds of scorching steam sprayed out from his nostrils. The medicinal effects began to wear off.
The Ox Demon, with its Great Strength, Sinks in the Mud!
The ominous mantra appeared in Li Qingshan’s heart again. He deeply comprehended a sense of sombreness like a hero at the end of their path, a form of helplessness like great strength that could not be used.
However, there seemed to be something else among all this. The ox demon’s figure appeared in his sea of consciousness once more.
He stared at the figure for a long time and suddenly developed a sense of doubt.
Why? It clearly knew it was stuck deep within the mud, so why did it still struggle? Wouldn’t it sink even deeper the more it struggled? It had already tried everything it could, and since it did not work, why not stop and take a break? Why did it continue to torture itself painfully?
In the past, the Hegemon King of Chu lost the Battle of Gaixia. As he listened to the lamenting songs of Chu all around, he said, “My strength plucked up the hills, My might shadowed the world; But the times were against me, And Zhui runs no more; When Zhui runs no more, What then can I do? Ah, Yu, my Yu, What will your fate be?” Afterwards, although he managed to break out of the encirclement of the Han army, fleeing to the banks of Wu river, he sighed to himself. “I have no face to return and see the elders of Jiangdong.” before slitting his own throat. He became the classic example of a hero at the end of his path, leaving behind a heroic lament passed down and sung throughout the ages.
TL: This basically refers to the downfall of the Hegemon King of Chu, Xiang Yu, right before the founding of the Han dynasty. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiang_Yu#Defeat_and_downfall
Li Qingshan had learnt this poem from the textbooks of his past life, but there had been a similar example. Thousands of years later, there was another marshal who had been surrounded by the enemy army who also left behind a seven-word poem, printed in his textbook. It remained as a clear memory to Li Qingshan.
So what if I lose my head today? Pioneering has never been easy, riddled with battles. Off I go to the underworld to call upon my fallen comrade in arms, ten thousand we stand to slay the king of hell!
TL: This is a poem by a Chinese communist army commander, Chen Yi, when he was surrounded by the enemy and thought he was done for in 1936.
The heroic bearing of facing death unflinchingly even surpassed the Hegemon King of Chu who blamed everything but himself and refused to return to Jiangdong.
As these thoughts flashed through his head, only an instant had passed in reality.
“I understand!”
The red light in Li Qingshan’s eyes suddenly flashed, like firelight. Afterwards, when he looked at the ox demon’s figure, he saw something different.
He saw the ox demon enduring and persisting with its extraordinary endurance. Even if it was all to no avail, even if fate had predestined it and destiny could not be changed, it would never give up, fighting to the end.
It could be destroyed, but it would never be defeated!
The flickering light in Li Qingshan’s eyes gradually settled down, and the streams of air from his nostrils eased up as if he could remain like that for a century, for a millennium.
Suddenly, the same forceful and vigorous bearing as the ox demon’s figure began to radiate from his body!
He had reached the fourth layer of the Ox Demon Transformation!
Li Qingshan’s body gradually turned back to normal. Unlike the past, he did not ravish with joy, nor was he in a hurry to test how much his strength had increased by.
During the cultivation process, the black ox’s will seemed to merge with his body through this Ox Demon Transformation. It was a form of inheritance. No matter how many profound transformations the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine had, the Ox Demon Transformation would always be the greatest.
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Chapter 477 – The Day of the Battle
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Chapter 477 – The Day of the Battle
Li Qingshan’s large, tall body was riddled in clearly-divided muscles. He gained a sense of heaviness, standing like a mountain.
His bright, black pupils seemed extremely peaceful. It was different from the state of emotionlessness and desirelessness when he practised the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. Instead, it was a form of firmness that reached as deeply as his bones.
Endless power radiated from his body, connected with the boundless earth. They were indivisible.
In the past, whenever he broke through with the Ox Demon Transformation, he would always carefully test his new strength. He did this to enjoy the increase in his strength, as well as to maintain control over his increased strength.
But this time, he did not feel any joy from the drastic increase in his strength. Instead, he discovered a boundary, such that just simple actions like moving his arms and legs were riddled with obstacles. He was unable to unleash the strength to his heart’s content.
However, his strength clearly increased, and not just by a bit. Who knew how many times greater it was compared to before.
His strength in the past was basically enough to rival the strength-type Daemon General with a special bloodline, Strongboulder.
Yet right now, he could completely overwhelm Strongboulder with only a single hand, or directly crush Strongboulder’s almost-indestructible body. This aspect alone had completely exceeded the level of a Daemon General.
The Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine was an unparalleled ability created by the black ox. It seemed extremely ordinary at the beginning. When he was at the first layer of the Ox Demon Transformation, all he could do was harass a few figures of the jianghu. He could not even defeat a few stronger Qi Practitioners.
But as time went on, the changes brought on by each layer was world-shaking. His strength swelled upwards by compounding on itself. The difficulty of cultivation did rapidly increase, but the efficiency of his cultivation increased too. He could not help but think about the classical story of the wheat and the chessboard.
A clever vassal had invented the game chess for a bored king. The king was extremely interested, asking him what he wanted as a reward. As a result, he mentioned a “simple” request, asking the king to reward him with some wheat. He asked the king to place a single wheat kernel on the first square, two wheat kernels on the second, four on the third, and so on.
The king agreed to it happily. In the very beginning, the request seemed extremely simple, taking up very few wheat kernels, but before he had even filled half the board, the king discovered that even if he took all the wheat available to the kingdom, he would not be able to fulfill this “simple” request.
The Ox Demon Transformation might have only had nine layers, but the strength definitely did not just multiply each time. If he truly compounded it a ninth time, then even he would not be able to imagine just what level his strength would reach.
Moving entire mountains to fill whole seas, plucking stars and grabbing the moon from the night sky would probably all become the norm. He remembered what brother ox had once said, “I can directly give you the power to sweep through this world.” Only when he thought of it now did he realise just how modest brother ox had been.
He had a feeling that even if the person chasing after him that day was not the Soaring Dragon Elder, but some figure who stood at the very peak of the nine provinces, they probably still would not have been able to cause brother ox much trouble. But relatively speaking, the person who managed to force brother ox into such a state would clearly be even more terrifying.
The reason why I feel my strength is bound is because I know my strength is nowhere near enough!
Li Qingshan clenched his hand gently. He felt despair. A suffocatingly tremendous pressure weighed down on him.
He never felt despair in the past, as he had never dared to face this goal properly. He had just maintained a mindset of making each step count. It would be for the best if he could reach his goal, but if he could not, then there was nothing he could do.
It was just like how a child said, “I want to be a scientist”, or “I want to be an astronaut.” It was as easy and simple as that.
Once the child became a teenager, an adult, gaining even greater power and even greater intelligence, they would realise the distance between their dream and themselves. They would feel despair. Of course, this would not cause too many problems, as most people would choose to give up in the next moment and switch to a more realistic goal.
However, those who wanted to persist would be forced to endure despairing torture.
Li Qingshan smiled slightly. If I don’t sink into this kind of despair, how am I supposed to demonstrate the ox demon’s spirit of never admitting defeat?
Before he knew it, Li Qingshan had crossed this mental journey that could not be put into words, carrying a “mountain” on his shoulders.
To the other side of the cavern, Xiao An remained in a meditative state. She sat with her legs crossed and her hands in seals. Twenty prayer beads revolved above her head. As long as she forged one more, the Skull Prayer Beads would evolve again and reach a whole new realm.
However, the forging process of the last prayer bead was extremely difficult. It was much more difficult than refining the twenty other prayer beads.
Li Qingshan did not disturb her. Calculating the time, there were still a few more days before the fifth of the fifth month, the day of the battle.
I hope I can break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon. Li Qingshan remembered something and took out the Rock of Slaughter from his hundred treasures pouch.
Strongboulder’s soul had been drawn out by Xiao An, so his body had reverted to its original form, the Rock of Slaughter. The daemon core remained in the rock too.
At first glance, the Rock of Slaughter did not seem particularly special, but it was so tough that even the arcane artifact blood-red blade could only leave behind a mark. If Li Qingshan used the power of his tremors, perhaps it would have been effective, but he was afraid of destroying the daemon core inside. If he accidentally set it off and it blew up, it would be bad.
Coupled with the fact that Li Qingshan could not use an earth element daemon core, he just left it in his hundred treasures pouch and did not think too much about it. He just wanted to wait until he made some progress with artifact forging to see if he could create a weapon with it.
But at this moment, Li Qingshan came up with a new idea. He exhaled gently and extended his hand over, grabbing the Rock of Slaughter firmly.
A great power gradually seeped out, passing into his fingers. He actually dug his fingers into the Rock of Slaughter bit by bit before using some more force and breaking off two pieces.
He checked it, and sure enough, it was merely regular rock, which made him doubt whether this thing could be forged into an artifact or not. It was just regular rock, so why was it so tough?
Li Qingshan’s hands flew into a flurry and fragments and powder flew into the air. Before long, he had ripped apart the huge Rock of Slaughter, finding a grey daemon core inside. It possessed extremely powerful earth element energy, which the spirit turtle’s daemon core would struggle to digest.
However, the power that Li Qingshan wanted to make use of was something else.
A powerful killing intent radiated from the daemon core, enough to drive cultivators crazy. Just as Li Qingshan had expected, the daemon core did not only contain all of Strongboulder’s power. It was also the nucleus to the Rock of Slaughter.
Li Qingshan casually tossed the daemon core into his mouth and swallowed it with a gulp. Immediately, killing intent rushed through his head. His eyes immediately turned blood-red.
He no longer suppressed it with the spirit turtle. Instead, he comprehended the killing intent closely.
In his sea of consciousness, the tiger demon appeared, leaping up and unleashing a vicious roar at the sky. It unfurled its wings and sped around, brandishing its claws and teeth, wanting to kill and fight to its heart’s content. However, there were no enemies in the empty sea of consciousness.
Li Qingshan’s body bent over. His claws protruded, and his teeth lengthened. His breathing became hurried as his heart beat faster and faster!
He was tempted to rush out of the dwelling immediately and find someone, human or daemon. All he wanted was a massacre, to slaughter everything in sight.
I mustn’t! Li Qingshan suddenly pressed against his chest, as if he wanted to force this killing intent back inside.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of Yu Zijian. In Jiaping city, she did not rely on anything at all, yet she managed to resist the power of the Rock of Slaughter.
“Even a Qi Practitioner girl could do that, yet I can’t?”
Actually, as a woman, Yu Zijian was naturally kind-hearted. She had been stunned by the horrific sight before her, which made her think of the past, filling her with sorrow.
On the other hand, Li Qingshan possessed the boldness and valiance of a man, and there was a bloodthirsty and battle-hungry aspect to him too. Not only was he unable to use anything else to distract himself right now, but he instead poured all of his attention into the killing intent, so it was a hundred times more difficult.
The fifth of the fifth arrived quickly.
The endless Boundless mountains seemed like the rising and falling seas. The perilous peaks formed the colossal waves.
The surroundings were pitch-black. Rain poured down, swept about by the rain, sometimes falling northward, sometimes perpendicular to that, or even sometimes flying up towards the sky. It seemed like a thunderstorm above the sea.
Fu Qingjin stood alone on one of the waves, completely drenched by the rain. However, he did not waste even a shred of strength to block the rain. Instead, he seemed like he was enjoying it, allowing the rain to fall on his face while listening to the whistling wind by the cliffs.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on his handsome face. He tightened his grasp around the Green Ruins sword on his waist.
A scarlet figure spun and pierced through the cloud layer in a hurry. A ray of golden light abruptly appeared in the darkness, illuminating Fu Qingjin’s face.
Li Qingshan slowed down in the light. The wings of wind behind him folded up slightly as he descended gradually.
The sunlight dyed the droplets of rain, turning them into thousands of golden specks that danced around him. With his flawless appearance and calm expression, he seemed more like a god, not a diabolical daemon.
“You’ve changed.”
Fu Qingjin was slightly surprised. As a true swordsman, he had already committed everything about his opponent to heart. He had even undergone countless simulations in his head.
It was possible to say that he could confidently claim he was one of the few people who understood Northmoon the most in the world.
But meeting him again, he discovered everything he had been anticipating had been overturned and shattered.
He did not just see a change in strength from Li Qingshan. His entire vigour was completely different, which made him feel like he was facing a new opponent.
Aren’t daemons supposed to cultivate extremely slowly? Northmoon, how did you achieve this?
“Have I?” Li Qingshan answered calmly. Strongboulder’s daemon core was still in his belly, affecting him in the same way as before.
In only a few days, he had undergone pain and struggle that regular people could never even imagine, yet he still failed to break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon. Sure enough, cultivation was becoming more and more difficult.
The ever-growling tiger demon became even more excited now, urging him to a battle to the death with Fu Qingjin.
At this moment, Li Qingshan actually hoped Fu Qingjin was a little stronger, strong enough to force him into dire straits. Only a true battle to the death could stimulate the tiger demon’s bloodthirstiness and craziness, allowing him to use this opportunity to break through to the fourth layer.
Suddenly, he discovered that he no longer placed so much importance on this battle that he originally cared so much about. Even his grievances with Fu Qingjin had become negligible. All he saw before him was a chance to become even stronger, a stepping stone leading to beyond the Nine Heavens.
“However, defeat is certain for you today,” Fu Qingjin said firmly.
PS: A bow and thank you to Antenna Baby (Machine Baby) for becoming a new Alliance Head. A thank you to Shangguan Dizzy (Shangguan Giddy) for becoming a new Sect Master. Thank you for your powerful support, which fills me with fighting will. With seven Alliance Heads assembled, we’re not far from summoning the holy dragon. May the two of you enjoy eternal happiness and the same longevity as heaven itself.
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Chapter 478 – A Battle Under the Clear Sky
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Chapter 478 – A Battle Under the Clear Sky
“That’s good to know!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud.
In the past, he would never accept Fu Qingjin posing around, wanting to teach him a proper lesson. But right now, he saw the absolute confidence of a swordsman, who was also filled with a certain will.
This was a good opponent!
“But I’d like to say the same thing to you. Your defeat is certain with this battle!”
Fu Qingjin smiled. “In the past, I only treated you as a measly daemon with good luck, but I must admit that the current you indeed threatens me a little. If I get the chance, I will kill you.”
“I’d hope you can escape from my hands with your life intact instead.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Killing a disciple of the Sword Collection palace with a renowned sword is a very troublesome matter,” Li Qingshan said in an unconcerned manner.
“In other words, you’re going to be holding back?” Fu Qingjin’s face sank as his lips curled into a cold sneer.
“That’ll depend on what you’re capable of. Once my killing intent is roused, even I won’t be able to control myself. If you can escape, then fate is on your side. If you can’t, then I’ll have to deal with some troubles.”
Li Qingshan stood with his arms crossed and smiling, gazing at Fu Qingjin from above as if Fu Qingjin had already been defeated and he was considering at leisure whether he should finish him off or not.
Fu Qingjin discovered he had already lost the upper hand in this verbal clash, so he no longer said anything. The Green Ruins sword thrummed as he drew it from its sheath, declaring an end to this conversation.
Li Qingshan drew his blood-red blade. With a casual swing, the blade aura cut through all the rain in the air.
The clouds ebbed and surged, filling the hole that Li Qingshan had created very quickly. The golden light vanished, and the surroundings sank back into darkness.
Faint, green light rose up from Fu Qingjin’s body and wrapped around him, isolating him from the fierce wind and rain. His green robes and hair began to float.
He was like a torch within the endlessly dark night, burning on the cliff and becoming brighter and brighter.
Li Qingshan’s daemon qi rushed into the sky. His scarlet hair danced around like fire. His blood-red pupils locked onto Fu Qingjin and murderousness surged around him like wind.
He raised the blood-red blade high into the sky before suddenly pausing. He smiled. “You sure have brought a lot of helpers!”
Within the dark clouds, a brilliant bolt of lightning twisted and turned rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the bolt of lightning had pierced the clouds, but it moved much slower than regular lightning. At a closer glance, it was Zhou Tong riding over on his Lightning Slaughter wooden sword.
The Divine Heaven Method of Lightning Wielding circulated to its limit within him. Zhou Tong was slightly pleased. Weather like this was perfect for unleashing the power of lightning.
Lightning Slaughter flew into his hand. He raised it high up, pointing it at the sky as he began chanting.
“As the Lord commands, may the Lord of Thunder and Mother of Lightning cast the divine lightning to slay the daemons!”
Light poured through the dark clouds. Countless bolts of lightning weaved into an electric net, turning into a colossal bolt of lightning that fell right towards Li Qingshan. The surroundings were dyed white.
Suddenly, Fu Qingjin fished out a scarlet talisman from his sleeve. It turned into a long, slender, golden sword and shot out, catching Li Qingshan in the middle of a pincer attack.
Further away in the sky, specks of light twinkled like stars. There were many Foundation Establishment cultivators. They were slower than Zhou Tong, but they all hurried over as quickly as they could.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, but he did not move. Over a dozen meters above his head, the golden sword and the lightning collided.
“Fellow Fu, what are you doing?” Zhou Tong said in surprise and anger.
“This is our battle,” Fu Qingjin said indifferently.
“You idiot! Why would you still bother with fighting alone against a daemon? Take a look for yourself!” Zhou Tong pointed at the distant mountains. Black figures flashed past the mountains as daemon qi erupted from the underground caverns, rapidly drawing closer.
Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin’s battle definitely did not only impact their lives and sense of honour. It also impacted the direction of the entire war.
If Li Qingshan fell in battle, then only Dragonsnail would be left, which would not be enough to prop up the situation. The night roamers would lose their leader and fall into disunity again. If Fu Qingjin died, then no one would be able to continue leading those sects. The Daemon Suppression alliance of the Clear River prefecture would collapse, and their alliance with the academy would not be able to continue either.
Even without these consequences, Fu Qingjin and Li Qingshan’s individual strength alone was enough to tamper with the scales of victory. As a result, neither side dared to be careless. They all brought their full strength.
The battle between the two of them had evolved into a decisive battle between humans and daemons.
Daemon Generals, powerful night roamers, and Foundation Establishment cultivators all converged towards the two of them. They were like countless sparks, about to collide together.
A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!
Suddenly, swathes of sunlight fell from the sky. The sun shrouded by the thick, dark clouds emerged, radiating with endless light and warmth.
Tornadoes ripped apart the thick clouds. Everyone could not help but raise their heads. A figure in white clothes even paler than snow stood under the azure skies.
“Commander Gu!” Liu Zhangqing, Wang Pushi, and the others all cried out in surprise.
“Gu Yanying!” In Cobweb city, Spider Queen Lolth currently watched this unfold through a mirror. Her face coldened.
Gu Yanying held a jade fan. With a gentle swing, fierce gales sucked up the dark clouds, making them recede into the distance. A while later, she had carved out a region of clear sky that stretched a hundred kilometers across. She pulled back with her fan and pointed down.
“No one is allowed to interfere with their battle. Whether you’re human or daemon, as long as you set foot in the sunlight, you will be executed without mercy. Zhou Tong, what’re you staring at me for? What do you think? Dragonsnail, do you really think I can’t see you just because you’re hiding underground?”
“Fine then! I’ll leave!” Zhou Tong snorted and rode off on his sword. Only when he reached fifty kilometers away and entered the shade of the clouds did he stop. He was utterly furious, but he was unable to vent it. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately retreated too. None of them could bring themselves to object.
Without saying anything at all, Dragonsnail lead all the Daemon Generals back to the depths underground.
Originally, there was no need for the night roamers to come under Li Qingshan’s suggestion. However, the Spider Queen’s orders could not be defied. Now that they saw Gu Yanying’s powers, it made them even more afraid to resist. They all backed far away.
So she’s Gu Yanying. If I had that kind of power, would I still have to worry about being incapable of leading the night roamers to prosperity? Ye Liusu stared at the white figure on the horizon.
Gu Yanying stood on the battlefield under the clear sky that she had personally carved out and nodded towards Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin. “You can continue. It’s a battle between commanders now.” She smiled. “You don’t have to worry. I’m just an arbiter. No matter who gets killed, I won’t interfere.”
“Then thank you for assistance, commander Gu.” Fu Qingjin clashed his hands.
“Northmoon, is there anything else you want to say?”
Gu Yanying’s gaze landed on Li Qingshan again. She felt like he would leave her surprised every time she saw him. Never had she seen someone grow so quickly. Others might have had various speculations over the deaths of the blood demon and the rock demon, but she knew it was all connected to him.
Apart from that, she also felt some attachment to him, as if she was seeing her past self.
During the three years of secluded cultivation, just how many struggles and hardships have you gone through? Have you ever made a choice between humanity and the Daemon race? Though, at the end of the day, you won’t be able to make a choice, nor do you have to make a choice. To people like us, the only side we can ever be loyal to is ourselves. We won’t ever be accepted by either side. This is also true freedom.
As Gu Yanying stared at Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan stared right back at her. As the dream lover who had once made him fall in love at first sight, she was just as beautiful as when he first saw her. Her splendour had not dimmed at all, not even by the slightest. His past longing for her had now become some understanding. He understood why she could be as unrestrained as the wind, which made her even more enchanting.
What else do I want to say?
Li Qingshan thought of something. He raised his arm, pointed it straight at her, and smiled. “I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight!”
His voice filled the entire sky, such that even the thunder in the distance became soft. For a moment, there was only silence.
The cultivators were all stunned. When they returned to their senses, they all reacted in various ways and began discussing among themselves.
“Has he lost his mind? He’s a daemon for heaven’s sake!” “Though, commander Gu also seems to be…” “He’s a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh. He’s only a measly Daemon General. If he pisses off commander Gu, she’ll have him slaughtered right here and now.”
“Northmoon… he sure is much bolder than me.” Hua Chengzan murmured, left at quite a loss as for how to react. However, he also could not help but develop some admiration towards Northmoon. Only daemons could be so direct!
Fu Qingjin finally became stunned. The great battle was on the verge of beginning, yet he decided to profess his love towards the arbiter. Moreover, the person he was professing his love to was the renowned daughter of the Hawk God. Northmoon, looks like I’ve still underestimated your conceitedness.
“Master!” Ye Liubo pouted unhappily. This woman’s chest is nowhere near as large as mine, nor are her buttocks anywhere close enough to feast your eyes upon. You can tell with a single glance that she’s no good for birthing and raising children!
The Spider Queen’s face sank. A Daemon General under her command was expressing good will towards her arch nemesis, which made her even more displeased with Li Qingshan.
Of course, not a lot of people could guess where he had actually fallen in love with her at first sight.
“Is that all?” Gu Yanying widened her eyes, making them round like a pair of hawk eyes.
“That’s all!”
Li Qingshan smiled resplendently. He was no longer the young, wandering gallant of the past, nor was he the infatuated type like Hua Chengzan. He merely said what he wanted to say and did what he wanted to do. As for what Gu Yanying would think or do, it was no longer that important. As long as I’m satisfied, who cares what the outcome is?
“First of all, you have to survive! And, even if you say something like that, I’m not going to favour you.”
Gu Yanying began smiling as well, shaking her head slightly and making her black hair drift through the air. If men were all so straightforward, then being loved by others would not be something troublesome anymore.
As she said that, Gu Yanying directly took off into the horizon. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from view.
Li Qingshan gazed into the horizon. The surrounding landscape suddenly began to change. Dilapidated palace walls and broken towers rose up. He no longer stood on thin air, but cracked, granite bricks covered in moss.
A desolate, dilapidated aura filled the surroundings. It was impossible to distinguish the real from the fake, and his connection with the spiritual qi of the world was suddenly severed. He had fallen into the Green Ruins Illusion once again.
“Just how many times do you plan on using the same move on me?” Li Qingshan turned around and said to Fu Qingjin nearby.
“As long as it’s effective, I’ll use it as many times as I want.” Fu Qingjin walked over slowly with his sword.
Liu Zhangqing, who watched on from a distance, let out a deep sigh. “The Green Ruins sword is simply too powerful. As long as the Green Ruins sword is present, fellow Fu possesses a geographical advantage no matter who he faces. He stands in an undefeatable position.”
Even a powerful Daemon General like Strongboulder could only use his malice to create a hole and escape when he faced the Green Ruins Illusion. It was impossible to defeat Fu Qingjin inside there.
However, Li Qingshan did not seem to have come here today to run away!
As Li Qingshan laughed aloud, he took a step forward and threw a punch at the air.
In that instant, countless cracks pervaded the surroundings, covering the entire Green Ruins Illusion like spider webs. The dilapidated walls shattered like scenery on a canvas, all of it turning into fragments.
Fu Qingjin’s expression changed. He raised his sword to parry. The power of tremors was startlingly great. He was sent flying through the air full of fragments.
The Green Ruins Illusion shattered in a single punch.
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Chapter 479 – Severing the Sword
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Chapter 479 – Severing the Sword
Fu Qingjin was filled with disbelief. He did sense Li Qingshan’s changes, but never did he imagine he would actually become so powerful in such a short amount of time.
All the human cultivators were dumbfounded. During the few years Fu Qingjin had dominated in the Clear River prefecture, everyone had learnt about the Green Ruins Illusion’s power. Even the rock demon and blood demon could only flee when they encountered it.
None of them imagined it would simply shatter with a casual punch like this!
Having broken through to the fourth layer of the ox demon, Li Qingshan’s strength had not merely multiplied. His innate abilities of the ox demon had strengthened too. With the two combined, the power of a single punch from him was more than ten times greater than before.
They were basically equal in the past. Now that he had become ten times stronger, even Fu Qingjin, a genius disciple of the Sword Collection palace and a successor of one of the Ten Renowned Swords, would find it a little too much to bear with.
Whether it’s humans or daemons, the rate at which their strength increases slows down as their cultivation progresses, but he’s the opposite. With each break through, his strength increases by a startling amount. It’s unbelievable. Gu Yanying sighed inside.
“So this is your so-called certain victory. It’s far too disappointing.”
Li Qingshan did not chase after him. He suppressed the tiger demon’s roaring killing intent and said in some disappointment.
“Myriad Sword technique!”
Fu Qingjin came to a halt and swung his hand. The Green Ruins sword flew into the air and turned into a speck of green light, like a twinkling star in the clear sky. Following a flash, the star multiplied into thousands.
Then he pointed at Li Qingshan. “Green Threads as a Net!”
The thousands of specks of light descended from above, turning into thousands of streaks. They were in twists and turns, like hair drifting through the air. At first glance, they seemed aimless, without even a hint of sharpness. However, the net completely enveloped Li Qingshan, leaving him with nowhere to dodge.
“It’s finally getting a little interesting.”
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled slightly as he lamented to himself. He allowed the net to fall over him.
“Northmoon, you’ve been too careless. If you tell me the truth regarding the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death, I might consider sparing you. Otherwise, the Sword Net of Green Threads will cut you to pieces with a single thought of mine.”
Fu Qingjin said coldly. He had already considered that the Green Ruins Illusion was unable to keep a Daemon General at his level trapped. For this battle, Fu Qingjin had specially refined the Sword Net of Green Threads. Although it was nowhere near as mysterious or flexible as the Green Ruins Illusion that could completely lock up the surroundings, it even surpassed the Green Ruins Illusion when it came to trapping and killing the enemy. The sword qi was extremely flexible. It was impossible to break out of no matter how much strength was used.
“Run!”
“What did you say?”
“Otherwise, I’ll end up killing you.”
“Split!” Fu Qingjin called out. The Sword Net of Green Threads immediately tightened, but it failed to draw a single droplet of blood. The sword qi that could cut through stone and jade pressed against Li Qingshan’s skin deeply, but it was unable to cut through that thin layer of skin.
Fu Qingjin’s expression changed. He formed a seal with one hand and pointed it at the sky. “Go!”
The Green Ruins sword fell like a meteor with a long, green tail trailing behind.
“Shatter!” Li Qingshan shuddered, and the green threads snapped. Blood-red light surged into the air as he landed a strike on the Green Ruins sword.
The Green Ruins sword dimmed, thrown far away. Fu Qingjin paled slightly. He had merged with the Green Ruins sword, so if the sword was damaged, his mind would be injured too.
He called back the Green Ruins sword in a hurry, but he saw a sudden, scarlet flash. He could not think too much about it as he flew backwards in retreat. A sharp flash shot across his eyes. The mountain he was standing on earlier had been split open by the swing, collapsing towards the two sides.
Oh no. I didn’t expect his strength to be this great. The Sword Net of Green Threads was actually so futile against him. Now that I’m separated from my sword, I’m at my weakest point. If he pursues relentlessly, I’ll be in danger.
“Grip your sword firmly!”
What Fu Qingjin worried about did not happen. After unleashing that swing, Li Qingshan hovered in the air, staring at him quietly. He waited for him to retrieve the Green Ruins sword.
“You will pay for your arrogance!”
The Green Ruins sword flew back to him, and Fu Qingjin grabbed it. He felt deeply humiliated.
“I’m waiting.” Li Qingshan placed the blade over his shoulder casually.
Fu Qingjin closed his eyes, and the Green Ruins sword thrummed gently. He recovered his composure, and his bearing changed drastically. When he opened his eyes again, his pupils had already become green, with dilapidated walls floating through them vaguely. It was the scenery of the Green Ruins Illusion.
“Are you done?” Li Qingshan said impatiently.
With a flash, Fu Qingjin vanished and arrived before Li Qingshan. He began swinging his sword.
Li Qingshan swung down fearlessly just like before. The blade and sword collided, and he felt like he had struck cotton, completely absorbing the force. The Green Ruins sword trembled elastically as it completely nullified the terrifying force within the blade. The tip of the sword trembled like a flickering snake’s tongue, hiding a crafty killing strike.
What a powerful sword style. This is no longer Fu Qingjin’s power, but the mental legacy left behind in the Green Ruins sword by those old coots! He’s even bold enough to use the heart of the sword. Looks like kiddo Fu has been forced into a tight spot. Interesting. Absolute technique against absolute force. Who will win in the end? Gu Yanying was slightly surprised before understanding what was going on.
What made the Sword Collection palace powerful was that every single sword contained the mental legacies of countless seniors. They were like teachers and masters available every hour of the day. As long as someone excavated slowly and inherited the legacies, they could naturally become an unparalleled swordsman.
For a renowned sword like the Green Ruins sword, there had been plenty of wielders who had undergone three heavenly tribulations and condensed a “Sword Nascence”. They had left behind their extraordinary path of the sword in the Green Ruins sword.
Even with this shortcut, the master of the sword would only be able to take one step at a time, unable to accept the sword intent in one breath and unleash the extraordinary sword techniques.
There was only one method, which was to replace the wielder’s heart with the heart of the sword. It was letting go of the wielder’s will, allowing the will of the Green Ruins sword to enter its wielder, which was equivalent to letting an ancestral spirit possess them. The slightest carelessness could make the wielder lose themselves and turn them into sword slaves. It was truly a taboo technique from the Sword Collection palace.
Li Qingshan became excited. Red light flashed in his eyes as his blade shone like a blooming flower, blooming with flashes of light. He was like a vicious tiger mauling at Fu Qingjin.
Fu Qingjin was completely unfazed. Swords knew no fear or hesitance. All they knew were to push the sword style in their memories to the limit. He ignored the incoming strikes and stabbed his sword into the attacks.
With a clang, the tip of the sword struck the blood-red blade perfectly. Like it had pierced the throat of the tiger, the flashes immediately subsided, and a mark appeared on the blade. The light from the sword drifted about, sliding past Li Qingshan’s shoulder, and a deep, bloody gash immediately appeared.
Li Qingshan began laughing instead. He did not even use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. He raised his sword and knocked the Green Ruins sword away before slashing down viciously.
In a single instant, Fu Qingjin had already stabbed out three times. As if he had predicted all of Li Qingshan’s responses, each strike was more vicious and resolute than the last.
Li Qingshan’s bold, extravagant blade style seemed to meet its nemesis. He was constantly suppressed by the Green Ruins sword. Often, he would be interrupted before he could even begin his swing. Despite his great strength, he was constantly picked apart by Fu Qingjin’s ingenious swordsmanship.
He suffered over a hundred wounds in a short while, but his smile only grew wider. Now this is the battle that I want!
Regardless of how many wounds he suffered, his attack did not weaken at all. It only became even more frenzied.
Li Qingshan did not take a single step back. He swung the blade aura around, meeting the sword with his blade without using any abilities at all. However, this did not give him the upper hand. He suffered a thousand injuries, but he had yet to land a single attack on Fu Qingjin.
“Master, use your abilities!” Ye Liubo called out anxiously.
The flames of hope lit up in the hearts of the human cultivators. If this continued, they had a chance at victory.
To match the opponent’s strength with your weakness is not a clever decision. Wait, he’s gradually growing accustomed to Fu Qingjin’s swordsmanship. Originally, Gu Yanying objected to his battle tactic to a certain degree, but she suddenly realised it was becoming more and more difficult for the Green Ruins sword to harm him, while his sword was growing closer and closer to Fu Qingjin’s body.
He’s battle hungry and skilled at battle. If he were to enter the six realms, he would definitely be an asura of endless slaughter!
The flashes and blurs of weapons filled the surroundings. The two of them battled from the sky to the ground, gradually becoming blurry until only scarlet and green remained. They constantly collided.
All of their gazes were fixed to it. They forgot to breathe.
The two of them suddenly parted. A bloody hole had appeared in Li Qingshan’s throat, but he began laughing madly. His voice reached hundreds of kilometers away.
A horrific wound stretched from Fu Qingjin’s left shoulder to his right waist. There was not any flesh or blood within the wound, only specks of green light.
I’m willing to take a thousand slashes in exchange for a fraction of strength.
If this continues, I’ll be devoured by the Green Ruins sword intent! Under Fu Qingjin’s cold outer appearance, a voice moaned painfully. The sliver of a struggle flashed across his eyes.
However, his realisation came too late. Sword intent had already begun to surge. In a daze, he saw a person in green staring coldly at him. The person in green’s appearance was blurry, with many faces vaguely overlapping together, both men and women. The person clutched a clear, shiny Green Ruins sword, while Fu Qingjin’s hands were empty.
The blood-red blade whistled madly, spitting out an aura several hundred meters long that pierced the landscape and slashed across Fu Qingjin’s waist. The struggle in his eyes completely vanished. He did not check the wound on his waist. He only stared at Li Qingshan.
The wounds closed up instantly. With a flash of green light, he arrived before Li Qingshan. He completely ignored the blood-red blade that fell down from above and stabbed towards Li Qingshan’s forehead, as if he wanted to take Li Qingshan down with him. Normally, only when Fu Qingjin merged with his sword could he demonstrate such speed.
Li Qingshan frowned. He could sense there was something wrong with Fu Qingjin, so he turned his head in a flash, and a gash appeared on his chest. He raised his fist and threw it at Fu Qingjin’s face, but it did not feel like he had struck someone’s body. At a closer glance, Fu Qingjin’s body shone with a metallic sheen.
“Is my opponent now this sword? That’s far too boring.”
The Green Ruins sword stabbed out again. Li Qingshan raised his hand to catch it, and his palm ached, having been pierced by the Green Ruins sword. He grabbed the blade of the sword and shook hard, but Fu Qingjin seemed to be glued to the hilt. His ears, eyes, mouth, and nose all shone with light.
Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell to block the light and unleashed the power of tremors, shattering Fu Qingjin’s sword-wielding hand and finally separating him from the sword. As if his soul had been sucked away, he shut his eyes and hurtled towards the ground.
Li Qingshan gripped the trembling Green Ruins sword with his left hand and constantly poured his power of tremors into it to prevent it from turning into light and escaping. He raised the blood-red blade in his right hand and swung down viciously.
Clang!
The Green Ruins sword produced a sorrowful thrum, and a mark appeared on the sword.
“Stop!” Fu Qingjin jerked awake and cried out involuntarily.
Clang!
Li Qingshan swung down again, striking the mark accurately. The mark turned into a fracture.
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Chapter 480 – A Broken Sword
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Chapter 480 – A Broken Sword
Fu Qingjin used his last bit of spiritual energy to fly over.
Li Qingshan let out a crazed burst of laughter and swung down with his blade.
With a crack, the fracture expanded across the entire sword.
The treasured sword renowned throughout the word was severed into two pieces just like that. Green light poured out from the crack, permeating the surroundings.
Regardless of the toughness of the sword, it was unable to escape the fate of being destroyed when it sustained such forceful damage without the support of spiritual qi.
Fu Qingjin felt like a bolt of lightning had just struck him. He was thrown into a daze, spraying with blood violently.
The blood-red blade and the Green Ruins sword had clashed countless times. They had already become riddled with damage. Now, it turned to fragments with the Green Ruins sword.
Fu Qingjin flew into a frenzy, lunging over madly. This was a sword that had been passed down in the Sword Collection palace throughout the ages. This was a sword even more important than his life. If he lost this sword, what right did he still have to return to the Sword Collection palace and face the palace master, the elders, and his master!?
He took out a handful of scarlet talismans from his hundred treasures pouch. He could no longer care about whatever oath he had sworn. He wanted to drag Li Qingshan down with him.
Li Qingshan casually tossed out the hilt of the blade and struck Fu Qingjin’s chest.
With the Green Ruins sword broken, both Fu Qingjin’s body and mind suffered extremely heavy damage. His cultivation had receded drastically, so it was impossible for him to dodge or block that. He was unable to turn into green light and drift away anymore, nor did he possess a body as tough as metal.
With the sound of cracking bones, the talismans were thrown into the air.
“Fu Qingjin, that’s the end to our grievance!”
Li Qingshan held back the killing intent in his heart. Having reached a point like this, slaughter had already become pointless. Leaving Fu Qingjin to bear with the pain of losing the Green Ruins sword was the best revenge there was.
A daemon core that came from a thousand years of cultivation for a sword that had been passed down for a thousand years. This was very fair.
Fu Qingjin fainted once again.
Before they knew it, the dark clouds had gathered over once more. The battlefield under the clear skies gradually shrunk.
“We’ve failed!” Liu Zhangqing murmured. The gloominess infected all the cultivators.
This was not only a single failure. The one-sided strength the moon demon had demonstrated left everyone astounded. In this realm of cultivation, did he still have any opponents? If he wanted to massacre them all, just who could stop him?
As Gu Yanying had said, this was a battle between commanders. They had been checkmated before they even reached the end game.
“Northmoon, I order you to kill him!”
A voice seeped out from underground, clear like silk. Everyone heard it. The Spider Queen saw how Li Qingshan wanted to let Fu Qingjin go, so she issued an order.
Li Qingshan frowned. He extended his hand and scooped up the unconscious Fu Qingjin. As long as he tightened his grasp gently, a genius of the Sword Collection palace would die here.
Just as everyone thought he would follow the Spider Queen’s order and deal with this problem for good, he instead tossed Fu Qingjin towards the human cultivators in the distance, leaving everyone surprised.
Liu Zhangqing caught Fu Qingjin and glanced at Li Qingshan in surprise. “Fellow Hua Ci, please tend to him immediately!”
“I hope that even without this sword, there will be a day when you can still stand before me and take me on in a real battle.”
In his groggy state, Fu Qingjin vaguely heard a familiar voice say that.
The Spider Queen was stunned. She never expected Li Qingshan to actually defy her order. Her beautiful face twisted into a mess.
“Northmoon, I order you to kill them all, or you will face the worst punishment possible!”
Alright!
Li Qingshan unfurled his wings of wind and arrived before the cultivators in a flash. His scarlet eyes glanced past the face of every cultivator.
“Get him together, everyone! I refuse to believe we can’t even deal with one of him with all of us!” Cheng Kaishan bellowed out loudly. The cultivators were all on the verge of fighting. They flashed with light as they gripped spiritual and arcane artifacts in their hands, poised for battle at any time.
Li Qingshan stood with his arms crossed, smiling silently. Figures appeared one by one behind him. The night roamers had all gathered over, proving it was not only one of him.
Faced with this colossal disadvantage, Cheng Kaishan’s face sank. He was unable to say anything else.
“Wait. Moon- Northmoon, what do you want to say?”
Liu Zhangqing stopped the cultivators and went up to receive him. He remembered how he had chased away a crying child in Clear River city in the past. He was not bloodthirsty.
Li Qingshan opened his mouth and let out a great yawn. He waved his hand impatiently. “Don’t bug me again in the future.”
“Yes! Let’s go!” Liu Zhangqing was taken aback at first before beaming in joy. He thanked him with a bow before turning around and telling everyone that.
Many of them were dissatisfied, but at a time like this, who was still bold enough to stay behind and play the hero? They all rode off on their artifacts. Even Cheng Kaishan left with the group, afraid to fall behind.
Underground, the Spider Queen flew into a rage. She ground her teeth. “Northmoon!”
Li Qingshan smiled and thought to himself, Lolth, don’t even think about using me as entertainment anymore. Of course, I don’t mind pleasing you in a different way.
However, as the cultivators all retreated, one person remained where he was, without budging at all. He glared at Li Qingshan. He was the greatest within the Clear River prefecture, the slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong.
He was wrapped in sparks as his messy daoist robes glowed with light. He seemed like a deity.
The Lightning Slaughter wooden sword in his hand flickered with lightning, like a bolt of lightning directly plucked out of the sky. He directly pointed it at Li Qingshan as he glared at him furiously.
“Fellow Zhou, don’t bite off more than you can chew!” Liu Zhangqing called.
Zhou Tong turned a deaf ear to him. “Moon demon, are you bold enough for a battle to the death with me? I’ll make you know that the Clear River prefecture has other people even without the disciple of the Sword Collection palace!”
“Alright, come at me!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud. I’ve almost forgotten, but we also have a small grievance between us. I’ll use this opportunity to settle it as well!
Rumble!
Zhou Tong pointed at the sky and electricity swam through the clouds. A bolt of heavenly lightning descended and struck Li Qingshan.
Lightning was the punishment of the heavens. Among the various different techniques, it was second to none in terms of destructive power. A bolt of lightning even thicker than a tree with countless smaller sparks wormed into Li Qingshan’s body, wreaking great havoc. His entire body became numb as even his bones shuddered.
Just as Li Qingshan wanted to use the spirit turtle’s daemon core to suppress the power of the lightning, he suddenly discovered that his body was rapidly recovering with his powerful life force as it was being destroyed. And, after recovering, a refreshing feeling overcame him, like his body had been forged.
The sea of qi in his dantian was filled with flashing lightning and thunder, constantly weaving around the spirit turtle’s daemon core. However, as Li Qingshan’s strongest defence, the daemon core could not be destroyed by a few bolts of lightning.
He actually felt like he was facing a tribulation. It was very satisfying.
“How satisfying!” Li Qingshan just stood there, allowing the lightning to rain down on him.
“I’d like to see just how long you can last!”
Zhou Tong was furious. He moved with his sword, conjuring numerous blurs to receive Li Qingshan. He appeared from every single angle as bolts of heavenly lighting slammed against Li Qingshan endlessly.
Li Qingshan stood with his arms crossed without budging at all. His head full of scarlet hair stood on end. As he shook his head, he spat out a poem.
“From whichever direction the winds leap, I remain strong, though dealt many a blow!”
Continuing like this won’t work. This bastard’s body is just too tough. Regular lightning won’t be enough to heavily injure him. The Divine Heaven Method of Lightning Wielding is powerful, but it consumes spiritual qi far too rapidly. I can’t even replenish it in time with spiritual stones. Northmoon, since you’re so arrogant, I’ll have you witness the power of true heavenly lightning!
Zhou Tong thought to himself and withdrew the numerous blurs. He performed a series of ritualistic daoist gestures and began chanting. The Lightning Slaughter sword in his hand glided up and down, and with a crackle, he produced arcs of lightning.
Overhead, the dark clouds became brighter and brighter, but no lightning fell. The rumbling thunder was like a colossal beast building up energy.
A figure wrapped in lightning rose up from Zhou Tong’s body. His mouth protruded like a hawk’s with a pair of wings on his back. He wielded a mallet in one hand and a chisel in the other. It resembled the form of the legendary Lord of Thunder.
Although this was a world of cultivators, no one dared to claim they were god. Even the most powerful soul nascence cultivators lacked the right to. He was borrowing the power of gods, which only demonstrated how terrifying the attack was.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core immediately let out an omen of warning. If he could endure the power of lightning, then it was forging. If he could not, only death would await him.
“Lord of Thunder…” Zhou Tong roared out furiously with the vague rumbling of thunder. However, before he could even say “Strikes the Daemon”, Li Qingshan, who had been playing the role of a living target obediently the entire time, arrived with a flash and grinned.
“Give it here!”
“Be careful, fellow Zhou!”
Zhou Tong was just about to unleash his ultimate move, so he was immobilised. All he could do was watch as Li Qingshan grabbed the Lightning Slaughter sword and forcefully ripped it out of his hands with brute strength.
Rumble! The dark clouds in the sky erupted with a string of lightning, turning the landscape white and drowning out the startled cry.
Having lost Zhou Tong’s control, the terrifying move of the “Lord of Thunder Strikes the Daemon” ended without resolving properly.
“Do you really think I’ll let you rough me up as you please?” Li Qingshan said with hidden meaning. He weighed the Lightning Slaughter sword in his hand and said, “I’ll spare your life, but let me keep this to fiddle around with!”
Although the Lightning Slaughter was an item connected to the slovenly daoist priest’s life, his power to control the sword remotely obviously paled in comparison to Li Qingshan’s fourth layer of the ox demon.
Zhou Tong stared at the Lightning Slaughter sword in Li Qingshan’s hand. Overcome with humiliation and fury, his face became twisted. He was forcefully dragged away by Liu Zhangqing. He did not put up much of a struggle, as he knew if he continued, he would only be inviting humiliation.
Never would he think that the disaster he faced today would be connected with the karma he had sown several years ago.
Li Qingshan pointed out. “Is there anyone else who refuses to accept this? I’ll specially deal with the discontent today!”
“Let me try out this daemon!” Cheng Kaishan called out.
“But if you do plan on continuing, I’m going to start killing.” Li Qingshan rubbed his fingers and glanced at Cheng Kaishan indifferently.
Cheng Kaishan felt all his hairs stand on end. He saw how Li Qingshan had no intention to kill, which was why he contemplated taking on the moon demon in battle. Even if he was defeated, it would not exactly be humiliating. However, when he heard Li Qingshan say that, he immediately became filled with regret.
“Fellow Cheng, keep your cool. The daemons have the advantage. We must consider the greater picture!”
“Fine. Today, I’ll spare-” Cheng Kaishan immediately used this to get out of the situation without humiliating himself. Originally, he wanted to say “I’ll spare you.” but upon further thought, if he ended up angering the moon demon with that, it would probably be difficult to pull out, so he simply shut up unhappily.
“Mighty be sir Northmoon!”
Among the celebratory cheers of the night roamers, the cultivators all flew away in low spirits.
Just when Li Qingshan gave up on stopping the war, the war had instead approached a premature end due to his will.
With all these grievances resolved, he was filled with utmost delight.
However, he understood that the chaos was nowhere close to coming to an end. Once the game of chess came to an end, the chess players could finally break free from their final restraints and enter the stage gloriously.
His troubles had only just begun. Whether it was the Sword Collection palace that had lost its sword or Wen Zhengming who had lost his disciple, they all viewed him as a mortal enemy. However, these matters were still far away in the distance.
Ye Liubo said anxiously, “Master, how do you plan on dealing with ma’am Spider Queen’s side of things?”
Li Qingshan gazed at the sky. Gu Yanying had already vanished. He lowered his head and smiled.
“I’ll go see her right now!”
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Chapter 481 – The Spider Queen’s Wrath
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Chapter 481 – The Spider Queen’s Wrath
The underground dwelling, among the sea of Blue Butterfly flowers.
“All of you may leave!”
Under the revering gazes of the night roamers, Li Qingshan waved his hand without even looking back as he strode towards the stone bed.
Milliped raised his head as if he sensed something. His pink carapace clacked around. He had already become very large, taking up the entire stone bed even when he was curled up. However, he was still much weaker compared to before.
The stone door closed loudly. Li Qingshan patted Milliped’s head and took out a daemon core, placing it before him. It was the daemon core from the lizard Daemon General.
Milliped had no concept of courtesy. He swallowed it in one gulp and curled up like a snake.
A while later, resplendent light seeped out from his carapace, becoming brighter and brighter and blurring Milliped’s figure. The light swelled at a visible rate, exceeding the size of the entire stone platform before slowly shrinking again. Milliped’s body shrunk with it.
The light dispersed, and the dazed Milliped in a pink cloak appeared before Li Qingshan again. He rubbed his bald head and stared around with his slightly bulging eyes, still rather uncertain about what exactly had happened.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud freely. He was filled with delight. Seeing Li Qingshan chuckle, Milliped also began to grin and laugh.
Their resonant laughter echoed through the cavern, continuing for quite a while.
Li Qingshan opened his hundred treasures pouch afterwards and took out jars of fine alcohol. He removed the clay seals, and the fragrance of alcohol filled the surroundings.
There were many cultivation sects that would plant a few crops with spiritual qi aside from spiritual herbs, which were for feeding their disciples and for making spiritual alcohol.
Among the many hundred treasures pouches Li Qingshan had obtained, many of them contained spiritual alcohol. After accumulating them over time, he actually ended up with several hundred jars. They all varied in class and age.
However, while he did have fine alcohol, he struggled to find a drinking buddy, nor was he in the mood to drink. Now that he had both a drinking buddy and a drinking mood, these jars of alcohol finally saw the light of day again.
Milliped sniffed the fine alcohol. His eyes widened as he began to thirst for it.
“Come drink!” Li Qingshan passed a jar to Milliped while holding one for himself. He touched the jars gently.
Milliped picked up the jar and glugged it all down. He wiped his mouth. “Tasty! Food!”
“This glutton!” Li Qingshan cursed in a joking manner before lowering his head again and flipping through his hundred treasures pouch. He failed to find any snacks to go with the dishes, but he did find many fruits and vegetables with spiritual qi. Thinking about it, they had all been given to him by his friend from the same hometown, Li Long, but they happened to suit Milliped’s tastes.
The two of them simply sat down and ate as they drank. Aside from lifting their jars and touching them, there was not a lot of talking.
However, Li Qingshan felt extremely delighted. Pouring the spiritual alcohol into his mouth, it washed away the gloom in his heart. He had also resolved something on his mind, and he was able to drink till they were drunk with Milliped. Nothing was more delightful than this!
Milliped hugged a jar of spiritual alcohol. Half-way through it, he suddenly shut his eyes and collapsed on the stone bed. His snores rose up thunderously as he simply fell asleep like that.
The jar tipped over, alcohol flowed freely, and the fragrance of alcohol permeated the surroundings.
Li Qingshan stood up with a jar in hand, tottering about slightly. He had already become completely drunk. He raised his head and drank the last drop in the jar before tossing it far away. He heard a clatter, and it had been smashed to pieces.
Spider Queen, I’m coming!
Li Qingshan bellowed out at the top of his lungs and strode away.
“Master, it’ll be dangerous!”
Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo stood outside the door, blocking Li Qingshan’s path. They were both worried.
“How will it be dangerous?”
Li Qingshan pulled them in by their necks and asked with a drunken smile with the two beautiful faces right in front of him.
“You disobeyed ma’am Spider Queen’s orders in public. She’ll definitely punish you!” Ye Liubo was frantic, but as she gazed at his tipsy face, she could not help but be taken away by it.
“Daemons are forbidden from killing one another, but with how vicious and cruel and the Spider Queen is, she’ll never let the matter drop.”
Ye Liusu had never been in such an intimate situation with a man before. She did everything she could to keep herself calm, but she was just as concerned as Ye Liubo. Of course, she was also concerned about the future of the entire Night Roaming folk. Without him, the night roamers would probably descend into chaos again.
But if he continued to grow in strength, there might even be a day when he could directly order the clans to disband. He was her hope.
Li Qingshan nodded. Right when he was about to speak, Ye Liubo immediately offered up her lips, sucking the saliva from his mouth. His arms wrapped around her waist firmly.
Li Qingshan plunged his hands into her clothes, fiddling recklessly with her full figure. Ye Liubo let out a stifled moan from her throat as her kissing became even more intense.
Ye Liusu’s heartbeat sped up slightly. She moved backwards, wanting to break free from this. Li Qingshan pulled her in forcefully, embracing her firmly with one hand. The two delicate figures pressed against his body firmly and intimately.
Ye Liusu watched their intimate interaction rather helplessly from such a close range. Her face heated up slightly as she felt a hint of jealousy that even she failed to notice.
A long while later, their lips parted.
“Master, I’m scared!” Ye Liubo embraced him even more firmly.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Don’t be scared. I still haven’t even gotten you to make a child for me!”
Ye Liubo agreed gently and leaned against Li Qingshan’s chest meekly.
Li Qingshan drew out his hand rather reluctantly. He looked over and lifted up Ye Liusu’s pointy chin.
Ye Liusu’s eyes widened unexpectedly as Li Qingshan lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. He did not do anything more than that, but he did whisper into her ear.
“Once I come back, I’ll give you a gift. You best think about what gift you’ll give to me!”
Gazing at her pointy ears that differed from humans, he could not help but lick them gently. She shuddered all over.
His invasive gaze started on her delicate face, moving past her proud-standing chest, her thin, straight waist, and arriving on her slender, perfect legs. She was not as seductive as Ye Liubo, but she was enchanting in a different way. Her noble and proud bearing could incite a man’s urge to conquer.
Ye Liusu lowered her head, her face crimson. For a moment, she actually did not know how to answer. She did not know what his gift was, but she knew exactly what he wanted. All she told herself was she could not turn him down, as this was a sacrifice she was making towards her dream. She refused to admit she had also become somewhat tempted.
Most female night roamers were indulgent. They did not suppress or hide their desires at all. They had no concept of so-called chaste or promiscuity. As a princess of the Spider Shadow clan, the matriarch’s child, Ye Liusu possessed a noble bloodline that the other princesses struggled to match. However, her body also possessed the same scorching desires.
It was not like she had never felt any envy towards the promiscuous lifestyle of other night roamers. The reason why she avoided men was not only because she wanted to focus on cultivation for her dream. Rather, she was proud and found those grovelling, ignorant, and lowly male night roamers beneath contempt.
He was the first man who had ever interested her. Although he was a daemon, he possessed such great strength and intelligence, and he actually understood and supported her thoughts, which was the reason why she could stand here today.
If it were possible, she was willing to continue like this with him. Perhaps, they could even have a bit of fun. There was nothing she could do, right? This was her master’s request.
Li Qingshan pushed them away gently and made his way into the depths while laughing aloud. Danger filled the path ahead of him, but it also brimmed with endless glory.
Living in the world, he was obviously supposed to take on challenges as he wished and enjoy himself to his heart’s content. Only then would this great life of his not go to waste.
“Sister, you won’t be able to escape this time. The kiss earlier was your…”
Only when Li Qingshan vanished in the darkness did Ye Liubo look away and smile at Ye Liusu.
“He’s our master. I’m his servant. I’ve seen this happen plenty of times, so it’s nothing,” Ye Liusu interrupted in a composed manner. She could not help but purse her lips.
“Will master really be fine?” Ye Liubo began to worry again.
“The Spider Queen shouldn’t defy the rule of the daemons and kill a clansman unless…” Ye Liusu’s eyes that resembled the night sky flickered, and she became slightly worried.
“Unless what?”
“Nothing!”
“Northmoon, how dare you betray me!”
In Cobweb city, Spider Queen’s Lolth’s shrill voice echoed through the cavern like it was ripping through the heavy darkness.
The water and magma interweaved as billows of white smoke rose up and turned into clouds, making it even darker.
The city was deathly silent. The quiet whispers that usually echoed through the streets and the quiet, lonesome figures outside had all vanished. They were like insects that had all stopped chirping before the dignity of a predator.
Li Qingshan folded up his wings and landed on the extended terrace. He stared straight into the Spider Queen’s eyes. Her beautiful face had become twisted from anger. Her eyes seemed to be dripping with venom. It was chilling.
However, all he did was answer indifferently, “You have no idea what ties of comradeship are, so how can you even mention betrayal?”
“Shut up!” The Spider Queen raised her hand and lashed out at Li Qingshan’s face viciously. If a regular Daemon General received this attack, their heads would probably explode as they died on the spot.
Bang!
Li Qingshan raised his arm and blocked the Spider Queen’s hand. The two forces collided viciously, and Cobweb city shook. A fierce gale ravaged through the surroundings.
Li Qingshan shook slightly and felt a wave of pain from his arm. The power behind Spider Queen Lolth’s slap was extremely insidious. It could actually penetrate the tough Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
With a crack, a tiny fracture appeared in the bones of his arm.
Li Qingshan rejoiced instead of becoming surprised. He had managed to receive the open attack of a Daemon Commander. That demonstrated the fourth layer of the ox demon was already on par with Daemon Commanders in terms of strength.
A vast chasm existed between each layer, and as his cultivation increased, this chasm would grow wider and deeper. It had ceased to be something that could be made up with quantity alone.
Hypothetically, how many regular Daemon Generals would be needed to kill the Spider Queen?
The answer: no amount was enough. Any number that came would end up dead. That would be the case unless they managed to trap her and basically pile their lives on her and wear her down like that. They also had to ensure they wore her down faster than she could recover daemon qi, and only then would it be possible for them to kill her. However, the chances of that were so small that it was virtually impossible.
Yet, Li Qingshan used the unmatched ability passed down to him by the black ox, the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, to forcefully cross this chasm. Although he had only crossed a small portion of it, it was still enough for him to stand proud.
The Spider Queen’s eyes narrowed. Li Qingshan’s strength surprised her, making her feel deeply threatened. Afterwards, she sank into hysterical fury. She would never allow any subordinates to challenge her dignity.
“You will regret this!”
Swish!
A black shadow stabbed horizontally into Li Qingshan’s ribs. It moved so fast that Li Qingshan failed to even make out what it was. The spirit turtle’s daemon core flashed as it warned him about the arrival of life-threatening danger.
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Chapter 482 – Infidelity With His Life on the Line
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Chapter 482 – Infidelity With His Life on the Line
My strength is enough, but are my reactions and speed still insufficient?
Li Qingshan thought. In the critical moment, hexagonal pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell flew together, assembling into over a dozen protective layers. However, the black shadow pierced eleven of them in a single breath before slowing down slightly.
Only then did Li Qingshan make out what it was. As it turned out, it was a spider’s sharp, long leg. The tip of the leg shone coldly, clearly laced with life-threatening poison. A single move of hers was enough to set off heavy warnings in him.
It slowed down, but it had only slowed down to a speed where he could see it clearly. In reality, it still moved with startling speed. With the injection of the Spider Queen’s insidious daemon qi, the indestructible Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell became as frail as paper.
Fu Qingjin’s sharp swordsmanship and Zhou Tong’s lightning bolts both paled in comparison to this, but this was merely an ordinary strike from the Spider Queen.
Only three layers of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell remained when the leg finally ran out of power, coming to a halt.
A Daemon General had used his innate ability to block the attack of a Daemon Commander. That was truly a proud feat, but Li Qingshan did not ease up at all.
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell can stop her to a certain degree, but it depletes daemon qi far too rapidly. I won’t be able to block many times before I run out of daemon qi. Then, I’ll really become a lamb to the slaughter.
At this moment, seven other, similar legs extended from behind the Spider Queen. They turned into seven shadows and stabbed towards him.
Li Qingshan crossed his arms and protected his vital points. He was afraid of using the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell again. This was the helplessness that came with a difference in cultivation. Even though he possessed powerful innate abilities, he was afraid of using them.
Streaks of blood spattered and darkened in the air. Eight, deep wounds appeared on Li Qingshan’s shoulders, arms, legs, and knees. The Ox Demon Forges its Hide had been forcefully ripped apart.
The Spider Queen was displeased with this result. Originally, she planned to lop off Li Qingshan’s limbs before slowly torturing him, but the toughness of his skin was simply unexpected.
However, the end result would all be the same.
Toxins entered Li Qingshan’s body through the wounds, spreading rapidly like something living. It dissolved his skin, flesh, and bones.
“Suppress!”
Li Qingshan bellowed out, and the spirit turtle’s daemon core shone brightly. Waves of light suppressed the toxins like clear water, halting their spread before forcing them out of his body.
Eight streaks of poisoned blood flew out. One streak landed on the city below, and in the blink of an eye, it produced a great pit in the ground. The potency of the venom was as clear as day.
The Spider Queen frowned. She opened her red lips slightly and spat out an invisible strand of silk, but it was even more terrifying and elusive than the legs.
“Tremor!”
Li Qingshan raised his arms and bellowed out. He threw a punch at the Spider Queen’s face, launching a desperate counterattack.
The Spider Queen took a step back. She was not afraid of his punch. She just did not want to be hit by him. However, she ended up retreating first in this battle, which made her utterly furious.
Li Qingshan had never planned on landing a punch like that on the Spider Queen in the first place. His fist struck the air, and the power of the Tremors of the Ox Demon whistled out.
The shockwave ripped open cracks in the air between them, tearing through the spider silk and spreading in the direction of the Spider Queen without harming the terrace beneath them.
After reaching the fourth layer of the ox demon, Li Qingshan had reached a new level with this ability of the ox demon. It had become his most powerful offensive ability.
“What is this power!?”
The Spider Queen felt her skin sting as if it were about to be ripped apart. Her snowy-white skin immediately became a silvery-grey, flashing with a metallic sheen.
Li Qingshan’s strongest attack had only managed to leave behind a series of hairline cracks on her body, like fractures on a vase.
A wound like that was absolutely nothing to her. She made a full recovery in the blink of an eye, but it completely aggravated her. A Daemon General under her command had forced her back and injured her. She had truly been humiliated. She opened her mouth and screamed.
Cobweb city trembled gently. Countless pieces of loose rock fell down as Li Qingshan felt an ear-piercing buzz fill his mind.
The night roamers that were still in the city all clutched their ears and began circulating their true qi and spiritual qi to block. The weaker ones directly died as they bled from their orifices. The other night roamers dared not to linger around for any longer, fleeing out of the city.
Spider Queen Lolth remained in human form with the upper half of her body, while the lower half had already become a spider. She was like a precise killing machine, radiating with a terrifying and strange sense of beauty. She spread her silver arms in a striking position.
The Spider Queen vanished. All Li Qingshan saw was her scarlet red dress that dragged along the ground dance like flowing fire.
So fast! She’s become even faster! I almost forgot she’s also a carapaced daemon. The toughness of her body is her strong point.
Li Qingshan spread his wings and glided backwards, stopping in the middle of the air. He raised his right arm and called out, “Wait!”
The Spider Queen appeared, stopping on the edge of the terrace. Her blood-red eyes stared straight at Li Qingshan. There were no emotions that befitted her humanoid form. It was just a stare of death that a predator gave to its prey.
“You can’t kill me! You can’t break the rules of the daemons!”
Li Qingshan said that like he was regretting his actions, making one last struggle in the face of death. However, there was no fear on his face at all. There were even hints of excitement.
“I won’t kill you. I will torture you viciously. I will make you feel fear and despair, such that you’ll wish you were dead!”
A malicious sneer appeared on the Spider Queen’s silvery-grey face, like a delicate mask.
“Is that all you want? You just want me to wish I was dead? Is that enough to satisfy you?” Li Qingshan smiled.
“What are you trying to say?” The Spider Queen became rather puzzled.
“Haven’t I mentioned it a long time ago already? Now, I accept your invitation.”
Li Qingshan walked over, reaching a distance of absolute danger. He extended his hand towards the Spider Queen who seemed like a seductress in the legends.
Curious, the Spider Queen did not attack him or immediately try to kill him. She suddenly understood what he was saying and turned back to human form. Her skin turned back to a snow-white. She extended her hand and lifted Li Qingshan’s chin as her scarlet lips curled into a mesmerising, bloodthirsty smile.
“You really are a brave child. Though, that suits my tastes perfectly!”
By “taste”, she definitely meant it literally.
“Perhaps. I just want to have some fun before dying.” Li Qingshan laughed aloud and wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her in. They made their way up the terrace, towards her chamber.
Mortal enemies in battle had become close lovers in that instant, but this was not some shitty plotline of “love from hatred”. Instead, it pushed their antagonism for one another to the limit. It hid the most terrifying killing intent.
The rule that daemons were forbidden from killing one another was not absolute. Habits and nature surpassed this rule. The Spider Queen had a natural tendency to kill and devour her mate. If Li Qingshan took the initiative to sleep with her, then he would become a target that she had to kill. Even the Dragon King of Ink Sea would not be able to blame her.
I’ll give you a reason to break the rule and kill me!
Li Qingshan thought. Wherever they walked past, the terrace collapsed loudly, as if it was cutting off his path of escape, while up ahead was the Spider Queen’s dark, gloomy nest.
Normal battles were worth absolutely nothing to the tiger demon. Even with Strongboulder’s daemon core he had devoured, the effects of foreign substances would be extremely limited.
Only through battle, battle between life and death, frenzied, maddening battle, would the tiger demon be excited and unleash its true power.
If he was unable to break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, his chances of escaping from the Spider Queen’s hands would be pitifully small. It would be very likely for him to end up as the Spider Queen’s food, dooming him for good.
However, when he made up his mind and decided to carry that heavy promise of beyond the Nine Heavens on his back, it became fated that he would not be able to hide anymore and advance forwards carefully, cautiously and safely. All he could do was stride ahead and throw himself into the face of danger.
The Spider Queen was obviously extremely terrifying, but compared to the enemies of brother ox, she was probably just a tiny spider!
Remember, don’t lower your head to anyone, to anything. You have once ridden on my back.
Lofty sentiments rose up in Li Qingshan. His fear, his worries all vanished. In the moment he stepped through the door, a strange thought crossed his mind.
Qiongzhi, you can’t blame me. This is infidelity with my life on the line!
The Academy of the Hundred Schools, Benevolence island, within a white room enveloped by formations.
This was a room completely sealed off from the outside world. There were no windows. Apart from a bed, there was not a single piece of furniture. The six snow-white walls were layered with flickering inscriptions.
However, these formations and inscriptions were not for killing or trapping, but for healing.
“My sword, my sword!”
Fu Qingjin jerked awake. He extended his hand and reached about randomly, as if he was trying to grab something.
He had a nightmare. In the nightmare, he lost something extremely important. If it was possible, he would rather use his own life to trade for that item.
“It’s broken.” Ru Xin said straightforwardly as she stood to one side with her arms crossed, earning herself a glare from Hua Ci.
As the two most skilled in medicine within the Clear River prefecture, the two of them were responsible for healing Fu Qingjin. Fu Qingjin’s wounds were not particularly heavy. His injured organs and shattered bones might have been fatal to regular people.
However, they could be easily healed for cultivators. And, most of these injuries did not come from the moon demon, but from using the heart of the sword. They had come from the Green Ruins sword overusing the body.
“It’s broken?”
Fu Qingjin murmured to himself. Ru Xin’s two, simple words were like lightning to Fu Qingjin.
The memories he refused to accept gradually filled his mind.
The nightmare had become real!
“Fellow Fu, your life bound weapon was destroyed, so your mind was injured. If you spend your time recuperating quietly, your cultivation won’t regress too much. You’ll still be able to maintain your Foundation Establishment cultivation.”
Hua Xi was dark-skinned and skinny, not particularly attractive, and his voice was rather cold. However, it did have a power to comfort others.
“Though, you’ll just be a regular Foundation Establishment cultivator, and one at early Foundation Establishment. Regaining control over the Daemon Suppression alliance won’t be possible.” On the contrary, Ru Xin’s face was fair, gentle and delicate, while her voice was soft and amiable, yet what she said could shatter hearts.
Hua Ci could no longer bother with glaring at her anymore. He continued to comfort patiently, “You’ve already been extremely fortunate that your life and cultivation’s intact. As for anything else, it’s best if you stop obsessing over them. It’ll be detrimental to your recovery.”
Ru Xin continued, “It’s all thanks to the moon demon who showed some mercy and spared your puny life. You should treasure it.”
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Chapter 483 – Chu Tian Emerges from Seclusion
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Chapter 483 – Chu Tian Emerges from Seclusion
Fu Qingjin seemed to revolve between heaven and hell. When he heard Hua Ci’s words, his expression eased up slightly, but when he heard what Ru Xin said, he became overcome with anger.
“If you want to talk more nonsense, get out of the room!” Hua Ci barked.
“I’m only letting him know about the current situation so that he can accept reality. It’s stimulation therapy. You dark-skinned old man, don’t be so fierce with me. We’re both Foundation Establishment cultivators now!”
Hua Ci’s face became even darker, but he felt rather helpless. He apologised to Fu Qingjin, “Fellow Fu, my disciple’s words have always been unpleasant, so please don’t take them to heart.”
Ru Xin sighed gently. “Anyway, just recuperate in peace! It’s not like you have anything you can count on anymore now that the Green Ruins sword is gone.”
Fu Qingjin stared at the snowy-white walls before him in a daze. His face changed constantly as he recalled everything that had happened in the past. The more he thought, the more furious he became, and the more pain he felt. In the end, a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he collapsed on the bed, fainting again.
“Are you satisfied now?” Hua Ci examined Fu Qingjin’s pulse in a hurry. Only when he confirmed the man had just fainted out of anger did he stop worrying.
“Humans sure are fragile!” Ru Xin lamented.
“Why did you set him off like that?”
Hua Ci was rather confused. He understood that Ru Xin was a person with a sharp mouth, but rarely did she go out of her way to target someone like this. Especially when it came to someone she was unfamiliar with, she knew self-restraint extremely well. At most, she would joke around a little.
“I just find him annoying.”
Ru Xin shrugged and turned around. With a wave of her hand, a door appeared on the snowy-white wall.
A group of cultivators from the Daemon Suppression alliance waited outside. They gathered over as soon as they saw Ru Xin and began blurting out.
“How is fellow Fu doing?” “How are his wounds? Has it affected his cultivation?”
“You have no reason to worry, everyone. Fellow Fu’s injuries are fine. His life bound weapon was damaged, which injured his mind. He needs to recuperate quietly, so it’s best if you don’t disturb him for now. I’m going back to my dwelling. I’ve specially prescribed him some medicine that can soothe his mind.”
Ru Xin bowed gently and calmly answered them. Her voice was soft, like the meekest and kindest girl in the world.
“Contact the Sword Collection palace!” “We’ve already contacted them, but they’ve given no reply.” “The daemons are completely out of their minds. They’ve actually destroyed one of the Ten Renowned Swords, the Green Ruins sword. The Sword Collection palace will never let this matter be.”
“With how great the Sword Collection palace is, there’s no need for us to worry about this. We better think about what we should do instead! Without the Green Ruins sword, he’s merely a young junior. How is he supposed to control the overall situation?”
“I think the moon demon has absolutely no interest in fighting with us. Otherwise, he could have easily killed us all. The war shouldn’t continue any longer. With all our disciples, surely we can’t remain in the Rose Cloud sect forever.”
“Yeah. We’re cultivators, so we should focus on cultivation and pursuing longevity and enlightenment. Why must we be constantly entangled in conflict like regular people? Why don’t we just engage in peace talks with the daemons?”
“Peace talks? You want to be a traitor?”
“Who’s the traitor? You better make this clear!”
They’ve always been in conflict, engaged in constant scuffles with one another. They had just forcefully mashed together. Now that Fu Qingjin’s control is gone, they’ve immediately fallen into disunity, each with their own thoughts. Let alone waging war against the daemons, but it would already be quite impressive if they managed to avoid going to battle with one another.
Ru Xin thought to herself. She passed through the corridor, and the sounds of discussion gradually vanished. She arrived outside. The sky was overcast with endless drizzle. Mist surged atop the Lake of Dragons and Snakes. The many islands of the academy were shrouded in the rain and mist.
Gazing into the distance, Cloudwisp island stood hazily within the mist. She murmured to herself extremely softly, “The moon demon, Northmoon… Li Qingshan?”
All these startlingly precious spiritual herbs, the close connection to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death, the behaviour after drinking the Water of Oblivion, and, even until now, his absence.
These various clues merged together and called upon a certain answer, but she stopped thinking too deeply into it.
Who doesn’t have secrets? Why should I probe into it?
It’s not like I’m his woman.
“What’s that?”
At this moment, Ru Xin gazed over and saw a streak of five-coloured light rush into the sky above Contention island. It flew over to Cloudwisp island, circled around a few times, before suddenly changing direction and flying towards her.
“Ru Xin!”
The five-coloured light landed on Benevolence island and dispersed. Chu Tian’s figure appeared, radiating with arrogance. He smiled confidently and gazed at Ru Xin with deep love, calling her name.
“Chu Tian?” Ru Xin raised an eyebrow.
“I reached Foundation Establishment!” Chu Tian held his chest up in high spirits. Five-coloured light flowed around him as he seemed like a proud rooster.
“Oh. Congratulations.”
“Actually, I’ve always known that you have a very favourable impression of me, senior sister. But, I’m aware that a mere Qi Practitioner, a puny man, is unworthy of you. Now, I, Chu Tian, am willing to accept your feelings. I will protect you forever!” Chu Tian said slowly.
“This-” Ru Xin, who had always been so clever with her mouth, was actually left speechless this time. There was nothing she could say in response to him. She felt like a bolt of heavenly lightning from Zhou Tong had struck her.
“I may have many women, but my feelings towards you all are sincere. I will treat you all as equals. You will all be my most beloved women!”
“This-” Ru Xin originally thought Chu Tian would slowly mature after going through many aspects of life and being set back a few times by Li Qingshan. Only now did she learn she had been far too naive.
There were many cultivators on Benevolence island, who all looked over now.
Ru Xin felt a sense of deep humiliation for Chu Tian. She felt uneasy, afraid to answer him. She felt like if she answered him, she would be pulled into a situation that was just as embarrassing and be completely humiliated.
If Li Qingshan’s mouth was even half as sharp as this bastard’s, I’d never bicker with him again!
“I know, it’s all because of Li Qingshan. He pesters you shamelessly, getting in our way. I will prove to you that compared to a genius like me, Li Qingshan is an insignificant piece of trash!”
Seeing Ru Xin’s “hesitance”, Chu Tian immediately discovered exactly where the issue lay. The issue was his great enemy, Li Qingshan!
He had gone to Cloudwisp island to find Li Qingshan immediately after emerging. Although he had just reached Foundation Establishment, he was much more powerful than regular early Foundation Establishment cultivators, as he practised the Palm of the Five Elements. He was absolutely confident he could get his revenge.
With Ru Xin’s behaviour, old and new hatred filled his mind. He bristled with danger.
“I know where he is!”
Riding on five-coloured light, Chu Tian took off into the air.
“Oi, wait!”
Ru Xin remembered that if her conclusion was correct, then it was very likely he was not in his dwelling. If an observant person discovered this, it would probably raise suspicion.
“The moon demon is so powerful. The Green Ruins sword is now broken, while the Lightning Slaughter sword is lost. Just who else does our Clear River prefecture have that can contend with him?”
The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the academy gathered on Contention island for a meeting. They were all rather dejected. The advantage they had built up over the three years of war had been reduced to nothing. The scarlet-haired, scarlet-eyed figure weighed on their hearts like a mountain.
“Perhaps there’s no need for us to contend with him. I don’t think the moon demon has ever actively worked against us. He has only been targeting the Daemon Suppression alliance the entire time. He might be a daemon, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be reasoned with!”
Liu Zhangqing stroked his long beard. Right now, he had a particularly favourable impression of the moon demon. Originally, the moon demon could have slaughtered them all, but he even went as far as defying the Spider Queen’s orders to spare them. His behaviour could be interpreted as an attempt to make peace.
And, the phrase, “From whichever direction the winds leap, I remain strong, though dealt many a blow” had been extremely lofty and fascinating. Let alone daemons, most of his confucian disciples could not even create a poem like that. He was a daemon, but he was still worth admiring.
Of course, without a foundation of great strength, it would be impossible for Liu Zhangqing to think like this even if Northmoon recited the anthology of Three Hundred Tang Poems.
“I agree with sir prefect. Actually, even if humans and daemons can’t get along peacefully, there’s no need for us to take it as far as mutual destruction. For example, the Mist province right now. The Treaty of Kings ceased to exist a long time ago, and there are no limitations on conflict, yet a new order has arisen from the conflict. It hasn’t descended into full-scale war like us.”
“When the founding emperor united the world, did he not have the support of daemons? It was the founding emperor who granted the title of the Ten Daemon Kings, allowing them to stand on equal footing with the various lords and kings of the eight provinces. The Hawk God is even the highest commander of our Hawkwolf Guard. No matter how powerful the Sword Collection palace is, are they bold enough to look for trouble with him in the Dragon province? Purging the world of daemons has always been absurd and unrealistic.”
“The Green province has gone for several millennia without war, leading to far too many cultivators and daemons. They have accumulated too much strength, which they needed to release. The Treaty of Kings is no longer suitable for the given circumstances. As a result, I don’t think the higher ups set up this game of chess for us to exterminate one another, but for us to find a balance.”
Hua Chengzan spoke eloquently, truly taking the future and the bigger picture into account. He earned a series of nods from the other cultivators.
Liu Zhangqing said, “Then where do you think this balance is?”
“I’m not sure about that. That’s not something we can decide alone. The moon demon is a good opportunity for us to sit down and talk about it. I’m just worried right now that the moon demon has openly disobeyed the Spider Queen, so she’ll never let him off so easily. If that’s the case, we might really have to keep fighting until one side perishes completely.”
“In other words, I should be praying for his well being!?” Zhou Tong, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly kicked over the table and raged.
Hua Chengzan said, “Senior Zhou, if we really can talk with the moon demon, we might not necessarily be unable to retrieve the Lightning Slaughter sword.”
There was nothing Zhou Tong could say with that. He was not a sword cultivator, but to him, the Lightning Slaughter sword was worth no less than the Green Ruins sword to Fu Qingjin, as it was a crucial item for surviving his second heavenly tribulation. No matter how ill-tempered he was, he could not neglect his own life.
Hua Chengzan said, “Then let’s see how the daemons respond.”
At this moment, a powerful aura rushed into the air.
Wei Yangsheng opened the window and took a look. He smiled. “Junior brother Chu has reached Foundation Establishment!”
Liu Zhangqing beamed inside. Just like that, his school of Confucianism had gained another Foundation Establishment cultivator. Hearing Chu Tian shout Li Qingshan’s name, he sighed. “He still can’t let go of his grievance with Qingshan.”
Wang Pushi said, “Where has that kid run off to recently anyway? Even when we message him, he doesn’t respond.”
Hua Chengzan said, “He’s probably cultivating in the Chain mountains. He might have reached an important point, so he can’t reply… Hmm? Chu Tian seems to be flying off in the direction of the Chain mountains!”
“Let’s go take a look! We can’t let them fight to the death!” However, what Liu Zhangqing implied was giving them another opportunity to see who was stronger.
Chu Tian was a disciple of confucianism after all. Having been defeated so many times, even Liu Zhangqing became embarrassed. Now that he had attained an initial mastery over the Palm of the Five Elements, he should be able to win for once and redeem some of his lost pride.
All Ru Xin saw were streaks of light rising up from Contention island, with Liu Zhangqing in the lead.
“There’s going to be trouble now.”
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Chapter 484 – The Guardian King Subdues Demons
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Chapter 484 – The Guardian King Subdues Demons
Dark clouds wrapped round the Chain mountains, drenching the verdant shrubbery.
The lingering clouds and mist hovered between the mountains, moving with the wind and rain.
Rain water flowed down the stone plate with the three words “Qing Xiao’s Home” engraved.
Behind the heavy stone door was a large, empty cavern. White flames burned upwards, like an upside down waterfall of fire.
Unlike regular flames, they were peaceful and quiet, giving off no sensation of heat at all. Instead, they were indescribably, bone-chillingly cold.
Twenty skulls surged up and down in the flames, opening their mouths and closing their jaws, creating a chatter. It sounded like a soul-stealing song from hell, yet it also sounded like the chanting of countless monks.
It was evil and sacred, eerie and majestic.
The source of the flames was Xiao An. Her seaweed-like hair rippled like the fire. It was like the flames and skulls all came from her imagination.
Xiao An formed a seal with her hands as she chanted a sutra. She seemed like a meditating monk at first glance, but the seal was not a buddhist seal, and the sutra was not a buddhist sutra.
Suddenly, she pointed at the sky, and all the flames condensed with that. All the skulls gathered together, revolving above her head. She opened her mouth and spat out a white prayer bead. As it spun around, it turned into a huge skull, pure-white and shiny, glimmering with light.
The lustre of the other twenty prayer beads improved with that, becoming even more powerful.
Xiao An waved her hand conveniently and the twenty-one skulls turned into twenty-one prayer beads, returning to her wrist and forming a string.
She had finally taken another step forward with the demonic artifact of white bone, the Skull Prayer Beads. At the same time, she had completely consolidated the first layer of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, advancing with her cultivation.
The twenty-one prayer beads represented the ten bhūmi, the ten pāramitā and buddhahood of buddhism. In her hands, they obviously possessed a completely different implication. Those who were not well-versed in buddhism would not be able to understand.
TL: I believe the twenty-one prayer beads basically represent the different steps to buddhist enlightenment. The ten bhūmi are ten different steps, while the ten pāramitā are ten different qualities that enlightened beings possess. You can read more about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bh%C5%ABmi_(Buddhism)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81
On the surface, the string of prayer beads shone with pure, buddhist light. They were righteous, legitimate buddhist artifacts.
She casually picked up a prayer bead and that was enough to rival the strength of an arcane artifact. Any single Skeleton Demon was enough to kill regular Foundation Establishment cultivators. Under her mental control, the twenty-one Skeleton Demons could fight alongside her with their minds connected, which endowed them with even more startling power.
It was possible to say that she alone was equivalent to an army of cultivators. She could influence the division of power within the entire prefecture.
Xiao An thought of Li Qingshan and became slightly uneasy. She immediately took out the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase and used the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots to practise divination.
Before long, she received the results, which made her expression change slightly.
The divination revealed that Li Qingshan was in danger. He was basically surrounded with killing intent and an aura of death. He was in dire straits.
Xiao An immediately climbed to her feet, but she heard calls and curses from outside.
“Li Qingshan, get out here! I know you’re in there!”
Chu Tian used the Palm of the Five Elements and sent it towards the entrance of the dwelling. Five kinds of spiritual qi—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—rose and fell in an endless cycle.
In the beginning, the hand flickering with five-coloured light was only a few meters across. As it rapidly absorbed the spiritual qi of the world, it reached several dozen meters across in the blink of an eye, slamming against the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks and producing a great boom that echoed through the mountains.
The Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks obviously could not be destroyed so easily, but the person inside was unable to sit still anymore with the disturbance.
Sure enough, the door to the dwelling opened loudly a while later.
A slender figure walked out. Xiao An scanned around, and her gaze skimmed past the mountains wrapped in mist, landing on Chu Tian. She hid a white bone sword in her sleeve, deciding to kill this person first.
Chu Tian felt his head buzz. He directly became dumbstruck. So beautiful. That was beauty he was unable to describe. He had spent his entire life as an unrestrained romantic, having lovers everywhere, but this was the first woman that had managed to make him fall in love at first sight. If he could obtain her, he was willing to pay any price.
Xiao An had never been one to blabber. Since she had made up her mind, she immediately went about it.
But at this moment, a few streaks of light shot over from the horizon.
“Chu Tian, don’t be impulsive!” Liu Zhangqing called out.
The bellow finally made Chu Tian return to his senses. He clasped his hands. “I’m Chu Tian. May I ask for your esteemed name, ma’am? If I have disturbed you, please forgive me!”
Xiao An said nothing. She considered whether she should kill all the people here and then rush off to help Li Qingshan. No matter where she wanted to go right now, she probably could not shake off these people, which would only increase their suspicion.
Perhaps there were a few acquaintances of Li Qingshan among them, but to her, Li Qingshan took priority over everything else. Even if he would scold her after this, she still would not bat an eye.
“Xiao An, where’s Qingshan?” Seeing how it was her who had come out to receive them while Li Qingshan was nowhere to be seen, Liu Zhangqing could not help but become rather puzzled. With Li Qingshan’s nature, he would definitely accept all forms of provocation or challenge.
“Cultivating.” Forced to answer, Xiao An spat out a single word.
In the blink of an eye, over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators had hurried over. This was a battle among the geniuses of the academy. Basically everyone wanted to catch a glance of it.
Of course, there were a few who were uninterested, but just a handful. The central force of the academy had basically all gathered here.
If she led them into the dwelling and activated the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks, she had a certain degree of confidence in being able to slaughter them all.
“What? You’re Xiao An!?”
Chu Tian was taken aback. Obviously, he had a deep impression of this genius that even surpassed him. However, he never imagined the little girl of the past would actually turn out like this.
“Tell Li Qingshan to drag his ass out here!” Chu Tian almost went crazy from jealousy as his hatred for Li Qingshan intensified further. However, he had already made up his mind to viciously defeat and humiliate Li Qingshan so that he could save Xiao An from his demonic grasp and then take good care of her.
Unity between geniuses went without saying, right?
Xiao An remained silent.
“Chu Tian, don’t forget about the courtesy of confucianism. Xiao An, so many of us have come, so why don’t you invite us in?”
Under the gazes of numerous pairs of eyes, Xiao An lowered her head and rubbed the Skull Prayer Beads on her wrist. She was just about to invite them in like what Liu Zhangqing had said.
Suddenly, she thought of something and said, “I can’t.”
“Why?” Liu Zhangqing was stunned.
“He’s cultivating. He can’t be disturbed,” Xiao An answered calmly. She scanned the horizon from the corner of her eye. Someone was watching from the sky, even higher than Foundation Establishment. She could not kill them.
“I think he’s just afraid! He knows he’s not granddaddy Chu Tian’s opponent, so he’s decided to hide and be a coward. He’s sent you out to deal with me. Can’t be disturbed? Hmph, I’ll do exactly that.”
Chu Tian used the Palm of the Five Elements and swung it towards the mountain again.
“Chu Tian, don’t act recklessly!” Liu Zhangqing said. If Li Qingshan really was at a crucial moment in cultivation and ended up suffering from qi deviation due to being disturbed, it would be bad. At this moment, a streak of golden light shot past him.
Xiao An raised her right hand, but what flew out was not the white bone sword, but a vajra sword. A curved streak of light forcefully severed Chu Tian’s Palm of the Five Elements.
Xiao An took a step forward, and golden light surged from her body, turning into a guardian king that stood several dozen meters tall in the blink of an eye. It wielded a huge vajra sword as it glared at Chu Tian furiously.
Xiao An had not spent any special effort on practising the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual. Compared to the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, it was like comparing the curriculum of a primary school to the curriculum of a university. It was far easier to cultivate than the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots. It was just a matter of making use of what she already knew.
Mind Enlightenment was among the crowd too. When he saw Xiao An unleash the avatar of the guardian king, he was stunned. He practised this cultivation method too, and he had even used it to clash with Xiao An in the past. That was the reason why he ended up spending three years wall-facing, finally achieving enlightenment.
He was confident that his comprehension of this cultivation method had already surpassed Xiao An’s, as her time and energy was split between multiple cultivation methods. Only now did he realise the difference between them. When he unleashed the guardian king’s avatar, it seemed like a statue in a temple. Although it also flickered with light, it seemed to be coated in a shell of golden paint. It still seemed like an inanimate object.
Yet, Xiao An’s avatar had eyes flowing with light and a sash that drifted about slowly. Every single crease in its robes were distinct, constantly rippling about.
Its face was also filled with fury, but from the delicate details, its expression seemed alive. Its muscular body was filled with power, like a real guardian king had actually appeared before them.
“You- Alright, I’ll show you my power first then!” Chu Tian was alarmed, but it also roused his fighting will, which made him want to unleash the fruits of his cultivation and demonstrate to Xiao An. I’m a genius on par with you, not a piece of trash like Li Qingshan!
At this moment, Xiao An took a step forward and stepped into the air.
The avatar began to change as well. Its colossal body gradually shrunk as its muscly arms gradually became slender. The distinct lines melded together too.
The anger on its fierce expression was slowly pacified, turning into the gentle face of a woman. Her appearance was rather similar to Xiao An’s, also possessing a red mole between her eyebrows. She wore a golden crown on her head, which made her seem gentle and majestic, magnificent and solemn.
“This-” Mind Enlightenment was tongue-tied. He had never heard that the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual could undergo such a transformation.
Guardian kings were protector gods who served as guards to the buddha. Most of them wielded vajras, which was why they were also called vajra. Legend had it that they were originally fiends, and the buddha subdued them. All of them resembled fierce-looking men. Never had there been a vajra that looked like this.
The guardian king leapt up, and its sash flew into the air.
Chu Tian dared not hold back. He struck out with full force.
The Palm of the Five Elements filled his vision. The guardian king extended her slender hand, matching Chu Tian’s palm strike.
You had just gotten lucky earlier. Now that you’re actually taking me on in an open confrontation, don’t blame me for injuring you.
Chu Tian thought. Just as he felt proud of himself, an unbelievably tremendous power emerged, forcefully collapsing the Palm of the Five Elements.
Spiritual qi scattered, and the guardian king leapt out from the five-coloured light, swinging down with the vajra sword in her right hand!
“Protection of the Five Elements!” Chu Tian bellowed out. He raised his hands towards the sky, and the five elements in him condensed together, rapidly circulating about.
The strike was not particularly sharp. It just fell ordinarily.
Blood spattered, and the vajra sword directly cut through the Protection of the Five Elements, landing on Chu Tian’s right arm.
Chu Tian was fear-stricken. He pulled himself back in a rapid retreat, wanting to say something, but a slender hand of golden light emerged with a flash and grabbed him by the throat. His skin split open, and his flesh was ripped apart, reaching all the way to his vertebrae. She wanted to forcefully snap his neck.
The reversion of victory happened far too quickly. No one had imagined Chu Tian could not even withstand a single attack from Xiao An, nor did they imagine her to strike so viciously. Xiao An was about to behead Chu Tian, but it was already too late for them to save him.
An old monk with a grey beard and hair in monk’s robes arrived before Xiao An in a single step. Emotion and praise filled his eyes.
“Truly an outstanding disciple of mine! One Will, master’s come to take you back to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga!”
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Chapter 485 – The Maze-like Cobweb City
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Chapter 485 – The Maze-like Cobweb City
Cobweb city was empty.
All the night roamers had fled far away, returning to their cities. They were afraid of becoming involved with the greatest social upheaval underground in the past millennium.
As for the large figure who carried the Spider Queen towards her chamber, everyone labelled him as dead inside before gloating over the fate that awaited him. They did so even though that was their newest ruler, even though he was much more benevolent than the Spider Queen.
But they could not help it. This was the nature of night roamers. They would cheer for the misfortune of others, particularly for those stronger than them.
However, Li Qingshan’s steps were extremely firm, and the female daemon in his arms was extremely light. Her black hair that had been tied up draped down, swaying gently with his footsteps.
The hysterical, sharp, and venomous anger had already vanished from her face completely. Her graceful body rested in his arms meekly, and her slender arms wrapped around his neck. Her scarlet lips formed a mesmerising smile, kissing Li Qingshan’s neck gently and leaving behind a soft, moist mark.
In truth, she did not really care about the end result of this game of chess. Bloodshadow and Strongboulder’s mysterious deaths displeased her, just like two chess pieces she found extremely convenient to use had suddenly been snatched from her.
She only had one goal in mind with everything she did—to please herself.
Great power and a lengthy lifespan would always make people reveal their true selves. Human cultivators might have been bound to morals and ethics, but daemons had always done whatever they wanted.
Having reached this stage of the game, something darted out all of a sudden, making it unexpectedly interesting. This was all thanks to him. When she considered she would soon entangle with him before tasting his blood and flesh, all of her dissatisfaction, no matter how great, vanished without a trace.
She would restrain him firmly and nibble away at his limbs bit by bit while he remained conscious. Would he howl out and plead for mercy? Or would he resist in silence?
She was as excited as a little girl in love. Sweet anticipation filled the unknown future. It had already been many years since she last experienced this sensation.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the gloomy hall. Li Qingshan dared not relax his guard.
When her lips kissed his neck, who knew whether she would bite down deeply in the next moment and inject lethal poison into him. When she wrapped her arms around him, who knew whether she would snap his neck in the next moment.
According to past information, the Spider Queen would not usually take such action. She would only kill and eat after she had enjoyed herself.
However, it felt like constantly tampering with a bomb. Even though all your experience told you it would not explode as a result and blow you to pieces, no one could truly relax either.
At the same time, her body gave off a strong, primitive temptation, with her enchanting appearance, graceful figure, voluptuous chest, and slender legs.
Even the seductive Ye Liubo paled in comparison to her.
Li Qingshan slowly became excited. His blood flow increased as his heart beat sped up as well.
Conquering powerful members of the other gender seemed to be an instinct of males, like defeating a powerful opponent. The lethal, omnipresent danger instead became the most enchanting part of her many charms.
Passing through the long corridor, Li Qingshan finally arrived in the very centre of Cobweb city, the chamber of the Spider Queen, or in other words, the spider’s nest.
It was an unbelievably vast hall. Even if a thousand people gathered here, it would not feel cramped at all. The beautiful sculptures and murals eulogised her strength and cruelty.
In the centre of the hall, sixteen pillars surrounded a circular stone platform that seemed to take up half the size of the moon.
If it were not for the draping layers of black veil and the thick, silken bedding, basically no one could imagine it was a bed. It seemed more like an altar.
In the rumors of the night roamers, it basically symbolised exactly that. No one could leave here alive.
Li Qingshan began to chuckle. His laughter echoed through the spacious hall, breaking the ancient silence.
The Spider Queen leaned against her arm, laying on the soft bedding as she gazed at Li Qingshan in abundant interest.
At that moment, she did not seem proactive. She was like a noble queen, waiting for her servant to please her. Her figure protruded from under her scarlet dress.
Li Qingshan did not consider himself as a servant. With a rip, he directly tore off her long dress. Her snowy-white figure was completely presented before him.
Li Qingshan did not hold back, throwing himself on top and directly grabbing the plump, snowy peaks he had been longing for all this time. He actually struggled to gain a proper grasp with a single hand, moulding them to whatever shape he wanted. He did not show any tenderness at all. The strength he used was enough to twist steel.
The Spider Queen only began to giggle. She raised her hands and wrapped them around his neck, burying his head viciously into her chest.
Deep among the drapes, soft laughter, gasps, and moans rose and fell together, echoing through the empty hall.
In the darkness, after who knew how long.
Li Qingshan’s eyes shone in the darkness. The Spider Queen lay atop his body with her disheveled hair draping down. Her face was blushed in an enchanting manner, and their bodies remained closely connected, giving off a smooth, scorching sensation.
The frustration he had pent up across all the years had finally been released. He did not treasure her tenderly at all, completely going about it on her soft, charming body as an invader and conqueror. Combined with his great strength that was enough to split mountains, it was almost brutal.
From how she frowned from time to time, it seemed to cause her quite a lot of pain too. After all, there was not a particularly large difference between them in terms of strength alone.
However, this seemed to suit the Spider Queen’s tastes, finding pleasure within. Although she would constantly fight back with her claws and teeth, leaving behind injuries on him, it was more like a response of ecstasy than revenge.
Li Qingshan’s vigour seemed endless, pouring it all into a similarly bottomless gully.
The Spider Queen propped herself up and touched Li Qingshan’s face. She smiled. “I’m really quite reluctant to kill you, but I still want to eat you more.”
To her, this had also been an unprecedented experience of pleasure. She pursed her lips and licked Li Qingshan’s face gently with her tongue, as if she was debating between her lust and her appetite. However, the end result had obviously been set in stone already.
Prey would only continue to exert itself if you gave it some hope. She had already decided on squeezing out the final bit of use from Li Qingshan.
Now!
Li Qingshan knew the time had come. If he continued, he would only be wasting away his physical strength. Using the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he suppressed the lust within him, and his mind immediately cleared up.
He directly used the power of the Tremors of the Ox Demon, wanting to knock the Spider Queen away for a battle to the death.
“Ahh!”
An extremely loud moan interrupted Li Qingshan’s thoughts. There was some pain, but most of it was pleasure.
The Spider Queen laid down on Li Qingshan again as she grumbled, “Why didn’t you use this earlier?”
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to respond. I haven’t practised this innate ability for you to use it like that.
He also felt secretly astounded. He had unleashed the power of the Tremors of the Ox Demon while maintaining direct bodily contact. Even if the Spider Queen was a Daemon Commander with an extraordinarily tough body, it was impossible for her to go unscathed. It only meant she was truly a deviant.
“Continue!” the Spider Queen grabbed Li Qingshan’s throat and ordered sternly. To her, as long as the injuries were not too severe, they would not pose much of a problem. She could recover in the blink of an eye. However, the waves of pain from the bottom of her heart had completely become a part of her pleasure.
Li Qingshan thought that if they began fighting right now, a large difference still existed in their strength. Before he could break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon under the pressure, she would have instantly slain him already. This was a good opportunity to waste away her daemon qi. Even though it was merely small wounds, it would definitely still play an effect once it accumulated to a certain degree.
As a result, Li Qingshan rested his head on his arms and constantly launched “attacks” at the Spider Queen. He had the Strength of the Earth anyway, so he recovered rather quickly.
When he looked at the Spider Queen’s ecstatic expression, he thought of a saying for some reason, Even if I tremor another thousand times, I won’t even be a millimetre closer to your heart…
“If you’re willing to stay here forever as my servant and pay for your actions, I can consider temporarily sparing you.”
After who knew how long, the Spider Queen caressed Li Qingshan’s face. She seemed much more weary than before, and sweat covered her smooth, white skin. Her voice had become much softer too.
At least it proved that Li Qinshan’s efforts had not been useless. Her heart was a millimetre closer now, considering how it was possible for her to never find such a convenient, humanoid toy again. Her lust began to overwhelm her appetite.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Li Qingshan turned down this request mercilessly. Making him remain here forever as a prisoner was impossible. It was the exact opposite of his original intentions of coming here.
“That’s a pity. Though, that’s not for you to decide.” The Spider Queen opened her mouth and spat out a strand of spider silk, wrapping around Li Qingshan’s neck.
Li Qingshan had already been prepared. He threw a punch.
Of course, he focused all of his power of tremors in that punch this time.
Unexpectedly, the altar-like bed suddenly collapsed. They fell down together.
Just how much strength did the two of them possess? Although they also had great control over their strength, after spending so much time entangled, there would still be moments when they forgot to control their power.
To be able to last until now, the bed already proved how exquisite the craftsmanship of night roamers could be.
Li Qingshan’s sudden attack was the final straw.
Beneath the heavy, stone bed was a huge, cylindrical cave. It had a ceiling that was almost a thousand meters tall, passing through the entire city. Circular staircases were scattered in the surroundings.
This was the path Li Qingshan had taken the first time he had come to Cobweb city.
As they fell, the two of them finally separated. The Spider Queen opened her mouth, but she no longer spat out only a strand of silk.
Li Qingshan dodged the silk, but it expanded beneath him instead, turning into a spider’s web. Catching him off-guard, it wrapped around him, trapping him firmly in the centre like an insect.
The Spider Queen landed on the edge of the web. Her slender arms overlapped as she stood gracefully on a strand of silk. Her face had a hint of lethargy as she rubbed her smooth abdomen.
“Northmoon, I originally wanted to spare your life, but upon further consideration, I might have your child in me already. It can’t go without the nourishment of its father’s flesh and blood, right? For the sake of our child, you can die in peace!”
As her lust dispersed, her instincts to devour her partner gained the upper hand. She was on the verge of killing.
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Chapter 486 – The Spider’s Venomous Kiss
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Chapter 486 – The Spider’s Venomous Kiss
The sword qi shredded the severed part of the arm in the air.
“Y- y- I will never spare…” Chu Tian clutched his wound and gazed at Xiao An, overcome by surprise and anger.
If his arm had only been cut off, then it should not have been too great of an issue as long as he reattached it in time and underwent treatment. However, since it was destroyed, then it would be troublesome.
Even for daemons with their vigorous life force, it would take quite the effort to regrow limbs. To humans with pitifully weak life force, it was extremely difficult, essentially impossible for it to self-heal.
However, before Chu Tian could say much at all, Liu Zhangqing covered up his mouth and bowed. “Greetings, Annihilum Light Chan Master.”
Chu Tian was trying to declare revenge right in front of the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard against his beloved disciple. Even if buddhism was about benevolence, they were still fierce like guardian kings. Even if he killed Chu Tian on the spot with a palm strike, Liu Zhangqing would not be able to vent his grievances anywhere.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master nodded gently, and the shine in his eyes subsided. His expression immediately became blank, which happened to share some master-disciple resemblance with the always expressionless Xiao An.
Liu Zhangqing let out a sigh of relief inside. If he were an elder of the Sword Collection palace, Chu Tian would have been a dead man already. If he came from the Umbral Yin sect, it would be even worse. Even his soul probably would have been taken away by now.
The other cultivators around all went up and bowed too. This was the most basic courtesy they had to show towards cultivators of a higher realm. Surprised gazes all swept past Xiao An uncontrollably.
For the entire time, everyone had treated divination as her greatest power. They did not place much focus on her strength.
After all, a Heavenly Meridians prodigy was only worth something as a Qi Practitioner. Once they reached Foundation Establishment, they would be in an entirely different world. Only with today did they learn what the capable was almighty meant.
Among them, Liu Zhangqing had personally taught Chu Tian the Palm of the Five Elements, so he understood the power of this cultivation method the most. Even he could not penetrate Chu Tian’s Protection of the Five Elements so easily.
The new was truly superseding and replacing the old. Geniuses would always emerge in swathes when the world was changing, becoming as numerous as schools of carp migrating. Ten years ago, Hua Chengzan had already been regarded as a startling genius. Talent like what Chu Tian possessed was already equivalent to one-in-a-century geniuses.
Yet, under Xiao An’s radiance, even Chu Tian was overshadowed. He had come for revenge, only to dig his own grave.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, Chu Tian should have been in his prime in terms of vigour. However, not only did he lose an arm, humiliated tremendously, but he could not even spit out a vicious threat. As such, pent-up bitterness filled him. The spiritual qi of the five elements constantly surged in his sea of qi as his face varied between scarlet red and purply green.
“Chu Tian, Chu Tian!” Liu Zhangqing was the first to notice that something was amiss. He called out his name several times, but Chu Tian did not respond. “Oh no, he’s suffering from qi deviation!”
If handled well, simultaneous cultivation of the five elements resulted in mutual promotion of the five elements, but if handled badly, it resulted in mutual regulation. It was much easier for something to go wrong compared to practising a single type of spiritual qi. In the past, it had been relatively easy for Chu Tian to control five types of true qi with his Five Elements constitution. However, spiritual qi was different from true qi. After establishing a foundation, the advantages that came with a constitution diminished drastically. A much larger focus was placed on the cultivation of mentality and temperament.
Chu Tian had always been a rash and short-tempered person. He had rushed over here for revenge the moment he succeeded with Foundation Establishment before becoming heavily injured and overwhelmed with anger. He had fluctuated between his positive and negative emotions far too quickly, which was beyond what his mind could withstand.
Chu Tian’s eyes were wide open. Although he did not faint, the flow of qi and blood in his body completely reverted, leaving him immobilised.
Liu Zhangqing was afraid to recklessly suppress what was going on with his spiritual qi. He was afraid of setting off the five element spiritual qi in Chu Tian’s body and making it become even more violent.
“Prefect Liu, hand him to me!” Ru Xin drifted over. With a wave of her hand, a large, green leaf lifted up Chu Tian. She prodded a few pressure points on his chest before returning to the academy.
Everyone had become rather worried with what they saw. Qi deviation was a great menace among cultivators. Only heavenly tribulations were more threatening than that.
Once they encountered that, their cultivation would regress drastically if they were lucky, or they would die on the spot if they were unlucky. Even if Chu Tian managed to keep his life intact, he was basically regarded as dead as a genius.
From the beginning to the end, Xiao An did not even glance at Chu Tian. She had basically been expecting all of this with that strike of hers. Even if the Annihilum Light Chan Master had not interfered, she would never kill Chu Tian in front of so many people. That would lead to a lot of trouble.
Chu Tian had not suffered from qi deviation just because of his rash and short-tempered mentality.
There was basically nobody who understood the value of the body to a cultivator better than her. Having condensed flesh and blood and refined her body countless times, she possessed an extremely deep understanding of every single blood vessel and meridian that ran through the body.
The human body was like a world, complete with yin, yang, and the five elements. Perhaps this object known as a vile skin-bag in buddhism was not as tough as the bodies of daemons, but it did hold a cultivator’s soul. Once balance was lost in a certain part, resulting in damage, it would set off a chain of reactions.
If a regular person lost an arm, they would be disabled at most, but to cultivators, particularly someone like Chu Tian who cultivated the five elements, the effects would be much more than that. She understood this the most as someone who practised seven types of spiritual qi.
However, Chu Tian did lose his balance much faster than she had anticipated. But regardless, he would not be able to cause any more problems.
There were many insightful and knowledgeable cultivators present, but no one had thought of this. Even Liu Zhangqing believed that Xiao An had only cut off Chu Tian’s arm after being angered.
This was because her behaviour the entire time seemed rather naive, or perhaps dim. She seemed like she had absolutely no concept of how to conduct herself. That was only because she basically never responded with emotions or feelings aside from when she was with Li Qingshan. Her ability to comprehend and her intelligence that even the black ox had praised had been completely unleashed.
Ru Xin drifted away on the green leaf and glanced at Xiao An from afar. This child is a little terrifying!
Xiao An dispersed her guardian king’s avatar and brought her hands together, bowing towards the Annihilum Light Chan Master. “Disciples One Will greets master.”
The Annihilum Light Chan Master had no other reason for coming this time. He had been paying attention to the situation of the Clear River prefecture the entire time, and he had told Mind Enlightenment to constantly send him information regarding Xiao An.
He had been prepared to take action the moment Xiao An reached Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment was only the foundations of a formal disciple in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. Only with this foundation could they comprehend buddhist dharma of greater depth. However, reaching Foundation Establishment at such a young age was very rare even with the past disciples of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga in perspective.
However, that happened to be when the war in the Clear River prefecture was most intense, with various people observing. It was inconvenient for him to directly fetch her, as it would weaken the strength of the human cultivators.
He waited until the decisive battle between Li Qingshan and Fu Qingjin, when the chess game began showing signs of coming to an end. He rushed over immediately and ran into this out of pure coincidence, and he chose to watch on silently from the sky. He wanted to see what level the youngest disciple of his could reach after establishing a foundation.
In the end, even his heart that had become as still as an ancient well began to ripple. He was quite overjoyed by this. If she had not been born with the roots of wisdom and a natural aptitude for buddhism, how could the Guardian King’s Scripture of Demon Subdual transform like that? If it were not for the fact that the Green province had no esoteric buddhist sects, he basically would have suspected her to be the reincarnation of a certain eminent monk.
Then, the Annihilum Light Chan Master said, “You still haven’t answered me with whether you’re willing to return to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with me.”
“The chaos in the prefecture has yet come to an end. The daemons stand strong, and it is a deciding moment of the academy’s fate. I am indebted to the school leaders’ kindness, so I cannot leave right now. Please forgive me, master.”
Xiao An said expressionlessly as she tried to think of a method to get away from everyone so that she could venture underground and lend Li Qingshan a hand.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master was present. No matter where she went, she would struggle to avoid his watch, and it would only lead to problems for Li Qingshan. If his identity were exposed, neither the Human nor Daemon race would accept him anymore. He would become a traitor spurned by both sides.
This time, Li Qingshan was helpless. He could only rely on himself. Perhaps this had been his plan all along.
Deeply entangled in the spider’s web, Li Qingshan struggled as hard as he could. He possessed almost-divine strength that could split open mountains, yet he was unable to break free from the spider’s web composed of thin strands of silk.
A Daemon Commander’s daemon qi flowed through them. Let alone the silk Lolth had spun with care, even a piece of rotten wood would become as tough as steel once imbued with a Daemon Commander’s daemon qi.
The Spider Queen was completely bare. She moved her perfect, slender legs and walked towards the intersection of the silk with her especially petite feet. The part between her legs was vaguely visible. Her dark hair flowed from her snowy shoulders, covering her proud, erect chest. The lingering charm that followed intercourse remained on her face.
Her figure and posture was enough for most men in the world to throw themselves at her like moths to a flame. Even if they knew it would be certain death, they would still want to catch a whiff of her.
“Just stop struggling and save some strength. That way, I can still use you a few more times. Though, I’ll have to eat your arms and legs first.”
“It’s a pity that I’ve already gotten slightly sick of you.”
Li Qingshan laughed loudly. The power of the Tremors of the Ox Demon filled his body, unleashing from every inch of muscle on him. The spider web trembled violently.
The Spider Queen’s expression changed, becoming twisted with fury. Who knew whether it was because of what Li Qingshan said or what he did, or perhaps a combination of the two.
In that instant, she vanished from her location, lunging towards the centre of the web. It was better to describe her speed as instantaneous movement rather than lightning-fast.
Her claws reached towards Li Qingshan’s shoulders at top speed. If she managed to gain a grasp, Li Qingshan would have to leave behind his forelimbs even if he objected. Otherwise, he would become wrapped up in close combat that he had no chance of winning.
However, Li Qingshan seemed to be prepared. His right arm suddenly broke free from the web, directly hurling towards the Spider Queen’s beautiful face.
Li Qingshan had begun using the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression a long time ago to push his mental processes to a state of intricacy. In the moment the Spider Queen vanished, he experienced a strange sensation as if he could predict her next move. It did not come from close analysis. It was purely a feeling.
With his punch, the Spider Queen’s sudden lunge seemed more like delivering her face to his fist.
Bang!
However, Li Qingshan failed to achieve the intimate contact with her face as he wished.
In that critical moment, the Spider Queen used her superior reaction to catch Li Qingshan’s fist. A silvery-grey colour began to spread, dyeing her entire body rapidly, which made her seem like an exquisite metal sculpture.
The power of Tremors of the Ox Demon produced cracks in her silver palm, but that was it.
“These puny tricks of yours only have some use in bed!” the Spider Queen said coldly, biting towards Li Qingshan’s neck.
This time, it was no longer a passionate kiss, an intense act of love. Instead, she wanted to inject venom directly into his body. This was completely different from the weak poison on her legs.
She only needed a single kiss and that would be enough to destroy all of Li Qingshan’s abilities to resist.
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Chapter 487 – Facing the Spider Queen
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Chapter 487 – Facing the Spider Queen
Her current form should be one of her innate abilities. Her defences are ridiculously tough, so I completely lack the means to deal a life-threatening wound to her right now. However, she only needs to bite me or trap me in her web and I’d probably be done for.
The constant warnings from the spirit turtle’s daemon core had already become pointless. All it told Li Qingshan was, You can die at any time. Obviously, he knew that already. He needed no warning.
The Spider Queen’s venomous teeth were inches away, but her left hand maintained a firm grip over Li Qingshan’s right fist, while her right hand grabbed his left shoulder like a vice, pushing him firmly against the web. He could not move.
Li Qingshan could not dodge, nor could he escape. He could only take her on in a battle to the death.
“The Ox Demon Butts its Horns!”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head. He completely unleashed the pair of sharp ox horns engraved with “Northmoon”, butting towards the Spider Queen’s throat.
Even the Spider Queen was reluctant to clash with the toughest part of Li Qingshan’s body. She tilted her head gently to avoid it. Although she had failed to deliver a venomous kiss as she wished, this was not enough for Li Qingshan to break out of the dire straits she had placed him in.
The slender fingers on her right hand had already stabbed into Li Qingshan’s shoulder. Crippling his arm was merely an issue of time. Simultaneously, eight legs turned into eight blurry shadows as they darted out from behind her.
This time, they were not stabbing out, but “embracing”. They were like eight extended arms, reaching around Li Qingshan and pulling him firmly into her arms.
A mesmerising smile that Li Qingshan found extremely familiar appeared on her silvery-grey face. It only appeared during the extreme pleasure of intercourse. If intercourse gave her physical pleasure, then she was experiencing mental pleasure currently. She was enjoying the primitive delight of hunting prey as a predator, but it made her seem especially cold and eerie.
Once she embraces me, I probably won’t be able to break free ever again! I refuse to believe my innate ability only has a use in bed. Tremors of the Ox Demon, shatter!
Li Qingshan unleashed as much of the power of tremors as he could again. He felt like thousands of zither strings had snapped on him as the tough spider web finally ripped apart from the vibrations.
He used all of his strength to forcefully wrench his fist back from the Spider Queen’s hand. A few streaks of blood spattered from his shoulder, now with five additional bloody holes. He had directly abandoned a portion of his flesh.
Finally, his body was free once more. He fell downwards, and the wings of wind unfurled to their full extent, sweeping downwards like wind blades.
The Spider Queen’s smile became even more enchanting. Just like her tastes for other things, she liked an intense, stimulating performance. The more her prey struggled, the more excited she would become. She raised her hands and casually smashed apart the wings of wind.
However, Li Qingshan had already achieved his objective. He had widened the distance between them with a flap of his wings.
The wings of wind condensed once more and flapped desperately, rushing downwards as quickly as they could.
Fortunately, the Spider Queen was not particularly proficient at moving through the air. This was expected; after all, she was a daemon that lived underground.
The Spider Queen flipped in the air and landed on the vertical wall dexterously, running downwards along the wall.
Each step she took would blast open a gaping hole in the wall. Using this to advance, she accelerated instantaneously, turning into a silverish-grey shadow. She completely shook off the rising dust and falling rocks behind her.
As the king of the underground world, she had never required the ability of flight in the first place.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between them once more. The Spider Queen smiled at Li Qingshan and opened her mouth, spitting out swathes of silk that rapidly fell towards Li Qingshan.
If Li Qingshan dodged, then the web would unfurl beneath him and trap him once again. However, he came up with a plan with only a single thought. Taking in a deep breath, he opened his mouth wide and whistling gales surged out violently like a passing typhoon.
The spider web was extremely tough, difficult to break with brute strength alone, but it was exceedingly light. It began to shift from the fierce gales or open up prematurely.
Li Qingshan used this breath of his to widen the distance between them once again.
With a great boom, he travelled through several thousand meters and struck the bottom in the blink of an eye.
Li Qingshan came to a halt.
How could the Spider Queen let such a good opportunity slip by? Suddenly, she stopped and bent her slender legs, like springs being pushed to the limit. She unleashed all of her power abruptly and shot downwards like a silver streak.
At this moment, she had completely lost interest in fooling around anymore. To be able to escape from her hands consecutively, he possessed strength that definitely did not belong to a mere Daemon General. He basically showed signs of crossing the chasm between Daemon General and Daemon Commander.
Not only did he have numerous innate abilities, but he also grew at a startling rate. If she allowed him to continue growing, eating him would become more and more difficult. She definitely could not allow him to escape again. She had to trap him in spider silk as soon as she caught him, and then she could deal with him slowly!
This thought flashed through her head. Suddenly, she saw a scarlet figure appear on a spiral staircase on the side. It leapt up and lunged over. Its scarlet hair and eyes were exactly the same as Li Qingshan’s.
The Spider Queen was slightly taken aback before realising this was his mirror clone.
Li Qingshan had already begun mobilising his mirror clone to set up an ambush the moment he entered the Spider Queen’s chambers. He had been waiting for this moment.
The mirror clone was much slower than his original body, so he had it lying in ambush here. Moreover, it had launched an attack when the Spider Queen had struck out with full strength, when she was unable to maneuver freely.
The Spider Queen did not dodge, but she did raise a hand and grab the mirror clone’s head. Her fingers dug in viciously, and with a crack, blood began to flow.
Li Qingshan felt his head ache. His mirror clone and he had always been sharing the same mind. It was not a regular clone; instead, it was equivalent to another body of his.
There was absolutely no time to use daemon qi to repair the mirror clone. The crushed head of the mirror clone shattered like a watermelon as blood and brains scattered everywhere.
The sensation was absolutely horrible.
But at last, he had stalled the Spider Queen for a moment. By the time she looked over again, Li Qingshan had already vanished. A hole the size of a person appeared in his place.
“You think you can escape?” The Spider Queen sneered and rushed into the hole as well.
Soil squeezed inwards from all directions. The path ahead had also been sealed. She was unable to sense Li Qingshan’s aura at all.
The Spider Queen’s eyes lit up, and four halos appeared in her eyes. Her gaze immediately penetrated the rock and soil, seeing where Li Qingshan was.
Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you won’t be able to escape from me.
She began to circulate her daemon qi, smashing through the rock and soil in direct pursuit. At her level of cultivation, an obstruction of soil was almost no different from air or water. She could easily carve out a path.
The thick soil and rocks parted to the two sides in front of Li Qingshan before closing up again behind him. After reaching the fourth layer of the ox demon, his usage of the power of tremors had increased in intricacy, and he vaguely gained some ability to control earth.
Strongboulder’s daemon core in his belly shrank before he knew it. The daemon core was of the earth element, so the spirit turtle’s daemon core composed purely of the water element could not absorb it. Instead, it had merged with his body, making him even tougher.
After digging who knew how deep, he became surrounded in thick earth all around. The tremendous, venomous daemon qi behind him rapidly drew closer.
Finally, Li Qingshan stopped, turned around, and faced the incoming daemon qi.
His battle spirit began to rouse!
He did not want to flee either! Fleeing blindly would only prevent the tiger demon from freely unleashing its murderousness, making it even more impossible to break through to the fourth layer.
He was choosing an appropriate place to fight, as well as waiting for an appropriate moment for battle.
Now, it was here. It was time.
Come, ma’am Spider Queen!
I’ll have you witness the power of your child’s father!
Although the earth was not a particularly effective obstacle to the Spider Queen, it was like a human swimming through water; it would not be as easy as walking along the ground. Her speed would still be affected to a certain degree.
By now, the smile on her face had already vanished completely. It had been replaced with vicious, terrifying killing intent. Although she enjoyed the process of hunting prey, if the prey managed to escape too far away, the predator would only appear to be incompetent.
Suddenly, she saw Li Qingshan stop.
“Have you finally given up on the pointless struggle?” The Spider Queen’s voice reached Li Qingshan’s ears through the thick earth.
Li Qingshan instead made his way towards her. His expression was calm and composed as he said, “The Ox Demon, with its Great Strength, Sinks in the Mud. As long as I still have a shred of strength left, I will continue my struggle forever, even if I am in dire straits, even if I have no chance at victory!” He smiled and changed the topic. “Not to mention that I already have a thirty percent chance at victory now.”
“What? Thirty percent? Are my ears deceiving me? Do you really think you have a geographical advantage by remaining in the soil?”
The Spider Queen sneered. Her hand shining with a silvery-grey lustre pierced the earth easily. With her five fingers together, she stabbed it towards Li Qingshan’s heart like a sharp blade.
Li Qingshan’s response, unsurprisingly and simply, was a punch. But this time, he did not use the Tremors of the Ox Daemon. He even purposefully minimised the consumption of daemon qi, using the strength of his body alone.
And, his fist did not pierce the rock and soil like the Spider Queen’s attack. Instead, earth began to amass in layers on the fist, like a huge, heavy glove. However, the power and speed behind the punch did not decrease at all.
As a result, the Spider Queen only saw a huge boulder amassed from earth hurtling towards her, but she completely ignored it. Her hand cut through Li Qingshan’s “glove” easily, and using her superior speed, she skimmed past the punch and stabbed towards Li Qingshan’s heart with great precision.
As for the incoming rock, it crumbled as soon as it made contact with her silvery-grey skin, unable to pose a threat at all.
Since she knew Li Qingshan’s strength was relatively greater, there was obviously no reason for her to take on his attacks openly. All she needed to do was use her superior speed and reactions to gain an absolute upper hand.
Even if Li Qingshan could predict her next move, she could react in time and block his attack or avoid his defences. Although they were deep underground, his disadvantageous circumstances did not seem to change at all.
The Spider Queen’s sharp, red nails came in contact with the skin on Li Qingshan’s chest. All she needed to do was push a little harder, and it would pierce him through the heart. A hand extended over from the side suddenly and gripped her wrist firmly.
Li Qingshan snickered. “In the earth, your movements have slowed down slightly, while my reactions have sped up slightly.”
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Chapter 488 – Back to the Wall
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Chapter 488 – Back to the Wall
Li Qingshan could clearly sense the movements in the earth around him. Although he could not see it with his eyes or hear it with his ears, the Spider Queen’s attacks were no longer so unfathomable anymore.
It was just fish swimming through water. No matter how fast or nimble they were, they would always cause disturbances in the water.
However, Li Qingshan did not use these “disturbances” to deduce her location. Instead, he directly fused with the earth. When she split open the earth, he could grasp the trajectory of her movements with how the earth shifted. Naturally, his reactions became slightly faster.
His strength seems to have increased. My strength is already regarded as rather powerful among Daemon Commanders. That means he has indeed reached the realm of Daemon Commanders in a certain aspect. Is this all really because of his bloodline as a descendant?
The Spider Queen pulled her hand back, but it failed to budge, which left her slightly surprised.
One of the two major innate abilities that came with the fourth layer of the ox demon, the Strength of the Earth, had changed before he knew it.
If the thick earth only served as a powerful backing to him in the past, then he now seemed to have merged with it, with strength flowing through him at all times. It was as if he could continue fighting for eternity.
“Hmph, you want to engage in close combat with me? You’re digging your own grave!” The Spider Queen made use of the situation to advance boldly.
In that instant, Li Qingshan’s pupils became clear. The boundless sea in his pupils clearly reflected the Spider Queen’s figure. All he saw was an image of a slender, silvery-grey blur sweeping towards his waist like a battle-axe.
He could even estimate the power of this strike. His kidney would definitely become heavily injured.
Yet, the Spider Queen had only just begun lifting her leg.
Li Qingshan rejoiced slightly. The spirit turtle possessed the ability to divine the future and foresee danger.
However, after reaching the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, he had never come across any opponents that had forced him into such dire straits. As a result, this power had never been unleashed.
Only during this battle today did this feeling become clearer and clearer between the constant life-threatening danger.
Sure enough, people were made with pressure. Daemons were also made with pressure.
Speaking positively, the spirit turtle was obviously a divine beast that pursued good fortune and avoided disaster. Speaking negatively, it was just a coward, afraid of death and fleeing in the sight of danger, avoiding all threads of karma and taking on absolutely no risk at all.
I’ve become so conservative in the past few years probably because of its influence. Sure enough, the life right now is what I want! I want to fight the strongest enemies and sleep with the most beautiful women, uh, female daemons!
Boom!
The Spider Queen’s foot landed on Li Qingshan’s hand!
The Ox Demon Butts its Horns!
Li Qingshan produced a crazy howl that resembled both an ox and a tiger. Using both hands, he forcefully dragged the Spider Queen over and lowered his head to butt her.
Boom!
The Spider Queen twisted her body. The free foot stamped viciously on Li Qingshan’s head, kicking off to free her arm and leg and using the force to fly off. The tremendous shockwave pushed aside all the soil beside them, creating a small cavern.
Li Qingshan’s head spun. Although the skull was the toughest part of him, he still experienced splitting pain after taking on a kick from her. He shook his head hard and laughed wildly. “Once I defeat you, I’ll fuck you again!”
“That’s quite arrogant of you!” the Spider Queen barked furiously, but she felt surprised inside.
What was going on? She clearly still possessed the upper hand. She had even landed a kick on him earlier, so why was he becoming even more arrogant and fearless? He did not behave like he had a thirty percent chance at victory, but rather that victory was already within his grasp. Did he have some sort of powerful trump card?
“An old brother of mine once told me that if I don’t even have the courage to say a few bold words, I might as well go back to farm work!”
Li Qingshan had no trump card at all. He only felt extremely delighted. He was fighting the terrifying Spider Queen underground, beyond the light of day. If he lost, then only death would await him. If he won, there would be quite an impressive reward.
Even if he could spend an entire life in the mountain village peacefully and happily, it would not be able to compare to the glory of this moment. He had cast the issue of death aside a long time ago. Right now, he was merely enjoying himself.
“You’re just bluffing!”
The Spider Queen sneered. Her silvery-grey body vanished and appeared before Li Qingshan. She raised her arms high into the air as eight shadows whistled over.
Every single part of her body—her hands, legs, knees, and elbows—could be unleashed as lethal weapons. Like a heavy storm, it landed on Li Qingshan. His head, chest, belly, and legs were basically attacked at the same time.
Li Qingshan lost his senses that came with the earth. Even if he could predict the Spider Queen’s movements, his reactions could not keep up with the Spider Queen’s responses.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous rumbles constantly erupted on Li Qingshan’s body. The force leaked into the surroundings. Just when the cavern began showing signs of collapse, it was immediately crushed and made even tougher.
The eight legs danced about as messy shadows, leaving behind wound after wound on Li Qingshan’s tough skin. In the blink of an eye, toxins ate away the wounds, turning them horrifically bone-deep.
A silvery-grey shadow circled around Li Qingshan, ripping off chunks of his flesh and devouring it. All Li Qingshan could do was barely guard his vital points.
However, his wild laughter had never stopped.
Ignoring his wound-ridden body, he refused to let a single opportunity to attack slip by with the spirit turtle’s predictions, barraging the Spider Queen’s body as if he wanted to trade injuries with her.
The Spider Queen endured a few punches too, but her response was nothing special, as not only were his punches without any innate abilities, he had not even used daemon qi. It was only brute force.
After another series of clashes, the Spider Queen pulled back.
“What, are you tired? Keep going!”
Li Qingshan asked. He no longer had a single piece of his body intact. Cracks riddled even his bones inside. It was impossible to connect his face to the concept of handsomeness anymore.
His left cheek had completely collapsed—the result of a side kick. As for his right face, it was even more terrifying. The venom had eaten away at it, leaving his gums and teeth completely exposed.
His throat gurgled as if he was laughing, but he could no longer use his facial muscles to express this feeling. Only his eyes continued to shine as he stared at the Spider Queen.
He was right. The Spider Queen did feel slightly exhausted. Even with her powerful body as a Daemon Commander, it was impossible for her to maintain such intense attacks. She gazed at Li Qingshan and thought to herself doubtfully, Isn’t he tired?
The part that astounded her the most was not even this. His reactions and speed seemed to be gradually increasing, and he was extremely sensitive to lethal attacks. He would often be able to dodge in the most effective way in the critical moment and avoid lethal wounds.
Of course, the price for that was often a horrific wound. If it were not for the fact that the spirit turtle’s daemon core had replaced the function of most organs, he would have collapsed already.
“Why should I waste energy on a corpse?”
The Spider Queen sneered. Her venom had already invaded every part of his body. Although the venom in her legs was not as potent as what she could directly inject him with, it was still relatively terrifying when it built up bit by bit.
Now, she only needed to wait for the venom to kick in and completely destroy Li Qingshan’s body.
“Then you might be disappointed.”
“What?”
At this moment, Strongboulder’s daemon core that Li Qingshan struggled to digest in his belly suddenly erupted with rings of greyish yellow light.
The Strength of the Earth was an ability that connected with the boundless will of the earth, and this earth element daemon core was condensed from the essence of the earth. Normally, it would not be easy for him to digest it.
But at this moment, when his body was on the verge of collapse, the earth all around him provided aid to him, the child of the earth on the brink of death.
Strongboulder’s daemon core began to respond too, spinning around and releasing waves of daemon qi that merged with his body.
His wounds recovered at a visible rate. Black, poisoned blood flowed out from them. The residual poison no longer posed as too much of a problem, as after digesting Strongboulder’s daemon core, his body had become stronger and stronger.
The Spider Queen could not help but be taken aback. She did not know about Strongboulder’s daemon core. She thought Li Qingshan had been hiding an ability that could heal his wounds.
“What, are you done resting? Or have you used up all your strength in bed and no longer possess the energy to fight? If that’s the case, you might as well just bend over!”
Li Qingshan twisted his head. With a crack, he moved a few dislocated vertebrae back into place. As he smiled viciously, his eyes gradually went from being scarlet to blood-red.
As he devoured Strongboulder’s daemon core, the killing intent in the daemon core completely erupted all at once.
In his sea of consciousness, the tiger demon roared wildly and bounded about, becoming larger and larger and filling his entire sea of consciousness. It brandished its teeth and claws as it broke out, like it had broken out of a cage.
A tiger’s markings appeared on Li Qingshan’s face. His long canines protruded, and his hands turned into tiger claws. A tiger tail dragged behind him, waving around like a steel whip. He had turned into a humanoid tiger.
Wondrously, his mind became exceptionally clear in that moment, as if his soul had been projected from his body, gazing over himself from above.
Li Qingshan arched his back and bent over. His murderousness and killing intent was completely withdrawn, like a vicious tiger about to pounce onto its prey. There were no singing birds or chirping insects. The entire forest fell silent.
This is my best opportunity at breaking through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon. Once I fail, I don’t have a second daemon core to heal myself-
His thoughts came to a halt. Violent killing intent dominated everything.
Roar!
With a tiger’s roar, his murderousness skyrocketed!
The Spider Queen could not help but take a step back before feeling deeply humiliated. Had a mere Daemon General frightened her? Even if you recover a hundred times, I’ll defeat you a hundred and one times. No, this time, I’ll kill you here.
Her layered pupils locked onto the incoming Li Qingshan. She opened her mouth slightly, but silk did not spray out immediately. Instead, she paused for a moment to build up daemon qi. Just how powerful would an attack be when even she needed to build up to it?
In that instant, thousands of strands of silk emerged from her vermillion lips.
Her spider silk had previously managed to pierce the arcane artifact, the Bronze Cauldron of the Four Cardinal Directions, and kill the sect master of Bronze Cauldron mountain inside. Its penetrative power was so great that it was even sharper than the Green Ruins sword that Fu Qingjin wielded.
The Spider Queen had made up her mind. She gave up on her plan to capture Li Qingshan alive and torture him slowly. She wanted to kill him in a single stroke.
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Chapter 489 – The Fourth Layer of the Tiger Demon
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Chapter 489 – The Fourth Layer of the Tiger Demon
Since the very beginning, the Spider Queen’s objective with Li Qingshan had been to capture him alive before tying him up and slowly enjoying him. The pain and despair of the prey had always been the most important component of this dish.
Once she lost that component, all that remained for her to do was “eat”. However, before she ate, she still wanted to have some fun. She wanted to cut off his limbs and treat him as a toy in bed. After all, prey that could satisfy her desires were simply too rare.
As a result, she had never really planned on killing him, which was why Li Qingshan had managed to last until now. If she tried to kill him right from the beginning, perhaps it would have been completely impossible for Li Qingshan to burrow into the ground alive.
The close combat earlier seemed extremely intense, but she had plenty of opportunities and methods to kill Li Qingshan. But that way, it would be very difficult for her to control her power. It was possible for her to kill him directly, and if she forced him into dire straits, it was possible for him to directly blow up his daemon core.
It was exactly because of these various considerations that she had chosen the unwise plan of wasting away Li Qingshan’s daemon qi and physical strength. By then, it would already be too late if he wanted to blow up his daemon core.
However, the situation did not unfold as she had expected. Not only did Li Qingshan avoid being worn out, but he even riled up in vigour instead and used his daemon qi extremely conservatively.
The situation was becoming complicated, which was rather disadvantageous to her.
Of course, that was all, just disadvantageous.
She recovered from her exhaustion in a single breath. Although she had depleted a lot of daemon qi, it recovered quickly too.
Most importantly, she had decided to “kill” at this moment.
The moment she made up her mind, the spirit turtle’s daemon core in Li Qingshan’s body gave off a stern warning. It was almost an omen of death.
The strands of spider silk all flew over. Li Qingshan could not make any response in time. No matter what action he took, he could not avoid the fate of becoming riddled with holes.
“Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!”
Li Qingshan bellowed out and hexagonal pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell layered in front of him.
Time seemed to slow down. A ripple seemed to be produced as each strand of silk came in contact with the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, but it was impossible to discern because hundreds of strands struck the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell at the same time.
Instead of being penetrated, it was probably better to describe the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell as being annihilated.
Li Qingshan’s daemon qi depleted rapidly. There were no longer any tricks he could use anymore. The air filled with spider silk was like the direct advance of a million-strong army. If he did not block it, only death would await him, but even if he blocked it, it would only delay his death.
The silk was not as light as the spider web, which could have been blown away with fierce gales.
The other side of the thousands of strands of silk were still attached to the Spider Queen’s mouth as she constantly channeled in daemon qi. Let alone fierce gales, even axe-swings could not make a single strand budge.
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell was destroyed layer after layer. Li Qingshan’s daemon qi plummeted as the strands arrived right in front of him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a pair of blood-red eyes, Li Qingshan punched out again and again, using the Tremors of the Ox Demon to snap all the silk.
However, the silk strands were endless. At a time like this, even if he wanted to turn around and flee, it would be too late.
Innate abilities consumed daemon qi extremely rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the daemon qi that Li Qingshan had conserved arduously the entire time so that he could use it at a critical juncture had almost run out.
Yet, all the Spider Queen did was stand there, constantly spitting out silk. With this move alone, she had pushed Li Qingshan into unprecedented danger.
This move, the Myriad Threads, also took quite the toll on her. However, as a Daemon Commander, both the quality and quantity of her daemon qi and her recovery rate was well beyond what a Daemon General could match.
In a battle that purely depended on daemon qi consumption, the outcome went completely without saying.
Seeing how Li Qingshan’s daemon qi had almost run out, but he continued to hold on without any intentions of blowing up his daemon core, the Spider Queen’s bright, red lips curled into a victorious smile. His desire to survive was much greater than what she had imagined. If she had known this earlier, she would have never held back in the beginning.
If this continued, she would achieve her original objective. Subduing a Daemon General who had run out of daemon qi was extremely simple.
Li Qingshan threw another punch, but there were no shockwaves anymore. His daemon qi had finally run out.
In that instant, thousands of threads pierced and swallowed him, pushing him until he slammed into the wall behind. He could not move anymore.
The Spider Queen breathed in gently. Her skin went from silvery-grey back to the smooth, snowy-white. As her plump hips swayed from side to side, she arrived before the humanoid figure that had been completely covered in webs.
With a wave of her hand, Li Qingshan’s face appeared without the slightest injury.
In the final moment, she had shifted the threads that shot towards his head, just in case she killed him. Of course, she avoided a certain part down below too.
Apart from those two parts, his body had been completely penetrated by threads, whether it was his limbs or organs. He was like an insect that had been nailed down by thousands of thin needles, completely immobilised. Even blowing up his daemon core had been reduced to a wild wish.
At this moment, even if he broke through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, it would be too late.
The Spider Queen gently caressed Li Qingshan’s handsome face before suddenly landing a slap on his cheek, leaving behind a clear palm print. Then she lifted him by the chin and said, “Now, who’s fucking who?”
“Me fucking you obviously!” Before Li Qingshan could finish, there was a smack, and he was slapped across the face again. His face turned and his scarlet hair flew into the air.
Li Qingshan continued to smile viciously despite facing absolute despair.
He had already used all of his tricks. He had already tried everything he could and did everything he could. When he had completely refined Strongboulder’s daemon core, when he had the greatest hope of breaking through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, all of it had ended in failure before he could even launch a single attack back.
If he had succeeded, all of this would have been different!
However, there were no ifs in life.
The killing intent from Strongboulder’s daemon core receded like the tide, only leaving behind the bitterness of failure. Sure enough, fate never went along with plans!
Hah, it’s not like I’m the Hegemon King of Chu. If my strength is insufficient, then my strength is insufficient. Why should I blame fate?
Do I feel despair? Perhaps!
However, as long he was still alive, even for a second, he would continue struggling until the end. He gazed at the Spider Queen with shining eyes. He did not spit a mouthful of bloody saliva towards her like those revolutionaries. Instead, he calmly tried to put up a struggle, but it was still futile.
Although the Strength of the Earth continued to replenish his physical strength endlessly, every inch of his muscle had already been pierced by the threads. They no longer listened to him. He could not even move his little finger.
The Spider Queen admired this sight in satisfaction. She had finally subdued this stubborn beast. There had never been a prey that made her so excited before.
A hand landed on him below, fiddling around it gently. She licked his face with the tip of her bright-red tongue and whispered into his ear, “Serve me well and I’ll let you live a little longer. If you can satisfy me, I might even spare your life, so you can continue leading the night roamers and serve me diligently.”
To those in despair, nothing was more tempting than hope, just like how drowning people would even desperately clutch at a straw.
Giving him a shred of hope, taming him bit by bit before killing him in the most brutal fashion possible. This was the fate she had set up for him. Only like that could her anger be pacified.
“I still have something on me that your silk can’t pierce.” Li Qingshan smiled.
“What?”
“My bones.”
The bones throughout Li Qingshan’s body could truly be described as the toughest part of him. Even the unstoppable spider silk could only pierce his skin and flesh, forced to bypass the bones.
At this moment, inspiration suddenly flashed through his head.
Even in death, the tiger’s bones stand!
“Then I’ll break them personally,” the Spider Queen said viciously. Abruptly, she saw Li Qingshan shudder and move, leaving her slightly surprised.
“Even if all my limbs and organs have been pierced, my bones can still move.”
As a result, Li Qingshan’s bones began to move. Indescribable agony filled every inch of him. All of his flesh that the spider silk had nailed down was being tugged at, but it did not budge. It was as if he was trying to forcefully separate his bones from his flesh.
Blood flowed along the strands, drenching the ground in the blink of an eye.
Even the torture of death through slow slicing felt enjoyable compared to this.
The Spider Queen smiled again. She enjoyed this kind of death struggle in the face of despair the most, but Li Qingshan’s expression left her rather dissatisfied.
His face did not become twisted from the pain. Instead, it smiled. He thought of a person.
Probably only that mad woman Qian Rongzhi can endure something like this. I won’t lose to her. No, I won’t lose to myself!
Suddenly, Li Qingshan felt like he had been filled with wisdom. All became clear.
I understand!
The figure of the tiger demon appeared in his sea of consciousness again, continuing to howl at the sky. There were clearly no enemies around it, yet it waved its claws and brandished its teeth as if it was fighting something invisible, as if killing intent had filled its mind, sinking into a frenzy.
The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones, with a Frenzied Heart!
But this time, Li Qingshan saw something completely different. The tiger demon did not fight in a frenzy without knowing who its opponent was.
Even if the world was destroyed, even if it killed all life, it would only have one eternal enemy—itself.
If it could not defeat itself, no matter how many opponents it defeated, it was still weak.
Those who dominate others are strong, but those who overcome themselves have strength.
TL: This is a phrase taken from Dao De Jing. It appeared earlier in the novel, in chapter 10.
In order to defeat this enemy forever, all it could do was fight constantly, again and again, to defeat fear, to defeat pain, to defeat setbacks, and to defeat challenges.
Even if it forgot about everything and sank into madness, it could not stop.
I thought the fourth layer of the tiger demon was the same as the three previous layers, only requiring the external pressure of survival and death to stimulate my killing intent and potential for a breakthrough. But that’s not true. This is the tiger demon’s true reason for fighting endlessly.
In the instant Li Qingshan came to this realisation, an intense aura of malice rushed out of his body. It was so wild and so violent that he seemed like he wanted to challenge the world.
The Spider Queen was slightly shocked, taking a step back, but she felt no humiliation. She could clearly feel that Li Qingshan had made another breakthrough, like a demonic blade released from its seal. She actually felt danger.
However, she soon relaxed again and smiled in a self-deprecating manner. He was heavily injured and without a shred of daemon qi. Even if he broke through, how was he supposed to escape from her hands?
As if Li Qingshan was responding to her thoughts, daemon qi flowed into him from nowhere.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core suddenly lit up!
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Chapter 490 – I’m Very Vengeful
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Chapter 490 – I’m Very Vengeful
Li Qingshan’s daemon qi had indeed run out, but there was a power in his body that could be converted into daemon qi. It was much more effective than consuming any type of pill.
It was the power of belief in the Divine Talisman of Great Creation.
The reason why Li Qingshan had not used the Divine Talisman of Great Creation the entire time was not because he was saving it, having anticipated he would break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon at this moment. Instead, given the situation earlier, even if he converted all of his power of belief into daemon qi, it would only help him last a little longer at most.
Compared to that, he was better off saving it and coming up with a way to transform this all-capable Divine Talisman of Great Creation into a final safeguard. Finally, it came into extraordinary use.
The Spider Queen sensed that something was amiss. She swung her hand towards Li Qingshan’s neck, even turning silvery-grey in the process, wanting to directly behead him.
Li Qingshan twisted his head and caught her wrist in his mouth. A shining, scarlet pupil on his turned head stared at the Spider Queen.
The Spider Queen felt her wrist ache, slightly shaken up. She felt something had already changed.
This time, not only could Li Qingshan keep up with her speed, but his sharp teeth could even pierce her silvery-grey skin. The taste of blood flooded his mouth. It was particularly sweet.
“Die!”
The Spider Queen was furious. Her left hand grabbed his head and her fingers dug in. Li Qingshan’s head was about to suffer the same fate as his mirror clone.
However, she failed to pierce anything this time.
The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones. When Li Qingshan broke through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, his skeleton underwent another process of forging, becoming even tougher and harder than before. His bones were naturally strengthened too.
However, he was still immobilised. Even though he unleashed the power of tremors to shake off everything around him the instant his daemon qi recovered, he still could not shake apart several thousand threads in a short while.
She had failed to achieve anything with two consecutive strikes, and the opponent was immobilised the entire time. This left the Spider Queen alarmed and furious. She pulled back, and after a slight pause, thousands of silk strands sprayed out from her mouth, shooting towards Li Qingshan’s head.
He was unable to move his arms, so he could not disperse the threads with his fists like earlier. If he forcefully tried to block with the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, it would fall and collapse in only a few seconds.
Li Qingshan seemed to be done for, unable to escape this time around. However, he grinned wildly as he performed the same action as the Spider Queen, opening his mouth and sucking in hard.
It sounded like a sharp whistle.
However, what he spat out was not silk, but a stream of air that went on to receive the silk.
The strands scattered everywhere as soon as they came into contact with this stream of air.
The fourth layer was an extremely important layer. Among the three cultivation methods that Li Qingshan possessed, the spirit turtle and ox demon had both undergone startling changes with the fourth layer.
Of course, this might have been a false impression of his. Perhaps his powers would undergo a natural evolution once they had accumulated to a certain degree. Regardless, with the breakthrough to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, the two innate abilities corresponding to the tiger demon both evolved.
The stream of air was none other than one of the first innate abilities he had comprehended, the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar.
With the Ox Demon Tramples successfully shedding its status of a “useless ability”, it had never been able to change, and its power was barely satisfactory too, so it became the ability that Li Qingshan used the least.
But at this moment, there were not any wild, whistling winds anymore. All the power had been condensed, turning into a stream of air as thick as an arm. It no longer seemed as powerful as before.
However, the sharpness it contained even outmatched Fu Qingjin’s sword qi, which was why it could scatter and rip the Spider Queen’s silk.
Calling it the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar was no longer appropriate. Just like how the Ox Demon Tramples had become the Tremors of the Ox Demon, he could call this move the Tiger Demon’s Breath from now on!
He’s able to conceal his aura. He definitely must have hidden a portion of his daemon qi earlier, fooling me and preventing me from noticing. Northmoon, I refuse to believe your daemon qi is endless.
That was how the Spider Queen thought. She went with the same tactic as before and spat out spider silk endlessly, but she made up her mind to give him absolutely no more opportunities. She would not stop until he was completely dead.
The breath and the silk constantly collided, one wearing away the other and producing an ear-splitting noise, like a thousand zithers plucked at the same time, resulting in a chaotic symphony.
The drifting silk was tossed around, slicing past the walls and digging in deeply. The ceiling was sliced apart and boulders fell in thunderously. As they landed on the breath one by one, they were silently cut into two.
Compared to the Tremors of the Ox Demon, the Tiger Demon’s Breath was without a doubt much more effective at obliterating the spider silk, but it also depleted daemon qi. Most of the daemon qi that Li Qingshan had completely replenished moments earlier had been depleted before long.
However, unbeknownst to the Spider Queen, Li Qingshan’s trump card, the Divine Talisman of Great Creation, could endlessly replenish his daemon qi. He was not afraid of using it up at all.
Gradually, the Spider Queen began to grow frantic. Less than thirty percent of her daemon qi remained.
Right from the beginning of the battle, her daemon qi had not been at a hundred percent. In pursuit of extreme pleasure in bed, she had allowed Li Qingshan to use the Tremors of the Ox Demon to directly wreak havoc in her body.
Perhaps a single tremor was nothing to her, but after countless times, the accumulated damage was no longer a small deal. It depleted twenty percent of her daemon qi for recovery.
She thought that ten or twenty percent of daemon qi should have made no difference at all. She would not even have to use ten percent of her daemon qi to deal with Li Qingshan. However, during the battle that came after, Li Qingshan was an unexpectedly difficult opponent. Yet now, his daemon qi seemed endless.
Just what is going on? Is he really just a Daemon General?
Finally, all the spider silk in Li Qingshan’s body snapped. He shuddered once more, and all of it flew out like needles as he broke free from the restraint.
The Strength of the Earth immediately came into effect. The wounds that riddled his bright-red heart gradually closed up, and it began to beat once more. Thousands of needles piercing him was brutal, but it was relatively easy to recover from.
Pulses of water spiritual qi surged out from his sea of qi, filling his body. The cool, comforting sensation immediately stopped the pain. Although he was afraid of using spiritual qi carelessly in front of the Spider Queen, it was fine if he only used it inside his body.
Depleting all of his spiritual qi, a high-spirited, unscathed Li Qingshan stood before the Spider Queen once more. He stopped the Tiger Demon’s Breath and laughed wildly. “I’ll fuck you right now!”
The Spider Queen felt like she was trapped in a ridiculous dream. No matter how many times she knocked him down, he would always be able to stand up again and challenge her.
In Li Qingshan’s eyes, the incoming silk seemed to have slowed down all of a sudden. He bent over slightly, and the spider silk flew past his face.
The Spider Queen’s eyes shone. The spider silk suddenly changed in direction, sweeping over like snakes.
Li Qingshan swung his hand conveniently and cut through the silk with his sharp tiger claws. Just when he wanted to lunge towards the Spider Queen, he suddenly came to a halt and leapt up gently. Countless strands of silk shot past beneath him.
It seemed like a white snake had abruptly raised its head and looped back around, lunging towards him with its huge mouth.
Li Qingshan came to a halt. His claws danced wildly in a flurry and ripped the silk apart. Then, he spat out another stream of air. The air swam around him like a snake, shaking off any incoming strands of silk that wanted to use the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
Li Qingshan was like a vicious tiger running and turning within a thick forest knit from spider silk. None of the vegetation could touch him.
The Spider Queen was stunned. The speed and agility Li Qingshan currently displayed seemed to be completely on par with hers.
He was a Daemon General with… the strength of a Daemon Commander, the speed of a Daemon Commander, and the reactions of a Daemon Commander?
A while later, the Spider Queen’s daemon qi dropped to twenty percent. She finally stopped spitting silk.
Li Qingshan used this opportunity to lunge at the Spider Queen, but he saw a sinister smile appear on her face.
Reel it in!
With a thought, a huge web spun from countless strands of silk emerged from the rock and soil, closing around Li Qingshan from all directions.
A while earlier, when her threads clashed with Li Qingshan’s breath, countless strands of silk had been knocked away, deeply embedded into the surrounding walls.
She did not abandon these threads. Instead, she controlled the threads, weaving them together. She was like a spider patiently weaving a web and waiting for prey to fall into it.
Li Qingshan responded immediately. A stream of air struck the web, but it only caused a ripple. He punched out again and again, but the power of tremors struggled to tear through the web too.
Every single thread that went into the web was as thick as a finger, composed of immeasurable strands of silk. It was much tougher than any web she could casually spit out. Once caught, even if he possessed endless power, even with his Tremors of the Ox Demon, it would be impossible for him to break free.
“Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!”
Li Qingshan bellowed out and countless hexagonal pieces formed a sphere, holding back the web.
“I’d like to see how long you can last!” The Spider Queen sneered. She drew in her hand, and the web tightened. Cracks immediately appeared on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell as the threads dug in. It was as if the shell could shatter in the next moment.
“Are you prepared?” Li Qingshan laughed wildly.
“What?” The Spider Queen furrowed her brows.
“What do you think?” Li Qingshan studied her snow-white body, and his eyes shone with an abusive light. He was about to return all the oppression and humiliation he had gone through.
“You’re dreaming!” the Spider Queen barked. The web tightened, and with a crack, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell became riddled with fractures.
“In truth, I discovered your scheme a long time ago. How could you fool me with everything that goes on in the earth?” Li Qingshan laughed.
“If you discovered it, why didn’t you flee?” The Spider Queen was unconvinced, but she could not help but become doubtful inside.
“I was afraid you might flee.” Li Qingshan laughed. “Actually, there’s a flaw with this web.”
“Where?”
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell shattered loudly.
Li Qingshan raised a finger. “It’s you!”
The Spider Queen only vaguely saw two violent blasts of air from Li Qingshan’s back. He vanished in that instant.
She was alarmed, but by the time she had responded, it was already too late. Li Qingshan crashed into her with the web.
“You’ll need daemon qi and physical strength to maintain the web! Now, both your daemon qi and your physical strength should be mostly consumed, right?” Li Qingshan lay on top of her and gripped her slender neck with a claw. He smiled viciously. “I’m very vengeful, mother of my child!”
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Chapter 491 – I Said I Would and I Will
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Chapter 491 – I Said I Would and I Will
The Spider Queen no longer smiled. There was shock, rage, as well as a hint of irrepressible fear.
This feeling had been with her from the day she gained intelligence until the day she broke through to Daemon Commander. After all these years, no one, nothing, had managed to make her feel fear again.
Have I been defeated? No, how can I be defeated?!
The Spider Queen began to struggle desperately. She grabbed his arms and lifted her leg, kicking him in the back.
Li Qingshan smiled viciously. He weighed heavily on the Spider Queen’s snow-white body like a mountain. No matter how she struggled, she did not budge at all.
His arms became riddled with bloody marks, and his back ached from the kick. However, her attacks had ceased to be as sharp as they were in the beginning. They seemed rather powerless.
Having battled until now, the Spider Queen’s daemon qi was on the verge of running out, and exhaustion filled her entire body. Her strength was no longer as great as when she first started off.
As for Li Qingshan’s body, it had become stronger after breaking through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon. He had also used the power of belief to constantly replenish his daemon qi. Due to the Strength of the Earth, he felt no exhaustion at all. In particular, his strength grew further after digesting Strongboulder’s daemon core.
As she grew weaker and he grew stronger, she was no longer able to maintain an upper hand in close combat.
The Spider Queen used her remaining daemon qi to tighten the web, trapping Li Qingshan and choking him by the neck. Her eight legs shot towards him rapidly.
Without even batting an eye, Li Qingshan threw a punch at her belly. It possessed his original strength from the ox demon, the power of tremors, as well as some strengthening from the power of belief.
In that instant, the Spider Queen became dyed with a layer of silvery-grey. The power of tremors was released wave after wave and cracks began to appear on her silvery-grey skin. Before she could even recover, a second punch fell.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Li Qingshan completely ignored the tightening web and incoming legs. He simply hurled his fist at her again and again, venting his emotions viciously.
The web gradually slackened and the legs became powerless. Towards the end, they could not even pierce his Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
Ripples appeared on the Spider Queen’s metallic skin, recovering some of the texture of skin. The silvery-grey colour gradually receded, turning back into snow-white.
Li Qingshan’s punches had depleted the last shred of daemon qi in her. There was no longer enough to maintain the innate abilities.
Li Qingshan casually ripped off the web around him. Without the control of daemon qi, without the tugging of physical strength, the spider web was only an inanimate object no matter how tough it was.
Afterwards, he patted the Spider Queen’s face. “How is it, ma’am Spider Queen? Haven’t I served you well? You love this kind of service!”
“I’m going to kill you!” The Spider Queen’s face twisted, sinking into hysterical anger. She opened her vermillion lips, wanting to spit out a strand of silk to pierce Li Qingshan’s head.
Smack!
A crisp slap landed on the Spider Queen’s face, throwing her face to one side. She suddenly turned back, only to be met with another slap.
Whenever she turned her head and tried to spit out silk, she would earn a slap. After over a dozen slaps, she finally gave up on this action that only invited humiliation. She kept her head turned to one side, staring at Li Qingshan with one eye. This scene was exactly the same as before, except hatred filled her eyes.
Boom!
Another fist landed on her abdomen. Li Qingshan had not done it in response to this resentful gaze, but rather, it was because he sensed signs of daemon qi beginning to gather in her body. Daemon Commanders gathered daemon qi far too quickly.
If she ends up escaping due to a moment of carelessness and flees blindly, catching her again will be difficult. I still have a lot of things I haven’t done yet!
Li Qingshan thought of something. With a wave of his hand, pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell scattered, forming a faint blue sphere that enveloped them perfectly. It immediately blocked out the spiritual qi of the world.
He was replicating Fu Qingjin’s Green Ruins Illusion. Recovering daemon qi required absorbing the spiritual qi of the world. However, this move did not really have any value in battle, as he also would not be able to absorb the spiritual qi of the world once encased. Under normal circumstances, the Spider Queen could smash through this cage in a single move.
But now, this was perfect.
Li Qingshan eased up and let go of the Spider Queen’s throat, caressing her face gently. He slid down to her clavicle and then to her plump, white chest.
Now, it was time for him to enjoy the spoils of battle.
To Li Qingshan’s surprise, the Spider Queen did not put up any desperate resistance. Instead, she slowly turned her head back as if she was afraid of aggravating him. A hint of weakness that he had never seen appeared on her mesmerising face.
“You’ve won!”
“Really?” Li Qingshan was delighted, but also slightly disappointed. As he watched the extremely proud Spider Queen yield beneath him, he felt great excitement and joy, but he had yet to unleash his ruthless imaginations!
“In the past millennium, you are the first to defeat me, as well as the first to satisfy me to such a degree. I’m willing to become your woman, to birth a powerful child for you.”
The Spider Queen slowly propped herself up and embraced Li Qingshan. Her soft breasts pressed against his firm chest like they had melted as she gently kissed Li Qingshan’s shoulder with her scarlet lips, making her way up until she reached his neck.
During the intercourse earlier, she had kissed him countless times, but never had she been so gentle and docile.
Li Qingshan’s ruthless thoughts seemed to settle down too. He plunged his head into her hair, caressing it gently. He smiled faintly as if he enjoyed it very much.
The Spider Queen’s kisses became more and more intense, but her expression suddenly changed. She bit down viciously. Hidden behind her cherry lips were extremely sharp fangs, which contained the most potent venom.
As long as she injected it all into him in one go, it would spread to his head very quickly, and she would be able to turn the tables. At the very least, she could escape from this cage and recover some daemon qi for another battle.
“I knew your old habits would die hard. And, if you want to be my woman, you don’t even have that right!”
Li Qingshan only felt his neck prick slightly, but his smile remained. He grabbed the Spider Queen by her hair and tugged viciously.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core had given him a clear warning long before she had launched the attack. Li Qinshan had completely taken apart her scheme before she could even inject the venom. All she managed to leave behind were two faint, red specks.
“Northmoon, I will definitely kill you! I will skin you alive and feast on your flesh!”
“Hahahaha, I can understand your deviant thoughts a little. Hearing an opponent who’s in no shape to fight back speak such wishful words sure is fucking satisfying! We better change to a better position!”
Li Qingshan stood up and pressed the Spider Queen’s head against the ground, forcefully flipping her over. The sight made his eyes light up slightly.
Unlike her hideous original form, her human form was extremely beautiful. However, even after the countless times of intercourse they had gone through, he had never gotten the opportunity to admire her from this angle, probably due to the principle of never showing your back to the opponent!
Her round buttocks were extremely plump, perking up as she struggled. It waggled gloriously, but her figure would suddenly narrow at her waist, perfectly slender for grasping such that it even seemed slightly exaggerated. The curve along her back was extremely beautiful too.
Her breasts seemed extremely plump as well. There was basically no better description for her apart from a bewitching figure.
Li Qingshan let out a toothy grin. Now that’s a prize I like!
“If you dare… I’ll blow up my daemon core!” The Spider Queen turned her head desperately and threatened angrily.
“Forget it. You won’t blow up your daemon core unless your life is threatened. Don’t be like a human when you speak. Even if you actually plan on blowing it up, I never take back something I’ve said.” Li Qingshan laughed wildly before suddenly bending over, whispering gently into her ear, “My dear, I’m here.”
Cobweb city was dead silent. The night roamers returned carefully like they were treading on thin ice. Only after confirming there were no auras or disturbances did they relax slightly, but they still refused to enter the city.
On the empty land below Cobweb city where the magma and water merged, the six clans assembled together, whispering and discussing among themselves.
“Did sir Northmoon really enter ma’am Spider Queen’s chambers?”
“He didn’t just enter. He seems… like he’s done for.”
“Looks like we’re going to return to ma’am Spider Queen’s direct command again. Northmoon? Heh, I think he’s gotten ahead of himself with his arrogance. Does he really think he can escape with his life intact from a Daemon Commander as a mere Daemon General? He’s probably become ma’am Spider Queen’s food already.”
“Hmph, master will never die. Do you really think that a group of foolish women like you are worthy of guessing master’s strength?”
The night roamers all discussed with whispers as if they were afraid of breaking the silence of the city. However, this voice was loud and emotional, filled with unparalleled confidence like lightning that tore through the dark clouds.
Ye Liubo leapt forward, glancing past each night roamer sharply.
All the night roamers shut their mouths, gathering their eyes on Ye Liubo. Their gazes were filled with hostility.
“Ye Liubo you traitor! You just strut around with borrowed feathers, helping Northmoon in abusing us. We haven’t even gotten to you yet, yet you’re actually leaping out yourself. Be prepared to pay with death!”
A matriarch said sinisterly. The faces of the night roamers all sunk quietly. For a moment, who knew how many daggers and swords were drawn.
Black shadows faded in and out, ready to merge into the darkness at any time and carry out a fatal assassination.
Apart from being strong enough himself, the main reason why the night roamers were willing to obey Li Qingshan was because of the Spider Queen’s orders.
The nature of these night roamers prevented them from truly yielding to anyone. Betrayal and slaughter was something as easy as breathing to them. Even Ye Liusu had her own pursuits and plans. Only Ye Liubo was absolutely loyal to him.
During the three years of secluded cultivation, the person behind why the night roamers had offered up so many spiritual herbs was not actually Ye Liusu, but Ye Liubo. She had frequently used Li Qingshan’s name to force the six clans into collecting spiritual herbs. She received special attention from Li Qingshan too, which also incurred a lot of trouble stemming from envy and hatred.
Death was now certain for Li Qingshan—even if he managed to scrape by, all he could do was flee. He would never dare return underground again, making it even more impossible for him to continue ruling over them. As a result, the many conflicts erupted all of a sudden.
Ye Liubo became a target for all. Who knew how many powerful night roamers that had undergone a heavenly tribulation present only required a single breath to take Ye Liubo’s life.
PS: Please call me the model Dream Teller! I’m softhearted and easily embarrassed, so I just hate it when people treat me well. Looking at how the monthly votes are going, I won’t even be able to forgive myself if I don’t maintain releases. Sure enough, new year, new outlook. It’s only the first month of the year, but am I going to maintain my “unprecedented” rankings in the twenties until the end of the month? Alright, I don’t mind. If you’re bold enough to not vote, then I’m bold enough to release single chapters! As for why I’m afraid of a mass release, I can only say four words, “Spare me, great hero!” I miss releases every time I mass release, which is something I don’t want either. Yep, this’ll do.
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Chapter 492 – To Kill or Not to Kill
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Chapter 492 – To Kill or Not to Kill
Below Cobweb city, passing through the rock and soil to a depth of over around three thousand meters, a cavern.
The cavern had not been naturally formed. There were no craggy stalactites or stalagmites, only shattered rocks scattered about.
Within the loose rock pile was an azure sphere composed of countless hexagons.
The sphere was half-transparent, but it was hazy. As a result, it was impossible to make out what was going on inside as if a layer of mist had condensed on the inner layer.
There was a great thunk, and a hand pressed against the sphere. It was a woman’s hand. Her fingers were slender, and her palm was very small. It was extremely beautiful.
However, the strength it unleashed was not small at all. There were a series of cracks like ice breaking apart, and the azure sphere became covered in fractures.
It was possible to imagine that she could probably shatter the sphere with only a few more strikes.
The mist dispersed slightly, making it possible to vaguely make out a woman’s face. Probably any man who saw her would be left dumbfounded, sighing over her beauty. She had a mature, mesmerising face, possessing an extra hint of bewitching charm compared to pure maidens.
Although her face was filled with shame and anger, an aloof sense of pride was still clearly visible as if it had become part of her bearing, making her seem like a queen. It would have been impossible for her to develop this bearing unless she held great status and authority, but it only aroused a desire to conquer within men.
Her long, dark hair was a mess, but it was still possible to imagine how noble it seemed when styled.
Her cherry lips were frozen in a cold angle, definitely used for all the orders she issued regularly. But at this moment, they constantly opened and closed, exhaling white mists as if she was cursing but also as if she was moaning.
However, due to the sphere, not a single sound leaked out.
Looking deeper into the sphere, it only became even more blurry. A snow-white figure seemed to be wrapped in silk, laying in an extremely inelegant pose on the ground. Her body shook uncontrollably as the two snow-white mounds trembled violently. Below were two specks of brightly-coloured red, like two red cherries in a snowy landscape, shaking back and forth with the mounds.
It was enough for someone to fantasize various beautiful thoughts.
Thunk!
There was another sound. She used all the strength in her to deal a second palm strike while gritting her teeth, and the cracks became even larger and denser. As it seemed, she probably did not need many more strikes, just one more, to shatter the sphere and break out.
Suddenly, a pair of hands reached over from behind her hazy figure, grabbing her slender waist and dragging her away. She waved her hands around in vain, putting up a struggle but unable to rival the strength.
In the blink of an eye, the cracks on the sphere vanished, and the cavern fell silent again.
After who knew how long, the azure sphere suddenly vanished. A great cloud of white mist dispersed, and it became vaguely possible to make out a standing man inside. His scarlet hair drifted about like fire.
The mist dispersed completely, and Li Qingshan yawned and stretched, taking in a deep breath of the refreshing spiritual qi of the world. His thoughts were extremely clear as his heart felt exceedingly satisfied. If it were not for the insufficient spiritual qi, perhaps he would have broken through a few dozen cultivation realms already, enough to climb to the Nine Heavens.
Though, the sensation earlier felt like he had already paid a trip to beyond the Nine Heavens. He looked at the ground again.
Hmph, you want to eat me? I’ll let you feast to your heart’s content!
The Spider Queen lay on the ground with her eyes shut as if she had fallen unconscious. Her snow-white body was dripping with sweat, all traces from some fun in bed.
Although she put up a very fierce struggle in the beginning, Li Qingshan served her in plenty of ways that she loved such that she no longer had the strength to resist anymore towards the end, allowing him to do what he wanted. She had even been extremely cooperative. She no longer tried to bite him with her venomous fangs as they embraced once another either.
Naturally, they never took any safe measures either. Of course, Li Qingshan had to admit that this was his favourite. Though, he was uncertain whether she was actually submerged in pleasure, or she still thought, Since I can’t put up a struggle, I’ll just enjoy it! Or perhaps it was a combination of the two.
“Oi, mother of my child, stop playing dead. If you keep playing dead, I’ll actually kill you.”
Li Qingshan crouched down and patted the Spider Queen’s cheek. He obviously would not be fooled by this act, as in the moment he released the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, the surging spiritual qi of the world immediately began to gather towards her.
Originally, it was only an empty threat, but now that he mentioned it, he could not help but think of something, Do I kill her or not?
Right now, Lolth was in her weakest state, so it was the perfect opportunity to kill her. Once she fully recovered, it would be difficult to tell who would be killing who.
Li Qingshan’s current strength was basically equivalent to having a foot planted in the Daemon Commander realm. He could annihilate almost anyone or anything that had not undergone the second heavenly tribulation. Right now, even if all the Foundation Establishment cultivators and Daemon Generals of the Clear River prefecture gathered together, he could still deal with them with composure. And, even if he encountered Daemon Commanders and Golden Core cultivators that had undergone two heavenly tribulations, staying alive was no longer an issue.
However, defeating them would be virtually impossible. The reason why Li Qingshan had managed to win this time was because he was rather lucky. Spider Queen Lolth had been too careless. Her vicious nature could be described as the very reason for her failure.
If it were not for the fact that she wanted to capture Li Qingshan alive, derive pleasure from torturing him and then have a raw feast, she would have never ended up in such a situation. Not to mention that there was a deeper reason behind all this. After becoming a Daemon Commander, it had already been many years since she last fought someone to the death.
Even the skills of a natural hunter would rust and regress if they never met an equivalent opponent, preventing them from unleashing their full strength. On the other hand, Li Qingshan had never stopped fighting since he first picked up a blade and killed someone.
In terms of actual strength, the disparity between Li Qingshan and the Spider Queen was anything but small. As a carapaced daemon, she was not weak even among Daemon Commanders.
Li Qingshan checked his Divine Talisman of Great Creation. He had directly used up thirty percent of the power of belief he had accumulated throughout the years, all used to replenish his daemon qi. Although he possessed the extraordinary cultivation method, the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, such that the quality of his daemon qi did not pale too much in comparison to Daemon Commanders, he was nowhere close in terms of quantity. After all, it had only been a few years since he faced the heavenly tribulation. Even though he had consumed many pills, the foundation he accumulated over time was still extremely shallow.
It would be too much for him to bear with if he fought against her two more times, or even just one more time. If it were not for the Divine Talisman of Great Creation that could replenish his daemon qi, did he have any chances at victory at all? Even if he somehow managed to defeat her, he would struggle to keep her subdued like this.
Lolth would never be stupid enough to wait until her daemon qi ran out again. If a Daemon Commander wanted to flee, how could he stop her as a mere Daemon General? Only endless revenge would await him.
He was not deluded enough to think he would be able to get along peacefully with the Spider Queen in the future unless a certain hidden interest of hers had been revealed, where she liked to submerge herself in the delight of being conquered… wait, this isn’t fucking smut!
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…
“If you want to kill me, then I’ll blow up my daemon core and take you down with me!”
Lolth suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Li Qingshan. To his surprise, there was no longer any hatred or resentment, only suffocating coldness and stillness.
Her voice was feeble, even slightly hoarse, but Li Qingshan instead became afraid to dismiss this threat of hers. He felt extremely surprised inside. He discovered that she had become slightly different from the Spider Queen Lolth in his memory.
Actually, Lolth was not playing dead. She was not naive enough to think she could fool Li Qingshan like this. Instead, she was tasting the lingering feeling of what she had just gone through, tidying her thoughts.
This entire matter had obviously utterly disgraced her, but she did not find disgrace in the matter itself. She had no concept of being defiled. It had nothing to do with love. Reproducing was the most ordinary matter in the natural world.
She felt disgraced because someone weaker than her had conquered her. If Li Qingshan were a Daemon King, she would not put on any resistance at all, as in the natural world, the strong obviously had the right to choose their partner.
The issue was that Li Qingshan was merely a Daemon General and her subordinate at that. He had gone against her and insulted her despite being nowhere near as powerful as her. Naturally, she was furious and completely refused to accept this.
Li Qingshan would have never thought that he had actually guessed correctly.
Although it was humiliating, Lolth did indeed experience unprecedented pleasure. The extreme pleasure that came from pain and powerlessness reawakened a certain part in her heart that had become numb from her easy and comfortable life.
She seemed to have returned to the past when she was still a spider. Hunger and danger were everywhere, and she had to abuse and slaughter every single day, or she would be abused and slaughtered by cruel nature instead.
The heavy darkness was no longer filled with emptiness and boredom. She had found the meaning of cultivation once more.
If Li Qingshan found out about how great of a significance his actions were to her, he would definitely be filled with complacence. Perhaps he really might hope he could conquer the proud Spider Queen.
Unfortunately, he had guessed the start incorrectly, but he was right with the end result.
Lolth was prepared to carry out a hunt, not for revenge, but to carry through with the instincts nature had endowed her with.
“How can I bring myself to? You’re the mother of my child!”
Li Qingshan let out a toothy grin as if he was backing down and afraid she would actually do that.
As a daemon who had spent her life fighting for survival the moment she was born, her will to survive was deeply embedded in her instincts. This was why even if she voiced a threat again during intercourse earlier, he did not take her seriously. However, once her life was being threatened, he would never underestimate her resolve.
A Daemon Commander blowing up their daemon core was not something to joke around about.
This was still due to the fact that Li Qingshan’s strength was insufficient. If he were a Daemon Commander too, he would have great confidence in staying alive, and Lolth would not be able to threaten him like this. As a result, forcing her to submit in order to survive would not necessarily be impossible.
However, the killing intent in Li Qingshan’s heart instead intensified. His hand slid down her face, grabbing her by her beautiful neck that was as slender as a swan’s.
I think she’ll turn into quite the trouble. Killing her before she blows up her daemon core is probably impossible, but if I use up the remaining seventy percent of my power of belief, I should have a chance at surviving considering the toughness of my body.
As if a thick layer of dust had been wiped away, the Spider Queen became extremely sensitive to danger. Her body immediately tensed up, and the daemon core in her body was on the verge of exploding.
This was an icy stalemate that appeared every day in the natural world. When a lion hunted a buffalo, it also had to worry about whether the buffalo’s horns would kill it.
Should I feign submission for now? No, once I show any weakness, it’ll only consolidate his determination.
The natural world was filled with disguises and bluffs, but there was no such thing as feigning respect and sincerity. The weak would definitely be destroyed.
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Chapter 493 – Where the Dream Lies
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Chapter 493 – Where the Dream Lies
During the oppressive stalemate, spiritual qi of the world surged into Lolth’s body violently. As her daemon qi recovered, her physical strength slowly recovered as well.
Li Qingshan’s opportunity to kill her slipped by bit by bit.
Finally, Li Qingshan took action. He drew back his hand slowly.
Was he going to spare her, or was this the premonition of an attack?
Lolth dared not be careless, afraid that he was trying to toy around with her.
Li Qingshan had already made up his mind inside.
I even spared Fu Qingjin, yet I’m afraid of revenge from her? Yes, when a Daemon Commander loses her mind, she won’t be something that can be compared to a Foundation Establishment cultivator who overly relies on his sword. Oh, so I’m supposed to spare those who pose a smaller threat and kill those who pose a larger threat? Isn’t that just posing around, bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
Against someone like Fu Qingjin, even if they fought for another century, he would have never broken through to the fourth layer. The path leading to beyond the Nine Heavens would definitely be filled with twists and hardships. He could clearly imagine the horrific wounds on brother ox as if they were right before his eyes.
Compared to the enemies he would face in the future, Lolth was absolutely nothing. I’ll just keep this little spider as a stepping stone for my advance!
However, Li Qingshan was reluctant to let Lolth off so easily. He sat down to the side and crossed his legs, smiling. “I know you refuse to accept this and think I won unconventionally. That’s not exactly wrong. However, victory is victory and defeat is defeat. I’ve won this battle. Will you admit that?”
“I admit that,” Lolth said coldly. This had always been the most basic principle of the natural world. Fairness and justice meant nothing. There was only a boundary between life or death.
“From today onwards, I no longer listen to your command. I possess the right to rule over half of the underground territory. The daemons will go to you, while the night roamers will go to me. That’ll be my spoils of this battle. What do you think?”
“That’ll work. However, not half, but all of it. From now onwards, your command is my command. You are welcome to enter my chambers as you please. In human terms, you are my husband.”
Lolth said calmly before even revealing a chilling, enchanting smile at the end.
“You’re planning to kill your husband!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud, revealing what she was thinking in a single sentence.
The thing that Lolth feared the most was Li Qingshan taking off after finishing up with this. With his ability to hide his aura, she really would not be able to find him, and with his powers, it would be very easy for him even if he wanted to go to another province. As a result, she cast out bait in an attempt to make him remain in this territory.
She believed that as long as they fought again, she would definitely be able to kill him. As a matter of fact, she had already become rather eager for that now. In a short while, she had already recovered a lot of her daemon qi.
“I’d advise you to only challenge me again when you have absolute confidence. Next time, I might not necessarily be so generous, mother of my child!” Li Qingshan smiled as he held Lolth by her chin, shaking her head around.
“Just in case you’ll become paranoid, constantly on edge, and just so I can find you, let’s agree on a time to meet for next time!”
Lolth smiled as she gently slid her hand across her chest as if she was afraid the bait she cast out was too little and he would not bite. At this moment, she had completely turned back into that calm predator.
“Now, as one of the rulers of this territory, tell me just what that thing in the magma is.” Li Qingshan asked the question that had been on his mind for a very long time.
Lolth’s face suddenly changed. She became uncertain as if she was wondering whether she should answer him and how she should answer him.
“What do you want to know about me?”
Before she had even spoken, Li Qingshan’s face changed too. An immature yet ancient voice directly rang out in his mind. This might have been a strange description, but that was truly what he felt. The voice was as immature as the first cry of an infant after being born, yet as ancient as the final words of an old man who had witnessed all of the changes of the world around him.
Li Qingshan shuddered. Was this the… they were several hundred kilometers from there at the very least!
However, he immediately calmed down and asked, “Who are you?”
“That’s not important. What is important is, who are you?”
Li Qingshan was stunned. He did not know how to answer.
The voice continued, “Forget it. That’s not important either.”
“Then what is important?”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me where I come from too!” Li Qingshan laughed. He had asked the three supreme questions of life right off the bat. Was this guy public security hidden deep underground?
The voice fell silent. Perhaps Li Qingshan had hit the mark.
Li Qingshan merely laughed. “My name is Northmoon. I come from whence I come and I go to whence I go!”
“That touches on some profound truths of chan.”
“Are you a human or a daemon?”
Actually, what Li Qingshan wanted to get to the bottom of the most was not this. He wanted to know whether he was friend or foe. Lolth clearly knew him, so by that logic, they should have been from the same side, yet even when Lolth faced death, she had never sought help from him. He could clearly sense everything happening here, but he chose to watch on from the side.
“Are you really called Northmoon? And what about you? Are you a human or a daemon?”
Li Qingshan continued to smile, but compared to his gaze, it became slightly forced. Had he realised something? His identity as half-human, half-daemon could be described as his greatest secret. Once it was divulged, the consequences would be unthinkable. If a regular person found out, Li Qingshan would even consider killing them to silence them, but the “infant” underground was clearly not someone he could silence.
Perhaps he’s not too certain either, which is why he asked. Perhaps he’s only probing me. I can’t let him trip me over!
“Forget it. This isn’t important either!”
Just as Li Qingshan considered how he was supposed to answer, the voice interrupted him again, which left him extremely dissatisfied.
“Then what is important?”
As Li Qingshan said that, he found that rather familiar. Sure enough, the voice immediately answered, “Haven’t I already asked it? Where are you going?”
“How is where I’m going relevant to you?”
“It is relevant to me, as we’re going to the same place.”
“Then tell me where I’m going.”
“Beyond the heavens.”
“How do you know?” Li Qingshan shuddered inside.
“I knew from the first time I saw you that your ambitions are anything but small. As frogs in a well, isn’t the purpose of our lifetime of cultivation to climb beyond the well and take a look at the world outside?” The voice that had remained calm and mild, without many fluctuations in tone, suddenly roused up, now filled with lofty sentiment.
He referred to himself modestly as a frog in a well, but Li Qingshan immediately knew he was anything but that. He viewed the nine provinces as a well, trapping him in there and bringing him discomfort. Was there anything he could say with an even loftier sentiment than that?
There was another side that Li Qingshan failed to consider. The frog might have been modest, but in this well, it could still lord over everyone else, an existence with no natural predator.
“You’re right. We do share the same path. I also want to venture beyond the Nine Heavens!” Li Qingshan developed some more respect and spoke much more politely, but he only recognised him as a fellow traveller on the same path. Their statuses were no different, and he did not grovel at all. This was the pride the black ox had given him. He would never lower his head or submit before anyone.
Li Qingshan could roughly tell what the voice was saying. The so-called venturing “beyond the heavens” was the objective of all cultivators. They wanted to break free from the restraints of this world and venture to a higher, more distant world. That did not necessarily mean he knew about his promise with the black ox.
“I’m wrong.”
The voice fluctuated again, filled with shock this time.
“How are you wrong? Have I said something wrong?” Li Qingshan was confused.
“I still ended up underestimating you. Beyond the Nine Heavens. Sigh, even to me, this objective is far too distant, well beyond my reach, something that I won’t even consider.”
“Aren’t we talking about the same place? Beyond the Nine Heavens—is that very far?”
Li Qingshan had mentioned these four words many times, but he actually had no exact concept of it. He had only faced the first heavenly tribulation so far, so thinking about that was a little soon. Remaining down-to-earth and cultivating was more important.
However, having run into someone who knew the path coincidentally, he could not help but ask just where the destination of his dream led to.
“Far? Hehe, I only want to climb out of this well, but you want to fly through the sky!”
“Is it really that difficult?” Li Qingshan was tongue-tied. This comparison was not too exaggerated. Just how deep could the well be and how far could the ground be from the sky?
“No, no, no. This is a little too simple. If it’s just flying through the sky, then even I have some hope. As long as you continue, going from a frog to a bird is not completely impossible. However, you want to become a star! It truly is an impressively great ambition. You’re probably the only one with this dream across all nine provinces and the billions of lives that live here.”
Curiosity filled the voice as if it wondered how Li Qingshan had such an unrealistic dream.
I await you beyond the Nine Heavens, for the time when you stand beside me.
The black ox’s words when he left echoed through Li Qingshan’s mind. Only now did he realise just what it was implying.
Li Qingshan fell silent. He naively believed he was only carrying a mountain on his shoulders.
“What, have you become frightened? Seems like I’m just overthinking. Looks like you just added “Nine Heavens” by mistake! I’ve spoken too much. Let me ask you again. You also want to go beyond the heavens, right?”
The voice seemed relieved, yet also slightly disappointed.
Did brother ox add the two words by mistake? The answer was very obvious, No!
Li Qingshan’s reply was the same. “No, I want to go beyond the Nine Heavens.”
He raised his head and laughed wildly. His face was glorious.
“You….”
Once upon a time, there was a frog that leapt around at the bottom of a well. It trained its legs, anticipating the moment that it leapt out of the well. At this moment, a tiny tadpole swam over and said, “Frog, frog! I want to become a star!”
The frog told the tiny tadpole patiently, “Stars are very, very distant, and tadpoles can’t become stars. I think you’ll have a very good chance at becoming a frog.”
The tadpole considered it. “Alright then. I’ll become a frog first… then I’ll become a star!”
The frog was left speechless.
The awe-inspiring bearing that Li Qingshan gave off suddenly crumbled. He scratched his head in distress. “But what kind of place is beyond the Nine Heavens? Hey, you look like you know a lot. Tell me about it. We can probably travel together.”
“I don’t know what kind of place that is. I’ve only heard that it’s the centre of the trichiliocosm, the place where gods and buddhas roam freely.”
“Looks like I can’t get an answer out of you anyway. Though, as long as I make my way up step by step, I shouldn’t get lost, right?”
Only after a very long time did Li Qingshan understand that the “nine” in the Nine Heavens was not a quantifier, but an adjective.
Nine was the limit of numbers, implying infinity!
“If you really want to go, I can lend you a hand. Though, you need to help me out with something small first!”
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Chapter 494 – A Phoenix’s Feather
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Chapter 494 – A Phoenix’s Feather
“Help you out with what?”
Li Qingshan had basically determined that the infant had no hostility towards him. As for this “small help”, it was probably the original reason why he had suddenly appeared.
“Do you know the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga?”
“Who doesn’t know about that in the Green province?”
“The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga has a cultivation method called the Chant of Deva-Nāga.”
“Yeah. That’s the special cultivation method of their sect. And then?”
“There’s no and then. You just have to fetch me the Chant of Deva-Nāga.”
“And you call that something small? You want me, a Daemon General, to enter the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga and steal their special cultivation method?”
Li Qingshan laughed. If I had that ability, why’d I still be mouthing off with you? I’d go for another hundred times with Spider Queen Lolth right now!
“This is much easier than venturing beyond the Nine Heavens. Don’t turn me down so quickly. Why don’t you hear me out about what I can help you with?”
“What?”
“A phoenix’s feather.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He had obtained the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa a long time ago, but cultivation had never been smooth with it. If he could obtain a phoenix’s feather, perhaps that was an opportunity. He might even be able to increase the Phoenix Transformation’s power.
“How do I know if you’re telling the truth or not?”
“You can verify with me after you obtain the Chant of Deva-Nāga!” The voice receded like the tide, growing distant.
“You want to exchange a bird’s feather for the secret cultivation method of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. That is far too stingy of you. Since you want it so much, why don’t you retrieve it yourself?”
“I have my struggles.” The voice drifted off.
“Why don’t you give me the phoenix’s feather first so that I can increase my cultivation? I’ll have a better chance too.”
“I await your assistance, fellow traveller of the same path!” The voice echoed, gradually wearing away.
Lolth happened to be in the middle of a conversation with Li Qingshan when she suddenly saw him become dazed. She pulled away from Li Qingshan in a flash and waved her hand. All of the silk and web gathered towards her, layering and weaving together to form a tight suit that wrapped around her body.
Of course, this was not because of embarrassment or anything along those lines. Clothes woven from the tough silk served as the best armour.
“But I still don’t know who you are.”
A while later, Li Qingshan returned to his senses and opened his eyes. He still felt rather frustrated.
When he saw Lolth’s attire, he could not help but smile. “What’s this supposed to be? Fishnet lingerie? Do you want me to help you take it off again?”
The spider silk had always been slightly transparent, but as she layered it together, she seemed like she wore a thick veil, her skin vaguely visible. She wore the large web as her outer layer. Her attire made her seem even more mesmerising than when she was bare.
“You can try it.” Lolth smiled. She had already recovered ten percent of her daemon qi, but this measly ten percent could not be underestimated. Even if Li Qingshan struck with his full strength right now, going as far as to expend all of his power of belief, it would be impossible for him to capture her again.
“I’ll have plenty of opportunities, mother of my child. I’ll be taking my leave first.” Li Qingshan smiled confidently and flapped his wings of wind, taking off.
Lolth clenched her fist, but she felt her heart ease up slightly. Li Qingshan no longer asked about the identity of the “infant”, and she was more than willing to avoid answering him. Little did she know they had already had a conversation.
If she found out the “infant” had referred to Li Qingshan as a “fellow traveller of the same path” at the very end, she would definitely be so shocked that her mouth would be hanging agape. Afterwards, she would reconsider how she treated Li Qingshan.
“Ye Laixiang, you’re bold enough to launch an attack, yet I’m supposed to be afraid of fighting back? Once master returns, he’ll definitely kill you all to avenge me.”
In Cobweb city, Ye Liubo remained calm and fearless under the glares of the night roamers, loudly mocking the matriarch of the Bat Shadow clan.
“Do you really believe he’ll be able to return? Hehe!” Ye Laixiang let out a nervous laugh.
The six clans had never gotten along, and the hatred between the Bat Shadow clan and Spider Shadow clan ran extremely deep. And, ever since Li Qingshan ascended to the top, the Spider Shadow clan had been the ones who benefited the most, while the status of the Bat Shadow clan constantly plummeted. They repressed their hatred to the bottom of their hearts, where it constantly brewed and fermented.
Ye Liubo said, “Hmph, even if the entire Bat Shadow clan dies, he won’t die!”
Ye Laixiang played around with a snake-shaped dagger in her hand and sneered. “Alright, then don’t hide. I’d like to see whether he’ll actually avenge you or not.”
“Does the Bat Shadow clan want to declare war?” Ye Liusu stepped forward from the crowd.
“So what if we want to declare war? You’re just a junior, yet you’re still bold enough to tell me what I can and can’t do? Do you really think I don’t know what you’re thinking? You just want to unite the night roamers and become the matriarch yourself. Why don’t you check yourself first? Without Northmoon’s support, you’re nothing!” Ye Laixiang barked.
Over the past few years, Ye Liusu had been constantly recruiting the night roamers who refused to take part in the internal strife among the clans, constantly shaking at the foundations of the clans. She had offended a few clans even more than Ye Liubo.
With Ye Laixiang stepping forward, the gazes of the other matriarchs became unfathomable too.
Ye Liusu frowned slightly. She could clearly feel ice-cold killing intent locking onto her from somewhere. The atmosphere fell apart all of a sudden, as if she had returned to the past when night roamers struggled against one another.
Ye Mingzhu stood forward and said, “I’d advise you all to calm down for now! Liusu has been working diligently for our entire race. You’ve all witnessed the fruits of her efforts from the past few years! By working together and letting go of conflict, all of us will benefit.”
“Benefit? Ye Mingzhu, you just want your daughter to rule over us! You better think about it carefully then! Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo are betraying ma’am Spider Queen and siding with the traitor Northmoon! Their crimes cannot be forgiven! If we work together right now and exterminate them, that’ll net us great merit! If you want to protect them, then your Spider Shadow clan will be exterminated too!”
As she said that, Ye Laixiang constantly exchanged glances with the other matriarchs. Through their secret conversations, they finally reached a temporary agreement, obviously not to demonstrate loyalty towards the Spider Queen, but for the large quantities of resources that Ye Liusu controlled.
Silently, several orders were passed down. The powerful night roamers of the five clans all surrounded Ye Liusu, Ye Liubo, and the others.
Ye Mingzhu considered it before also waving her hand. The elders and masters of the Spider Shadow clan became part of this encirclement, but they were the furthest away, only forming the outskirts.
The personal guards under Ye Liusu’s leadership formed a ring with their backs pointing to the centre. They gazed at the surroundings vigilantly, but they seemed rather hesitant, as they had originally come from these clans too.
“Apart from Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo, the others have just been misled. It’s not too late for you to return to your clans, or you’ll suffer the same fate as these two traitors!”
Ye Laixiang became more and more complacent. She believed that she only needed a single word and her daughters would return to her side again. The other matriarchs all issued summons too, calling back their princesses who had been sent over to serve as spies.
They all thought, Once she loses this force, the organisation that Ye Liusu worked so hard to manage will immediately crumble. It’s hilarious that she really thinks she’s still in charge.
But to everyone’s surprise, while quite a few people did waver, none of them immediately stepped forward and returned to their clans.
Before they knew it, Ye Liusu had managed to influence everyone around her with her ideal and true feelings.
The corner of Ye Liusu’s lips curled slightly as if she was rather relieved. She glanced back and said sincerely, “Thank you!”
“The situation is dangerous right now and master’s fate is unknown, but I believe he will definitely return. However, I don’t want to force anyone into risking their lives with me. No matter who wants to return to their clan, I won’t be stopping you. If you can protect your lives because of this, the time we spent as sisters would have been well worth it.”
A tall night roamer went up and placed her hand on Ye Liusu’s shoulder. She smiled. “To be honest, I’ve called Northmoon master, but he’s never satisfied me in bed, nor do I trust him. However, I do trust you, Ye Liusu!”
Another night roamer said, “If master doesn’t return, then we can found a clan together. You can be the matriarch, Liusu!”
“We followed Northmoon because of ma’am Spider Queen’s order. Whether he betrays anyone has nothing to do with us. I refuse to believe ma’am Spider Queen can’t tell the difference between right and wrong.”
“You all…” Ye Liusu’s heart warmed up. She was strangely touched and left speechless.
Ye Laixiang said furiously, “Ye Liusu, even with your silken tongue, you won’t be able to escape death today!”
‘If you want to take her life, you better kill me first!”
An icy voice rang out. The cool Ye Liuxing stood forward, leaving the encirclement. She gazed at Ye Liusu deeply, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions. Her voice became slightly gentler. “I will be leaving the Spider Shadow clan and serving under you.”
Ye Liubo witnessed all of this and felt happy for Ye Liusu from the bottom of her heart. She thought, Sister, this is where your charm lies. Master is right. You are special!
Not only did the inducement fail to collapse Ye Liusu’s organisation, but it instead assisted her in growing her influence. The matriarchs were all stunned. Were these really right roamers? Where had their cold, suspicious dispositions gone?
Following their surprise, they felt even more threatened. They secretly made up their minds. No, Ye Liusu must be eliminated, or she might actually unite the clans!
“Liuxing, I don’t think you need to leave the Spider Shadow clan, as from now onwards, Ye Liusu is the new matriarch of the Spider Shadow clan!”
Ye Mingzhu smiled, but she felt rather reluctant inside. This was an opportunity to strengthen the Spider Shadow clan. Once the two organizations merged together, the Spider Shadow clan would surpass the five other clans and even have an actual chance at uniting them.
They had gone from one against six to two against five. A difference still seemed to exist, but over the past few years, both Ye Liusu and the Spider Shadow clan had already built up a very substantial supply of resources through Li Qingshan’s trust and favour. They possessed countless talismans and puppets. If they actually began fighting, they would not necessarily lose.
Ye Liusu beamed with joy. “Yes, mother!”
“Liusu, this is all I can do to assist you!” Ye Mingzhu nodded slightly, but she smiled bitterly inside. She had no idea whether this daughter who was different from the rest was a blessing or a curse.
However, from a different perspective, if Ye Liusu had been just as heartless as the other night roamers, Ye Mingzhu would have never passed the position of matriarch to her so easily, even if she was her daughter by blood.
Now, the Spider Shadow clan was outside, while Ye Liusu and the others were inside. They had surrounded their enemies instead.
The two sides confronted one another. A great battle was about to erupt.
“Ye Mingzhu, have you made up your mind about betraying ma’am Spider Queen and supporting the remnants of the traitor Northmoon?” Ye Laixiang said coldly.
“Traitor Northmoon? Are you speaking about me?”
Everyone looked back. They saw a figure with drifting, scarlet hair standing in front of the city gates. His scarlet pupils shone like fire as he gazed down coldly.
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Chapter 495 – Ye Liusu’s Choice
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Chapter 495 – Ye Liusu’s Choice
“Master!” Ye Liubo called out happily.
Ye Liusu was similarly relieved. Joy and ease that left even her rather surprised flooded heart, as if as long as he was here, anything, no matter how great, could be dealt with.
He actually managed to return alive. Though, the Spider Queen never changes her habits. He must have used some kind of trick and escaped alive. He definitely won’t be able to remain underground anymore, let alone continue to rule over us.
Ye Laixiang’s expression changed suddenly as she thought like that. Then, she said with composure, “So what if I’m talking about you? Northmoon, do you think you can still strut around like before? You’ve betrayed ma’am Spider Queen. You’re the enemy of all night roamers now.”
“Let’s work together and capture him. When ma’am Spider Queen returns, she’ll definitely reward us. Anyone who still dares to associate with him will truly be traitors. Once ma’am Spider Queen arrives, you’ll all die a horrible death!”
Ye Laixiang knew she had already offended Li Qingshan through and through. Afraid that he would kill her on the spot out of anger, she decided to strike first and draw all the night roamers to her side. No matter how powerful Li Qingshan was, it was impossible for him to openly take on several dozen night roamers who had undergone the first heavenly tribulation.
She changed the topic. “Ye Liusu, what do you have to say? Will you swear fealty to the Spider Queen, or will you swear fealty to this traitor?”
Ye Liusu’s eyebrows scrunched up as she became even more distressed. Earlier, it was possible to say that she had only submitted to him because of the Spider Queen’s orders. But with his reappearance, this excuse no longer worked anymore.
She had to make a choice!
Everyone’s gazes gathered on Ye Liusu again.
It had already been a while since Li Qingshan arrived. He noticed their dispute from afar, so he secretly eavesdropped on them. He wanted to see who was bold enough to speak ill of him behind his back. He had only appeared when the situation was worsening to pacify it.
Originally, he planned on killing Ye Laixiang right off the bat and making an example out of her, but with the current situation, there was instead no need for him to be so hasty. He was also very curious about what choice Ye Liusu would make.
Actually, he also understood that the best way to guarantee loyalty among subordinates was giving them no opportunity to betray him, but Ye Liusu was not merely a subordinate to him.
If she chose to betray him, Li Qingshan could understand her choice. After all, she had her dreams and ideals, so making a choice like that would not be strange. Of course, once he dealt with the situation, he would definitely give her some “punishment”. He could understand her decision, but that did not mean he could accept it.
Of course, he did not have to go as far as killing her. As a matter of fact, he could even let her keep her current position after he punished her, but she would become only a convenient tool.
The idea of the gift would obviously be thrown out the window too. Since she only treated him as a tool to achieve her objectives, then what did her ideals have to do with him? It was exactly because he had given her much more than that that he was looking forward to seeing what she would choose.
Ye Liusu’s delicate face was conflicted. She was unable to make a choice over this matter. If she continued to stand by his side, then she would no longer be able to remain in this territory anymore. She could only go into exile with him. Everything she had built up over the years would be wasted, and even her life might be in danger.
If she were a regular night roamer, perhaps this would have been a very easy choice to make. Basing a decision off the costs and benefits was commonplace. However, she could not, not to mention the figure with scarlet hair and scarlet eyes meant much more than that to her.
“Sister, we can’t betray master. Without master, would we even be standing here today?” Ye Liubo grabbed Ye Liusu’s hand and said anxiously.
“You bitch, shut your mouth! He’s no master! He’s a traitor!” Ye Liuxing said coldly.
Ye Liusu looked towards Ye Mingzhu with uncertainty, hoping to receive her mother’s wisdom as assistance.
Ye Mingzhu only said, “Liusu, I believe you will make the correct choice.”
Her words were highly ambiguous, as if she was persuading Ye Liusu to immediately betray Li Qingshan, yet also like she was objecting to that. That was because even she was rather uncertain too, not because she was actually loyal to Li Qingshan, but because she sensed how unusually relaxed Li Qingshan was.
Northmoon should be thinking about fleeing as far as he can right now, so why is he watching on in such a relaxed manner? Has the situation changed, and the Spider Queen decided to spare him? But that’s completely impossible. Even Ye Mingzhu was rather unsure about what was going on. She could only let Ye Liusu make her own decision.
Why aren’t you fleeing? Are you waiting for me? Ye Liusu looked at Li Qingshan from afar. His gaze seemed to be filled with anticipation. Ye Liusu touched her lips gently. The remaining warmth of that kiss reached the bottom of her heart.
Saying that love was blind and it made people irrational was not wrong at all! She let out a gentle sigh and said resolutely, “Looks like I’m just not suited to be a leader. I can’t carry the heavy burden of a matriarch, nor am I suited to lead my sisters. From now onwards, Ye Liusu is only Ye Liusu.”
As if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, she was unable to describe whether she was feeling relief or disappointment. She held Ye Liubo’s hand and walked towards Li Qingshan, confronting his scarlet eyes calmly as she murmured to herself inside, Everything I gained because of you has been once again lost because of you. This is nothing to feel pity over!
Li Qingshan smiled back at her as he felt at great ease. He murmured, “You won’t regret your choice today.”
“Stop them!” Ye Laixiang ordered sternly. She had no confidence in being able to kill Northmoon, but she was extremely confident about killing them. Now that the situation was certain, she would possess the greatest merit once the Spider Queen returned.
Just when she was feeling complacent, she felt her throat tighten. Her eyes widened in disbelief as fright filled her face.
No one had managed to see what had happened, but Li Qingshan was already standing in front of Ye Laixiang, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up gently.
Only then did the other night roamers return to their senses before all becoming stunned. Like Ye Laixiang, they became filled with disbelief.
Underground, everyone knew about Ye Laixiang’s strength. Even among the six matriarchs, she ranked towards the top, or as humans divided the cultivation realms, she was at late Foundation Establishment. This was also what gave her the confidence to challenge Li Qingshan.
But now, Li Qingshan had subdued Ye Laixiang without any room for resistance. No one had grasped his movements. A heavy, cold feeling filled all of their hearts. If his target had been them, or anyone else present, no one would have been able to escape! If he wanted to carry out a massacre, who could stop him?
In this region, probably only the Spider Queen can move with the same speed. She’s probably done for! Ye Mingzhu thought to herself.
“Mighty be master!” Ye Liubo cheered and threw herself into Li Qingshan’s arms before crying out, “Be careful, master!”
A curved shadow swept past, slicing towards Li Qingshan’s throat. It was the dagger that was curved like a snake in Ye Laixiang’s hand. The weapon glistened with a dark sheen, clearly coated in poison. Her strike was well-hidden and vicious, truly an assassin’s attack. At the same time, her figure gradually faded away as if she had turned into a shadow. She escaped from Li Qingshan’s hand.
However, the struggle was destined to be futile. The dagger fell powerlessly half way along its trajectory, while Ye Laixiang returned to normal, her face filled with shock. The power of tremors filled her surroundings, resulting in a series of bone-shattering crick-cracks. Li Qingshan tossed her onto the ground, and she immediately crumbled and became completely incapacitated.
“Master, we better go!” Ye Liusu arrived beside Li Qingshan and advised softly. She was already prepared to flee with him. Perhaps this fate was not so bad.
“Go? Go where?” Li Qingshan wrapped his hand around Ye Liusu’s waist. The tenderness in his gaze made her somewhat glad about her choice for some reason. She also seemed to understand something, casting a questioning gaze back at him.
Li Qingshan announced loudly, “I’ve already defeated the Spider Queen. From today onwards, I am the only ruler of the night roamers!”
This announcement was even more shocking than the great strength he had demonstrated prior. It echoed through the cavern, silencing the surroundings.
“That’s impossible! How could the likes of you defeat ma’am Spider Queen ?” Ye Laixiang shrieked.
She had spoken the minds of all the night roamers. To them, the Spider Queen was like a god—undefeatable and undefiable. Even Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo became stunned, staring at Li Qingshan like they no longer knew who he was.
Li Qingshan turned his head and listened carefully before smiling. “Seems like no one is refuting that!” Then he became serious. “Looks like I’m not the traitor, but you are!”
Before Ye Laixiang could say anything, he whistled with his fingers, and a stream of air turned and twisted, piercing her head and leaving behind a clear hole. Afterwards, he conveniently stowed her corpse away in his hundred treasures pouch.
Everyone gasped. A matriarch had been crushed like an insect.
Li Qingshan only had a foot planted in the Daemon Commander realm, but killing an opponent like that had already become extremely easy. The difference between major realms of cultivation had always been greater than the difference between people and insects. People might not necessarily be able to catch insects, but as long as an opponent like Ye Laixiang was within Li Qingshan’s range of vision, they were basically dead already.
At this moment, daemon qi appeared from underground, reaching the top of Cobweb city. Everyone was familiar with this daemon qi. The Spider Queen had returned!
But aside from that, she did not do anything else. She completely ignored what was going on in front of the city as if she was indirectly confirming Li Qingshan’s words.
“Do you still have any objections?”
“Our Spider Shadow clan is willing to serve sir Northmoon as our master. We are your servants. We will follow wherever you go, and your wish is our command.” Ye Mingzhu finally responded, stepping forward and bowing solemnly.
He had even managed to defeat ma’am Spider Queen. What kind of strength was that? Had he become a Daemon Commander already?
Although she had obeyed Li Qingshan in the past, she had never accepted that she was his servant. At most, she was a subordinate and he was her superior. But now, she led the entire clan to swear fealty to him, becoming his servants willingly.
The four other matriarchs followed close behind. None of them had even the slightest shred of discontent anymore, yielding to absolute power. The other night roamers were thrown into an uproar too, performing the most solemn bow to him. Even the Bat Shadow clan that had just lost their matriarch was no different.
However, Li Qingshan said, “You’re wrong.”
Ye Mingzhu asked, “Please enlighten me, sir. Where have I gone wrong?”
Li Qingshan said, “From today onwards, clans no longer exist among the night roamers. I am your only master. Ye Liusu, listen up!”
Although he spoke seriously, he had no intentions of letting Ye Liusu go. All she could do was reply in his arms, “Yes.”
“From today onwards, you will be responsible for reorganising them! If anyone has any issues, tell her to come find me. I’ll settle them!” Li Qingshan said with a smile. Obviously, what he would be settling would not be some issues.
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Chapter 496 – Ru Xin’s Story
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Chapter 496 – Ru Xin’s Story
In the past, Li Qingshan would have never been able to issue such an arbitrary order. He would have never been able to kill the clan matriarchs who possessed sensitive identities at a whim either. Causing a revolt among the night roamers would lead to nothing good.
However, he had the confidence now, as well as the right. This all came from his personal strength. Only with absolute strength was there absolute authority. There was no need for him to rack his brains with tricks and tactics.
Those who obey me will prosper. Those who defy me will die.
Brute force could not deal with everything, probably because the amount of force involved was insufficient.
In the past, the Spider Queen wanted them divided and at war with each other, so they were divided and at war with each other. Now, Li Qingshan wanted them united, so they had to unite together.
Ye Liusu’s expression changed a few times. At first, there was joy and surprise—not only had she avoided the need to flee, but she had instead obtained even more. The great cause of unity she pursued had been easily achieved with a single word from him.
Only afterwards did she become filled with some lingering fear. If she really had followed the ancient, scheming principles of night roamers and betrayed him, then she would lose everything. Most importantly, she would lose his heart forever. She would never receive such warm protection again.
When she thought of that, she could not help but lean closer in his arms, showing her delicate side to Li Qingshan for once. Having gone through this together, they had become one step closer. However, if Li Qingshan did not possess absolute power, she would never behave like this with her pride and perseverance even if she was smitten with him.
“Thank you for your gift.” Ye Liusu raised her delicate face as her eyes that seemed like the night sky shone with light.
“This isn’t my gift.”
Even Li Qingshan himself had never imagined he would be able to defeat Lolth and force her to accept a treaty with him. Originally, he planned to use this opportunity to break through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon before taking off for good.
By then, claiming a territory above ground and signing a non-aggression pact with the Academy of the Hundred Schools would not be particularly difficult with his strength. It would basically assist Ye Liusu in completing her dream of the night roamers returning to the surface.
Looking at Ye Liusu’s curious face, Li Qingshan only smiled. He planned on giving her this surprise later.
“Let’s return to the territory first. I’ll leave the rest up to you!”
Li Qingshan gently patted Ye Liusu’s perky buttocks and let her go. In the past, he would never do this, as it would only make her look down on him for no good reason. But now, it seemed extremely natural.
“Yes.”
Ye Liusu reddened, but she stiffened her face and behaved like nothing had happened at all. Li Qingshan found this to be extremely interesting. He would definitely tease her properly when he had the chance.
“Ma’am Spider Queen, Northmoon welcomes your challenges at any time. Hahahaha!”
Li Qingshan turned towards Cobweb city and said loudly before unfurling his wings of wind. Then he took off into the air with Ye Liubo without the slightest care.
“Will ma’am Spider Queen do something to my sister?”
The fierce gales whistled by as the caves twisted and changed so rapidly that even Ye Liubo struggled to see them clearly, so she stopped looking, focusing on his face instead. In his arms, all she could hear was the sound of wind, but she could not feel a single breeze. This feeling left her charmed, but upon further thought, she began to worry for Ye Liusu.
She still referred to Lolth respectfully as ma’am Spider Queen even when no one was around, which only demonstrated the extent of Lolth’s power and influence. Li Qingshan did not make her change the way she referred to her. She could never go wrong with maintaining a bit of respect towards the strong.
“Probably not. Right now, she’d much rather keep her around as something holding me back so that I stick around!”
Li Qingshan had already gained a rough understanding of Lolth’s mentality. After turning back into a predator, she placed all of her focus on him, biding her time and waiting to deal a lethal strike. She would not do something that was purely detrimental just to vent her anger.
A while later, they returned to the territory.
Ye Liubo continued to cling onto him like a koala, refusing to get down.
“Oh right, what reward would you like?” Li Qingshan smiled. Ye Liusu’s complete loyalty had left him surprised and overjoyed, but this girl’s performance had never left him disappointed before.
“What do you think?” Ye Liubo pouted her lips and nudged him.
“Maybe not today!” Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. Even if he had all the lust in the world, it would have been dispelled after the battle with Lolth. If he had not been completely satisfied, he would have never let Lolth go either. Right now, even without the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, he felt a little like his mind was as still as water, without any worldly desires.
“Fine.”
Ye Liubo was immediately disappointed, but she had no intentions of disobeying him. She struggled to hide her lament.
“It’s a little too hasty right now. Let me make some preparations, then I’ll…”
Li Qingshan whispered into her ear, comforting this small, loyal pet that he adored. After that, he left behind his mirror clone and left the underground world in a hurry. He had been gone for so long. Who knew if anything had happened on the other side. Xiao An was probably anxious from waiting!
The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was indeed related to him to a certain degree. Wanting to steal their special cultivation method was virtually impossible. Even if he underwent another heavenly tribulation, he still would have no confidence in this. The task of obtaining the Chant of Deva-Nāga would probably fall onto Xiao An’s shoulders.
Did that strange infant underground, the “frog in the well”, sense the existence of an opportunity because of this?
Lolth’s challenge would arrive very soon. If she did not fight, then so be it, but once she struck, she would be striking to kill.
Right now, everything that Li Qingshan possessed was based on the victory he had achieved earlier. If he failed to match Lolth, then not only him, but even Ye Liubo and Ye Liusu who depended on him would suffer.
Only by obtaining the phoenix’s feather and reaching the first layer of the Phoenix Transformation could he increase his odds.
Sparing Lolth obviously left behind a huge problem. However, it also pressured him into constantly thinking of ways to increase his strength, afraid to slack off for even a second.
Just by looking at the results, this choice was relatively better. If he really decided to kill her, the strange infant underground probably would not simply stand by and watch on.
Not to mention that the death of a Daemon Commander was anything but trivial.
Maybe even the leader of the Daemon race in the Green province, the Dragon King of Ink Sea, would respond. After all, even after so many years, the Sword Collection palace was still clinging onto the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death, refusing to simply let the matter go.
Even the best result would be another Daemon Commander coming over and claiming this territory, adding countless new variables and making the situation even more unpredictable. Compared to that, he would be better off keeping the various variables within his control.
Li Qingshan slowly thought through the matter. He was filled with a grand ambition, showing no fear or intention to cower at all.
“Come! No matter how many times, I will defeat you viciously, and then go at it again!”
Li Qingshan returned to the Chain mountain silently, but Xiao An was no longer in the dwelling.
Did she encounter something unexpected? However, the Eight Gates Formation of Golden Locks was in perfect condition, and with her current strength, the only one that could threaten her in the Clear River prefecture was the Spider Queen.
Just when he was rather confused, a neighbour visited. Li Qingshan opened the formation and invited Ru Xin into the dwelling.
“You’re finally back. How was your trip?” Ru Xin studied the extremely spacious dwelling, which only confirmed her thoughts further. If he were a regular cultivator, why would he make his dwelling so exaggeratedly large?
Perhaps left intentionally or otherwise, but there were even a few strangely large claw marks on the floor of the dwelling. And, the aspects that sparked doubt were much more than these.
It was no wonder why Xiao An refused to let the group of people inside. Otherwise, all of them would find this rather strange as long as they were human!
She only glanced past these parts hastily before turning her gaze back to the “mystery man” in front of her. At first glance, he seemed exactly the same as when they had first met. Even the aura he gave off was the same, However, his bearing had changed. It had become even more high-spirited and confident, filled with fighting will. It only gave her a single feeling. He had become even stronger.
“It was alright! Do you know where Xiao An went?”
Li Qingshan did not go out of his way to hide anything. Their relationship had already reached a state where they could understand one another without talking. Perhaps due to clearing out his desires, when Li Qingshan saw Ru Xin again, his passion had faded away. He cherished their friendship more than ever.
Even though he had a grand dream of taking all the beauties in the world as his wives, beauties were common, while confidants were rare.
“The Annihilum Light Chan Master of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga came, yet she refused to let anyone enter her dwelling, so all they could do was go to the academy together.”
“The Annihilum Light Chan Master? Tell me exactly what happened.”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. The strange infant underground sure was capable. As the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, he should know the Chant of Deva-Nāga. Couldn’t Li Qingshan just get him to pass it onto Xiao An and then exchange it for the phoenix’s feather?
“Sure. One spiritual stone per word. I already said thirty-two words earlier, but considering our friendship, I’ll just give them to you as a freebie.” Ru Xin extended her hand like she deserved it.
“Our friendship sure is worth a lot!”
To his surprise, Ru Xin furrowed her brows and began thinking as if she was seriously considering their friendship. Suddenly, her brows eased up again.
“Actually, we don’t even really have a friendship. Hurry up and cough up the spiritual stones, or I’ll refuse to answer any more questions.”
“Am I the novelist or are you the novelist? Are your stories really worth that much?”
“Fifty-six spiritual stones! Oh wait, it should be fifty-nine spiritual stones. If I include that sentence, it’s sixty-four spiritual stones! No, it’s wrong again. It should be…”
“Damn woman, you’re even including what you said at the very beginning! You’re still counting! Even talking to yourself counts as words!?”
“You’re welcome to not listen.”
“Alright, talk!” Li Qingshan refused to pay a single spiritual stone to her.
“Please settle the bill first.”
Li Qingshan exhaled in frustration and directly tossed out a great pile of spiritual stones.
Ru Xin did not hold back, accepting the spiritual stones with a smile. She said, “A long, long time ago…”
“It was just a few days at most!”
“You think you’re so clever! Do you know what I’m going to say? Stop interrupting me. A long, long time ago, there was a child called Chu Tian. He was a Reincarnated Celestial and a clever, kind-hearted boy- wait, forget I said those four words. I’m not going to charge you for them. I’ve helped you save four spiritual stones. Hehe.”
“Hehe my ass! You’re charging me over that entire monologue, aren’t you? It’s already exceeded twenty words.”
“That’s right.”
After learning all about Chu Tian’s appearance, figure, background, and origins, Li Qingshan finally heard Ru Xin say he succeeded with Foundation Establishment and had come to the Chain mountains to challenge him. He could not help but begin paying attention too.
At this moment, the story came to a halt.
“Your spiritual stones have run out. If you wish to continue, please pay up.”
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Chapter 497 – The Chant of Deva-Nāga
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Chapter 497 – The Chant of Deva-Nāga
Li Qingshan leapt to his feet as his eyes widened into a scowl. At this point, he even wanted to vent everything he had gone through with the Spider Queen at her.
The malice of the tiger demon had already merged with his bones. A sliver of it appeared. If regular people saw him right now, they would truly be frightened to death. Even cultivators would lurch inside and develop some fear.
However, Ru Xin merely drank her tea with composure, completely ignoring Li Qingshan’s actions. The corner of her lips even seemed to curl up into a complacent smile. Whenever they clashed verbally, they would emerge victoriously if they could make the other lose their temper. Now, it was basically a victory for her, so she was delighted inside.
Li Qingshan ground his teeth, truly unable to do anything to her. Even vicious tigers could not extend their claws and teeth at friends.
And, while he said he was angry, he actually experienced a rare sense of peace inside. As he drank the tea and listened to the story that she rambled on about, the shadow from the underground world seemed to recede from his body bit by bit.
Before he knew it, he was no longer the moon demon, and he recovered some humane sensations. His tense heart loosened up. As a result, he played along with her. If any old person wanted to scam him out of his spiritual stones, they had better check whether they had enough lives to.
In order to hear the entire story, Li Qingshan could only pay up obediently.
“Thank you for your patronage! I won’t be refunding any extra payments, but you do have to make up for it if you’re short!”
Fortunately, after succeeding with her “scheme”, Ru Xin had no intentions of purposefully extending the story any further. She gave him a simple explanation about what had happened, but even with that being the case, she had earned almost ten thousand spiritual stones.
“This bastard Chu Tian sure is clueless,” Li Qingshan said casually. He did not take this too seriously. A trouble-making clown like Chu Tian was no longer worth his attention.
More importantly, the Annihilum Light Chan Master actually wanted to take Xiao An to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga.
Although Li Qingshan did plan on visiting there with Xiao An, it was rather inappropriate right now.
A visit to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would definitely not take three or five days. It would be rather fast if it took three or five years. The issue was he had just set up some groundwork in the Clear River prefecture for himself. He had yet to reap the fruits of his labour. If he left now, it would be far too great of a pity.
Now that he had forcefully unified the night roamers, the spiritual herbs he collected would not be offered up like before. Instead, he could directly take it from them. His harvest would definitely be much, much greater than in the previous years.
And, he would be able to make full use of the underground resources. He could attempt to carry out long-term trades with the Academy of the Hundred Schools. The profits from that would definitely be impressive.
Even though regular pills were already useless to him, as long as he accumulated enough spiritual stones, he was more than able to visit the Ruyi commandery or even better places. He refused to believe he could not find and buy pills he could use.
He was like a farmer, toiling in the land laboriously and shedding who knew how many droplets of sweat. Finally, he reached autumn, the season of harvest he had been longing for all this time after so much difficulty. However, then he had to let go of the land and go start up a new field. No one would be willing to accept that.
And, he had yet to deal with the latent issue of the Spider Queen, which made it even more impossible for him to leave like this.
Of course, there was a way to deal with this, which was to have Xiao An cultivate in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga alone while Li Qingshan remained in the Clear River prefecture, doing whatever he wanted.
However, Li Qingshan did not even consider this idea. Like the promise he had given in the past, only death could separate the two of them.
Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts. His expression changed several times before he suddenly stood up. “I’ll go to the academy and take a look.” If that old monk decided to act on his own and forcefully take Xiao An back to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, that would be horrible.
“You don’t have to fret. A master from the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga won’t resort to something so rude and unreasonable, as long as you don’t insist on marrying their genius disciple.” Ru Xin seemed to read his mind. As she spoke, she sounded like she was testing him.
“Why would I marry her for no good reason?”
“As long as you have no interest.” Ru Xin eased up before pressing Li Qingshan back into his seat. Suddenly, she brought up something completely random. “Did you know, this world originally had gods.”
“What?” Li Qingshan was taken aback. He had no idea why she had abruptly mentioned this.
“This is another story.” Ru Xin smiled.
“You want to scam more spiritual stones from me?” Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow.
“Forget it. Considering how cooperative you were earlier, I’ll tell you this story for free.”
“Even if you want me to pay, I have to be willing first. Go on!”
“Your mind is elsewhere, so forget about it today. I’ll tell you once your mind settles down. C’mon, let’s go to the academy.” Ru Xin stood up complacently and made her way out through the door. Her lips curled into a somewhat mysterious smile.
I’m not taking over ten thousand spiritual stones from you for nothing.
In the great buddha’s hall of the Anāsravāṃ temple, the monks were all silent as they stood around.
The rings of spiral incense fell bit by bit as curling smoke dispersed. The figure of buddha smiled with his head lowered.
An old man and a young girl sat in front of the buddha, discussing the dharma. One was as withered as wood, while the other was tender like a flower.
As they listened to them speak, the monks were all left at a loss. Even Mind Enlightenment was not too certain he understood everything.
Xiao An seemed to be absorbed in her thoughts, lowering her head and thinking hard from time to time. Often, it would only take her a short while before she raised her head and continued.
The joy on the Annihilum Light Chan Master’s face that had been described as withered deepened. When he saw her several years ago, they had only agreed on their master-disciple relationship. They had not conversed too much. Today, he originally planned on giving her some guidance, but none of his difficult questions managed to stump her.
She developed her own style with buddhism, comprehending certain things by herself. Although her understanding for most things was still rather shallow, she did mention words of elegant wisdom from time to time, which instead made him feel like he was interacting with a senior.
And, it was only “shallow” in comparison to him, the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard who had spent several centuries on the buddhist dharma. There was probably no one among the internal disciples of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga that could match her. He was only filled with praises for her inside.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was not a simple cultivation method. It contained the life’s work of an eminent monk of buddhism, which was equivalent to having a bodhisattva as a teacher, pointing out a path for her among the buddhist scriptures that were as vast as the sea. She used this as a foundation to read buddhist scriptures far and wide before coming back and practising the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. The two processes supplemented each other, allowing her to advance step by step.
She felt like she had benefited quite a lot from the discussion with the Annihilum Light Chan Master. However, the bodhisattva was still the White Bone Bodhisattva after all, so Xiao An was unable to actually tell him what she had comprehended. Otherwise, he would not be approving and praising her. Instead, he would fly into a rage. With lightning speed, he would directly annihilate this heretic who blasphemed the buddha.
Most of Xiao An’s attention was not on the discussion. Instead, she was thinking about Li Qingshan’s safety. However, as she was always expressionless and her replies were clever and alert, even the Annihilum Light Chan Master failed to notice this. If he found out Xiao An had only been using minimal effort to deal with him, who knew whether he would become angered and displeased or even more delighted.
Xiao An’s dark pupils were perfectly still. Through her eyes, the gloriously-adorned hall seemed to become a transparent black and white. The rich fragrance of sandalwood was light yet tasteless. The Annihilum Light Chan Master opened and closed his mouth, mentioning subtle buddhist dharma that only slipped through her mind. The sound of morning bells and evening drums were barely discernible and distant too.
This was not because her senses were not sharp, but rather she was close to a state of emptiness and formlessness as described by buddhism. Regular buddhist disciples could spend three years facing a wall, and a moment of this was enough to enlighten them and allow their cultivation to leap forward. She was in this state right now.
Thunk!
Xiao An heard a loud sound, and she turned around in delight. Li Qingshan stepped into the great buddha’s hall. He formed an extremely distinct contrast to his surroundings. His bronze skin, shining eyes, and resonant laughter broke the silence.
Li Qingshan arrived beside Xiao An and bowed deeply. “I’m Li Qingshan. Greetings to the Annihilum Light Chan Master. I’ve heard how Xiao An had the pleasure to study under a renowned master like you. Having witnessed the solemnity of your bearing, you truly do live up to your name, Annihilum Light Chan Master.”
The Annihilum Light Chan Master did not even glance at Li Qingshan, like he did not exist. All he could see was Xiao An. As the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard in the Annihilum Light Chan Master, he could be regarded as powerful even among cultivators who had undergone the second heavenly tribulation.
However, he was not looking down on Foundation Establishment cultivators like Li Qingshan. Instead, that was merely his nature. Prior to meeting Xiao An, he had already practised meditative silence for twenty years.
Meditative silence was extremely renowned among chan sects, which focused on letting go of the obsessions of speech. However, it was rumored in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga that his meditative silence was not for cultivation at all but purely because he did not want to talk and waste time expounding the buddhist dharma to others.
During the half a day he had spent here, he had almost spoken more words to Xiao An than everything he had said in the past decade in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. If the disciples of the Bodhi courtyard found out about this, their jaws would definitely drop and begin suspecting whether their master was actually an imposter or not.
But clearly, the Annihilum Light Chan Master was not particularly fond of Li Qingshan who had just barged in.
Mind Enlightenment went up and tried to persuade him gently. “Junior brother, it’s best if you leave for now!”
“In the past, the One Thought master said I had a destiny with the buddha. I’d like to listen to the Annihilum Light Chan Master’s profound buddhist dharma and see whether I actually have a destiny or not.” Li Qingshan smiled at Xiao An, finding himself a cushion to sit down on.
Xiao An smiled faintly. The moment of beauty left all the monks in the hall slightly stunned. Some who did not have self-restraint naturally developed some impure thoughts.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master frowned. He had no idea what the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty was, but he could not help but think of a legend. In the legend, when the buddha attained buddhahood under the bodhi tree, the demonic māra came to stop him, conjuring celestial maidens to delude his enlightened heart.
He had never seen celestial maidens, but her smile made her buddhist nature fade away, going from a buddhist genius to a celestial maiden conjured by demons. This was also the first time he truly took notice of her appearance before realising he had probably been over worrying. She was still a child after all, so having some impure thoughts was unavoidable. If she really was completely pure and stainless, then it would be unbelievable. She would resemble a demon more that way.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master turned his withered face, and his eyes recovered their turbidity, finally looking at Li Qingshan. His still heart suddenly rippled.
He was the only obstacle to her cultivation!
“As the buddha says, three pairs of listening ears may be too many for certain dharma. You want to listen to my sermons, but I wonder if you have that right, sir?”
TL: “Three pairs of listening ears may be too many” is a Chinese saying that describes something as top secret. Basically, you want to keep it between two people (two pairs of ears), without a third person knowing (the third pair of ears).
In contrast to the hoarseness when he gave sermons, the Annihilum Light Chan Master’s voice suddenly became mighty, grand, and magnanimous with a hint of a lingering dragon’s roar. It fell from above, pouring directly into Li Qingshan’s head.
Li Qingshan’s face changed and immediately dismissed his thoughts. His soul began to shake as he felt like electricity was running through his body.
Is this the Chant of Deva-Nāga!?
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Chapter 498 – A Godless World
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Chapter 498 – A Godless World
Li Qingshan experienced even more pain than when he endured Zhou Tong’s heavenly lightning. This was not because the Annihilum Light Chan Master wanted to kill him, but rather due to the intense reaction from the ox demon and the tiger demon to the Chant of Deva-Nāga. It was like pouring water into boiling oil, surging instantly.
Rumor has it that the Chant of Deva-Nāga possesses the ability to suppress all daemons, demons, ghosts, and monsters. Sure enough, it’s true. Has he discovered something? Which is why he’s purposefully testing me?
The Annihilum Light Chan Master had not realised Li Qingshan’s original form as a daemon. Instead, he had other thoughts in mind. Not only could the Chant of Deva-Nāga suppress all daemons, but it could also purge the evil thoughts and desires from a person’s heart.
If Li Qingshan truly had some inappropriate intentions towards Xiao An, he could use this to eliminate them, saving any unnecessary troubles that might have happened with his visit. If he refused to let them go, then he would suffer extreme agony.
However, Li Qingshan’s face only changed slightly before recovering. As a matter of fact, he was even calmer and more composed than when he first arrived.
Is my judgement wrong? If that’s the case, I don’t have to make things too difficult for him. People are creatures of feelings, so it’s unavoidable if you can’t always let go. If I use force, I would be resorting to a lesser method of dealing with this. I’ll develop ill will with my disciple. The Annihilum Light Chan Master stopped the Chant of Deva-Nāga.
Actually, Li Qingshan had used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression ability to suppress anything, pacifying the unsettled ox demon and tiger demon and becoming as calm as a meditating old monk. When the spirit turtle submerged in the sea, it was as still as a rock. Of course, this was also because the Annihilum Light Chan Master had never unleashed his true strength, or fleeing frantically would be the only thing Li Qingshan could do apart from transforming and fighting him.
“Is this the ultimate cultivation method of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Chant of Deva-Nāga?” Li Qingshan asked with a smile.
“Seeing how open-minded and level-headed you are, you do indeed have some destiny with the buddha, sir.”
“What? The Chant of Deva-Nāga?” The monks were all stunned. Apart from Xiao An, no one else had sensed anything from the probing and clash earlier.
“Could you pass it onto Xiao An?” Li Qingshan tried his luck.
Li Qingshan arrived on Benevolence island alone as he sighed inside, The phoenix’s feather sure won’t come easily!
“This special cultivation method is different from other cultivation methods. Only my senior brother, the abbott, has the right to pass it to other people. And she’ll have to undertake a series of tests before that.”
That was the Annihilum Light Chan Master’s answer. As a revered monk of buddhism, he fully embraced the precept of telling no lies, not to mention how he would never lie about something so significant.
There was nothing Li Qingshan could do. He agreed to pay a visit to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with Xiao An once he dealt with the matters in the Clear River prefecture. That was what Xiao An had been planning in the first place too. The Annihilum Light Chan Master had nothing to say, so he continued giving sermons to Xiao An.
Li Qingshan made his way to the school of Medicine, thinking about the second story Ru Xin wanted to tell him. Back then, he was worried about Xiao An, so he was in no shape to think too much about it, but looking at it now, he felt that it bore great significance.
Ru Xin’s mouth was unforgiving, but never did she actually try to scam him out of his spiritual stones. He could feel that even if he had given her the spiritual stones reluctantly, she would not have accepted them.
Asking around a little, Ru Xin was not on Benevolence island. She had gone to the library on Contention island.
Suddenly, a gaze filled with hatred was cast over. Li Qingshan raised his head and looked over. There was a twisted face behind a window upstairs that he found rather familiar. It was Chu Tian.
Li Qingshan waved his hand with a smile, and the face became even more twisted. At this moment, a woman arrived by the window, and surprisingly, it was Qian Rongzhi. She dropped her gaze and glanced at Li Qingshan. Her expression was rather strange as she quickly closed the curtains.
“Is she guarding her prey?”
“Little Tian, stop looking. There will be a day when you become even more powerful than him.” There was no pity in Qian Rongzhi’s eyes. Instead, they were filled with trust and anticipation.
This was a gaze that no man could resist when they were in dejection. Chu Tian was no different. He shuddered before throwing himself into Qian Rongzhi’s arms. He began sobbing.
“I don’t have anything anymore!”
Qian Rongzhi rubbed his head gently with her gloved hands. Her gaze was gentle like a mother gazing at her own, dejected child.
However, the hell snake began to move, slithering around on her body reluctantly. She also comforted it like a mother.
Be patient. There’ll be food very soon.
Chu Tian had indeed lost quite a lot of things. After Ru Xin brought him to Benevolence island, his symptoms of qi deviation stabilised miraculously. Afterwards, Qian Rongzhi rushed over, her eyes red as she stuttered.
Under Chu Tian’s forceful questioning, she ended up telling him an extremely unfortunate piece of news. During the time he spent in secluded cultivation, the two girls who had joined the academy with him died in battle. He was childhood friends with the two girls, deeply attached to them.
Chu Tian was overcome with sorrow and experienced qi deviation again, almost dying.
Afterwards, a miracle occurred to him again, keeping his life intact as if fate really protected his life. However, his cultivation did regress drastically.
“You still have me!” Qian Rongzhi turned her head away as if seeing this broke her heart. She could not help herself as tears rolled down her cheek.
And, only me.
The venomous snake hissed.
“Fubai, why are you here?”
Li Qingshan arrived at the library, but he ran into an acquaintance, Sun Fubai.
The sunlight poured in through the window as Sun Fubai sat back in a rocking chair leisurely, reading a book, just like when they had first met.
“Qingshan, you’ve come.”
Only after a conversation did Li Qingshan learn that the library originally belonged to the school of Novels. The structures on Contention island all came with obligations, which were mostly handled by people various schools sent over.
However, as the school of Novels had originally declined to the point where they almost lost Cloudwisp island, possessing no disciples and unable to support any instructors, the library had fallen under the obligations of the school of Confucianism. Now that the school of Novels was prospering again, it returned to the hands of the school of Novels.
Sun Fubai had reached a crucial moment for his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, so he dropped his matters in the Cloudwisp association and returned to the library to cultivate himself. Under his management, a complete structure had already been set up in the Cloudwisp association, so there was no need for him to personally tend to everything.
Books filled the bookshelves. The smell of wood and books was refreshing. However, the vast building was mostly empty, without many people inside.
The chaos brought by war had yet to be pacified. The people who were in the mood to read books and the books regarding cultivation were all on higher floors. Most of the books downstairs were classics, or on history, philosophy, and literature, which were very difficult for cultivators to take note of.
“You’re talking about school leader Ru, right? She’s right over there. She came a long time ago. So she’s been waiting for you!”
“Yeah. I’ll go and take a look.”
Li Qingshan had already sensed her aura. Navigating his way through the mountainous bookcases and piles of books, he finally found her in a corner.
There were many books piled on the table, but she was not holding a single one. She crossed her legs high up on the table, smiling brightly while leaning on her hands.
There were two floor-to-ceiling windows. The sunlight was wonderful, dyeing her black hair golden.
“What are you doing here?” Li Qingshan sat down in front of her, casually picking up a book and flipping through it before tossing it back onto the table.
“To tell you the second story.”
“What story?”
“A story about gods.”
Ru Xin removed her legs from the table. With a wave of her hand, the curtains were drawn with a rattle, blocking out the sunlight. A shadow enveloped her face. She crossed her arms and placed them on the table, leaning forward and stifling her voice. “Did you know that the nine provinces originally had many gods? These gods obviously couldn’t be compared to the gods and buddhas in heaven. At most, they were only some minor gods, and the places they governed were not large either, such as a mountain or a river.”
“Most of them were mountain or water daemons. Perhaps they might not have been particularly powerful in the cultivation world, but in the eyes of regular people, they already possessed powers to summon clouds and rain at whim. They seemed all-powerful. And, as long as they remained in their territory, their strength would be greatly enhanced. They would possess quite the power.”
“What about now? Why aren’t there any more left?” Li Qingshan seemed to understand something, but he failed to grasp the main point of all this.
“After the founding emperor established the nine provinces, not a single god existed in the world.”
“And then?”
“And then there’s no and then. I’m done with my story.” Ru Xin waved her hand again, and the dazzling sunlight flooded in.
“Is this your story?” Li Qingshan stared at her with widened eyes.
“It’s not like you’ve paid anything, so why should I make it so long? If you want to know, read it for yourself!” Ru Xin patted the pile of books, filling the air with dust that drifted about in the sunlight.
She stood up, about to leave.
“Hold on.” Li Qingshan stopped Ru Xin, but he had no idea where he should start with his questions. Just a certain thought of his became clearer and clearer. He glanced past the tall pile of books. She must have spent quite the effort digging up these damned books from the musty selection here!
“If you have something to say, just spit it out.”
“If you had said ‘make it quick’ instead of that, it would be a little more pleasant to my ears.” Li Qingshan’s gaze swept past her perky bottom viciously. He was very tempted to deal a vicious slap there.
Immediately, he forgot about keeping her around for the rest of his life as a confidant. He only thought about how pressing her down over his legs and viciously spanking her would be the greatest enjoyment when she ran her mouth blindly.
“Will I receive spiritual stones if you feel pleasant?” Ru Xin found that rather inappropriate as soon as she mentioned it.
Sure enough, Li Qingshan sniggered. “That’ll depend on how you make me feel pleasant.”
Ru Xin turned around and left without saying anything more.
Li Qingshan suddenly remembered something. “Do you know what Qian Rongzhi is doing by Chu Tian’s side?”
“In the Mist province, interfering with a person’s hunt is even more severe of an offence than stealing their wife!” Ru Xin waved her hand without even looking back, passing through the corridor of floor-to-ceiling windows. She flickered in and out of the sunlight, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
“Hunting? She’s thinking the same thing as I am. It’s a pity that I have too many prey, or I wouldn’t mind having a hand in it.”
Li Qingshan murmured to himself before picking up the book he had tossed on the table again. He carefully studied the cover. The title of the book had already become blurred, and the words were in an extremely simple style. He only managed to make out two words, “on Gods”.
Unless they were left untouched in hundred treasures pouches, items like books could never withstand the passage of time no matter how proper the protection they received was.
For once, Li Qingshan settled down and began reading. Only then would he live up to the pain-staking efforts she had gone to in finding these books from the vast selection here.
Under the reflected sunlight, time passed bit by bit.
Just like what Ru Xin had said, gods did exist in the very beginning. They were primarily divided into mountain gods and water gods. Bodies of earth and bodies of water could be refined like spiritual and arcane artifacts, but unlike imprinting them with soul sense, the process involved drawing out a sliver of soul sense and condensing it into a god seal.
The founding emperor conquering the world was not as simple as defeating everyone in the world and then establishing the eight kings and ten Daemon Kings. Otherwise, the Great Xia empire would have immediately collapsed the moment he left, returning to the age of chaos.
Instead, he undertook a series of procedures to prevent this. The most important procedure was forging the great cauldrons of the nine provinces. The materials that went into forging these cauldrons were the god seals collected from throughout the world.
The nine cauldrons suppressed the nine provinces. From then onwards, even if daemons claimed mountains and bodies of rivers again, they would not be able to refine them.
TL: This is a reference to ancient Chinese mythology/history. If you’re wondering why Chinese webnovels frequently mention nine provinces and not eight or ten provinces, it’s because there were nine provinces/regions in the ancient Xia and Shang dynasties, which is basically another way to say China now. So yes, these “nine provinces” are very, very loosely based on ancient China. At the same time, cauldrons basically symbolize the power and authority of rulers in ancient China, with the emperor, the Son of Heaven, possessing nine. You can read more about this here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Provinces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Tripod_Cauldrons
With the emergence of the founding emperor, the world became godless.
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Chapter 499 – Water God Seal
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Chapter 499 – Water God Seal
However, if the world is godless, why is Ru Xin telling me to read all of this?
Li Qingshan was not surprised by the fact that Ru Xin had managed to guess his identity as Northmoon. He was not Superman, who only needed to take off a pair of black-rimmed glasses and change into a set of tights with an “S” to fool the reporter that was the female protagonist forever.
Either there was something wrong with the female reporter’s head, or she had never really taken a man like him seriously. As someone who liked her, Superman’s tastes sure were not particularly impressive.
Li Qingshan personally believed his tastes were much better. Ru Xin’s intelligence was quite rare in the world. She had purposefully made a fuss to lead him here, digging up a great pile of books for him to read. Surely she could not say something like:
Hey, I know who you are! Becoming a water god is so great, but it’s just a pity you were born too late! You know about it now, but it’s forever beyond your reach! Hehehehe.
Hold on!
Li Qingshan’s expression suddenly became rather strange, as he imagined Ru Xin saying something like that complacently, he felt like she was actually capable of doing something like that.
He coughed gently and dismissed these random thoughts. He calmed down and continued flipping through the books.
By dusk, the sunlight had become an orangey-red, casting long shadows of him on the floor.
Li Qingshan finally reached the last book, and he became even more eager. If he could refine a body of water and turn it into his water dwelling, his cultivation speed would definitely increase drastically. And, with his geographic advantage, even if Golden Core cultivators came to make trouble, he could deal with them easily. He could go on the attack as opposed to being on the defence.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
“Oi, Ru Xin, what are you trying to do? Are you fooling with me?”
It was already late. Li Qingshan arrived on Benevolence island, looking for Ru Xin in her alchemy room to denounce her. Disappointment and anger filled his face from finding absolutely nothing.
“Ah, you’ve finally noticed! How clever!” Ru Xin chuckled as if she had succeeded with her scheme. However, she felt rather disappointed inside.
“So you already knew!” Li Qingshan flew into a rage before calming down again and smiling.
“Knew what?” Ru Xin asked in exasperation.
“I was…”
“An idiot.” Ru Xin interrupted him.
“I’m going to go to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with Xiao An.” Li Qingshan did not lose his temper. He only sighed gently.
“Why?” Ru Xin gazed at the cauldron before her and asked in an unconcerned manner, but her heart shuddered slightly.
“Actually, I wanted to tell you back then in the library. This is the best choice for Xiao An. Not to mention that I’ve offended my superior, so I kind of can’t remain in the Clear River prefecture anymore.”
“You read all the books I gave you?” Others might have had no idea which superior Li Qingshan had offended, but Ru Xin knew very well. She became rather flustered inside for some reason.
“I read some of them, but they seem to be useless, so I guessed you were playing a trick on me. Sigh, if only that were possible. That way, I would be able to hold off that superior of mine.”
“You idiot!” He was clearly just one step away.
“Forget it. I’m not going to get mad at you today. Actually, there’s something I want to tell you before I leave.” Li Qingshan’s gaze suddenly became filled with tenderness.
Ru Xin’s gaze met his before shifting away again. “What about those books?”
She would not make any attempt to persuade him to stay, but at the very least, she had to make him understand the current situation completely. This idiot!
“They’re still in the library!”
“That’s good then. Wait for me here. I’ll be right back.” Ru Xin had specially told Sun Fubai to stow the books away and prevent anyone else from touching them if Li Qingshan failed to read through all of them.
“Hahahaha, who’s the one being fooled now?” Li Qingshan suddenly laughed aloud and raised his right hand.
An hour earlier, he noticed something thin inserted between the first page and the front cover the moment he opened the last book. It seemed like water or ice, completely transparent, and it was jagged, shaped like a dragon. It formed a simplistic but impressive glyph.
Li Qingshan could tell with a single glance that it was anything but ordinary. However, it did not even give off a sliver of spiritual qi, and it was extremely delicate. If he had not flipped to this page, he would not have discovered what the book was hiding.
“Don’t tell me this is?”
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He looked around, and only after confirming that no one was around did he channel a sliver of spiritual qi into the ice glyph.
The ice glyph immediately began to move, raging like the rivers yet also coiling like dragons and snakes. Under the glow of the setting sun, it seemed to be alive.
Sure enough!
Li Qingshan picked up a book he had just read through and flipped to a certain page. There was a description on there.
“The Mountain God Seal is like metal, while the Water God Seal is like ice and jade. They are both shaped like dragons.”
Combining the information from so many books, a rough, blue image gradually appeared in Li Qingshan’s head.
After forging the cauldrons of the nine provinces, no one was able to condense god seals anymore. Afterwards, the world became godless.
However, this was not absolute. With how many mountains and bodies of water there were in the world, there would always be some god seals that managed to slip by. Because they came from the same origins as the cauldrons of the nine provinces, they could not be suppressed.
However, while they could not be suppressed, the nine cauldrons could sense these actions of stealing from their “network”. Once caught, the empire would definitely punish those people with an iron fist.
However, this lead to another question. This god seal might not necessarily be condensed in the Clear River prefecture, so could it still be used here?
There was no answer to this question. He only gained a complete understanding of the history, rise, and fall of the existence of gods from all the books he had read, but they did not go into detail about the usage of god seals.
And, using a god seal in this day and age was clearly an act of treason. Even if books like that did exist, they would not be present in the library.
“Looks like the answer is right here!”
Li Qingshan cast his gaze onto the last book with the Water God Seal again. At first glance, the book seemed no different from the others, just having been soaked in water before, and the material of the paper was rather different. Through the decorative designs of the first page, he could tell that the book should not have come from the library, but from Ru Xin’s personal collection.
Li Qingshan calmed down and read through it page by page. He discovered calling it a book was rather inaccurate. More accurately, it was a series of notes. It was the notes of a Hawkwolf guard who carried out missions in the Mist province.
It contained records of how a few daemons, demons, and monsters in the Mist province used this remaining god seal to refine the treacherous terrain there, claiming themselves to be kings. They were extremely difficult to exterminate.
Sure enough, according to the information recorded in the notes, god seals were only divided into Mountain God Seals and Water God Seals, but they were not limited to certain regions. As long as they released the spiritual qi of the mountains and waters they had refined, they could just use them elsewhere.
The Hawkwolf guard had complained plenty about this.
Li Qingshan beamed with joy inside.
The notes should have been quite old. By now, the Mist province had already descended into chaos, and the Hawkwolf Guard had already withdrawn their organisation to the level of commanderies. It was no longer clear who was exterminating who.
In other words, offices of the Hawkwolf Guard on the same level as the Clear River prefecture no longer existed in the Mist province.
That was expected. After several years of war, the Clear River prefecture had already withdrawn its lowest level of Hawkwolf Guard offices too, concentrating their strength in all aspects. If the war developed further, such that even Daemon Commanders like Spider Queen Lolth ran amok freely, then it would also make perfect sense to withdraw offices like the Hawkwolf Guard in the Clear River prefecture.
After reading the final page of the notes, Li Qingshan gained an inkling about the origins of the god seal.
There were many Water God Seals throughout the Mist province. They had not been left behind from before the age when the founding emperor established the nine provinces.
There were territories outside the nine provinces that could completely avoid the suppression of the great cauldrons of the nine provinces. They could condense god seals outside and then bring them to the nine provinces.
However, this was anything but easy to achieve. Condensing god seals required extremely great time and effort, frequently calculated using decades. If it were just for the sake of sale, it was a horrible idea where the losses outweigh the gains.
The Hawkwolf guard even suspected a connection to the Merfolk of the South sea, as Merfolk were naturally born with the other ability of controlling water, so condensing Water God Seals was relatively easier for them. At the same time, they had lengthier lives too. As it seemed, the Hawkwolf guard’s guess had been mostly correct.
Ru Xin happened to possess the bloodline of Merfolk.
Li Qingshan could also be regarded as a member of the Hawkwolf Guard, but never had he heard of something like this, probably because the Green province was a close neighbour of the Dragon province. If any daemon were bold enough to make trouble, probably even the Dragon King of Ink Sea would not allow it. However, now that the Treaty of Kings was falling apart and conflict sprung up everywhere with plenty of bloodshed, something like this was no longer a big deal.
He had even committed murder and arson, so why did he have to worry about stealing some resources?
“This sure is a great gift!”
If it were not for the fact that he was in the library, Li Qingshan was almost tempted to laugh out loud. If Ru Xin had been standing in front of him, perhaps he would have hugged her and kissed her a few times.
The spiritual stones he had given away, over ten thousand of them, were absolutely nothing in comparison to the value of the god seal. Even in the Mist province, a similar god seal could fetch an astronomical price, and they were probably even rarer in the Green province.
If Li Qingshan were to buy it, he would be more than willing to spend the sum even if it cost a hundred thousand or a million spiritual stones. Was there anything else that could increase his cultivation speed while ensuring his safety? Was there anything more important than that?
In hindsight, Li Qingshan realised that Ru Xin’s tricks were actually more like a test.
If he did not have the patience to listen to her, or he turned her down because he was stingy with spiritual stones, he would not have even gotten through the first story, so there obviously would not be a second story. If he ignored and dismissed her efforts, refusing to read through them one by one, then he would have missed out on the priceless god seal.
It’s right there. It’ll just depend on whether you have the patience or not.
Was obtaining her heart the same?
Li Qingshan stowed the book and god seal away. Then he explained a few things to Sun Fubai before rushing over to Benevolence island.
As Ru Xin gazed at the god seal in Li Qingshan’s hand, she had no idea whether she should be angry or happy.
If he had not read through all the books, why did he only visit now? Normally, she never would have fallen for this, but his farewell managed to throw her mind into a mess.
“Looks like even without a test, there’s still a prize for me! Lady Ru Xin sure is softhearted!” At this moment, Li Qingshan did not possess a single shred of might or malice that belonged to daemons. He was more like a child who had managed to steal some candy, extremely proud of himself.
“Since you’ve obtained it, you can hurry up and piss off. Stop interfering with my alchemy.”
Ru Xin waved her hand impatiently, like she was shooing away a fly. The red glow of the setting sun stretched from her cheek to her slender neck.
“Thank you!” Li Qingshan pulled her into his arms and embraced her firmly as he said with great seriousness.
Medicinal fragrance filled his mind, and her feminine figure filled his arms.
“I won’t leave the Clear River prefecture so casually. Even if I do leave, I will return. I have far too many attachments here.”
Before Ru Xin could respond, Li Qingshan let go of her and made his way out the door.
“How impressive.” Ru Xin snorted with disdain after being dazed for a moment.
At this moment, there was someone else on Benevolence island who had finally obtained her reward after a series of trials.
PS: Congratulations to “A Lifetime Following Fate, Fate Deciding a Lifetime” on becoming a new Sect Master. Dream Teller hereby gives you his best regards and endless thanks. I will definitely continue to work hard so that I don’t let you down. We’re in the final juncture of this month, so I once again ask you for monthly votes!
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Chapter 500 – The End to Mad and Arrogant
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Chapter 500 – The End to Mad and Arrogant
No one came to visit Chu Tian, whether it was his senior and junior brothers of the school of Confucianism or the women he had a relationship with in the past.
If Chu Tian had been an amiable person, even if his cultivation regressed drastically, he would not end up like this. At the very least, he would still have received some sympathy and respect.
However, he had never been a likable person. Normally, others were only polite with him because of his talent. They were probably all hiding deep envy aside from that.
Thoughts like “Even an idiot like him can cultivate so quickly, so why can’t I? The heavens sure are unfair!” were unavoidable.
As a result, when they learned about his qi deviation, they all secretly rejoiced. “To think you would have today!” No one was willing to waste time on a cripple anymore.
There was only one person who cared for him without abandoning him—Qian Rongzhi.
However, seeing how concern alone would be useless, a sliver of pity suddenly appeared in her eyes. “Little Tian, even if you can’t cultivate anymore, I’ll look after you for the rest of your life.”
Like a cat that had its tail trodden on, Chu Tian responded emotionally, “I still can cultivate! Those people who look down on me will definitely live to regret it!” However, Qian Rongzhi’s pity only deepened. Suddenly, he fell silent, sinking into his thoughts before saying, “Rongzhi, there’s a secret I want to tell you. I’ve never told anyone about this secret before.”
“What?” Qian Rongzhi was uncertain.
“Watch carefully!” Chu Tian extended his right hand, and a verdant vine grew from the centre of his palm bit by bit. It was tiny, but it gave off a feeling of strength that came with age.
Qian Rongzhi experienced a strange feeling. The vine grew in Chu Tian’s palm, but it led to another world.
“Little Tian, is this an arcane treasure?”
This had exceeded her expectations somewhat. In the past, she had plenty of chances to capture Chu Tian alive and then interrogate him through torture. However, she never did that because she had no idea what Chu Tian’s trump card was and what powers he possessed. She acted as such just in case all of her efforts ended in vain and caused her more harm than good.
As a result, she bided her time, just for this moment.
“No. This is a Heaven Climbing Vine. Its seed was buried in my soul when I was born. As long as I have it, I’ll definitely be able to recover my cultivation!”
“That’s fantastic, little Tian!”
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes sparkled as she thought, Thank you, Xiao An.
It was late, in the middle of the night.
Chu Tian lay on his bed, motionless, with his eyes wide open and staring directly upwards. A colourful little snake slithered across his face, climbing onto a fair-skinned arm.
Qian Rongzhi opened her hand, and the tiny snake spat out a seed, falling onto her palm like a droplet of water before melting away.
She patted the tiny snake’s head. “If I didn’t have you, fetching the seed of the Heaven Climbing Vine sure would have been difficult.”
Chu Tian had never been a particularly clever person. Since he had divulged his greatest secret, Qian Rongzhi learnt everything about the Heaven Climbing Vine very quickly too. She also finally understood the secret to why Chu Tian could cultivate so quickly.
Qian Rongzhi opened her hand, and the Heaven Climbing Vine grew slowly. The verdant stalk was so slender and fragile, yet it could clearly overcome the invisible obstacles between spatial realms, leading to another world.
Immediately, extremely pure spiritual qi flowed through the vine and into her body. Even for a blessed land like the academy that had been improved on for thousands of years, its spiritual qi was nowhere near as dense as the spiritual qi from the vine.
Probably because the Heaven Climbing Vine was still very young, there actually was not a lot of spiritual qi. It could not even rival the spiritual qi drawn from a spiritual stone. However, this was no longer merely a difference in quantity, but a difference in quality too.
As the spiritual qi circulated through her body and melded with her, she felt like she had returned to that night when she slaughtered the entire Qian family. She felt indescribable delight.
You had something so wondrous and it still took you so many years to establish a foundation! You really do have the brains of a pig!
Qian Rongzhi glanced at Chu Tian on the bed in disdain. Even regular people without any talent at all could cultivate relatively quickly as long as they had the Heaven Climbing Vine to constantly nurture their bodies.
And, the Heaven Climbing Vine had appeared on him from the moment he was born, yet it was still so feeble. This clearly meant that Chu Tian only knew to extract spiritual qi with it. He had not properly nurtured the vine itself.
From a certain perspective, the Heaven Climbing Vine and the tiny, colourful snake were extremely similar. If the tiny, colourful snake was a curse from hell, then the Heaven Climbing Vine would be a blessing from heaven.
This was also where her opportunity came from. If she had been anyone else, then she would not have been able to remove the Heaven Climbing Vine from Chu Tian’s body so easily. The Heaven Climbing Vine was an ethereal existence such that no others could even touch it apart from Chu Tian. They could only sense its existence.
At most, they would only be able to coerce Chu Tian into letting them make use of the spiritual qi extracted by the Heaven Climbing Vine. However, this would be completely different from right now. They could even be stabbed in the back if they were not careful. The Heaven Climbing Vine was not only for cultivation. It could also bypass all defences and directly penetrate the opponent’s body, sucking away their spiritual qi or even life force. This was what Chu Tian had been relying on when he tried to challenge Li Qingshan as a Qi Practitioner the other day. And, if Chu Tian really ran out of choices, he could even directly destroy the Heaven Climbing Vine.
The tiny snake slithered along Qian Rongzhi’s hand and entwined around the Heaven Climbing Vine, hissing and flickering its tongue.
One was brightly-coloured, while the other was subdued and elegant. One was lively, while the other was serene.
They were polar opposites, yet they contrasted perfectly off one another.
“Thank you, little Tian.” Qian Rongzhi withdrew the snake and vine, gently caressing Chu Tian’s face. The smile on her face became more and more sincere as the killing intent in her heart grew heavier and heavier.
She had many ways to deceive everyone up her sleeve. Although he could no longer pose any threat to her, only dead people were the safest, right?
Just when she was about to strike.
Thump, thump, thump. There were a few knocks on the door.
Qian Rongzhi’s eyes, which were as cold as a snake’s, shifted slightly.
“Senior sister Ru Xin, I was just about to go and look for you. Little Tian is experiencing qi deviation again.”
The door opened. Qian Rongzhi’s face was filled with panic and worry as the corner of her eyes glistened with the trace of tears.
“Really? Don’t tell me he heard some good news from you again!” Ru Xin crossed her arms and ruminated.
“I shouldn’t have told him! I shouldn’t have told him!” Qian Rongzhi murmured to herself, her fist clenched in self-blame.
“If there’s nothing else, you can go for now! It’s so late. A lone man and woman spending a night together isn’t a good idea.”
“I’m not afraid! I want to take care of him!”
“I think you’ve already taken plenty of care of him. Let’s hope you don’t care for him to death and break the rules here.” Ru Xin smiled faintly.
“This… alright…” Qian Rongzhi shivered inside and lowered her head. She felt a terrifying presence from Ru Xin.
She clenched her fist even more tightly before glancing back at Chu Tian on the bed. Having lost the Heaven Climbing Vine, he seemed to have become a vegetable. His eyes remained wide open and motionless such that specks of dust had already begun to gather on there.
In truth, his situation was much worse than a vegetable’s. It was said that vegetables still possessed a degree of consciousness, but having undergone the painful torure of the hell snake, his sea of consciousness had completely collapsed. All he did was continue breathing.
No matter how impressive Ru Xin’s medical skills were, she would not be able to cure him anymore.
Thinking up to there, Qian Rongzhi moved over to the side, brushing past Ru Xin.
The door to the ward closed again, separating the two of them.
“Is this the end to the mad and arrogant?” Ru Xin shook her head as she murmured softly to herself. Behind her, a hideous, terrifying figure, humanoid yet also not, vanished with a flash.
Qian Rongzhi loosened her hand. The Heaven Climbing Vine and hell snake returned to her body. She made her way towards the end of the corridor resolutely. She would not be returning.
From that moment onwards, a curse and blessing existed on her at the same time. No one knew which direction she would be heading in the future.
After parting with Ru Xin, Li Qingshan discovered the sermon on Anāsravāṃ island was still ongoing.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master wanted to pass on a few extra things to his disciple before he left and have a closer relationship to her.
As for Xiao An, she stopped worrying after learning about Li Qingshan’s safety, placing all of her focus on the discussion of dharma with the Annihilum Light Chan Master to increase her comprehension of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
The Annihilum Light Chan Master could not help but become even more delighted. As it turned out, this disciple of his had not even unleashed her true “powers” earlier. He became even more afraid of becoming careless.
Just when Li Qingshan wanted to return to Cloudwisp island and slowly consider how he would use the Water God Seal, Wang Pushi sent him another message, telling him that he was waiting for him in the office in Clear River city.
When Li Qingshan had transformed into Northmoon, he had already ignored many messages. He had to go this time so he went.
Only when he arrived in the city did he discover that Wang Pushi was not the only one waiting for him.
In the large hall, Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan sat in the centre. Behind them on the wall was a valiant hawk with its wings unfurled, forged from scarlet bronze. It gazed at Li Qingshan with shining eyes, which made him think of Gu Yanying.
Almost a hundred Hawkwolf guards stood to the left and right according to their positions and cultivations. This was basically all the Hawkwolf guards they could spare from the entire Clear River prefecture.
“Old Wang, don’t tell me you plan on denouncing and punishing me for what I’ve done with such a great group you’ve assembled!” Li Qingshan joked as the door behind him closed loudly.
“Li Qingshan, you deserted from the battle, hiding in your dwelling to cultivate. What crimes do you think you deserve?” Wang Pushi asked right in his face.
“I was at a critical juncture for cultivation, and I only broke through after so much difficulty. How can you call that deserting? Moreover, it’s not like I knew you would run into so much danger.”
Li Qingshan shrugged and shot a glance at Hua Chengzan. He asked secretly, “What the hell is old Wang doing?” Even if he missed a few messages, surely it did not warrant so much anger!
“You’ll know in a second.” Hua Chengzan studied Li Qingshan and noticed a sharp change in his bearing. He knew he was not lying. Who knew how difficult each breakthrough would be for a cultivator. No one was like him, entering seclusion almost every day for a breakthrough.
“How dare you talk back! Hell of Ice!” Wang Pushi leapt to his feet, and the temperature in the room plummeted.
Apart from Hua Chengzan, all of the Hawkwolf guards could not help but shiver, but they had only been indirectly affected. Wang Pushi’s true target, Li Qingshan, became covered in frost in the blink of an eye.
Li Qingshan felt bone-chilling coldness, freezing his flesh, blood, and skeleton such that he was immobilised. The coldness even penetrated his sea of qi, wanting to freeze it altogether.
Coupled with it was indescribable pain. The Ice hell was the same as the Venomous Snake hell, both one of the many minor hells. However, it was a fair bit off from the pain brought on by Qian Rongzhi’s true hell snake.
He became slightly irritated inside. He’s attacking me over the slightest dispute. Has he discovered my daemon form? No, that can’t be right. If that is the case, the line-up here is a little too weak. It’s not like Wang Pushi hasn’t witnessed the strength of the moon demon. Why would two Foundation Establishment cultivators bring a group of Qi Practitioners here to die?
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Chapter 501 – Scarlet Hawk Commander
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Chapter 501 – Scarlet Hawk Commander
Hell was the place where all sins were judged. It was the ultimate representation of the solemnity of punishment.
Once disciples of legalism cultivated to a certain degree, they could draw a sliver of aura from the endless hells and merge it with their cultivations for life.
When they struck, their attacks would possess the great solemnity of hell, suppressing the vigour of the enemy. Every attack would cause pain from the very depths of the enemy’s soul, stirring up their minds.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but this kind of probing is very boring!”
Li Qingshan remained composed, ignoring the pressure and enduring the pain.
Wang Pushi’s face changed. The sound of shattering ice rang out.
Li Qingshan strode forwards. He radiated with chilling coldness, leaving behind a frozen footprint with each step. His body seemed rather sluggish, but that was because he refused to expose his strength.
Without using his abilities that involved daemon qi, he unleashed the Arts of the Boundless Ocean and waves of spiritual qi surged forth in his sea of qi, purging the coldness. However, there were still slivers of coldness that continued to cling onto him, making it difficult to remove, but he ignored them.
The tea cup by Wang Pushi’s side had already turned into ice. Suddenly, cracks appeared on its surface, and it exploded loudly.
The temperature plummeted once again. The chilling coldness wormed through all openings.
The Hawkwolf guards all retreated to the edge of the hall, forced to use true qi to resist the coldness. They turned their heads away, afraid to look at Wang Pushi. Even a glance from the corner of their eye would make them shiver inside.
They were like criminals who had committed unforgivable sins standing before their judge. No matter how violent and wicked they were, they still shook in fear, afraid to confront the solemnity of law.
Crack. Crack. The sound of freezing rose and fell. Frost crawled up the columns and the entire hall.
Another sound gradually drowned out the sound of freezing, which came from Li Qingshan. It was the sound of waves. Spiritual qi tried to surge out of him and into his surroundings like the tide. His bearing did not weaken, only growing stronger instead.
Li Qingshan continued to advance step by step at a steady pace. He stared right into Wang Pushi’s eyes, paying no regard to the law.
The coldness of the Hell of Ice slips in through all openings, while my cultivation realm is above his too. The invading coldness should have injured him a long time ago, so why does he seem perfectly fine? This kid really is something else. Perhaps commander Gu’s order was not without reason.
Wang Pushi had already reached mid Foundation Establishment, obviously superior to Li Qingshan’s early Foundation Establishment. Although the difference between minor realms of cultivation were not as exaggerated as major realms of cultivation, they were still not for say.
In terms of spiritual qi, Li Qingshan possessed many advantages with his cultivation as he practised the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. As for the Wang Pushi, he was unable to demonstrate any of the advantages of his cultivation method on Li Qingshan.
Finally, Li Qingshan reached a meter away from Wang Pushi and stopped.
Two types of spiritual qi clashed violently between them, like ice sealing the ocean in winter only for the waves to smash it apart.
“Alright, just enough will do. If you continue, we might be able to stand it, but the building won’t.”
Hua Chengzan’s hands landed on Li Qingshan and Wang Pushi’s shoulders at the same time.
Both of them withdrew their spiritual qi. The armed chair that Wang Pushi originally sat on suddenly shattered into ice shrapnel.
“Commander, please issue the order!” Hua Chengzan took a step back, standing beside Li Qingshan. He was solemn for once, referring to Wang Pushi respectfully as commander.
“As commander Gu has ordered, Li Qingshan has rendered outstanding meritorious service, and his performance has been exceptional. He is hereby promoted to the Scarlet Hawk commander of the Clear River prefecture!” Wang Pushi said rather reluctantly at the end.
With that, not only did Li Qingshan become stunned, but the other Hawkwolf guards were all surprised too. They had been ordered to assemble here, but they never thought it would actually be something as major as that!
Only now did Li Qingshan understand why Wang Pushi had gathered everyone here. As it turned out, Gu Yanying had promoted him to commander.
Is it because she’s afraid I’ll go to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, so she’s giving me some benefits? No, it’s not just benefits. I can’t simply turn down my role as a commander if I don’t want to do it. If I want to leave the Clear River prefecture, I’ll need her permission as my commander too.
Of course, Li Qingshan did not believe Gu Yanying had developed feelings for him because of his confession. She probably still only treated him as a relatively important chess piece.
Hua Chengzan clapped his hands, and Hua Chenglu in scarlet clothes walked in from a side door. She carried a brand-new set of uniform for the Scarlet Hawk commander, with a tiny, scarlet bronze hawk tablet placed on top. She smiled. “Congratulations, big brother Li. No, it should be commander Li.”
“I was wondering why old Wang was in such a bad mood. So he’s been fired!” Li Qingshan laughed.
Wang Pushi shot him a vicious glance. Hua Chengzan explained in a hurry, “Don’t talk nonsense, Qingshan. Old Wang has being promoted to a White Wolf guard. He’s going to the Ruyi commandery and leaving the mess that is the Clear River prefecture. This is fantastic news for him.”
Wang Pushi was indeed rather displeased, but it was not because of himself. Being promoted to White Wolf guard and going to the Ruyi commandery had always been his dream. He just felt like the position should have gone to Hua Chengzan instead. However, after a series of tests, he could not help but admit that Li Qingshan was indeed stronger than Hua Chengzan. He did have the ability to hold the position of commander.
“You got lucky, kid. You managed to earn commander Gu’s favour.”
“Heh. That’s called strength!”
Li Qingshan, however, was thinking about something else. Right now, the war had only recently come to a close, yet Gu Yanying was already transferring a senior general of the war away. Clearly, she was extremely confident that the humans and daemons could not continue fighting.
And where did this confidence come from? It was probably all from him!
In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan changed into the Scarlet Hawk commander uniform, standing with his arms behind his back. He strut around complacently with a valiant bearing. He had truly become the commander of the Clear River prefecture Hawkwolf Guard now.
Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan retired to the side, giving him the room in the centre.
“Greetings, commander!” Almost a hundred Hawkwolf guards assembled again and bowed together, greeting him loudly.
Li Qingshan glanced past these people and thought to himself, So this is my squadron in the future? Hmm, looks like Qian Rongzhi isn’t here.
In the past when he discussed the three minor pillars of the Clear River prefecture with that protector Yan or whoever he was from the Iron Fist school, never did he think that he would become a part of them in the future. However, from his current perspective, it did not seem like a big deal at all.
The Hawkwolf guards all changed in expression as they had their own thoughts. Some of the Hawkwolf guards had even gone out drinking with Li Qingshan before. The kid from the countryside a few years ago had actually become their superior.
Hua Chengzan clapped his hands again, and a banquet of over a dozen tables was arranged to celebrate for Li Qingshan and to send Wang Pushi off. This was only the internal farewell banquet of the Hawkwolf Guard. In the future, the Academy of the Hundred Schools would definitely hold one too. Wang Pushi would not be going anywhere for now.
“Little Hua, this position should have gone to you. How about we exchange our positions?” During the banquet, Li Qingshan also realised why Wang Pushi was so unhappy, so he spoke to Hua Chengzan with a smile. He really did not care about this position.
“Do you think this is shopping, where you can exchange whatever you want?”
Hua Chengzan felt Li Qingshan’s sincerity as well, and the sliver of ill feeling in his heart completely vanished. He was quite touched by his gesture. He raised his cup and toasted. “This is called the younger generation surpassing the older. Boss Gu has an eye for talent. Hopefully you can watch my back a little in the future.”
“No problem, no problem. Though, the matters of the Hawkwolf Guard will be entirely up to you. I’m only responsible for watching over and fighting.”
Hua Chengzan smiled bitterly. “No problem, no problem.”
Following the banquet were a series of matters regarding the transition of power.
After taking on the duty of a commander, Li Qingshan was allowed to choose an item from the storage room of the Hawkwolf Guard.
I hope I can find a fragment of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. With this perfect wish in mind, he passed through the layers of formations and finally set foot in there, but he was left deeply disappointed. After several years of war, there were not a lot of items left in there.
“Why don’t you hold on for now? Given the current situation, the Ruyi commandery might resupply us very soon.” Hua Chengzan had almost managed to sniff out something from Gu Yanying’s command. It seemed like the war had truly come to an end.
During the war, the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture had become a lone island, with virtually all contact cut off from the outside world. As for the cultivators in there, they were basically forced to fight, forbidden from fleeing unless they had some special connections. Even if they managed to escape, they would be hunted down. The people inside obviously were not resupplied with any talismans or pills.
“Fair enough.” Li Qingshan nodded even though he had failed to find what he wanted.
However, Li Qingshan discovered that the position of commander did come with quite a few benefits. First of all, the treatment and remuneration he received had improved by quite a bit, but Li Qingshan did not really care about this aspect given his wealth.
What mattered the most was the elevation in status. He had gone from a lackey on the outskirts to a decision-maker. He could directly influence many important decisions of the entire Academy of the Hundred Schools, and he possessed access to many confidential pieces of information. As a system of violence that answered directly to the empire, they possessed their own information system.
These documents and pieces of information seemed disorderly and unsystematic, spanning from astronomy to geography, but at certain times, they could potentially play a critical role.
After completing the matters for the handover, it was already morning.
Li Qingshan played the role of an irresponsible boss, leaving everything up to Hua Chengzan as he returned to the Chain mountains alone.
The mental map of the Green province unfurled with a swish before locking onto the tiny Clear River prefecture.
Li Qingshan began to choose. He was choosing a suitable place for him to establish a water dwelling. His gaze first landed on the great river that flowed through the entire prefecture, meandering like a dragon.
Although it was “tiny”, the Clear River prefecture covered an area even larger than the entire Jiangnan region from Li Qingshan’s past life. As for the Clear river, it could rival great rivers like the Yangtze river or the Yellow river.
The Clear river began in the Boundless mountains. It stretched over five thousand kilometers long, and the area it covered could reach over a million square kilometers. If he could refine it, he would basically receive divine help with both cultivation and fighting.
Even if he faced a Golden Core cultivator, Li Qingshan was confident enough to maintain the upper hand.
However, Li Qingshan took out the Water God Seal and examined it according to the books he had read.
God seals were mostly divided into two types, but they could vary drastically in quality. Refining a creek could also condense a Water God Seal, but it would not be able to hold a large river. The only way about it was to use the creek as a foundation and constantly develop and strengthen the god seal.
I don’t know whether the Water God Seal can hold the waters of the Clear river. If I tried to refine it and it turns out it’s not enough to hold it, that’ll be funny. It’s not like I have any competitors right now. Let’s take it one step at a time and go slowly!
He had to choose a body of water first. He could start with the affluent of a larger river!
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Chapter 502 – The God of the River
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Chapter 502 – The God of the River
Li Qingshan stroked the mental map with his hand, and the images changed. Rivers protruded out, turning into a bright, clear blue. They were like capillaries, crossing the entire Clear River prefecture.
The aorta among them was obviously the Clear river.
Although Li Qingshan did not aim to refine the Clear river right now, that was his still end goal. It had not changed.
As a result, the river he chose had to be connected to the Clear river. This was not difficult at all. Finding a river that was not connected to the Clear river in the Clear River prefecture was more difficult.
Following that was the choice of geographic location.
Li Qingshan’s finger traced along the Clear River prefecture from the Boundless mountains. He stopped halfway and drew a circle.
This place was relatively close to his territory underground. It was very likely for the underground river in the territory to be connected with the waters there.
He used only rivers to connect the two territories. At the same time, the underground river also led straight to Cobweb city.
And, there was a large lake within the circle.
The Clear River prefecture was littered with lakes of various sizes. Even if there were not ten thousand, there were still a few thousand of them. However, there were only three or four that were the largest. The Lake of Dragons and Snakes was among them, but it was not the largest in the prefecture.
The reason why the Academy of the Hundred Schools had been constructed there was mostly in consideration of the fact that the prefectural city was relatively close and spiritual veins ran through the region, which made it rich with spiritual qi. Under the circumstances of being unable to refine water systems, the size of these systems was not particularly important.
The lake that had caught Li Qingshan’s eyes was called Clear Court lake. It was truly the largest lake in the Clear River prefecture.
If the god seal was not enough to refine the Clear River prefecture, then he could take a step back. Refining Clear Court lake first was a good idea too.
This would all depend on the level of the Water God Seal Ru Xin had given him.
God seals were like cups, varying in size. Although water could be emptied out, the cup still remained. They could still hold water if they were taken elsewhere.
If the god seal had once refined a major river like the Clear river, then it would be able to hold the same quantity of “water” again. If it could not, that did not necessarily mean Li Qingshan would be forced to stick with creeks and streams in the future.
As long as he broke free from the restraints of the cauldrons of the nine provinces, he obviously could go from small to large and gradually increase the size of this container so that it could hold even more rivers and lakes.
Under the blue sky, the boundless Clear Court lake shimmered with light. The mountainous islands stood tall in the lake as water stretched as far as the eye could see. Pure-white water birds soared in the blue sky. It was a sight that could open the mind.
Regular people who saw Clear Court lake for the first time would stand on its shore and gaze out, probably mistaking it for a sea.
Li Qingshan sensed the dense water spiritual qi within the lake as soon as he arrived on the surface. As a water-elemented Daemon General, just cultivating in the lake could bring many benefits.
There were numerous cities and towns on the shore. He could tell with a single glance that they were populous places of prosperity in the past, but many settlements suffered from the experience of warfare. However, he could still see many fishermen floating on the surface as specks of light.
Li Qingshan had been confident when he first saw it on the mental map, but when he saw the lake for himself, he began to doubt whether the god seal in his possession could hold it or not.
“Forget it. I’ll find a river first and try with that!”
Li Qingshan unfurled the mental map again and found a large river that flowed into Clear Court lake. He flapped his wings of wind and arrived at the outlet in the blink of an eye.
However, he gave it some further thought and continued upstream. He found a smaller river that flowed into the larger river. It was a smaller river, but it was still over thirty meters across.
“Let’s try with this smaller river first!”
Li Qingshan dove into the water head-first, and the contents from all those books appeared in his head. Through their descriptions, he gained a rough understanding of the way to refine water systems. He possessed the Water God Seal, and he was refining a masterless body of water, so it should not have been particularly difficult.
Wielding the god seal, he channeled his daemon qi into it first. The god seal lit up, coiling and moving around like a dragon or a snake.
Then, Li Qingshan released his daemon qi. His tremendous daemon qi reached the riverbanks very quickly. The surface of the raging waters immediately flattened out to a mirror-like finish, without a single ripple. A while later, it turned back to how it was before.
Li Qingshan moved upstream as he constantly unleashed his daemon qi, immersing the surroundings.
Refining water systems was a delicate job. Although the god seal in his hand could save him a lot of trouble, he still had to traverse the entire water system and immerse every part of it with his daemon qi.
The affluent was not particularly long. Six hours later, Li Qingshan finally traced his way back to its source. A faint-blue, meandering track was left clearly in his sea of consciousness.
Li Qingshan withdrew his daemon qi and pointed at the Water God Seal in his hand.
The Water God Seal gave off a glow similar to water ripples. When the glow settled down, a small part of the seal lit up. The meandering track was exactly the same as the one in Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness.
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. Only a small part had lit up, which meant the smaller river was nowhere close to the maximum amount the Water God Seal could hold. His confidence for refining Clear Court lake increased a little.
At the same time, he sensed that the entire water system was under his control. Water spiritual qi merged with his body through the Water God Seal. Although it was not very powerful, it triumphed in the fact that it was endless.
From that moment onwards, he had become the god of this river. Even without daemon qi, he could control the water there as he wished.
What came next was refining the main river.
The rain drizzled endlessly. An old fisherman currently sat on the nose of his boat with a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat in the centre of the river, fishing. He would pick up the flask of alcohol beside him from time to time and take a sip. He had as much leisure as he could have.
Suddenly, he saw the float sink. He reeled his line in a hurry.
The thin fishing line became taut, but it refused to budge. Had he hooked onto a rock?
The small boat tilted slightly and the old fisherman could vaguely make out a huge shadow that swam by in the water. Shocked, he tossed down the fishing pole and retreated frantically.
With a splash, a carp leapt out from the water.
This should have been a sight that the old fisherman had seen his entire life, but he became stupefied with fright. His mouth hung agape. That was because the carp was even several times larger than his boat.
The carp also stared at him with widened eyes and opened its huge mouth in an attempt to swallow the old fisherman. It was covered in fiery-red scales, but there were ink-like splotches of black on its back, which slightly seemed like a black lotus.
“Fish monster, don’t even think about making trouble!”
The old fisherman’s reactions were fast. He kicked off the nose of the boat. The boat was submerged by the water before suddenly shooting back up due to buoyancy. He pushed off it to leap into the air, shooting towards the riverbank. He was actually a first-rate master.
Boom!
The carp had crushed the boat to pieces as shards of wood shot in all directions. A huge hole appeared on the surface of the river, forming a whirlpool.
The old fisherman ached all over, as the wooden shrapnel had injured him. However, he could no longer worry about that. He lowered his head to check the surface of the water. The carp landed in the water before floating back up, opening its mouth, just waiting for him down below.
The old fisherman was a martial arts master, but he could not fly, much less know how to use some divine technique like pushing off his right foot with his left. He had nowhere to draw force from in the air, so all he could do was watch as he fell towards the fish’s mouth.
“I’m done for!”
At this moment, the carp suddenly closed its mouth and turned around, diving back into the water.
With a plop, the old fisherman landed in the water. Just when he was about to swim over to the riverbank, he noticed that the water surface upstream had suddenly become extremely smooth, drifting downwards like a mirror.
“What is it this time?” The old fisherman’s face changed drastically. Clearly, the fish had been frightened away by this.
In the blink of an eye, not a single ripple remained in the water around him. Something brushed past him. In that instant, all of his hairs stood on end as his mind froze up like it had fallen into a cavern of ice. His limbs all stiffened as he directly sank into the centre of the river.
A while later, the surface of the river turned back to normal, and the old fisherman reappeared on the surface. He spat out a mouthful of water and collapsed on the riverbank. He was in a sorry shape.
He wanted to eat fish, but he ate no fish. Instead, a fish had almost eaten him. The waters of rivers and lakes were too deep. As it seemed, he could only fish in streams in the future.
There seems to be daemon qi up ahead. I better catch up and take a look.
When Li Qingshan refined the smaller river, he did not come across a single proper daemon, probably because it was far too shallow, unable to support daemonic beasts that had transformed into daemons.
When he refined the larger river, he finally encountered a few. However, most of them had not even condensed a daemon core. However, they were much larger than other members of the same species. Their intelligence was lacking, having yet to properly evolve from beasts.
It made his plan to capture a few underlings to serve under him fall through. Now that he finally ran into one that bore some proper resemblance to daemons, he could not help but take special note of it.
“You sure flee quickly!”
Li Qingshan continued swimming forwards, but the daemon qi had already vanished. He could only advance slowly if he wanted to refine the water system.
The larger river was much wider than the smaller river and there was much more water. Although Li Qingshan had already gained some experience with refining water systems, he still remained rather slow.
However, upon further thought, he stopped worrying. Underground, the blackwater salamander and ice frog were both water-elemented daemons among the daemon soldiers under his command. By then, he could just dispatch them here.
Two days later, early in the morning.
Li Qingshan finally returned to his starting point, the end of the river and the shore of Clear Court lake.
Welcoming the rising sun in the east, he opened his hand, and the Water God Seal flashed. Light poured out like waves as a thin streak of light unfurled, implying that the regions of water under Li Qingshan’s control had expanded.
Only around a tenth of the Water God Seal had been filled. The god seal that Ru Xin had given him was truly of a higher quality. It was completely sufficient for refining Clear Court lake.
Li Qingshan no longer hesitated anymore, leaping into the vast Clear Court lake.
Clear Court lake was not circular. Instead, it was an irregular semi-circle. It was shaped like a running rabbit.
In the belly of the rabbit, which was also the centre of Clear Court lake, was a lone island shrouded in mist and illusionary formations. Only on some special occasions would the criss-crossing structures of various heights be visible, rising and falling with the terrain they stood on.
As a result, there were rumors that Clear Court lake possessed an immortal’s island, but that was only the belief of ignorant people. People who truly understood the cultivation world all knew this was where the sect of Clear Court lake stood.
As the saying went, deep mountains and great marshes hid figures of power. The island was abundant with spiritual qi, making it an excellent, blessed land of cultivation.
As a renowned sect of the Clear River prefecture, Clear Court sect was also an important member of the Daemon Suppression alliance of the Clear River prefecture. In order to fend off the attacks of night roamers, they too had moved to the Rose Cloud mountains.
However, Fu Qingjin was now heavily injured. He remained on Benevolence island to recover and he saw no guests, so the Daemon Suppression alliance became a group without a leader. The conflicts and disputes between the sects spiraled out of control, so the master of Clear Court sect brought his disciples back to Clear Court lake.
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Chapter 503 – The New Lord of Clear Court
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Chapter 503 – The New Lord of Clear Court
Since it could claim such a blessed land, the Clear Court sect was obviously not without a foundation. The master of the Clear Court sect, Yang Pinghu, was known as the Lord of Clear Court. He had already reached late Foundation Establishment. Although a gap still existed between him and Zhou Tong who was at peak Foundation Establishment, he was still confident about holding off even the moon demon to a certain degree with the many formations around the island and his cultivation.
“Master, there’s bad news! Bad news!”
This day, Yang Pinghu happened to be in his dwelling, cultivating arduously, and the calls of a disciple rang out from outside. He was rather displeased, but he still stopped cultivating and opened the door. If not for something urgent, his disciples would have never disturbed him.
“What’s wrong? What’s made you so frantic?”
“There’s daemon qi in the lake.”
“What’s so strange about that? There are daemons in the lake, so there’ll obviously be daemon…” Yang Pinghu furrowed his brows unhappily. With the immensity of Clear Court lake, aquatic creatures would often accumulate sufficient spiritual qi and turn into daemons. His Clear Court sect had stood here for a thousand years. They had slain plenty of daemons in the past, so why would they be afraid of some measly daemon qi?
However, when he casually scanned around with his soul sense, he was left surprised. He understood why his disciple had become so frantic. The daemon qi did not come from a certain location. Instead, it pervaded the entire lake, surrounding the island from all directions.
With how immense the daemon qi is, it belongs to a Daemon General at the very least. But what’s he scattering his daemon qi so much for? Is he trying to refine Clear Court lake? That’s impossible, unless… unless he has a Water God Seal!
As the master of a sect and as someone who had lived several decades longer than Li Qingshan, he was extremely rich in knowledge and experience. With a single thought, he guessed roughly what was going on. He became even sterner.
If a daemon water god really appears in Clear Court lake, then will there still be any room left for me and my sect? Hmph, you better get through me first if you want to become a water god!
Yang Pinghu would not be venturing out and taking on the Daemon General in a battle to the death. As long as the formations of the Clear Court sect remained intact, the Daemon General would not be able to refine Clear Court lake completely and become a water god.
But as he thought about it, he did not find it sufficient, so he also contacted the Academy of the Hundred Schools and the various larger sects. Surely they could not turn a blind eye to a matter so big.
The process of refining Clear Court lake was much more difficult than refining a mere river.
Li Qingshan spent over half a month, yet he had not even refined half of Clear Court lake. Gazing at the lone, towering island in the distance, Li Qingshan rubbed his chin. There was no chance for him to deceive anyone with this, so he did it out in the open. He wanted to see who was bold enough to stop him.
As for the “holdout” right in front of him, if they were willing to move obediently, then so be it. If they were not, there would definitely be some forceful dismantling.
“Get out here, those inside!” Li Qingshan burst out of the water and rode on the tips of the waves as he called out loudly.
His bellow was like a bolt of lightning, striking the formation on the edge of the Clear Court sect and kicking up a wave thirty meters high. The thick mist that lingered all year round showed signs of dispersing.
“Oh no, it’s the moon demon!”
The voice rang through the entire island. Yang Pinghu saw a red figure, and his expression changed drastically. Originally, he thought it was some water element Daemon General taking advantage of the situation to make some trouble, but he never thought it would be the moon demon in person.
“I’ll give you five minutes to dismantle the formation and get the hell out of here. Once the five minutes passes, I’ll personally destroy the formation. By then, I’ll feed the entire Clear Court sect to the fishes!”
“Don’t panic, everyone. The moon demon is alone. Our formations won’t be destroyed so easily. Reinforcements will arrive very soon.” Yang Pinghu comforted his disciples before calling out loudly, “Moon demon, don’t even think about this! How dare you attempt something condemned by the world and try to take the position of a water god for yourself. You’ll definitely die a horrible death in the future. If you’re clever, backing away right now is still not too late.”
Li Qingshan only replied with a single word, “Ten!”
Yang Pinghu’s eyebrows leapt up. Didn’t he say five minutes?
“Nine!” Li Qingshan laid on his side on the wave, propping up his head with one hand. He was completely unconcerned.
“Master, let’s just flee. He even managed to destroy a Duality Formation of Disintegration!”
“Shut up!” Yang Pinghu barked. A person’s renown was as important as a tree’s shadow. He also felt greatly pressured.
“Eight!” Li Qingshan had no intentions of relying on intimidation alone. He counted even faster, filled with impatience, as if he was in a hurry to finish counting so that he could carry out a massacre.
“Fellow Yang, you have to hold on! You can’t let the moon demon get away with what he wants! We’re hurrying over to reinforce you right now!” At this moment, the academy sent back a message. It was Liu Zhangqing.
As the prefect of the Clear River prefecture, how could Liu Zhangqing simply watch as a daemon became a water god in his territory? He had already gathered the school leaders as an emergency to discuss their counterplan.
Yang Pinghu’s expression became even uglier. Hold on? For how long? Right now? How fast is that? He is about to finish counting. He had some confidence in his formations, but what if they were not enough?
Even if they managed to stop him this time, what was he supposed to do when the army of night roamers came the next time?
“Six, five, four, three, two, one.” Li Qingshan finished counting in a single breath and leapt up from the top of the wave. His body swelled rapidly in the air.
With a great boom, he kicked up towering waves.
A colossal figure landed in the lake. His scarlet hair flowed like a waterfall as his eyes shone like fire. His distinct muscles seemed to be cast from iron as he stood with the size and weight of a mountain, yet also possessing violent explosive power. He was already standing in a relatively deeper part of the lake, yet it only reached up to his waist.
Li Qingshan clenched his fists and moved his shoulders about, stirring up the lakewater. He took a step forward, radiating with malice.
As the disciples of the Clear Court sect stared at the black, incoming figure, they all shivered inside as they became ashen.
Yang Pinghu’s face paled slightly. He said to himself inside, Don’t be afraid. You’re a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, and you possess a geographic advantage. The moon demon is only a Daemon General.
“Alright, I’ll go! Please just promise you won’t harm the disciples of my Clear Court sect!”
Yang Pinghu bellowed out and flew up from the island, arriving in the sky. He stopped on the edge of the formation so that he could escape back into it at any time. His face was filled with grief, indignation, and helplessness as if he would stay behind for a battle to the death with Li Qingshan if it were not for the safety of his disciples.
“Piss off.”
Li Qingshan waved his hand impatiently as his voice boomed thunderously. Destroying the formation was not difficult, but he did not want to waste daemon qi and drag out the time he spent refining the Clear River prefecture. Who knew when Spider Queen Lolth would challenge him.
Right when Yang Pinghu wanted to collect the formation banners, Li Qingshan said, “Wait! You can go, but leave the formations behind. Don’t touch the puppets and turrets you’ve constructed here either.”
Yang Pinghu’s face changed, but under the stare of the scarlet eyes, he chose not to touch a single item on the island in the end. He handed the formation discs and the other items for controlling the formations to Li Qingshan before scurrying away with his disciples.
Li Qingshan circled around the island and felt very satisfied. The island was very vast, and the structures on there were elegant and exquisite, yet also possessing a great sense of style. Additionally, there were many special plants and animals on the island for people to admire.
The Clear Court sect had only managed to build up to such a scale after a thousand years, yet it had all fallen into Li Qingshan’s hands so easily now. He had plans on turning this place into his water dwelling. Although he was of the water element, his original form was not an aquatic lifeform after all, so he did not particularly like living in water.
As long as he possessed the god seal, it was not like he could not cultivate on the island.
Li Qingshan admired his spoils quickly. Just when he was about to continue refining the lake, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and sneered. “You’re asking to die!”
Yang Pinghu understood very well. Right now, many sects in the Clear River prefecture had been destroyed, so there were plenty of alternative places for cultivation. Protecting his own life was more important. If anyone wanted to oppose the moon demon, they were more than welcome to do so, but he would not be doing something so stupid.
But now that he had finally escaped, he felt deep resentment after his delight and relief died down. Never had he endured such humiliation in his life. His cultivation dwelling had been forcefully stolen from him after all, so how could he not be resentful? As a result, he ground his teeth.
“Damned moon demon. Once I overcome the next heavenly tribulation and reach Golden Core, I’ll definitely cut you into pieces. Only then can I pacify my hatred.”
If that were all he did, then so be it. It was not like Li Qingshan could hear him, and even if he did, he would not care too much either. However, right when he was about to leave Clear Court lake, he grew more furious the more he thought about it. Suddenly, he came up with an idea and sent his disciples away first before landing on the shore of the lake alone.
Yang Pinghu extended his arms and water spiritual qi extended to the depths of the lake, dispersing the daemon qi that pervaded the water.
He was also of the water element, possessing the ability to refine Clear Court lake. However, he did not have a Water God Seal, so no matter how much effort he put in, it would be useless. He would only be able to cause some troubles for Li Qingshan.
He only had a single objective. Even if he could not harm Li Qingshan, he wanted to properly irritate him and vent a little.
The other aspect to this was so that he could give the Academy of the Hundred Schools and the Daemon Suppression alliance an explanation. He obviously had quite the confidence to be bold enough to do this. He was very far from the centre of the lake. Even if Li Qingshan managed to sense it, he would have fled already.
With my cultivation at late Foundation Establishment and such a large distance between us, what can the moon demon do to me?
Just as he thought about that, he saw a scarlet figure shoot across the surface of the lake, gliding over.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The surface of the lake exploded violently after the scarlet figure flew past, leaving behind a gully thirty meters deep.
“How can he move so quickly!” Yang Pinghu was alarmed. He pulled out a bident and rode away on it in a hurry. He was afraid to remain for even a second longer.
The Dragon Seizing bident was a heirloom arcane artifact of the Clear Court sect. Although it was of inferior quality, it could still allow him to fly much faster than regular spiritual artifacts.
However, Li Qingshan’s regular speed could already rival Daemon Commanders. Combined with his wings of wind, even though it made turns more difficult, his speed for moving in straight lines was so fast that even the Spider Queen struggled to react in time.
Three thousand meters, three hundred meters, thirty meters. The distance between them rapidly closed.
Yang Pinghu was filled with utmost regret. If he had known earlier, why would he have done something so unnecessary? However, he also knew it was too late for regret now. He bellowed out, “I’ll kill you!” He had no time to use any techniques at all. Three scarlet talismans flew out.
Boom! Boom! Boom! With those three sounds, three enormous fireballs swallowed Li Qingshan, but in the next second, Li Qingshan’s figure burst out of the flames. His scarlet eyes shone like fire as he radiated with malice.
“I spared your life, yet you still tried to cause trouble! Die!”
The Dragon Seizing bident turned into a blue streak of light, shooting towards Li Qingshan. However, before it could even unleash its power as an arcane artifact, Li Qingshan seized it in one hand. His other hand reached towards Yang Pinghu’s head.
Another scarlet talisman was ignited, turning into a golden barrier—shattered! His protective spiritual qi surged out violently—shattered!
Five fingers gripped his skull and with a crack—shattered!
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Chapter 504 – Unstoppable
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Chapter 504 – Unstoppable
“S- spare me!”
Yang Pinghu knew he was done for. His eyes were wide open and filled with deep regret, refusing to accept this.
“You cannot be spared!”
Li Qingshan gripped the Dragon Seizing bident firmly and plunged it into Yang Pinghu’s chest. When it emerged from his back, the tip had already been dyed red.
Yang Pinghu widened his eyes in resentment, immediately dying on the spot.
The past sect masters of the Clear Court sect had used this Dragon Seizing bident to seize and kill countless daemons in this Clear Court lake. Yet in the end, the sect master himself died to his own heirloom arcane artifact. It sure befitted the principle of karma.
“How uptight!”
Li Qingshan shook his head, casually tossing Yang Pinghu’s corpse into his hundred treasures pouch.
Actually, Yang Pinghu had many different techniques at his disposal, but faced with such speed and an attack like that, he actually could not even use a single technique at all apart from wielding the Dragon Seizing bident and tossing out a few life-saving talismans.
The difference of an entire realm was a difference among worlds.
With the fourth layer of the ox demon, Li Qingshan already rivalled the Spider Queen in terms of strength, raw power, and life force. He had also almost been captured alive countless times. After breaking through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, his other aspects were basically equivalent to a Daemon Commander apart from insufficient daemon qi.
In a direct confrontation with a Daemon Commander out to kill, Yang Pinghu might have been able to last a moment if he had practised the cultivation methods of Body Practitioners before, but he did not. As a result, he did not even last for a moment.
Li Qingshan opened Yang Pinghu’s hundred treasures pouch and checked through it. Everything that a millennium-old sect had built up was quite impressive, but regular talisman and pills obviously no longer interested him.
“Hmm? This is an Origin Spirit pill!” Li Qingshan took out a dark-golden pill. Its spiritual qi was completely withdrawn. It did not even give off any fragrance. It was rather hefty in his hand, making it seem more like a metal ball.
Origin Spirit pills had a similar function to True Spirit pills. They were pills for breaking through to the Golden Core realm, but the difference in their value was something else. And, they truly never appeared on the market.
So far, Li Qingshan had only obtained one from the Green Vine Elder’s hundred treasures pouch. He had gained another now, which gave him some extra guarantee when he tried to condense a Golden Core in the future.
He picked up the Dragon Seizing bident again. The bident split into two, shining with light. Profound glyphs vaguely appeared as the bident turned into a two-headed snake.
Ever since the blood-red blade shattered, he had been lacking a suitable weapon. Although he had never used a bident before, it was still an arcane artifact after all, and it was of the water element. As such, it was perfect for now.
Li Qingshan filled in the small region that Yang Pinghu had destroyed—Yang Pinghu had sacrificed his life for it, the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he only managed to waste fifteen minutes of Li Qingshan’s time. He even geared him up with equipment instead. Afterwards, Li Qingshan casually refined the Dragon Seizing bident.
The shape of the bident changed slightly. The two prongs curved slightly like the horns of an ox. From a certain perspective, it suited him better.
So that’s how you use this thing. Li Qingshan casually placed the Dragon Seizing bident on his shoulder and returned to the waters that belonged to the Clear Court sect, continuing with his job.
Suddenly, he sensed daemon qi in the distance. It was the one that had slipped by in the river. For some reason, he found the daemon qi rather familiar.
“Get over here!”
Li Qingshan pointed the Dragon Seizing bident in the direction of the daemon qi, and the prongs that resembled snake heads suddenly parted, shooting over as two streaks of light. They turned into ropes of water that dove into the depths of the lake.
Before long, there was a splash, and a great, red carp burst out from the water, having been tied up. As the ropes wrapped around it, it rapidly shrank too.
“So it’s you!”
Li Qingshan gazed at the floundering carp between his prongs and recognised it with a single glance. It was the carp he had fed with pills back then in Ancient Wind city before being released into the lotus pool of the Qian estate.
Afterwards, the Black Lotus Altar Lord slaughtered the city. The carp gave him the lotus pod the Altar Lord had left behind. In turn, he fed it a few more pills before releasing it into the waters of the Clear river.
He had never expected to see it here, and it had become so large after a few years, even having condensed a daemon core. Clearly, it had benefited quite a lot from the effects of a lotus seed from the Altar Lord.
The carp suddenly stopped struggling, staring straight at Li Qingshan as if it also managed to recognise Li Qinghan. Afterwards, it opened its huge mouth as if it was asking for pills.
“You actually managed to recognise me!” Li Qingshan was rather surprised. Had he accidentally leaked his daemon qi while cultivating in Ancient Wind city, which it memorised? That would not be too strange. Back then, it was only a regular carp, so there was nothing he thought too much about.
He casually fished out a pill and fed it to it.
“Alright, now you’re one of my underlings. You can say it’s fate. The only way you can repay me is by turning into a beauty and paying with your body. Speaking of which, are you male or female?”
The carp swallowed the pill and floundered around happily. Who knew whether it had understood what he was saying.
Li Qingshan shook his head and tossed it back into the water. It swam around before returning to its original size.
The Dragon Seizing bident sure had some usages!
Sensing a few more clusters of daemon qi surging in the lake, Li Qingshan smiled and dove into the water, continuing with his refinement of the lake.
The huge, red carp swam beside him. He had basically enlisted his first daemon soldier for this water dwelling.
As Li Qingshan refined Clear Court lake, he managed to shock the cultivation world of the Clear River prefecture yet again.
The school leaders held a meeting in the academy.
“Where’s Li Qingshan?” Liu Zhangqing frowned. Li Qingshan was now the Scarlet Hawk commander. His identity and status varied drastically compared to the past. Technically speaking, it was mandatory for him to attend a meeting like this.
“I’ve contacted him, but he wants to cultivate in seclusion, so he’s left it up to me!” Hua Chengzhan said helplessly.
“He sure is clever. Who doesn’t want to cultivate?” Liu Zhangqing said in displeasure, but he did not think too much about it.
However, Hua Chengzan did find it rather strange.
When Superman appeared, the male protagonist was never present. Only an idiot would find nothing wrong with that.
Technically speaking, there had only been two times when the moon demon was present and Li Qingshan was not, but this was already enough to form a clue to clever people. And, when Li Qingshan appeared, the moon demon never seemed to appear, or he only sent his clone.
This did not necessarily mean Hua Chengzan had begun to suspect Li Qingshan of anything because of this. No one could connect a Scarlet Hawk commander with a daemon so easily. At most, Hua Chengzan guessed that this was his tactic to avoid direct confrontation with the moon demon.
However, as the clues appeared one by one, there would be a day when he would discover something before anyone had realised anything was wrong. So-called clever people were just people who took note of every single detail.
“That guy, he had clearly come to my dwelling yesterday to linger around, disturbing my alchemy, yet he has entered seclusion today.” Ru Xin seemed to confirm Li Qingshan was avoiding conflict, but she unintentionally pulled Li Qingshan away from his connection with the moon demon.
“But even I wouldn’t be willing to make trouble with the moon demon right now. The late Foundation Establishment sect master of the Clear Court sect could not even withstand a single attack from him before losing his life. People like us value our lives even more than gold.” Hua Chengzan instead defended Li Qingshan.
His saying at the end, “value their lives even more than gold”, received the recognition of all the cultivators present. The descendants of the wealthy dared not take a single risk that could endanger their lives. All of them pursued longevity, so none of them were willing to risk their lives with someone else.
Speaking of which, Li Qingshan had spent three years in secluded cultivation, avoiding the most dangerous part of the war before rendering a fantastic service very quickly after establishing a foundation. He had even been promoted to Scarlet Hawk commander. And last time, during the decisive battle between the moon demon and Fu Qingjin, everyone had taken on huge amounts of risks, where even Zhou Tong almost died, but he had been missing yet again.
Liu Zhangqing could not help but sigh inside, This kid knows when to advance and retreat just too well! Perhaps only like that can you be counted as a legitimate cultivator. Nothing, no matter how major, is more important than your own life and cultivation.
Zhou Tong said, “If it weren’t for the fact that Yang Pinghu, that bastard, was afraid of trouble and had been tricked into leaving by the moon demon, how would he have died so easily?”
Hua Chengzan said, “If the moon demon wanted to trick them, he would have turned against him the moment he left. Why would he have waited to strike after Yang Pinghu had made it to the shore? I think Yang Pinghu was afraid of trouble, yet also reluctant to simply accept this, so he got in the way of the moon demon refining the lake from the shore. He probably thought the moon demon would not be able to do anything to him as long as he kept his distance, which was why he ended up killed.”
“Then are we only supposed to watch as he becomes a water god!?”
Hua Chengzan said, “We can constantly send people in from all directions to disturb the process and prevent him from refining the lake. However, according to the speed that the moon demon displayed when he rushed to the shore, we’ll probably have to pay with a life each time.”
“And, according to my analysis, his current strength has probably become extremely close to Daemon Commander already. A difference in strength as large as that can no longer be made up with using strategy. Honestly, there’s no longer anyone who can stop him in the entire Clear River prefecture.”
The two words, “Daemon Commander”, made everyone fall silent.
Liu Zhangqing let out a long sigh. “So it’s true. I’ve already reported this to the Marquis of Ruyi. Great general Han and commander Gu already knew about it too! If we can end this game of chess, then smaller figures like us don’t have to worry anymore.”
The feeling of being used as chess pieces was not fantastic, especially when they were used in a hopeless game of chess that already neared checkmate.
However, everyone present had thought it through. The Clear River prefecture had basically passed the news onto the Ruyi commandery the moment they received it. If there really were any countermeasures they could take, they should have received a reply immediately.
No, these observers had probably noticed something unusual long before them, as they still had not ended it. Whether the game of chess could end was probably beyond the control of even those three now.
Those who had undergone the first heavenly tribulation had already become ants in the eyes of those who had undergone the second heavenly tribulation. And yet, what were they in the eyes of the “kings” who had undergone the third heavenly tribulation and reigned over the Green province?
Liu Zhangqing said, “Ru Xin, Fu Qingjin is still on Benevolence island, right?”
“Yeah. He’s in complete dejection, walking around randomly with his broken sword everyday. When you run into him at night, you’ll even think he’s a wandering ghost.” Ru Xin smiled. She was probably the most composed out of everyone present.
Who would have thought that she was single-handedly responsible for the major incident of the moon demon becoming a god this time?
Liu Zhangqing said, “Check with him again and see if the Sword Collection palace has given any form of response!”
“Alright.” Ru Xin agreed happily.
Afterwards, Liu Zhangqing laid out his hands. “You can all go back and cultivate. I’ll let you know if we reach a conclusion. If you have nothing to do, please avoid Clear Court lake.”
“I think we should just spare the communication! We’ll leave it up to fate!” Zhou Tong left in annoyance before suddenly stopping and saying to Hua Chengzan, “Kiddo Hua, you still owe me a sword.”
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Chapter 505 – The God of Moon Court Lake
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Chapter 505 – The God of Moon Court Lake
The songs of fishermen rang out in the sunset as the water remained still.
In the distance, a few mountainous islands stood quietly in Clear Court lake. Their clear reflections on the water surface rippled with the rosy red of the setting sun.
The clouds blazed in the western sky, varying resplendently in colour, from a melted gold, a golden-yellow, to a brilliant violet and scarlet red. It seemed like a dazzling array of dancing beasts in the air.
In the eastern sky, the deep-blue curtain of light fell silently. A crescent moon sat quietly between the clouds along with some cold, sparsely-scattered stars.
The lights on the fishing boats were already lit, glimmering as specks as they drifted about. They embarked on their return journeys.
The songs of fishermen led to ripples upon ripples.
Suddenly, the ripples vanished.
The fishermen on the nose of their boats gazed at the water surface in surprise. What vanished were not only the ripples, but also the waves that had continued since time immemorial.
Abruptly, Clear Court lake settled down. There was not a single ripple on the surface as far as the eye could see. It was as if a huge, invisible hand had gently flattened the surface, making it smooth like a mirror.
At this moment, the mountains in the distance collapsed. The setting sun, sunset glow, crescent moon, and cold stars all fell from the sky.
The boats seemed like they were drifting through the sky. It was beautiful. However, the fishermen were all stunned. Even the oldest, most knowledgeable fisherman could not explain the sight before him.
A young boy on a boat extended the oar into the water curiously and stirred it around, but there was no sound, nor any waves. There was not even the slightest ripple. Water seemed to flow around the oar automatically no matter where it went.
People all gathered on the shore in the cities, towns, and villages around Clear Court lake. They watched on in a daze from the tall, lakeview buildings and from small, stone bridges.
The strange sight seemed to forebode a disaster, but an indescribable sense of magic filled the scene. It sucked away everyone’s gazes such that they were unable to look away.
Two young men stood on the top of a tall tower by the lake. One had a pair of straight eyebrows and twinkling eyes, while the other one was flawlessly handsome. They were both men with a rare degree of handsomeness. The evening wind ruffled their clothes gently.
They were just like everyone else, staring straight at the mirror-like Clear Court lake. They wanted to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in their throats, so they said nothing.
Quite a while later, Hua Chengzan exhaled. “According to the records, whenever a daemon becomes a water god, the entire place should surge with turbid waves so tall that they almost touch the sky, manifesting the divine power from conquering the waters. However, never have they mentioned something like this. This is simply too strange. If I stare at it for a little longer, I feel like I’m almost going to be enlightened.”
Han Tieyi’s reply was only silence. He gripped his fists as his eyes shone.
Hua Chengzan said, “Don’t be crazy! Last time, we had already been fortunate enough when he didn’t attack us at the Rose Cloud sect. The difference between your strengths is only larger now.”
Helpless, Han Tieyi let go of his fist. He could not help but acknowledge that.
Almost another month had passed since the meeting in the academy. No one had interfered with what was going on.
The Dragon King of Ink Sea did not express an opinion on the internal struggle between Lolth and Northmoon.
The provincial lord’s estate had not sent anyone over to interfere or obstruct this soon-to-be water god.
The Sword Collection palace sent no one as reinforcements, nor did they send anyone to bring Fu Qingjin back. They allowed him to stay on Benevolence island.
The chess players seemed to be watching silently, wanting to see what this unexpected chess piece that Northmoon was would do. They became slightly curious about these minute changes in the situation of the chess game that should have had a conclusion that they were already aware about.
The war did not seem to come to an end. However, the Clear River prefecture had completely fallen silent already, watching the performance of this “moon demon” quietly.
The flames in the west gradually died down. The curtain of night was pulled over the sky, now littered with stars.
In the depths of Clear Court lake, Li Qingshan curled up his body like an unborn fetus, hiding within the Spirit Turtle’s Profund Shell. The god seal hovered before him, glowing with gentle, blue light and illuminating his face. His eyes were slightly closed, and his expression was peaceful.
He could see very clearly that a huge swathe of water had appeared on the god seal. It was shaped like a running rabbit, almost filling the entire god seal.
The feeling of refining Clear Court river was completely different from refining the two rivers earlier.
As his daemon qi permeated the entire lake, he gained a lake in his heart. It was so tranquil and peaceful that he felt like he had returned home.
That did make sense. Although he was of the water element, he never really submerged himself in water. This was the first time he had obtained a lake like this.
He had already reached the fourth layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, but only at this moment did he seem to understand the Spirit Turtle Transformation and himself.
He had a feeling that he could sleep here for a century, a millennium.
All of the annoyances and everything that tied him down in the mortal world no longer had anything to do with him. His lifespan was lengthy enough to watch the seas rise and fall, turning into fields.
Even though the lifespans of daemons surpassed that of humans, it was not endless and without a limit.
The strongest aspect of the spiritual turtle was not suppressing seas or divination, but its extremely lengthy lifespan.
There were no enemies worth worrying about. He had plenty of time, while his enemies would be defeated by time in the end.
Given these circumstances, whether it was killing or fighting, did it not all seem so unnecessary?
I’m so sleepy. Let’s just sleep for a while here!
Just a while…
A century…
“Qingshan!” A voice penetrated the lakewater and landed on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, but it was blocked. It failed to reach inside.
The Water God Seal hovered in the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, using the power of an entire lake to replenish the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. Even a Golden Core master would not be able to get through it easily.
Yet, Li Qingshan clearly seemed to hear it. He woke up and opened his eyes.
A beautiful young girl peered through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell at him with her dark eyes. Her seaweed-like hair drifted silently in the lakewater.
Li Qingshan grabbed her hand and kissed her forehead gently before flying up and bursting out of the water.
An array of stars filled the lake. A resplendent, blue star rose up between the water and the sky. The Water God Seal shone with dazzling light, rising up rapidly with Li Qingshan.
In the next moment, everyone saw it.
Li Qingshan extended his hand and grabbed the star. The light subsided and merged into his body.
“From today onwards, this lake will be known as Moon Court lake.”
His voice glided across the surface of the water, spreading in all directions. The ripples he kicked up rapidly grew, reaching every single corner of Clear Court lake, no, Moon Court lake.
At that moment, everyone heard it.
At that instant, thousands of folds covered Moon Court lake. The interrupted sound of water flow rose up once again as the rolling waves surged endlessly, tearing apart the stars.
The groups of people on the boats and on the shore all knelt in the direction of the voice, exclaiming, “Bless and protect us, god of Moon Court lake!”
Regular people had no idea what cultivation was. They only knew something powerful had descended upon the lake, and the power it possessed was no different from the gods in legends.
“Ignorant.”
Han Tieyi said coldly. From today onwards, the daemons in the lake could make trouble as they pleased. There would be no cultivators coming to purge the daemons. They were actually bowing towards the existence behind all the troubles in the future.
Hua Chengzan smiled. “I don’t think so. Perhaps the moon demon will really bless and protect them.”
“You seem very happy that he’s become a god.”
“You can’t exactly call this happy, though I am a little relieved. If the provincial lord’s estate or the Sword Collection palace really sends someone over, they’ll definitely be a master who has overcome two heavenly tribulations. Once they clash, all the settlements and fields by the lake will be flooded with water. The war will become even more intense. There will be absolutely nothing we can do anymore.”
“And, godhood is a form of power, as well as a form of restraint. It places emphasis on defence, not offence. From today onwards, the moon demon won’t be leaving Clear- Moon Court lake so easily anymore. Isn’t that something worth celebrating over?”
As Hua Chengzan said that, he suddenly took off, flying towards the centre of the lake.
“What are you doing?” Han Tieyi asked.
“I’m going to go have a talk with him!”
Li Qingshan spread his arms and gazed at the starry sky. He smiled. “Now is still not the time to sleep!”
He turned around and dove back into the water, asking Xiao An, “What brought you here?”
“I missed you.”
“Your master left?”
“He left. He gave me an arcane artifact. Look.” Xiao An took out a glistening wheel of dharma, and sure enough, it was an arcane artifact, and a mid grade arcane artifact at that.
TL: A wheel of dharma is often used as a symbol to represent buddhism. I’ve attached an image below:

The arcane artifacts Li Qingshan had obtained so far were all inferior arcane artifacts that had not even made the cut, including the Dragon Seizing bident he had recently obtained and the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. But it did make sense. Although they surpassed regular spiritual artifacts, barely enough to be regarded as arcane artifacts, they were still at a very low level.
Regular Foundation Establishment cultivators could only play around with supreme grade spiritual artifacts at most. Even those in possession of inferior arcane artifacts were a rarity, let alone those with a mid grade arcane artifact like this.
“He really has walked out of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga after all! He sure is generous!”
A wheel of dharma’s full name was a wheel of righteous dharma, also known as a golden wheel. It possessed the great power to destroy evil and unleash righteousness, representing a smooth and unhindered journey to enlightenment. As it spun endlessly, it could destroy the mental afflictions of all.
The wheel of dharma in Xiao An’s hand was known as the Wheel of the Wisdom King’s Glare. The upper half was a perfectly round wheel, with three rings in total. The centre was shaped like an eye that was currently closed, radiating with twelve golden spokes. On the outer ring were twelve blue knobs. At the top were five balls of golden flames that varied in size, representing the five great Wisdom Kings.
TL: Wisdom Kings are guardians of Buddhism and are wrathful representations of buddhas. This is why you often have them glaring fiercely, to scare off demons that may interfere with enlightenment and the spread of the buddhist dharma. You can read more about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_King
The lower half was a pedestal, which could be wielded in one hand. It was shaped like a lotus and was an extremely rare mid grade arcane artifact of buddhism.
However, the greatest thing Xiao An had gained from this was not the arcane artifact, but her deeper understanding of the buddhist dharma.
As the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard and as someone who had undergone the second heavenly tribulation, the Annihilum Light Chan Master was a genius. He spent several centuries studying the buddhist dharma, so his guidance was something buddhist scriptures alone could not provide.
After the Annihilum Light Chan Master left, Xiao An immediately gained the confidence to forge the Blood Sea Banner.
Together, they had completely consolidated their foundation in the Clear River prefecture.
Having become the god of a lake, surging water spiritual qi entered his body through the god seal before merging with the spirit turtle’s daemon core. Even without pills, his cultivation was basically guaranteed to progress at a certain rate. If he could refine the waters of the Clear river too, what effect would that have? He looked forward to it very much.
However, there were disadvantages too. From today onwards, the Water God Seal could not travel too far away from the bodies of water he controlled. The further away it was, the weaker its control would be. If he travelled five thousand kilometers away, it was possible for him to lose all connections. By then, he would have to refine Clear Court lake again.
And, even if he travelled a short distance away, the power in the Water God Seal would begin to flow away.
Of course, it was possible for him to leave the Water God Seal behind under the control of another aquatic creature. However, that was equivalent to giving away his status as a water god.
The Moon Court lake only recognised the seal, not the person. If the aquatic creature refused to return the Water God Seal, then it would be an issue. No matter who controlled the seal, their strength would increase dramatically in the lake.
He could leave it with a relatively weaker subordinate, ensuring he could suppress them with absolute power, but it would be another issue if enemies invaded from outside.
This was the trouble with becoming a god. He had lost his freedom. As a result, when Li Qingshan announced that he had become the god of Moon Court lake, there were many people who became relieved.
However, this trouble was not a particularly large issue for Li Qingshan.
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Chapter 506 – Desiring the Watermirror
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Chapter 506 – Desiring the Watermirror
With a thought, Li Qingshan waved his hand, and the pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell assembled into a smooth mirror. The mirror clearly reflected his figure.
However, the scenery in the mirror was not the bottom of the lake, but underground.
Li Qingshan sat in the underground cavern, constantly gathering spiritual qi to maintain the existence of the mirror clone. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and gazed over with his other pair of eyes, but he saw nothing.
Bang!
Li Qingshan lifted his hand, and his fingers pressed against the surface of the mirror. His mirror clone stood up and leapt into the air, disappearing from the underground cavern.
The reflection distorted, displaying the pitch-black bottom of the lake. Everything returned to normal.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan’s figure walked out of the mirror.
It did not take up any of Li Qingshan’s daemon qi. His clone was still the same clone. He had directly summoned it to his side from underground.
Li Qingshan smiled. After refining Moon Court lake, he gained a deeper comprehension about the changes with two of his innate abilities, mastering them further. The more he understood about them, the more he found them to be filled with profundity.
From that moment onwards, his mirror clone was no longer a shadow composed of a cluster of daemon qi. It became even more connected to his original body, tightly linked.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan waved the Dragon Seizing bident and stabbed through the hand of his clone before raising his right hand as if he was in thought. The moment his clone’s hand had been pierced, he also felt a stabbing pain. A red mark appeared on there.
In other words, if my clone is injured, my original body will be injured too? This Watermirror’s Image sure isn’t as simple as it seems.
This seemed like bad news. Li Qingshan could no longer use his clone as cannon fodder without the slightest care anymore. But in reality, this was extremely good news to Li Qingshan right now.
Ignoring everything else, he could now give his clone the god seal without worrying about anything and leave his clone with the responsibility of gathering water spiritual qi in the lake. When he required it, he could receive this water spiritual qi. If his clone encountered a powerful enemy, he could directly summon his clone to his side, so he did not have to worry about losing the god seal. Afterwards, he could rush over with his original body for revenge.
The only thing he found slightly unfortunate was only his original body could summon his clone. If his original body could move through the mirror too, then that would essentially be teleportation. It would be more useful than any escape technique or movement technique out there. It would be equivalent to an additional life.
However, this was just the beginning. Li Qingshan could feel that these were only the tip of the iceberg for the secrets of the Watermirror’s Image.
“It’s him!”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his head, sensing a familiar aura above the lake.
“Fellow Northmoon, I am Hua Chengzan of the school of Legalism. I have come to visit you,” said Hua Chengzan as he arrived above the lake and admired the scenery. Then he turned around and asked Han Tieyi, who rushed after him, “What’re you coming here for?”
“Because I’m willing.”
“Fine then,” Hua Chengzan said helplessly. There should not have been any dangers with this trip of his anyway.
“You can come down!” Li Qingshan said resonantly. Suddenly, the surface of the lake parted. In the centre were a flight of water stairs that led down.
Han Tieyi became cautious. Entering the water domain under the control of a powerful water daemon was basically no different from walking into the belly of a beast. However, as he watched Hua Chengzan make his way down the stairs, all he could do was follow along. Speaking of which, he would not be Northmoon’s opponent even if he did not enter the water.
Further ahead was a long tunnel. As they walked through the tunnel, they could clearly make out the scenery under the water.
Suddenly, two specks of light lit up in the dark waters. A cluster of daemon qi gradually approached them. Hua Chengzan stopped and turned around, seeing a huge, red carp swimming straight towards them.
Han Tieyi gripped his spear, ready to strike, but Hua Chengzan stopped him.
With a splash, the huge carp leapt through the tunnel with a significant amount of water spray, brushing past them.
Han Tieyi lowered his spear, and the two of them continued forwards. Their vision abruptly opened up. The tunnel led to a great hall. There were no pillars, only an empty space, shaped like a droplet of rain that had hit the ground.
There was a tall throne in the centre. The moon demon sat there. The huge, red carp swam up from below the “floor”, gathering near him and opening its mouth.
Northmoon smiled, rubbing the huge fish’s head and feeding it a pill. “This guy sure is bold. He’s not afraid of others involuntarily killing him!”
Then he glanced at the oversized crab daemons, soft-shelled turtle daemons, and shrimp daemons and cursed, “You cowards, if you don’t get up here right now, I’ll stew you all into soup!”
They swam up in a hurry, standing in two rows. These were the underlings Li Qingshan had subdued with the Dragon Seizing bident. They were not powerful, but they were enough to keep up his appearance.
Hua Chengzan was left at quite a loss over how to react. Everyone knew about the fierceness and brutality of the moon demon, yet when he saw it for himself, he simply felt there was a slight difference.
However, as he approached the throne, he immediately sensed the power aura from him. Steadfastness, frenzy, and tranquility gathered on a single person, making it quite difficult to explain. The further he walked, the greater the pressure. When he was still ten meters away from the throne, he stopped. He actually felt like he was unable to take another step closer.
“Why have you come? Have you come to congratulate me? Or have you come to kill me?!” Li Qingshan’s eyes turned cold as he stared brightly at these two old friends from the academy. He did not want to come off as too polite, just in case he gave away any openings and damaged his reputation as the moon demon.
All Hua Chengzan felt was surging malice colliding into him like a landslide of a tsunami. Han Tieyi took a step forward and placed his spear vertically in front of Hua Chengzan.
“All of you piss off! Oh, I’m not talking about you!”
Li Qingshan withdrew his aura and bellowed while pointing down. As it turned out, before Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi had even responded, the soft-shelled turtle daemons had already retracted into their shells. The crab and shrimp daemons were frightened into a mess too. Hearing the order, they immediately felt like their lives had been spared, scrambling for the deeper waters.
“I want to ask fellow Northmoon to return senior Zhou Tong’s Lightning Slaughter wooden sword.” Hua Chengzan understood he had no right to discuss a ceasefire with Northmoon given his identity. His request to return the Lightning Slaughter sword was more of a form of probing.
Before the situation had been confirmed, making rash contact with the moon demon would definitely lead to castigation from all. However, if he had come to retrieve Zhou Tong’s Lightning Slaughter sword, then it would be different.
“Zhou Tong? Who’s that?”
“The daoist priest who challenged you using lightning last time.”
“Oh, you’re talking about this!” As if he had come to a realisation, Li Qingshan fished out the Lightning Slaughter sword and tossed it gently into the air. Electricity surged as sparks flew.
“But, why should I return it to you? This is my spoil of the battle.”
“The Lightning Slaughter sword is of no use to you, sir. We can offer you something else in exchange.”
Li Qingshan leaned forward and said with raised eyebrows, “Right now, aren’t your lives and hundred treasures pouches both mine?”
“If you really do want them, feel free to take them, sir!”
Hua Chengzan spread out his arms in a free and easy manner.
However, he felt extremely nervous inside. According to his analysis, Northmoon had not even directly killed Yang Pinghu of the Daemon Suppression alliance, sparing his life, so the possibility for him to kill them was almost negligible. However, daemons were temperamental, so they could not be analysed using normal logic. No matter how clever a person was, they could not avoid accidents.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. With a wave of his hand, the water palace collapsed loudly. Water flooded in from all directions.
Just when Hua Chengzan and Han Tieyi thought he was about to strike, Li Qingshan leapt up gently and vanished into the waves behind him.
“I heard the Academy of the Hundred Schools has a treasure called the Watermirror disc. If you want the sword back, bring the Watermirror disc for exchange!”
Li Qingshan’s interest had been piqued the first time he saw the Watermirror disc. There seemed to be a possible connection with the spirit turtle’s ability, the Watermirror’s Image. If he could obtain it, perhaps his comprehension of the Watermirror’s Image could reach an even higher level.
Then, Li Qingshan handed the Water God Seal to his mirror clone before withdrawing all of his aura and returning to the Chain mountains silently with Xiao An.
In Moon Court lake, Li Qingshan controlled his clone to swim towards a smaller lake near Moon Court lake. The quality of the Water God Seal truly was something else. Even the Moon Court lake was unable to fill the whole thing. There was still a bit left over on the edges.
However, it was not enough to accomodate the Clear river. Li Qingshan wanted to continue refining the bodies of water in the surroundings until he filled up the Water God Seal.
Arriving before the small lake, the Water God Seal shone brightly, and Li Qingshan devoted all of his attention towards it. However, he no longer used only his daemon qi, but all the spiritual qi from Moon Court lake too.
In under two hours, the qi filled the entire lake, and the Water God Seal obtained another region of water and more power.
Li Qingshan smiled. Sure enough, it was the same as what the books detailed. Once he had a larger body of water under his control, refining the smaller bodies of water around him would become extremely easy.
Afterwards, Li Qingshan continued to work diligently, refining most of the water in the surroundings. Finally, he filled the Water God Seal to the brim. The tremendous water spiritual qi seemed endless as if it wanted to leak out. It left Li Qingshan emotionally moved.
Suddenly, he experienced a flash of inspiration. The mental cultivation method of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean filled his head.
Although Moon Court lake could not rival an actual ocean, it did resemble an ocean to a certain degree. It would bring great benefits to Li Qingshan’s human cultivation too. He had truly received some unexpected results from pure accidents.
Li Qingshan believed that as long as he had some time to quietly comprehend it, he would definitely make a breakthrough with the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. It made him think that no matter how impressive the Ocean sect had been, it was impossible for them to possess their own domain of water to cultivate in.
Was this the limit? Of course not.
After all, the world was not created with god seals. They had been refined from nothing. The greatest value in this Water God Seal was that it could circumvent the blockage of the nine provincial cauldrons.
Li Qingshan arrived at the outlet of another small river that flowed into Clear Court lake, and he became slightly stern.
At the same time, Hua Chengzan had returned to the academy with Li Qingshan’s condition, calling an emergency meeting yet again. This time, Li Qingshan was not absent.
The academy sent a message, so he rushed over with Xiao An. Currently, he sat in the meeting with Xiao An, wanting to see whether he would actually achieve his objective or not.
“The Watermirror disc? Absolutely not!”
Liu Zhangqing declined straight away. The Watermirror disc was the treasure of the academy, wielded by past leaders of the school of Confucianism. Its origins were extremely ancient, said to be a relic ancient cultivators left behind. As a matter of fact, it could not even be valued with the standards of present-day spiritual artifacts and arcane artifacts.
Although it did not possess the slightest offensive or defensive ability, it managed to prove its extraordinary value just by itself.
Even Liu Zhangqing himself believed he could not unleash its full powers, so why would he be willing to hand it over to a daemon?
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Chapter 507 – The God-like Spirit Turtle
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Chapter 507 – The God-like Spirit Turtle
“What a great appetite,” Ru Xin glanced at Li Qingshan and said to him secretly.
“It’s so-so. I really need to thank you, miss Ru Xin!”
Li Qingshan stretched his neck as he sat to Liu Zhangqing’s left in his impressive Scarlet Hawk commander uniform.
To Liu Zhangqing’s right was Han Anjun. Just the change in his seating position demonstrated how different his status was now. It filled Liu Chuanfeng who sat in the corner with envy.
There were quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators who belonged to the Academy of the Hundred Schools in the Clear River prefecture. Some had high degrees of seniority and others had powerful cultivations, but in a formation meeting, the people who sat at the very top would always be the prefect, general, and commander. Even Zhou Tong who was known as the greatest in the Clear River prefecture could only sit in a lower seat.
This was a form of orthodox status. Liu Zhangqing’s status went without saying; the empire recognised him as someone who stood at the top in terms of status. While Han Anjun only led the school of the Military, he could directly enlist the disciples of the academy during times of crisis. As for the Hawkwolf Guard, they were a system of violence that answered directly to the empire.
They represented the three traditional authorities of politics, the military, and policing.
While the schools of Buddhism and Daoism were filled with talents and possessed a deep foundation, they could not interfere with these matters as religious figures.
Li Qingshan even tried to persuade Liu Zhangqing otherwise. “Don’t fret, sir Liu. The Watermirror disc isn’t something the moon demon can obtain just because he’s asking for it!”
Hua Chengzan also felt that the moon demon’s demands were very exorbitant. If the moon demon had taken something else, then so be it, but the issue was it happened to be the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword…
“Kid, that’s easy for you to say. That’s my sword, for heaven’s sake!” Sure enough, Zhou Tong became rather restless. The Lightning Slaughter wooden sword was a critical arcane artifact for his second heavenly tribulation. It was something that tied into his life. Now that he had the opportunity to take it back, how could he not become interested?
“Please calm down, senior Zhou. I’m just considering the bigger picture!” Li Qingshan thought to himself, Heh, of course I know it’s your sword. If it wasn’t your sword, I wouldn’t have taken it!
“Hmm. The Watermirror disc is precious, but the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword is a rare arcane artifact too. There might even be the chance for it to become an arcane treasure in the future. It’s a real pity if we lose it. Sigh, let’s just discuss what we’ll do!”
Li Qingshan said a whole lot, but everyone felt like he had said nothing at all.
Zhou Tong even stated it bluntly, “You speak like you’re breaking wind. You’ve achieved absolutely nothing!”
It was true. There was nothing Li Qingshan could say. Opposing the exchange was opposing himself, while supporting the exchange would easily attract suspicion, right?
The discussion gradually intensified, so Li Qingshan split his focus, dealing with the meeting in the academy on one side while focusing on the glistening Moon Court lake on the other!
He raised his head and saw a creek gurgling as it flowed down a mountain.
The creek was even smaller than the river Li Qingshan had refined in the beginning. If it were not for the fact that it meandered through the mountains and forests, it probably would not even be enough to condense a god seal.
Li Qingshan stood over the outlet as his surging daemon qi moved upstream. Under the support of the god seal, it filled the entire water system in the blink of an eye.
If there was still space in the Water God Seal, he could have merged it into the god seal with great ease and then expanded the bodies of water under his control slightly.
However, the god seal was already full, unable to accept even an additional stream.
Li Qingshan shut his eyes and felt an extremely thin, blue band of light stretched into the mountains and forests.
He extended his hand, and with a scoop, he removed the band of light and wrapped it around the Water God Seal.
Sure enough, this process was much more difficult than directly using the Water God Seal to accept the water system. It was equivalent to recondensing a god seal.
If it were not for Ru Xin’s water god seal, he would not be able to overcome the suppression of the nine provincial cauldrons and condense a god seal even with a creek like this.
The Water God Seal spun like a spindle. The blue band wrapped around it like thread, again and again in an endless fashion.
As the condensing process continued, Li Qingshan gradually grasped the trick. The Water God Seal spun faster and faster. He also felt like this process was not as difficult as it was described in the books.
It’s probably because I’ve already become a higher water god, while the creek is simply too small!
Li Qingshan spent a few more hours before finally refining the creek. The Water God Seal in his hand changed once more. It remained the same size, but the patterns on it did become a little more complicated.
Even if he scattered all the power inside, the level of the Water God Seal would have still increased slightly. This was an aspect that would not change.
Is it because I practise the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression? Li Qingshan became filled with enthusiasm as he came up with another guess.
Li Qingshan’s guess was correct. Regular daemons, even water daemons who had become Daemon Commanders, would require a few days at the very least to condense a god seal from the creek.
Creating something from nothing had never been so simple unless one was born with that ability, possessing the bloodline of a divine beast.
The spirit turtle happened to be the most renowned water divine beast. Its status was equivalent to the phoenix’s status to fire.
The crux of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine was “transformation”. It could grant a regular, human teenager the abilities and power only the strongest demonic and divine beasts in the world possessed.
Spirit turtles could even suppress boundless oceans, let alone a mere mountain creek.
Divine beasts possessed the adjective “divine” in the first place. They were born with divine powers, which was why the scenery when Li Qingshan refined Moon Court lake was different from regular daemons, resulting in a magic phenomenon.
Yep, they’ve finally reached a conclusion!
The meeting at the academy entered a stalemate once again. Liu Zhangqing refused to part with the Watermirror disc, and while Zhou Tong wanted his Lightning Slaughter wooden sword back, it was difficult for him to bring it up.
Only at the very end did they barely reach a conclusion, which was to have Hua Chengzan visit the moon demon again and ask if he could change his conditions.
“Alright then. I’ll pay another visit, but it’s best if you don’t hold any high hopes.” Hua Chengzan sighed and stood up.
“I’ll come with you!” Zhou Tong stood up abruptly.
Hua Chengzan was unable to discourage him. All he could do was smile bitterly while allowing him to come along. “Senior Zhou, you have to remain calm when we get there. You mustn’t clash with the moon demon again.”
The two of them traveled through the night and returned to Moon Court lake. Only after wandering around for quite a while did they find the moon demon Li Qingshan on a small island in the lake.
Hua Chengzan raised an eyebrow as he found the situation even stranger than the last time they met. The moon demon crouched on the sandy beach as he tended to a barbeque.
A plucked chicken was skewered on a tree branch, turning on a fire as he lathered it with some sauce he had found from somewhere.
“My Lightning Slaughter sword!”
Zhou Tong was cautious. Only when he got closer did he see the tree branch that Li Qingshan turned was the unimpressive Lightning Slaughter sword, leading to a miserable shriek.
“It’s my Lightning Slaughter sword,” Li Qingshan corrected him before biting viciously into the chicken.
Hua Chengsan took a step forward and bowed politely. He expressed cheerfully, “The Watermirror disc belongs to the academy. It’s not something that we can decide to give away, so why don’t you change your condition? It’s not like you have any use for the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword anyway, so why not exchange it for something useful instead?”
“How’s it useless?! This is a crucial tool to my secret cooking technique, the dual roasting of lightning and fire. What am I supposed to do if I can’t eat it in the future anymore?” Li Qingshan waved the roast chicken around furiously. As he watched Zhou Tong’s face darken, he thought, Heh, I was right. Your shitty tree branch can only be used for a roast, and the food cooked with it takes especially bad.
As Hua Chengzan caught the burnt smell wafting from the roast chicken, he had no idea on how to respond. There was nothing he could say.
“Moon demon, you drive me crazy!” Zhou Tong bellowed out as he crackled with lightning.
Li Qingshan pointed with the roast chicken. “You are bold enough to attack me?”
“Senior, please calm down!”
Hua Chengzan went up to stop Zhou Tong. He did not do anything in the end. He had a violent temper, but he was no idiot. He would never do something as useless as throwing an egg at a rock.
And, he could clearly sense that the moon demon had become even stronger. He had become even stronger than when he stole the Lightning Slaughter sword from him!
If Zhou Tong knew the person standing before him right now was merely a clone, and he had actually failed to see through it, who knew what he would feel?
“It’s a pity, oh it’s a pity. It’s far too tiring to eat while holding it up. I’m only missing a good plate. That’s all I need for this to be perfect.” Li Qingshan shook his head as he said to himself, “If you really refuse to give it to me, I’ll just fetch it for myself in the future.”
Hua Chengzan shivered inside. As it seemed, the moon demon had truly set his mind on the Watermirror disc. The exchange this time no longer involved only these two items. It would also affect the future situation. If the exchange were successful, then it would be a very good beginning. They could bring the pointless war to an end.
However, if it were not, it was possible for the moon demon to reignite the war. By then, even the best situation would be the Ruyi commandery becoming involved, and the Clear River prefecture would turn into a mire of warfare again.
Li Qingshan obviously did not want to declare war against the academy. He had far too many acquaintances there. If he accidentally caused the death of father-in-law Han or his brother-in-law, then his relationship with Han Qiongzhi would truly before some half-assed drama.
Not to mention, with how great the situation was right now, he would never be stupid enough to actively destroy it. As long as no one could reign him in, he would continue to refine these rivers and lakes one by one. There were no negative consequences with that.
It was not like it cost him anything to throw some threats around!
Hua Chengzan dragged Zhou Tong away and returned to the academy, telling Liu Zhangqing everything that had happened.
This time, they did not hold a meeting. It was just the three of them. Liu Zhangqing’s expression changed again and again, unsure as to what to do.
“Prefect Liu, do you trust this lowly daoist?” Zhou Tong asked.
“You’re too polite, senior. Of course I do.”
“The Lightning Slaughter sword gives me an additional thirty percent confidence in overcoming the heavenly tribulation at the very least. If I succeed, I’ll definitely come up with a way to retrieve the Watermirror disc. If I fail, then I’ll still make it up to you with something else. As long as the threat of the moon demon remains, I will continue to watch over the Clear River prefecture.”
“If I fail the tribulation, the Lightning Slaughter sword shouldn’t be destroyed. It’ll probably absorb the power of lightning and become even more powerful, so it can replace the Watermirror disc. We can put this transaction in writing and send it to the Ruyi commandery. It’ll be a deal between the moon demon’s and my name. What do you think?”
In that instant, Zhou Tong seemed extremely calm as he clearly explained everything.
Hua Chengzan thought about it before understanding what was going on. What worried Liu Zhangqing the most was still the Ruyi commandery. The Marquis of Ruyi had not sent any reinforcements, but he had never told him to assist the daemon’s growth in power under its threats either.
By saying that, Zhou Tong had essentially lifted Liu Zhangqing’s responsibilities from his shoulders.
Liu Zhangqing remained conflicted for a very long time before finally agreeing reluctantly. “Fine, but I need to report this to the Marquis of Ruyi first. If the marquis doesn’t object, then feel free to take the Watermirror disc!”
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Chapter 508 – Neck and Neck
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Chapter 508 – Neck and Neck
“The marquis shouldn’t object. If we have a Golden Core cultivator, there’s still a lot of hope in this game of chess. The moon demon might think he has prevailed, but senior Zhou will let him know sooner or later that this is his greatest mistake.” That was what Hua Chengzan said, but he did not feel so optimistic inside.
“Hmph, I definitely won’t just leave the matter be. How dare he use my Lightning Slaughter sword to roast chicken!” Zhou Tong’s face twitched again.
After the meeting in the academy had ended, Liu Chuanfeng extended a grand invitation for Li Qingshan to return to the school of Novels and take a look. Li Qingshan turned him down.
Liu Chuanfeng feigned anger. “Qingshan, the school of Novels is the school you originally came from. That’s far too inappropriate of you to just walk by without going inside.”
Unable to turn him down, Li Qingshan arrived on Cloudwisp island.
Passing through the gloomy bamboo forest, the bamboo loft shimmered with lamplight.
Li Qingshan sensed the existence of many auras. This place would never be as quiet and empty as before again.
Under Liu Chuanfeng’s order, a great group of children huddled over. The eldest was only fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest only seemed to be seven or eight. They all called out together with their childish voices, “Greetings, first senior brother!”
Afterwards, they stared at Li Qingshan with sparkling eyes. Liu Chuanfeng had mentioned the glorious deeds of Li Qingshan frequently to encourage them and also to bring up the results of his arduous guidance as it was convenient.
Li Qingshan sighed inside. After three years of war, probably only the school of Novels had become even more prosperous than before.
The main reason was the school of Novels never had any decent disciples in the first place. New disciples like them were second or third layer Qi Practitioners at most. Even getting the school of Mohism to create a few random puppets was better than sending them to their deaths.
Some people were destroyed because they were too powerful, while some people managed to remain alive safely because they were too weak.
He sat down for a talk and before he knew it, a few hours had passed.
Li Qingshan stood up and bid farewell, wanting to return to the Chain mountains with Xiao An, only for Hua Chengzan to stop him. He had just finished his discussion with Liu Zhangqing and was right about to invite Li Qingshan back to the Hawkwolf Guard to preside over the situation.
Never had he heard of a Scarlet Hawk commander who stopped showing up after the day of his promotion. Now that the war had come to a conclusion, there were a thousand things waiting to be done for the Hawkwolf Guard. They needed him to watch over everything.
“Little Hua, I’ll leave everything up to you. I want to spend some time in secluded cultivation.”
Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan’s shoulder. However, before he was even done, Hua Chengzan said in surprise, “Seclusion again? Didn’t you just emerge from seclusion?”
Never had he heard of a cultivator who entered secluded cultivation so often either.
Secluded cultivation was not simply locking yourself up in your dwelling. Cultivators only chose secluded cultivation once their cultivation had reached a certain bottleneck, or they had reached a certain degree of accumulation.
“Heh, I comprehended some things recently.”
Li Qingshan was not lying. He had yet to carefully comprehend his experience and lessons from the battle with the Spider Queen. At the same time, he had not consolidated his comprehensions from refining Moon Court lake yet. Both of these took time.
“Alright then!” What else could Hua Chengzan say? The most important thing to cultivators was still cultivation. Everything else, such as the Hawkwolf Guard or the overall situation of the world, was of much lesser importance. “Though, the path of cultivation is about advancing step by step. If you’re far too eager for instant success, it’ll merely slow you down. It’ll be easy for you to suffer from qi deviation.”
“I know. You should be careful when you deal with the moon demon too. Hopefully you don’t go out to beat a tiger, only to get injured yourself.” Li Qingshan obviously understood the principle of taking one step at a time. He had not actually spent much time or energy on the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
He also needed to practise the extremely profound ability, the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, at the same time, as well as maintain his status in the world of daemons. Time had never been enough for him. He had always wanted to learn artifact forging too, but he never had the leisure.
Hopefully the situation could mellow out for a period and give him some more time to cultivate once this war ended!
“The tiger is too vicious. It’s not something I can beat up. I just want to keep the tiger satisfied so that it hurts fewer people.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “That won’t be easy. We’ve gained an impressive rival in love after all.”
“A rival in love.”
Suddenly, Hua Chengzan discovered he had miscalculated one aspect. The moon demon had publicly professed his love from Gu Yanying, so how would the Marquis of Ruyi respond? The exchange this time would probably lead to unexpected problems.
However, the development of the situation seemed to confirm Hua Chengzan’s thoughts. The Marquis of Ruyi had never turned down Liu Zhangqing’s petition, but he would be reluctant to agree to it.
Liu Zhangqing refused to hand over the Watermirror disc so easily, and the matter had been shelved like that.
Li Qingshan obviously would not panic. The one panicking should be Zhou Tong. It had been a moment of inspiration for him in the first place. If this insignificant move of his succeeded, then that would be for the best, but if it failed, it was not a pity either.
Actually, he had already forgotten about this.
In Qing Xiao’s Home, Li Qingshan shut his eyes as blue light ebbed like the tide from his body, producing the vague sound of waves.
He devoted all his focus to that apart from saving a part of it, so his clone could continue refining bodies of water and expanding the god seal.
His attention was completely submerged in his sea of consciousness. The boundless sea of consciousness was like a huge mirror, clearly reflecting two figures.
One was Li Qingshan. The other was Spider Queen Lolth.
From their first meeting to every single meeting afterwards, he did not omit a single conversation that they had. It then went to the intercourse in Cobweb city, the bitter battle under Cobweb city, and his indulgence and venting after victory. It covered everything.
Li Qingshan seemed like he was reminiscing a lover, recollecting every single expression and movement she had made.
From a certain perspective, enemies were indeed closer than lovers. Hating a person would lead to constant thought about them every single day, while it was very difficult to achieve this with only loving a person.
Of course, Li Qingshan did not hate Lolth. His memories mostly triggered excitement and fervour.
Her wounds, her daemon qi, should be completely recovered already! So why hasn’t she come for revenge yet? Is she preparing some sort of secret weapon?
The tiger demon growled in his heart, desiring another battle with her! He could imagine the battle to be extremely difficult, but that was what made it interesting.
He was no longer the same Li Qingshan of the past either. Gaining control over Moon Court lake held extraordinary significance to him. Apart from the direct benefits, it also affected his mentality.
He submerged his mind in the illusionary figure of the spirit turtle that radiated with an extremely tranquil aura to comprehend and feel it.
To another side of the dwelling, Xiao An cupped her hands, holding the blood daemon core she had obtained from killing Bloodshadow in between them.
The blood daemon core changed its shape like water as it produced a strange hiss, like the wails of ghosts from hell.
Xiao An freed up her left hand and waved it upwards.
Twenty-one Skull Prayer Beads scattered, turning into skulls as they circled above her head.
She raised the blood daemon core in her right hand with some difficulty. Its shape had already changed completely, becoming a thin disc. It rippled like flowing water.
Suddenly, she pushed upwards, and the blood daemon core flew up. The skulls opened their mouths together, spraying Samādhi Flames of White Bone at the blood daemon core.
She had formally begun to refine the Blood Sea Banner.
At the same time, in Moon Court lake.
Li Qingshan refined the surrounding waters without even resting for a second. Under the control of the same will, his main body and his clone advanced at the same time to become stronger.
Before he knew it, four months had passed.
Li Qingshan used half a month to refine a great river that stretched over five hundred kilometers before coming to a temporary stop. He gazed at the Water God Seal in his hand. It was as translucent as before, glowing with blue light, except the patterns had become even clearer and more complicated. It was no longer completely flat. Instead, it became slightly three-dimensional.
And, he could clearly sense the waters radiate outward in all directions from Moon Court lake. Moon Court lake was like a beating heart, and the rivers were the vessels that delivered blood.
However, seeing how Spider Queen Lolth had not come to challenge him, he caught the scent of danger. Perhaps the concept of time to daemons was different from humans.
Li Qingshan dared not be careless, but he would not worry too much about it either. He believed he definitely became stronger faster than Lolth.
If she really were willing to drag it out, then that would work too. If she waited a few decades or a century, then it would no longer be a battle of life and death. She could simply bend over and wait for him to visit.
After resting for a moment, Li Qingshan continued to search for bodies of water connected to Moon Court lake that he had yet to refine. What he wanted to find the most was the water system connected to the underground river, but he never managed to find it.
He could not help it. There were far too many rivers connected to Moon Court lake, and every single one of them meandered about, making it very difficult to determine their direction from one end. Some seemed to lead underground, but after flowing underground for a while, they would surface again.
Some clearly flowed in the direction of the territory, but upon flowing into some mountains, they would take a few turns and veer off elsewhere.
“Just where is it?”
Li Qingsha muttered to himself in the Chain mountains. He opened his eyes and checked on Xiao An. She was still focused on refining the Blood Sea Banner.
Within the Samādhi Flames of White Bone that burned quietly, a long, blood-red banner had already taken form. Li Qingshan could already sense the great power it was hiding, surging boundlessly like the ocean.
I thought it would be very easy to find. If I had known earlier, I would have gotten her to divine for me. Oh right, why don’t I try the spirit turtle’s ability of divination?
Suddenly, Li Qingshan came up with an idea. Throughout the four months, he had gained an even deeper comprehension of the Spirit Turtle Transformation. The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell and the Watermirror’s Image were not the only aspects that had become more profound.
He had gained a deeper comprehension of the abilities that spirit turtles possessed in the first place too.
Li Qingshan closed his eyes again. The spirit turtle’s daemon core in his body flickered with light. At the same time, his clone five hundred kilometers away held the Water God Seal and sensed the ripples in Moon Court lake.
Vaguely, he placed his mind in the centre of Moon Court lake. A towering, mountainous island stood there.
Suddenly, he saw it. There was a vortex beneath the island.
Beneath the island was a cavern, which swallowed the lakewater endlessly.
He had always been looking at the edge of the lake, but he had never paid particular attention to the scenery of the lake, as a vortex like that was far too common in Moon Court lake. It was not worth any special attention.
And, by looking at the size of the hole, it was impossible for it to create a river as grand as the one underground. In the past, even if Li Qingshan discovered the hole, he would not have taken note of it.
Li Qingshan believed the senses of the spirit turtle. He immediately arrived above the vortex and channeled his daemon qi into the hole. As the Water God Seal advanced, it rapidly extended underground.
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Chapter 509 – In the Ruyi Commandery
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Chapter 509 – In the Ruyi Commandery
As the lakewater poured into the hole, it formed an underground river that twisted and raged through the darkness.
In the beginning, the flow was very small, small enough to condense a single god seal.
However, as the river water surged, more and more rivers converged together and the flow became greater and greater, plunging into the depths underground like it was unstoppable.
After another series of twists and turns, the flow gradually established. It moved in the direction of the underground territory.
Li Qingshan was overjoyed as he poured all of his efforts into it without hesitation. The underground river was much larger than any rivers he had refined so far. He could probably only refine it after quite the effort.
However, once he refined it, he would establish a connection between the two territories, and his foundation in the Clear River prefecture would become even more consolidated.
In Qing Xiao’s Home, Li Qingshan stood up and nodded towards Xiao An before leaving the dwelling.
It was time for his main body to take action.
At the end of the day, his clone only possessed a portion of his daemon qi, and it did not possess the divine powers of the spirit turtle. When he concentrated on cultivating, using his clone to save time was a good idea, but he still had to tend to real issues in person. It was more convenient that way.
And, it was time for him to return underground and check on the situation. He had to take a look at how Ye Liusu was going with her great cause of unification.
The blackwater salamander remained in his deep, underground lake, swimming around freely. He cultivated slowly with the speed of a daemon. Perhaps in a decade or a century’s time, he would also become a powerful Daemon General, but right now, he was only a weak daemon.
Among the many underground daemons, the daemons in Li Qingshan’s territory were probably the most fortunate. They safely avoided the war that might have threatened their lives.
The blackwater salamander suddenly sensed an unstoppably powerful daemon qi merge with his region of water. The water it could freely control originally had frozen into a prison in that instant.
In the black water, two specks of azure light appeared. In a blur, a spirit turtle swam past. The specks of blue light were the spirit turtle’s eyes. It was clearly burdened with a large shell on its back, but its movements were filled with elegant and agile beauty, like it was dancing through the sky.
Compared to the directly-observable, tremendous daemon qi, another indescribable aura appeared. That was an aura of divinity, like a king on tour through his territory, like a god drawing up a divine kingdom.
Wherever it went, no matter how violent the water flow was, it would all settle down like its gaze.
However, when it swam closer, the figure of the spirit turtle dispersed, revealing Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan’s main body arrived beneath Moon Court lake. When he first began refining the underground river, he found it to be surprisingly easy. The deeper the underground river went, the heavier the flow became, and the way he refined it was actively expanding the Water God Seal, yet it felt as easy as refining a small river with his clone.
The speed at which he refined waters with his clone was fast enough to leave everyone in the dust. If they could witness the efficiency of his original body, they would probably be left dumbfounded.
At this moment, in the commandery city of Ruyi, there was indeed a group of people who were left stunned.
A glowing map covered a large wall. There were no cities or settlements on there, only mountains, rivers, and other geographic features. The mountains that rose and fell and the rivers that twisted and turned seemed like a huge dragon squirming on the ground, with its head and tail touching. However, it did not seem messy at all. It possessed the beauty of nature.
The waters were blue, but a small region had been dyed a bright red. Looking at its shape, it matched Moon Court lake and the surrounding waters.
“My lord, this is the landscape from the Green Province cauldron. The speed at which the moon demon, no, Northmoon refines the landscape has suddenly increased,” an old man reported.
The Marquis of Ruyi wore the same fancy hat and was still dressed in violet, except his chilly expression as if he was forcing a smile had vanished. It had been replaced by caution or even vigilance.
The spread colour of red was like carbuncles on his body. That’s right, the Ruyi commandery was territory that had been passed down through his clan for thousands of years. It was like an extension of his body.
He did not mind if daemons ran amok. He did not care either no matter how many regular people and cultivators died. However, refining the landscape and claiming to be a god was directly provoking his authority.
The right hand hidden within the Marquis of Ruyi’s large sleeve clenched into a fist. He felt an urge to barge through the door right now, rush to the Clear River prefecture, and kill him.
Actually, he did not even have to do anything personally. With a single order, mobilising a handful of Golden Core cultivators would be nothing difficult at all. Just the Golden Core cultivators who served in his marquis’ estate amounted to three.
However, he could not do this. He was not a chess piece, but he only dared to remain as a spectator. Let alone tampering with the chess pieces in this game, even respecting the rule of remaining as a silent spectator was the basics of the basics.
“What do you think?” The Marquis of Ruyi looked around. To his side stood two people on equal footing.
One was a middle-aged man. He was dressed in military uniform as his face was as stiff as a block of metal, without the slightest expression. His hands remained by his side as he stood sternly, like a glacier that never melted.
If Li Qingshan were present, he would definitely find a great resemblance to Han Anjun. He was Han Qiongzhi’s uncle, the great general Han Anguo.
“If this daemon remains, he’ll definitely become a source of great trouble.”
The Marquis of Ruyi nodded slightly, agreeing to that. “To think that Liu Zhangqing has actually reported to me that he wants to give the Watermirror disc to him. What is he thinking?”
The other person was obviously Gu Yanying, still dressed in clothes whiter than snow as she stood with her arms behind her back. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing her pale forearms that seemed clean and smooth. The graceful smile hung forever on her face, making it impossible to guess her thoughts. She was like the invisible yet ever-changing wind.
“Heh, now that’s interesting.”
“Yanying, aren’t you a little too unfazed?”
When the Marquis of Ruyi looked at her, even his gaze softened slightly, without the bone-deep arrogance of a marquis.
Of course, this was not only because of his feelings for her. Gu Yanying’s status was exactly the same as his. No one knew the exact depth of her cultivation, not to mention there was the shadow that enveloped the entire sky of the Great Xia empire behind her.
Compared to her, even the mighty Marquis of Ruyi was merely a measly, local noble.
“It’s just a game of chess. Why must we be so serious?”
“This is the ancestral property of my clan.” The Marquis of Ruyi smiled bitterly as he stared at her. The part about her that enchanted him the most was not her absolute beauty, her noble status, or even her bearing that was as ungraspable as the wind.
Instead, it was a boldness of vision. Wind might not move, but air was omnipresent, filling the nine provinces.
Everyone said the Clear River prefecture was a game of chess, but apart from the few at the very top, who could actually treat it as a game of chess?
“Why don’t we just give him the Watermirror disc and see how big of a wave he can create?” Gu Yanying’s behaviour truly matched a spectator’s, watching on without any problems with it developing out of hand.
“This…”
“He is one of my admirers after all.” Gu Yanying’s lips curled. She made no mention about the overall situation, making no effort to hide likes and dislikes.
“Since you’re saying to give it to him, then we’ll give it to him! What can I do about how unfortunate I am to end up in such a predicament? I probably should sympathise with this Northmoon.”
The Marquis of Ruyi sighed, tossing the warning of “If this daemon remains, he’ll definitely become a source of great trouble.” to the back of his mind in the blink of an eye.
He did not want to come off as overly unsophisticated in front of her. Of course, this was not the primary reason. Recently, he had been under quite a lot of pressure too. Zhou Tong had indeed become very frantic to retrieve his Lightning Slaughter sword. He managed to find a figure that the Marquis of Ruyi could not turn down to speak for him.
Gu Yanying made no mention of the situation, but the Marquis of Ruyi had already analysed it countless times internally. He considered the benefits that came with Zhou Tong undergoing the heavenly tribulation. What Gu Yanying said was only a prelude to his decision at most. With how long he spent cultivating so far, how could he do something so stupid just for the sake of someone’s feelings?
Of course, it was possible to say the prelude was very important too. The Marquis of Ruyi felt caution or even vigilance towards Northmoon instinctively. It was far too unnatural for a daemon’s cultivation to climb so rapidly, so he should have done everything he could to either slow him down or stamp him out. If it were not for Gu Yanying’s words, he might have followed through with this idea.
And in the future, he would absolutely regret his decision today, which also proved that something like a boldness of vision could not be feigned. Some people really did not care about that.
As they spoke, Han Anguo maintained the usual style of the Han family, standing by silently without objecting at all.
Only when he was about to leave did Gu Yanying suddenly ask, “Has your niece succeeded with Foundation Establishment?”
“She just went through the heavenly tribulation two days ago. She’s currently recovering.” Han Anguo cast a questioning gaze at her, wondering why she had suddenly mentioned Han Qiongzhi.
“Have her report to me tomorrow!” Gu Yanying said straightforwardly.
Han Anguo was rather confused. He had no idea why she was treating Han Qiongzhi with such kindness and generosity, but being promoted directly to the White Wolf guard could never be bad. He did not want Han Qiongzhi to return to the Clear River prefecture right now either, at least until the situation had completely stabilised there. As a result, he nodded. “Alright.”
The Marquis of Ruyi smiled. “You’re talking about esteemed niece Qiongzhi, right? You should try and put another word in with her as her uncle. Just what does she want in exchange for the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms painting? Does she really think I’ll rip her off?”
“That’ll be up to her.”
The great general’s estate.
“No, I have to return!” Han Qiongzhi said firmly.
“I’ve already agreed to it. The commands of your superiors are absolute. As a Hawkwolf Guard, Gu Yanying is your commanding officer. You should follow her orders. Alright, stop being so stubborn. You’re not a child anymore.”
For once, Han Anguo’s expression was gentle, which filled the young men and women present with envy. Since when had their father been so amiable with them? Not to mention, ever since Han Qiongzhi had come, their lives had become much better, so they all put in a word with Han Qiongzhi too.
“Yeah, sister Qiongzhi, just stay here. He even told you to wait for him!”
“What’s so good about that Li Qingshan anyway? It’s been so long and you’ve heard nothing from him. He hasn’t even written you a letter.”
Han Anguo said coldly, “He personally slew four Daemon Generals, all while fighting alone. He has even been promoted to the Scarlet Hawk commander of the Clear River prefecture now. Before you complain about others, why don’t you check yourselves first?”
They were immediately silenced, but they were still extremely unconvinced. That’s just because we never had the opportunity. Once this Li Qingshan comes, we’ll definitely see who’s stronger.
Han Qiongzhi was slightly surprised. She had spent her entire time in secluded cultivation so that she could break through to Foundation Establishment. She had only found out now that Li Qingshan had already become the Scarlet Hawk commander, but she was happy nonetheless considering her uncle was praising him.
“Qingshan, you better come soon!”
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Chapter 510 – Gift and Choices
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Chapter 510 – Gift and Choices
The endless underground river that Li Qingshan had discovered was not the only one—it was only one of them—and they criss-crossed with one another like a spider’s web.
After comprehending the wonders of the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas, his ambition began to swell. He was no longer content with refining this underground river. The range would exceed his territory, but were there any Daemon Generals bold enough to stop him?
As a result, whenever he encountered a fork, he would split his daemon qi. Even with the divine powers of the spirit turtle, this process still became extremely slow.
However, he was in no hurry, pushing forwards slowly so that he could construct a huge, underground net of water for himself.
At the top of Cobweb city in the dark chambers, a snowy-white figure was vaguely visible through the layers of curtains.
Lolth laid on her bed, completely unclothed. Her crimson lips parted slightly, spitting out a thread as her ten fingers flew about. Even her eight legs waved around in a dazzling array. The spider silk was constantly spun and twisted as if she was weaving something.
She was serious and focused. Although she was naked, there was nothing erotic about it at all. She seemed extremely natural.
At the same time, her cold, noble, and ruthless bearing had completely vanished.
Right now, she seemed more like a craftsman, an artisan, carefully tending to her creation, having forgotten about the world outside. There were no distractions from the outside world that could influence her.
However, Li Qingshan’s act of refining water systems en masse still ended up alarming her.
Lolth raised her head and clearly sensed Li Qingshan’s daemon qi spread and permeate the surroundings. She bit her crimson lips gently. A spiteful light flashed through her eyes, but it vanished in an instant. She lowered her head again and continued focusing on the work at hand.
Actually, this was the way a spider killed—spending lengthy amounts of time on preparation for the moment of surprise when the prey stepped into the net.
“Croak croak! Great king! Great king!”
The ice frog leapt around in Li Qingshan’s hand. The ice spring it occupied was also a source of a water system that Li Qingshan wanted to refine.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Looks like you’re almost up to that step, so let me lend you some assistance.”
The ice frog had always been one of the strongest daemon soldiers under Li Qingshan’s command, and it seemed to possess a rather special bloodline, which was why it could use the power of ice.
Even a few years ago, it was already very close to the Daemon General realm. After a few years of arduous cultivation, it had basically arrived at the cusp. However, the time required for the actual breakthrough would still be calculated using years.
However, Li Qingshan took out the Water God Seal and pointed at it gently, drawing out a thread of blue light and pouring it into the ice frog’s head.
Immediately, the ice frog radiated with resplendent, blue light. The extreme coldness from the daemon core within its body permeated the surroundings.
With a plonk, the ice frog turned around and leapt into the ice spring.
“You better turn into a beauty to pay me back!”
Li Qingshan sniggered. He felt the ground tremble slightly, and the spring suddenly lit up, shining with the glow of lightning. Afterwards, it flickered and grew brighter and brighter.
Quite a while later, the trembling gradually subsided, and the glow of lightning slowly dimmed.
A delicate young man with icy-blue hair crawled out from the spring. He said, “Croak croak! thanks, great king!”
After a careful inspection, Li Qingshan confirmed he was indeed a young man and not a young woman. He said in disappointment, “Fine then. Looks like I’m unlucky. I’ll give you a name. You can be… Li’l Blue! Sigh, let’s hope Li’l Red is female.”
Abiding to his absolutely tasteless naming style, Li Qingshan casually named the ice frog “Li’l Blue”. As for the “great name” of “Li’l Red”, he had also come up with it on the spot. He felt like it suited the huge red carp very well.
“Croak, croak! Alright!”
The ice frog of the past, or Li’l Blue right now, obviously had no objections. He still did not have an idea of which human names were good or bad. Only until many years later did he come to understand, but when he began to resent it, it was already too late.
Li Qingshan directed Li’l Blue to swim upstream and continue cultivating in Moon Court lake. Afterwards, he conveniently flooded the spring with daemon qi, completing the refinement of another water system.
Right when he wanted to continue with his journey, he felt a familiar aura rapidly grow closer. Li Qingshan smiled and withdrew all of his aura, taking a step back and merging with the rock wall.
A figure stepped out of the darkness. Ye Liusu arrived by the spring. She wore a luxurious, black cape as she wore a silver circlet. A silver, crescent moon hung on her forehead, which made her seem mysterious and noble.
She looked around, unable to hide her anticipation, but she failed to find Li Qingshan and became slightly disappointed.
“Are you looking for me?”
Suddenly, a hand hugged her from behind. Her body tensed up before relaxing again, leaning in his arms softly.
“Master, I- I sensed your daemon qi.”
Afterwards, I left behind the group of night roamers to directly come and see you. Her face heated up slightly as she felt something she had never felt before. She felt extremely peaceful in his arms. Her exhaustion from dealing with the schemes of all the night roamers faded away silently.
“How has your great cause of unification been going?”
“It’s been alright, because master…”
“You should change the way you refer to me! That doesn’t suit you.”
Li Qingshan smiled. Although making the proud, independent Ye Liusu call him master was something that made him very happy, it was exactly because of this that she could never be like Ye Liubo and call him that from the bottom of her heart, filled with true feelings.
“That’s… not really a good idea!” Ye Liusu hesitated and turned around, looking at Li Qingshan with twinkling eyes. “I just won’t call you master when no one’s around, alright?”
“Whatever you want.”
Ye Liusu smiled faintly, taking the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck and offering up a kiss in a rather bashful and inexperienced manner. She stopped very quickly as her eyes were filled with undisguisable affection.
She did not want to remain as only a servant to him. When she chose to abandon everything and wander the world with him, she understood what she wanted. This wish had only intensified, and he had heard her voice inside, feeling extremely happy.
“Do you want your gift?” Li Qingshan smiled.
“Yep.”
Ye Liusu possessed none of the power and prestige of the past great king Ye Liusu right now. The coldness and resolve she showed in front of the night roamers had completely vanished. She was as docile as a teenage girl in love.
“Then close your eyes.”
Li Qingshan traveled upstream with Ye Liusu, passing through the current and finally arriving in Moon Court lake. He passed through the many formations and arrived in the Clear Court sect of the past, the Moon Court dwelling of the present.
“Alright. Open your eyes!”
“What’s this?” Ye Liusu opened her eyes and saw the rising and falling halls and pavilions under the moonlight.
“We’re in Moon Court lake. I’ve already refined it. This island originally belonged to a sect called the Clear Court sect, but I’ve chased them away. From now onwards, it is the Moon Court dwelling, as well as the territory you wanted under the stars!”
Li Qingshan pointed at the sky. It just happened to be late at night, so the brilliant moon hung in the sky, surrounded by stars.
“This is… my…”
Ye Liusu’s heart seemed to drift towards the stars with Li Qingshan’s hand.
She had intended to establish a territory above ground since a long time ago, but she understood human cultivators were not amicable with otherfolk. Acting rashly would only turn the night roamers into targets.
She had this ideal, but she still had to listen to her rational side. Not to mention it all meant nothing if she did not possess a territory she could fall back onto.
Now, Li Qingshan had personally delivered the territory she could only dream of to her, completing her long-cherished wish. The surprise and joy she felt went without saying.
Ye Liusu returned to her senses and pushed Li Qingshan onto the ground. She was unable to express her feelings with words anymore. All she could do was embrace him with all the strength she had in her.
Li Qingshan laid on the soft grass and saw the corner of Ye Liusu’s eyes moisten. They glimmered like stars, turning into tears very quickly. She became a weeping beauty, becoming even more beautiful and enchanting.
He also became filled with a faint feeling of joy, wiping away the tears for Ye Liusu. He held her delicate face and gently kissed her lips.
Ye Liusu made a clumsy response, extending the tip of her tongue into his mouth. He immediately sucked it and began tasting it.
Li Qingshan pulled off the black cloak on Ye Liusu. She was dressed just like when they had first met. The simple, black armour only covered her most important parts such that both her thin waist and slender legs were exposed. A flowery pattern extended across her skin, making her mysterious and alluring.
Li Qingshan rolled over on top and smiled. “When we first met, I think we were like this.”
Ye Liusu turned crimson from embarrassment. Back then, never did she think there would be a day when she would lie beneath him willingly. Her eyes suddenly began to flicker. “Actually, I have another wish.”
“What?”
“I read a book by humans about the matters between a man and woman. They were the only ones for each other. If one of them died, the other would not be able to live any longer either. It made me very envious. It made me wish I also had someone like that. However, this kind of feeling will never appear among night roamers, and I never dared to wish for it either until I met you.”
Ye Liusu was rather embarrassed, but she was very calm, as if she was waiting for him to do anything he wanted to her.
Li Qingshan shuddered inside. Listening to her sincere words, he was very touched, but from Ye Liusu’s expression, he could not help but think of Han Qiongzhi.
Had she emerged from seclusion yet? Had she succeeded with Foundation Establishment? When would she return?
Li Qingshan rolled onto the grass and gazed at the sky full of stars. He murmured, “The only one.” The stars turned into Han Qiongzhi’s longing face as he felt a tinge of guilt inside.
The tender love he usually showed to Ye Liubo was merely a master’s affection to a pet, not to mention nothing had actually occurred yet, so he felt no guilt. As for what he went through with Lolth, it was more like a great adventure filled with danger and excitement. Even his fate had been unpredictable, so he had no time to feel guilt even if he wanted to.
However, with Ye Liusu, he had truly fallen in love. He was unable to avoid it.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Liusu propped herself up and asked in confusion.
Li Qingshan pulled her into his arms and shook his head with a smile. “Nothing. I just thought of something I had promised, but I failed to uphold it.”
Fortunately, this was not his former life, or he really would have committed the most heinous of crimes. In this day and age, even the icy-cold Han Anjun had a great group of concubines. This was why despite the constant rumors between Ru Xin and him, Han Anjun had never killed his way over and ordered him to move out of the Chain mountains.
Compared to this, what Li Qingshan had even less of a choice over was his identity as a daemon. Now this was something that truly touched on his life and survival. If he handled it badly, he would definitely harm himself and others.
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Chapter 511 – Great Danger
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Chapter 511 – Great Danger
The gentle night breeze made his scarlet hair drift through the air.
Li Qingshan gazed at the stars, and in a daze, he saw Han Qiongzhi’s fuming face. He smiled gently and let go of Ye Liusu, standing up. He looked back at the western horizon and saw a streak of light fly over.
Li Qingshan leapt up, arriving in the air and blocking Hua Chengzan’s way.
“You’ve come again.”
“We agree to your conditions. We can give you the Watermirror disc, but you have to give us the Lightning Slaughter sword first.” Hua Chengzan was slightly surprised before calming down. As soon as he finished, he saw Li Qingshan wave his hand and toss out the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword.
“Aren’t you afraid we’ll change our minds?”
Li Qingshan said, “Only if you have plans of never leaving the Academy of the Hundred Schools again.”
Hua Chengzan sighed gently. This was the confidence that came with absolute strength. Afterwards, he removed the Watermirror disc from his hundred treasures pouch. The Watermirror disc reflected the moonlight in the sky, which seemed like a full moon being held in Hua Chengzan’s hands. It radiated with bright and pure light.
Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. “How good is this? Everyone can coexist in peace, taking what we need and cultivating in peace.” He accepted the Watermirror disc before turning around and returning to the island.
Hua Chengzan had prepared many things to say, but he actually had no opportunity to say it. However, what Li Qingshan said happened to be his objective. He actually felt rather lost after achieving his objective so easily.
Li Qingshan returned to the island. Ye Liusu saw the Watermirror disc in his hand and asked curiously, “What is that?”
“The treasure of the Academy of the Hundred Schools.”
Li Qingshan stared at the Watermirror disc in his hand, and his mind was sucked in involuntarily as if the lover of his dreams was standing right before him, naked. He actually felt like he was unable to shift his gaze.
This had originally been an idea he had come up with on the spot, but looking at it now, it was no longer that simple anymore. As Li Qingshan channeled in his daemon qi, the spirit turtle’s daemon core in him suddenly responded, emitting rings of light.
Li Qingshan had refined many arcane artifacts and spiritual artifacts before, but this was the first time the spirit turtle’s daemon core had such a violent response.
The Watermirror disc’s function definitely was not as simple as surveillance.
Ye Liusu said, “Master, it’s far too empty here. I’ll go bring some clansmen. They’ll definitely be happy.”
Hearing the way she referenced him, Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, but he discovered Ye Liusu had already recovered her usual demeanour. However, there was a hint of bitterness in her eyes as if she was blaming him for placing all his focus on the Watermirror disc.
Li Qingshan stowed the Watermirror disc away and pinched her cheek. “I didn’t realise, but you sure know jealousy well, Liusu.”
Ye Liusu held his hand, and her gaze became tender and full of concern. “Cultivation takes priority. I know, the Spider Queen won’t leave the matter be.”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
Li Qingshan nodded, wanting some intimate contact. He had plenty of time ahead of him. If Lolth defeated him, then there was no point thinking about anything. Ye Liusu’s lovely dream would end prematurely too. A failure could only protect his measly life at most. He still had to draw a clear line between his priorities.
Li Qingshan kissed Ye Liusu on the lips gently as a farewell kiss, but she actually pulled him in, kissing him passionately.
It was as if her passion and boldness as a female night roamer had completely erupted after expressing her feelings, but that was not actually the case.
In that instant earlier, she had no idea what Li Qingshan had promised, but with her female instincts, she could feel he was thinking about another woman.
Who was that woman? Ye Liubo? Impossible, because she could feel that was not the affection a master showed to a pet, but the affection of a man to a woman. Moreover, the affection was even deeper than what he showed her.
She found this rather difficult to accept. Although she knew it would be impossible for him to be all hers, she still made up her mind to claim a spot in his heart. She believed that she, Ye Liusu, was no worse than any other woman.
Li Qingshan never would have guessed so many thoughts had already passed through Ye Liusu’s head in such a short time frame. All that could be said was once a woman fell in love, their thoughts would become ten times as nimble.
Through the passionate kiss, Li Qingshan’s lust had been aroused once more. He fiddled around with her perky, supple bottom with one hand as his other hand landed on her chest. The tough, black armour obviously could not stop him. With a gentle flick, it was shaken apart.
Her perky chest emerged vividly. Although it was nowhere near as full as Ye Liubo’s, the naked upper half of her body possessed a sculpturesque beauty.
Just when he was about to do something, Ye Liusu instead pushed him away violently. When their lips parted, Ye Liusu bit down forcefully on his lip as if she was trying to leave behind some kind of mark on him.
With a wave of her hand, the black cloak landed on her body again, covering all of her skin. She bowed. ‘Master, this subordinate will be taking her leave. Please focus on cultivation!”
Li Qingshan rubbed his head and saw a feeling of “resentment” from her gaze for the first time. As he watched Ye Liusu vanished into the lake water, he rubbed the mark on his lip and shook his head. It would be best if he ignored the matters weighing on a woman’s mind.
He was not Hua Chengzan, an infatuated romantic who placed the word “love” on the highest pedestal.
He had fallen in love with Gu Yanying at first sight, but never had he longed for her constantly, becoming lovesick for her. He felt no regret in being able to express what he felt back then after all these years. As for whether Gu Yanying would actually accept it or not, it was not even important anymore.
Although he had also once considered pursuing something like sincere love, after his entanglement with Han Qiongzhi, he had basically used up all of his feelings for this life.
Right from the beginning, he had never planned on devoting his life to a woman or several women. Romantic relationships were definitely important, probably enough to match his pursuit of power and desire for battle.
However, it still paled in comparison to his dream of beyond the Nine Heavens, his promise to brother ox.
In the eyes of women, men always seemed rather heartless. That was because the world of men always seemed overly vast, but nowhere near as vast as the ambition within them.
The north wind called the warriors, to leave the warmth of their homes to run towards the boundless ocean. Even they were unable to stop themselves.
This was where the meaning of life lay within the endless adventure and pursuit.
Li Qingshan gathered his focus and discarded his other thoughts. He also arrived in Moon Court lake, planning to properly study the Watermirror disc and see whether he could increase his strength again.
In the depths of the water, Li Qingshan stared at the Watermirror disc. As his daemon qi surged and channeled in, he immediately discovered the residual imprint Liu Zhangqing had left behind.
He had erased it before long, but during the process, he discovered something. It seemed that even Liu Zhangqing had not been able to completely refine the Watermirror disc.
Elsewhere, Zhou Tong basically snatched the Lightning Slaughter wooden sword from Hua Chengzan’s hand when he returned to the academy. Zhou Tong caressed the sword like he was caressing his lover that he had not seen in a very long time.
As for Liu Zhangqing, he asked Hua Chengzan while grieving like he had just lost his parents, “You gave him the Watermirror disc?”
“I did.”
Liu Zhangqing let out a heavy sigh at first before becoming slightly irritated. “The Watermirror disc is something ancient cultivators left behind. He’s dreaming if he thinks he had refine it so easily as a daemon.”
“Let’s hope so!”
Li Qingshan had already begun refining the Watermirror disc, and he immediately sensed the startling power in there. Was this a legendary arcane treasure? Li Qingshan shook his head. That was impossible. Even Golden Core cultivators rarely possessed arcane treasures.
Perhaps it was because of the spirit turtle, or perhaps Li Qingshan and the Watermirror disc were truly compatible, but he did not encounter any problems like Liu Zhangqing had hoped apart from spending quite a lot of time. He easily refined the Watermirror disc completely, unlocking the other functions that Liu Zhangqing could not use.
“So that’s how it is! It really is a great treasure! It’s a great treasure!”
Li Qingshan was overjoyed before coming up with another idea. If he used the Watermirror disc to use the Watermirror’s Image, would there be any other wondrous effects?
There was no concept of time to those isolated from the world.
In the blink of an eye, autumn had already passed and winter had arrived. Moon Court lake turned into a gleaming landscape of snow.
Ye Liusu had already migrated some of the night roamers to Moon Court lake, beginning a new life there, while Li Qingshan had never stopped, refining as many water systems as possible. With each river he refined, it would be an additional portion of power and an additional safeguard.
This day, Li Qingshan happened to be traversing through the gloomy depths underground. He followed another underground river and arrived in the territory of another Daemon General. The Daemon General sensed his daemon qi and avoided him from far away, absolutely refusing to see him.
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. A snowy-white thread of silk suddenly shot out from underground, piercing towards his neck.
Li Qingshan had already shifted his body, so all it pierced was the blur he left behind.
The spider silk trembled, emitting Lolth’s voice, “Northmoon, it’s time for you to come and die!”
Li Qingshan smiled. He was just about to agree to her and charge into the lair of the enemy alone again.
The spirit turtle’s daemon core suddenly emitted an extremely solemn warning, actually even more intense than last time.
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. This was impossible. His current strength was more than ten times greater than when he risked his life last time. He had also gained so many trump cards, and he still had seventy percent of the power of belief left in his Divine Talisman of Great Creation. And, with the speed of his wings of wind, even if he could not win, he would still be able to escape.
Despite all these seemingly-advantageous conditions, such a great danger still actually existed!
However, the spirit turtle’s daemon core clearly told him that confronting the Spider Queen this time would be one of the most dangerous situations he would encounter in his life.
“Haha, mother of my child, you’re too slow. Let me finish with what I’m doing right now, and I’ll definitely come to you.”
Li Qingshan intended on waiting for Xiao An to forge the Blood Sea Banner and emerge from secluded cultivation before venturing underground. It would introduce an additional safeguard to this battle.
With his strength right now, it was impossible for him to break through to the fifth layer of the tiger demon, so there was no possibility for him to suddenly become more powerful on the spot. Taking another risk like that had become completely pointless.
“I want you to come right now!”
“Right now? You’ve made me wait for so long, so you give me some time too!”
“Fine. I’ll give you a month.” Lolth’s voice vanished in that instant.
Li Qingshan instead became even more vigilant. She had chosen to make a concession like this clearly because she was afraid of frightening him away. In other words, she was truly confident she could kill him.
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Chapter 512 – Seeing the Spider Queen Again
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Chapter 512 – Seeing the Spider Queen Again
Xiao An had been very prepared. Pointing at her hundred treasures pouch, the corpse of a night roamer flew out and merged with the Samādhi Flames of White Bone. It was the matriarch of the Bat Shadow clan that Li Qingshan had killed with a single strike, Ye Laixiang.
The fear when she was killed was frozen on her face. As the Samādhi Flames of White Bone roasted her, her face twisted very soon, becoming part of it. The flames burned even more vigorously, only leaving behind a set of white bones, which then became a droplet of bone fluid that merged with the Blood Sea Banner.
Even more corpses followed, flying into the Samādhi Flames of White Bone one by one.
Just like this, she went through who knew how many corpses in who knew how long.
A thick, curved array of bones ran through the entire Blood Sea Banner like a backbone, with over a dozen white bones that were slightly more slender propping up the Blood Sea Banner like ribs. At the top of the spine was a vicious skull that bit down on the Blood Sea Banner with its jaws lined with sharp teeth.
At first glance, it seemed like the skeletal structure of half a person, with their arms spread open and ribs parted, having merged completely with the Blood Sea Banner. The spine extended downwards into Xiao An’s hand.
The flagpole was complete, but something still seemed to be missing.
The little finger on Xiao An’s right hand suddenly snapped off. Blood, flesh, and bone all merged into the Blood Sea Banner. The flagpole immediately became coated with a translucent cover, and the redness of the banner became even brighter.
The roaring Samādhi Flames of White Bone surged into the skull on the top of the Blood Sea Banner violently. Its two eye sockets suddenly lit up with flames.
Xiao An waved her hand again, spitting out a mist-like figure. It was Bloodshadow’s wailing soul. It sank into the surging sea of blood and immediately merged with it.
The Blood Sea Banner was complete!
Xiao An stowed the Blood Sea Banner away and stepped out of the dwelling. She took out the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility and concealed herself before taking off in the direction of Moon Court lake.
The curtain of night descended over Moon Court lake. The fishermen in the lake all reeled in their nets, returning home.
Their lives had not been affected, not even in the slightest. Instead, they discovered that ever since the god of Moon Court lake arrived, the lake had been much more peaceful.
The aquatic monsters that originally made trouble had all vanished. They all developed more and more respect towards the god of Moon Court lake. Many of the fishermen had already begun worshipping the lake god on their boats.
As for the water dwelling of Moon Court in the centre of the lake, it all seemed like they had awakened from a dream.
Night roamers emerged from their residences in groups of threes and twos, both men and women getting along and talking at ease. They could raise their heads to look at the stars from time to time, and their faces would be filled with amazement and enchantment.
The island had an extremely vast area, so housing several tens of thousand night roamers was no trouble at all. After completing the unification, Ye Liusu had been constantly migrating night roamers over.
The shade of death that once enveloped the entire race no longer existed. Ye Liusu established law and order here. They no longer had to cling onto their weapons firmly to protect themselves from the possibility of assassinations and sneak attacks at any time.
“Compared to where I grew up, this place is basically like a dream!”
Two figures stood in a delicate pavilion built into the side of a mountain. As Ye Liubo watched a group of kids have fun, she said to Ye Liusu beside her, “Sister, your dream has finally come true.”
The corner of Ye Liusu’s lips curled slightly, only to be drowned out by worry immediately. She glanced back at the centre of the island. There was a small inner lake there, which was connected to Moon Court lake underneath.
The surroundings of the small lake was a forbidden zone that no night roamers could set foot in. Even she would not set foot in there unless something urgent came up, as that was where Li Qingshan cultivated.
“Are you worried about master? Don’t worry, master will never lose!” Ye Liubo said with complete confidence.
“You, oh you!” Ye Liusu sighed with a smile. She patted Ye Liubo’s head. “What a great pet of his!”
Ye Liubo refused to play along. “Even you call me that too, sister!”
That’s because I’m being jealous of you! Ye Liusu sighed inside. She was able to entrust everything to him, to believe in him with everything she had, without anything to worry for at all. Yet, Ye Liusu had many more needs, which were difficult to realise like her dream.
At the end of the day, it was still because of the difference in their backgrounds. Ye Liusu’s background was noble and prosperous. She possessed extraordinary talent, which was why she developed dreams that regular night roamers did not have, which was why she could come into contact with human literature, which was why she developed a concept of love that resembled human females.
Ye Liubo, on the other hand, was essentially born in the slums of Blacklustre city. She had climbed her way out of there herself, so her thoughts were much simpler and more realistic. She was already satisfied with the affection she received.
Ye Liusu’s expression suddenly stiffened. She sensed someone touch the formation. Raising her head, she saw a white blur passing through the formation before sailing through the air, rushing past the pavilion and landing in the small lake in the centre of the island.
It moved so quickly that even Ye Liusu had failed to make out what it was. And, it did not give off the slightest aura either, so she could not even tell whether it was a human or a daemon.
Most of the night roamers on the island failed to sense a single thing.
The central control of the formation was obviously in Li Qingshan’s possession, while Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo had been granted partial control. Any other humans or daemons could not pass through the formation so easily.
“In other words, he let in the white figure!”
Ye Liubo leapt off the pavilion. Her elegant, nimble movements made her seem like a leaping carp. She merged with the darkness, leaving behind ripples of black.
Ye Liubo called out, “Sister, didn’t master say that no one should disturb him?”
Ye Liusu completely ignored her. She could not control her desire to learn everything about him.
“And I had thought you wouldn’t make it in time!”
Li Qingshan sat in the centre of the lake with the Watermirror disc in his lap. Suddenly, he felt a response from the formation, and he became slightly delighted. In the blink of an eye, Xiao An had arrived before him. She had returned to her skeletal form, but she could now switch between the forms of great beauty and white bone freely. There was no longer an issue of having to refine her body again.
Xiao An said nothing. She simply sat in his arms, fiddling around with the tiny Blood Sea Banner in her hand like she was showing off.
How could she not come? Last time when he faced death, she was unable to be by his side, so she had been filled with regret. Didn’t she cultivate all this time just so she could remain by his side and assist him in reaching beyond the Nine Heavens? Otherwise, what was the meaning of living?
The moment he saw Xiao An, the omen of warning from the spirit turtle’s daemon core in Li Qingshan’s body immediately weakened. More importantly, his heart settled down.
From the beginning to now, who knew how many times they had confronted death together. As long as she was watching over him, he was confident he could escape whatever danger he faced.
As a result, when Ye Liusu arrived on the edge of the lake, she saw the flawlessly handsome Northmoon embracing a translucent skeleton in his arms. He revealed comfort and peace she had never seen before, and tender feelings that could not be described with words filled his eyes. This was purely a gaze without any distracting thoughts.
Reflected in the calm waters, this formed a rather eerie sight that gave off a strange atmosphere.
Ye Liusu could not help but develop a feeling that there was nothing in the world that he would cherish more than the skeleton in his arms, and there was no one who could get between them.
“Liusu, why have you come here?”
Li Qingshan raised his head and peered through the bushes along the edge of the lake.
“Ah, nothing. I was just worried for you, master, so I came to take a look.”
Ye Liusu emerged from the darkness. The skeleton in his arms turned its head. Its eye sockets burned with pale-white flames that were almost transparent, glancing past her gently.
She shivered inside, immediately lowering her head. She was not a little girl who had not seen the darkness of the world. Who knew how many brutal and horrific sights of the underground world she had witnessed a long time ago already, but the moment her eyes met with the small skeleton’s, indescribable terror assaulted her heart. But at the same time, she happened to feel something else, an eerie feeling of holiness.
“Croak, croak! Vice leader!”
Vice leader? Ye Liusu suddenly remembered. Wasn’t that the tiny skeleton that had accompanied him the first time he had appeared underground? It was strange that she had not thought of this immediately.
“It’s time!”
Li Qingshan said that as he stood up and strode across the calm lake surface. Just like in the past, Xiao An sat on his left shoulder, clinging onto his head with her right arm. This was a rather strange combination, but as he walked, there was also a strange sense of harmony as if it was natural.
“Mind the house. Wait for me to return.”
Li Qingshan smiled. With that, the wings of wind abruptly unfurled behind him, and he vanished from where he was in an instant.
Only a while later did wild gusts of wind arrive, blowing Ye Liusu’s long hair in the air. Looking over, he was already nowhere to be seen.
“Sister, just what was that?” Ye Liubo hurried over, also having spotted Xiao An on Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
“I don’t know either. You should be asking who that is. I only know that it seems to be as important to him as he is to you.” Ye Liusu shook her head gently as her feelings became mixed.
Li Qingshan did not take off. Instead, he moved like a zigzag, making a few turns around the structures and people in his way before plunging into Moon Court lake, heading towards the hidden river.
His control over the wings of wind had strengthened yet again. Part of it was because he had gradually grown accustomed to the fourth layer of the tiger demon’s power, but the most important part was the deepening of his comprehension of the Spirit Turtle Transformation. As his thoughts grew more intricate, all of his innate abilities became more intricate when he used them.
The wings of wind that could allow him to accelerate instantly would definitely become even more practical in the future. They were also one of his decisive trump cards to winning this battle, or the greatest ability for his escape.
Moving through the underground river, he made his way to the end along the channel he had used when he visited Cobweb city the first time. The flow turned into a waterfall.
Li Qingshan spotted Lolth at first glance. She currently stood on the top of Cobweb city, on a pointy tower.
Lolth was no longer dressed in her long, red dress that seemed more like an evening dress. Instead, she wore something that resembled a set of black tights, covering every inch of her body. However, it still clearly outlined every bewitching curve of hers. It was perfect.
Li Qingshan admired her figure once again. Is this the trump card she’s spent over half a year preparing for me? She’s just woven a sexy set of tights?
No, that definitely isn’t everything. No matter how powerful the defences of this garment are, it’s impossible for the spirit turtle to feel so threatened.
There must be something else.
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Chapter 513 – Bone-eating Venom
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Chapter 513 – Bone-eating Venom
Lolth’s scarlet lips had become the same, dark colour as her clothes. Her bearing was just as solemn and noble, but her undisguised, sunken malice had completely vanished. Her expression was calm and cold. Only by peering deeply into her pitch-black eyes would a sense of bloodthirstiness and brutality be noticed.
From meeting her eyes once again, Li Qingshan knew he could not depend on her making any mistakes with her battle tactics anymore. She had already turned back into that natural predator, the being who calmly wove the net.
Strands of spider silk criss-crossed throughout the large cavern. Some were as thick as rope, while others were so thin that they were invisible to the naked eye.
At first glance, it seemed like a disorderly mess, but upon closer examination, each strand balanced and complemented one another, forming a three dimensional net. It possessed a geometric beauty.
At the same time, Lolth also stared at Li Qingshan, studying the greatest prey she had ever met.
Simply by standing there at ease, he gave off an imposing bearing like the unbroken mountains or surging seas. Without a question, he had become even more powerful than before, and he had done so at an unbelievable speed.
To daemons, time should have been something that passed by extremely easily, yet he seemed to seize every second to become stronger. Compared to his current strength, what left her even more stunned was still the rate at which he improved.
If she could not capture him while he was still a fledgling, there would be a day when he would break free from the spider web like a bird and fly off into the sky.
“You’ve finally come.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Mother of my child, that’s quite the attire. I do believe it’ll be even more interesting when I rip it off you.”
“I’ll be waiting for you!” Lolth smiled gorgeously, like a legendary Poisonfeather bird, magnificent yet highly venomous.
“Aren’t you worried that we’ll tear down this place when we fight later? The night roamers have spent a lot of effort building this for you.”
Li Qingshan pointed at Cobweb city behind her. Ever since Ye Liusu unified the night roamers, the colosseum built specially to please the Spider Queen had emptied out. It had become a ghost city.
“That’s just a boring toy. Do you want to continue spouting nonsense, Northmoon?”
Lolth had never tried to understand the craftsmanship and sculptures of the night roamers. To her, there was no basic difference between a majestic city of delicate beauty and an empty cave. It only provided her with more places to watch the conflict between the night roamers from above. And, as long as she wanted to, she could get the night roamers to build her another hundred cities for her.
“I’ve come. I want to fu-”
Li Qingshan sniggered, but he suddenly stopped half-way through. He remembered Xiao An was hidden in the depths. Probably no one would truly treat Xiao An as an ordinary girl after transforming into a skeleton, but he was still reluctant to use foul language in front of her.
However, Li Qingshan would never be stupid enough to walk into the opponent’s trap willingly. Lolth had chosen here to fight with him, which was what he would have wanted too because right beneath his feet was the end of an underground river.
As it was simply too close to Cobweb city, and he did not want to provoke Lolth beforehand, he had never refined it. However, seeing how he was making this trip exactly to take her on in battle, that was no longer something that bothered him.
The discharge of the waterfall came to a sudden halt. The surging water constantly roared behind Li Qingshan as the water level rapidly rose until it filled the entire cavern. The pressure from the shapeless water was beyond imagination. The surroundings of the cavern cracked, but not even a droplet of water crossed Li Qingshan’s shoulder.
Li Qingshan stood tall with his arms crossed, like a dam. Surging daemon qi permeated the river flow behind him. He tamed the river like he was taming a wild beast.
Lolth also became stern. She knew she could not allow Li Qingshan to build up his strength any further.
The tower beneath her feet collapsed. She had already crossed several thousand meters and arrived in front of Li Qingshan. With a wave of her right hand, a black whip unfolded. It suddenly sprung alive as she channeled her strength and daemon qi into it, like a dancing black dragon as it shot towards Li Qingshan.
She’s actually using a weapon!
Li Qingshan frowned, afraid to be careless. The strongest part of daemon cultivators were their bodies. With Spider Queen Lolth’s strength, the power behind a casual swipe or bite completely surpassed the power of regular arcane artifacts.
Yet, she was actually giving up the claws and teeth she was born with and the legs she had grown accustomed to. That in itself explained some issues. As it seemed, the whip had also been woven from silk, but that was very normal. Although daemons could use daemon qi to refine human spiritual artifacts and arcane artifacts, they often were not suitable for the way daemons fight, adversely affecting the strength they would unleash.
Daemons of relatively higher intelligence would mostly choose to create a suitable weapon from materials they could produce themselves. But for some reason, the whip was the same as her clothes, all pitch-black. Normally, items woven from spider silk should have been snow-white and translucent.
These thoughts flew through Li Qingshan’s head in a flash. He drew out the Dragon Seizing bident and spat out two streams of water, revolving together and catching the whip. He was not seeking to vanquish the enemy with that, just to earn some time.
With the warnings of the spirit turtle, Li Qingshan dared not show the slightest negligence in this battle. Although he had the powerful support of Xiao An, that was more of a safeguard than anything else. He would not let Xiao An interfere unless he was truly about to die.
As a result, he had made up his mind as soon as he arrived in Cobweb City. He wanted to be on the defence first. As long as he could refine the river behind him, he would be able to connect his water systems directly from Moon Court lake to here. As long as he succeeded with that, he would be undefeatable.
As soon as the two streams of water wrapped around the black whip, they were dyed pitch-black. Spiritual qi scattered and receded.
The omen of warning in Li Qingshan’s hand intensified. He unleashed the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell instinctively, forming a hemispherical barrier.
Boom! It sounded like a clap of thunder right by his ear.
Basically the moment the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell had assembled, Lolth’s whip landed on it heavily.
A long crack immediately appeared on the barrier in front of Li Qingshan.
He was not worried in the beginning. His comprehension of the Spirit Turtle Transformation had deepened, so the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell had become tougher. It could not be shattered so easily. As long as he earned a little more time, he would be able to refine the river. With the endless supply of spiritual qi, it was even possible for him to hold his ground and drag Lolth into a battle of endurance.
However, the crack was clearly black, and it rapidly spread and seeped into the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell like it was alive. In the blink of an eye, it had eaten away a crack, and it continued to expand.
The whip is poisonous! What kind of poison can even eat through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell?!
Li Qingshan’s expression changed. As his strongest defensive innate ability, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell possessed a special characteristic of being able to block out everything. It had been shattered from overwhelming force in the past, but never had it been eaten away by something before.
He had once personally experienced Lolth’s venom, but it definitely was not as potent as that. Otherwise, a slight brush with it would have been enough to eat away half of his body.
“Take a look! Nortmoon, this is my true strength. Do you really think you can defeat me?”
Lolth shrieked as her smile twisted. This was the pleasure of revenge. She did not seem to do anything special, but the poisoned whip writhed and stabbed into the crack in the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. This was no longer a regular whip, but an extension of her body.
Li Qingshan would never let the whip touch him. Pouring out with daemon qi, the Dragon Seizing bident in his hand that seemed like a two-headed snake immediately sprang alive. Two snake heads opened their mouths and bit down on the poisoned whip.
At the same time, he channelled his daemon qi to repair the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell in an attempt to trap the whip. After all, the arcane artifact had been forged from extremely tough materials and humans thoroughly tempered them. Imbued with his daemon qi, it should have been able to stop the whip for a while at the very least.
However, the black poison spread onto the Dragon Seizing bident mercilessly. The imposing, twin-headed snake from moments earlier immediately began to wither away, losing its power to seize dragons, while Li Qingshan’s daemon qi only managed to block the spread of the poison for a moment.
In a single clash, the Dragon Seizing bident had been destroyed.
Like a venomous dragon that had broken free, the whip unleashed a dazzling dance. Blurs enveloped Li Qingshan’s surroundings, filled with an aura of death.
Even if he came into contact with a smear of the poison, he would have to pay an extremely horrific price.
Li Qingshan instead calmed down. He spat out the Tiger Demon’s Breath which entangled with the whip, but as soon as it made contact, even the wind turned black.
Logically speaking, toxins could only eat away at tangible objects, yet Lolth’s bone-eating venom could even eat away spiritual qi and daemon qi.
Fortunately, Li Qingshan’s breath was endless. He finally managed to stop the whip’s advance slightly, but Lolth had yet to even strike properly.
The Tiger Demon’s Breath could stop the whip at most, but the eight legs behind her must have also been smeared with the same venom. How was he supposed to stop them?
The battle had just begun, but Li Qingshan already understood why the spirit turtle’s daemon core had given him such a stern warning. There really would be life-threatening danger in this battle.
As a Daemon Commander, Lolth possessed three innate abilities. Li Qingshan had witnessed two of them in the past. One was the gaze that could pierce any obstacles, making it convenient for her to chase down prey. The other was turning silver all over, granting her a powerful defence.
However, there was one more that Li Qingshan had yet to witness. It also happened to be her only offensive innate ability, the Bone-eating Venom.
Indeed, she had injected potent venom into Li Qingshan’s body countless times during the clash last time, but the effects had not been satisfactory. However, that was merely an aspect a venomous spider possessed naturally. It was nowhere close to an innate ability.
That was because the innate ability was not the type that could be used on the spot. Instead, it required tremendous amounts of daemon qi and effort to further refine her venom.
Who knew how many years it had already been since she had last met an opponent that could put up a fight, so why would she normally go out of her way to use this innate ability and refine the terrifying Bone-eating Venom?
Without her only offensive innate ability, she was like a toothless, clawless tiger. She still possessed her physical strength, but she was unable to unleash even a hint of lethal power to kill. As a result, she suffered a defeat in Li Qingshan’s hands in an extremely frustrating fashion.
Now was her time for revenge.
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Chapter 514 – The Spider Queen’s True Strength
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Chapter 514 – The Spider Queen’s True Strength
Lolth walked over to the cavern, grabbed the edge of the crack in the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, and pulled hard. With a sound that resembled shattering glass, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell crumbled. She arrived in front of Li Qingshan.
She pulled back her right hand and raised it, straightening out the whip and dispersing the wind around it as a black spear. She turned to her side slightly with the spear right in front of her while bending her slender, right leg slightly and staring at Li Qingshan from the side.
Li Qingshan finally realised he was unable to keep Lolth’s whip trapped with the breath alone. The whip could be flexible or rigid. When it was flexible, it could be maneuvered in a thousand different ways, but when it was rigid, it was indestructible. In her hands, it basically felt like it was part of her.
With the majestic Cobweb city as a backdrop, her graceful, pitch-black figure made her seem noble like the queen of the night, possessing an aura of desolation that Li Qingshan had never witnessed before.
A great sense of danger rose up inside, but at the same time, Li Qingshan’s excitement began to surge, dancing like the wind and blazing like fire. It was heavier than love, more intense than desire.
He could not help himself as his lips curled into a vicious smile. He let out a wild laugh and exhaled violently. The breath that was originally only as thick as an arm suddenly swelled and whistled over.
Then he reached forward as if he had grabbed something and pulled violently. The rocks in the surroundings began to pulse like skin, hurling violently towards Lolth.
The breath whistled and twisted as it collided against Lolth, blowing her dark, long hair backwards. Creases appeared on her black tight suit, but the wind failed to penetrate or rip through it.
The rock and soil had basically buried Lolth completely, only leaving a single eye exposed, still staring fixedly at Li Qingshan. Her figure suddenly blurred. She was clearly in the same, standing posture, but she had already taken a great stride forward, pushing out with her right hand suddenly.
She crushed the earth around her, reducing it to dust in a single instant. The spear struck like lightning, piercing all obstacles as it headed towards Li Qingshan’s head.
It was an unstoppable and unparalleled force.
If this were the past, this attack definitely would have been enough to kill Li Qingshan on the spot. He would have absolutely no chance of escaping alive.
But it was different now. Li Qingshan had already been prepared. Everything he did earlier was just for earning some time. He bellowed out and brought his hands together, “Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!”
Surging daemon qi condensed around him, conjuring a figure of a spirit turtle. The figure was obviously fake, but the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell on the back of the figure was real.
It was no longer a barrier of light composed of countless hexagons. Instead, it was in the shape of an actual shell—ancient, crude, and sturdy.
As it lay there silently, even falling mountains and flowing seas could not make it budge.
In the instant the black spear and the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell collided, the underground world of eternal darkness suddenly erupted with blinding light.
In the moment they clashed, Li QIngshan’s eyes suddenly became as calm as water. He lowered and raised his body cleverly, avoiding the head of the spear and forcing it to glance across the hemispherical turtle shell, leading to a miss.
Sure enough, the turtle shell also became dyed with a layer of black. It would be completely impossible for him to continue to hold his ground with this alone.
However, Li Qingshan had never considered that. At that moment, the figure of the spirit turtle dispersed, and the figure of the tiger demon appeared. The black stripes across its forehead were clearly visible.
Li Qingshan bent over, just like how the tiger demon built up strength before it killed its prey.
He stopped giving off even a single hint of viciousness in that moment. Instead, a certain calmness poured out of his scarlet eyes as he gazed at Lolth right in front of him.
His tall, straight body bent together, like a great bow that had been drawn to full length. Every single tendon, every single muscle in his body was a tightened bowstring. His shoulder blades suddenly rose up on his back, and the wings of wind unfurled.
Roar! There was an earthshaking howl of a tiger!
Lolth sensed heinous malice slam right into her.
In that instant, all emotions had vanished from Li Qingshan’s scarlet eyes. All that remained was a red light of bloodthirstiness and battle-hungriness. With two long, tailing streaks of scarlet light, he lunged towards the Spider Queen.
Faced with Lolth’s steady advance, Li Qingshan advanced too instead of retreating. In an unavoidable confrontation, the courageous would emerge victoriously!
The poisonous whip became flexible again and swept over, targeting Li Qingshan’s neck. She wanted to stop his lunge, but she was one step too slow. Under the instantaneous acceleration of the wings of wind, even Lolth seemed to struggle to react in time.
However, she remained as calm as before. Rings of light flickered through her eyes as she used her innate ability. Despite Li Qingshan’s alarming speed, he immediately slowed down in her eyes.
She could clearly make out every strand of floating hair, every change in his expression. The droplets of water from jumping drifted through the air slowly. His body was fully extended in his lunging posture, but it was also filled with a beauty of strength.
The eight long legs unfolded from behind her. Each leg possessed a similar black to the whip and was completely unreflective. They stabbed towards Li Qingshan’s eyes, throat, heart, and other vital points.
However, there was still a sliver of clarity in the depths of Li Qingshan’s frenzied eyes. With a thought, eight pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell scattered, hovering in his surroundings and slowing down his legs slightly.
Li Qingshan used this opportunity to form a fist with his claw, hurling it violently at Lolth.
All of this had happened in a split second. Lolth raised her hand to catch his fist firmly, but with the acceleration of the wings of wind, Li Qingshan pushed his strength to the limit.
Even Lolth was unable to oppose this force. She leaned backwards, revealing an opening for an instant.
Li Qingshan’s left fist landed on her chest.
Tremors of the Ox Demon!
Boom!
Lolth was sent flying, sailing below the waterfall. Her black tight suit ripped open, revealing her deep cleavage, but it was all a silvery-grey. She had used her defensive innate ability once again.
However, there were still a series of hairline cracks. Li Qingshan had concentrated all the power of tremors into a single point.
She was still in the air, but daemon qi had already surged over and repaired the damage. Her skin became white again too. Threads pulled and wove together over the opening in the tight suit, automatically repairing itself.
He’s become even faster and his destructive power has become even stronger. If it were not for this battle suit, my wounds would be much worse.
Lolth stared at Li Qingshan by the side of the cavern. There was no fury in her eyes from being injured and forced back. Instead, they were extremely calm, estimating Li Qingshan’s current strength.
From the punch, it seemed like Li Qingshan’s full strength could only injure her slightly, nothing for her to be too concerned about. But this time, she would not become careless because of anything.
She still gripped the black whip firmly in her right hand, which she raised gently.
The moment Li Qingshan had completely unleashed the force of his lunge, when he thought he had forced back the enemy, his mind was still tense, but a slight physical opening was unavoidable, and her eyes allowed her to grasp all openings.
Li Qingshan felt his wrist tighten. The whip reached towards him, trying to drag him off the cliff.
Li Qingshan stomped down, and the rock cracked. The Strength of the Earth endowed him with unbelievable physical strength, immediately stabilising his figure.
Suddenly, a numb feeling rapidly spread through his fist. The same feeling also began to spread through his hands and many other parts of his body.
I’m clearly not injured! This venom is vicious! She purposefully allowed me to hit her with that punch just so the whip had an opportunity to get me.
The eight legs had managed to pierce the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, but just how fast was Li Qingshan with his lunge? In the end, they only managed to brush past his body. They had even failed to penetrate the Ox Demon Forges its hide, so they could not be regarded as wounds at all.
But now, the eight marks rapidly expanded and deepened, eating away at his flesh silently. In the blink of an eye, they turned into eight horrific wounds.
As for his fist that had come into contact with Lolth’s tight suit, a layer of skin vanished in the blink of an eye, revealing his bones that possessed a metallic lustre. The toxins actually seeped into his bones wildly.
The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas, suppress the venom!
Daemon qi surged through Li Qingshan’s body, suppressing the spread of the venom for now. He wanted to purge it from the body, but the venom stuck to his body hard and fast. At the same time, the whip below his feet continued to release toxins endlessly.
It was different from being poisoned last time. Currently, he felt absolutely no pain. His foot just shrunk silently, and it continued to shrink.
The difference in the venom was like Lolth right now. She had ceased her wild profanity and sharp curses. Instead, she simply sapped away his life force silently and quietly.
Li Qingshan wielded his hand like a knife, swinging down viciously at the whip.
However, the resilient daemon qi inside made his hand rebound away.
The toughness of the whip itself had already exceeded his imaginations. This was the result of patiently weaving for over half a year. Every single thread she spat out was even stronger than steel.
And, the whip was composed of a hundred thousand threads, woven together in an extremely clever fashion before being further refined into a single object.
Under the control of Lolth’s will, the whip extended like a snake and slithered up his body, wrapping around his thigh, wrapping around his waist, wrapping and wrapping!
Li Qingshan did not even feel like he was being bound, as wherever the whip passed by, his body began to numb. There was no pain, only nothingness.
Lolth did not use this opportunity to rush over. Instead, she maintained her distance from Li Qingshan and watched quietly, seizing every second to recover her daemon qi and physical strength.
When prey fell into their web, spiders would not strike immediately. Instead, they would wait until they used up all their strength struggling and became completely non-threatening before enjoying themselves slowly.
So I still underestimated her!
Li Qingshan originally heard she was relatively strong among Daemon Commanders, so he thought there was nothing particularly impressive about being a Daemon Commander at all. In hindsight, he had been far too conceited.
She had personally shown him the terrors of a carapaced Daemon Commander. Her innate abilities might not have been so dazzling and complicated, but with the simplest coordination, they completely transformed her into a machine of slaughter.
The spirit turtle’s daemon qi let out a shrill warning. Death was pressing closer. Thinking he could escape at any time just because he possessed the wings of wind was merely a hilarious fantasy.
The slightest carelessness would lead to certain death.
Interesting!
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Chapter 515 – The Secret of the Watermirror Disc
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Chapter 515 – The Secret of the Watermirror Disc
Li Qingshan’s figure suddenly swelled, turning into his ferocious, ox-horned, iron-hooved, tiger-clawed, and tiger-tailed daemon form. He growled viciously, which smashed against the cave walls and echoed endlessly.
Stalagmites fell down from above, landing in the channels of magma and creating red-hot splashes.
Li Qingshan had sealed up the river, so the red-hot magma had already taken over the entire interwoven network.
Lolth laughed. The more the prey struggled, the faster they would die. Her poisonous whip was not something that could be broken out of with brute strength, but in consideration for Li Qingshan’s constant, miraculous performance, she gripped the whip firmly and channeled in daemon qi endlessly to subdue Li Qingshan’s struggle.
In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had already risen to over three meters tall, but not only did he fail to snap the whip, but the whip dug into his body deeply instead. His bones were exposed as the toxins ate away his body. He had been thinned to the bones.
He bore no resemblance to a human at all anymore. Instead, he was a vicious, wound-ridden monster putting up a desperate fight.
Even at a time like this, the vicious sneer across his face did not vanish. The pain from the invading venom only riled up his fighting spirit. He used his large hands that had been reduced to bones to grip the whip firmly before wrenching it like a tug-of-war.
“Get over here!”
Lolth responded immediately. She pushed against a thread of spider silk as thick as a wrist that stretched across the entire cavern.
The thread bent like a bowstring, contending with Li Qingshan’s strength.
She would not strike rashly. She would only deliver a final blow the moment the venom had sapped all the life from his body.
Li Qingshan sniggered and suddenly let go. Lolth felt her hand slacken as she was set flying by the long thread of spider silk. She thought, Oh no!
Taking advantage of the moment when she lost her balance, Li Qingshan’s figure suddenly shrunk, turning back to human size. He unfurled his wings of wind, and with a swish, he flew upwards.
The whip twisted about below like a venomous snake.
Lolth was not overly disappointed by how Li Qingshan had managed to break free, as he had already sustained extremely severe injuries. If he did not use his daemon qi to suppress the venom, death would be certain for him, but how would he ever earn that opportunity before her?
Fortunately, I’m not unprepared! Li Qingshan understood that too and exhaled gently.
Under Lolth’s gaze of disbelief, the horrific wounds on his body actually recovered at a visible rate, and not even a shred of daemon qi on him had been depleted.
“That’s impossible!”
Lolth cried out involuntarily. Let alone a Daemon General, even a Daemon Commander could not recover from her venom so easily.
“Nothing’s impossible. You can never kill me. No matter how sharp your claws and teeth are, no matter how potent the venom you refine is, none of it can kill me, while I will grow stronger and stronger. There will be a day when you bow down before my whatchamacallit. Hahaha!”
Li Qingshan laughed wildly. The venom in his body had vanished into thin air, and the remaining wounds obviously recovered in the blink of an eye without the interference of the venom.
However, he thought inside, I never thought I’d be forced to use my first trump card so quickly. If it weren’t for this, all I can do right now is make a strategic retreat. The mirror clone can’t last much longer either!
At the bottom of the smaller lake on the island in the centre of Moon Court lake, Li Qingshan’s mirror clone sat with his legs crossed. He placed the Warmirror disc that rippled with light on his knees, reflecting his appearance.
Suddenly, horrific wounds appeared on his body one by one, along with pitch-black poison, as if an invisible beast was mauling away at his body viciously. When the mauling stopped, his mirror clone was on the brink of shattering. The mirror clone seemed like it would collapse completely very soon under the invasion of the toxins.
Li Qingshan seemed like he had been prepared a long time ago. He had prepared many items like recovery medicines and detoxification pills in his mirror clone’s hundred treasures pouch. He grabbed handfuls of them and shoved them into his mouth violently. Only then did he barely manage to keep the venom at bay.
Li Qingshan used the hint of divine nature from the spirit turtle to unlock an ability in the Watermirror disc that even Liu Zhangqing had failed to discover.
Apart from surveillance, the Watemrirror disc had another function, which was “reflection”. It could store the user’s reflection in the Watermirror disc, and when the original body was injured, they would be directly reflected in the water’s “reflection”.
Although the amount of damage it could sustain was extremely limited, it was enough to save lives at certain crucial moments. All that could be said was the Watermirror disc truly lived up to its reputation as an arcane artifact ancient cultivators forged. The ability was truly powerful and strange.
Originally, probably two lashings from Lolth’s poisonous whip would have been enough to reach the limit of the reflection. However, Li Qingshan also happened to possess the ability of the Watermirror’s Image, which was a match made in heaven with the Watermirror disc.
When Li Qingshan used the Watermirror disc to conjure his mirror clone, his mirror clone would become his “reflection”, while the mirror clone that possessed a portion of Li Qingshan’s original daemon qi could probably endure more than a hundred times more than the regular reflection.
As a result, Li Qingshan moved all of his poisoned wounds to his mirror clone in a single breath, which was why this strange sight of self-recovery had occurred. He basically had an extra life.
Of course, he did not mind using this to cut down on Lolth’s confidence, but he had never expected Lolth’s offences to be so great. Li Qingshan’s original plan had been even better than this.
Originally, his plan was to reflect all of the injuries the Spider Queen inflicted onto his mirror clone, and then use daemon qi for his mirror clone to recover while replenishing daemon qi with the Water God Seal. This would form a perfect cycle and essentially turn him into something unkillable. He would have definitely been able to battle Lolth until she reached despair, kneeling over and basically asking to be conquered.
But now, while the pills did have some effect, they were unable to heal him completely. They could only make him last a little longer at most and help Li Qingshan endure a few more wounds.
However, Lolth had no idea what was going on. The feeling that she experienced when she clashed with Li Qingshan last time appeared once again, as if he could stand up again no matter how many times he was knocked down, dragging it out and whittling her down until she was utterly exhausted.
She shook her head and discarded this thought. She stared at Li Qingshan coldly. “I will never lose this battle!”
The whip began dancing wildly like a venomous dragon, whistling and roaring as it struck.
While Li Qingshan did manage to win one round and cut down Lolth’s confidence, she was still a tough nut to crack. He had no idea how to defeat her. If she struck him, he would be poisoned. If he struck her, he would also be poisoned. If he were poisoned a few more times, the mirror clone would definitely collapse. Something as common as poison had become a trump card that could be used for both attack and defence in her hands.
And, once the whip entangled him again, breaking free would not be so easy.
As a result, the choice that Li Qingshan made was to retreat! He retreated without the slightest hesitation, directly backing into the surging water behind.
When the frenzy of the tiger demon and the endurance of the ox demon were useless, he required the spirit turtle’s patience.
Li Qingshan crossed his legs in the water and sat like a meditating monk. The spirit turtle’s figure appeared around him once again.
Like a venomous dragon squirming, the whip lashed, pierced, wrapped, and surged in thousands of different ways, attempting to enter through any hole available. It was like a black storm. It tore apart and pushed back the river, landing directly on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
Rumble! The entire world seemed to shake, but Li Qingshans’ eyes were extremely tranquil. He thought to himself, Seventeen!
The black venom constantly spread and ate away at the shield, but whenever it was about to eat its way through, Li Qingshan would condense another layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
Without a doubt, this depleted his daemon qi rapidly. Fighting until now, he had already used up around thirty or forty percent of his daemon qi, while Lolth had placed great emphasis on conserving her physical strength and daemon qi with the experience of her battle with Li Qingshan last time.
With how she caught her breath several times, she had not even used up ten percent so far. As long as she had a bit of time, she would be able to make a full recovery again very quickly.
Thirteen. Li Qingshan continued to count down. The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell was being stripped layer by layer as the whip approached his body very quickly.
Lolth flicked her hand, and the whip wrapped around the thin, final layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell around Li Qingshan. Once she tore through that, the whip would wrap around him again, but this time, she would never give him the opportunity to escape.
When Li Qingshan had only counted down to seven, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell cracked and the whip came for him. Lolth arrived before him with a single step and reached viciously towards the top of his head with one hand.
Fucking hell, this isn’t how the script goes!
Li Qingshan grumbled inside. He raised his left hand and blocked Lolth’s arm while grabbing the arm that stabbed towards his chest with his other hand. He felt his body tighten; the whip had entangled him again. And, it did not coil around him in a snake-like fashion like last time. Instead, it tied itself into knots and binded Li Qingshan, containing all of his strength.
Lolth opened her mouth and spat out a strand of silk that shot straight towards Li Qingshan’s head.
Li Qingshan also opened his mouth and exhaled, knocking away the silk.
The Tiger Demon’s Breath was useless against the whip, but it was still very effective against this move.
However, Lolth seemed like she was completely ignorant of that fact. She spat out silk endlessly as her eight legs began to dance. They did not stab at Li Qingshan, instead weaving the scattered silk together and wrapping it around Li Qingshan.
The highly-adhesive spider silk wrapped around Li Qingshan layer upon layer, turning him into something like a cocoon.
Meanwhile, the whip continued to tighten, injecting him with venom.
The mirror clone in Moon Court lake shattered loudly, having reached its limit. The Watermirror disc sank to the bottom of the lake.
From that moment onwards, Li Qingshan was forced to endure these wounds alone.
In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had become completely immobilised, like an insect that had accidentally walked into a spider’s web, like it was his end.
Seeing how the prey had finally landed in her web, Lolth’s heart eased up, but she refused to pause with what she was doing. She constantly increased the thickness of the web in an extremely patient manner.
However, just when Li Qingshan had been immobilised, losing all ability to resist, his eyes had already become filled with calmness and confidence, which Lolth found highly unpleasant. She plunged two fingers towards his eyes.
In a daze, the scene gave him a feeling of déjà vu again.
“I’m going to blow up my daemon core! I’ll take you down with me!”
Li Qingshan roared furiously as he opened his mouth, and the daemon core shaped like a turtle shell flew out. It turned into a streak of blue light and arrived before Lolth, dyeing her face azure, which then rapidly became a silvery-grey. She raised her defences to brace for the possibility.
“I’m just saying. Huu, it’s finally made it in time!”
The Water God Seal in Li Qingshan’s body suddenly lit up and gained the pattern of another water flow. Li Qingshan had finally extended his control over the waters to Lolth’s Cobweb city.
Surging waves crashed over from the river behind Li Qingshan like a roaring dragon of fury.
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Chapter 516 – The Bones Stand and the Tiger Lives
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Chapter 516 – The Bones Stand and the Tiger Lives
From that moment onwards, Li Qingshan could freely use the spiritual energy from Moon Court lake and the countless rivers and lakes from here.
He felt like his mind was being extended indefinitely, finally connecting with the territory he had tended to for a very long time.
His thought processes became vast and boundless with it. He was still trapped in the web, but his gaze towards Lolth seemed like he was looking down on her from above.
The river that Li Qingshan had blocked and oppressed the entire time seemed like it could not help itself any longer. It roared and surged with desire as it burst forth.
Li Qingshan’s vision emptied out and lit up, entering a mental state of intricacy. He pushed the Water God Seal and poured all of its power into a single point, which was the spirit turtle’s daemon core!
The daemon core suddenly accelerated, twisting and turning sharply. Powered by the surging water, it was like a whistling cannonball being fired from a cannon.
Lolth managed to grasp these changes with the innate ability of her eyes. She was not particularly surprised, as if she had been expecting everything.
However, as she watched the spirit turtle’s daemon core shoot over, she actually felt like she was unable to respond in time. All she could do was grip her whip and retreat rapidly. Even at a time like this, she did not forget to take Li Qingshan with her. As long as he left the region of water, he would be completely at her whim.
She raised her other hand to block the trajectory of the spirit turtle’s daemon core. She only needed to block it slightly, and it would provide her with the force to pull even further away.
By then, no matter what Li Qingshan was capable of as a water god, it would all be useless. She had countless different ways to kill an utterly-vulnerable opponent.
Lolth had truly responded to these changes quickly. Just the thought process alone demonstrated she had completely recovered her powerful instincts as a hunter.
However, none of this was destined to develop like what she had been expecting.
First of all, she had underestimated the power behind the daemon core.
Like how dripping water could wear through rock, the spirit turtle’s daemon core was like a droplet of water, but behind it was the water from boundless rivers and lakes. All of their power had been concentrated on this droplet of water.
The moment it struck her hand, it paused slightly before passing right through, striking her in the chest.
Disbelief filled Lolth’s eyes. The black tight suit over her chest ripped apart as her silvery-grey skin caved in deeply. Blood spattered.
Boom!
Lolth was thrown far away like a kicked ball.
Cling! Clang! Clung! Clang!
The spider threads that criss-crossed through the cavern snapped like zither strings as she smashed through them.
Despite the threads slowing her down, she still rammed heavily into Cobweb city. She smashed a building to pieces first, but that was not enough to stop her. Only after taking down over a dozen walls and a thick pillar did she land heavily. As soon as the pain appeared, she began to cough up blood violently.
Li Qingshan found it to be quite the pity. If he had managed to directly strike her body, he definitely would have caused quite the damage, or even pierce her all the way through. However, piercing through her hand was equivalent to piercing two layers of the poison suit. Another layer still remained when it struck her chest in the end. The attack had been worn down layer by layer, minimising her injuries.
The daemon core bounced back, and Li Qingshan swallowed it conveniently, but he discovered the daemon core had also been contaminated with a layer of black venom. However, with a flash, the toxins had been purged. Her venom could eat away the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, but it was not particularly effective against the spirit turtle’s daemon core.
Li Qingshan had still been pulled along by the poisonous whip, so he was obviously dragged into Cobweb city against his will. Looking around, he discovered he was in her chambers. The large, obsidian bed draped with curtains was nearby.
Li Qingshan sniggered. “Mother of my child, you can say we’re revisiting this old place.”
Lolth straightened herself out. The tight suit over her chest constantly twisted and tangled in an attempt to repair itself, but clearly, it would not be so simple. After quite a long time, it had only pulled together barely. It struggled to hide her voluptuous chest.
All human emotions ceased to exist in her eyes. Her pupils had constricted to points that resembled the tips of needles as she stared at Li Qingshan closely. Then she asked in a hoarse voice that sounded like dragging nails across a chalkboard.
“How are you still alive?” The venom she had injected him with was enough to slaughter a hundred cities, yet he was still able to laugh.
“Haha, I still want to witness the birth of our child!”
Under the layers and layers of webbing, Li Qingshan had already gripped the Blade of the Drinking Poisonfeather. He had plunged the hilt shaped like a Poisonfeather bird’s beak into the whip, sucking away the poison.
However, after absorbing the venom, even the blade itself turned back. The spiritual qi and inscriptions it had been imbued with was rapidly eaten away, following the footsteps of the Dragon Seizing bident, but it did temporarily deal with the urgent issue Li Qingshan was facing.
Lolth sensed that something was wrong and drew back the whip. She discovered a part of the whip had already recovered the translucent white of normal spider silk, which made her frown. Who knew how much effort and time went into refining every drop of venom. She originally thought that casually unleashing it on him would make him suffer, but she never expected him to be so difficult to deal with.
“Listen. This place is almost going to be flooded with water. If you have any killing moves, you better use them quickly, or I’m going to come for you.”
At this moment, the sound of surging waves rolled over from all directions. The river rampaged and poured into the huge cavern where Cobweb city resided. Hissing white steam rose up the moment it made contact with the magma.
Lolth suddenly straightened out her whip with a flick and made a move that Li Qingshan was extremely familiar with, targeting his head.
“I’ll send you off to see the king of hell right now!”
She took a step forward, and the spear suddenly thrusted out, shooting towards the immobilised Li Qingshan as a straight, black streak.
“Keep dreaming!”
Fierce gales surged, and the wings of wind unfurled freely. They were not real wings, but condensed from daemon qi. He was unable to break out of the silk with physical strength, but it was unable to prevent him from using daemon qi to unleash abilities.
Li Qingshan resembled a huge egg that had grown a pair of wings. With a swish, he took off into the air, avoiding the thrust of the spear and flying backwards.
But why would Lolth let him slip through her fingers? He had only flown to the entrance when he felt his speed suddenly reduce. Before he knew it, a thread of silk had caught him.
Li Qingshan flapped his wings as he tried to fly away desperately. He sounded very arrogant, but having been caught by the whip again, the potent venom caused him quite the trouble. Having used his daemon qi for the wings of wind just now, the venom immediately showed signs of spreading again.
Lolth sneered and tugged hard while he was mid-air, so he had nothing he could push off of or hold onto. Despite his extraordinary physical strength, he was unable to use it, so he was dragged back again.
Li Qingshan looked over and discovered Lolth had let go of the whip, unfurling her arms and extending her eight legs with her lips slightly parted, like she wanted to give him a great big hug followed by a deep kiss.
Oh no! Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell!
Under Lolth’s passionate hug, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell produced a painful groan and became riddled with cracks. However, the most terrifying part was still the toxins from her poisonous suit that tried to eat through and penetrate anything it touched.
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell only lasted for a few seconds before shattering loudly. In that moment, Li Qingshan’s expression became rather strange, while Lolth’s face was twisted with hatred. She hugged her firmly before kissing him deeply on the lips. She kissed him so seriously and in such a cherisable manner.
Li Qingshan felt his lips sting before losing all sensation. He knew what had happened without even checking. His lips were probably gone already, but this was just the beginning…
Which part of her was most venomous? It was not the whip, nor her clothes, but her venomous fangs. She had injected the most primitive and purest Bone-eating Venom into his body.
The venom was so potent that it could not be compared to catching a splash on the skin. Even Daemon Commanders would probably be poisoned to death by that bite.
The venom flowed into his lungs through his throat. Wherever it flowed to, he lost sensation.
In the blink of an eye, all of his organs had vanished. He had been eaten away inside out, only leaving behind his thin bones.
Li Qingshan could only feel a bloody fluid sloshing around in his belly before all flowing away. The sensation was absolutely horrible.
But even then, he did not waver. He did not even plan on calling Xiao An to save him.
The water level rapidly rose up around Cobweb city.
This place had already become his region of water!
Suddenly, the Water God Seal in Li Qingshan’s body erupted with light. Endless spiritual qi surged into Li Qingshan’s body. His daemon qi recovered rapidly like the rising tide; it seemed gradual, but in the blink of an eye, it would claim the lengthy coastline—it was unstoppable. It fended off the venom in his body desperately.
However, the venom continued to maliciously rob Li Qingshan of his flesh and blood. The water and venom constantly clashed in a stalemate, wasting away the venom.
Within Li Qingshan’s body, his flesh and blood would suddenly vanish from the invading venom, before regrowing under the nourishment of the water spiritual energy.
It was an extremely strange sight and the sensation could not exactly be described with words either.
“Go die!” Lolth plunged her hands into Li Qingshan’s eyes madly.
In that instant, his vision blackened. Li Qingshan had been blinded!
Even more viciously, she plunged them into his brain and stirred it into a mess.
If he had been a regular Daemon General, death would be certain once his organs and brain were destroyed, no matter how tenacious his life force was.
However, Li Qingshan did not stop resisting because of this. He had been through many trials too. After breaking through to the fourth layer of the tiger demon, his body no longer possessed these evident vital points.
Even if he had been stripped of his flesh and blood, he could still remain standing proudly as long as his tiger bones remained. The daemon core continued to shine. He would not be knocked down. The slight pain from that basically seemed like a game compared to the strange sensation he was experiencing with his body.
“Why won’t you die!?”
Lolth grabbed Li Qingshan’s skull viciously with her ten fingers, producing an ear-piercing screech and making sparks fly, but she only managed to leave behind ten shallow marks. She poured the skull with venom, leading to swathes of white smoke and charring it black, but that was it.
It was Bone-eating Venom, but it was unable to eat away his tiger bones. As long as the bones stood, the tiger lived.
She was about to lose her mind from anger. She was clearly much more powerful than him, she could clearly overwhelm him with ease, yet he was able to put up a struggle again and again!
Li Qingshan opened his jaws on his face that had virtually been reduced to a skull and wind whistled through his hollow throat, producing a strange, sinister laughter.
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Chapter 517 – An Insect in a Web
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Chapter 517 – An Insect in a Web
In the underground palace of endless gloom, two clusters of daemon qi constantly surged. One was powerful and invasive, while the other was weak but endless.
Two faces met one another. One possessed absolute beauty, filled with vengefulness and fury, while the other was filled with viciousness and malice, laughing weirdly like it was mocking the futility of her hatred.
With all of his flesh and blood stripped from his body, Li Qingshan was left with only the lower layer, the skeleton. It remained standing, glistening with a metallic lustre. However, it rapidly dimmed under the invasion of the venom.
Li Qingshan knew even if his bones were tougher than arcane artifacts, he would not be able to last very long if he simply allowed the venom to eat at it. However, after connecting with the underground river, he came up with a countermeasure.
Resplendent blue light burst forth from Li Qingshan’s body.
If the five elements were ranked according to how suited they were for healing and recovery, wood would definitely take first place. Water could only claim second. However, when it came to purging poison, water would definitely rank at the top.
The venom was vicious, but under the surging daemon qi, it was diluted and purified bit by bit. The metallic lustre of the bones gradually recovered as fibres of flesh extended from them like willow branches sprouting in spring, wanting to grow a new body.
With the support of the Water God Seal, he basically did not have to worry about his consumption of daemon qi at all. Although the venom that had been most threatening to him would continue to affect his movements, it was not a deadly issue anymore.
He managed to infer her venom should have required special refinement to produce. If that were the case, he would simply waste it away! He refused to believe the venom she had refined was infinite.
Why would Lolth wait for Li Qingshan to recover? She clenched her fists and barraged his skull violently, producing hollow booms that shook up the entire city.
Under the terrifying force, his skull began to change shape slightly. A few small cracks appeared. At the end of the day, the Tiger Demon Forges its Bones was not indestructible.
“I’ll definitely kill you!”
Lolth declared coldly. Suddenly, she sensed danger and retreated backwards.
Rip! Li Qingshan’s glistening, bone claws pierced through the web and wrapped around Lolth’s waist, pulling her into his arms firmly as if he was still unsatisfied with the kiss from earlier. His mouth riddled with teeth pressed against her lips and fierce wind passed through his hollow chest, speaking with a raspy voice.
“Mother of my child, it’s my turn!”
Lolth’s face changed. She felt a stream of air rush into her mouth like a condensed tornado, but the power had not diminished at all. It was even more terrifying than a real tornado.
It was Li Qingshan’s innate ability, the Tiger Demon’s Breath.
Like a high-speed turbine stirring up her innards viciously, her face twisted from pain. She pressed her hands against Li Qingshan’s face and pushed hard, flying away in retreat. She landed on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood viciously, which contained fragments of her organs.
With the poison suit equipped combined with her powerful defensive innate ability, even a full-powered strike from Li Qingshan would struggle to deal a lethal wound, but her innards were still relatively weak.
Back to Li Qingshan, there were two more rips, and his legs that had been reduced to bones broke free from the great cocoon. They stomped on the ground loudly, causing it to crack and sink and sending rock fragments flying everything.
The silk that Lolth had spun on the spot obviously could not be as tough as the poisonous whip.
And, ever since he had become trapped, he had never stopped using the Tremors of the Ox Demon to destroy the structure of the silk. The damage had constantly accumulated until now.
He swung his extremely-sharp bone claws at his body wildly, finally breaking free from the restraints of the web and regaining his freedom.
A savage, robust skeleton that seemed to be forged from metal stood proudly.
Li Qingshan thought, I sure match Xiao An right now!
However, Xiao An’s white bones seemed relatively slender, even giving off a sense of holiness, while Li Qingshan’s bones had their edge on full display, radiating with malice.
At this moment, Lolth suddenly let out a sharp burst of laughter containing twisted pleasure. Her laughter came to a halt.
“I never thought you could force me to this point. Northmoon, looks like I still underestimated you, but from the moment you set foot in Cobweb city, your fate had been determined, which was death!”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan felt like sharp killing intent had surrounded him as if he had entered an encirclement with ambushes all around him.
Actually, Li Qingshan had been confused the entire time too. From the beginning till now, he had encountered many dangers, but they were completely disproportionate to the initial warning from the spirit turtle’s daemon core.
Now, the answer was about to be known.
The foot that Li Qingshan had lifted to take a step forward suddenly froze in the air. He could not move it at all. This time, he had become truly immobilised. He could not even move his finger. Even his daemon qi felt like it had become restricted, unable to unleash it as he wished.
“What’s going on!? There’s clearly not a single thread on me, yet I feel like I’m bound by thousands of threads?!”
Lolth spread her arms. The threads that criss-crossed the cavern suddenly flashed and began to tremble.
In that instant, it sounded like thousands of zither strings had been plucked. With the sharp thrum, Cobweb city was carved into pieces silently and collapsed, falling into the surging water and kicking up huge waves.
The chambers shattered as well. Li Qingshan no longer stood on anything, but he remained frozen in the air, like he was stuck in a huge, invisible web.
The criss-crossing threads with geometric beauty finally revealed their true purpose in that moment. They formed a huge trap that resembled the formations of humans.
Formations were not an original creation of humans. Instead, they were replications of the omnipresent principles of nature that humans had discovered and studied through the use of tools like spiritual stones and formation banners. However, daemons were usually accustomed to using their own powers. Rarely did they use any foreign objects, just like how tigers and wolves were accustomed to fighting with their teeth and claws and not with weapons.
However, Lolth was an exception. When she was still a tiny spider, her primary tool of survival was her web. Even the significance of venom paled slightly in comparison to that.
Very clearly, when she climbed to the throne of Daemon Commander step by step, she did not give up on this unique skill of hers. Instead, she learnt how to weave larger and better webs.
Unfortunately, Li Qingshan had become an insect within a web. He thought, So this is her trump card!
Lolth exhaled gently, and a hint of exhaustion appeared on her face for once. Clearly, activating the web took her quite the effort. She stared at Li Qingshan viciously, but she was in no hurry to attack him, as when she smashed into Cobweb city earlier, she had snapped a few threads. She began to repair them one by one.
Li Qingshan became filled with dismay. Originally, he could still sensed the spiritual qi of the world as well as his vast region of water, but as the web was repaired strand by strand, it felt like a great door being gradually closed.
Once he lost his connection to the spiritual qi of the world and the support of the Water God Seal, he would become a body of water without a source. Once Lolth returned to finish him off, all he could do would be wait for his death. Even if he managed to erupt with strength on the spot somehow, it would be impossible for him to break free from the web she had weaved meticulously.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar filled the entire cavern.
By now, the water had already flooded almost half of the cavern, and the water level continued to climb rapidly. A huge dragon’s head suddenly protruded from the surface. A water dragon lunged towards Lolth as she meticulously added to the web. The dragon consisted of thousands of tonnes of water, like it was rising up into the sky.
Lolth sneered in disdain. She did not even look at it.
The water dragon passed through the web and was carved into pieces by the threads, failing to affect Lolth at all.
The lethality of flowing water had always been limited unless he concentrated all of its power onto his daemon core like right at the beginning, and only then would it be possible to injure her. Li Qingshan was bold enough to use this move again, but it would only achieve those effects in a surprise attack. If she were prepared, he would not even have enough time to cry if she directly caught the daemon core.
As for directly controlling the water to attack her, the effects would be truly feeble. In Lolth’s eyes, this was clearly his final struggle. As long as she repaired the final strand, she would be able to do whatever she wanted with him.
Boom!
The water dragon had been carved into pieces, but thousands of tonnes of water still collided violently against the ceiling of the cavern with great force.
This was Li Qingshan’s true target.
After Cobweb city had been carved into pieces, the unbelievably large cavern had lost its most important pillar of support. If it were not for the night roamers who constantly reinforced the walls in the past millennium, the entire cavern would have collapsed from its own weight a long time ago.
The collision this time was like the final straw on the camel’s back.
Rumble! As if the earth was roaring furiously, a huge crack spread out like lightning, yes also weaving together like a spider web.
Thousands of tonnes of earth collapsed.
“Do you think you can avoid death like this?” Lolth casually waved her hand, and the poisonous whip shattered a few boulders falling towards her. The other boulders were easily carved into pieces by the fine threads just like the water dragon.
And, her threads were an entity of their own. The destruction of the surrounding walls did not affect them. The web was her absolute domain.
Li Qingshan paid no attention to her. He produced a bellow that revelled in joy, cheering for this natural sight of earth crumbling.
The rock and soil fell down, and the water level rose rapidly, swallowing Li Qingshan in the blink of an eye.
The cheering vanished. The spirit turtle’s figure appeared around Li Qingshan in the water, but it had never been so clear before.
The water was his world.
The spirit turtle suppressed, sinking to the bottom.
All of the threads pulled downwards with him, moaning from almost ripping.
Lolth’s face changed drastically. She never thought he would still be able to put up a struggle even at a time like this. She only required one thread to seal him off for good, but looking at the situation, the other threads would rip before she could fix the last thread.
However, if she returned now to subdue him, it would take quite the time before she could make his death absolute. As long as there was a hole in the web, he would continue to struggle.
Faced with a dilemma, Lolth’s face twisted viciously as she ordered, “Dragonsnail, stop him!”
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Chapter 518 – You’ve Offended Me and You Still Want to Leave
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Chapter 518 – You’ve Offended Me and You Still Want to Leave
An invisible domain expanded, and immediately, Li Qingshan’s struggle slowed down. If it were not for his experience with Dragonsnail’s ambush, he would have been stumped for a moment as to what had happened.
This was not merely an issue of speed. When his thought process slowed down, he struggled to enter a state of mental intricacy, which prevented him from unleashing the limits of his strength. As the circulation of his daemon qi slowed down, the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas lost the pressure from before. Although he could still maintain it, the spider web gradually recovered its original shape, no longer sagging downwards anymore.
Lolth followed the principle of doing everything she could to kill her prey. There was no concept of a fair battle. Right from the beginning, she had gotten Dragonsnail to hide in the surroundings so that he could strike at any time, to prevent Li Qingshan from fleeing with the wings of wind if he refused to enter the web.
Li Qingshan immediately understood why the spirit turtle’s daemon core warned him of such great danger. Dragonsnail’s innate ability was truly strange and powerful. A clash between the powerful could be decided in a single moment. If his speed suddenly decreased by thirty percent, he would become a sitting duck.
“Let’s see what other moves you have!”
Lolth stared at Li Qingshan viciously, only to discover he had become overjoyed instead of surprised, breaking into great laughter.
“What are you laughing for?” Lolth asked in bewilderment, but she did not slow down at all as she repaired the net.
“I’m laughing at you for bringing about your own doom. If you hadn’t called someone else, I’d really be quite embarrassed!”
As soon as Li Qingshan finished speaking, there were several rumbles, and the earth flew into the air. Twenty-one Skull Prayer Beads emerged together from all directions of the cavern, turning into huge, vicious Skeleton Demons in the air. Their sharp teeth chattered together like eerie laughter as their eye sockets all burned with pure-white flames. They ignored everything else, directly tearing at the web.
Lolth’s expression changed. She could not sense the presence of the Skeleton Demons, but a dangerous, terrifying aura clearly enveloped her.
With a flash, she had already arrived behind a Skeleton Demon. She raised her leg and swept it violently, directly sending the Skeleton Demon flying and crashing into the wall loudly.
In that instant, her figure appeared at various locations of the web, like over a dozen clones had appeared. The whip moved with her, dancing like a venomous dragon.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Like a string of thunder, the huge Skeleton Demons were sent flying by her as if they could not pose a threat to her at all.
However, the Skeleton Demon she had kicked away first had already emerged from the wall, persevering with the destruction of the web without the slightest injury.
The Skeleton Demons that the whip had sent flying all climbed up as well. They were riddled with dark marks, but the marks actually seemed like they were unable to seep any deeper. Singed by the Samādhi Flames of White Bone, the toxins had been purged.
“What are these!?”
Lolth’s expression became uglier and uglier. These were the skeleton monsters under the influence of Dragonsnail’s ability. They had already become much more sluggish. If they managed to recover their original speed, how vicious would they be?
The Skeleton Demons climbed up tirelessly, destroying the web. Lolth darted around and not a single Skeleton Demon could withstand a strike from her.
However, she rapidly depleted her daemon qi. She began showing signs of exhaustion before long, and her breathing became rather ragged.
Cling! Clang! Clung! Cling! The threads snapped one by one.
Li Qingshan could move his arms now. Lolth suddenly looked back, and her gaze burned with spite.
“Do you think just summoning these monsters will let you escape?”
She actually stopped worrying about the web entirely. The poisonous whip extended over. The power of the net still subdued him, and under the influence of Dragonsnail’s ability, he obviously could not react in time. The whip wrapped around him firmly.
Li Qingshan let out a sigh. There sure was a lot of binding and tying in this battle, all kinds of S&M play!
As long as I break out of the encirclement of these bone monsters and take him out of this region of water, I’ll still have the upper hand! Lolth dragged Li Qingshan away with this thought in mind.
Boom!
A huge snail shell smashed through the rock and fell into the cavern. There were markings that corresponded to a large swathe of cracks on the side of the snail shell, having been smashed in forcefully.
“Dragonsnail!” Lolth suddenly raised her head.
“Save me, ma’am Spider Queen!” Dragonsnail was fear-stricken. He had completely lost his usual calmness and composure. He had hid so well, so he never expected to still be discovered. However, he was not afraid of being discovered. He was afraid of the enemy’s strength.
A white figure appeared with a flash. A crystalline skeleton chased after Dragonsnail, stepping on his shell and thrusting the white bone sword deeply into the crack before surging out with Samādhi Flames of White Bone and setting him ablaze in a glorious manner.
As soon as Dragonsnail began howling, he seemed to be frozen, unable to produce another sound again.
Xiao An raised her right hand, and the twenty-one Skeleton Demons turned back into twenty-one Skull Prayer Beads.
Lolth could see that the situation was unfavourable, so she wanted to flee with Li Qingshan, but having been slowed down, the Skull Prayer Beads shot towards her. They were like planets among the galaxies that travelled along their own trajectories, yet conforming to an unchanging rule.
Eighteen of the Skull Prayer Beads were already enough for a formation. Xiao An originally planned to use it against Bloodshadow, but she never got around to it. Now, she finally used it on Lolth, and there were twenty-one beads this time, making them even more powerful.
The Skull Prayer Beads changed in shape again, turning into cartwheels-sized skulls that sprayed out the Samādhi Flames of White Bone.
Lolth felt like she was in great danger. She used her daemon qi to block the Samādhi Flames of White Bone and advanced boldly, swinging her hand to knock a skull away. If she had not moved, then so be it, but now that she did, all of the Skull Prayer Beads began to revolve rapidly.
Immediately, two skulls blocked her path and three skulls slammed towards her viciously, as if an invisible thread strung all the Skull Prayer Beads together, setting off a chain reaction.
Lolth was fast, but she was unable to break free so easily. Her pupils coldened and eight rings appeared. Through her eyes, the Skull Prayer Beads immediately slowed down, allowing her to see through them.
Her eight legs danced wildly, where each strike possessed alarming power. She knocked away the incoming skulls one by one and forcefully carved out a path, breaking out of the formation.
The Skeleton Demon Formation was powerful and basically guaranteed victory against any Daemon General, but against a Daemon Commander, and a carapaced Daemon Commander with a tough body at that, it still seemed a little insufficient.
Suddenly, Lolth felt her hand sink. Li Qingshan abruptly became dozens of times heavier, pulling her downwards.
Having broken free from the web and without Dragonsnail’s interference, his daemon qi recovered in the blink of an eye. He immediately unleashed the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Sea before opening his mouth and unleashing a breath. The breath entangled with Lolth, unable to harm her but enough to interfere with her movements.
As Lolth gazed at Li Qingshan who glistened with a metallic lustre, she felt like she had entered a nightmare filled with bones and skeletons.
She gritted her teeth and abandoned Li Qingshan in an extremely resolute manner.
She knew that if this continued, not only would she fail to kill Li Qingshan, but her situation would become worse and worse, or maybe even become as bad as last time.
Lolth managed to free up one hand. The twenty-one Skull Prayer Beads were unable to stop her anymore. If a Daemon Commander wanted to flee, no one could stop her unless a Daemon King intervened.
There was a flash of white, and Xiao An blocked her path. There was no sword aura or sword qi, just a lethal sword intent enveloping and locking onto her before stabbing over like a streak of white light.
The Skull Prayer Beads scattered once again. As long as she obstructed Lolth, she would fall into the Skeleton Demon Formation again.
There was a blood-red flash, and a horrific slash appeared on Lolth’s chest. She had not actually dodged, directly receiving the attack to force her way out! She could clearly sense that the tiny skeleton before her was in control of the twenty-one skeleton monsters and possessed terrifying strength no less than Northmoon’s.
At this moment, she sensed that something was amiss. Lowering her head, she saw white flames spread through her wound, devouring her flesh and blood and burning even brighter. Her skin suddenly became a silvery-grey, but the flames burned even deeper along the wound. It was even more potent than her venom.
This time was unlike last time. She still had around half of her daemon qi remaining, so she managed to circulate her daemon qi and purge the Samādhi Flames of White Bone with quite some difficulty. Still shaken, she tossed out a threat.
“Northmoon, I’ll definitely kill you!”
“You’ve offended me, and you still want to leave!? Use the ultimate move!” Li Qingshan called out.
Xiao An opened her mouth and spat out a palm-sized banner, pinching it between her fingers and waving it. The Blood Sea Banner fluttered through the air.
Lolth glanced at the deep, blood-red colour and felt indescribable coldness creep up through her heart. She became even more afraid to linger around any longer, directly diving into the depths of the walls.
In that moment, the world became blood-red.
Lolth looked around. There was no longer any rocks or water, only an endless, surging sea of blood. The heavy smell of blood did not assault her nose alone, but every single pore of her body.
A feeling of feebleness and powerlessness rose through her heart. This was the deepest despair.
The sea of blood was endless. She could neither return to where she had come from, nor venture to the other side.
White bones floated through the sea of blood. With a single glance, Lolth had a feeling that her fate in the end would be the same as the white bones. She would become a member of the sea of blood.
The sea of blood surged violently. Boney hands reached towards the sky one by one as if they were pleading to the heavens for a ray of hope. However, hope did not exist in this hellish scenery, only a bone-deep hatred for the living. Thousands of skeletons turned their skulls over, gazing at Lolth with their empty eye sockets.
It made even the malicious Lolth blank out. She felt a chilling coldness.
The waves of blood surged as the skeletons broke out of the sea of blood, lunging over together.
“Petty tricks!” Lolth sneered. Her whip swung around her, and she smashed apart hundreds of skeletons in a single stroke, all falling into the sea of blood.
The space around her immediately emptied out, only to be filled with even more skeletons. They had no fear or hesitance. They did not even roar or howl. They merely used everything they had in an attempt to grab Lolth with their boney claws and drag her to the depths of the sea of blood.
In a short while, even Lolth lost count of the number of skeletons she had smashed through, but the skeletons seemed endless. There were no signs of them lessening.
“I can’t sense the existence of the spiritual qi of the world here at all, so I can’t recover my daemon qi. I need to find a way to break free. How despicable, Northmoon!”
Lolth suddenly stopped swinging her whip and closed her eyes. The skeletons immediately swallowed her as a bone mountain piled on top of her.
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Chapter 519 – Welcome to Try, Welcome to Try Again
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Chapter 519 – Welcome to Try, Welcome to Try Again
Bone claws grabbed Lolth one by one. However, they were unable to harm her, and the pulling force from each skeleton was nowhere near enough to move a Daemon Commander.
“The Blood Sea Banner sure is high-handed. Probably even that bastard Fu Qingjin’s Green Ruins Illusion pales in comparison!”
Li Qingshan could clearly see Lolth being swallowed up on the Blood Sea Banner that rippled like the ocean. Fu Qingjin’s Green Ruins sword only managed to generate a Green Ruins Illusion, while Xiao An’s Blood Sea Banner created its own space.
Actually, the Green Ruins sword was still superior, but as a successor, Fu Qingjin was unable to unleash the Green Ruins sword’s strength, while Xiao An had personally forged the Blood Sea Banner. As such, it obviously appeared slightly stronger.
And, the current Blood Sea Banner was the same as the Skull Prayer Beads. It was only a basic form, still extremely far away from true completion. Once it truly reached that stage, it would be well beyond something a measly Green Ruins sword could rival.
There was a great boom in the sea of blood, and the mountain of bones scattered. The skeletons shattered and landed in the sea of blood.
The surface of the sea finally settled down, but it rapidly gathered and produced new skeletons.
Xiao An pointed out with a finger. Lolth suddenly turned around and was met with a roaring wave composed of blood sweeping towards her.
It was boundless, stretching towards the sky. It could not be avoided. It could not be dodged.
The vigour alone was enough to make people shiver.
The colossal wave arrived right before her. Lolth’s figure became as tiny as an ant’s.
In the moment the wave slammed down, ringed patterns appeared in her pupils in a strange and mysterious fashion. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, emitting two streaks of light as she peered through the wave before her. She no longer saw the boundless sea of blood, but the underground landscape. She immediately took off.
The two streaks of light directly shot out of the Blood Sea banner. Lolth’s most inconspicuous innate ability came into wondrous effect. It was actually the nemesis of all formations and illusions.
Xiao An needed to manage the Blood Sea Banner, so she was unable to enter the banner and fight. With a wave of her hand, the Skull Prayer Beads flew in.
Lolth’s eyes narrowed as twenty-one Skull Prayer Beads shot straight towards her. She gritted her teeth and twisted her body, allowing them to hit her. Her speed was virtually unaffected. Right when she was about to break out, she saw Li Qingshan’s wretched face again.
“Let me do it!”
Through the Water God Seal, Li Qingshan had replenished all of his daemon qi. Even half of his wounds had recovered, now covered with layers of flesh and blood, which did make him seem even more terrifying than when he was only a skeleton.
He nodded at Xiao An and dove head-first into the Blood Sea Banner, unleashing a tiger’s roar and shaking up the entire sea of blood.
Li Qingshan unfurled his wings of wind and lunged at Lolth. “Mother of my child, don’t be in such a hurry to leave!”
Lolth was furious and filled with resentment. The poisonous whip flogged Li Qingshan’s body viciously. His flesh and blood spattered everywhere. His lunge had been stopped, but he had completely cut off her path of retreat.
When his flesh and blood landed in the sea of blood, it immediately kicked up a surge; the blood devoured it and converted it into part of the sea.
Li Qingshan was fearless. He accelerated rapidly with the wings of wind and slammed heavily into Lolth, spreading his arms and laughing strangely as he embraced her firmly. They plunged into the sea of blood together.
The sea of blood was unable to distinguish between friend or foe. It was hostile to the living, devouring all flesh and blood.
Even as the master of the Blood Sea Banner, Xiao An required all her strength to prevent the blood from attacking Li Qingshan, but in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a tall skeleton again.
However, as the target of the attacks of the Blood Sea Banner, Lolths’ condition was even worse. She was forced to use her daemon qi to fend off the corrosion of the blood. Her poison suit became blood-red in the blink of an eye.
Vicious poison dyed the region black, but it was nothing compared to the boundless sea.
Li Qingshan grabbed Lolth by the neck and wrapped his legs around her waist, riding firmly on top of her. He laughed loudly as he hurled punch after punch at her body while she put up a desperate struggle. They bobbed up and down in the sea of blood, kicking up huge waves.
Unable to break free from Li Qingshan, Lolth tossed aside her whip and gripped Li Qingshan’s cervical vertebrae madly with both hands. Under the terrifying force, the vertebrae crackled, becoming riddled with cracks very soon. Li Qingshan’s life force was tenacious, but only death would be waiting for him if his neck were broken.
Li Qingshan tried to break free from her grip, but he actually failed to. Having lost his flesh and blood, his strength had plummeted.
This was how a single counterattack from a Daemon Commander could be life-threatening even if they were in the most disadvantageous position.
But how could Xiao An simply watch Li Qingshan be injured? Taking advantage of their stalemate, the Skull Prayer Beads flew over and wrapped around Lolth’s wrist, turning back into a string of beads.
The twenty-one Skeleton Demons tugged together, forcefully prying Lolth’s hand away and pressing it against her back while gnawing at her wrist constantly. If it were not for her innate ability that had turned her skin into an indestructible silvery-grey, her bones probably would have been stripped bare in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan clenched his hands together and raised them high into the air, smashing down heavily like a hammer.
Lolth felt like a hill had crashed into her. There was a great boom, followed by powerful tremors that shook through her entire body.
Wherever the shockwave reached, her poison suit that the sea of blood had eaten away ripped and tore apart. Her silvery-grey body directly sank into the depths of the sea of blood.
Water filled the entire cavern, instead holding up the rapidly-collapsing ceiling. Xiao An held the Blood Sea Banner as she stood in the water silently. The flames in her eye sockets flickered as she stared at the Blood Sea Banner closely.
Before long, Li Qingshan leapt out of the Blood Sea Banner. “Haha, I finally got her!”
Li Qingshan also learned just how great of a difference existed between defeating a Daemon Commander and subduing or killing one. Without the assistance from Xiao An’s Blood Sea Banner, he would have never been able to prevent her from escaping. As a matter of fact, if he were careless, it was even possible for him to die from a counterattack.
In the end, while he did manage to subdue her, stripped bare like last time, he obviously could not do anything that would be a bad influence on children in front of Xiao An.
And, he had been reduced to bones. He was in no shape to even if he wanted to do something.
In the Blood Sea Banner, Lolth lay among the blood sea. Her daemon qi had already been completely depleted, and her skin returned to its original, snowy-white colour. Her physical strength was close to being completely drained too.
She could neither see the surface of the sea, nor could she see the bottom, as if she was floating in the centre. The blood constantly ate away at her life force.
If she were a normal Daemon General, she would be reduced to a puddle of bloody fluid before long, merging with the sea of blood and increasing the Blood Sea Banner’s power.
But as a Daemon Commander, her body was extremely tough, but she could only last a little longer at most. With her connection to the outside world severed, she could not even recover her daemon qi. All she could do was inch closer to death like this.
The unprecedented feeling of fear and death enveloped her. This was a sensation she had not experienced in a very long time.
Stuck in the sea of blood, not only did it injure her body, but her mind was heavily affected as well. This was the deep despair of helplessness, boundless like the sea of blood.
She used her remaining strength to wail out.
“Sir Golden Cicada!”
Xiao An asked, “Do we want to kill her?”
Li Qingshan rubbed his chin, and his eyes flashed. “It’s not like we can’t!” A familiar voice immediately rang out by his ear. “Please hold on. Spare her life.”
“Oh, it’s you. So you’re called Golden Cicada. What do you have to say?” Li Qingshan’s objective was to make the voice speak up. He thought, Sure enough, he has quite the connection to Lolth to cultivate in this underground region.
“So you still found out my name, but it’s best if you don’t let anyone know about it.” Golden Cicada’s tone sounded slightly like a warning. “If you kill her, the Dragon King of Ink Sea won’t just let this matter be.”
“Fine then. I won’t kill her.” Li Qingshan was extremely straightward with his reply to Golden Cicada’s surprise.
“Let’s go!” Li Qingshan called towards Xiao An.
“Wait, are you going to leave like this?” Golden Cicada asked.
“I never said I’d let her go! I’ve already spared her once, but she still sticks to me like a limpet. Surely I can’t just let her make attempts at my life for nothing and destroy my weapon for nothing.”
Li Qingshan spoke like it was common sense. Since killing her would cause problems, then he would keep her suppressed in the Blood Sea Banner forever, but very clearly, as the blood constantly ate away at her, her cultivation would definitely regress drastically. It was even possible that she would not be able to maintain her cultivation at Daemon Commander anymore.
His thought process was very straightforward. Since you want to protect her, then you need to cough up something, for example, the phoenix’s feather.
Golden Cicada fell silent.
“Since we are travellers on the same path, we should assist one another. I’ve promised you that I will definitely do everything I can to obtain the Chant of Deva-Nāga for you. Actually, after we parted last time, I came across a nice opportunity. If I were to go back on my word, wouldn’t killing me be a piece of cake with your strength?”
Li Qingshan took a step further and expressed with great sincerity.
“Fine then. I’ll give you what you want.”
After discovering Xiao An, who stood by Li Qingshan’s side, Golden Cicada’s profound sliver of perception of the heavenly secrets became more and more intense. He could basically confirm the Chant of Deva-Nāga would appear on Li Qingshan.
And, Li Qingshan’s words at the end managed to reach his heart. He remained underground to avoid trouble and unnecessary ties with other people so that he could focus on cultivation and take that final step, but it did not mean a Daemon General could toy with him.
“Release her!” Li Qingshan was overjoyed inside and nodded towards Xiao An. With how generous Golden Cicada was, he did not come off as too cheap.
With a flap of the Blood Sea Banner, Xiao An tossed out Lolth. She gazed at Li Qingshan resentfully, and when she saw Xiao An, her gaze became filled with hostility, as well as a smear of deep fear. Having been suppressed in the sea of blood, although it had only been a short period of time, it felt as lengthy as a century to her. It caused her lingering despair.
Her gaze was resentful, but it no longer possessed a sense of condescension like she was above Li Qingshan.
If it were last time, then she would still be filled with great unwillingness to accept her defeat. But this time, under the trap she had cast down, Li Qingshan had forcefully carved out a path of survival, forcing her to find a helper to subdue him. Yet, in comparison, the helper Li Qingshan had found was so powerful.
A huge chasm existed between Daemon Commander and Daemon General, but Li Qingshan used various methods to make up for this chasm, earnestly proving he was not a weakling completely at her whim.
“I-” “You’re welcome to try, you’re welcome to try again!”
Right when Lolth wanted to spit out a threat, Li Qingshan directly interrupted her.
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Chapter 520 – Obtaining the Phoenix Feather
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Chapter 520 – Obtaining the Phoenix Feather
With the phoenix feather promised to him, Li Qingshan was in an extremely good mood. He smiled at Lolth. “Lolth, whether you admit it or not, I possess the strength to rival you. I’ll spare you once again for the sake of fellow Golden Cicada. I welcome you to challenge me again.”
Lolth was unable to hear Li Qingshan and Golden Cicada’s conversation. When she heard Li Qingshan mention “fellow Golden Cicada”, she could not help but become surprised. “What did you call sir Golden Cicada?”
“Even if you don’t challenge me, I’ll be challenging you!” Li Qingshan studied Lolth’s enticing body again and laughed aloud.
“The phoenix feather is right here. You and that… friend beside you, come and take it!”
Golden Cicada sank into silent thought. Through his observations of the battle, he clearly knew Li Qingshan had received powerful reinforcements, but he was unable to see Xiao An, and he was unable to detect her aura either with his senses. Even he found this to be extremely strange, developing a hint of curiosity.
If Li Qingshan used the Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas to hide his aura, then Xiao An’s would be the “nothingness” between life and death. She had no aura to hide in the first place.
“Why?” Li Qingshan asked vigilantly.
“She’s very special. Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions towards you. Perhaps I might even be able to assist her.”
“Alright.”
With benefits up for grabs, Li Qingshan agreed very happily. This did not necessarily mean he had dropped his guard. Golden Cicada’s behaviour had always been relatively gentle, and he still needed him to retrieve the Chant of Deva-Nāga, so there was no reason to turn against him.
If there really was life-threatening danger, the spirit turtle’s daemon core would definitely warn him. So far, he had not developed the ability to divine and predict various random things, but it was enough as long as it was effective in this aspect.
Under Lolth’s surprised and doubtful gaze, Li Qingshan unfurled his wings of wind and flew downwards into the earth with Xiao An. Wherever he passed by, the rock and soil would automatically part and create a tunnel. Even though he would run into large pieces of ores that he could not shift so easily, he only needed to produce a breath and sparks would fly, forming a tunnel in the blink of an eye.
This continued until he arrived at the depths underground, before the lake of magma.
Just when Li Qingshan had caught his footing, a golden-red feather floating on the lake of fire immediately drew his attention away. He was unable to shift his gaze after that.
The slender feather was around a foot long, extending into a gradual curve. The patterning on the end was like a huge eye, constantly producing a bright and gentle glow.
The boundless essence of earthen fire gathered in it. Whenever it swayed, it would cause the lake of fire to surge.
Li Qingshan needed no explanation. He knew this was definitely a feather of the legendary phoenix. Nothing about it could be wrong.
Like how it was possible to learn about a leopard from a single spot, he seemed to be able to imagine the pure and noble bearing of a phoenix unfurling its wings from seeing this one feather.
Li Qingshan immediately strode across the lake of fire and extended his hand towards the phoenix feather. Right when he was about to touch it, he could not help but shy back, like a mortal reaching towards glowing charcoal with their bare hands, afraid of getting burnt.
However, when the tip of his finger touched the phoenix feather, it did not feel scorching at all. Instead, there was an indescribable warmth. The wonderful, graceful sensation was unable to be described through language.
After that, he sensed a powerful aura of life.
The heart of a phoenix was pure and noble, but not arrogant. The fire of a phoenix was scorching hot, but not wounding.
Li Qingshan held the phoenix feather between his fingers, admiring it in complete amazement. He imagined how beautiful a real phoenix would be.
At the same time, Golden Cicada was also observing Li Qingshan. They had carried out their conversation last time from a great distance apart after all, and no one could ignore the interference from the underground magnetic field.
As a result, while they did have a conversation, his impression of Li Qingshan was still the same as last time when Li Qingshan ventured deep underground and demonstrated a hint of the phoenix’s aura.
However, now that Golden Cicada saw him again, he could not help but be taken aback.
That was because the aura of the phoenix on Li Qingshan was extremely feeble, almost non-existent. However, there were three other tremendous auras.
One was as heavy as a mountain, one was as fierce as the wind, and one was as tranquil as the sea.
Each aura represented a bloodline legacy from a powerful lifeform, yet it happened to be that none of them paled in comparison to the phoenix.
Lolth well and truly deserved her defeat. She did not even know what she was up against!
This was utterly unheard of for Golden Cicada. It was impossible for him to be born like this. Merely obtaining one of these powerful bloodlines would have required extremely great luck.
He definitely carried a huge secret on him. He was a mere daemon who did not even know what the Nine Heavens were, yet he earnestly said he wanted to venture beyond the Nine Heavens. As it seemed, it definitely did not arise from conceit.
Golden Cicada did not know about the existence of the black ox, but he could vaguely sense a lofty figure standing behind Li Qingshan.
Afterwards, Golden Cicada directed his focus to Xiao An and immediately became stunned. The feeling of shock was much more intense than when Li Qingshan saw the phoenix feather. He murmured to himself, “Neither living or dead, formless and non-self.”
Golden Cicada had an extremely deep connection with buddhism, which was why he had requested Li Qingshan to retrieve the Chant of Deva-Nāga for him. Now that he saw the successor of the White Bone Bodhisattva, how could he not be surprised and shocked?
Sure, Li Qingshan and Xiao An were still very weak, but they were like tiny seeds. Some seeds could only grow into grass, while others had the potential to become towering trees.
Golden Cicada originally wanted to investigate the origins of their legacies out of curiosity, but now, he had instead given up on that.
The person who could plant these two seeds was definitely well beyond what his current level of cultivation could fathom. If it were not for the fact that he had already arrived on the edge of the well and could catch a glimpse of the world outside, he would not even be able to understand what they represented.
In particular, Xiao An possessed a strange and erroneous buddhist truth about her, completely divergent from all of his understanding of buddhism and even defying it. However, it also conformed to it perfectly, making it impossible to pick out anything wrong.
He absolutely refused to think too much about it. It would bring absolutely no benefit to his cultivation, but be detrimental instead.
To the other side, Li Qingshan held the phoenix feather, but he was unable to draw out the power inside. He tried using the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa. In his sea of consciousness, the figure of the phoenix spread its wings and produced a long cry.
In that instant, the phoenix feather exploded with light, enveloping Li Qingshan.
A powerful life force poured into Li Qingshan’s body endlessly. His flesh and blood rapidly grew and merged together at a visible rate.
In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan had made a full recovery. His scarlet hair draped down as he clenched his fists. Never had he felt so at ease before.
Whether it were the hidden wounds from Lolth or the residue from consuming pills, all of it had been wiped clean.
The phoenix feather in his hand had only dimmed slightly. Let alone the other uses, even if he only treated it as life-saving medicine, he would basically gain a few extra lives.
“You really have gained the phoenix feather’s recognition.” Golden Cicada sighed. In other words, that was four bloodlines, four different powers. All of them were the most powerful legacies.
Earning the “recognition” seemed extremely easy to Li Qingshan, but if regular people rashly used the power in the phoenix feather, they would face the risk of being incinerated to death.
Perhaps because it was for healing, or perhaps because the power in the phoenix feather was relatively mild, the spirit turtle had not reacted intensely, which made Li Qingshan overjoyed. He felt like he had found a door right when he had been driven into a corner. As long as he pushed through the door, he would arrive in a brand new world.
Li Qingshan was greedy. “There’s… just this one?”
“Hopefully you uphold your word soon! This is for your little friend.”
With that, Golden Cicada fell silent. A śarīra glistening with golden light flew out of the magma lake, landing in Xiao An’s hand.
Li Qingshan breathed out deeply. “Don’t worry, I hate owing people favours!”
Li Qingshan and Xiao An returned to the flooded Cobweb city. Lolth had already vanished, but she had been heavily injured and the web, poison suit, and poisonous whip she had gone to such great lengths to weave had all been destroyed.
It was probably impossible for her to make any trouble for now, and by the time she recovered, Li Qingshan would have climbed to somewhere higher already.
Xiao An took out a snail shell.
“This is Dragonsnail’s shell!”
Li Qingshan was surprised inside. In his eyes, Dragonsnail had already been relatively mysterious. Naturally, he seemed relatively powerful too, so Li Qingshan never expected Xiao An to kill him so easily.
Dragonsnail was powerful among Daemon Generals, but Xiao An’s strength approached Li Qingshan’s. Actually, if Li Qingshan wanted to kill Dragonsnail, it would not take him much effort either.
Moreover, Xiao An’s Samādhi Flames of White Bone had a crushing advantage in terms of destructive power over weaker opponents. Once the flames contaminated them, they would be done for unless they were Daemon Commanders like Lolth who could use their powerful and pure daemon qi to forcefully purge it.
Dragonsnail obviously did not have the necessary strength, so the Samādhi Flames of White Bone had frozen his soul, and his flesh and blood had been set alight. He did not last very long before dying.
In the end, he only left behind this snail shell and a daemon core.
Just like that, all three powerful Daemon Generals under Lolth’s command had died at Xiao An’s hands.
Xiao An placed the snail shell in Li Qingshan’s palm. Li Qingshan shoved it into his hundred treasures pouch casually, but he discovered he was unable to shove it in. Only after a close inspection did he discover the snail shell possessed its own space. It was like a large hundred treasures pouch with many items stored inside.
After Bloodshadow and Strongboulder had died, Dragonsnail took over, especially ambushing and killing powerful human cultivators. The spoils of the battles had been rather abundant, with many precious spiritual herbs obtained. Clearly, it was all because of Dragonsnail’s relatively greater intelligence, allowing him to plan and scheme very far into the future, but now, Li Qingshan benefited from it instead.
Dragonsnail might have been a wiser one among the daemons, but he could neither disobey Lolth’s orders, nor was he Xiao An’s opponent. Before absolute strength, resourcefulness often seemed useless.
“The snail shell should be a good material for forging artifacts.”
Having dealt with a great problem bothering him and obtaining the phoenix feather he had been yearning the entire time, Li Qingshan was completely satisfied. Now, he needed to find a way to completely refine the phoenix feather and merge with it so that he could reach the first layer of the Phoenix Transformation.
He also had to continue expanding his water territory. If it were not for the Water God Seal today, he would have never been able to deal with Lolth even if he worked with Xiao An. As a matter of fact, he would have faced the danger of running out of daemon qi and being killed instead.
Li Qingshan and Xiao An followed the underground river and travelled upstream, arriving in Moon Court lake, only to discover his dwelling was currently under attack.
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Chapter 521 – The Lord of Thunder and the God of Water
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Chapter 521 – The Lord of Thunder and the God of Water
Li Qingshan immediately raised his eyebrows. Just who was out of their minds and bold enough to come make trouble in his territory?
The curtain of night was heavy. Enveloped in dark clouds, the sound of thunder boomed constantly as the world flickered.
A familiar figure stood in the sky criss-crossed with lightning. His shabby priest robes ruffled despite the absence of wind, and electricity crackled on him as if a god of lightning had come down to the mortal realm.
Was that not Zhou Tong?
This old daoist priest has already undergone the heavenly tribulation! Li Qingshan thought. He looked at the sky again and discovered that Zhou Tong was not alone. A Soaring Dragon ship docked in the sea of clouds.
Standing on the deck were the various school leaders with Liu Zhangqing at the front.
Huge cannons erupted with streaks of light, barraging against the formation and making it flicker. It was on the verge of shattering.
During the time Li Qingshan refined the Watermirror disc, Zhou Tong had refined his Lightning Slaughter wooden sword again and finally taken the step, condensing a “Divine Lightning pearl”, which was the so-called Golden Core realm.
After resting up slightly, the first thing he did was come for revenge.
Seeing how they had a Golden Core cultivator at the lead now, the Academy of the Hundred Schools riled up in confidence too. They brought out the Soaring Dragon ship that the school of Mohism had spent many years building to provide assistance.
Liu Zhangqing’s face flickered due to the lightning. He also wanted to take back his Watermirror disc, so he glanced down at the Moon Court dwelling urgently, but after some consideration, he said to Juechenzi on the side.
“Juechenzi, looks like the moon demon really isn’t here. You should convince your master to hold back a little once he gets through the formation so that he doesn’t cause wanton massacre.”
The war had died down after so much difficulty, but even when the moon demon possessed the upper hand in the past, he had never hunted them down. If Zhou Tong wanted to vent, then so be it, but if this would lead to war again, then he would rather go without the Watemirror disc.
It was exactly because of this that they had remained on the sidelines. Otherwise, if they used the Dragon’s Roar with the main cannon on the Soaring Dragon ship, the Moon Court dwelling would have been destroyed a long time ago.
Hua Chengzan said, “Yeah. Even if the moon demon comes, all we need him to do is hand over the Watermirror disc and have him leave Moon- Clear Court lake.”
Juechenzi was troubled. “About this… master is having quite the time right now…”
“You don’t need to tell me that. I obviously know. I want to force out the moon demon so that he can fight me again. When that happens, none of you are permitted to interfere. This old priest will beat him until he begs for mercy. If he hands over the Watermirror disc obediently and leaves Moon Court lake, so what if I spare his life?”
Zhou Tong’s voice boomed out like thunder, reaching the Soaring Dragon ship. He had a violent temper, but he kept a clear record of his debts. He also knew the moon demon had held back before, so he obviously refused to stoop even lower than a daemon.
“Ox-nose, those are some big words! Just whose life do you plan on sparing?”
A violent bellow erupted from the lake, drowning out the wind and thunder in the air. Li Qingshan stood with his arms behind his back, gazing at the sky. His scarlet hair drifted in the wind, blazing like fire.
Zhou Tong’s eyes lit up, and he pointed the Lightning Slaughter sword at Li Qingshan. He bellowed out thunderously, “Wretched daemon, you’ve finally found the courage to come out. Are you bold enough to face me in battle?”
The lightning gathered together on Zhou Tong, making him blaze and flicker. He seemed like a sun conjured from lightning, continuing to absorb electricity from the cloud layer and becoming larger and larger such that it became visible even from five hundred kilometers away, possessing terrifying destructive power.
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. “I think you just don’t want to keep that stupid sword of yours anymore! You’ve brought it to me for roasting chicken!”
Their voices were grand and resounding, echoing through the surroundings like a conversation between two gods.
Li Qingshan hit a sore spot with that. Zhou Tong’s expression changed. “Alright, wretched daemon. Looks like you won’t feel despair until you face death.”
“Alright, old priest. Looks like you won’t give up until you see roast chicken. I can see you’ve reached Golden Core, but so what? Rain, clouds, thunder, and lightning, disperse!”
Suddenly, Li Qingshan extended his hands and pulled them apart like he had grabbed something.
A rip abruptly appeared in the dark clouds that spanned the sky. Like the slowly-unfolding curtains of a stage, they revealed the sky full of stars and the crescent moon.
Moonlight enveloped the Soaring Dragon ship. All the cultivators were stunned, and their faces had become pale-white from the moonlight.
This power was basically beyond belief. It was not something a Daemon General could possess. It almost resembled how Gu Yanying had carved out a battlefield in the sky back then.
Hua Chengzan said, “That might be the power of a water god. The moon demon might not have undergone the heavenly tribulation, but he’s become stronger too. This battle probably won’t be easy.”
However, the other cultivators were rather convinced. No matter how powerful the moon demon was, he was only a Daemon General. How could he be the opponent of a Golden Core cultivator?
Zhou Tong immediately lost his geographical advantage, unable to absorb the power of lightning from the clouds anymore. His expression became stern. He pointed out and channeled with the Lightning Slaughter sword in his hand.
The lightning that resembled a scorching sun, illuminating the surrounding region, suddenly flashed, turning the world white.
By the time everyone recovered, all that remained in their vision was the trace of a jagged bolt of lightning. Who could dodge something that moved so fast?
A huge hole had appeared on the surface of Moon Court lake, stretching over a hundred meters across. Not only had the lake water evaporated, but even the rock below had melted. Who could contend with such power?
However, Li Qingshan managed to dodge in the moment the bolt of lightning fell. He unfurled his wings of wind and turned into a scarlet streak of light, piercing into the sky.
Lightning blazed and crackled. Even the cultivators on the Soaring Dragon ship struggled to keep their eyes open.
No matter how fast the moon demon was, he could not be faster than lightning. No one could escape an attack like that. And, a casual strike from the current Zhou Tong was stronger than all of his full-powered attacks that summoned the heavenly lightning in the past. He only needed a single strike to decide the battle. This was the great power of a Golden Core cultivator!
However, they discovered very soon that they were wrong! The moon demon’s figure flew freely between the lightning, turning, darting about, and soaring. He was like a divine bird that clashed with lightning, yet not a single bolt of lightning was actually able to hit him.
Zhou Tong was surprised as well. “That’s impossible!”
Li Qingshan opened his eyes. The flashing trajectories of lightning appeared in them, but these flashed had not been left behind after the lightning had struck. Instead, they came from before the lightning erupted. Otherwise, even with the wings of wind’s speed, he would still seem slow if he tried competing with lightning.
It was possible to say that if the opponent dodged the moment Zhou Tong struck, they were basically too late already.
In the past, in order to unleash lightning with enough power, Zhou Tong had to perform a series of ritualistic daoist gestures and go to quite some lengths, which gave the opponent time to dodge beforehand.
Now, a casual strike of his possessed startling power, and it would be endless. This was what made lightning terrifying. As someone who practised the Divine Heaven Method of Lightning Wielding, Zhou Tong did indeed have the strength to strut around proudly.
Although he had only just undergone the second tribulation, he could probably look down on all early Golden Core cultivators already. When it came to a real battle to the death, even some mid Golden Core cultivators would not necessarily be his opponent.
However, Li Qingshan used the power of the spirit turtle to peer into that moment of the future. In the blink of an eye, he approached Zhou Tong. No matter how powerful a cultivator’s techniques were, their feeble bodies were still their greatest weakness.
“Be careful, senior Zhou!”
“Hmph, I’ve been waiting for this!” Zhou Tong suddenly slammed his hand against the scorching sun of lightning before him.
Boom!
In that moment, countless bolts of lightning were released like a wild dance of silver snakes, weaving into a net of electricity together with an unbelievably loud clap of thunder.
Even the cultivators on the Soaring Dragon ship high in the sky felt their ears buzz, becoming mildly stunned.
Although they clearly knew Zhou Tong stood on their side, they could not help but become overwhelmed with shock and horror. The interwoven net of electricity was a zone of death. If they fell in there, no matter how many Foundation Establishment cultivators there were, there would only be death for everyone.
Li Qingshan had already responded a moment earlier. However, even though he could see the trajectories of the lightning, he was unable to dodge in the dense net of electricity. Originally, he planned on unleashing the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell to block forcefully, but he suddenly thought of something and waved his hand.
Pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell assembled into a huge mirror. He unleashed two abilities of the spirit turtle simultaneously.
The violent lightning landed on the mirror, and most of it was reflected.
Li Qingshan stood behind the mirror, completely unscathed. He thought, The effectiveness of this move seems to be limited in close combat, but it seems to be quite effective against techniques, particularly against the flashing lightning from Zhou Tong.
Zhou Tong’s eyes widened immediately. Having undergone the second heavenly tribulation, not only did he condense a Divine Lightning pearl, but the Lightning Slaughter sword had become even more powerful after being further forged in the heavenly tribulation, yet his attacks had actually been blocked so easily.
It had not been easy at all for Li Qingshan. Although the reflection seemed to triumph over Zhou Tong’s lightning, it took a great toll on his mind to maintain the mirror. His daemon qi plummeted as well.
Normally, he would consider retreating, but he was right above Moon Court lake, so there was no need for him to fear a consumption of daemon qi at all. Taking advantage of Zhou Tong’s shock, he flew much closer.
He extended his hand when he was still thirty meters away from Zhou Tong. His arm suddenly swelled up and lengthened, turning into a huge, pitch-black limb that loomed over Zhou Tong’s head.
Zhou Tong erupted with lightning, and Li Qingshan felt like he had been electrocuted. There was severe pain, followed by a feeling of numbness that spread through his body. His movements slowed down, but he gritted his teeth and continued to reach down.
A bolt of lightning flew through his fingertips. Zhou Tong’s figure changed drastically as the lightning weaved together into the figure of the Lord of Thunder, holding a mallet in one hand and a chisel in the other. He had finally unleashed the ultimate move he had never managed to use in the past that he could now use at will. It was much clearer too, almost tangible.
Zhou Tong roared out furiously, “With the hellish might of gods, the Lord of Thunder strikes the daemon!”
Boom!
The Lord of Thunder struck his mallet against his chisel, and a bolt of lightning shot out, shining with a vague violet colour.
Li Qingshan knew he was unable to reflect this ultimate move. With a flap of his wings of wind, he dodged beforehand, but the trajectory of the lightning suddenly changed, piercing through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell viciously and striking his body.
Li Qingshan shuddered all over. He actually lost control over his body at that moment. The wings of wind shattered as he directly fell towards Moon Court lake.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
How could Zhou Tong let such a fantastic opportunity slip by? He unfurled a pair of lightning wings and took off in pursuit. The Lord of Thunder constantly struck the chisel of lightning in his hand as bolts of violet lightning landed on Li Qingshan again and again.
The lightning would rip apart the daemon qi Li Qingshan had just gathered, and his body had become completely numb from the electricity. He entered a state where he was unable to put up any resistance.
Clashing with a Golden Core cultivator really is very dangerous! It’s also so unpredictable. Just the slightest carelessness might cost me my life.
The Water God Seal in Li Qingshan’s body produced ripples of light, which reached the edge of Moon Court lake in the blink of an eye.
The peaceful lake water suddenly began to bubble.
Swoosh!
A streak of water rose up from the centre of the lake like an upside down waterfall, directly charging into the sky and turning into a colossal hand that swung towards Zhou Tong.
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Chapter 522 – The Broken Sword, the Pill, and the Choice
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Chapter 522 – The Broken Sword, the Pill, and the Choice
The intense battle over Moon Court lake had alarmed all the settlements in its surroundings.
In particular, the fishermen who lived on their boats suddenly felt like they were in free fall. They darted into their cabins in fear and surprise, only to see the surface of the lake had suddenly fallen by a feet. A colossal hand composed of water reached into the air from the centre of the lake.
“Grandfather lake god is angry!”
Shock and fear was written across all of their faces. Someone bellowed out with that and everyone dropped to their knees, constantly lowering their heads.
On a small, stone bridge near the shore, a person stood alone as his green student’s robes drifted in the air.
Fu Qingjin pressed his hand against his sword and stared ahead. “Northmoon, have you already become like this?”
A few months ago, deep into autumn, on Benevolence island, by the Lake of Dragons and Snakes.
A lonely figure held a broken sword, sitting on the shore alone. There was no Green Ruins Illusion, nor was there a dangling thread.
“Why’s this Fu Qingjin acting like he’s lost his wits!?” Hua Chenglu arrived on Benevolence island to check on a Hawkwolf guard who had been injured during a mission. She spotted Fu Qingjin’s figure from afar.
Yu Zijian said, “Shh, Chenglu, be quieter. Don’t let him hear you.”
The conversation reached his ears clearly, but he behaved like he had not heard it at all. He stared at the severed edge of the Green Ruins sword. What had been severed was not just the edge, but all connections with the outside world.
The Daemon Suppression alliance had already become a matter of the past. Gradually, no one visited him anymore.
The Sword Collection palace neither punished him nor called him back. He only received two distant words from his master. “Take care.” It was two simple words, yet it left him stumped no matter how hard he thought about it.
His wounds had recovered a long time ago, but he had no idea where to go, so he simply stayed here. He remained in this foreign land like a lone soul.
“You don’t have a line, so how are you going to fish?”
The sound of footsteps grew closer and a voice rang. It was Yu Zijian. Fu Qingjin did not turn around, nor did he answer her.
In the past, he had once believed fate bound him to this young girl because of the Green Ruins sword. Now that the sword was broken, the tie no longer existed. No matter how he looked at her, she was merely a regular woman. Perhaps she really did have the talent to inherit the Violet Clouds sword, but what did that have to do with him?
Yu Zijian remembered how she was like in the past and let out a faint sigh, but her gaze had never been so calm and distant before. She asked a question, “Is this sword really that important to you?”
Fu Qingjin remained as silent as a rock.
“Zijian, let’s go!”
“Coming!” Yu Zijian turned around and answered. Then she said to Fu Qingjin, “Someone had once told me that dilemmas will always exist in the world, and we always have to make choices. Nothing is perfect.”
It was a simple word of advice, but it shot through Fu Qingjin’s head like inspiration. The hand that held his sword trembled slightly. Only after Yu Zijian had left did he mutter with a voice that only he could hear.
“Nothing is perfect. All glory will be reduced to ruins at the end of the day!”
His master’s voice rang out beside his ear again.
“Qingjin, do you know about the origins of this Green Ruins sword? Our Sword Collection palace had a senior who was originally the monarch of a kingdom. Of course, Great Xia did not exist back then. The nine provinces were still littered with various kingdoms. In order to deal with the threat of an enemy kingdom, he went out in search of help, accidentally entering an immortal’s dwelling and obtaining an immortal’s legacy. He was utterly overjoyed, but by the time he left the dwelling, he discovered several decades had already passed.”
“His family and friends had all passed away, and his kingdom had already fallen to the opposing kingdom a long time ago. He wanted revenge, only to discover that the opposing kingdom had been destroyed in the chaos of war a long time ago too. He was filled with endless melancholy and merged this with the sword. That is the sword intent that the Green Ruins sword possesses. Endless prosperity will all be reduced to ruins one day, covered and hidden away by green moss…”
Fu Qingjin lifted up the Green Ruins sword and said gently, “Even you aren’t able to be an exception?”
The next day, Fu Qingjin left the academy. He passed by every single city that had been destroyed during the war, imagining their former glory. He seemed to have washed off the dust obscuring his eyes. The entire world had become different.
Day by day, the Green Ruins sword remained broken like before, but slivers of green light merged into it.
This time, it was not the sighs of the senior from the ancient times, nor was it the sighs of past masters of the Green Ruins sword. Instead, it was Fu Qingjin’s own comprehension.
After visiting who knew how many cities, he finally understood the Green Ruins sword was not actually broken. In that moment, the Green Ruins sword suddenly erupted with an unprecedented glow, and before he knew it, he was standing in the Green Ruins Illusion again.
A figure stood under the collapsed palace walls in the distance. He turned around and smiled faintly.
He was a rather dignified man. His appearance was very unfamiliar, but his expression was extremely familiar. His aloofness and melancholy had once appeared on his own face countless times.
Fu Qingjin smiled as well. He smiled very brightly, like before he had picked up the Green Ruins sword.
From then onwards, one of the Ten Renowned Swords of the Sword Collection palace became a broken sword.
Having retrieved the Lightning Slaughter sword after so much difficulty, Zhou Tong was cultivating in peace in his dwelling, preparing for his breakthrough to Golden Core. Suddenly, he felt someone touch the formation, and he frowned, stepping out of his dwelling.
“It’s you?”
Zhou Tong had been slightly angry already. Seeing the visitor, he became very angry. “Fu Qingjin, what brings you here?”
Fu Qingjin opened his hand. A violet pill rested in there.
Zhou Tong’s anger vanished. “That’s an Origin Spirit pill!”
Faced with the incoming hand, Zhou Tong snorted in disdain. With a wave of the Lightning Slaughter sword, he turned into a bolt of lightning and passed through the palm. He moved no slower than Li Qingshan’s wings of wind.
In that moment, an electrical current spread through the water from inside out, lighting up the huge hand. It collapsed loudly like a landslide.
This ox-nose sure is difficult to deal with after the tribulation.
Li Qingshan stabilised himself, and with a shudder, he dispersed the violet electricity. He exhaled deeply and gazed at Zhou Tong in the sky who resembled a god of thunder.
Their gazes clashed and sparks seemed to fly.
With a streak of lightning, Zhou Tong rushed down. The figure of the Lord of Thunder did not seem to be able to keep up with his speed. It fell behind and revealed Zhou Tong’s figure. Electricity crackled around the Lightning Slaughter sword, making the wooden sword of unimpressive appearance glow with blinding light.
Li Qingshan stood on a water dragon and ascended bravely. He clenched his fist firmly as the power of tremors constantly gathered without being released. A ring of black cracks condensed as if he could rip through the space there.
His ear suddenly twitched, and he swung his hand to the side.
The two of them rushed past one another. The lightning shot through in a straight line while the water dragon shattered.
A fist-sized hole appeared in Li Qingshan’s chest. He turned around and bellowed, “Again!”
Zhou Tong turned around. He was unscathed, but he was anything but calm. “Why!?”
“Why what? Stop wasting time, you bastard!”
On the Soaring Dragon ship, Liu Zhangqing said in confusion, “What’s wrong with senior Zhou?”
“Look at the surroundings of the lake. The moon demon was distracted earlier.” Hua Chengzan also experienced indescribable surprise, as well as a hint of admiration.
“Nothing seems to have happened at all, so why would he be distract-” Liu Zhangqing followed Hua Chengzan’s hand and gazed into the distance. He was unable to see anything strange, but his heart suddenly shuddered, and he understood what had happened.
When the lightning dispersed the colossal hand of water and caused it to collapse, it had created a huge pit in the lake, kicking up massive waves several dozen meters in height that spread out in all directions. More accurately, they were no longer merely waves, but tsunamis that would only appear in seas.
Fu Qingjin’s figure vanished from the small stone bridge, standing on a pier by the shore. He gripped his sword, ready to cut down the incoming waves, only to see the waves collapse for no reason. Only then did he lower the Green Ruins sword and gaze into the horizon.
Among the mortals’ cheers of gratitude for the lake god, Fu Qingjin’s expression became rather dazed for a moment.
The settlements on the shore should have been reduced to a mess, but they were perfectly fine instead. Clearly, the moon demon had split his focus to stop the waves during the clash, which allowed Zhou Tong to pierce him with his sword.
On the Soaring Dragon ship, everyone realised this fact. They looked at one another and had no idea what to say.
“Why did you receive my attack when you could have dodged it?”
Without a doubt, Zhou Tong had noticed it much more clearly than everyone else. He did not become complacent at all. In the past when he clashed with Bloodshadow, he had killed an entire city of people with a bolt of lightning. It did bring him some slight discomfort, but under the righteous cause of purging daemons, he felt no shame or regret at all.
But now, he was fighting for the sake of his personal grievance, yet Li Qingshan was instead willing to receive an attack from him in exchange for saving countless lives. Their identities seemed to have reversed. The concept of “purging daemons and demons” no longer seemed so righteous anymore.
“Because I’m willing. Cut the bullshit, let’s go again. You can just treat that as giving you a handicap!”
In the moment earlier, Li Qingshan heard countless calls and cries. Faced with the incoming wave, some people called out something along the lines of, “Save us, grandfather lake god!” There were also crying from children and women. As a result, he used the Water God Seal with a single thought and dispersed the wave.
He was no saint. If this really were a battle where his life could be determined by a single moment, he would have never cared about the fates of mortals. However, if he could save several hundred thousand lives at the cost of receiving a strike, the choice was as clear as day. He did not feel like he had done anything good.
“Forget it. You’ve received a strike from me, so our grievances are settled with that!”
There was nothing else Zhou Tong could say. Suddenly, he let out a deep sigh and turned into a bolt of lightning, flying off on his sword. He arrived on the Soaring Dragon ship. “Sir Liu, this battle is pointless. I will find a way to make it up to you regarding the Watermirror disc.”
If they continued fighting and Li Qingshan had to receive more injuries for the sake of the people near the shore, he really could not afford to embarrass himself like that. Speaking of which, it was not like he was the Marquis of Ruyi. So what if the moon demon had occupied this region of water to cultivate in? What did that have to do with him? Having reached Golden Core, he had already leapt out of the game of chess. There was no need for him to behave like how others wanted him to behave anymore. As for those who stood at the very top, it was not like regular people knew what they wanted anyway.
“As you wish, senior.”
Liu Zhangqing clasped his hands before issuing an order. The Soaring Dragon ship turned around and flew off towards the academy. Basically everyone let out a sigh of relief. The strength Li Qingshan had demonstrated was simply too shocking. He could basically contend with Golden Core cultivators, and with a geographic advantage, even Zhou Tong might not necessarily be able to defeat him. This would be for the best for everyone.
From this day onwards, there were no longer any cultivators in the Clear River prefecture who were stupid enough to declare war against the moon demon anymore.
“What a strange one!”
Li Qingshan rubbed his chin. With a surge of daemon qi, the wound on his chest recovered rapidly. It was absolutely nothing compared to his battle with Lolth.
Suddenly, he detected a familiar aura. He looked over, and his gaze became extremely hostile, spotting the green figure on the pier immediately.
“Fu Qingjin!”
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Chapter 523 – The Game Ends
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Chapter 523 – The Game Ends
The wings of wind lifted him high into the air. The fierce wind carved out long trajectories over the surface of the lake. Li Qingshan arrived before Fu Qingjin in the blink of an eye, kicking up a colossal wave.
Fu Qingjin squinted his eyes. The splashing water dispersed as Li Qingshan’s figure with drifting scarlet hair appeared.
Everyone on the Soaring Dragon ship watched on from afar.
“Isn’t that Fu Qingjin?”
“With how powerful the moon demon is, regular Foundation Establishment cultivators aren’t his opponent at all.”
“It’ll be troublesome if a disciple of the Sword Collection palace dies here.”
“I’ve waited quite some time for you!” Li Qingshan sneered and strode over, throwing a punch.
Fu Qingjin did not dodge. He only said two words flatly, and the fist stopped before his face. The fierce wind blew away his black hair.
“I’ve lost.”
“What did you say?”
Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows in great surprise. Only after closely studying Fu Qingjin did he notice how he had changed. Although his appearance and attire were still mostly the same, he seemed like a different person in Li Qingshan’s eyes.
The change in his bearing could not be described with words, but if a description was absolutely necessary, then his condescension had vanished, and his constantly-sighing gaze had become clear and certain.
“I’m not your opponent. You’ve won this game of chess.”
When Li Qingshan dispersed the colossal wave, Fu Qingjin knew he had lost, and not simply in terms of strength.
“What the hell are the two of you doing? I only casually spared the lives of a few mortals, didn’t I? Do you really have to overreact like this?”
Li Qingshan pulled back his fist. He could not help but experience a feeling of, “I haven’t even shown you my true strength, and you’ve already been defeated.”
“How hilarious. Even a daemon can show benevolence. What have all my actions of the past been in comparison then?”
Fu Qingjin said in a self-deprecating manner. Upon breaking free from the influence of the Green Ruins sword and looking back at everything he had done, he found it all ridiculous. He was like a child under the influence of adults, forcefully trying to imitate the mature tone of adults, yet losing his most-important shred of innocence.
Suddenly, there was a wild gust of wind, and Fu Qingjin returned to his senses. A fist had already landed heavily on his face, sending him spinning. He smashed through several walls before finally coming to a stop.
“I don’t know what you’re saying, but I do feel much better.”
Li Qingshan clasped his fist, turned around, and made his way back to Moon Court lake.
Fu Qingjin laid in the fragmented brick and tiles in a bad shape and gazed at the night sky filled with stars. He said softly, “Thank you!”
Li Qingshan stopped. When Fu Qingjin finished, he turned into a scarlet smear and swept over.
“No need to thank me!”
With a boom, Li Qingshan stomped down on Fu Qingjin’s chest, immediately creating a great pit. Rock fragments flew everywhere.
Fu Qingjin coughed up a mouthful of blood and stared into Li Qingshan’s eyes. He raised his right hand and pointed at the sky. “Northmoon, your trouble is coming.”
“I don’t need you to tell me!”
Li Qingshan obviously understood. When one side admitted defeat, that was the end of the chess game.
There would not be any more rules that prevented powerful cultivators from interfering. By refining bodies of water, he must have crossed the bottom line of certain people. They would never simply leave the matter be.
When he possessed an absolute advantage, he did not make use of it to hunt down everyone; instead, he dragged out the game of chess and earned himself more room to develop.
Now that Zhou Tong had given up and Fu Qingjin had admitted defeat, there was no point in continuing with this game of chess.
Li Qingshan’s face became stern. “Then I might as well kill you and eliminate any future problems!”
“And what benefit would that bring you?”
Fu Qingjin smiled. He personally believed he was not the moon demon’s opponent, but after comprehending the true intent behind the Green Ruins sword, he was not without some life-saving measures. And, he obviously had made ample preparations given how he was bold enough to come to Moon Court lake.
There was a flash of lightning in the sky, followed by booming thunder. Zhou Tong said, “Moon demon, release him!”
“You…”
Li Qingshan looked at Zhou Tong before looking at Fu Qingjin. He sank into his thoughts. Zhou Tong had a fiery temper, and he never had a good impression of Fu Qingjin, so why would he specially rush over to save him now?
Looking at Zhou Tong’s expression, he was not completely willing either. There was a hint of reluctance.
Fu Qingjin said, “Senior Zhou has already agreed to become a guest elder of our Sword Collection palace.”
Becoming a guest elder of the Sword Collection palace brought extremely great benefits, and they basically had no responsibilities either. Even the master of the Sword Collection palace could not order them around without good reason. They only had to promise a single thing, which was to provide assistance when the Sword Collection palace faced devastating peril. However, as a large sect of sword cultivators with such deep foundations, the Sword Collection palace probably would not encounter something like that even in the next few millennia.
Coupled with an extremely precious Origin Spirit pill thrown into the deal, Zhou Tong had no reason to turn this down. The Sword Collection palace was not receiving the short end of the stick either. If Zhou Tong ascended in the future or fell in battle, the Lightning Slaughter sword that possessed extremely great potential would definitely be left behind on Sword Collection peak. Perhaps it might enter the ranks of the Ten Renowned Swords in the future.
Their further objective was so that the successor of the Violet Clouds sword, Yu Zijian, could formally join the Sword Collection palace. Having reached this step on the chessboard, Fu Qingjin had admitted defeat, but the Sword Collection palace had not lost.
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows before loosening them again. He had also obtained everything he wanted from this game of chess. He obtained a region of water that he could treat as a foundation, he had pushed all three transformations of the ox, tiger, and turtle to the fourth layer, and he had also found a way to gain a grasp over the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa.
“With how you’ve said it, I really am tempted to try it!”
Li Qingshan sneered viciously. His right foot suddenly turned into a hoof, and he stomped down hard. His daemon qi surged, turning into pulses of tremors.
Fu Qingjin’s body emitted rings of green light, enveloping Li Qingshan’s hoof and covering it in a layer of green moss. He felt his strength, daemon qi, and shockwaves all disperse.
Clang!
The Green Ruins sword exited its sheathe as half a broken sword, sweeping past Li Qingshan gently. The bladeless sword left behind a layer of green moss on Li Qingshan’s chest, and the feeling of powerlessness immediately seeped in.
Li Qingshan snorted coldly. He opened his mouth and spat out a gust of wind that collided against the protective green light over Fu Qingjin. Sure enough, it was rapidly dispersed and worn away, while his breath was endless. In the blink of an eye, the green light had visibly thinned.
No matter how deep Fu Qingjin’s comprehension of the Green Ruins sword was, no matter how profoundly powerful the Green Ruins sword was, none of it was able to change his reality of being a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was impossible for him to outlast Li Qingshan who had Moon Court lake as a support.
There was a bolt of lightning and the Lightning Slaughter sword shot past with a flash, severing the breath.
Scarlet hair drifted around, green light streak about, and lightning flickered on the pier. The three of them clashed, but all of them were holding back. Otherwise, just a few half-minded techniques and abilities would be enough to reduce the small city by the lake to a pile of rubble.
But a short while later, a streak of green light seemed to shoot away with the lightning following close behind, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Li Qingshan did not chase after them. After a moment of consideration, he turned around and dove into Moon Court lake.
Returning to his dwelling, Ye Liusu, Ye Liubo, and the night roamers immediately rushed over to him. Li Qingshan comforted them all before arriving in the small lake on the island, picking up the Watermirror disc, and peering at the image in the mirror.
He could vaguely sense that danger was currently approaching. He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible, and only then would he be able to keep this water dwelling, no, continue to expand his territory.
Perhaps he should return and investigate exactly how the Ruyi commandery had responded and whether they would send any people over to cause trouble. If the Ruyi commandery did respond, then they would definitely require his cooperation as the Scarlet Hawk commander.
Knowing thyself and knowing thy enemy makes you undefeatable in battle.
But upon further consideration, Li Qingshan did not rush back in a hurry. That would be too much of a coincidence otherwise. Even if the Ruyi commandery were to respond, it would not be that quickly!
Thinking like that, Li Qingshan sat down again in the lake, taking out the Water God Seal.
The regions of water could provide him with endless water spiritual qi, but they still required time to generate it sliver by sliver. After his difficult battle against Lolth, the water spiritual qi in the regions had already become much thinner.
If he poured all of the remaining water spiritual qi into his daemon core, it would be nowhere near enough. It would only be stupid. Daemon cultivation had always consumed massive amounts of spiritual qi, not to mention he practised something as powerful as the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine.
The power of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine would become greater the further his cultivation advanced, but the difficulty of cultivation would increase too. Breaking through to the fifth layer of the spirit turtle definitely could not be achieved overnight.
And without any suitable pills, his daemon cultivation was destined to slow down for a period of time. With that being the case, he would be better off cultivating in a different direction.
Li Qingshan placed his attention on his sea of qi. The spiritual qi in there was much more abundant than when he first established his foundation.
He had basically practised the Arts of the Boundless Ocean for two years now. Although he never placed much focus on it, he had never stopped practising it either.
Even though he would use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to enter a meditative state whenever he entered secluded cultivation, he would still divert some focus to this cultivation method. Actually, the amount of time and effort he had spent on his human cultivation was no less than regular cultivators, and the effects could be described as much better.
However, going from early Foundation Establishment to mid Foundation Establishment could not be achieved so easily. It required talent, it required resources, and it required comprehension. With the three combined, even spending a decade on the breakthrough was nothing surprising.
This opportunity just happened to be available for Li Qingshan.
The Arts of the Boundless Ocean had always placed a relatively higher requirement on the cultivator’s talent, but probably even the creator of the cultivation method had never imagined a person’s talent in the future would be so high.
After reaching the fourth layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, Li Qingshan’s body possessed the aura of the spirit turtle’s bloodline. His talent for water cultivation was so high that even many water exotic beasts paled in comparison. Using it for the Arts of the Boundless Ocean was essentially overkill.
Talent was not an issue!
Li Qingshan brought his hands together and pressed the Water God Seal against his belly. The Water God Seal that had always been both tangible and ethereal merged with the sea of qi, constantly gathering water spiritual qi.
The remaining water spiritual qi in the regions of water was inadequate for the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, but it was more than adequate for the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
Compared to daemon cultivation, human cultivation had always consumed far fewer resources, not to mention he was not making a major breakthrough either, and he had two years of cultivation as a foundation.
Resources were a small issue too!
The last part was comprehension.
This was probably a great problem to all cultivators. So-called bottlenecks were often caused by this one word.
For example, Hua Chengzan had been considered a genius of his generation too, and he had the supply of resources from his clan, yet just because of love, he was stuck at the tenth layer of Qi Practitioner for many years, unable to break through. In the end, he had almost gone to painstaking lengths before barely reaching Foundation Establishment. That was more than enough to demonstrate the importance of the word “comprehension”.
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Chapter 524 – Mid Foundation Establishment
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Chapter 524 – Mid Foundation Establishment
If cultivation was about fetching water, then talent would be equivalent to the water bucket. A larger water bucket would obviously lead to fewer trips. The resources would be the water. If the water could not fill the bucket, then it would be a waste of talent.
All of these efforts would be for the final objective of pouring the water into the water tank. Insufficient comprehension was equivalent to an incomplete tank. No matter how much water was fetched, it would all be pointless.
The matter of comprehension had nothing to do with intelligence, but an ability to understand. If they could comprehend it, then they would comprehend it. If they could not, then they could not. It would be useless even if someone explained it to them till their jaws ached.
Li Qingshan’s ability to understand obviously could not be regarded as impressive. At the very least, there was no way for him to compare with Xiao An. However, comprehension was also about luck. He had his own luck, which was this vast Moon Court lake. As the god of Moon Court lake, he could naturally comprehend the feeling of the “boundless ocean” to a certain degree.
And that was enough.
Talent, resources, and comprehension were all present, establishing a foundation. However, the Arts of the Boundless Ocean had another issue. It was a rare cultivation method that focused on both qi and the body. If the body was not tempered, it would be very difficult to use Ocean Wielding or unleash the true power of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean.
Li Qingshan’s body had already been tempered to the realm of Daemon Generals, so this was obviously not something he had to worry about. He cycled through the Arts of the Boundless Ocean again and again as the spiritual qi in his sea of qi increased bit by bit until it was full.
His sea of consciousness had also begun rippling indefinitely. After who knew how long, a rumble resonated through his head.
Li Qingshan had finally reached the fifth layer of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, reaching mid Foundation Establishment. He opened his eyes and felt his soul sense become clearer and more sensitive, and the spiritual qi in his body had become more and more vast.
“It’s time I went back and took a look.”
Li Qingshan called Xiao An and used the Invisibility technique, returning to the Chain mountains silently.
Large flakes of snow drifted down freely, coating the Chain mountains in a silver glow.
Right in front of the Qing Xiao dwelling was another perilous mountain. A figure sat with her legs crossed on a protruding face of the mountain. Yu Zijian was covered in snow, but her eyes were as determined as always.
The news that Zhou Tong had become a guest elder of the Sword Collection palace had spread through the academy. There were many disciples of the school of Daoism, but Zhou Tong only took her with him.
Juechenzi had to remain behind as the leader of the school of Daoism, and even if regular disciples wanted to follow along, the Sword Collection palace might not necessarily want them. As a result, she became someone that everyone envied. Not only did she have a powerful Golden Core cultivator as a master, but she could even directly join one of the powerful sects of the Green province. Heaven seemed to favour her as she climbed to the very top in a single step.
However, she did not leave with Zhou Tong happily and immediately for the Sword Collection palace. Instead, she left the academy and arrived before the entrance of the Qing Xiao dwelling. She did not knock on the door either. She simply sat there, and before she knew it, five days had already passed.
Countless rumors ran amok, but she was completely unconcerned.
She wanted to wait, to wait for him to emerge, to wait for an answer!
Fu Qingjin urged her to go to the Sword Collection palace as soon as possible; she turned him down. Hua Chenglu wanted to accompany her and wait here; she chased her away. Zhou Tong simply let her be, in absolutely no hurry at all.
“Zijian, what are you doing here?”
The formation twisted, and the door to the dwelling opened loudly. Li Qingshan stepped out of the dwelling and asked in surprise. He knew the matter of Yu Zijian accompanying Zhou Tong to the Sword Collection palace had already been set in stone, and he had no intention of obstructing it either. This was her luck, or perhaps, fate.
Seeing Li Qingshan, Yu Zijian’s heart quivered, and she stood up slightly. With a flash of white light, the snow on her melted away, turning into curling wisps of white smoke. She cut right to the chase. “May I ask if you’re Niu Juxia or not?”
“Of course not!”
Li Qingshan let out a sigh inside. Before he knew it, the klutzy, kind-hearted girl had also developed such a determined gaze, but his answer was extremely firm.
In the current day and age, there was no longer a need for Niu Juxia to exist. He would be better off existing as a memory in her head!
Yu Zijian smiled complacently. She smiled like a little fox that had managed to steal a chicken. It was slightly clear, yet also slightly relieved.
It made Li Qingshan think about when he first met her several years ago. He frowned. Have I given myself away? My acting should have been flawless!
When Yu Zijian lifted her right hand from behind her back, Li Qingshan immediately understood. The xiezhi’s horn shone in her hand.
“You liar!”
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose, lowered his head, and smiled bitterly. The lie he had upheld for all these years had been seen through. It really was quite embarrassing.
Yu Zijian’s gaze trembled. She suddenly rushed up and gave Li Qingshan a hug. “I’m going to be leaving. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, I believe you’re a good person!”
Li Qingshan was touched. Her thoughts had ceased to be as simple as the past a long time ago. Through his identity of “Niu Juxia”, she could deduce far, far too many things, but she did not mention it, nor did she ask about it.
“Go. Go do what you want to do and go be the person you want to be. Don’t be afraid of pain and don’t be afraid of sacrifice. As long as you make it high enough and far enough, there will be a day when we can meet again!”
Li Qingshan patted her back before pushing her away gently.
“Yeah, definitely!”
Yu Zijian backed away and glanced at Li Qingshan deeply again before turning around and taking off, vanishing into the snow.
Li Qingshan felt slightly melancholic. He laughed at himself for that and turned around, returning to the dwelling. He rubbed Xiao An’s head. “We have to prepare to set off too. I wonder whether Qiongzhi has succeeded with establishing a foundation.”
“Greetings, commander!”
“Commander, you’ve returned.”
Li Qingshan arrived in the office of the Hawkwolf Guard in Clear River city. All the Hawkwolf guards he came across along the way bowed towards him. Their gazes were rather surprised at first before becoming replaced by shock.
Only after Li Qingshan had walked past did they discuss quietly, “I haven’t mistaken it, have I? That aura’s… mid Foundation Establishment!?”
“That’s right, it can’t be wrong. I think so too!”
“Just how long has it been since he established a foundation!?”
“Looks like commander is also the type to hide his talent!”
If there were still people who were dissatisfied with his irresponsibility and tardiness, then this cultivation speed was enough for everyone to shut up before becoming completely convinced.
What were “cultivators”? The emphasis was placed on the word “cultivation”. As long as they could advance at an ungodly rate, then nothing else mattered anymore.
Li Qingshan arrived upstairs and saw Hua Chenglu standing beside the floor-to-ceiling windows in low spirits. He could not help himself as his eyes lit up. Hua Chenglu had truly inherited the fantastic bloodline of the Hua family. As she stood there, she looked quite like a saddened beauty. He approached her and smiled. “Girl, what are you thinking about? Where’s your elder brother?”
“Commander… you’ve already reached mid Foundation Establishment!” Hua Chengzan turned around and was also surprised.
“You sure have ended up pretty, girlie!”
“What girlie? And pretty, really?” Hua Chenglu curled her lip, objecting to how Li Qingshan described her. Li Qingshan might have been a Foundation Establishment cultivator already, but he did not behave arrogantly at all. She was happy to accept him as a good friend too.
“Don’t forget, I come from the country. It’s a pity I already have your elder sister Han. Otherwise, I’d buy some betrothal gifts and go to the Hua family to ask for your hand in marriage.”
Hua Chenglu’s face reddened. “Commander, you shouldn’t talk nonsense. Did you know that elder sister Han has already reached Foundation Establishment?”
“What! Where is she right now?”
Li Qingshan beamed with joy even though he had never worried for Han Qiongzhi’s safety. Foundation Establishment was as the cultivation realm suggested. It was only building a foundation for future cultivation, so normally, it should not have been too dangerous, not to mention she had someone as powerful as Han Anguo watching over her. However, hearing her succeed still brought him relief. One less thing weighed on his mind now.
“She’s still in the Ruyi commander. She’s remaining there to serve as a white wolf under commander Gu. Her post is even higher than yours now.”
“That’s good!” Li Qingshan nodded before suddenly turning around and leaving.
“Where are you going, commander?”
“To the Ruyi commandery, of course,” Li Qingshan said like it was common sense. In the past, she was in secluded cultivation, and he was unable to leave the Clear River prefecture. Now that nothing was stopping him, he obviously had to go and reunite with her.
“Hold on. Qingshan, you’ve emerged! Sure enough, you’ve made quite the progress yet again!”
Hua Chengzan also sensed Li Qingshan’s aura. He came out to take a look and could not help but experience a certain helplessness of, “I’ll just become depressed if I compare myself with you”. From the moment he had met Li Qingshan, he had never stopped advancing forward. If this continued, Golden Core would be nothing difficult at all for him.
Li Qingshan smiled. “I just got lucky, that’s all. I can see you’re close too.”
Hua Chengzan had always been a genius, and he had succeeded with Foundation Establishment a few years before Li Qingshan. In the past, he had been stuck as a Qi Practitioner for many years due to love, but it did give him an extremely firm foundation. He was close to breaking through soon too.
“Luck has never been a factor in cultivation. Though, you did miss another good show.”
“Really? Tell me about it.” Li Qingshan feigned interest.
Hua Chengzan told him about everything that had happened in the Clear River prefecture during the time he spent in secluded cultivation one by one.
“I think it’d be better to see fewer of these ‘good shows’. I didn’t expect the moon demon to become so powerful already. If he goes crazy, there’ll be quite the danger. I definitely won’t be loitering around near Moon Court lake before I reach Golden Core. Alright, I’m going to go. I’ll have to trouble vice commander Hua to continue with your efforts.”
Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan’s shoulder and was about to leave.
“Wait, there’s something else…”
Before Hua Chengzan could finish, a cold bellow rang out from the window, “To think such a timid and overcautious person would be worthy of becoming a Scarlet Hawk commander!”
When Li Qingshan first heard the voice, he had yet to sense the existence of an aura, but as soon as he had heard a few words, a small, thin, and tremendous figure had already appeared before him.
The small and thin was referring to his size. The tremendous was referring to his aura.
“Who are you? State your name!”
Li Qingshan shouted out, but he recognised this person with a single glance. He was slightly surprised. Wen Zhengming of Pine Sough academy! He’s come so quickly! Looks like he’s in a hurry to avenge his disciple. I really can’t leave even for a moment!
However, Li Qingshan had already clashed with a Daemon Commander like Lolth and a Golden Core cultivator like Zhou Tong, so he was not exactly afraid of this Wen Zhengming right now. He thought to himself, It’s not like I know this bastard. If I kill him, then I kill him. He should end up dropping some good loot.
Wen Zhengming completely ignored Li Qingshan. Hua Chengzan shot a glance at Li Qingshan and bowed politely. “I’m Hua Chengzan. Greetings, senior. May I ask where the other three seniors are?”
Li Qingshan bowed as well, but his heart lurched, Other three?! Seniors?!
In other words, it was not one person making trouble for him this time, but four. Four Golden Core cultivators.
What an occasion!
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Chapter 525 – Seeing Qiongzhi Again
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Chapter 525 – Seeing Qiongzhi Again
Hua Chengzan said in a hurry, “Qingshan, this is head scholar Wen of Pine Sough academy!”
“They will be here when they arrive. Give me all the information on that wretched daemon.”
Li Qingshan could not help but praise, How meticulous!
Four Golden Core cultivators would be facing a single Daemon General. He was outnumbering the weaker opponent by four-to-one, yet he still wanted to closely study any information regarding the opponent. He showed no conceit or arrogance at all. An attitude like this in itself was already rather terrifying.
It would be fine if he did nothing, but once he struck, it would be certain death.
Hua Chengzan said, “Please come with me, senior!”
Before Wen Zhengming left, he lectured Li Qingshan again, “You must live up to the responsibilities of your position. Since you’re a Scarlet Hawk commander, how can you only think for yourself and neglect the greater good of the world around you? You are to blame for daemons running amok!”
Li Qingshan said, “The matters of the world will obviously have people of the world to handle them. Now that the war has finally come to a close after so much difficulty, the common people require peace and contentment to rebuild their homes. If it weren’t for the sake of your disciple’s revenge, why would you have lowered yourself to such a level in the first place, senior? I just wonder how many people by the shore of Moon Court lake will suffer once the battle begins.”
“You are not worth my attention, boy. As long as daemons remain, the world will struggle to find peace. How can you only focus on what goes on before you?” Wen Zhengming said furiously.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Well said, senior. It’s just a pity that the lowly words of this junior carry little weight and my cultivation is low. Even if I go to Moon Court lake, I’ll only be seeking my own doom. Since senior has such a thorough understanding of the greater good, please do go dragon slaying in Ink Sea. I’m more than willing to follow along.”
He was basically implying, You’re just harassing the moon demon, a mere Daemon General, yet you still claim you’re purging daemons for the greater good? If you really come across an opponent you can’t defeat, won’t you piss off like everyone else? If you’re bold enough to risk your life with the Dragon King of Ink Sea, I’m bold enough to accompany you!
Though, once we get to a critical moment, I’ll definitely have to call out, Sir dragon king, don’t shoot! I’m one of you!
Wen Zhengming became even more furious. To think a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator was bold enough to speak to him like that! He held back his anger and snorted coldly, leaving in a huff.
Li Qingshan originally wanted to follow along and take a look so that he could learn a little more about what was happening. This was a matter of life and death, as well as a matter of his so-called pride. However, upon further thought, he decided against it. Whether he knew a little more about the situation or not, it was all the same.
No matter how they attacked him, Li Qingshan only had a single response, which was to unleash the spirit turtle’s special characteristic of patience and forbearance. With a “Spirit Turtle Holes up in its Shell”, he would cope with anything they threw at him with the same response!
With his current strength, dealing with a Golden Core cultivator was still rather difficult. Dealing with four basically guaranteed defeat. He would not even necessarily be able to escape even if he wanted to. A battle where defeat was certain was obviously pointless.
Hua Chenglu whispered, “Commander, you don’t even know him? Senior Wen is one of the four grandmasters of confucianism in our Ruyi commandery.”
The four grandmasters of confucianism!
Li Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat. The alias did ring a bell. “May I ask who the four are?”
Hua Chenglu explained it to him. As it turned out, Wen Zhengming was actually the weakest among the four grandmasters of confucianism. He was only an early Golden Core cultivator, while the other three were all at mid Golden Core.
“I never thought his highness the marquis would actually send the four of them together. It’s certain death for the moon demon this time.”
The Ruyi commandery was only a commandery, but the actual area it covered was even larger than all of China. They were truly worthy of the title of “grandmaster”.
Not necessarily, Li Qingshan thought. He said to Hua Chenglu, “Alright, I understand. I’ll be taking my leave first. If you plan on returning to the academy, I can accompany you.”
“Commander, this is something major to our Clear River prefecture, so how can you just leave?”
Li Qingshan laid out his hands. “I’m a measly Foundation Establishment cultivator. What right do have I to become involved in something so big? The sky has to rain and brides have to get married. What am I supposed to do?”
Hua Chenglu burst out laughing. “What brides have to get married… Oh right, commander, if you want to see elder sister Han, there is a way!”
“Oh? What way?”
“To think the Hawkwolf Guard has a place like this.” Li Qingshan stood in a room covered in inscriptions.
Hua Chenglu said, “This is our reporting room. It’s been specially established for contacting the White Wolf guards in the commandery city when we need to.”
The various rooms in the Hawkwolf Guard served different purposes. During the hand-over last time, Li Qingshan had only gained a rough understanding of a few relatively important rooms. He had only glanced past the other places. He did not know about how Wang Pushi had once reported to Gu Yanying with Chu Danqing about the existence of “Northmoon”.
“I see.”
“Commander, have a good conversation with sister Han. I’ll be taking my leave.” Hua Chenglu told Li Qingshan where to put in the spiritual stones before leaving.
The inscriptions lit up, and the figure of an envoy in black appeared in the room. He said politely, “Sir, what are your orders?”
Li Qingshan took in a deep breath. He had actually become slightly nervous. “Let me see Han Qiongzhi.”
Before long, a figure appeared before Li Qingshan, but she was not Han Qiongzhi.
Gu Yanying said leisurely, “Little bro Qingshan, long time no see! How have you been?”
“Commander Gu!” Li Qingshan was taken aback. This was the woman he had once fallen in love with at first sight. Even though she was only an illusion right now, she no longer seemed so unreachable. He replied with a smile, “I’m still living in good health!”
“Probably neither of us thought there would be a day when we can meet with our current identities back then outside Qingyang city!”
Gu Yanying sighed slightly. Originally, she found Li Qingshan slightly special at most, but never did she think he could grow to such a level and grow so quickly. Under his identity of a Daemon General, he had actually managed to clash with a Golden Core cultivator and force the Sword Collection palace into temporarily stopping their investigation of the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death.
“Yeah. I really didn’t think of that.” Li Qingshan sighed too. “Oh right, is Qiongzhi in the Ruyi commandery, commander Gu? Could you get her to see me?”
“Are you really that sick of talking with me?” Gu Yanying said with a faint smile.
“Hey, of course not. If commander Gu doesn’t mind, I’m more than willing to talk with you for three whole days and nights.”
“Great scholar Wen is with you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You best remind him that with regards to this rising star of the Daemon race, ‘that one’ in Ink Sea won’t just sit on the sidelines and allow them to do whatever they want with him, such as executing him.”
Li Qingshan was taken aback before remembering, So I also have an organisation, and I’m some rising star of the Daemon race too!
Without a doubt, the one who had been the most dazzling in this game of chess was him. He had directly influenced the progress of the war, even clashing with Zhou Tong at the end. Although it never developed into a proper battle, it still brought everyone great shock.
The chess piece that even left the chess player slightly surprised obviously attracted attention from everywhere.
As a result, the Marquis of Ruyi unleashed the “four grandmasters” right off the bat and scattered many backup plans across the board just to kill this genius of the daemons.
However, as Gu Yanying had said, would the Dragon King of Ink Sea really allow them to do this?
Li Qingshan suddenly came to a realisation. He no longer felt the situation was as bad anymore. He had never thought of this because he had fallen out with his superior, clashing who knew how many times in bed and out. He had never depended on Lolth assisting him.
However, from a different perspective, what went on between him and Lolth was merely internal conflict. Once human cultivators attacked, she clearly understood the principle of being in the same boat. As it seemed, he should contact her again. At most, he would offer up his handsome body again.
And that “sir Golden Cicada” in the magma underground—he should have been a prominent figure among the Daemon race too.
Once he got back, he had to properly investigate that fellow’s identity and origins. In the world of cultivation, “nameless masters” never existed. The stronger a figure was, the deeper their trace throughout history would be.
As Li Qingshan pondered, Gu Yanying smiled and vanished. Before long, a familiar figure appeared before Li Qingshan.
“Qingshan!” Han Qiongzhi’s voice trembled slightly. As she said that, her eyes became slightly teary.
“Qiongzhi!” Li Qingshan took a step forward, wanting to pull her into his arms, but his hands passed through her figure and only then did he remember it was all an illusion. He smiled self-deprecatingly. His nose tingled slightly too.
How long had it been? Four years? Five?
Even to cultivators, this was not a short time. He had countless things he wanted to say, but he actually had no idea how to start right now. All he could do was stare at her silently.
Suddenly, Li Qingshan smiled. “Have you prepared the dowry?”
“Not even a cent!” Han Qiongzhi bit her lip. She wanted to cry, and she wanted to laugh right now. He still remembered their engagement.
“This is all the information on the moon demon. His body is tough, probably close to the level of Daemon Commanders already. Coupled with the support from the god seal, the quantity of his daemon qi and his recovery rate probably even exceeds that of Daemon Commanders.”
“And, he doesn’t seem to possess two innate abilities like regular Daemon Generals. It’s possible that he has more than four, or even five. In particular, the wings of wind on his back allow him to fly with unparalleled speed.
Hua Chengzan retrieved all the information on the moon demon and also gave a rough explanation and analysis, outlining Li Qingshan’s powers, strengths, and weaknesses.
Wen Zhengming only nodded along, listening extremely carefully. Only when Hua Chengzan was done did he ask, “What about his character?”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve had a lot of contact with him. What is his character like? Is he prudent or conceited, crafty or courageous? As mentioned in the arts of war, attacking cities is inferior; attacking the heart is superior.”
Not only did Wen Zhengming want to understand Li Qingshan’s strength, but he also wanted to understand his character so that he could come up with some strategies that corresponded to his personality. He was as serious as when he studied. His grievances from his dead disciple failed to influence his judgement at all.
Hua Chengzan said, “That would be difficult to say. Sometimes, he does seem extremely conceited, but that is often when he has the strength to back it up. He’s not exactly crafty, but he’s not someone who would fall for tricks easily.”
“Then with his personality and strength in mind, what kind of strategy do you think will guarantee his death, commander Hua?”
Wen Zhengming demonstrated only modesty. None of it was an act as he asked for guidance from Hua Chengzan who was only an early Foundation Establishment cultivator with great seriousness.
“With senior’s learnedness and ability, this junior dares not demonstrate his incompetence.” Hua Chengzan took a step back and bowed.
“Even among any three people, I can learn something from at least one of them. I am but a bookworm. I am not skilled in the arts and stratagem of war. I’ve heard how commander Hua is highly resourceful, so please do give me guidance.”
Wen Zhengming brought his hands together and his huge sleeves fluttered in the air, performing a great, formal, confucian bow of seeking knowledge to Hua Chengzan. He was filled with sincerity.
A Golden Core cultivator bowing to a Foundation Establishment cultivator was like a person walking along before suddenly bowing to an ant. If it were not the fact that he was a confucian, if it were not for the fact that reputation no longer meant anything to him, even a Golden Core cultivator with the best temperament in the world would not do something like that.
“You treat me with too much regard, senior!”
Flattered, Hua Chengzan returned the bow in a hurry. He thought to himself, Northmoon, oh Northmoon, you’re really in trouble this time! If I had an opponent like this, I wouldn’t even be able to eat or sleep in peace.
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Chapter 526 – Ten Millennia is Too Short
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Chapter 526 – Ten Millennia is Too Short
Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi told each other everything they wanted to say and agreed on a time to meet again. Only then did Li Qingshan leave the room reluctantly. A smile remained on his face.
At the same time, Wen Zhengming left the Hawkwolf Guard, taking off into the air.
A cloud hovered in the sky above Clear River city. If someone were bored enough to stare at it for a long time, they would discover it was different from regular clouds. It did not drift with the wind.
Wen Zhengming passed through the cloud. A huge Soaring Dragon ship was docked in the cloud.
Shuffling about on the deck were all confucian disciples in the robes of scholars. Just the Foundation Establishment cultivators among them amounted to over a dozen, yet none of them engaged in any idle chit chat.
All of their gazes were focused on the three men dressed as confucian scholars on the nose of the ship, standing in the wind. When they saw Wen Zhengming arrive, a talented scholar in white clothes called out loudly, “Junior brother Wen, how was the investigation?”
“Don’t worry, senior brothers. I already have a plan in mind. This time, we can settle both the commandery governor’s task and Shancheng’s revenge.”
“Golden Cicada? I think I’ve heard it somewhere. It sounds rather familiar.”
Ru Xin fiddled with her hair and sank into her thoughts, but no matter how serious her expression was, she always seemed like she was joking around slightly.
She currently stood before a medicine cabinet. The tall cabinet behind her and the drawers of various sizes were completely soaked in a heavy medicinal fragrance, forming a bitter and refreshing smell.
As she thought, she controlled a medicinal pot, carefully brewing something. She would wave her hand from time to time and a drawer would open with a few medicinal items flying out.
Li Qingshan stared at her dazed expression and also became slightly dazed.
Ru Xin returned to her senses. As if she had just noticed Li Qingshan, she said, “What brought you here?”
Li Qingshan shot a vicious glance at her. “I- Hurry up and think!”
Ru Xin smiled. “If I’ve guessed correctly, you’re asking about a daemon, right?”
“Possibly.”
“That’s roughly a yes then. I didn’t think, I didn’t think…”
“Hurry up and tell me!”
Ru Xin laid out her hand and curled her finger. Only after offering up a sum of spiritual stones as the fee for the information did she smile. “Have you heard about the Seventy-two Daemon Kings before?”
At the same time, in the underground of endless darkness, eight eyes flickered with light, radiating with a heavy and dangerous aura.
A black figure drew closer unscrupulously, even richer in colour than the darkness.
“Mo Yu, why have you come?” Lolth’s voice rang out in the darkness.
“I’ve come to assist you under the dragon king’s orders,” a deathly voice said.
“I don’t need it!”
Lolth was rather surprised. As the most trusted Daemon Commander under the Dragon King of Ink Sea, Mo Yu’s relationship with the Dragon King of Ink Sea was like one of disciple and master, son and father. He was equivalent to the “prince” of the daemons across the entire Green province. His cultivation had already reached the peak of Daemon Commander. Even facing three or five regular Golden Core cultivators alone was no issue for him.
However, it was exactly because of his esteemed status and great strength that he barely showed himself to others anymore. Most of the time, he remained in Ink sea, cultivating arduously. He would never intervene unless it truly reached a point when it mattered. The Dragon King of Ink Sea was not lacking any subordinates either, so sending him over was rather strange.
“You have a daemon called Northmoon as a subordinate. He seems to be very impressive. Tell him to come see me.”
“Sir, are you the envoy of the dragon king?”
Li Qingshan studied Mo Yu. His appearance was nothing unusual, just deathly pale. He was draped in pitch-black feathers, which seemed like the rich, dark, night, radiating with a heavy feeling of ill omen. The ominous feeling was so heavy that even the spirit turtle would respond, warning Li Qingshan to keep his distance.
However, the powerful aura he gave off was enough for Li Qingshan to confirm he was a powerful support.
“You were the one who killed Dragonsnail,” Mo Yu said emotionlessly. He was clearly asking a question, but his voice was completely flat. He sounded like he was reading an obituary.
“Yes!”
Li Qingshan frowned. He scanned past Mo Yu and glanced at Lolth in the cavern. That was a terrifying spider that could make a person jerk awake from a nightmare before frightening them to death again.
“How dare you break the rule that forbids daemons from killing one another.”
“He wanted to kill me. I can’t just sit by and let him do so!”
“If it weren’t for the king’s orders, I would kill you right now.” He spoke with the same flat, stiff tone as if he was stating a fact. He radiated with a great confidence of, “If I want to kill you, then that’s your fate.”
Before an existence who stood at the peak of Daemon Commander, a Daemon General, even a rising star among the Daemon race who possessed great talent, was absolutely nothing.
“You’re welcome to try it!” Li Qingshan laughed instead of losing his temper.
“You want me to try it.” Apart from the moment at the beginning when their eyes met, Mo Yu never looked at Li Qingshan again. Now, he turned around, and his dark, hollow eyes stared straight at Li Qingshan.
In that moment, Li Qingshan could also sense the trembling aura of death, but it only left him even more unconvinced. He sneered.
He could sense that for some reason, this powerful reinforcement from Ink Sea demonstrated great prejudice and hostility towards him. Even his sheet-white, emotionless face was unable to hide it.
Li Qingshan met his eyes. “Yes.”
“You really are accustomed to talking wildly. Looks like you’re very confident, and you don’t need my assistance.”
“I don’t need anyone’s assistance,” Li Qingshan said proudly. Since it was obvious Mo Yu did not take a liking to him, he would not warm up to him and try to please him either. He would not seek help from him.
Mo Yu smiled. The corner of his lips curled up at first before stretching to a startling width. It was like an eerie smile painted on a mask. The ominous feeling grew heavier. He stared at Li Qingshan and spoke like he was making a declaration.
“You will die.”
The black feathers suddenly expanded, and he vanished. Only a clump of darkness that twisted and collapsed like a dark hole sucked Mo Yu away, distorting, shrinking, and vanishing.
Li Qingshan originally planned on relying on this relationship, but now all that was left was a bad taste in his mouth like he had just eaten a fly. He no longer considered forging an alliance with Lolth either, leaving immediately.
He refused to believe that he, Li Qingshan, would not be able to survive without the Dragon King of Ink Sea! Having grown up in loneliness, he would never consider placing all his faith in any person.
“Do you know why Mo Yu is so hostile to you?” Lolth walked out of the cavern and turned back into human form. She smiled bewitchingly as she felt very delighted inside. She wore a poison suit, but it was clearly much coarser compared to the one she wore during her battle with Li Qingshan.
“It’s obviously because of the wonderful words you put in for me.”
“No. Since you’ve gained sir Golden Cicada’s recognition, I can’t be bothered dealing with you like that.” Lolth’s hips swayed from side to side as she approached Li Qingshan, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I think you just find it humiliating!” Li Qingshan smiled as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist. Embracing such a delicate and seductive body should have been something that brought great comfort, but the parts of him that touched her immediately grew numb from the poison. The feeling began to spread.
However, she clearly had not had enough time to further refine it, so the venom was not particularly potent.
Lolth’s expression stiffened. Li Qingshan had hit the spot. In order to deal with a Daemon General under her command, a Daemon Commander like her even had to work with someone else, and the tables were still turned against her in the end. To her, this was truly a deep disgrace.
She touched Li Qingshan’s face and said venomously, “I will personally kill you. If Mo Yu becomes involved, then I won’t even be able to get a hand in this before you disintegrate.”
“And why’s that?” Li Qingshan was curious. He had never met Mo Yu before, so there should have been no grievances between them at all.
“Have you forgotten about what you said when you fought Fu Qingjin?”
“What I said?” Li Qingshan was taken aback. He recalled everything that happened that day and suddenly came to an understanding. “You mean Gu Yanying?”
Lolth smiled again. “Don’t you know Mo Yu’s identity? The Dragon King of Ink Sea spends most of his time in secluded cultivation. He’s basically the dragon king’s spokesperson, ruling over the daemons of the Green province in his place. If he says you’ll die, you won’t be able to live. If that’s the case, you might as well die to my hands. I can even let you have some fun again.”
“Even with his cultivation and identity, he still plays these games of fighting over a woman’s favour?”
Li Qingshan frowned. It was no wonder Mo Yu said he was accustomed to talking wildly. His confession to Gu Yanying basically came off as wild words of lusting after a woman he was not worthy of in the eyes of others.
He was not a romantic like Hua Chengzan, nor was he determined to obtain Gu Yanying. But at a time like this, it did rile up his fighting spirit. If I do end up winning over Gu Yanying some day, I’d like to see just what kind of expression this arrogant Mo Yu will have.
As it seemed, these games of fighting over a woman’s favour had nothing to do with identity or strength. As a matter of fact, it did not even have anything to do with lust and feelings under certain circumstances. It was purely a masculine instinct.
“Who do you think you are? Do you really think you’re worthy enough of contending for a woman’s favour against him? He just casually “took care” of you, and you couldn’t even withstand it.” Seeing Li Qingshan in dire straits, Lolth felt great joy too.
“He’s merely a slightly larger fly, that’s all. I’ll swat him to death sooner or later!” Li Qingshan broke away from Lolth and directly set off for the surface.
“Then you’ll be swatted to death by the dragon king!”
“The dragon king? If I were fated to be as useless as him, I might as well die right now!” Li Qingshan suddenly looked back.
Lolth was stunned. She was not loyal to the Dragon King of Ink Sea from the bottom of her heart, but she still felt respect towards this prominent figure of the Daemon race, the ruler of the daemons in the Green province.
Perhaps some cultivators hated the Dragon King of Ink Sea to the very core, but probably never had anyone connected him to the word “useless”. However, Li Qingshan showed absolutely no intention to scorn or insult him from his expression. Instead, he was extremely serious, or even somewhat solemn.
He was speaking from the bottom of his heart!
The Great Xia empire had been established several millennia ago and that was also when the Dragon King of Ink Sea became the ruling Daemon King of a region. Coupled with the process of regular daemons cultivating to Daemon King, his age probably approached ten millennia already.
Yet, the time the black ox had given Li Qingshan was just ten millennia!
As Golden Cicada had said, the nine provinces were like a well. There was an infinitely vast world up above and even further up was beyond the Nine Heavens.
If he spent ten millennia only to become a Daemon King, it would mean he completely failed. He would not have even completed half the journey. He would have let down all the trust brother ox had placed in him. He would only be a useless piece of trash. Even if he died, there would be no regret.
Ten millennia is too short. All I can do is seize every moment!
Lolth came to a vague understanding of why the Golden Cicada Spirit King treated him with special respect.
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Chapter 527 – Just Let Them Be
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Chapter 527 – Just Let Them Be
The thick clouds shifted northward, sprinkling everywhere they passed by with snow.
Heavy snow drifted across Moon Court lake.
“Moon demon, are you bold enough to face me in battle?”
A tremendous voice descended from above, rolling like thunder as it kicked up great waves.
Wen Zhengming’s long robes ruffled in the wind and snow. It was very difficult to believe that a voice like that could come from such a skinny and small chest unless one witnessed it in person.
He scanned the surface of the lake attentively and thought through his plan again. He would be responsible for issuing a challenge at the beginning and drawing the moon demon out of the lake before showing weakness and retreating in defeat, fleeing for his life through the air. In the end, his three senior brothers would join the battle, and the four of them would work together and cast the Sword Formation of the Four Seasons. The moon demon would then be done for, with only death as his escape.
The plan did not sound particularly complicated. It was just provoking and agitating the enemy, misleading the enemy with a false impression of weakness, faking a hurried retreat, before unleashing an encirclement of ambushes. They were all common strategies the school of the Military used.
However, plans were not necessarily better the more complicated they were. The more complicated a plan was, the more that could go wrong. The crux of the issue was still about who used it and what kind of opponent they were using it against.
The various matters of the past indicated the moon demon would always strike back viciously against challenges. He should have been the same this time. Once he began fighting, he would be stepping into a trap!
But a while later, heavy snow continued to drift across the lake, yet Northmoon was nowhere to be seen.
Wen Zhengming came up with an idea and arrived outside the central island. The island was shrouded in heavy mist that was as thick as milk. It was impossible to make out the island.
Don’t tell me he just happens to not be in Moon Court lake? These night roamers are all his subordinates. If I attack there, I’ll definitely be able to force him out.
Wen Zhengming pressed his hand against the hilt of his sword and became slightly more cautious. He passed through the thick mist slowly, but he did not sense any attacks, nor did he run into any obstructing formations. He made it onto the island as easy as that.
The scenery there was the same as before. The buildings rising and falling constantly, but there was not a single shadow to be seen, nor was there any aura. The entire place had been evacuated already.
Wen Zhengming never expected to run into something like this. After a moment of consideration, he informed his three senior brothers. Another three figures descended from above, kicking a few piles of accumulated snow into the air. After seeing the situation on the island, they also frowned.
“Junior brother Wen, what is this all about?”
Wen Zhengming said, “Looks like the moon demon is no longer here, and he’s evacuated all the otherfolk.”
“No, he definitely won’t just abandon his position as a water god. The Water God Seal cannot leave the region of water for too long. He’s definitely still in Moon Court lake. He probably caught wind of us, which was why he hid beforehand. We can’t be careless. It’s very likely for Ink Sea to send other wretched daemons to support him.”
“The plan is already useless. All we can do is take on a little more risk and search for him in the water!”
“If the four of us work together, what danger will there be unless the Dragon King of Ink Sea personally intervenes?” the talented scholar in white said proudly, “As long as he doesn’t flee the moment he sees us, we have a seventy percent chance at killing him on the spot.”
A mere obstruction of water posed no obstacle to the four of them at all. They were about to dive into Moon Court lake and carry out their search.
“Hold on, someone is spying on us!”
The scholar in white’s expression changed. He had the highest cultivation, vaguely serving as the leader of the four.
The other three sensed it too. Wen Zhengming said, “It must be Northmoon, that wretched daemon. Can we locate him?”
The scholar in white closed his eyes before shaking his head gently a while later. He sensed that the entire shoreline was spying on them. They were unable to accurately determine the moon demon’s location.
All of this was clearly reflected in the Watermirror disc.
Li Qingshan sat with his legs crossed and the Watermirror disc placed over his knees. He currently resided deep underground, within a twisted river that branched from the main flow.
The place was extremely well-hidden, but to Golden Core cultivators, they could still find him with their senses of auras even if he were hidden beneath the earth.
However, Li Qingshan’s body did not give off even the slightest aura. He had merged with the flowing water.
He seemed to have become a spirit turtle, diving to the depths of the seas. No one could find him and all the disputes of the world had nothing to do with him. He only waited for the passage of time, for the seas to be replaced with land.
Li Qingshan had practised the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression for many years now, but this was the first time he had behaved in accordance with the spirit turtle’s nature. He came to a slight comprehension.
The strongest aspect of the spirit turtle was not for battles against others, but pursuing good fortune and avoiding calamities.
Originally, he had been troubled over failing to come up with a way to deal with the combined attack of the four grandmasters, but now, he suddenly discovered that by taking a step back, the world was his. No matter how powerful the four grandmasters were, it would be useless if they could not find him. At the end of the day, they were the ones wasting time, not him.
Realising that, his aura became more and more obscure, basically ungraspable.
Even if someone with a higher cultivation stood right before him, they would struggle to sense his existence once they closed their eyes. Even if they used their soul sense, it would only glide past him and overlook him.
As a result, their first search was destined to end in failure.
Around dusk, they met up on the island again. Their complexions were rather ugly.
Moon Court lake was already so vast and the moon demon had dug out countless rivers and branches, with most of them leading to the complicated underground. Yet, they were unable to sense even a hint of daemon qi, so they were afraid to let any affluent slip by.
Even after spending an entire day, the four of them had yet to search through all the water. With such a wide region, finding the moon demon was as difficult as finding a needle in the ocean.
Moon Court lake was obviously not as large as the ocean, but the issue was the moon demon would not stay put like a needle either. He would not wait for them to come find him. Clearly, as long as they approached where he was hiding, he would immediately change his position.
As a result, even if they went over the place like a fine-toothed comb, it would all be useless.
And, in the water, their soul senses were already suppressed. If they ventured underground, they would have to deal with the influence of the underground magnetic field too, shrinking their searching range to something extremely small.
“If this continues, we’ll probably never find where the moon demon is.”
“The wretched daemon truly is despicable!”
Wen Zhengming’s face was completely sunken. Originally, he had come with complete confidence to purge daemons and avenge his disciple, but he actually ended up with nothing.
After that, the tip of the scholar in white’s ears twitched. He heard the unnatural flow of water near the shore in the south-western direction. He rushed over in a flash while the other three followed closely behind.
The surface of the lake for that region had suddenly become as flat as a mirror. A series of words appeared.
“You four big dumbos, you want to harass the weak and the outnumbered. If you have the balls, come at me one at a time. Watch as your grandfather Northmoon, skins you alive!”
Wen Zhengming conveyed secretly, “Senior brother, can you use this as a lead to find the moon demon?”
The scholar in white shook his head. Having become a water god, the moon demon had virtually merged with Moon Court lake. He could control the water here like it was his limb. With the statement alone, it was far too difficult to find where he was.
He came up with an idea. “Alright. Moon demon, I’ll come alone then. Let’s see what you can do to me! Junior brothers, please leave for now. I’ll try the moon demon alone!”
Wen Zhengming and the other two exchanged glances. If it were their senior brother, then preventing the moon demon from escaping for a moment or two was nothing difficult at all. By then, they could rush back and provide assistance. That way, they would still be able to kill the moon demon.
The scholar in white dove into the water again. An arrow floated before him to indicate the direction. He beamed with joy inside. The moon demon was conceited and battle-hungry. Sure enough, he was unable to help himself, wanting to clash with them. This was his greatest weakness.
He followed the arrow and arrived before a cavern. Another line of words appeared.
“Are you really alone?”
The scholar in white said proudly, “Of course. Just me alone is enough to kill you.”
The words dispersed with a ripple, turning into three words, “This way please.”
Under the guidance of the water arrow, the scholar in white constantly ventured deeper underground. As he advanced through the twisting and turning underground river, he was amazed by the complexity of the underground geography. If the moon demon had not revealed an opening himself, finding him truly would be difficult.
After travelling for a while, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss. He recalled the path he had already travelled.
Aren’t I going in circles?
At this moment, another line of words appeared in the water, “Are you certain you’re alone?”
The scholar in white gritted his teeth. “Feel free to check for yourself. What, are you afraid?”
“Then come!”
The scholar in white continued on his way until he approached the end of an underground river. An extremely spacious cavern appeared before him.
He contacted his three junior brothers, telling them to prepare themselves as he called out loudly, “Moon demon, I’m here!”
As he said that, he barged into the cavern. He blanked out. There was absolutely no one there, only a huge word that stretched several meters across, “Idiot!”
The scholar in white had basically spent two hours only to receive a single-word evaluation like that. No matter how shrewd he was, no matter cultured he was, he still found it rather unbearable. With a palm strike, he shattered the word “idiot”.
“Cowardly daemon!”
The water flowed rapidly and turned into another three words.
“Hahaha!”
Li Qingshan had not placed all of his focus onto Moon Court lake. Instead, he split some of his focus to spy on the four grandmasters, or use his clone to toy around with them.
His original body had already returned to the Chain mountains by now, contemplating how to merge with the power in the phoenix feather.
As the four grandmasters whittled away their time and found absolutely nothing, he was seizing every moment to cultivate in an attempt to become stronger.
He had drained the spiritual qi of the water regions with the Water God Seal recently, so now was perfect for giving them time to recover.
Li Qingshan had already grown accustomed to the ox demon’s resolve and the tiger demon’s endless fighting. Retreating to avoid conflict and hiding away had originally been actions he would take when he had no other choice, but only now did he discover the spirit turtle’s approach; as it turned out, it had quite the wisdom behind it.
Strong like the wind? Just let them be. I will be like the mountain they blow on. Insolent like the moon? Just let them be. I will be like the river they shine on.
TL: This is a poem that comes from the novel Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre by Louis Cha. It is the mantra of the Jiuyang Zhenjing, the martial arts manual that the main character, Zhang Wuji, practises. The raws actually do not include the entire mantra, so I’ve adjusted the poem slightly so it conveys the correct meaning. I personally think this is a fantastic translation of the entire poem, which is also what I’ve worked off of:
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/%E2%80%9D%E4%BB%96%E5%BC%BA%E7%94%B1%E4%BB%96%E5%BC%BA-%E6%B8%85%E9%A3%8E%E6%8B%82%E5%B1%B1%E5%B2%97%E3%80%82%E4%BB%96%E6%A8%AA%E4%BB%BB%E4%BB%96%E6%A8%AA-%E6%98%8E%E6%9C%88%E7%85%A7%E5%A4%A7%E6%B1%9F%E2%80%9C%E8%BF%99%E6%A0%B7%E7%BF%BB%E8%AF%91%E5%AF%B9%E5%90%97%EF%BC%9F.3725415/#post-19010673
You can read more about the novel and the martial arts manual here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heaven_Sword_and_Dragon_Saber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiuyang_Zhenjing
Over the next few days, the four grandmasters used various different methods in an attempt to find Li Qingshan, but it all ended in failure. They even tried using the weakest out of the four, Wen Zhengming, as bait to lure Li Qingshan into fighting.
Li Qingshan obviously ignored them. He placed all of his attention on the phoenix feather.
Three days later, the four grandmasters retreated. Even Wen Zhengming who was eager for revenge did not remain behind.
Golden Core cultivators had lengthy lifespans, but they could not be wasted away like this.
If they ran around wildly in the water like headless flies, then they really would be no different from idiots.
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Chapter 528 – I Found It
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Chapter 528 – I Found It
Before the four grandmasters had left, they destroyed all the structures on the Moon Court dwelling. They said it was to prevent the moon demon from leaving behind any foundations, but they could not help but treat it as venting.
The corner of Li Qingshan’s lips curled up. Their behaviour meant they had completely lost their patience.
This only proved the four grandmaster’s so-called assault of certain death and the so-called “You will die” said by Mo Yu was a joke.
Buildings could be rebuilt if they were destroyed. That was nothing.
The four grandmasters returned to the Soaring Dragon ship. Suddenly, they looked back and saw a line of colossal words floating on the surface of the lake, “If you think you’re so capable, why don’t you level Moon Court lake too?”
Anger surged in the scholar in white’s heart. His face reddened. “Let’s go. Moon demon, we won’t just let this end like this!”
Though, it would be rude to not reciprocate! You’ve made a mess out of my home today, wanting to kill me. If the opportunity ever presents itself in the future, I’ll definitely pay a visit to your places too. I’ll visit places like Pine Sough academy. By then, don’t blame me if I kill anyone I see.
Li Qingshan returned to his senses. His gaze landed on the phoenix feather before him again.
The phoenix feather hovered in the air, sometimes drifting up and sometimes drooping down, leaving behind a trajectory of scarlet fire.
After spending several days, he could already control the phoenix feather freely, but he was rather stumped about what to do next. Was he supposed to stick the feather in himself and he would be a phoenix? Surely not!
Xiao An stood up gracefully and her seaweed-like hair draped down.
Seeing how Li Qingshan had arrived at an impasse, she suddenly walked over, grabbing one of Li Qingshan’s fingers with her small hand and holding the phoenix feather gently between two fingers. She stabbed down, right into the tip of Li Qingshan’s finger. Blood oozed out before the phoenix feather immediately absorbed it, like a quill absorbing ink. Blood filled up the hollow shaft of the phoenix feather, spreading to every single barb and making them even brighter in colour.
But at the same time, a power poured into the wound, and the injury recovered immediately. The feather automatically activated its healing properties.
“This…” Li Qingshan suddenly felt his IQ was rather insufficient.
Xiao An grinned before returning to one side. It obviously had not been a wild guess. When Li Qingshan studied the phoenix feather, she read through large quantities of relevant material.
Li Qingshan scooped up Xiao An and kissed her forehead heavily. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you!”
At the same time, the four grandmasters returned to the commandery city of Ruyi. They reported to the Marquis of Ruyi in the governor’s estate.
As they waited in the guest room, they looked at one another and all felt rather dishevelled.
Before long, the Marquis of Ruyi strode over to receive them. He bowed first. “I’ve made you wait. So how were the results of the battle?”
A hint of awkwardness and shame appeared on their faces as they felt even more furious inside.
Their visit to the Clear River prefecture this time was like clenching their fists firmly only to punch thin air. Despite all of their abilities, there had been no opportunity for them to use it, being mocked by that wretched daemon instead.
However, they obviously could not mention that. The scholar in white clasped his hands. “Sir, the wretched daemon is far too crafty. He hid himself and concealed all of his aura. We were unable to find him.”
The Marquis of Ruyi blamed himself. “It’s because of my insufficient preparations that you’ve gone to such tremendous efforts. You are hardly to blame. I will send people for fellow Feng right now.”
The scholar in white eased up and smiled. “As long as fellow Feng divines for us, there’ll be nowhere for the wretched daemon to escape to or hide.”
This so-called “fellow Feng” was called Feng Buquan. He was Ma Buyi’s master and the most prominent figure of the school of Yin-yang throughout the entire commandery. Anything he said would always come true, and his word was basically prophetic. He was rather renowned throughout the entire Green province for his divination.
With the Marquis of Ruyi’s great power and influence, a streak of light flew over from the horizon before long, landing in the courtyard outside the guest room.
His eyes drooped and his mouth was slanted, hunch-backed and extremely disfigured. One of his eyes was even a muddy grey as if it was blind. He stood there in a twisted posture, eyeing everyone with his single eye. He said in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, “Marquis, why have you summoned me?”
He seemed extremely rude, even if he had no intentions to be rude.
The scholar in white frowned slightly and felt slightly uncomfortable. If it were not for the aura he radiated with, no one would have connected him to a Golden Core cultivator.
The scholar in white lamented slightly inside, This fellow Feng had been such a handsome figure in the past. Just because one of his divinations failed and he suffered a backlash from the heavenly secrets, he ended up like this. The arts of divination are truly far too dangerous.
The Marquis of Ruyi only showed more respect. He explained everything to Feng Buquan.
Cultivators skilled in divination had always been extremely rare, and those who could reach Golden Core were basically mythological existences. In the past, Feng Buquan had been a figure who could enter and leave the provincial lord’s estate as he pleased. Although he had fallen in status now, he was still not someone the Marquis of Ruyi dared to neglect.
Feng Buquan said, “Now that’s easy. I’m willing to venture to the Clear River prefecture with the grandmasters!”
The Marquis of Ruyi smiled. “That would be for the best. Once you kill this wretched daemon, you’ll have many thanks from me.”
When Feng Buquan heard “many thanks”, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he smiled stiffly.
The four Golden Core cultivators immediately became five.
As the marquis of the region, his family had governed the Ruyi commandery for several millennia. The ties and connections he had reached every corner of the commandery.
He could basically mobilise all the cultivators of the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He only sent Wen Zhengming and his three senior brothers because of the blood feud between the moon demon and Pine Sough academy. Sending four Golden Core cultivators to kill a single Daemon General could already be regarded as overkill.
If he wanted people, he could find ten Golden Core cultivators if he wanted to. As long as he spoke, even sect masters and elders of those independent sects would have to show some respect to him.
He had never considered personally taking part, nor did he ever doubt a Daemon General would have to die if he wanted him to die.
Wen Zhengming’s group arrived above Moon Court lake again. Feng Buquan pulled out a glistening compass from a shabby bag on his waist. The compass was divided into several rings, all engraved with strange glyphs. It began to spin wildly.
Under Li Qingshan’s control, the phoenix feather left behind wound after wound on his body. The wounds seemed to possess two invisible sips, being ripped open on one side yet closing up on the other, without leaving behind a single trace.
The phoenix feather turned into a scarlet streak of light and danced wildly around Li Qingshan, like it was executing him by slow slicing.
However, Li Qingshan’s eyes shone brighter and brighter as if he could not feel any pain at all. The phoenix feather shone brighter and brighter too. As it filled up with blood, the power it contained merged with Li Qingshan’s body sliver by sliver.
When it used up its final sliver of power, the phoenix feather had become blood-red too.
Xiao An reminded him. “The heart!”
“The Phoenix Undergoes Nirvāṇa Rebirth, with an Undying Heart!”
With a swish, the phoenix feather plunged into Li Qingshan’s chest, piercing his skin, flesh, and blood and into his heart.
In that moment, his heart stopped beating and fell silent.
Li Qingshan pushed the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa to the limit. In his sea of consciousness, the phoenix raised its head and let out a long cry.
The phoenix feather suddenly began to burn, turning into a ball of fire. The blood-like red was filled with powerful life force.
Burning out, transforming, reborning!
Just like a miniature cycle of nirvāṇa.
Li Qingshan’s heart also lit up with red light, shining brighter and brighter, right through his skin until a ball of fiery red was visible. A dancing phoenix could vaguely be made out.
Bang!
Just like the first clap of thunder in early spring, the rivers of ice shattered, and the world awakened again.
Li Qingshan’s heart thumped vigorously, transporting the mysterious power in the phoenix feather to every inch of his body through his blood vessels. It scorched like fire.
Li Qingshan could not help but stand up. As the power danced wildly, he raised his head and legs unconsciously, filled with a wondrous sense of beauty. He moved his arms like a phoenix flapping its wings.
His surroundings became filled with dazzling red light, illuminating the entire dwelling.
Only quite a while later did the red light gradually subside. Li Qingshan landed on the ground and clutched his thumping heart as he felt extremely happy.
A powerful life force filled his body. He was now confident that if he fought with Lolth again, he would definitely be able to maintain the upper hand.
With the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, he had finally refined the phoenix feather, now possessing a shred of the phoenix’s bloodline. Although he had yet to truly reach the first layer of the Phoenix Transformation, he believed as long as he returned underground and condensed the phoenix’s embryo again in the endless sea of fire, he would definitely succeed!
Right when Li Qingshan was about to set off, the spirit turtle’s daemon core suddenly responded violently. He immediately understood what was going on. Someone is using divination to calculate my position. Those old coots really aren’t going to let me go this easily!
Li Qingshan snorted coldly. He settled his mind and shut his eyes.
Under the eager gaze from four pairs of eyes, the compass spun rapidly.
Feng Buquan’s forehead became covered in sweat, but he was unable to find the moon demon’s location at all, The target should be in possession of a method to conceal the heavenly secrets!
As the spirit turtle dove into the abyss, no one knew where it was.
However, Feng Buquan refused to give up so easily, as he could sense the sliver of an opening in the target’s power, like a ray of light in the darkness.
Li Qingshan frowned. He had suppressed the spirit turtle’s power, which allowed him to refine the phoenix feather. As his comprehension of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression deepened, he had basically limited the spirit turtle’s repulsion as much as he could.
Normally, nothing about it felt wrong, but in an intense clash of heavenly secrets, it would show itself. His bloodline raged, and his daemon qi surged.
It was like a pebble in a shoe. It was not fatal, but it did feel horrible.
Xiao An held the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase and touched Li Qingshan’s forehead gently with it, practising the Cloud Bookcase of the Seven Lots and immediately patching up the opening.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He smiled.
The compass stopped spinning. Feng Buquan’s expression stiffened and his mouth hung agape, completely unaware of the dribbling drool.
The scholar in white asked in a hurry, “Fellow Feng, how’s it?”
As if he had been electrocuted, yet also like he had just woken up from a nightmare, Feng Buquan lurched up. He bounded around like a large, strange monkey as he called out madly.
“I’ve found it! I’ve found it!”
Wen Zhengming asked, “Fellow Feng, you’ve found where the wretched daemon is hiding?”
Feng Buquan suddenly grabbed Wen Zhengming by the shoulders. He gripped him so firmly that even Wen Zhengming experienced an ache of pain. He stared at Feng Buquan in shock, only to see a muddy tear roll out of his blind eye, while his good eye was filled with wild joy.
“I want to see her highness the Dark Queen!”
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Chapter 529 – Emerging From the Cocoon as a Phoenix (One)
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Chapter 529 – Emerging From the Cocoon as a Phoenix (One)
Many years ago, he had also been searching for a person and there had also been many thanks.
The clash of heavenly secrets, the entanglement of ties of gratitude and grievances, was like yesterday, still vivid before his eyes.
The person he was searching for was like a kite hidden within a sea of clouds, with all of their heavenly secrets concealed.
He had managed to grasp a trace after so much difficulty, only for a fierce gust of wind to bombard him.
The string of the kite snapped, hurling into the sky and vanishing for good. Originally, he thought it had already fallen to the ground somewhere, becoming a regret he was unable to forget or correct.
Never did he think that the obscure string would appear before him once again today.
If it were not for these deep ties of fortune, he almost would have forgotten it. It was exactly because of such deep ties that he vehemently believed he had not mistaken it.
This was the will of the heavens!
“Fellow Feng, fellow Feng!”
The scholar in white called out his name several times, and Feng Buquan returned to his senses. He wiped away the tear on his face. Under the amazed gazes of the four grandmasters, he discovered that his twisted spine had straightened out before he knew it.
“With how overjoyed you were, have you discovered the location of the wretched daemon, fellow Feng?” Wen Zhengming asked in confusion. Surely he did not have to cry with joy over something like that.
“The wretched daemon? Oh right, I didn’t. All heavenly secrets that point to him have been shrouded. I can’t predict his location.”
Feng Buquan secretly felt some regret. He should not have lost his composure like that earlier, even calling out “her highness the Dark Queen”. If an observant person heard that, the consequences would be unthinkable.
“I’ve let down the marquis and the heavy responsibility he’s placed on me. I am ashamed to return, so please apologise for me, grandmasters!” He clasped his hands. Although he was as disfigured as before, his straight posture vaguely possessed some of his past gracefulness again.
Feng Buquan drifted away. The four grandmasters looked at one another as they were unsure what had happened with Feng Buquan.
However, they could not return like this and seek help from the Marquis of Ruyi again. They would come off as far too useless. As a result, they began to discuss among themselves.
“The night roamers must have fled underground. Why don’t we go underground and hunt them down so that we force the wretched daemon to show himself?”
“Demons are all heartless. Why would he risk his life for a few night roamers? It probably won’t be that simple.”
The scholar in white said, “That’s fine too. There are quite a lot of daemons in this underground region! The spider daemon Lolth passed down orders to massacre cities. She’s a great threat who’s committed many sins. Even if we can’t kill the moon demon, we can still report back to the commandery governor if we exterminate all the wretched daemons in this region and kill Lolth!”
Under Xiao An’s company, Li Qingshan returned to the lake of magma again. The fire spiritual energy was most intense there, which had a very powerful suppressing effect on the spirit turtle’s daemon core. It was most suitable for a breakthrough of the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa.
The heavy smell of sulfur and the surging, golden-yellow magma formed a never-changing landscape, and the violent fluctuations in the magnetic field were alarming.
If it were not for their past contact, Li Qingshan basically would have never believed that Golden Cicada could remain in a place like this.
The Golden Cicada Spirit King truly lived up to his name!
Li Qingshan waited for a while. No voice rang out in his sea of consciousness, so he nodded at Xiao An and leapt into the magma. He did not use his daemon qi to protect his body. In a place like this, even mobilising his daemon qi had become difficult.
The scorching sensation of the magma against his skin ached slightly, but it was extremely satisfying too.
It made him think of the sensation of a hot shower. At the same time, a power resonated with his bloodline. This was something he had not felt the last time he came here.
Li Qingshan simply spread out his arms and laid on the surface of the lake. His scarlet hair dispersed as the flames swept over like snakes, licking his body.
It swallowed and enveloped his body very soon.
It formed a fire-red cocoon of flames.
The day when he emerged from the cocoon would be the moment when he spread his wings.
Two stone lions crouched before one another. The door was wide open as a few chilly gales whistled by.
A person arrived before the steps and picked up the board by his feet. He rubbed it gently and filled the air with dust, revealing the three words “Proud Sword Manor”.
Yu Shukuang glanced inside. After a moment of hesitation, he did not end up entering.
Because there were many caves that led underground around Salt Mountain city, daemons ran amok and heavily destroyed the place.
The prosperous Proud Sword manor of the past had already been reduced to ruins, and the entire Salt Mountain city had been reduced to a ghost city. No one lived here anymore.
Yu Shukuang had come back to visit a grave. He wanted to tell his wife that Zijian had already found a new home. She had gone to the Sword Collection palace to cultivate.
However, when he arrived outside the city, he was shocked. He rushed over to the grave.
The gravestone still stood firmly, but there was a great pit behind the gravestone. The coffin inside had vanished too.
The coffin had already been buried for over a decade. It no longer gave off any smells that could attract the attention of wild beasts or daemons. And, from the traces of digging, it was clearly the handiwork of a human.
Even if it were graverobbers, they would not take the coffin with them. Who would spend so much effort to unearth a person’s remains?
Yu Shukuang’s face sank heavily. He suddenly remembered someone. Ma Chaoqun!
In a cave, a Daemon General shaped like a lynx pounced forward. With a gust of foul air, it moved with startling speed.
There was a white flash, and the Daemon General had been beheaded. Wen Zhengming grabbed the daemon core casually and stowed it into his hundred treasures pouch.
The four grandmasters could not find Li Qingshan, but finding other daemons was far too easy.
Under the detection of their soul sense, even night roamers who were skilled at concealing their auras and carrying out assassinations were as prominent as fireflies in the darkness.
They immediately kicked up a bloody storm underground. Wherever they passed by, whether it was night roamer or daemon, only the fate of death awaited them. They could not even block a single attack.
After all, Daemon Generals who could challenge those at higher cultivation levels like Li Qingshan were far too rare.
“Sister, our scout has been killed!”
Ye Liubo reported to Ye Liusu in a hurry. Under Li Qingshan’s orders, all of the night roamers had retreated underground. They did not know who the four grandmasters were, but they did know the four grandmasters were not people they could stop.
“Continue moving underground!” Ye Liusu ordered resolutely. She took the lead and continued migrating with the night roamers.
The scholar in white suddenly stopped and closed his eyes.
Wen Zhengming asked, “Senior brother Tang, what’s wrong?”
The scholar in white opened his eyes. “There’s a great group of night roamers below us, around ten kilometers away. None of them have undergone the second heavenly tribulation. They’ve currently travelling downwards. There’s also tremendous daemon qi twenty-five kilometers away on the same level as us. It should belong to that spider daemon.”
“Which one do we go for?”
The scholar in white said, “Dealing with the leader first ensures a quick victory. Let’s kill the wretched daemon first and then crush the group of night roamers.”
Ye Liubo said, “They don’t seem to be chasing after us!”
Several tens of thousand night roamers travelled in a hurry through the caves. The winding group meandered like a snake, but they did not produce any noise at all.
“We can’t be careless. Continue downwards. With the interference from the underground magnetic field, finding us won’t be easy anymore. Afterwards, we’ll split up.”
“Split up? Won’t we just be taken out one by one?”
“The enemy this time cannot be triumphed over through numbers alone. Otherwise, master would have never gotten us to retreat beforehand.”
Ye Liubo said with worry, “I wonder how master is doing.”
“With what master is capable of, protecting himself won’t be an issue. Let’s move quickly!”
Whenever they came across a branch in the road, they would split up. The group scattered very quickly until only Ye Liusu and Ye Liubo remained together in the end. The surrounding temperature had already become scorching while the rocks began to glow red.
A droplet of sweat fell to the ground, immediately hissing into a cloud of white mist. Ye Liubo was rather irritated as she cut down the stalagmite in front of her with a swing.
“Damn it! Only if I were a little stronger!”
“Don’t say anything more.”
Ye Liusu was in a similarly bad mood, but due to her level-headed nature, she did not show it. She had just established a territory on the surface, only to be forced underground again and even deeper underground than before. She had only just united the night roamers under one banner, yet she was forced to personally dismantle them again.
“But master will definitely deal with them!” Ye Liubo said with full confidence.
“Yeah.”
Ye Liusu was not particularly optimistic about this. The surface of the Green province belonged to humans. Even Daemon Commanders could not move about freely on the surface. However, since she had chosen to depend on him, all she could do was believe in him.
There was a great rumble from above. The cave shook violently as soil rained down.
“What’s happening?”
“They’ve probably run into the Spider Queen. Let’s continue on our way!”
Li Qingshan curled up like an infant and lay in the huge cocoon of flames, awaiting his birth.
The surging fire spiritual energy condensed into a scarlet-red phoenix’s embryo in his body. It was covered in delicate, golden inscriptions, pulsing with light like it was a living creature breathing.
The rhythm of Li Qingshan’s heartbeat and breathing gradually synced with it, becoming closely related.
A thought suddenly crossed his head, Why does this feel like being pregnant?
But Li Qingshan soon discovered hatching this embryo was anything but easy. Probably even ten months of pregnancy would be nowhere near enough. It made him frown slightly. It was only the first layer of the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa, yet the difficulty had completely surpassed what he originally imagined.
The phoenix’s embryo constantly absorbed the fire spiritual energy like it was insatiable. According to the current rate of progress, even spending a year would be regarded as short.
This was not too long to a daemon, but the exact thing he happened to lack the most right now was time.
Suddenly, an extremely familiar voice rang out in his head. “I’ll lend you a hand. Get ready!”
In the depths of the magma, Golden Cicada watched this as he gently waved his tiny, tender hand. Great waves were immediately stirred up in the lake of fire as flames that were several meters tall flew towards Li Qingshan as fire snakes.
“Alright, much thanks!”
Li Qingshan was overjoyed. As soon as he said those three words, he could no longer spare the effort to talk anymore. He pushed the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa desperately, absorbing, converting, and leading the fire snakes into the phoenix’s embryo one by one.
The phoenix’s embryo devoured the flames happily, going from a scarlet-red to gold. The inscriptions on the surface became brighter and brighter too.
Li Qingshan was afraid of being careless. Just a single fire snake was enough to incinerate an entire city! If he lost control over even one of them and it erupted in his body, it could heavily injure him.
The fire snakes became more and more concentrated, wild and violent, but they did not exceed the limit of what Li Qingshan could withstand. It basically gave him a true demonstration of what a Daemon King was capable of.
After who knew how long, the lake of fire settled down again and fire snakes stopped flying out. The phoenix’s embryo flickered with dazzling light like a miniature sun. It had reached its limit.
Within the scorching flames, Li Qingshan felt like he was about to melt away. Suddenly, he felt his back itch. He pushed his shoulders back and two bones grew from his back, running into the barrier very soon and preventing them from spreading out.
He could not help but twist his body and swing his arms, punching the huge cocoon of flames around him.
With a crack, a fracture appeared in the phoenix’s embryo.
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Chapter 530 – Emerging From the Cocoon as a Phoenix (Two)
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Chapter 530 – Emerging From the Cocoon as a Phoenix (Two)
With a great boom, the cocoon of flames exploded.
Circular shockwaves pushed the magma away wave after wave, stirring up roaring fire.
Li Qingshan stood in the sea of fire. Under the red glow, his perfect body seemed like a statue forged from bronze. He kept his eyes closed and his head down as his fire-like hair danced fiercely.
Li Qingshan breathed gently. This moment felt like a new life.
This was the first layer of the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa.
“Congratulations on advancing with your cultivation.” Golden Cicada’s voice rang out in his head.
“Thanks. What else do you need me to do? Please let me know.”
“Save Lolth.”
“Alright!”
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and magnificent red light flowed through them. A pair of gloriously beautiful wings suddenly unfurled behind him.
They were not wings composed from energy like the wings of wind. Instead, they were real wings, the wings of a phoenix.
Fire swept towards him. He bent over slightly, and the wings furled up too. Streams of wind wrapped around him as he used the wings of wind at the same time. The two powers of wind and fire merged perfectly.
Pushing hard with his feet, there was a thump and the wings suddenly unfurled. He had already soared off into the air, leaving behind a long trail of fire.
Xiao An waved the Blood Sea Banner and followed close behind.
Li Qingshan followed Lolth’s aura and penetrated through the layers of soil and rock. When he grew close to her, he concealed all of his aura again, approaching silently.
Suddenly, he frowned. When he used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to conceal his aura, the power of the Phoenix Transformation put up a violent struggle. He was unable to hide his aura perfectly.
In his body, the spirit turtle’s daemon core had already changed. It had gained a smear of bright-red, attached to the azure daemon core. It constantly shifted about, but only on the surface. It was unable to penetrate any deeper.
According to the standard of humans, the demonic transformations of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine focused on the body, while the divine transformations focused on qi. As a result, even with his Tiger Demon Transformation and Ox Demon Transformation at the fourth layer, the spirit turtle suppressed them with relative ease, yet it was rather helpless against the first layer of the Phoenix Transformation, leading to an intense rejection.
Although he had managed to succeed with the Phoenix’s Scripture of Nirvāṇa after quite some effort, he had not truly reached the state where water and fire merged, let alone the realm when water and fire supplemented one another. If he continued cultivating the Phoenix Transformation, this rejection would probably become stronger.
However, he had to find a method around this one way or another.
He remembered that a few cultivation methods in the cultivation world were about simultaneously practising water and fire. He would have to properly research the tricks behind this once he returned to the academy.
With the advantage in strength of the fourth layer of the spirit turtle, he forcefully suppressed the phoenix’s aura. If he fought against anyone in this state, he would not have become stronger. Instead, he would have become weaker due to the internal exhaustion of his energy.
The rumbling and tremors grew closer and closer. Li Qingshan burst out of the earth and found the place rather familiar. It was the great valley where he had originally clashed with Bloodshadow and Strongboulder.
The four grandmasters each wielded a sword, standing in four corners and assembling a formation, trapping Lolth inside.
Lolth’s hair was a mess. She seemed to be in a rather sorry state, but her eyes became calmer and more vicious. She leapt forth, lunging towards the weakest among them, Wen Zhengming. She completely ignored Wen Zhengming’s incoming sword, directly reaching towards his shoulder with her claws.
“The fierce cold of winter seals the land in ice.”
The leading scholar in white chanted slowly. The sword in his hand danced gracefully as frigid sword qi swept over with snowflakes.
A layer of ice immediately appeared on Lolth’s body. She felt a wave of coldness penetrate her bones, completely immobilising her. With a shudder, the ice on her cracked.
The scholar in white thought, This wretched daemon really is a carapaced Daemon Commander after all. Her body truly is tough. If she were a regular Daemon General, she’d be frozen into a block of ice with that strike. She really would be a difficult opponent if I fought alone.
“The soughing wind of autumn turns white due to frost!”
Taking advantage of Lolth’s frozen state, Wen Zhengming pulled back with his sword. With a dance of sword qi, Lolth became covered in a layer of white dew as soon as she had shattered the ice. She slowed down once again.
At this moment, the two other grandmasters struck together.
“The bloom of spring brings clear, bright rain.” “With the sweltering of summer, the sun blazes like fire.”
Drizzle as thin as hair fell continuously and gently, invading every single opening, but it contained extremely sharp sword qi. It could even penetrate Lolth’s fine poison suit, even trying to seep into her body through her pores.
Lolth’s skin immediately became a silvery-grey. She had unleashed her innate ability and only then did she manage to block this flexible yet deep-reaching attack. However, a ball of scorching fire that seemed like the scarlet sun then hurled towards her from behind. Caught in the sword formation, there was nowhere for her to dodge.
With a great boom, firelight illuminated the valley.
Lolth was swallowed by the fire. The four grandmasters swung their swords together as they faced the fire. Their four swords wove into a net, disappearing into the flames.
The flames subsided, and a great big hole had been burnt in the back of Lolth’s poison suit, and her body was covered in slashes. However, with her innate ability of perfect defence, she had managed to forcefully block the attacks.
However, she did use up quite a lot of daemon qi. A visible sign of exhaustion appeared on her face. She had already tried to break out of the encirclement countless times, but every single time ended in failure.
Hidden away, Li Qingshan discovered there was not a lot of damage to the sides of the valley. Logically speaking, a clash between four Golden Core cultivators and a Daemon Commander would be earth-shaking. There would be nothing strange even if the entire valley was destroyed.
The current situation only demonstrated they controlled every bit of their strength to remain in the sword formation, without anything going to waste. Coupled with how Lolth was outnumbered four to one, she would be whittled away to death if this continued.
As it seemed, it was not without reason the Golden Cicada assisted him. He was originally contemplating on killing with a borrowed knife. If the four grandmasters were unable to find him, it was possible for them to venture deeper. By then, crushing them would be no different from playing a game with the Golden Cicada Spirit King’s strength.
He never expected Golden Cicada would be reluctant to interfere, but he did help him instead, which basically achieved Li Qingshan’s objective anyway.
“Mother of my child, the father of your child has come to save you!”
Li Qingshan secretly snuck his way into the wall near Wen Zhengming. He bellowed out all of a sudden and burst out. Before his voice had even reached Wen Zhengming, he had already arrived behind the latter. The speed he had erupted with in that instant even left him surprised.
I never thought the combination of the phoenix wings and wings of wind would result in such a great effect. In the future, anyone who tries to hunt me down will only be able to suck on the wind I produce!
The figure of the ox demon appeared on Li Qingshan as he butted his horns viciously into Wen Zhengming’s chest. Lolth raised an eyebrow, rather surprised, but she did not let this fantastic opportunity slip past. She lunged towards Wen Zhengming again to form a pincer attack with Li Qingshan.
With Wen Zhengming’s cultivation at early Golden Core, he was in great danger when a carapaced Daemon Commander and Li Qingshan who was no weaker than the former surrounded him. Even if he managed to escape with his life intact, the Sword Formation of the Four Seasons would definitely fall apart.
Wen Zhengming beamed with joy instead of becoming alarmed. He called out, “Wretched daemon, you’ve finally come! Freeze!”
Without even looking back, he flew forwards, raised his sleeved arm, and a paper talisman flew out. It turned into a single word, “Freeze”, and Lolth immediately became immobilised.
The three swords arrived with lightning speed. The sword qi turned into threads, wrapping around Li Qingshan. In that moment, he experienced the powerlessness of melting in the spring breeze, the bone-chilling coldness of being frozen in ice, followed by the scorching heat of being incinerated by fire.
The tip of his horns were only a feet away from Wen Zhengming, but it suddenly seemed extremely distant.
“Changing of the Seasons!”
Wen Zhengming struck backwards, uniting with the three other swords.
In that moment, Li Qingshan only felt like sword qi surrounded him in all directions, constantly revolving and changing.
As if the four grandmasters had agreed beforehand, they abandoned Lolth at the same time, shifting their target to Li Qingshan. This was not something that could be achieved with on-the-spot reactions. Instead, they had carried out countless meticulous thoughts, taking all openings into consideration.
The weakest of them, Wen Zhengming, was like bait, luring Li Qingshan into the situation of death.
The scholar in white said, “Moon demon, do you think we didn’t consider you’d launch a sneak attack against us? And that we’ll be completely unprepared?” Afterwards, he waved his hand. “Junior brothers, use the Sword Qi of the Four Seasons to kill this wretched daemon first!”
The Freezing talisman could only last for a moment at most. The spider daemon would break free very soon. If they allowed the two daemons to work together, it really would become rather troublesome.
However, they possessed absolute confidence that if they used the strongest killing move of the Sword Formation of the Four Seasons, they would be able to kill the moon demon in a single stroke. By then, it would not be too late for them to unleash the sword formation again and kill the spider daemon at leisure.
“Spring Thunder sword!” “Summer Rain sword!” “Autumn Wind sword!” “Winter Snow sword!”
Green, yellow, scarlet, and white. Four strands of sword qi shot into the air together, filling Li Qingshan’s field of vision.
Falling deep into the sword formation, Li Qingshan experienced an intense omen of warning.
The Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell only managed to block it for an instant before shattering loudly. The Sword Qi of the Four Seasons constantly revolved and changed, linking together end to end meticulously and assaulting all openings.
Li Qingshan seemed to be thrown into a stone mill, being forcefully ground into dust.
Li Qingshan immediately used the special ability of the Watermirror disc. His mirror clone hidden in the water shattered in that instant, drifting away like dust. Every single strand of daemon qi had been used up.
His flesh and blood spattered everywhere, forcefully ground away into a skeleton that was riddled with thin slashes.
The scholar in white eased up and clasped his hands. “Congratulations on your revenge, junior brother Wen!”
Wen Zhengming let out a smile of relief too. All of this had happened in an instant. By the time Lolth had broken free from the Freezing talisman, the four grandmasters had already assembled the sword formation again.
Seeing this, Lolth was secretly shocked. If they had unleashed this move right from the beginning, she would have never lasted until now. They had saved this killing move for when the moon demon bit the bait, but also to launch a sudden attack when she had used up everything, taking away her opportunity to blow up her daemon core.
Daemons could be crafty, but it was very difficult for them to match the strategies of humans. Most importantly, humans were capable of far too many different things, like talismans, sword formations, and regular formations. It was possible to say that even if the four grandmasters worked together, they were not Lolth’s opponent if they only fought with their own strength. It would be a nightmare the moment she managed to get close to them. However, with these various means available to them, they could instead endanger her life.
“Do you think you can kill him just like that?”
Lolth said in disdain when she heard the scholar in white. Only she understood the most how difficult it was to kill him.
Wen Zhengming’s heart lurched. The moon demon who should have been dead through and through lunged over. It had taken a great mental toll on them to use the Sword Qi of the Four Seasons, and as the weakest among the four, Wen Zhengming had relaxed slightly due to his “revenge”. He was unable to dodge immediately, which allowed Li Qingshan to grab him firmly.
“I’ve caught you! Mother of my child, get him!”
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Chapter 531 – Killed Off and Opportunity
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Chapter 531 – Killed Off and Opportunity
A whip pierced through the air. It was a translucent white, having been weaved together from thousands of threads. It was Lolth’s poisonous whip. Although the toxins had been diluted, it was as tough as before. It was still her most suitable weapon.
Lolth raised her hand and caught it. It became as straight as a spear with a tremble, and the tip thrusted straight towards the immobilised Wen Zhengming. All he felt was his forehead ache from the chilling killing intent.
“Be careful, junior brother!”
The three grandmasters paled in fright and swung their swords at Lolth. Never did they think that Li Qingshan could still do something like that even after being stripped of his flesh.
However, Lolth was completely focused. She did not even glance at them. At that moment, only Wen Zhengming existed in her eyes!
With Wen Zhengming trapped, the Sword Formation of the Four Seasons had already fallen apart. Even though the three swords were all rare arcane artifacts, they were still not enough to get through her defensive ability.
Thrust!
It was like a white bolt of lightning falling from the clouds in heaven. No matter what obstacles it ran into, it would not even waver.
The three swords basically landed at the same time, kicking up sparks. The spear rapidly spun in her hand and it produced a deep yet ear-piercing thrum. It knocked the swords away without being derailed at all.
No matter what you throw at it, you can’t block the sharpness of this thrust.
Staring death in its face, Wen Zhengming erupted with dazzling righteous qi and forcefully broke free from Li Qingshan’s arms.
Having been reduced to bones, he did not die, but he was unable to unleash the great strength of the ox demon either.
But at this moment, rings of fire suddenly coiled around Li Qingshan’s boney body. Wherever, the flames passed by, his flesh regrew, just like the legendary rebirth in fire. The muscles on his arms twisted as he forcefully crushed down on the white light from Wen Zhengming.
A jade tablet hanging from Wen Zhengming’s waist suddenly shattered.
The spear passed through Wen Zhengming’s head, but it did not feel like it had pierced anything tangible. Wen Zhengming turned into a soul-like figure.
Li Qingshan fell through with his grip and Wen Zhengming flew to one side. Wen Zhengming’s face was completely sunken. If it were not for his life-saving countermeasure, he would have almost failed miserably with this simple mission and died here.
Now, Wen Zhengming no longer feared any tangible attacks. He did not have any weaknesses on him, but he could still control his sword and use techniques. As both daemons before him were weakened, he only needed to assemble the Sword Formation of the Four Seasons with his three senior brothers again, and they would definitely be able to kill them here.
Right as he thought of that, there was a flash of blood-red light, and a huge, blood-red banner rippled through the air, sweeping towards him.
Wen Zhengming wanted to take off with his sword, but the banner constantly extended and expanded with him, enveloping the entire valley. Looking back, the sea of blood surged as far as the eye could see. When he returned to his senses, he had already entered the sea of blood.
“Junior brother Wen!”
The three grandmasters rushed over to provide assistance, but Li Qingshan and Lolth’s combined efforts blocked them. All they could do was watch helplessly as Wen Zhengming was sucked into the Blood Sea Banner.
Revitalised, Lolth was about to chase after them, but she suddenly felt her waist tighten. Li Qingshan had wrapped his arm around her waist before pulling her backwards forcefully and throwing her into the Blood Sea Banner as well, producing a faint halo.
Li Qingshan unfurled his wings and grabbed Xiao An, turning around and fleeing immediately.
The three grandmasters tailed behind him on their swords in hot pursuit, but they immediately discovered Li Qingshan’s speed was far more startling than what the information from the Hawkwolf Guard detailed. He actually managed to widen their distance immediately.
Little did they know that Li Qingshan completely refused to move at top speed. Flying swiftly through the twisting and turning underground caves basically took up all of his focus. It was even more tiring than fighting.
Upon increasing the distance between them, he suddenly stopped and turned around. He shattered the space there with his fists, and great cracks filled the surroundings. The earth rumbled and trembled like a magnitude 12 earthquake. Rock and soil rose and fell violently.
Afterwards, he withdrew his daemon qi and dove into Xiao An’s Blood Sea Banner as well. Xiao An took off with the Blood Sea Banner on her shoulder.
The mega earthquake failed to harm the three grandmasters at all, but it did bring them quite a lot of trouble. It made their hearts sink.
All traces of them had been destroyed, and they still could not sense even a hint of their auras. They pulled closer and searched around, but they found nothing. They could only hope that Wen Zhengming managed to repel them. As long as he gave off a sliver of aura, they would be able to rush over and save him.
On the surface of the boundless sea of blood, Wen Zhengming stood with his sword in hand with a sunken face. Lolth stood nearby.
As for Li Qingshan, he eyed him viciously from behind. In the moment earlier, he had made a decision based on his instincts. Severing a finger of the enemy is better than grazing all ten.
With Li Qingshan, Xiao An, and Lolth’s strength, killing the four grandmasters together was virtually impossible. A moment of carelessness could even turn the tables and lead them to their deaths instead. Just with the Sword Qi of the Four Seasons along, if he took it on again, he would probably be done for.
And, it would be very difficult for Xiao An to suppress a Golden Core cultivator with the Blood Sea Banner if she were alone. Right now, he was using an advantage in numbers to cement his victory.
Lolth gazed at Wen Zhengming who had already become a sitting duck before looking at the familiar sea of blood around her. She could not help but think, When I oppose them, they’re without a doubt a great headache, but when I work with them, the battle becomes unexpectedly easy.
When the four Golden Core cultivators assembled a sword formation together, even she was completely helpless against them. However, as soon as he struck, not only did he save her, but he even managed to forcefully bring a Golden Core cultivator with him.
“Come, come, come! You want revenge, come for revenge. If you have grievances, let’s get them settled!” Li Qingshan made a gesture of invitation and said to Lolth.
Lolth let out a snort, but she was in no hurry to fight. She smiled gorgeously. “Do you have any last words? Let’s hear them.”
Wen Zhengming said with composure, “Just do it! If I really end up dying here, then that’s fate. However, you might be able to kill me, Wen Zhengming, but you won’t be able to kill the righteous path of the world. You won’t be able to kill the countless disciples of confucianism. Lowly wretched daemons, only death awaits you for the heinous sins you commit.”
Even Li Qingshan developed some admiration for his spirit of being able to cast aside the issue of death. Hearing what he said, he smiled. “The righteous path of the world? Whose righteous path?”
“The path of humanity is the righteous path! Man of all creatures is the one endowed with intelligence! Why else do you think you all transform into humans?”
Li Qingshan said, “Then if I were human, I’d be part of the righteous path too? Forget it. Who cares if it’s some path of humanity or some shitty path? Carving it up and splitting it into groups is merely a waste of time. Today, you’ve ended up in my hands, and that serves you right. If I were to die in your hand some other day, I wouldn’t complain either.”
With that, he surged with malice.
The sea of blood surged with a colossal wave. Wen Zhengming cut through the wave in a single stroke and Li Qingshan leapt forth, striking the sword with his claws.
Clang! The sword was sent flying.
The poisonous whip twisted like a snake and coiled over. The tip was slightly black like it was a snake’s tongue, plunging into Wen Zhengming’s body.
Even though he had already become ethereal, the venom still spread very quickly.
Wen Zhengming was still hiding many tricks up his sleeve, but if he fought alone, he could not even defeat Lolth, let alone when she had Li Qingshan’s assistance and the Blood Sea Banner suppressed him.
The sea of blood surged. There was no other possible outcome for this battle.
Wen Zhengming said nothing else. Even on the brink of death, he was fearless. He wanted to blow up his golden core, but Xiao An’s Samādhi Flames of White Bone swallowed him.
In the moment Wen Zhengming fell in battle, two figures shot over. In that moment, Li Qingshan and Lolth clashed a hundred times before brushing past one another.
A hundred treasures pouch had appeared in Li Qingshan’s hand, while Lolth held a golden core.
With an opponent like him and an ally like her, it had always made Li Qingshan wonder whether the path he took was correct or not. Even though he was neither human or daemon anymore, he actually still understood the righteous path that Wen Zhengming was talking about.
However, it was pointless to say anything else. When he faced suffering, he did not see any righteous path. The assistance he received did not come from a confucian gentleman of upright character, but a demon among demons, a daemon among daemons.
The first thing he had taught him was to rely on himself and rely on the blade in his own hand. So what if there were countless disciples of confucianism? Did Li Qingshan even exist in any of their eyes?
“Hand it over!” Li Qingshan extended his hand towards Lolth.
“Did you really think the two of you could kill him without my strength?” Lolth clutched the golden core in her hand. The power it contained tempted her very much.
“I saved your life- No, you can say whatever you want. I’m not going to be negotiating with you. Hand it over!”
Li Qingshan’s face sank, and the malice he gave off grew heavier. The sea of blood began to surge again like a huge, roaring beast wanting to devour her.
Lolth wavered for a while before tossing out the golden core reluctantly. It flew through the air as a dazzling curve before landing in Li Qingshan’s hand.
Li Qingshan stowed the golden core away and only then did he ease up. He smiled. “That’s more like it! Now, let’s go find the other three. We can split the spoils evenly. It’s three against three now!”
And, the opponents’ sword formation had been destroyed. Most importantly, they must have been occupied by anger and hatred. Injured animals were terrifying because of their wildness, but once humans lost their rationality, they would become extremely feeble.
“Junior brother Wen is dead!” The scholar in white suddenly stopped and shuddered.
“What! How’s that possible!?” The expressions of the other two changed drastically. They were in disbelief.
Anyone who reached Golden Core would possess many life-saving countermeasures. They could never be killed so easily. However, the strange, red banner did become a blood-red shadow that loomed over their hearts. Arcane artifacts that created their own region of space were far too rare.
As if it were to verify what the scholar in white had said, the moon demon’s daemon qi surged once more, like a lantern in the darkness, drawing them over. However, Wen Zhengming’s aura did not appear with it. Clearly, he was likely dead already.
“We have to avenge him!”
Their eyes reddened slightly as they surged with murderousness.
The scholar in white stopped his two junior brothers and said reluctantly, “Let’s retreat!”
“Why?”
“I understand what you’re feeling, but now’s not the time. We aren’t going to let our junior brother’s death slide like this.” The scholar in white’s eyes shone coldly.
“I didn’t think they’d actually retreat! They sure are decisive!”
Li Qingshan felt the three auras burst through the earth before vanishing from the underground world in the end. Although he could catch up to them if he tried, he would be alone and he could be killed off if he was not careful. It was possible for the tables to turn with that.
And, he had another important thing to do!
Now, there was no longer anyone who could prevent him from refining the Clear river. This opportunity could vanish in the blink of an eye. He had to do it before the Ruyi commandery responded.
Taking Xiao An with him, Li Qingshan found a hidden river and travelled upstream, arriving in Moon Court lake very soon.
He burst out of the water and flapped his wings, spraying the air with water. They seemed like pearls under the sunlight. He pushed his speed to the limit. Mountains appeared in the horizon before being thrown behind very quickly again.
But in a short while, he arrived in the Boundless mountains, at the source of the Clear river.
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Chapter 532 – Lord of the Clear River Waters (One)
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Chapter 532 – Lord of the Clear River Waters (One)
Among the mountains, a spring let out a trickle. No one would have thought it was the source of the great Clear river.
The meltwater and the clear springs of the mountains merged with it, droplet by droplet.
As the water meandered through the mountains, it grew larger and larger, twisting and surging, advancing without stop.
Originally, Li Qingshan could only fly above the water. Afterwards, he directly leapt into the water and his daemon qi permeated from his body, enveloping the entire flow.
He knew that time was tight. With a tense heart, he pushed the Water God Seal as hard as he could, using every bit of daemon qi to refine the river water.
The process should have taken an extremely long time, long enough for the Ruyi commandery to respond in time and easily destroy his wild ambitions. However, when he refined water with his original body, he moved with startling speed.
When regular daemons refined bodies of water, they were like common people rising in a revolution. It would take them tremendous physical and mental efforts to carry out. Only then could they gradually sweep across the entire world.
Wherever the spirit turtle passed by, it was like the arrival of the blessed son of heaven in person. All of the water would automatically submit to it.
Pushing forward, he left the Boundless mountains very quickly. If he continued, he would arrive in an area littered with human activity. It would probably be very difficult to fool the cultivators of the Clear River prefecture with his actions. If they actually come to stop him, they would pose quite a large issue.
Once he was delayed and the Marquis of Ruyi responded, probably even more and even stronger Golden Core cultivators would immediately rush over.
Let’s see who dares to get in my way!
“Oh no! Sir, the moon demon is refining the waters of the Clear river!”
In the Academy of the Hundred Schools within the Lake of Dragons and Snakes, the news reached Liu Zhangqing’s ears very quickly.
“What about the four grandmasters?”
Liu Zhangqing asked in surprise. Right now, the four grandmasters should have forced the moon demon into fleeing for his life. Why would he be bold enough to refine more water systems in such a brash manner?
“I don’t know, but apparently a few people saw the grandmasters return to the Ruyi commander, and- and-”
“And what? Spit it out,” Liu Zhangqing said impatiently.
“There only seems to be three of them!”
“Don’t tell me? That’s impossible!” Liu Zhangqing was surprised and terrified. He turned around and made his way towards the door in a hurry. Right when he arrived at the door, he stopped and said, “Keep a constant eye on the moon demon’s whereabouts, but don’t approach him.”
He was not too frantic. With how large the Clear river was, it could not be refined so quickly. He had ample time to make a response. However, he soon discovered he was wrong, and extremely wrong at that.
When he arrived in a place similar to the reporting room of the Hawkwolf Guard, awaiting to see the Marquis of Ruyi, a disciple reported to him that the moon demon had already refined a third of the Clear river.
“What!?” Liu Zhangqing reacted violently. Although the upstream section of the Clear river had a relatively smaller flow, making it easier to refine, it made absolutely no sense for the moon demon to be this quick.
And, the Marquis of Ruyi happened to be doing something else. He still had not appeared.
“To the person on the other side, please report to the marquis again that Liu Zhangqing has something urgent to report!”
By now, the four, now three, grandmasters had returned to the commandery city of Ruyi. They had arrived in the governor’s estate to see the Marquis of Ruyi.
The Marquis of Ruyi paced around with his hands behind his back. His face was terribly sunken. Originally, he thought it had already been overkill to send the four grandmasters together and success was guaranteed.
Yet, not only did they fail to kill the wretched daemon, but they had even lost one of their own instead! They were Golden Core cultivators after all! They could not be compared with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Wen Zhengming and his Pine Sough academy could be regarded as one of the foundations of his reign, but now, it had been forcefully severed from him.
“Did you fall for an ambush of the daemons?” the Marquis of Ruyi cast aside his guilt and asked. This was the most reasonable explanation.
The scholar in white shook his head. “It was only the spider daemon, the moon demon, and a skeleton monster.”
“Just by them, just-” The Marquis of Ruyi’s eyes widened. He raised his hand and pointed right at the scholar in white’s face before letting out a snort and lowering it heavily.
The scholar in white felt extremely displeased inside. We only became involved in this mess because of your orders. Now that junior brother Wen has suffered a horrible fate, not only do you give no comfort, but you instead blame us.
As the leader of the four grandmasters, he was different from Wen Zhengming’s stubbornness and frankness. He had always been known for his great pride, so he clasped his hands.
“My junior brothers and I will avenge junior brother Wen. We’re just giving a word of advice to the marquis right now to be careful of what the moon demon is capable of. We’ll be taking our leave then!”
“You- fellow Tang, how can you say that? Fellow Wen’s revenge is also my revenge…”
“Marquis, sir Liu of the Clear River prefecture has something urgent to report,” at this moment, the envoy reported again.
“Get him to wait! He’s utterly imcompetent!”
The Marquis of Ruyi became even more displeased over how Liu Zhangqing had handed the Watermirror disc to the moon demon, but he forgot that if it were not for his command in the past, Liu Zhangqing would have never done that.
It took the Marquis of Ruyi tremendous effort before he managed to pacify the three grandmasters. The scholar in white said, “It would be best for the marquis to see prefect Liu. Perhaps it might be related to the moon demon.”
“Then let’s hear it together.”
The four of them arrived in a secret room behind the governor’s estate. The Marquis of Ruyi heard from Liu Zhangqing and spoke with a sunken face.
“What! You say the moon demon is refining the Clear river? There’s no need to worry. I’ll send people over right now. We’ll definitely kill the wretched daemon this time.”
Not only did he not worry, but he instead felt it was a rare opportunity now that the moon demon had come to the surface. This wretched daemon sure was insatiable. He had grown arrogant with his success. The Clear river was not that easy to refine.
“But sir, the moon demon has almost refined half of it already!”
The Marquis of Ruyi immediately lost his temper. “Why do I even keep you around!? I order you to stop the moon demon regardless of the price. Otherwise, there’s no need for you to remain as the prefect. I’ll be heading over right now!”
The figure of the Marquis of Ruyi vanished, and Liu Zhangqing backed out of the room. He was irritated.
Stop the moon demon? How am I supposed to stop the moon demon? Even the four grandmasters you sent were helpless against him. I’m just a measly Foundation Establishment cultivator. What can I do?
The Marquis of Ruyi’s orders were absolute, so all he could do was hold a meeting with the school leaders. However, he had already made up his mind to avoid the Clear river at all costs.
In the world of cultivation, obstructing a person’s cultivation led to grievances even more severe than killing their parents or stealing their wives. The moon demon definitely would not be soft-hearted this time. Once they caught his attention, they were probably done for.
His position as the prefect was important, but it could not be more important than his life.
Even prefect Liu who had his title directly conferred to him by the Marquis of Ruyi was thinking like this, so it was as clear as day what the other school leaders and powerful members of the academy thought.
There were plenty of courageous people among them, but who would be willing to do something useless that would clearly bring about their own destruction? The moon demon had already taught them a bloody lesson with how Yang Pinghu of the Clear Court sect ended up.
“Actually, we don’t need to directly confront the moon demon. We only need to interfere with his refinement process. With how long the Clear river is, we can go upstream and wreak havoc while he’s in the middle section right now. We can delay him until the reinforcements of the Ruyi commandery arrive.”
The Marquis of Ruyi’s orders could not be defied, so someone came up with an idea. The idea had a degree of safety, so they all agreed to it reluctantly before dispersing.
Han Tieyi stood up suddenly, only to see Hua Chengzan still seated, without any intention to move. Thinking about how even the greatest brain of the Clear River prefecture had remained silent during the intense discussion earlier, he cast a questioning gaze at him.
“If only it were that simple.” Hua Chengzan smiled helplessly. The idea was far too simple, so simple that anyone could think of it. There was no need for him to speak up about it, but would he really not think of it?
The figure with drifting, scarlet hair appeared in Hua Chengzan’s head. He was bold enough to continue with his actions that garnered condemnation from everyone whilst in the eye of the storm, so he was clearly rather confident. If a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators tried to stop him, they would probably pay with their lives.
The cultivators arrived at various places throughout the Clear River prefecture, preparing to wreak havoc.
Huge, vicious skeletons burst out of the water, kicking up great waves and blocking their paths. Xiao An’s twenty-one Skeleton Demons were scattered along the river to watch over Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan had issued an order too. “Apart from the father-son duo of the Han family and Hua Chengzan, kill the others without mercy.”
Familiarity is familiarity, but if you insist on working against me, don’t blame me for being ruthless.
In the beginning, the cultivators did not take these skeleton demons that were clearly under someone’s control seriously, but as soon as they clashed, they realised they were absolutely wrong.
When their spiritual artifacts landed on the skeleton monsters, they could only produce a few sparks. Only arcane artifacts could leave behind some marks on them. However, once these monsters approached them, they would tear through their protective spiritual qi in a single stroke.
Having been refined again and again by Xiao An, every single Skeleton Demon now possessed tremendous physical strength. They could move as swiftly as the wind, and they had absolutely no weaknesses or flaws either. Even clashing with late Foundation Establishment cultivators posed no issue.
Compared to the Marquis of Ruyi’s mission, their own lives still took priority. These cultivators had originally planned to strike and run. They refused to remain in the same place, just in case they angered the moon demon, making him directly fly over and destroy them. Now that they ran into such powerful monsters, they became even more afraid to stay put. They fled as soon as they made contact.
The Skeleton Demons did not chase after them. They simply stood guard in the Clear river, wanting to see who was bold enough to approach the water.
The leader of the school of Miscellany, Gou Dai, silently approached where the waters of the Clear river flowed out of the Boundless mountains. He clutched a Glazed Mirror of Invisibility in one hand, hiding his body and aura perfectly. Even if someone stood face to face with him, they would struggle to discover him.
Li Qingshan had also obtained a Glazed Mirror of Invisibility in the past, but that was merely a mid grade spiritual artifact. The one in Gou Dai’s hand was similar in design, but it was a supreme grade spiritual artifact, two whole levels better than Li Qingshan’s.
Throughout several millennia of development of artifact forging, many “standard form” artifacts had been produced to fulfill the various requirements of “invisibility”, “defence”, and so on.
Similar to the five main cultivation methods of practising qi, they took the various strengths and weaknesses into account and maximised their effect. The future artifact smiths only needed to forge them according to the standard.
However, as their level of proficiency differed, the strength of the artifacts would vary.
Gou Dai’s confidence did not come from this Glazed Mirror of Invisibility alone. In his other hand was a small bottle that swished with liquid.
As the leader of the school of Miscellany, neither his cultivation or strength was particularly powerful, but he did collect many strange and bizarre items, which could play a wondrous effect when it mattered.
This bottle of Spiritual Condensing liquid had originally been a precious material for forging artifacts. As long as he poured it into the river, not only would it disturb the moon demon’s daemon qi, but it would also condense the water spiritual qi in this region. When the moon demon returned and tried to refine this region again, it would become extremely troublesome.
As for him, he would have done the Marquis of Ruyi a great service without encountering any danger. He was trying to maximise his profits with little risk.
Right as he thought of that, a skeleton had arrived before him before he knew it without producing any noise.
Gou Dai’s heart shivered. He immediately froze up.
That’s impossible! It can’t see me!
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Chapter 533 – Lord of the Clear River Waters (Two)
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Chapter 533 – Lord of the Clear River Waters (Two)
Xiao An’s fiery eyes stared at Gou Dai quietly, and she tilted her head slightly. She was extremely intrigued by this person that had clearly been discovered yet still stood without moving.
Gou Dai let out a sigh of relief inside. As it seemed, the skeleton could not actually see him, or it would have launched an attack immediately. He studied the skeleton carefully, only to see a small, blood-red banner in its left hand and something that Gou Dai found rather familiar in its right.
Isn’t that… the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase!? Has Xiao An been killed too? No, isn’t she still in secluded cultivation and hasn’t emerged yet? Or perhaps…
He stared at the tiny skeleton in disbelief before hearing a spurt. His chest ached. He slowly lowered his head. A bony hand had been plunged into his heart already.
Gou Dai’s expression immediately became twisted with absolute viciousness. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had a powerful life force, so he would not die immediately. He wanted to launch a counterattack before death, but a heavy sensation of coldness had already spread through his body, freezing his soul.
The Samādhi Flames of White Bone devoured him mercilessly. Xiao An took the Glazed Mirror of Invisibility from him and checked it before stowing it away. She lifted up the Bamboo-Jade Lot of the Cloud Bookcase again and began divining.
Detecting and covering openings, seeking out potential danger, and eliminating them one by one.
Many rivers converged in the Clear river. It had already become a roaring flow of water, spanning a great area as it raged along.
Li Qingshan burst out of the water and looked at Moon Court lake from afar. He was filled with lofty sentiments. Having reached here, he had refined half of the Clear river, and he could now borrow strength from the waters of Moon Court lake.
He raised his arm high into the air. In his palm was the Water God Seal.
Turbulent waves erupted on the surface of Moon Court lake. The lakewater surged, pouring into the Clear river wave after wave. The river flow suddenly sped up, and his speed of refinement became even faster.
Within the raging waters, a speck of red appeared. Li’l Red wagged his tail from side to side as he swam over, raising his head and lifting up Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan felt like he was riding a horse as he travelled with the flow. In high spirits, he recited loudly, “From both banks the cries of apes unending, my skiff has passed thousands of mountains.”
TL: The poem, An Early Departure from White Emperor City, is by Li Bai, who I think I’ve mentioned in the past. You can read about it and its context here:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Departing_from_Baidi_in_the_Morning
In the air, Liu Zhangqing, Hua Chengzan, and the others from the academy stood on a Soaring Dragon ship, gazing at the handsome daemon in his unscrupulous ease. All of them were speechless. None of them dared to stop him.
At the end of the river was a great marsh.
The red glow from the setting sun in the west filled the sky. A wave suddenly rose up in the horizon that had been dyed red, and the wave carried a large fish with a person standing atop, growing from far to near as if they had descended from the sky.
With the end in sight, a smile also stretched across Li Qingshan’s face. He looked back only to see several streaks of light shooting across the air, rushing towards him at full speed. In the lead was the Marquis of Ruyi in splendid robes and with a jade belt around his waist.
The Marquis of Ruyi was enveloped in layers of scarlet light, making him seem like a meteor. This was the great energy condensed from the power of belief of the millions of lives in the Ruyi commandery over thousands of years of ruling.
In the moment he saw the moon demon, his eyes shone with cold light, and he moved even faster, throwing the group behind.
Li Qingshan completely ignored his mental exhaustion and pursed his lips firmly, bringing his hands together before spreading them out and conjuring the figure of the spirit turtle. He sped up, accelerated, and sped up again under the cascading waves, making a final sprint towards the end.
“Wretched daemon!”
The Marquis of Ruyi raised his hand, and a scarlet jade seal flew out. The major rivers and renowned mountains of the Ruyi commandery were engraved on the seal, full of artistic design, and at the very top was a coiled serpent.
The seal was known as the Seal of Mountains and Rivers. It had been forged from a single block of jade when the ancestral emperor established the nine provinces, conferring the marquises with their nobility. Not only was it a representation of identity and status, but it also possessed great power.
The Seal of Mountains and River flew into the air and expanded along the way. In the blink of an eye, it towered like a mountain.
A great shadow enveloped the region. Li Qingshan raised his head, and the Seal of Mountains and Rivers descended from above, crushing down heavily. Just by looking at it, he felt like he would suffocate, and even with his startling speed, he could not help but develop a feeling that he could not dodge it.
He was like a monarch who could take the life of a great general who led an army of thousands with only a single golden tablet and an imperial edict. If the lord wanted his subject to die, the subject had to die.
The Seal of Mountains and Rivers was not a simple spiritual or arcane artifact. Instead, it was similar to the Peachwood Prayer Sword Li Qingshan had seen in the Dragon’s Gate sect in the past. It possessed the mighty power of belief.
The Peachwood Prayer Sword had been worshipped by the successive disciples of the Dragon’s Gate sect for several centuries, while the Seal of Mountains and Rivers had gathered all the power of belief from the millions of lives throughout the entire Ruyi commandery. After several thousand years, its power had not merely multiplied by ten thousand fold. Even Golden Core cultivators would be reduced to a dead soul if they were crushed by it.
If the Marquis of Ruyi wanted to fight, he had no need to use anything else. All he had to do was unleash the Seal of Mountains and Rivers and he could basically dominate the Golden Core realm. He would be invincible.
Boom!
With a violent rumble, the Seal of Mountains and Rivers crushed down on Li Qingshan viciously, stamping the earth.
The ground shook, and the flow of the great river was severed.
The Marquis of Ruyi smiled indifferently. He was only a Daemon General. Even if he were somewhat capable, how could he be his opponent? He had been taking him far too lightly all this time.
“Hmm?”
The Marquis of Ruyi was slightly stunned. The Seal of Mountains and Rivers that stood several hundred meters tall like a mountain was actually being forced up bit by bit.
Li Qingshan had transformed, going from a handsome man to a fiendish daemon. He stood over sixty meters tall with dark skin and protruding teeth. He was ferocious, standing with an indomitable spirit. He supported the Seal of Mountains and Rivers with both hands as his iron hooves dug deeply into the ground.
The pressure from above was alarming, but it incited his ox-like stubbornness instead. He let out a moo-like bellow, which sounded like a rumble from the depths of the earth—long and deep, yet filled with power even greater than thunder. The muscles on his body twisted together, and his arms in particular swelled up until they seemed like two huge pillars that held up the sky.
“That’s impossible!” That was the Marquis of Ruyi’s first thought. Someone had actually managed to use brute force to stop the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.
“I’d like to see how long you can last!” The Marquis of Ruyi sneered and leapt up, landing on the Seal of Mountains and Rivers as well as the body of the serpent that had become enormous.
The pressure from the Seal of Mountains and Gods suddenly increased drastically. Li Qingshan dropped down on one knee as he used his entire body to support the Seal of Mountains and Rivers on his back. His blood vessels ruptured as his tough tiger bones produced an ear-piercing sound of screeching metal.
The Strength of the Earth flowed into his body endlessly. He gritted his teeth as he stopped the Seal of Mountains and Gods firmly. Victory was already in sight, yet he was unable to take another step forward.
“Moon demon, today is the day you die!” The Marquis of Ruyi laughed in satisfaction.
At this moment, the three grandmasters had arrived too. Gazing at the figure below the Seal of Mountains and Rivers, they no longer resembled refined scholars at all. There was only bare hatred and killing intent.
Once they struck, they would definitely use a startling killing move without holding back at all. The immobilised Li Qingshan had become a perfect target, but as long as they relaxed even in the slightest, the Seal of Mountains and Rivers would crush them into pulp.
“Not necessarily!”
Li Qingshan gulped down Wen Zhengming’s golden core. He had never tried ingesting the golden cores of Golden Core cultivators, nor did he know the effects, but at a time like this, he could no longer afford to care so much.
Golden core, explode!
The golden core exploded loudly, turning into extremely pure spiritual qi. It completely surpassed any pills Li Qingshan had ingested before. This was what Wen Zhengming had painstakingly developed after ingesting who knew how many pills and after who knew how many years.
He practised the Ox Demon Transformation madly, converting all of the spiritual qi into the most primitive strength.
Under the Marquis of Ruyi’s dumbstruck gaze, he stood up inch by inch and violently unleashed an earth-shaking bellow. He pushed upwards as hard as he could, throwing the Seal of Mountains and Rivers and the Marquis of Ruyi into the air.
Making use of this, Li Qingshan flapped his wings and threw himself out from under the seal regardless of the cost. He drew in all the daemon qi scattered in the surging waters of the Clear river and lunged towards the end of the river, his final destination.
“Stop him!” the Marquis of Ruyi called out furiously and in surprise.
Three streaks of light criss-crossed and slashed out like halos.
Li Qingshan did not even look at them. He did not even waste a shred of daemon qi to use the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell.
Blood spattered. The light ripped through his skin and tore through his flesh.
Clang! Clang! Clang! There were three metallic thrums. These were the sounds of the streaks of light landing on his bones.
However, despite all of this, nothing could stop Li Qingshan’s lunge. He was like a vicious tiger descending from the mountains, a dragon diving into the ocean, pressing forward with indomitable will.
With a great boom, Li Qingshan’s colossal body collapsed in the great marsh, filling the air with splashes. His momentum continued to carry him forwards, skidding for several hundred meters before coming to a stop. He did not move at all as if he had expended everything he had in him.
The shadow enveloped Li Qingshan again. Upside down, the Marquis of Ruyi pushed against the Seal of Mountains and Rivers, treating the earth as his paper and stamping down heavily.
Li Qingshan rolled over. As he stared at the whistling Seal of Mountains and River that filled up his vision, he grinned widely, revealing his pale-white teeth as he let out a great laugh.
“Hahahahahahaha!
The surging rivers of the Clear river, from its source thousands of kilometers away to its end here, merged with the daemon qi, leaping above the waters.
The Water God Seal flickered with unprecedented radiance. It began to swell, growing to twice its size. A slender water pattern coiled around it like a dragon or a snake. It was the waters of the Clear river.
“You better keep laughing!” The Marquis of Ruyi gritted his teeth as he radiated with dazzling, scarlet light, merging with the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.
Bang! Water seeped out in all directions and droplets of water splashed into the air.
The Marquis of Ruyi did not feel like he had struck anything solid. Instead, he felt like he had landed on a ball of cotton. A flexible yet tenacious power emerged from below.
Li Qingshan was not fighting alone. Behind him were the raging waters of the Clear river, the gushing Moon Court lake, and countless other water systems of various sizes. They conjured waves upon waves and streams upon streams of light, surging together to prop up the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.
With this power as assistance, Li Qingshan lifted the Seal of Mountains and Rivers easily. You’re the marquis of a commandery, but I’m also the water god of a river!
The three grandmasters arrived, but this time, they each clutched a violet talisman. Clearly, they had even taken out their treasures just so they could drag the moon demon to his doom.
The river rushed over, turning into an enormous geyser that rushed into the air and deflected the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.
Before the three grandmasters could even surround him, they saw a flash, and the moon demon’s trace vanished. All they saw was a scarlet streak of light piercing through the sky.
Nothing concerned Li Qingshan anymore. He flapped his wings of wind and fire and shook off the four of them in the blink of an eye. He let out a great chuckle. “What shitty Marquis of Ruyi? I think this is all you’re capable of!”
Suddenly, he remembered how Yang Pinghu was once known as the Lord of Clear Court, so he laughed.
“From today onwards, I am the Lord of the Clear River Waters!”
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Chapter 534 – Within South Hub City
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Chapter 534 – Within South Hub City
Feng Buquan burned with impatience as he flew as quickly as he could, traversing countless lofty mountains, cities, and villages.
An armoured giant that stood several hundred meters tall appeared on the horizon.
The giant that stood as burly as a mountain pressed down on his sword. At a closer glance, it was not a true giant, but a statue. However, it was unbelievably large and happened to resemble one in both appearance and spirit. Even every single crease in its skin was clearly visible, and its eyes shone with lustre.
He was the first lord of the Green province, bearing the title of the Mighty King of Chu. He raised his head and gazed at the boundless Ink sea, like he was warning and keeping the dragon king hidden in the sea at bay.
Beside the statue, on the shore of the sea, stood a grand city. The royal palace littered across the land that rose and fell as an unbroken chain, forming a single, lofty and glorious body. Combined with the infiltration of time, it was coated in a faint green lustre.
Waves surged and slammed against the city walls, like it was a huge piece of rock withstanding thousands of years of erosion and collision from the Ink sea. However, as it stood within the rising mist of the sea, it also seemed ungraspable.
Feng Buquan’s emotions surged inside. What a familiar sight!
Standing before him was the greatest city of the Green province, South Hub city.
When Feng Buquan stepped into South Hub city, he could not help but feel like everything was still the same, yet everyone had changed. With no time to lament, he directly made his way to the central region of South Hub city.
Guards wielding weapons and adorned in armour stood there like guardian kings in temples, protecting the place and eyeing up any passers-by. None of them actually possessed a cultivation below Foundation Establishment, and they both practised qi and tempered the body. They were powerful. They were figures who could dominate an entire region no matter where they went.
Feng Buquan had once been an esteemed guest of the provincial lord’s estate, so he was familiar with the process. With his presence reported up, he was granted an audience by the Dark Queen very soon.
Within a quiet and beautiful pavilion that could see the sea in the distance, a woman sat quietly by a window. A crescent moon hovered above the sea of clouds. Her expression was chilly as she gently caressed the cat in her arms as she cast her gaze outside. She was not looking at the sea, nor was she looking at the moon. Her gaze simply drifted about, gazing at the empty space.
On the contrary, it was the cat that used its dark green eyes that shone like fireflies to study Feng Buquan. Afterwards, with a meow, it revealed an extremely human-like expression of boredom. It lowered its head to lick its claws, revealing the delicate, silver moon that hung on her forehead.
Feng Buquan said, “Your highness, please dismiss everyone else.”
The Dark Queen finally turned her head and looked at Feng Buquan. The cat let out a meow, and all the female attendants backed away. Afterwards, she said indifferently, “Speak!”
Feng Buquan glanced at the cat, but the cat directly responded, “I’m not leaving!”
Feng Buquan remembered the name of the cat and sighed inside. He bowed deeply. “Your highness, I… found her.”
“What did you say?”
The Dark Queen suddenly stood up. Her voice was chilly and dignified, but it also trembled emotionally.
The cat landed on the ground lithely, glancing at her master in some confusion and letting out a displeased meow.
Feng Buquan said, “I found her. I sensed a hint of the heavenly secrets that belonged to her.”
“Where is she!?”
“I don’t know, but she’s definitely still alive, alive in this world!”
The Dark Queen clenched her hands firmly. Her knuckles whitened as her nails stabbed into her palms. Within the piercing pain, she forced herself to calm down.
“Feng Buquan! I recall you once told me that her life force was drained and death was certain. It’s been so many years, and now you suddenly come to tell me that she’s still alive? And you still don’t know where she is?”
Her voice and expression were both indifferent, without a hint of sternness. However, under the glow of the moon, the shadow behind her constantly grew, climbing up the walls and the ceiling. It was sinister and horrifying, dancing around madly and manifesting her inner perturbance.
Feng Buquan raised his head. “I did!”
“Make it clear for me.” The Dark Queen closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
Feng Buquan told her everything that led to it. A powerful daemon called “Northmoon” had appeared in the Clear River prefecture and obtained a Water God Seal from somewhere, refining regions of water en masse. The four grandmasters could not find him even when they worked together, so the Marquis of Ruyi requested him to carry out a divination. In the end, he sensed the thread of heavenly secrets that had been severed for all these years again. That was her existence.
The Dark Queen asked, “And then? Did you divine again?”
“I did, but I found nothing.”
“Perhaps it’s merely a false impression.”
“My blind eye, my limp leg, my hunched back, and my heart are all telling me this is no false impression.” Feng Buquan was rather emotional too.
The Dark Queen had also noticed that Feng Buquan’s blind eye had become much clearer, and his hunched back had also straightened out. When he walked in, he no longer limped as badly as when he left back then.
These disabilities had all arisen from the backlash of the heavenly secrets when he clashed with someone in the past. A clash between practitioners of divination could be even more dangerous than a clash between regular cultivators at times. Just lighter consequences involved shortened lifespans, while heavier consequences involved dying on the spot. The injuries they suffered would not be as straightforward as flesh wounds either. Instead, they would be much deeper, closely related to fate.
Technically speaking, as long as a Golden Core cultivator like Feng Buquan did not die, they had methods to regrow their limbs and recover their sight even if their arms were severed and their eyes were blinded. However, nothing could heal the disabilities on his body, as they had already become his “fate”, like a dead knot.
In the past, in order to remunerate Feng Buquan for these sacrifices, the Dark Queen had used the strength of both the provincial lord’s estate and the Umbral Yin sect, yet it was still unable to heal him. Yet now, it had taken such a clear turn for the better. The dead knot seemed to be showing signs of loosening.
Feng Buquan said, “In the past, I could calculate she was already dead, but now, I can’t even calculate whether she’s alive or dead.”
The Dark Queen was finally fazed. She was not absolutely clueless about the heavenly secrets and divination. A situation like this clearly implied the heavenly secrets had changed one way or another. She murmured, “Northmoon!”
“This is an extremely important clue. According to my understanding, this Northmoon is extremely closely related to the Soaring Dragon Elder of the Sword Collection palace’s death. The Sword Collection palace sent Fu Qingjin to the Clear River prefecture primarily to investigate this.”
Reaching there, Feng Buquan glanced at the cat on the table. Right now, she was the one who was most closely related to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death. If she had not fled for the Dragon province, why would the Soaring Dragon Elder die there so strangely?
“You said Northmeown!? You said Northmeown!?”
The cat suddenly began calling out. When she heard Feng Buquan mention Northmoon, she found it extremely familiar, but she also struggled to believe it. When she left the Ice Sword cliff, he was still a long way away from Daemon General, yet now, even a group of Golden Core cultivators were helpless against him. That did not line up at all.
“Yes. He has a pair of horns, which are engraved with the words ‘north’ and ‘moon’,” said Feng Buquan. He had not brought the good news to the Dark Queen rashly. Instead, he specially carried out a series of investigations, particularly focusing on the only clue so far, the Daemon General called Northmoon.
“It can’t be wrong! It must be Big Blacko! It must be Big Blacko! I want to go to the Clear River prefecture! I want to go to the Clear River prefecture!”
The cat leapt up and turned into a young girl in dark green. She grabbed the Dark Queen’s arm and shook it forcefully. The tail behind her had yet to transform away completely, so it waggled around excitedly.
The Dark Queen was slightly taken aback. “Northmoon is the Big Blacko you speak of?”
“What’s Big Blacko about?” Feng Buquan did have a rough understanding that Northmoon and Xuanyue were both related to the Soaring Dragon Elder’s death, but he was not particularly familiar with the inside details.
The Dark Queen rubbed Xuanyue’s head. “Yue’er came across a daemon in the Boundless mountains…”
“Let me, let me!” Xuanyue excitedly narrated what she went through in the Boundless mountains after meeting “Big Blacko”. Afterwards, she smiled complacently. “He even admitted me as his master! Meowhahaha!”
“Do you know if there’s anyone else by Northmoon’s side?”
Even Feng Buquan had never expected the origins of the name “Northmoon” to actually come from the young girl’s claws standing right before him. The thread of heavenly secrets had clearly appeared that day to cover Northmoon’s location. He definitely had a close connection to it.
“That’ll be Li’l Whitey!”
“And who’s Li’l Whitey?”
“ A little skeleton who didn’t like to talk. Big Blacko is really nice to it.” Xuanyue wrinkled her nose, rather unhappy about this.
“A skeleton!”
Feng Buquan suddenly turned his head and looked at the Dark Queen. There was nothing that was born as a skeleton. In order to be reduced to bones, it had clearly died once before reviving due to some certain reason.
The severance and reappearance of the thread all seemed to be explained now.
The Dark Queen was speechless. Her mind shuddered as she struggled to keep her emotions under control.
She had already heard this story from Xuanyue countless times. In the beginning, she had been perplexed by just how the Soaring Dragon Elder had died, but towards the end, she even lost the interest to investigate. She simply listened along quietly. She had not grown sick of it, but she did lose her initial interest.
However, never did she think it would actually be hiding such a deep secret. An insignificant, measly side character in the story might have been a crucial existence in her life.
The pieces of the shattered puzzle flew together one by one, vaguely assembling into an image.
However, there were still many points of doubt. If that really was her, if she really had been revived from death, why had she not returned? Why did she not tell Gu Yanying her identity on the Ice Sword cliff?
Even if it were all true, could a senseless and mindless skeleton still be regarded as her child?
The Dark Queen exhaled deeply, afraid to develop too much hope. She said in a cold tone, “I want to see them.”
Xuanyue called out, “Let me come along! Let me come along!”
Feng Buquan said, “Definitely not.”
The nine commanderies of the Green province had also been carved up by the three great sects. The Ruyi commandery was located towards the north, within the range of influence of the Sword Collection palace. Only the south was the headquarters of the Umbral Yin sect.
As a result, when Xuanyue escaped last time, the Dark Queen could only leave it up to Gu Yanying, unable to tend to the matter in person. And, the Daemon Suppression alliance also developed vigorously in the north, but it had absolutely no activity in the south.
The central region where the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga resided was a buffer zone. Basically as long as disciples of the two sects set foot in each other’s territory, they would be risking their lives.
Moreover, the war between the daemons and humans in the Clear River prefecture was showing signs of development. If a cat daemon like Xuanyue went there, she would be no different from walking into the belly of the beast. Even her nine lives would not be enough for her to use.
“You ugly monster!” Xuanyue pulled a face at Feng Buquan before turning to the Dark Queen and immediately behaving pitifully. “Please, master!”
The Dark Queen considered it for a moment before actually nodding in agreement. “Alright!”
“This…”
Just as Feng Buquan was stunned, he noticed the dim light shining in the Dark Queen’s eyes and said, “Let’s go together.”
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Chapter 535 – The Raging River
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Chapter 535 – The Raging River
If the Clear river that passed through the Clear River prefecture was a vine, then the lakes would be like ripe fruit on the vine.
Since the vine was his, what would be the difficulty in harvesting the fruit?
Refining bodies of water had always been relatively difficult when it was a small river merging with a large one and rather easy when it was a large river swallowing up a small one.
Without even leaving the waters of the Clear river, Li Qingshan simply passed by the mouths of the river and used the Water God Seal to constantly devour the major and minor rivers and lakes in the Clear River prefecture. Given the circumstances, no one could stop him anymore.
Even deliberate obstruction would barely be of any use. Unless they guarded the place and constantly contended with the waters of the Clear river, they were unable to cause too many problems.
And, Li Qingshan could simply give up on the region of water temporarily and take over other water systems. Surely the Marquis of Ruyi could not send several dozen Golden Core cultivators to watch over every region of water in the Clear River prefecture!
And, once they were alone, they faced the risk of being slain.
Perhaps the Marquis of Ruyi had realised this too, so it had been extremely easy for him to refine the waters along the way. He basically ran into no obstacles at all.
The Water God Seal constantly extended and changed. Li Qingshan spread out his arms. His heart raged with the river water.
In the Ruyi commandery, in the same, dim room, the Marquis of Ruyi stared at the map on the wall with an extremely twisted expression. An extensive, twisted shape had appeared on there, bright red in colour.
The redness continued to extend, infiltrating and dyeing the surrounding bodies of water. It moved extremely quickly, like the rapid spread of poison.
In a daze, the red colours turned into a smiling face. The Marquis of Ruyi recalled how the wretched daemon had humiliated him and clenched his fist. He was tempted to obliterate him. He turned around and looked at Gu Yanying. “If you had intervened back then, this wretched daemon would have never succeeded with your speed.”
If she had intervened, Li Qingshan’s effort would have fallen apart before he even made it to the end, but he still would have faced the risk of being killed.
Gu Yanying laid out her hands. “I never expected a Daemon General would be so difficult to deal with either!”
The Marquis of Ruyi felt like his face was on fire. As the marquis of the Ruyi commandery, a Golden Core cultivator with a Seal of Mountains and Rivers in hand, he could not even capture a Daemon General.
“We can’t let him run free anymore.” Killing intent appeared in Han Anguo’s eyes. At that moment, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
The cultivators who busied about in the surroundings all shivered inside. The people with weaker cultivations even stiffened up as their hairs stood on end.
“Then let’s kill him!”
Gu Yanying said easily, but something else weighed on her mind.
The Dark Queen is on tour in the north because she wants to come to the Ruyi commandery and see me? Not only is the conflict between humans and daemons gradually intensifying right now, the turmoil of the Green province and the conflict between the Sword Collection palace and the Umbral Yin sect can erupt at any time too. Why is she risking her life to enter the range of influence of the Sword Collection palace at a time like this?
Logically speaking, she should have a great entourage around her, surrounded by guards, if she’s going on such a public tour. Even the Sword Collection palace would not dare to act rashly, but that’s still something you have to guard against!
Most importantly, even she had not been informed of the Dark Queen’s true objective behind this visit, which highlighted many issues with the visit. Combined with how Feng Buquan had left the Ruyi commandery to visit South Hub city, there was profound significance behind all of this.
Feng Buquan had called out that he wanted to see the Dark Queen after he tried to predict Northmoon’s location for the Marquis of Ruyi. Was this related to him again?
Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan. I really find it more and more difficult to see through you.
Originally, she treated him as a regular half-daemon. At most, he had some potential, but it would take a century at the very least before he would truly be of use. Never did she expect him to rise up so quickly, basically soaring up into the sky in a single stroke.
However, the trees that protrude from the forest are always the ones that get blown down. Do you understand this principle?
The waters of the Clear river raged along for millennia without ceasing.
Cities and villages scattered densely and prospered on the two banks of the river. It was like a silver ribbon that threaded together the most resplendent pearls of the Clear River prefecture. All lives and production were unable to exist without the word “water”.
Several thousand years ago, the banks of the river had once been littered with temples. Regular people offered up incense to avoid floods and pray for rain. Only when the Great Xia empire was established and the world became godless did the practice gradually fade away. But today, it showed signs of revival again. Many places underwent construction.
The name of “Northmoon” had shaken up the cultivation world of the Clear River prefecture before reaching the world of mortals through various channels and avenues. The “moon demon” became the “moon god”.
A temple with red walls and green tiles stood on the shore of Moon Court lake. Wisps of smoke from incense curled about, filling the entire room with fragrance before leaking out through the doors and windows.
There was a hubbub of noise outside, with the deafening sound of gongs and drums and the roar of firecrackers.
A person who seemed to be in charge of the temple called out and thousands of mortals dropped to their knees and bowed, bowing towards the statue shaped from wood and clay in the depths of the temple.
The statue had scarlet hair, red eyes, and heavy facial features. His face was shaped auspiciously, with a full forehead and a round jaw. He stared ahead with a piercing gaze. His chin even had a few dignified wisps of long hair. As he stood there majestically, he was dressed in colourful armour, with a large, bright-red cloak around him.
In the moment everyone lowered their heads, Li Qingshan who resided in the depths of the Clear river suddenly sensed something. He took out the Water God Seal and took a look. Many specks of light had appeared in it. They were extremely small, so small that he would have never discovered it if he had not looked carefully.
Is this… the power of belief?
Then Li Qingshan inspected the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Under close observation, he discovered they shared many similarities. Even the twisted, meandering shapes shared a hint of profoundness. However, the power of belief inside was similar in nature, yet also slightly different.
When Li Qingshan used his soul sense to inspect the specks of power of belief, he vaguely heard countless thoughts, voices, calls, and prayers. He took out the Watermirror disc and immediately found the temple on the shore of the lake.
When he saw the statue in the temple, he could not help but become stunned. Don’t tell me that’s supposed to be me?! Since when did I look so rustic? And I even have a beard!
However, with all certainty, on the plaque above the temple entrance were three large gilded words, “Moon God Temple”, which left him at a loss as to how to react. Clearly, this was the common folk’s primitive imagination of a powerful god.
When Li Qingshan stopped the wave, he had only done so because it was convenient, but it left behind an unforgettably deep impression among the common people. There was a great fear for his tremendous power, yet also a great joy from escaping with their lives intact, so they built the temple.
Li Qingshan could sense many prayers for rain from the power of belief, so with a wave of his hand, dark clouds surged over from the horizon and brought heavy rain.
There was a great cheer in front of the Moon God temple, and more specks of light appeared in the Water God Seal.
Li Qingshan burst out laughing. It was no wonder that the Marquis of Ruyi behaved like a cat that had its tail trodden on. Clearly, the position of a water god was not as simple as occupying a river.
If the Seal of Mountains and Rivers represented “political power”, then the Water God Seal would probably be a manifestation of “religious power”. If religious power were on the rise, then political power would naturally diminish and decline.
Although the power of belief did not seem to be of much use to him, it was fine as long as he could mess with the Marquis of Ruyi. If he continued with his great undertaking as a water god, he would definitely be able to erode away the Marquis of Ruyi’s power.
The terrors of the Seal of Mountains and Rivers was still fresh in his memory. He could not help but admit that if he fought alone, he really was not that bastard’s opponent.
After ingesting Wen Zhengming’s golden core, he converted it all into the strength of the ox demon. He had only managed to push away the Seal of Mountains and Rivers and avoid the fate of being crushed to death with the explosive power, but he still did not possess the strength to completely overwhelm the seal.
It was just a pity that he still could not break through to the fifth layer of the ox demon, or he would be absolutely confident that he could play around with the Seal of Mountains and Rivers like it was a toy. However, if he really did reach the fifth layer of the ox demon, he would have to worry about whether the spirit turtle could keep it suppressed or not.
Li Qingshan shook his head. His senses constantly extended, reaching every affluent connected to the water. He could feel boundlessly powerful surging through his body. While the power did not come from him, but the Water God Seal instead, he obviously had a way to convert it into a portion of his own power.
Li Qingshan took in a deep breath. The Water God seal shone with dazzling blue light and roaring water spiritual qi surged towards him, like rivers flowing into the ocean.
He continued with his original plan, practising the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. The first layer, the second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer, the fifth layer…
The sea of qi rapidly filled up, reaching its limit. At the same time, he sensed the will within the vast waters. He easily arrived at the peak of mid Foundation Establishment. He only needed to take another step forward and he would reach late Foundation Establishment.
Just like that, Golden Core no longer seemed so far away.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were already regarded as proficient cultivators in the cultivation world, having stepped through the gates of cultivation. However, they only possessed identities of disciples in large sects like the Sword Collection palace and Umbral Yin sect. No one knew how many Foundation Establishment cultivators there were in the Green province. Their reputation would only be limited to a single prefecture.
Golden Core cultivators, on the other hand, possessed some basic renown. There were not a lot of them throughout the entirety of the Green province, and they were all figures with a reputation. Even in large sects, they could hold positions of elders. With how large the nine provinces were, they would receive a degree of respect no matter where they went.
The lord of the Green province had a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators as guards, yet he treated Feng Buquan as an esteemed guest. Even though the highly limited number of practitioners of divination played a factor, it was still enough to demonstrate the tremendous difference between their identities.
It was possible to say that if Li Qingshan broke through to Golden Core before the age of thirty, he would be a rare, almost-matchless prodigy. The entire Green province would be stirred up as a result, and he would immediately become a target that various large organisations would want to rope in. It was even possible for him to be directly summoned to the Dragon province to take office in the imperial court, giving him a limitless future.
Apart from an increase in strength, there were countless external benefits too.
Within his sea of qi, the spiritual qi pulsed again and again, but he was unable to break through to the sixth layer of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. He knew it would be pointless to continue like this, so he stopped absorbing the water spiritual qi.
Li Qingshan exhaled gently. Sure enough, the breakthrough to each cultivation realm was difficult. Even minor realms of cultivation were no exception. Breaking through to Golden Core would probably be even more difficult. Apart from water spiritual energy, he also required accumulation and comprehension.
However, he was not disappointed. As long as he continued to accumulate experience and constantly tried, it would be enough. He believed there would be a day when he succeeded.
After becoming the Lord of the Clear River Waters, the raging waters and endless spiritual qi had become his foundation. It had already become his greatest capital.
It was about time for him to return to the academy and research how to combine fire and water.
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Chapter 536 – On Burial Mound Mountain
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Chapter 536 – On Burial Mound Mountain
The north-eastern direction of the Clear River prefecture was also littered with mountains, but they were not precipitous like the Boundless mountains.
Instead, they were short hills. There was no clear division from hill to hill. While they were called mountains, they were actually hills.
Spiritual veins rarely passed through such terrain, and spiritual qi was relatively scarce. Cultivators normally would not establish sects here.
However, there was an exception, which was the Burial Mound mountain of the three mountains from the past. As a sect that primarily focused on refining corpses, they did not emphasise on spiritual veins, but suitable “corpse-nurturing lands”.
The hills were like huge burial mounds, turning them into natural places for accumulating yin qi and corpse qi. Followed by modifications made by generations upon generations of cultivators from the Burial Mound mountain, it was enveloped in gloom all year round. Even the sunshine seemed feeble.
If any mortals accidentally entered this place, they would stiffen up and fall dead before long before climbing back up again soon.
Yu Shukuang stood at the base of the hills and frowned as he gazed at Burial Mound mountain. Through the information network of the Hawkwolf Guard, he had finally found out that Ma Chaoqun was currently in Burial Mound mountain. He had changed his allegiance and become a disciple of Burial Mound mountain.
Ever since the deaths of the Green Vine Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder, the “holy land of the three mountains” had fragmented and fallen apart. However, a first elder who had been cultivating in seclusion then emerged for the Burial Mound mountain to manage the situation.
The rumor was that this first elder had crawled out of the coffin. As for the exact details, no one knew about them.
After several years of war, the other sects all sustained losses, but Burial Mound mountain instead prospered more than before. The gloominess that enveloped Burial Mound mountain was much heavier than when the Lone Grave Elder was still alive.
If the corpses of mortals who died in the war were left to rot, it would lead to disease outbreaks, but both incineration or burial was extremely troublesome.
Most of them had been gathered and transported to Burial Mound mountain before being converted into zombies and bound to commanding tablets under the corpse refinement of the secret techniques of Burial Mound mountain. They were transformed into a force to contend with the daemons.
Yu Shukuang knew about all of this. He worried inside, Surely Ma Chaoqun isn’t that crazy! He did love his wife deeply, but he did not wish to see her rise again as a corpse.
He arrived at the entrance of Burial Mound mountain and could not help but experience an urge to turn around and leave this place. The heavy aura of death was enough to bring disgust to anyone living. It was no wonder that even daemons had not attacked this place. If it were possible, he really did not want to set foot in this place.
With his identity as a Hawkwolf guard, he entered Burial Mound mountain with great ease. The surroundings immediately grew dimmer. Figures flickered through the gloom, either standing in groups or moving around alone. There were an extremely great number of them, and they all produced various strange sounds, but it did not seem lively at all. Even Yu Shukuang was unable to tell which were corpses and which were people.
The disciple who guarded the entrance received him. After learning he had come to see Ma Chaoqun, his pale face became more enthusiastic. He immediately said, “I’ll go invite my first senior brother over right now.”
“First senior brother!”
Yu Shukuang was rather surprised, but the disciple was already long gone. He left behind a zombie to lead him along another path.
He was brought to a stone room that resembled a coffin chamber to wait, politely declining the tea on the table. Standing behind him was the corpse who held the tea jug and served as an attendant. He stared at the tea cup with his hollow eyes as if he was waiting for Yu Shukuang to drink it. It truly was unsettling.
After waiting a while, Yu Shukuang grew bored. He stood up and paced around. He felt rather worried inside, Don’t tell me that guy fled after knowing I came. However, he was a disciple of the Burial Mound mountain after all, so apart from paying a proper, formal visit, there was nothing else Yu Shukuang could do.
He turned around and his heart suddenly tightened, almost drawing the sword on his waist. Before he knew it, a figure had appeared at the door.
“Who is it?”
The person did not answer. The corner of his lips twitched stiffly as if he was sneering.
Yu Shukuang frowned and said in surprise, “Ma Chaoqun!”
It was not his fault for being so surprised. The Ma Chaoqun right now bore almost no resemblance to the Ma Chaoqun in his memory.
Ma Chaoqun’s nickname was the “Pitted Madman”. He had quite a mad aura about him, but the person before him was extremely sunken. Both his face and his figure was terrifyingly gaunt. His complexion was so horrible that he had almost even overlooked his pitted skin.
What brought Yu Shukuang even more surprise was Ma Chaoqun’s cultivation. He was actually a tenth layer Qi Practitioner.
Yu Shukuang was merely a sixth layer Qi Practitioner right now, and that was only because of his daughter, because Yu Zijian had received quite a lot of support from the Hua family. He could already be regarded as rather quick. As for Ma Chaoqun, he had never been a particularly talented person, or he would not have spent so many years on Pheasant’s Grace mountain.
It was no wonder the disciple earlier called him first senior brother!
However, Yu Shukuang did not fear his cultivation. He barked, “Ma Chaoqun, where did you take Zi’er’s corpse?”
He originally thought Ma Chaoqun would feign ignorance before viciously mocking his attempt at retribution. However, never did he think that Mao Chaoqun would be extremely frank. “Come with me!” Afterwards, he turned around and left.
All Yu Shukuang could do was follow behind him. Ma Chaoqun’s footsteps were rather stiff, but he moved as fast as the wind. Before long, they arrived before a stone door. From the quality of the stone door, it could already be regarded as rather luxurious on Burial Mound mountain. They stepped inside and a long passageway appeared.
Yu Shukuang caught the smell of blood, which grew heavier and heavier, enough for him to feel nauseated. It was no longer just the reeking of blood anymore. There was also a foul smell of rot. Simply by taking a breath of it, he felt like his chest had been filled with filthy pieces of cotton.
They passed through a series of stone doors. At the end of the passageway was a huge, underground palace. A circular pool of blood occupied most of the underground palace. Severed limbs floated in it as it constantly bubbled, producing a series of glugging sounds, like the pool of blood was alive.
It was clearly extremely thick, but when he cast his gaze over, he felt like it was bottomless.
The moment he stepped into the underground palace, Yu Shukuang’s gaze was drawn away by the crystal coffin in the centre of the blood pool. Compared to the foul pool of blood, the crystal coffin seemed so pure.
Within the coffin lay a beautiful woman dressed in violet. Her cheeks were rosy and her face was peaceful. She seemed like she was sleeping.
Yu Shukuang could never forget that face. He called out uncontrollably, “Zi’er!” He turned around and asked with an expression of confusion of whether he should be angry or happy, “What did you do?”
He could not help but admit that the fact he was not seeing a walking zombie brought him some comfort. At a closer glance he discovered the crystal coffin that Zi’er laid in seemed to be connected with a messy series of cables, connected with the blood pool.
Ma Chaoqun said, “I’m doing what you can’t do.”
“What?”
“I want to revive her!” Human emotions appeared on Ma Chaoqun’s face. There was a combination of complacency, excitement, and fanaticism.
“That’s impossible!” Yu Shukuang said. Let alone Qi Practitioners, even Foundation Establishment cultivators, no, Golden Core cultivators could not revive the dead.
“That’s because you don’t love her enough!” Ma Chaoqun pointed at Yu Shukuang as his voice echoed through the underground palace. Afterwards, he threw himself on the crystal coffin and caressed in an enamoured manner through the coffin.
“Do you see? Zi’er, this is the man who sweet-talked you, who kept on saying he loved you whole-heartedly, yet also made you lie in the pitch-black ground, unable to see the light of day. I was the one who saved you. I was the one who let you down. If I hadn’t left back then— it’s fine, it’s fine. We can still be together.”
His confusing drivel gave Yu Shukuang chills. He’s actually gone mad!
After Zi’er’s death, he had never touched another woman, constantly grieving over her. He could be regarded as quite a rare, lovesick man. However, compared to Ma Chaoqun’s insanity, he only felt inferior.
Yu Shukuang backed away slowly. He felt extremely uneasy inside. He needed to return and find reinforcements. He had to find the two commanders. They would definitely help him out and bring back Zi’er’s corpse.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly turned around. “She’s your wife. Can you really just bring yourself to leave like this? You better stay behind to accompany her too!” He leapt over the pool of blood and lunged towards Yu Shukuang.
He’s been planning on killing me right from the beginning! Doesn’t he care about my identity as a Hawkwolf guard? Oh right, he no longer cares about anything now!
Yu Shukuang exclaimed inside. He struck out with a flash. The moment he stabbed Ma Chaoqun’s throat, he wondered, Why isn’t he dodging? However, the sword showed no mercy and his true qi channeled in, plunging into his throat but unable to pierce all the way through.
A sneer appeared on Ma Chaoqun’s face. He advanced over, pressing against the sword until it curved. His right hand grabbed Yu Shukuang’s throat like it was made from steel, lifting him up like a chicken. He walked over to the pool and pressed him down.
“For her sake, you can go down too!”
The pool of blood bubbled and a vicious face appeared, opening its mouth and staring at Yu Shukuang. Am I going to die here today?
“Chengzan, nothing has happened lately, right?”
As per usual, Li Qingshan paid a visit to the Hawkwolf Guard first, patting Hua Chengzan on the shoulder in an unconcerned manner.
All Hua Chengzan could do was force out a smile. A Golde Core cultivator had died, the moon demon had united the regions of water, and the Marquis of Ruyi had retreated helplessly. Were these supposed to be something?
However, he still did not appear this time! It seemed like as long as the moon demon appeared somewhere, he would never be there. However, just how did he predict these turmoils again and again? It was probably because of Xiao An’s divination of the seven lots, right? Sure enough, having a practitioner of divination by his side really did allow him to pursue good fortune while avoiding calamities.
They were technically major matters, but as it had nothing to do with them, they became minor. He remained happily uninvolved just like before, increasing his cultivation at an almost-exaggerated speed. Although he was still at mid Foundation Establishment, his aura had grown by far too much compared to the last time they had met. If this continued, the Clear River prefecture would probably produce a never-before-seen young Golden Core cultivator.
However, Hua Chengzan also felt rather perplexed. How could his cultivation advance so quickly? His startling talent and an exceptional ability to comprehend could be explained one way or another, but where did he find so many resources from?
Hua Chengzan had no intentions of suspecting this friend of his, but his sharp and inquisitive nature made him think that there were many suspicious aspects involved.
Of course, every suspicious aspect could be explained after some effort, but together, coming off as slightly strange was unavoidable.
After meeting numerous times with the moon demon, he developed a strange feeling. They seemed to bear some kind of resemblance!
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Chapter 537 – The Strange Hand in the Blood Pool
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Chapter 537 – The Strange Hand in the Blood Pool
“Chaoqun, what are you doing?”
A cold bark echoed through the underground palace.
“Sect master!”
Ma Chaoqun turned his head stiffly and saw a tiny, skinny old man in black the size of a child in the passageway. He walked into the underground palace, his face withered like a skeleton’s as he radiated with yin qi and corpse qi. Impressively, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and late Foundation Establishment at that.
He was the elder who revived Burial Mound mountain, the current sect master of Burial Mound mountain.
“Release him!”
The old man ordered. Yu Shukuang was only a measly Qi Practitioner. He did not take him seriously originally—if he died, then so be it. However, he was also a Hawkwolf guard, so he dared not be careless. The Academy of the Hundred Schools was currently rising in power. If a Hawkwolf guard died on his Burial Mound mountain, it would be no laughing matter.
However, Ma Chaoqun did not release Yu Shukuang. Instead, he pressed him towards the blood pool.
Yu Shukuang widened his eyes as the blood pool filled his face. The smell of blood grew heavier and filled his eyes and nose. He felt an indescribable sense of great horror from the depths of his heart. As if he had become stricken with fear, he was unable to move.
The moment the tip of his nose approached the blood pool, it stopped.
“You’re crazy!”
A hand that resembled a chicken’s claw grabbed Ma Chaoqun’s arm firmly. The old man had never thought his first disciple who had always been so obedient would actually defy his orders. He grabbed Yu Shukuang with his other hand and tossed his aside casually.
Launched into the air, Yu Shukuang flew away from the blood pool and slammed heavily against the wall. Having scraped by with his life intact, the blood pool he stared into earlier seemed to want to suck him into another world.
Just as the old man wanted to teach this disciple of his a proper lesson, he suddenly felt there was something wrong with the pool of blood. The smell of blood was nothing to him—he had no sense of smell—and he had seen plenty of sights that involved mountainous piles of corpses and seas of blood before.
Pools of blood on Burial Mound mountain were used to refine blood corpses. It seemed very chilling to regular people, but it was nothing special to him. However, there was something different about this pool of blood as if something was hiding beneath. He tried extending his soul sense into it and his expression suddenly changed drastically.
“This- How dare you! No wonder your cultivation progressed so quickly!”
Before Ma Chaoqun could reply, he slammed his hand towards the top of Ma Chaoqung’s head. Overcome by surprise and fury, he actually showed no mercy at all, wanting to execute the first senior brother of Burial Mound mountain on the spot.
As a measly tenth layer Qi Practitioner, he was worlds apart from a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Ma Chaoqun could not make any response at all. All he could do was accept his fate and await his death.
However, he sneered without a hint of fear.
Splash!
A great wave suddenly arose from the pool of thick, dense blood. A huge, withered hand extended out and grabbed the old man like it was grabbing an insect. His bones shattered and ruptured like firecrackers before the hand pulled itself back into the pool.
The pool of blood surged a few times before settling down very quickly.
All of this had happened in an instant. A late Foundation Establishment cultivator had simply vanished silently like that. Let alone putting up a struggle, he had not even been able to let out a shriek.
“Thank you for saving my life, sir!” Ma Zhaoqun knelt on one knee and stood up, about to chase after Yu Shukuang.
“There’s no need to chase after him! Let him draw in even more people. I need even more corpses.” A dry, hoarse voice rang out from the pool of blood.
“I’ll go gather all the disciples right now.” A sliver of viciousness flashed through Ma Chaoqun’s eyes.
“I’ve really troubled you for the past three years. You haven’t disappointed me, so I won’t disappoint you either.”
“Yes.” Ma Chaoqun was overjoyed. Ever since he began hearing the voice, he had never stopped working hard. He could finally see a ray of hope now.
When the old man tossed out Yu Shukuang, he immediately fled for his life. Only when he escaped from the underground palace did he glance back and discover that Ma Chaoqun was not after him. Had the old man killed him? He dared not return and verify his thoughts.
No, I need to report this to the Hawkwolf Guard!
Without much effort, Li Qingshan found a few cultivation methods that simultaneously practised water and fire in the library of the academy. Sure enough, they explained in detail how to merge fire and water and make them supplement one another. This was the most difficult aspect of it all.
After reading for a while, a thin, azure water flow rose up from Li Qingshan’s palm, coiling up like a spirit turtle. At the same time, a tiny ball of fire lit up, dancing about like a phoenix.
Under his control, the water and fire collided together and engaged in a violent clash, like two mortal enemies. The water wanted to extinguish the fire, while the fire wanted to burn away the water. How was this merging water and fire? In the end, the water gained the upper hand and suppressed the fire, but the fire only lost the upper hand temporarily. As long as an opportunity showed itself, it would fight back vigilantly.
There was not a single trace of merging together. Li Qingshan shook his head, stowed the water and fire away, and returned the books. The usage of the information in the books was very limited. It was easy to balance out regular fire and water, but both the spirit turtle and the phoenix were the purest embodiments of water and fire.
They were powerful because of how pure they were, but it also made the water and fire more intolerant of one another.
“Commander, you’re here!” Hua Chengzan paced over and appeared between two bookshelves.
“What’s happened?” Li Qingshan turned around and asked. Normally, Hua Chengzan would not refer to him as commander.
“One of our Hawkwolf guards, Yu Zijian’s father, ran into some trouble.”
“Oh? What trouble?”
“We’ll talk as we go.”
Letting Li Qingshan walk in front, Hua Chengzan glanced from the corner of his eyes and discovered the cultivation method that Li Qingshan had been studying was called the Study of Water and Fire. Then he looked away.
Doesn’t he have the Arts of the Boundless Ocean already? What’s he looking at this third-rate cultivation method that can only be practised till Foundation Establishment for?
“What’re you thinking about?” Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan on the shoulder. Hua Chengzan raised his head and met his eyes that had contrasting whites and dark irises. He shivered inside and shook his head. “Nothing.”
The two of them returned to the Hawkwolf Guard together and saw Yu Shukuang. Listening to what he went through, Li Qingshan nodded. “It is a little strange. Let’s go and take a loo-”
He paused because he suddenly sensed an omen of warning. He could not help but become confused. With his current cultivation, he could escape without losing his composure even if he ran into Golden Core cultivators and Daemon Commanders. Just what would he be running into during this trip that would actually be so dangerous?
However, he was an old acquaintance of Yu Shukuang and he also cared about Zijian’s mother. He was also the Scarlet Hawk commander and someone had just tried to kill a Hawkwolf guard. Whether it was from an emotional or a logical sense, he could not turn a blind eye to this.
Of course, the omen of warning was not very strong. He only had to be a little more careful. If this was a warning where it was basically certain death, he would not simply walk to his death either. It was a pity that Xiao An was currently refining that old man Wen’s remains and soul, or he would be even safer.
Li Qingshan, Hua Chengzan, and Yu Shukuang arrived at the outskirts of Burial Mound mountain together. They gazed at the gloomy mountain from afar.
Yu Shukuang roughly indicated the location and Li Qingshan said, “Old Yu, you should just stay here!”
“Yes, commander!”
Hua Chengzan said, “What, you think it’ll be dangerous?”
“It never hurts to be on the safe side. Let’s just be a little more careful!” Li Qingshan smiled and drew the Heavy Water sword, placing it on his shoulder. “Let’s hope we see the sect master of Burial Mound mountain bringing his traitorous disciple Ma Chaoqun to us in chains and apologising to us as soon as we enter!”
The warning from the spirit turtle had completely eliminated this possibility already.
The two of them arrived before the entrance of the sect with a single leap and Hua Chengzan suddenly asked, “Qingshan, are you very familiar with Yu Shukuang?”
He struggled to disguise this feeling of familiarity. Especially when Zijian’s mother was mentioned, Li Qingshan did not become curious about the details involved, and Yu Shukuang had not given a detailed explanation either. He felt like Li Qingshan knew exactly what had happened, but the two of them should not have had a lot of contact.
“We happened to meet a few times in the past. Let’s announce our presence!” Li Qingshan changed the topic, but he remembered a saying, You can fool everyone for a moment, you can fool one person for eternity, but you can never fool everyone for eternity.
Particularly with fooling a person with sharp senses and accustomed to thinking deeply. That would be even more difficult.
Hua Chengzan called out and announced the reason for their arrival. The haze on Burial Mound mountain weighed heavily as there was no reply at all.
The two of them exchanged glances and walked over. They passed through the formation with ease and entered Burial Mound mountain.
There were no sneak attacks or ambushes that they had imagined. All was silent.
The chilly winds whistled as the sky was without any moon or stars. There was not a single shadow to be seen on the mountain. Even the zombies that roamed everywhere had vanished. They could not sense any auras either.
This situation was even stranger than a hundred thousand Corpse Soldiers encircling them. Where did all of the Burial Mound mountain’s disciples go?
Hua Chengzan joked, “Commander, I want to go home.”
Li Qingshan patted Hua Chengzan’s shoulder with a smile. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll leave as soon as we get a glance.”
Following the direction that Yu Shukuang had indicated, the two of them arrived before the entrance of the underground palace. Wind whistled through the passageway like howls of ghosts.
Even without any warning from the spirit turtle, Li Qingshan knew this place was anything but good. He said to Hua Chengzan, “Wait here. I’ll go in and take a look!”
Hua Chengzan said, “I’ll become scared if I’m alone!”
Li Qingshan grinned. “Then follow along behind me!”
With one at the front and one at the back, the two of them passed through the passageway and arrived in the underground palace.
“Oi, Ma Chaoqun, get out here and die!”
Li Qingshan frowned. The smell from the blood pool was truly unpleasant, and it made the warning intensify. He spotted the crystal coffin above the blood pool with a single glance, as well as the woman who resembled Yu Zijian.
Meanwhile, Ma Chaoqun who resembled almost nothing of his past self stood behind the crystal coffin. He stared at the person in the coffin with great affection. He raised his head and looked at them coldly.
“Another two!”
Creak! Crack! Crick! Thump! A series of mechanisms were activated and among the sounds of rubbing against rock, stone doors fell one by one, sealing off the passageway. Inscriptions appeared on the doors. Clearly, they could not be destroyed so easily.
“There’s something wrong with the pool of blood.” Hua Chengzan studied the inscriptions engraved around the blood pool and found them extremely familiar as if he had read about them in a book somewhere before. He tried sending his soul sense into the pool, and his expression changed drastically.
“Oh no! Qingshan, destroy the pool of blood!”
As Hua Chengzan said that, three scarlet talismans flew out of his hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The scarlet talismans exploded into three scarlet-red fireballs that rapidly swelled in the air. Li Qingshan could sense the great power hiding inside. Let alone the tiny pool of blood, they were even enough to flatten an entire city.
Talismans that powerful were extremely rare. Often, they would be reserved for life-threatening moments, yet Hua Chengzan used three right off the bat. When they exploded in the underground palace, they could even threaten his own life, but in that moment, he could no longer care so much.
Li Qingshan did not know what Hua Chengzan was worrying about, but he did trust his judgement. With a swing of his sword, the Heavy Water sword that had already been huge suddenly swelled to ten times its size. He cleaved down as if he was trying to destroy everything.
Ma Chaoqun, the crystal coffin, and even the pool of blood were all included in the sword’s trajectory.
The Siege Breaking strike!
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Chapter 538 – The Gate of Hungry Ghosts
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Chapter 538 – The Gate of Hungry Ghosts
Splash!
The pool of blood surged, spattering blood everywhere. A large, withered, greyish-white hand with long, sharp nails extended out and splayed its fingers, enveloping the three fireballs. They stopped growing in size, shrinking instead until they were completely extinguished. At the same time, it used its index finger and middle finger to easily catch the Heavy Water sword.
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed suddenly. Even though he had not used the strength of the ox demon, the strike was still not something anyone could catch easily with two fingers.
However, the feeling that the hand gave him already resembled a terrifying monster. If its entire body crawled out from the pool of blood, then even if he assumed his daemon form, he probably still would not be its enemy. He had never thought the Burial Mound mountain would actually be hiding such a terrifying thing.
Hua Chengzan abruptly experienced a great sense of crisis. Before he could even respond, a great force smacked into him violently, launching him into the air viciously. He stared at Li Qingshan in shock as he sailed through the air.
What struck him was not the terrifying, strange hand, but Li Qingshan.
Has he discovered my suspicions and wants to silence me with death?
Li Qingshan was stern. Without even looking at Hua Chengzan, he placed his sword across his body, assuming a defensive posture.
Boom!
The withered hand smacked against Li Qingshan. The ground beneath him immediately cracked and collapsed as he sank to his waist.
Li Qingshan’s body could be considered as lofty, but under the hand, it was like a tiny nail being hammered into a wall.
“Qingshan!” Hua Chengzan came to a realisation. Li Qingshan had saved him. With his reactions, he would not have been able to respond to the hand’s attack. If it were not for Li Qingshan, he would have been reduced to a pile of pulp already. He would be as dead as he could be.
“Hmm?” The owner of the hand was rather surprised. If regular Foundation Establishment cultivators took on that attack, death would be certain for them. Not only did this puny cultivator possess endless strength, but his body was as tough as steel too. He gave off a feeling that he was indestructible.
“If you’ve stared long enough, get going!” Li Qingshan glanced at Hua Chengzan. Before he could finish, the hand suddenly closed around him, dragging Li Qingshan into the pool of blood.
Hua Chengzan rushed to the side of the pool, only to see that the blood had already settled. His heart completely sank. Suddenly, the pool of blood began to surge violently like boiling water. The entire underground palace shook.
He gritted his teeth, turned around, and left. He would be of no help even if he remained here. Instead, he would waste his opportunity to escape that Li Qingshan had earned for him with his life.
If it really is like what I’ve been guessing, he might still have a chance to survive.
Grabbed by the hand, Li Qingshan constantly descended towards the depths of the pool. The gurgling blood constantly surged towards his ears and nose. A ring of faint, blue light rose up, pushing away all the blood.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. There was actually a dim light at the bottom of the pool, but it did not resemble any glow of spiritual qi. Instead, it was like sunlight. He tried extending his soul sense into the bottom of the pool.
At that moment, a boundless world unfolded in front of his eyes before his soul sense immediately broke off. A blade seemed to cleave apart his soul sense. However, he would never be able to forget the landscape he saw momentarily.
White bones scattered the lands and blood flowed as rivers. The miserable gathering clouds and rolling mists obscured all celestial bodies in the sky.
Zombies roared at the skies madly, wrapped in extremely thick corpse qi. Not only were there Corpse Generals, but there were even Corpse Commanders.
If that was not alarming enough, the number of Corpse Generals amounted to tens of thousands like they were common soldiers. They gathered in noisy groups, strewn across the wilderness, while the number of Corpse Commanders amounted to over a hundred.
The number of Corpse Soldiers could no longer be described with words. They filled his entire vision, stretching as far as the eye could see.
At the very centre of this horrifying image was a dried corpse standing over three hundred meters tall, reaching towards the sky. The corpse qi on his body could basically be described as rising clouds. His eyes shone as two specks of horrible, green light as his arm extended towards the sky as if it was holding it up.
It was a legendary Corpse King!
What is this place? Why are there so many zombies!?
The omen of warning in his heart was set off like a police siren. If he were dragged in there, then even if he had ten lives, it would be nowhere near enough!
Li Qingshan immediately reverted to his original form. His body tightened, and he pushed the fingers away from his body. Tremors of the Ox Demon! The faint blue Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell swelled up as well, pushing apart the five fingers of the huge, withered hand.
Bang!
The pool of blood exploded loudly, and Li Qingshan burst out. The wings of the phoenix unfurled gloriously as his scarlet hair drifted through the air. He landed beside the pool and dared not remain for a second longer, rushing out of the palace.
The huge, withered hand tailed right behind him. It snatched down, brushing Li Qingshan’s back, merely millimetres away.
The phoenix wings were ripped to pieces, turning into scarlet feathers that drifted through the air.
Li Qingshan lunged forward as hard as he could. The warning vanished, and he let out a deep breath. Only then did he feel the severe pain from his back.
His back seemed to have become plowed farmland. His flesh had been turned inside out, having gained three bone-deep injuries. Even suffering three strikes from an anti-cavalry blade would not be so horrific.
The protruding flesh became a dark green as the colour rapidly spread. He had been poisoned.
The huge hand reached about madly in the surroundings, shattering and crushing the tough rock like mud. However, it could not extend too far away.
“You’ve been infected with corpse poison! You won’t last long!”
A dry, hoarse voice boomed out, making the entire underground palace tremble.
“What are you?”
With a wave of his hand, the scattered feathers turned into specks of fire and returned to his body, transforming his flesh and blood contaminated with corpse poison into fire. When the flames subsided, he had already made a full recovery, completely unscathed.
There was no reply. The huge hand pulled back into the pool as if it had also realised it was unable to do anything to Li Qingshan like this.
Li Qingshan glanced at Ma Chaoqun and considered whether he could kill off this bastard and steal back the crystal coffin under the interference of the withered hand.
The pool of blood surged, rapidly beginning to revolve. It formed a huge whirlpool as the level of liquid began to drop like someone had pulled out the stopper.
The crystal coffin sank rapidly, spinning with the vortex. Ma Chaoqun threw himself at it and hugged the crystal coffin firmly.
With a series of glugs, the pool of blood was drained, leaving behind a huge, circular space of emptiness. The walls were layered from brick, extending downwards to the unknown depths.
Suddenly, the hole produced a powerful suction force. Fierce winds surged over as they whistled.
The suction force was so great that the underground palace finally gave way, trembling and collapsing. A huge boulder fell in front of the entrance, and the wind halted for a moment, but the boulder was rapidly ripped apart. The hole seemed like a huge, greedy mouth, devouring everything madly.
Li Qingshan’s figure began to waver too. He dared not remain for any longer, rushing out of the place.
Hua Chengzan happened to be waiting at the entrance. He saw Li Qingshan and was overjoyed. “Li Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan grabbed Hua Chengzan and took off into the air. He only stopped when he arrived at an extremely high altitude, lowering his head to look.
The yin qi that enveloped Burial Mound mountain for thousands of years formed a colossal vortex, all surging madly towards a single point. The surroundings of Burial Mound mountain had never been so clear before.
Burial Mound mountain collapsed at a visible rate, forming a colossal pit. The pit continued to grow, swallowing the earth in the surroundings.
Li Qingshan asked, “What the hell is this?”
Hua Chengzan said sternly, “A Gate of Hungry Ghosts!”
Li Qingshan asked in confusion. “What’s a Gate of Hungry Ghosts?”
“Have you heard about the six realms of saṃsāra before?”
“Of course. Don’t tell me this hole is connected to the Hungry Ghost realm?”
TL: There are six major realms of rebirth in buddhist cosmology (as well as corresponding entities), which are the realms of deva (deity-like beings), asura (demi-god-like beings who exhibit extreme anger and wrath, particularly towards deva), humans, animals, preta (hungry ghosts, beings of insatiable hunger and thirst with small mouths and long necks due to being overly greedy in their past lives) and naraka (hell). You can read more about it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra_(Buddhism)#Realms_of_rebirth
Li Qingshan came to a realisation. Among the six realms of saṃsāra, every single realm was extremely vast. In comparison, the World of the Nine Provinces was almost negligible in size. The sight he saw earlier was the Hungry Ghost realm, and that probably could only be regarded as a small spectacle in the Hungry Ghost realm.
“That’s right. I’ve already sent a message back. We need to seal off this gate as soon as possible, or there’ll be a lot of trouble.”
“Yeah.”
Li Qingshan expressed his agreement. Just with what he saw earlier alone, a Corpse King, a group of Corpse Commanders, and a pile of Corpse Generals could throw the entire Green province into chaos, let alone a puny Clear River prefecture or the Ruyi commandery.
“But how do we seal it? There’s no way in hell I’m going to the other side.” If he were accidentally sucked into the Hungry Ghost realm, he would be done for.
Hua Chengzan laid out his hands. “I don’t know either. We can only wait until others arrive and then confer with them. This is probably already beyond what Foundation Establishment cultivators can handle.”
Li Qingshan said, “Just Ma Chaoqun, that puny Qi Practitioner, actually managed to cause something so major!”
Hua Chengzan shook his head. “It’s not just Ma Chaoqun. Burial Mound mountain has always been a corpse-nurturing land where yin qi gathers. Over the several years of warfare and turmoil, the number of corpses that have been delivered here have probably reached the tens of millions. Burial Mound mountain has already become a living Hungry Ghost realm. Its boundary with the Hungry Ghost realm became extremely weak. We only focused on combating the daemons, but we neglected this point.”
“Ma Chaoqun then cooperated with the powerful undead in the Hungry Ghost realm, working from both inside and out. That was how he managed to establish this Gate of Hungry Ghosts.”
“Then we better move a little further away!”
Li Qingshan said. Even if the Corpse King was stuck due to being too large, unable to emerge from the hole, there were still many Corpse Generals and Corpse Commanders. If they surged out together, then no matter how powerful he was, he would still be swallowed by a sea of corpses and forcefully whittled to death. However, if Xiao An were here, she could use the Samādhi Flames of White Bone, and it should be extremely easy for her to deal with them.
“Don’t worry. The Gate of Hungry Ghosts doesn’t open so easily. The more powerful they are, the harder it is for them to pass through. Right now, it’s only equivalent to having opened by a crack. Probably even Corpse Generals won’t be able to squeeze through. However, as time goes on, that’s not going to hold true.”
Hua Chengzan finished speaking and the final sliver of yin qi was sucked into the pit. The pit stopped growing and changing, and the surroundings became clear and bright.
Boom! Like a volcanic eruption, a pillar of black mist erupted violently, connecting the earth with the sky, making the ground shake and shrouding the sky.
Erupting with it were thousands of corpses. Corpse Soldiers were thrown into the air one by one, scattering all over the ground. Some climbed up again, while others had their bones shattered to pieces and were completely immobilised, only for other Corpse Soldiers to immediately cover them up.
Li Qingshan could not help but become dumbfounded. This sight was literally unheard of and never before seen. It seemed- it seemed like a huge “zombie geyser”!
The Corpse Soldiers rolled along the ground like droplets of water.
“Stop them. It’ll be bad if we let these Corpse Soldiers spread out.”
Hua Chengzan said urgently. The Corpse Soldiers were not particularly powerful to them, but they were basically undefeatable monsters to mortals.
A ball of fire descended from above, constantly swelling in the air and slamming against the sea of corpses. Thousands of Corpse Soldiers were reduced to ashes as the shockwave rushed out, sending countless Corpse Soldiers flying. A huge, empty circle appeared in the sea of corpses.
But it was filled again in the blink of an eye.
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Chapter 539 – Sea of Corpses
Chapter 539 – Sea of Corpses
Boom!
Li Qingshan descended from above and smashed into the sea of corpses.
At that moment, the ground sank and earth was thrown into the air. Hundreds of Corpse Soldiers were knocked into the horizon.
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